#ugh I had to make dinner for 11 today and it wore me out

[folliesandfolderols]

Writing prompts day 6

From this prompt list. I set a goal of writing at least 150 words per day in 2024, which sounds pretty pathetic but if you take into account the fact that I haven't written any fiction since 2019 it felt like a feasible target. Anyway I've finished the first draft (it topped out at 88k words) and will be unlocking each post as I edit.

***

read from the beginning here

Day 5 here

***

7. “Can I… can I touch you?”

18. "You. Me. Bed. Clothes off. Now.”

***

Tim managed to keep himself so busy for the rest of his patrol that he only obsessed over what would happen later for fifty percent of it. Considering his brain's tendency to worry at any sort of uncertainty like a Chihuahua with a mail carrier's ankle, that was pretty impressive.

Once he'd showered and entered his patrol notes back at the Cave, he straddled his bike and waved goodbye to Steph, who was still typing at a workstation. Damian had somehow managed to be near him during their entire debrief period, although he betrayed no signs of tracking him or aiming for his side.

"See you there?" Tim murmured, bent to check his side stand as if he suddenly doubted his ability to raise it properly.

Damian appeared to be engrossed in replacing one of the Batmobile's armored panels, but the corners of his mouth tilted up almost imperceptibly. "Forty-five minutes behind you."

The ride back to the Nest and the wait afterward seemed to take forever. Tim finally flipped open his laptop and started working on the weapons trafficking case he, Jason, and Damian had been collaborating on just to keep himself from spiraling. He clicked from open file to open file, unseeing.

It isn't a bad idea. We'll have one more night and get it out of both our systems. This is just a weird interpersonal hiccup because we have too much proximity to really walk away. It doesn't mean anything.

If he'd been interviewing a suspect spouting the same nonsense his brain was churning out, he would have said they were full of shit. He decided he was going to be convinced regardless and went to prep. Efficiency was important, or something.

A soft knock on the door thirty minutes later had him rushing to open it. "Hey," he greeted, trying not to sound out of breath although he had no memory of the journey between his couch and the entrance. "Everything okay?"

Damian didn't look perturbed, exactly, but he did have a line between his eyebrows that usually signified confusion. "Father wanted to know why I was coming to see you."

Tim watched him kick off his shoes and line them up against the wall. After a brief hesitation, he pulled off his socks as well and tucked them into the shoes. "You told him you were leaving? Why?"

"I didn't. He just knew, somehow. I thought we were too discreet for him to have noticed. Anyway, I told him we were working on the weapons trafficking case." Damian shrugged. "He didn't seem overly interested in my coming here, but he did ask several questions about the case itself."

Tim scoffed. "So he was testing you out to see if we were really talking about the case. If he bothered to read our notes more often he'd know that we've been prioritizing it for weeks now. Oh, well. If he checks my activity tonight he'll see I opened up the files so that'll back up your story."

"As you say." He fell silent. Tim waited for a second, but just as he was about to suggest going to his room, Damian asked, "May I touch you?"

It wasn't like him to sound so tentative, but Tim thought it was a good sign that Damian, whose grasp on common courtesies was what could often generously be termed as "loose," knew that sex was one area where he couldn't make unilateral demands.

"Yeah." He stepped close enough to wrap his arms around Damian's neck. "Please do."

He expected Damian to kiss his mouth immediately. Instead, he brushed back a wayward strand of Tim's hair and then kissed the tender skin just below his ear. Tim shivered and leaned into his warmth.

Damian kissed down his neck, each imprint of his lips making more goosebumps break out on Tim's skin despite their heat. He didn't seem quite as overwhelmed as he had last time, but that would probably turn out to be a good thing. Still, the gentleness was feeling a little too intimate for a no-strings-attached type of night, so Tim decided to change the tone.

"C'mere," he said, holding Damian's face in both hands to direct his mouth up.

Tim took care to make this kiss unmistakably horny, biting his way past Damian's lips and pressing his tongue deep as soon as Damian let him in. Damian's groan resonated into his own chest as Tim slid one hand down to grab his ass. Tim dragged him flush against his body and parted his legs to grind against Damian's thigh, thick with muscle. Fuck, why did he have to feel so good? Tim's stomach was already melting into a churning mess of heat and want.

He pulled his head back to find Damian looking dazed, flushed with arousal and reddened lips parted. Tim wanted to destroy him. "Okay, I've got a plan," he breathed.

Damian's mouth quirked, and his gaze sharpened slightly with amusement. "Why am I not surprised?"

"No, no, listen, I think you'll like it." Tim stood on tiptoe to kiss him again, fully hard now and making no attempt to hide it. "You. Me. Bed. Clothes off. Now."Damian nodded. "You are a master strategist." And he grabbed Tim's hand to rush toward the bedroom.

day seven here

[teenyweenynightghost]

@fuckim-so-gay

“How do I look?” X Thomas

Thomas had less then ten minutes left before going on stage and to say he was panicking was an understatement.

With fresh tears running down his face, ruining his makeup once more, he walked anxiously around the room.

Today was supposed to be a good day. He was going to bring his girlfriend to one of the band’s gigs, then take her to dinner and perhaps get lucky later on… but all that changed when he arrived to her place to pick her up. Noticing a mysterious car in the driveway, he couldn’t help but think about hundreds of different things that could have happened.

Wearily opening the door and peaking his head through, he saw his girlfriend’s dress thrown on the floor, together with some dude’s shirt.

His blood started boiling as he angrily stomped up the stairs, heading straight for her room.

Almost busting the door down, he saw the two of them cuddled in her bed.

“Cazzo, go fuck yourself!” He muttered in a disgusted tone, as his girlfriend’s eyes widened and she quickly tried to get out of bed.

“Thomas! Wait please!” She screamed after him, but he had already made his way to the car, shutting the door forcefully and leaving.

The memories all struck him once more as he found himself crouched in the corner of a dressing room, as the others looked for him in a frenzy.

He had hundreds of missed calls and messages on his phone, none of which he was interested in answering.

Suddenly, he heard a soft nock on the door, and did his best to wipe away the tears.

“Thomas, amore, every-“ y/n’s eyes widened seeing him in such a condition. She almost ran to him and enveloped him in the warmest hug.

“Vafanculo, Amore, what happened?” She asked him, voice full of concern, as she pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

Thomas’s lip started to tremble as he hid his head in the crook of y/n’s neck.

He started weeping again and holding her tightly, praying it would make him disappear.

“She cheated on me!” He let out in between sobs, Y/n’s heart breaking the moment he said that.

“Oh that bitch. She wasn’t any good anyway. I heard you two. I thought I had lost my hearing.”

Thomas snorted at her comment, smiling reluctantly, before leaning down against the wall and taking a seat on the cluttered floor.

“You might think I’m joking but I’m actually serious.” Y/n deadpanned, making him burst out laughing.

“Here’s my proposal amore, we get you dressed, only to have you take off half of your clothes on stage, you put on a bomb ass show like you always do, and then we go to egg her car and house.” Y/n had a shit-eating grin on her face as she said that.

Thomas rolled his red, puffy eyes and looked at her, before sending an angelic smile her way, despite feeling crushed.

“Okay. So the rest of the band is wearing black and mesh and garters and makeup and…” Y/n rambled on, getting lost in all the details while she wandered around the room, picking up a thing or two.

Thomas couldn’t help but stare at her. Her soft, beautiful body bending and turning as she fumbled around maniacally. She always wore a silver necklace around her neck, with angel wings.

He was with her when they bought it. They were walking around the streets of Rome on a mild, spring day. Y/n had noticed a small boutique next to a pizza shop, and suggested taking a look at what they sold. The second she was inside, the necklace caught her eye as if it were magic, and she immediately bought it. While they were returning home, she explained to him that her greatest dream was to fly ,and see the stars up close. Thomas couldn’t help but fell enamored at her confession, but he pushed any and all feelings away, not wanting to ruin their friendship.

“THOMAS!” He jolted as he felt her shake him, bringing him back from his thoughts.

“Oh good you’re here. Black or nude?” She asked, holding two lipsticks in her hands.

He shrugged and leaned his head backwards, closing his eyes.

Slap.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” He screamed out, holding his burning cheek in his hand.

“Answer me.”

“You chaotic little bitch. I don’t know! Which one looks better?” He retorted, annoyed at the measures she was taking.

“Ugh you’re not helping! Everything looks amazing on you!” She immediately turned red once she realized what she had said, and quickly turned away to go look for something in the corner of the room.

“Oh really? I didn’t know that’s how you felt.” He called out to her, a cheeky smile on his face.

“TWO MINUTES!!” An angry, irritated voice shouted from the hallway.

“Cazzo!” They both muttered in unison. Y/n did a quick work of his makeup and dragged him in front of a mirror.

Thomas examined himself, looking thoroughly pleased with the outfit, before meeting her gaze in the reflection.

“How do I look?” He asked, full of vulnerability and honesty.

“Divine.” Y/n grinned while turning him around, pressing a loving kiss to his cheek and breaking apart.

“Now go break a leg, bambino.”

Author’s note: i know this was supposed to be with Vic, but, after noticing how little things I write with him my scabrous little heart broke and now ta da

(Also i have acquired a new-found obsession with him but haven’t we all.)

Taglist: @fuckim-so-gay @ginny-lily @messyhairday-me @cheese-toastie-11 @wannabemarlenabutiscoraline @simp-per-ethan @maneskinrollercoaster @juststalking @superchrystaldrug @immrbrightsideeee @shehaddreamstoo

[arctickat2400]

Relax <> Harry Styles

You just had the most stressful day at work and all you needed was to relax.You shut the front door as you drop your keys on the entry table and your bag on the floor next to it. You travel upstairs and into your room, walking towards your bed. You take your iPad from the bedside table and make your way into the rather large bathroom.

Turning on the faucet in the bathtub, you look for Netflix on your iPad. You start undressing as the tub fills with warm water. You continue watching (your favorite show) on Netflix as you step into the bathtub, settling yourself as you lean your head on the side of the tub with a tired look. You were absolutely exhausted.

You were in the bath and had watched maybe an episode and a half when Harry came home.

“Hey, (Your Nickname). I’m home.” You had just barely heard him, but you didn’t have it in you to yell back. You were just about to fall asleep in the bathtub.

Harry makes his way upstairs, walking into your shared bedroom and sees the bathroom light on and the door just cracked open. He smiles, knowing you’re in there as he opens the door, walking in and sees you in the bathtub, tired and trying to relax. You move your eyes to look up at him, tired and a little down.

“Hey, baby girl.” Harry says as he walks in and to you. You watch as he sits on the bench beside the tub as he turns your iPad and presses pause on the screen, turning off your tv show.

“Excuse me, but I was watching that.” You said weakly as if you didn’t care, still leaning against the side of the tub and looking up at him. Harry leans down and begins to take his shoes off.

“What’s going on, Princess? Did something happen at work?” Harry questions as he looks up at you from his shoes.

“What makes you think something happened?” You say, crossing your arms over your chest as you reposition yourself, leaning back against the back of the tub, closing your eyes.

After not getting an answer, you barely open your eyes and see Harry staring at you as he leans forward on his knees. You decide to just tell him.

“Ugh! Don’t even get me started,” You said as you closed your eyes again. You, then, felt a hand on your stomach from beneath the water and a kiss on your forehead.

“You wanna talk about it?” Harry offers. You open your eyes and sit up, looking over at him where he was standing by your walk in closet in your bedroom. He walks in as you start.

“Well, first of all, I turned in my article today and, of course, they didn’t take it. They never put my articles or pictures in the magazines. One, just one, is all it takes and I’ll be at least okay.” You begin as Harry walks back into the bathroom and sits on the bench again, leaning towards you to listen to you.

“Then, my boss gave my promotion to some random girl whose been working there for like 3 weeks. I’ve been working there for 2 years, and they give the damn promotion to Ashley. And the thing is, I worked with her for her first few days and she has no idea what she’s doing. She can’t write a word, she can’t take a simple photo on even the simplest phone and yet they give her my promotion.” You go off, even angrier than you were when you left work.

“Seriously, I love Teen Vogue, but I hate the people there and I hate my job.” You finish ranting as you fall back against the wall, shutting your eyes and beginning to slide down into the water. Harry stops you before you could go any further. The great thing about Harry, he will always be happy to listen to you vent, and you vent a lot.

“Y/N, I know you had a rough day. I understand what that’s like. But, I will never let you drown yourself. I know the thoughts that go through your head, but I won’t let anything happen to you.” Harry told you after he lifted you from below the water, sitting you up.

“Now, you will relax. Can I get you anything to help?” Harry asked, standing from the bench.

“Could you actually get me a Propel bottle?” You ask, looking up at him.

“Of course.” He answers with a smile.

“Oh, and maybe some Oreo’s?” You add just before he leaves out the door.

“Sure thing, (Your Nickname). Anything else?” He asked, the same sweet smile on his face. You just nod your head no with a small, innocent smile.

Harry walks out and downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of (your favorite drink) and the pack of Oreos, he jogs back upstairs and into the bathroom. With a sweet smile on his face, Harry sets you requested items beside you.

“Thank you, Hare.” You tell him with a thankful smile. He leans down and presses another kiss to your forehead.

Just then, Harry begins to walk out again, but you wanted his company still. You always wanted his company.

“Wait, Haz!” You almost yell, considering he was already in the bedroom. He pokes his head through the door again, and you saw he never stopped smiling.

“Yes, baby?” He smiled at you.

“Can you please stay in here with me? I still want you.” You ask him innocently as you lean against the edge of the tub. He just silently chuckles to himself as he looks down. You couldn’t hold back a barely visible smile yourself.

“Of course, Kitten. I’ll just be right back.” You nod in understanding as he turns and leaves the room. You reach for your iPad and played Glee again, grabbed an Oreo and waited for Harry to arrive back again.

Almost 2 or so minutes later, Harry comes back in. Your eyes follow his movement as you watch as he takes off his black skinny jeans and his button up shirt and slips on a pair of black workout shorts, leaving himself shirtless. Harry walks to you as you sit up. He slides behind you and settles in the edge of the tub. He sets his hands on your shoulders, gently guiding you backwards as he leans you back against him.

Harry begins to give you back and shoulder rubs, moving down to your sides and rubbing around your stomach. This, of course, relaxed you much more, just like Harry wanted.

For the rest of the evening, as you lean back against Harry, you both continue to watch (your favorite show), hanging out in the bathtub, you singing along to the songs and Harry loving every minute of it, along with snacking on Oreo’s.

It was getting late and you reached the end of your 5th (show) episode of the night. Before you had gotten out, Harry had gone to get you some clothes that he had warmed up in the dryer for you. He was always so sweet, doing such sweet things like that for you. When he came back to the bathroom, he helped you out of the tub and wrapped a warm towel around you.

You stood in front of Harry in your towel as he tied your hair up in a messy bun. He was a pro at that considering he did it all the time with his hair. You still loved his hair and you loved that he could do your hair for you.

You had gotten dressed into your warm clothes that consisted of a pair of black underwear and one of Harry’s large sweatshirts that went down to almost your knees. He loved that messy look on you, and when you wore his clothes. He couldn’t get enough of it.

It was around 9:00, and you and Harry had made your way downstairs after cleaning up your little hangout in the bathroom. You sat at the bar as Harry made you both quesadillas for a late dinner. You were surprised you were still hungry after all the Oreo’s you ate, but you had a big appetite most of the time. The boys loved that about you.

You sat with Harry at the table eating the delicious dinner he so generously made as he told you about his day, making you feel better about what happened to you that day. Whenever he told you about his day, it made you feel like you were there with him and it made you happy to feel like you had the good day that he had.

The time reached 11:00 and you were super tired and both you and Harry were surprised you hadn’t fallen asleep yet. You were falling asleep at the table and Harry noticed. After bringing your dishes to the sink, Harry picked you up from the table bridal style as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You kissed his chest as he carried you upstairs and to your room.

He placed you gently on your bed as he crawled over you. Turning off the light, Harry gathered you in his arms, holding you close to him. You closed your eyes, cuddling into Harry as he kissed your head goodnight.

[streetlight11]

Stay With Me

Summary: She suffered from a trauma after she witnessed the death of her parents at a young age. Luckily, she had a best friend who was there for her ever since that tragic incident. Both of them had feelings for each other deep down but never told anyone. One unfortunate night, when a fresh accident happened right in front of their eyes, her trauma came seeping back in but he was there to comfort her. She could never imagine her life without him.

Theme: College au, childhood friends to lovers

Warning: mentions of accidents, blood, death

Genre: Fluff, sad 

WC: 2.6k

Pairing: Ji Changmin x Reader

a/n: just a heads up, the words in italics are flashbacks :)

~12 years ago~

“Mom, dad! Please wake up! Please!” Y/N said, crawling towards her parents who were sprawled on the road with bloody cuts and scabs everywhere on their body.

A bystander called the ambulance while some of them helped carry her parents off to the sidewalk. Not long after, the ambulance came but they didn’t manage to rescue her dad in time. He passed away from the hard impact. Her mom managed to be transferred into the vehicle.

But she didn’t make it halfway through.

She was left all alone as the paramedics comforted her, telling her to breathe. She was only 11. Hence, the reason why she was traumatized by that incident.

It was a bright Wednesday morning, she had just finished getting ready to leave her apartment to head to campus. She wore a simple white shirt tucked into her high waist plaid skirt with a pair of Nike sneakers. She made it to campus with her backpack hanging off one side of her shoulder while she carried a few books in her hand to avoid putting heavy weight in her backpack.

She was just making her way down the hall, her Bluetooth earplugs were in her ears. She was listening to her music when somebody tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see a guy from her Psychology class. If she remembered correctly, his name was Jisung.

“Hey, I think you dropped this.” He said, handing her the keychain from her bag.

She took the charm from him not forgetting to thank him before flashing him a smile. Jisung did the same. Taking slow steps backwards until she finally turned back around to continue walking. He rushed back to his friends, only for them to nudge his side teasingly.

“Dude! She smiled at you! That’s a good start.” Hyunjin said.

“Yeah, try talking to her next time. She’ll definitely talk to you more.” Minho said, making Jisung stare at her descending back.

“Maybe I will…” Jisung thought to himself and soon went off to class.

A few hours later, Y/N was just leaving school when a familiar jock from the soccer team stops dead in her tracks, making her halt in her tracks.

“Hey, I have free tickets to see the new movie this weekend. Wanna go together?” Juyeon asked.

“I already made plans. Sorry.” She rejected him nicely before proceeding to walk around him to leave. She was just making her way to her car when someone blocked her door by holding it down. She looked up, ready to curse whoever it was but her words got stuck when she met the eyes of her best friend.

“I was this close to cursing your ass, Changmin.” Y/N said scrunching her nose. She made a pinching gesture with her fingers to show him she was running out of patience. 

Changmin laughed when he leaned against her driver seat door, only to look down at her with a wide smile. “Are you free this weekend?” He asked.

“Mm, probably.”

“But you just told Juyeon you had plans.” Changmin began to smirk.

“You know I give white lies to those guys who try to take me on dates.”

“But you don’t turn me down when I ask you out?”

“That’s because you’re my best friend.”

“Ouch, am I being friend zoned already?” Changmin faked a sad frown.

“Wha- What are you talking about? Of course not.”

“Ugh! Y/N…”

“Changmin…” His frown was soon turned into a bright smile, leaning forward to playfully boop her nose with his own. She couldn’t help but giggle when he did that.

“Should we go out this weekend?” He asked.

“Where to?”

“We can check out that new haunted house for this year’s Halloween.”

“You just want to see me suffer don’t you?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“You ass.” Changmin giggled before pushing himself off her car, only for her to slap his torso playfully.

“I’ll text you once I’m home. Be careful.” She said while Changmin began to walk towards his sports bike across the parking lot. While all of this was happening, someone witnessed this from one of the bikes parked in the lot.

It was Jisung.

That weekend, Changmin came over to her apartment to fetch her but he was an hour early. Hence, the reason why he was now just casually sitting in her bed while he picked out her outfit. After what felt like forever, he finally chose for her a simple denim skinny ripped jeans, a black sleeveless fitting top and a khaki green bomber jacket.

As for the shoes, she chose to wear a simple pair of converse high tops. Changmin was just sitting in her living room while she got dressed, only for him to receive a call from Juyeon, who happened to also be his friend.

“Hey Min! Wanna hang out today?”

“Sorry Ju, I have plans today.”

“Aww man. Who are you meeting?”

Changmin was so close to saying her name when he stopped himself abruptly. “Uhh, s-someone…”

“Ooh! Are you going on a date?”

“H-Huh? No, absolutely not. She’s just a friend.”

“Don’t take too long brother, or else someone might just steal her away.” Juyeon said. Changmin could literally hear his friend smile on the other line. Just then, Changmin heard her bedroom door unlock so he quickly said goodbye to his friend.

“Alright man, I gotta go. Bye.”

“Bye bro, good luck.” Juyeon teased before proceeding to hang up, making Changmin shake his head slightly. 

The both of them soon left only for them to take Changmin’s bike instead of her car since it’s slightly easier to find a parking spot later. They went to get a light dinner first before heading to the theme park that was decked out with scary decorations and they even had new haunted houses for this year’s Halloween season.

The two of them were just walking around with the crowd. People were diligently running away from killer clowns and also scary looking masked actors.

She flinched quite a few times as she often grabbed his arm for comfort.

Just when she was talking to Changmin, a killer clown came charging right at her. She flinched, immediately grabbing Changmin’s shirt to bury herself in his chest. He couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around her body while the clown tried to scare her by putting the chainsaw right beside her ear.

Changmin could feel his heart race in his chest as she rested her arms firmly on his torso.

“Is he gone?” She whispered, terrifyingly.

“Yeah.”

Y/N carefully opened one eye, peaking past her shoulder, only to come face to face with the scary clown, making her let out a soft squeak. She pushed the clown away by his shoulders.

“Leave me alone!” She whined while Changmin was still hugging her. The clown laughed menacingly at her. Starting up his chainsaw again, making her flinch.

“Ugh! You little-” She almost cursed out of annoyance but the clown ran away to scare other people.

“I think you scared him more than he scared you.” Changmin teased while laughing at her.

“Oh shut up.” 

She said with a sad pout on her face in which he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter. They were now entering a queue to go to one of the new haunted houses when a familiar voice called out her name from behind her. She turned around, only to see Jisung with his friends, approaching the queue they were in. 

She soon found herself smiling and waving at him who mimicked her expression the minute he came to a stop behind her in line.

“Is this your first house?” Jisung asked, shaking her head saying it was already her forth. Just then, Jisung’s eyes travelled towards Changmin who was standing beside her. Who then turned to see who Y/N was talking to. Changmin gave him a soft smile, making Jisung return the gesture.

“Ahh, I’m sorry to disrupt anything. I’ll leave you with your boyfriend.” Jisung said only to awkwardly smile at her, about to turn back around. That’s when Changmin spoke up to clear things up.

“Uhh, it’s fine, she’s-” But she seemed to cut him off.

“It’s okay, my boyfriend’s fine with it.”

With that, Changmin froze as Jisung’s eyes kept going back and forth between Y/N and Changmin. Y/N continued talking to Jisung but she sneakily played with Changmin’s fingers, making his heart race in his chest.

At this point, Jisung wasn’t jealous, nor was he upset that he didn’t get a chance to bring her out on a date because he feels that she is much better off with Changmin. After they were finished with that house, they gathered at the exit, only for Y/N to smile at Jisung and his friends.

“That was scary, I almost slapped someone in there.” Hyunjin confessed, making them all laugh.

“I wouldn’t wanna be that someone.” Jisung said.

Y/N laughed, turning to Jisung and rested her hand on his arm for a few seconds while she spoke.

“Alright, I’ll leave you guys to enjoy the rest of the night. See you in school.” She said, making the guys bid their goodbyes and soon walked the other way. After they left, she knew exactly what Changmin was gonna talk about so she quickly changed the topic by pointing to a snack cart and dragged Changmin to it.

They spent the next few hours with her screaming and whining while he laughs at her for being scared every time.

It was getting late and she was already tired so he decided to send her home. On their way back, they were at a cross junction when he removed his hands from the handlebar only to lean back into a sitting posture. They were both quiet as she rested her hands on his back, carefully sliding them around his waist.

Changmin found himself smiling at nobody. He glanced over his shoulder a little to look at her through his full face helmet. However, that cute moment was soon interrupted when a loud tyre screeching sound was heard from the other side of the junction.

Both of them whipped their head over to the left, that’s when they saw a lorry crashing into a car that soon overturned from the impact.

She gasped when she saw the driver of the car weakly crawled out of the overturned vehicle, his head and hands were bleeding. The lights turned green but Changmin quickly swerved towards the right to stop by the side to get down and help.

A few other passer-by's stopped their vehicles only for them to rush over to the scene.

The lorry driver got off, he even tried to run away drunkenly but some bystanders managed to chase him down. Changmin gently led the car driver to the side while a lady called the ambulance.

Just then, the man pointed shakily to the car as he said.

“M-My… My w-wife… P-Ple-Please h-help he-her.”

With that, Y/N and two more bystanders rushed to the car and they saw the woman hanging upside down from her seat. Her seatbelt was still intact but her head was bleeding. Red crimson blood dripping down her arms and head.

This alone made Y/N’s breath start to get choppy. She made slow steps backwards. Changmin turned around just in time to see her collapse to the ground in a state of shock, sitting there motionless. He rushed to her, cupping her face worriedly.

“Y/N? Y/N, are you okay?” Changmin asked but he knew her mind wasn’t there currently.

With that being said, Changmin carefully lifted her up to bring her towards the sidewalk. He sat beside her with one arm around her waist while the other gently caressing her head comfortingly.

After the ambulance came, Y/N was still shaking in his arms when they watched the paramedics bring both the victims into the vehicle.

Changmin turned to Y/N and softly whispered.

“Are you okay? Let’s get you home. Come on.” He said gently to her. She stood up but her knees were weak from the trauma.

Changmin sends her home safely and he even offered to accompany her for a while before heading home. However, instead of her wanting to shower straight away, she pulled him down on the couch as they sat there side by side quietly for a bit.

“It triggered your past didn’t it?” He asked cautiously, making her nod.

Changmin sighed because he already knew what it was. With that being said, he pulled her into a hug with her willingly accepting it without a single doubt. She buried her face into his neck as he gently caressed her back soothingly.

The room fell silent and all they could hear was their calm breathing. Just then, Changmin pulled away slightly, only to press a firm kiss against her temple. Her heart stopped beating for a millisecond, feeling her whole body freeze. Changmin smiled softly while he drew lazy patterns into her back, that’s when she spoke up.

“Can you stay with me? Please? I’m scared… I already lost the people I love so much. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Especially you.” She whispered softly against his shoulder. He heard every single word clearly.

With that being said, he carefully pulled her away from him. He stared into her glossy eyes that were filled with tears, threatening to roll down her cheeks. He gently cups her face as he wipes her fallen tears with his thumbs. Changmin couldn’t bear to see her heartbroken, it pained him to see her like this. So the only way to make her happy again is to fulfil her wishes, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

“I’ll stay with you. I promise I’ll never leave you.” He said, reassuring her as he stared deep into her eyes.

She could almost feel her heart escaping her chest as she gently held onto his wrists. Changmin smiles at her softly, wiping her tears with his sweater sleeves. She leans into his hand and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

Just then, he felt like it was something he needed to do. He wanted to seal his promise. With that being said, Changmin leaned in, only to kiss her on the lips softly. Her heart stops beating momentarily as she felt like she was on cloud9.

Her anxiety and trauma from the accident earlier was already gone. Instead, it got replaced by adrenaline and love. She slides her hands up his chest, running her fingers through his hair. Changmin smiled against her lips only to deepen the kiss further. Changmin tugged on her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

She cups his neck while his hands are resting on her thighs making her shy. She pulled away, only for her to say softly.

“The actual reason why I always turn those guys down is because I was hoping you’d ask me out on a proper date. But I guess we could call today our first date.” She said, making him chuckle as he licked her bottom lip and kissed her but soon pulled away.

“No it doesn’t. Let’s go on a real date. I’ll properly ask you out this time.” Changmin confessed, making her giggle. He captured her in a kiss, making her melt against his touch.

Changmin spent the night with her. He showered her with so much love, filling in the amount that she has been missing out all throughout her childhood. 

She couldn’t ask for a much better friend and partner. She woke up the next morning to him playing with her hair in bed as she was snuggled against his warm, cosy chest. He gave her good morning kisses and did that for the rest of the day, making her laugh. She definitely wouldn’t want to lose anybody else that’s in her life. Especially not Changmin.

[therainroguefanfiction]

🎂 To Myself (Arashi Fukada)

[art by Lushia on deviantart]

Genre: Fluff, Slice of Life, Birthday

Word Count: 1,655

Pairing: Reader x TYL! Arashi Fukada

World: Katekyo Hitman Reborn (11^ Famiglia)

Prompt: Valentine’s Day #4 by thefakeredhead

Author’s Note: I think this is the first time I’ve ever written for someone else’s original character, but it was super fun! This was written for @zeno290​​’s birthday featuring the original character, Arashi Fukada, created by @kiralushia​! Arashi is from the 11^ Famiglia webcomic, which I highly recommend you read (webtoons | @the11thfamily​).

Thank you for giving me the chance to write for one of your wonderful characters, I hope I did her justice! ^~^)/ I also feel the need to mention that I’m only on chapter eight, I believe, so I’m going by what I currently know!

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You stood in front of the mirror, readjusting the outfit that you were wearing to make sure you looked presentable. Today was your birthday and your boss was taking you and the rest of the family to a nice restaurant in order to celebrate.

You glanced at the clock. The reservation is set for eight o’clock and it was only just now turning seven, but you were feeling a bit worried because your girlfriend was currently in a meeting. The eleventh family was meeting up with a rival family so that their boss, Nozomi, could try and create peace between the two families. They had been at it for an hour already and something told you that they were no closer to finding a resolution.

Arashi was going to be late for dinner, you just knew it.

Your cell phone chimed from its position on the dresser, the familiar tone letting you know who was calling without having to check the ID. A smile came to your lips as you answered it, the cool glass against your ear. “Hey, Arashi. How’s the meeting going?”

“I want to shoot them all,” she huffed in annoyance. “These guys have zero respect for Nozomi!”

You chuckled as you pictured the face she must be making. “Just don’t get blood on your clothing. The reservation is for eight so you probably won’t have time to get changed.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t!” she laughed, the sound like music to your ears. “I love you for enabling me.”

“I love you, too,” you responded softly.

“Ugh, the break is over, we have to get back in.” She clicked her tongue, clearly not looking forward to rejoining the meeting. “I’ll see you soon, Y/N!”

“Okay,” you ended the call, sliding the phone back into your pocket. With one final look in the mirror, you grabbed your keys and left the apartment that you shared with the red-head.

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You stepped into the restaurant, taking in the quiet atmosphere. From what you could see, there didn’t seem to be any others inside and you briefly wondered if your boss had rented out the entire restaurant for the night. It was definitely something she would do for her beloved family.

The waiter smiled at you. “Hello! May I have your name, please?”

Upon giving him the information, his back straightened and his smile widened.

“Ah, the guest of honor! Please follow me.”

You stepped around the wooden podium into the dining room, eyes scanning the empty booths and tables. Candles lit up the room, their flames dancing across the walls like people at a club. Situated at the very back of the room to the right was a large round table where most of your family had already made themselves comfortable.

Boss was the first to notice you, hopping up from her chair and throwing her arms around you. “Happy birthday, Y/N!”

You couldn’t help smiling as you returned the hug. “Thank you, big sister.”

You settled down beside her as the others exchanged happy birthdays with you, asking how you were feeling and if your day had been kind to you. It had, of course. Any day that you got to spend just lazing around with Arashi was a good day, after all, but you spared them the details, simply letting them know that yes, your day had gone well.

When the last of the family had arrived, boss sent you a weary smile as the waiter approached to take the group’s order. “Do you want to wait on Arashi?”

You kept your lips in a firm line as you glanced at your phone. No messages or missed calls. “No, she will be a while.”

She didn’t seem happy about this but she nodded, offering you a smile and a pat to the shoulder. “I’m sure she will get here as soon as she can!”

“Is everyone ready to order?” The waiter questioned with a polite smile, pulling out a pad of paper and clicking the pen. Being the guest of honor, you were allowed to order first, choosing your favorite dish and drink before passing it on to the boss, who did the same. The waiter nodded once everyone had given their orders. “It will be out soon, I’ll be back with your drinks in just a moment.”

You tried to focus on the strange conversation that your family was having, but you found yourself staring out the window at the darkening sky, dotted with glittering stars against the dark velvet. Despite trying to keep yourself in good spirits, you felt a bit down. It was your birthday, after all, and yet the person you loved most was MIA.

You knew how much she loved Nozomi and the eleventh family, her loyalty unshaken no matter what happened and, while you would never make her choose between your love and the family, you still wished that she had decided to stay with you rather than running to her family. She didn’t technically need to be there for the meeting, Nozomi had said so herself, but Arashi had insisted.

The night wore on and your boss did the best she could to keep your mind off of your missing girlfriend by engaging you in conversation about various items. She tried to avoid family matters, no wanting to impose such things on your birthday, but it usually ended up back there in the end, not that you minded. You loved your family and wanted to do what you could to help your boss succeed.

In that respect, you could understand where Arashi was coming from and you briefly wondered if you would leave her on her birthday or not. So far, your boss had made sure not to bother you on Arashi’s birthday, so the situation had never presented itself to you. You couldn’t honestly say whether you would leave or not and that bothered you.

“The food was delicious!”

“Top tier, for sure~”

“I’m stuffed and ready for a nap.”

“Same here.”

As the boss pulled out her wallet to pay for the bill, which several of the members tried to dissuade her from doing to no avail, she sent you a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m sure she has a good reason for not showing up.”

You nodded, not commenting on the subject. “Thank you dinner, big sister.” And then you turned your gaze to the rest of the table, where your beloved family sat, sending you smiles of love and respect. “Thank you all for coming, I appreciate you being here.”

“Of course!”

“We’re happy to be here, happy birthday again!”

“We got free food, too – ow! Why’d you smack me?”

“Idiot~ Happy birthday, Y/N!”

“Rude. I mean, it’s true, but rude.”

You chuckled as the two started to bicker back and forth playfully, your woes temporarily forgotten as they bumped into the table, tipping off the jug of water and creating a panic among the other members as they tried to stop it before it could run off the table.

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The apartment was dark when you pushed open the door, kicking your shoes off by the door. You were certain that you had left the hall light on so you wouldn’t come home to darkness, but perhaps it had slipped your mind. You used your phone to light up the hall, hand fumbling for the light switch.

It clicked as you flicked it on, but no light flooded the hall. With a frown, you flicked the switch a few times, but nothing happened. Had the light blown out? Wrinkling your nose, you decided you would fix it tomorrow, too tired to care at the current moment.

You feet padded across the wooden floor as you headed for the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothing, but when you opened the door, you felt your body freeze up. The room was bathed in the flickering of candlelight, daffodil petals scattered across the floor. Movement from the corner of your eye had your gaze shifting to the side where Arashi was standing up from the wingback chair.

You felt your heart pick up speed at the sight of her silhouetted in the soft light, her dress fitting her body perfectly as her red locks contrasted against the black. She looked like a goddess in your eyes, but she always did no matter what she was wearing. Even after dating for so long, she was still able to take your breath away.

Arashi smiled sheepishly, her cheeks painted with a soft pink hue. “I’m really sorry I missed dinner. Can you forgive me?”

The sour mood you had felt quickly dissipated at the sight of your beautiful girlfriend, a smile slipping onto your lips as you crossed the distance between you. “It’s okay, I understand.”

“The truth is…” she shifted, turning her gaze to the floor. “I didn’t want to go there with your family. I wanted you all to myself…”

“Why didn’t you just say so?” you questioned softly, resting your hand on her warm cheek, forcing her brown eyes to meet yours.

“Because,” she pouted, tugging on the end of your shirt. “I knew you’d stay home if I said something! And after your boss went through the trouble of reserving the restaurant…”

“You knew about that?”

“She told me she was going to.”

You chuckled, wrapping your arms around her waist protectively, lips finding her cheek as her hands clenched around your shirt. “You’re right, I would have stayed home with you. Big sister would have understood, you know. Next time, it will be just the two of us, okay?”

Arashi’s face lit up and she nodded. “Okay!”

With a smile, you brought your lips to hers, loving the way her arms wrapped around the back of your neck, his fingers clutching the base of your neck to deepen the kiss.

Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all~

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📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[photorose11]

An Unbreakable Bond Ch. 10

FINALLY, here is Chapter ten. I know I have been so slow posting new chapters lately. My life has been... *lays head on desk* it’s been overwhelming. lol I’m going to start typing out Chapter 11 today because that is a long chapter too and I AM SO EXCITED to post chapter 11. omg. Here’s a hint: Expect HitsugayaXKarin. Yessssss, i love it. This chapter is different. The talk between Orihime and Rukia was interesting to write, frankly because I had no idea what I was doing. xD 

The Chapter is titled after a song called “Start of Time” by Gabrielle Aplin. One of my favorites, lyrics are perfect, her voice is stunning and ugh it is just so good. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own.Bleach. *holds up gallon of Bleach* Other then for this.

____

Chapter 10. Start of Time. 

 Before Rukia has realized it, several days have passed and she now has eight days left before her vacation time is over and she must return back to Soul Society. She tries not to become sad at the thought of having to return soon, and focuses her mind towards happier thoughts.

Brushing her hair in the bathroom after getting dressed, she remembers the last few days; feeling a smile tug at her lips. Her and Ichigo had spent every second together. The day after being reunited with his sisters, they had all went to the beach. Her smile turns into a full blown grin, remembering how she played volleyball with the Kurosaki family on the beach sand. Her, Karin and Yuzu had built sandcastles while Ichigo stretched out on a beach towel laying in the sun while Isshin swam.

 She gave a small laugh remembering how at some point Ichigo had managed to sneak up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist before running into the water with her. She had screamed in surprise and ended up hitting him over the head before he dropped her into the water. But she had gotten her revenge when she knocked his feet out from under him and he landed on his butt in the water. His family had watched the scene unfold and laughed at Ichigo's landing.

She set her hair brush down before looking at herself in the mirror. She looked as happy as she felt. She exited the bathroom, her thoughts going back to the last two days. The day after the beach, Ichigo had taken her to a new arcade that had opened up a year prior. He showed her how to play all the games, and was once again shocked to find she was realy good at arcade games too. Afterwards, they had went to dinner, and then ended their day on the roof top looking at the stairs.

Making her way down stairs, she turned on the kitchen light and went to make a pot of coffee. Ichigo had shown her yesterday how to do so. She was the first one up, deciding not to wake Ichigo. His nightmares had gotten better since a few nights prior when he had had the nightmare about Ginjo, but she knew he still needed all the sleep he could get.

Waiting for the coffee to brew, she stood in front of the kitchen sink, looking out the window to see it starting to become daylight out. She was excited for today, they would be meeting back up with their friends again. She really hoped she would get a chance to talk to Orihime alone.

While deep in thought she did not notice Ichigo walk into the kitchen and stand behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before kissing her neck. She smiled before turning her head to look over at him. Her and Ichigo had become even closer since that night they had opened up to one another. They were already so close since they had been reunited, she didn't think it could be possible for them to become even more connected then they already were.

"You're up early, even for you." he teased softly, laying his chin on her shoulder.

"I could say the same for you."

He could hear the smile in her voice before she turned around to face him, laying her forehead against his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist.

"You must be excited to see our friends, again, hmm?" his voice was still teasing, but she didn't mind. She lifted her head up to look at him.

"You know me all to well." she stated before leaning up to give him a short kiss.

"Damn right." he whispered before cupping her face and bringing her lips back to his. Rukia was still not used to how he made her feel. She understood now what the girls in his High School had meant when they said the phrase "butterflies in your stomach". She felt them every time he touched her. She reluctantly pulled away, smirking at his comment before walking past him to get to the coffee pot.

"You never did tell me what we are doing today."

She stated as she poured her coffee and went to make his. She arched an eyebrow as he deliberately ignored her, he had a smirk on his face as she made his coffee.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" She asked him, trying not to smile. He knew that she hated surprises; but why did he have to be so cute about it?

"Nope." he said proudly, as he gently grabbed his coffee cup from her hands before ruffling her hair with his other hand. She batted his hand away playfully, before grabbing her cup and sitting at the kitchen table beside him.

"Give me a hint at least."

Ichigo tried not to look at her, knowing with that tone of voice she was giving him the puppy dog look which she was way to good at. But he couldn't help but gaze at her, silently cursing himself as he did. He scowled, before a grin broke out on his face, her facial expression just to comical and adorable not to find joy in.

Damn Midget.

"Fine. You're going to need to wear shorts or jeans instead of a sun dress today."

Rukia pouted at that. She liked her sun dresses. Plus that didn't really give her much of a clue to what their destination would be.

"That is a terrible hint, Berry."

She said before taking a sip of her coffee. She pondered over it while Ichigo finished his coffee before getting up to start making breakfast. He opened the fridge and pulled out the cartoon of eggs, all the while hoping Rukia would enjoy later today with their friends.

____

After their breakfast they watched a little TV before deciding to get up and get ready for the day. Rukia listened to Ichigo's hint and wore a pair of black jean shorts along with a purple tank top that had the cute Chappy symbol that rested over her heart. Once ready, she exited the bathroom and went downstairs to see Ichigo waiting by the front door in a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt that had the "Nice Vibes" logo in white bold lettering. She took in his appearance, noticing once again how much older he has gotten since they first met when he was fifteen.

"Ready?" he asked her, while putting on his shoes. She nodded her head, slipping on her converse before walking out the door behind him. Wherever they were heading, had to be by train. Rukia had forgotten how packed the trains usually were. She held onto Ichigo's hand as they rode to their destination, standing up since all the seats were taken. She looked out the window to see the city passing them by. She pondered where they could be going, knowing Ichigo she was sure wherever they were going would be fun.

Once they reached their destination, they got off the train and walked a few blocks; Ichigo's hand still holding on to hers. Eventually, they made it to a building where Rukia noticed a sign at the top that said "Rock Gym."

"What is a Rock Gym?" she asked him, confusion evident in her voice. He remained silent, unable to keep the grin off his face. She looked over at him and scowled, she hated when he ignored her questions. Rude.

They entered the building and Rukia noticed their friends not to far away. She waved over to Orihime who was holding Uryuu's hand. Orihime waved back enthusiasticly before skipping over to her two friends; Uryuu practically being dragged behind her. Chad followed behind them, an amused expression on his face.

The two girls hugged before Orihime started jumping up and down in excitement.

"It's good to see you both! I'm so excited, I've wanted to go Rock Climbing for awhile now!" She stated gleefully. Rukia furrowed her eyebrows, still not understanding what this 'Rock Gym' was.

"What is rock climbing?" She asked, looking over to Ichigo and expecting an answer this time. He looked down at her, a deadpan expression on his face.

"It's when you climb rocks, Rukia."

Hearing his answer, she rolled her eyes and scowled again before stomping on his foot. Hard. He gave a yelp, before giving her a heated glare. Orihime couldn't help but laugh as Uryuu snorted and Chad broke out in a grin.

"That's for being a smartass, you fool!"

"Yeah, I guess I deserved that." he muttered, looking at his girlfriend who had her arms now folded and expecting an explanation to what she had asked.

"Okay, so the people here will get us hooked up to wires and a harness, and then we climb. That's pretty much it."

Rukia nodded, becoming excited now that she knew what they would be doing. She would make sure to win against Ichigo. Orihime clapped excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot.

"I won't take the credit for this idea. Uryuu knew Orihime has been wanting to do this for months now and brought the idea up yesterday."

The group of friends watched as Orihime wrapped her arms around her boyfriends neck, thanking him repeatedly as the Quincy turned bright red; refusing to look at any of his friends. They all knew he was not a PDA kind of person, so this was rather amusing to witness.

Once Orihime settled down, they were led to their rock gym, as Orihime and Uryuu were getting set up to go first; since it was two at a time. Ichigo, Rukia and Chad watched as the couple began to climb up the rock wall.

"I'm going to beat you to the top, you know."

Ichigo turned his gaze to his girlfriend, who was smiling teasingly at him. He knew she loved competition, they definitely had that in common.

"Oh, really now?"

"You know it."

The pair watched as Orihime and Uryuu began their way back down to the ground. This would be fun.

"You're so on, Midget."

____

Rukia had to admit, this was fun. The first time up, she had won. Ichigo pouted on the way back down. They watched as Chad and Uryuu got set up and climbed next.

"You got lucky, midget."

She snorted, deciding to be silent rather then rub her victory in. He had been almost as fast as her. Apparently over two years of no battling Hollows or enemies, did not take away any of his physical strength. It made her happy to know.

Once Uryuu and Chad had come back down, Orihime and Rukia climbed together. The Shinigami noticed Orihime was also rather fast. She wondered if she had kept training after the war with Aizen.

She suddenly heard laughter from below them and looked down to see Ichigo holding his sides laughing at something... but what, she did not know. Weird. Orihime heard and looked down as well.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Orihime asked curiously.

"Fool, you better not be laughing at me! I will end you!" She shouted down, as he went silent and smiled up at her. Their eye contact made her heart race, which only increased when he broke eye contact with her; trailing his eyes down. The two girls watched as Uryuu then leaned over towards him and said something that made Ichigo's face turn red as he tried to not look at Rukia. Her face grew flushed, realizing what was making him blush.

"I can feel you looking at my ass, Ichigo!"

He face grew bright red at her words, probably very thankful at this point in time that there weren't many people around to hear his Shinigami girlfriend. But that did not stop their friends from laughing at Rukia's comment and Ichigo's obvious embarrassment.

Once the two girls climbed back down, Rukia and Ichigo got set back up. He was still slightly red from her comment, and she couldn't help but smirk over at him before starting to climb. He followed her, before they reached the very top she stopped and he stopped beside her.

"Ichigo, would it hurt if someone fell from this height while attached to these wires?"

He gave her an odd look, wondering what she was exactly thinking. She had a blank expression on her face, and was looking at him with obvious curiosity in her eyes.

"No, the wire would stop you before you hit the ground; and with the harness the quick stop shouldn't hurt. Why do yo-"

He was abruptly cut off when Rukia stuck her foot out and kicked his feet out from under him. He gave a loud yelp as he went down, she watched as the wire caught him a few feet before he were to hit the padding below. He was panting hard as he looked up, giving her an icy glare. Their friends watched on in amusement, Orihime giggling behind her hand.

"What the hell was that for, Midget?!"

Rukia gave him a huge grin before deciding to kick her feet off the rock wall so she could fall back down beside him, her stop looking completely graceful compared to his.

'How the hell did she do that and make it look so easy?!'

She unbuckled her harness, landing on her feet as she walked the few steps needed to be beside Ichigo who was still giving her an irritated look.

"Just felt right." she stated cheerfully before giving him a soft kiss on the lips. His bush returned as he looked away from her while he unbuckled his harness.

"You're lucky you're cute, Kuchiki." he muttered under his breath. She pinched his cheek before turning and walking towards Orihime.

"Orihime and I are going to take a break and get something to drink, you boys have fun!"

"I need girl talk." Rukia said while smiling at her orange haired friend, and with that they headed towards the refreshment counter.

____

"How have things been with Ichigo?"

Rukia sipped her soda before looking over at her friend, and muled over her words. The first word that come to Rukia's mind was 'Perfection' But even that didn't seem like a good enough word to use for their new relationship.

"Perfect. Beyond perfect."

Orihime watched intently as Rukia answered her as she looked down at the table with a growing smile on her face. Orihime couldn't help but smile too, reaching a hand over to her friend to squeeze her hand that was resting on the table.

"I knew you would come back, Rukia."

The Shinigami lifted her head up to look back at her friend. Somehow through everything, Orihime had always kept so much faith in Rukia. The more she thought about it, the more it made her emotional. Rukia squeezed her friends hand back before speaking.

"I hate that he had to lose his powers to defeat Aizen. He shouldn't have had to lose such a huge part of himself." Rukia trailed off, turning her gaze to watch Ichigo in the distance.

"After we said goodbye.. not a day went by that I did not think about how to return his powers back. I just wanted him to be happy."

Silence overcame the two girls as they both remembered the day Rukia and Ichigo said goodbye. Orihime took a sip of her drink, watching Rukia's face turn somber.

"Rukia, you made him happy; more then his powers did. It's true, he's always wanted to protect his loved ones. When he met you, you gave him the power to do that. And he began smiling again, like he did when he was just a boy. But half of that was because of the bond you two share. You never saw the way he looked at you back then, Rukia. It was like -"

Rukia watched in amusement as Orihime lifted her hands up in a dramatic motion, fingers spread apart and waved them in a half circular motion. Rukia couldn't hold back the small laugh that escaped her.

"- the sun had finally come back out!"

Orihime beamed at her while Rukia thought over her friends words. How had she never noticed it back then? Her and Ichigo had been so close. They may have bickered a lot but he had been her best friend since the night they met, even if she did not realize it at first. Had she been in denial about him possibly having feelings for her? Had she been in denial about her own feelings for him? She remembered how her heart almost broke in two as she watched him black out and hit the ground after defeating Aizen.

"I was so lonely before I met him. I didn't believe I needed friends or anything outside of being a Shinigami and doing my duty." Rukia places her elbows on the table, putting her chin in her hands, as her gaze goes to ichigo again and she can't hold back her smile.

"But then I met him... and over time it all just started making sense." She continues to smile as she watches him climb the rock wall beside Uryuu. Orihime turns her head to watch the two men climb as well; an they both laugh as Uryuu kicks his right foot out, kicking Ichigo's feet out from under him. They heard Ichigo yelp (which sounded more like a girlish scream) on the way back down.

"WHAT THE HELL URYUU, YOU TOO? YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES."

The girls burst into laughter, and laugh even harder when Ichigo gives the Quincy a middle finger who gives him the middle finger back in return. Once calmed down, the girls settle back in their seats in comfortable silence. Until Rukia remembers what she wanted to ask Orihime..

"Orihime, I want to ask you something.. but I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything.. I.. I know you used to have feelings for Ichigo and this is an awkward topic-"

Orihime gave her friend an odd expression, before shaking her head, laying a hand on her friends arm, silently urging her friend to let her speak.

"Rukia, it's true I did have feelings for Ichigo. I thought I loved him. But then I realized I loved the idea of him.. I loved that there was someone out there that cared enough to protect me. I was younger back then and confused."

Rukia listened to Orihime explain, a shocked expression on her face. Rukia had really thought Orihime had been in love with Ichigo at some point in time.

"After the war with Aizen.. it did hurt to see he was hurting. I tried to be there for him, so did the others. But after he had said goodbye to you, I knew I did not love him. I realized I wasn't sad knowing he didn't love me. I was sad that a good friend was hurting. And then when Uryuu and I started hanging out, everything just.."

Orihime leaned her head in her hands, staring off into the distance with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Everything just fell into place. He was always there for me. He went out of his way for me, constantly. Those nights he started coming over when I was having night terrors, he was such a gentleman and would sleep on the floor in my room. If I happened to fall asleep on the sofa he would carry me to bed and tuck me in; and I knew what was happening between us. It's just right."

Rukia watched her friend talk about her relationship and it warmed her heart to know Orihime was so happy. she deserved it more then anyone else she knew. "OH! I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to be me gushing over Uryuu!" Orihime blinked a few times, looking embarrassed as a blush settled upon her cheeks.

"Don't be sorry, Orihime. You're happy, and I love hearing about it." She said sincerely, smiling at her friend. Orihime smiled back before lifting her drink up.

"So, what did you want to ask me?"

Orihime sipped her drink as she waited for her friend to reply. She was not about to expect the question Rukia was going to ask her.

"Have you and Uryuu been.. intimate?"

Orihime's eyes went wide as she spit out her drink, slapping a hand over her mouth so she didn't hit Rukia in the face. Rukia slightly jumped, not expecting that. Maybe she should have waited to ask...

Rukia quickly grabbed some napkins, handing them to Orihime who quickly wiped her face and the table. She then leaned over the table to Rukia, motioning for her to lean in also.

"Do you mean as intimate as it can get?" Her friend whispers in her ear. Rukia pulls back, stiffling her laugh. She could only nod in response, while feeling her face flush. This was such an awkward topic for her. She watched her friend lean back into her seat, as her face turned red.

"We have. The first time was a few months ago actually."

She spaced out for a moment before shaking her head and bringing herself back to reality. She looked over to Rukia who's face was bright red, looking down at the table. Had they..

"HAVE YOU AN-"

Rukia bolted up, quickly leaning over the table to put a hand over her friends mouth while shaking her head no. Orihime mumbles some incoherent words behind her friends hand before Rukia slowly takes her hand away and sits back down. She sighed, not knowing where to begin with this.

"The night I came back.. and after we had confessed to one another and talked about everything.. we probably could have if we let it get to that point. But I think we both know we may not exactly be ready for that. I don't want to rush it.. but I remember how we've been apart for over two years. I never thought we would get this chance. I still have to return to Soul Society soon, I still have to do my duty. But I want to share everything with him.."

Rukia trailed off, her hands folded in her lap; trying not to dig her nails into her skin. The topic made her anxious and confused. Their bond was strong and unbreakable, and she knew he knew that too. She wondered if it would even be rushing it if it were to happen.

"I think you both will know when the right time will be. I was scared at first too. Uryuu was my first. I wasn't scared of it happening, just scared that I wouldn't know when would be the right time for it to happen. Then it happened, and afterwards I wondered why I even worried to begin with."

Orihime grinned at her friend who was deep in thought thinking over her words. Maybe it would be best to just let things happen and not worry about it. Rukia gave her friend a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Orihime."

The two friends sat in comfortable silence while they finished their drinks, once done they got up and headed back to the group.

_____

Rukia could barely keep her eyes open. Rock climbing had been fun, but tiring. She enjoyed being able to lay down and not do anything. She had spent over two years helping Ukitake run their division and training; she forgot what relaxation felt like. After doing something along the lines of a physical work out for the first time in days, her body was tired and she was excited to curl up in Ichigo's bed and sleep.

They had come home afterwards, and ate dinner with his family. They had watched some TV with his family after dinner until she started falling asleep. Ichigo had gently woken her up, choosing to throw her over his shoulder and carry her up the stairs. She yelled at him in annoyance before she gave up and waited for him to set her on the bed. Afterwards, she changed as he got ready for bed in the bathroom.

Once he was done and re entered his bedroom, Rukia was under the blankets laying on her side; facing him. She had her eyes closed, waiting for him to get into bed next to her. She felt the bed shift and him slide into bed under the blankets next to her. When she opened her violet eyes, she saw him laying on his side facing her; his brown eyes looking back at her.

"Thank you for today."

"Stop thanking me for things, it's weird."

She scoffed at his comment; lifting her hand up to smack him on the arm but he caught her small wrist in his hand.

"Heh, too slow."

"I will push you off this bed again."

"I'll take you down with me."

She couldn't help but laugh at his witty retort. She had missed this, all of it. She did not know what she did in her life to deserve him, only knew that she couldn't imagine ever having to say goodbye to him again. The thought of it hurt her to the point of tears.

"What's wrong, Rukia?"

She blinked then, noticing he had let go of her wrist and was giving her a very concerned look. Her eyes stung, and she took a shaky sigh, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"I'm still not used to this." She whispered, softly laying a hand on his arm. She met his gaze and watched as his eyes grew soft.

"I'm not used to someone loving me like this."

Her walls came down again but it did not frighten her. She knew he understood. The look on his face said it all.  He lifted his arm to gently take her hand in his, holding it between them. He leaned down, kissing a fingertip before looking back up at her. Her breath caught in her throat, heart racing. Would she ever get used to the way he looked at her?

"Does it scare you?" he asked her in a small voice, a voice Ichigo rarely used. He settled their joined hands closer to him, his lips staying on the back of her hand. He waited patiently for her reply, as she gained the courage to say what was on her mind.

"No. I'm only scared of losing you again."

She did not expect to see the smile that overcame his face, as he let go of her hand to reach and stroke her cheek. The was room silent as he brought himself closer to her, so close she could feel his breath mingle with hers as he gave her that same look from the night she returned.

"Rukia, you never lost me to begin with."

Before she could reply back, his lips were on hers. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and kissed him back. His arms went around her as he deepens their kiss before pulling away to bury his face in her neck. She felt his breath on her neck before he kissed her shoulder, his arms tightening around her waist.

"Where do we go from here, Ichigo?"

Her question was a whisper, afraid to even ask. He knew she didn't want to leave his side again.

She knew he had a life here and she couldn't take that away from him. He slowly pulled away from her, their eyes meeting.

"I don't know. But I do know you're stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere." She figured he would say something along those lines. She reached her hand out to lay over the front of his shirt, feeling his heart race under her fingertips.

"I know we haven't discussed about possibly telling Soul Society, or if we even should. Because we don't know what could happen."

His gaze returned back to her violet eyes as she spoke. He knew this was a topic they needed to talk about. He gave a small sigh, slightly squeezing her waist where his hand rested.

"You know I'll kick anyone's ass who tries to break us apart. Remember the last time they took you away from me?" She snorted, poking a finger into his chest as he smirked beside her.

"I distinctly remember you destroying half of the Seireite, so yes." her voice sounded witty, a coy smile on her face.

"You are a war hero, after all."

Rukia pondered over that. Would it really be that bad if they found out she was in a relationship with the man that defeated Aizen and saved worlds? The man who was willing to give up his life to save everyone else?

"I'm also a Shiba. Aren't they a noble clan?"

She looked up at him then, seeing the thoughtful expression on his face. Her eyes widened with the realization. How could she forget about that important fact? He had noble blood in him. Technically, if he lived in Soul Society with her, their relationship couldn't be frowned upon considering she was also part of a noble clan, even if it was through adoption. She was still a Kuchiki, therefor still a Noble.

"What?"

He watched as Rukia's eyes widened after he brought up the fact that he is a Shiba. He raised an eyebrow once she moved to sit up beside him. She was still deep in thought.

'He is still living, they may not accept the relationship until he passes on. Which hopefully will not be for many more decades..'

It hurt her heart to think that, but she knew she did not want to take this life away from him. Then again she knew that was not her decision to make, that choice would always be his. But in the end, he would be with her by her side. That was more then enough for her.

"Rukia, what is it?" he sat up next to her, leaning his head down to look at her lost in thought. He watched as she grinned as she met his gaze.

"I do not know if they would still accept our relationship with you still alive, even though you are a Shiba. But I am part of a Noble clan too. They could not completely be against our relationship once you have passed on to Soul Society. That's a long way off.. but it's a start."

With that said she reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers together before leaning into him. He couldn't help but smile. He knew she did not know yet if they should tell Soul Society. But if for some reason they had to, it would be okay. 

Nothing or no one was tearing them apart again.

Ichigo couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he leaned back into the bed, bringing Rukia with him. She laid her head on his chest, arm wrapped around him as he reached up to stroke her hair, feeling content and at peace. He closed his eyes, before leaning down to kiss the top of her head as he closed his eyes. The smile was still present on his face as he spoke to her, before drifting off to sleep.

"It's a start."

[saymypiece]

This nobody’s journal of hot, boring afternoons…

Day 21 (7.4.2020 - Tuesday)

I did not sleep through the night, again! What on Earth! On the other hand, I worked out, a little, but still a workout. As in I played with my dog. She got a hold my bro/sis old silambam belt and goes around playing with it. So grabbed on to the other end and had a tug of war with her, which was fun, until she realised I wasn’t much of a competition and got bored. :S It’s alright, I will prove to her that I am worthy of her time. I shall try again. Practice makes perfect Koko, you adorable snob! 

Day 20 (6.4.2020 - Monday)

Omgoodness its day 20! I cannot believe we have been stuck at home without a choice for so long. I keep hearing of doctors and nurses falling ill, scientists working so hard to create a vaccine. I can’t help but wonder what this virus is all about. This thing we can’t see is causing so much chaos, panic and fear in everyone. And the way I see it, it’s not going away anytime soon. But our God is God over the impossible! He is the only way this virus will be washed out. This time at home, especially during this time leading up to Easter, has allowed me to spend some time in devotion and the Bible. And what I have learnt is we are not alone. Our time on Earth, though temporary, is designed to be fulfilling and beautiful. So I’m embracing that. No matter what comes against me, it shall not prosper. For my God is for me. On the other hand, I have not been able to sleep. It’s been challenging to 

Day 19 (5.4.2020 - Sunday)

As usual, Sunday was enriching and chill. Not that every other day is not chill, but Sundays, they are quite a little more chill than other days. At 3pm, I joined a group chat with some friends from church. Fun.

Day 18 (4.4.2020 - Saturday)

After last week’s shopping debacle, I was terrified about going out there with mum again. Nevertheless, we had needs and they needed to be bought, so I got ready with my gear, the usual suspects of masks, gloves and a hand sanitiser. This time, the mall staff were even more strict. They checked body temperatures before anyone could even enter the building. And only one person per family was allowed in. So, yes, we kinda put on our inner Meryl Streeps and acted the strangers we never knew we could play so well. They believed it. Heck, at one point, even I believed it. My mom, I think, may BE, Meryl Streep, I don’t know. Anyway, no drama during shopping, everything was perfect. I even got to keep my shorts intact the whole time. No, it was a different shorts, I wash them everyday. Yes, I’ve got a whole lot of loose shorts okay? They’re comfy! What some more you want?

Day 17 (3.4.2020 - Friday)

Another Friday has come and gone. There is really nothing new happening, but today, I got to catch up with the darling! You don’t feel time passing you by until you actually do something you used to do very, very often, years ago. We used to Skype and video call all the time until work and life happened. Then suddenly, it had all come to an abrupt end. This conversation felt like such a treat. I felt like I was catching up with her entire lifetime. Well, a lot can happen in over six years. Feeling so blessed for technology and this time we get to reconnect and spend quality time with each other. 

Day 16 (2.4.2020)

Ok so, sleep lost it’s way and didn’t really get back to me, blardee heartbreaker! Didn’t do much other than write and hang around all day. So I decided, to pick up my guitar and do somethin with it. :) You Say by Lauren Daigle

Day 15 (1.4.2020 - Wednesday)

I know it’s meant to be April’s Fool today, but like the rest of the world, it didn’t mean a thing. I mean, our situation right now seems like a giant prank anyway. There is no need to scare anyone else about, anything else. The greatest prank in the world right now would be to just go up to someone who’s NOT your family, and sneeze or cough right at their faces. Once they know you’re pranking em, they’d either laugh or slap you so hard, you begin to foretell your f-f-future. Even watching old YouTube videos of interviews or clips from shows where there is some amount of coughing or sneezing involved makes me cringe so hard! And I’m not the only one. Read the comments. Once thing I am certain of, whether a vaccine is found or not, is that once this MCO is over, everybody is gonna be a germaphobe/hygiene-junkies - always washing hands and sneezing into handkerchiefs and such. Anyway, goodnight, hope sleep finds me tonight.

Day 14 (31.3.2020 - Tuesday)

Oh praise the Lord I’m alright. At least, I think I’m alright. I don’t feel fuzzy, I have no fever, no headache. I was awake super early and I decided to feed my three dogs, for the first time! Let my bro and sis sleep in a little this morning. I had no idea how to do it. I just winged it based on what I thought is normally done, and it worked. The three ding dongs listened, sat patiently, ate sweetly and gave me some kisses. And then, I put on a fan for them, coz there was no air movement out. It was so weird, it was early morning and it was so hot with zero movement in the air. Man, we really need the rain!

Day 13 (30.3.2020 - Monday)

I am so not feeling good today! My mind is racing. Was it the shopping at Tesco on Saturday? Was it the Lontong flavoured Chef noodles I had for dinner last night? What is it? I have a bad headache, body ache and my brain is a little fuzzy, like when I have a fever. When I asked my sister to check my temperature, she confirmed there is a slight fever. Paracetamol. I need it. And a good shower. Had both. Going to sleep again. Maybe I’m tired, exhausted. I’ve told everyone in the house to stay away. Lord, protect papa. And heal me. Let this not be…it.

Day 12 (29.3.2020 - Sunday)

Time for church online. Mummy made friend mee hoon and some Portuguese tarts. It was one of those quiet days. Didn’t do much today.

Day 11 (28.3.2020 - Saturday)

Nope. Zoom didn’t let me down. I let Zoom down! My frickin alarm didn’t go off, or maybe it did and I didn’t hear it, I don’t know. All I know is I wasn’t up until 11.20am! The meeting was supposed to start at 11am! #muchembarassed Thankfully they were all in conversation while waiting for me. I didn’t even have time to brush my teeth. Just washed my face, tamed my hair and appeared online. Connect was awesome though. The two newcomers were great. Kinda weird we didn’t shake hands or hug, kinda weird we literally met face-to-face, online, but it was great! Cheers to new experiences, I say. Speaking of new experiences, I have never liked shopping. Like, ever. I don’t enjoy walking around, I don’t enjoy going to shops after shops after shops. Basically, I’m most men when it comes to shopping. Today, my mom and I had to run to Tesco to stock up on some of our essentials that are running low. I wore a shorts and t-shirt but with two masks, gloves, and in my pockets, Clorox anti-bacterial wipes and hand-sanitiser. We strategised how and what to touch before entering the store. I was going to be the one doing the touching, cos I wore the gloves, and my mom, wearing one glove, was to be the one pointing out what I was supposed to pick out from the shelves. Carefully, but swiftly, we began picking out everything on our list. My heart, for some reason, was drumming like a Taiko drum in my chest. And to make matters worse, sometime during our walking through the aisles, my mom completely ditched our strategy and started touching the things on the shelves! Like, ALL things! Okay, granted, I wasn’t fast enough for her but PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE, okay? Just… keep your hands to yourself and straighten ONLY the index finger. How difficult is that strategy? Now, she’d gone and made my mind spin round and round tryna think of how the virus would travel, or get stuck on her phone (which I sanitised the moment we got out), or what her gloved hand touched and what she could and could not touch anymore not that is has been exposed. Arghh! Finally at the cashier, we more or less got in sync. Everything went according to plan, like which hand she would get her debit card out of my shorts pocket with and which hand she received it from the cashier with after the payment was made. It went pretty perfectly, with the slight risk of me losing my shorts because mummy decided to shove her hands so far down my pockets. The shorts was loose to begin with. Thankfully, with my firm grip, nothing untoward happened. We got out, got home, showered and washed all the clothes we were in. All good. Phew…

Day 10 (27.3.2020 - Friday)

Thankful for technology. It’s made life very easy. Even my mom, who is completely resistant of anything “technology” (because she thinks she would destroy the internet or something) has had to organise Zoom meets, coordinate her kindergarten teachers’ online lessons and activities - it’s been quite a trip seeing my mom grow into this technological wiz, so to speak. I joined her connect group today, had a good discussion. A little nervous about mine tomorrow morning. We will have two newcomers on board. Hopefully Zoom doesn’t let me down.

Day 9 (26.3.2020 - Thursday)

It’s the end of the day, and lo and behold, I have completed the pages I was meant to complete. Turns out, I didn’t have to do some of the last pages, so that saved me some work. I was right. I DO feel blind and like a bat after completing the job, but the satisfaction of a job completed is unmatched. The number of cases keep increasing by around 130 every day! It’s not even funny how people are still choosing to ignore this situation. We are already in day nine of the MCO and they still feel it’s alright to meet their friends and family in such a time as this. If only we all, collaboratively, stayed home for two weeks, we could actually curb this virus from spreading out. STOP GIVING IT TRANSPORT! Ugh! On the bright side, I am organising our Connect meet online.

Day 8 (25.3.2020 - Wednesday)

Quick update: Still on the project. I have managed to complete around 10 pages, mostly profiles. I am so surprised at how weirdly written everything is. On COVID-19, we are 300 cases short of 2000. It’s not looking good at all. And what’s worse, the government has extended the MCO to April 14. So instead of going back to work on 1 April, I would be jobless until 15 April. Lord, I surrender this to you. Let all that happens, happen according to your plan. I place my trust and hope in You, Lord. Amen.

Day 7 (24.3.2020 - Tuesday)

…aaaaaaadddd!!!! There are sooo many words in this, it doesn’t seem to have an end! 105 pages of THIS is more than I can bear!!! I’m gonna go nuts by the end of it, or blind! Anyway, I started on this the day before yesterday, but it has been a lot of, what my dad would call, broken focus. I just can’t seem to stay on the editing bit. I keep getting beckoned by either YouTube or Facebook or Instagram, and end the day without completing even one full page… so here we are. I have exactly two days to complete editing 103 pages of words. *takes a deep breath* RM530 is riding on this, man! Get it together and do it! I know RM530 seems little, but to me, after 5 months of RM0, it’s an upgrade I never thought I’d get. #suckitup

Day 6 (23.3.2020 - Monday)

Monday has arrived. I am refreshed, I have my mind set on the epilepsy article I am gonna write and the copy-editing project from the marketing department. I’m all set. I sent my interview questions to both the people I am meant to talk to. Under the current situation, I am not able to talk to them so email is the next best thing. Except an interview over Zoom would have been better, but they can’t seem to make it. Being researchers and lecturers and all, they don’t have much time on their hands…. unlike me. Anyway, that’s done. Now, continuing the project. Ohhhhmaaaiiiigaaa…

Day 5 (22.3.2020 - Sunday)

Oh Sunday. It was a really awesome Sunday service. It was truly something I think we all needed. The praise and worship was amazing, and allowed me to just soak in worship. Despite all the chaos and fear that I have in my heart and mind, I felt a peace wash over me. Suddenly I realised that the only reason for the fear in my heart is the unknown. But every “next step” we take is an unknown anyway, so why fear this one? I will keep praying, staying home, except during essential buys, washing my hands, working and doing pretty much everything I always do WITHOUT having fear in my heart.

Day 4 (21.3.2020 - Saturday)

What a total frickin crap-show! The numbers are increasing and I’ll tell you the truth, I’m afraid. Every time I wash my hands, I can’t stop wondering if I’ve washed them enough. There is just too much stake. My dad, his lungs are really not good and I am worried about what would happen should one of us get careless and carry this virus home from some essential grocery shopping. The only comfort I have right now is that my God is bigger. I know my God is bigger than all of this. I know my God is bigger than all of this!

Day 3 (20.3.2020 - Friday)

I know I wished for an eventful 2020, but my goodness, enough already! 

OMGIF already?? So, suddenly, the number of the infected in Malaysia hit 1000+. That is really too much! Who’s to blame? Why are there still cow dungs out and about on the roads, meeting friends and speaking their essentials words and letting their spits flow freely in the world and into each others’ ears? Don’t they know of a phone? There’s WhatsApp, Zoom, Hangout, Telegram, frickin Signal, Line, FB Messenger…heck, everything has a caller these days! *checks if Tinder has a caller* Not Tinder, thank goodness. Just…ugh…stop going out. *breathes* Meanwhile, my lovely brother gave us all his homemade Ais Malaysia and it was lovely! Like, it hasn’t properly rained in quite a few weeks now, and it is sooo hot. That Ais Malaysia was truly somewhat of a saving grace. And to top it off, my darling little sister made o-maki sushi, with the tuna and everything. Superb! Anyways, all things considered, the numbers locally are not too bad, is it? Is it? I’ll just have to keep washing my hands… “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, there’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti…”

Day 2 (19.3.2020 - Thursday)

#tbt like #tbeverydayforthelast5months ! 

This MCO doesn’t really make much of a difference for me since I was not working the last five months. This time around though, I wash my hands more, go out lesser, and can’t go out even if I wanted to. You know what? The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Home Edition is super awesome! I love it. It’s a breath of fresh air so I’ll have that to enjoy over this period. When we get out of this, I don’t think my hands will make it out “alive”. The number of times I wash my hands to the first verse of “Lose Yourself” is nuts!

Day 1 (18.3.2020 - Wednesday)

So, I started this to keep track of what is happening in this lovely, wonderful, fantastic nation during the Movement Control Order and also to me, as a… non-essential employee. Coz as long as I’m not working, I am not paid. Ok, let me rephrase that. As long as I am not present AT the office, then I’m not paid. Never been in this position, kinda worrying, but thankfully, I do have projects to complete to get me some kinda cash. Don’t know how its all gonna pan out. I am leaving all these worries to the Lord Almighty coz I know there is nothing I can do to change anything happening around me other than pray and stay home. These daily entries will be filled with dramatics and descriptive nothings, coz seriously, I can’t imagine another two weeks at home. So I AM gonna add some spice to this. Alright, so, first day was…err…normal. How’s that for spice? Whaaaat? I don’t know what to say in this okay? I am just…I just wanna remember what I went thru so…

[dean-bluesteel-winchester-spnfam]

Every question.

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?Ohhh yes ;)

2. You talked to an ex today, correct?Nope. I never saw Cassie again since I saved her more than ten years ago. Lisa doesn’t even remember me. And Robin? Nope I visit her once at the restaurant she works at but that was also a long time ago.And I mean... why would I?

3. Have you taken someones virginity?Yeah I did.

4. Is trust a big issue for you?Actually yeah. I mean I got myself a family that I trust but it was always hard for me to start trusting someone. Now when I do trust someone, then it isn’t an issue anymore.

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently?‘Hang out’ heh? That’s how the kids call it today? But really, of course I do. Woke up next to him a few hours ago.

6. What are you excited for?Don’t tell anyone. Maybe christmas. Definitively for my wedding.

7. What happened tonight?Hmm. I made dinner, we watched a movie. Cas was telling me about some new facts about bees. I tried to teach him pool. He disctracted me. We went to bed ;)

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?What even is this question? Get wasted if you wanrt. Just be safe.

9. Is confidence cute?I think so.

10. What is the last beverage you had?Whiskey.

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?Eh let’s see. Mom, Jody, Donna, Ellen, Jo, Charlie, Claire, Alex. So eight.

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans?Ugh. Yeah. But I never wore them. Dunno. Probably look stupid.

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night?Trying to teach Cas pool again. Or maybe watch a movie and just enjoy a nice day without almost dying.

14. What are you going to spend money on next?Hmmm good question. Probably pie. But I’m also eying some classes I’d love to take. So maybe.

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed?Oh hell yes.

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?People always change a bit. I think maybe it’s little things. I do hope to get happier. Without having to worry all the time.

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?@anangelamuse-castiel-spnfam

18. The last time you felt broken?When Jake killed Mom and Cas walked away from me.

19. Have you had sex today?Not yet. Wish me luck.

20. Are you starting to realize anything?What should I realize?

21. Are you in a good mood?Yeah.

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks?Honestly? I think it’d be kinda badass. But I can already hear Cas and Sammy scolding me.

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?Nope. I have no idea why my eyes turned out to be so green.

24. What do you want right this second?Cas.

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?I hate this question. If he would kiss somebody else and *wants* to be with them, I’d let him go. No matter how that would hurt.

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color?Yes it is.

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?I don’t think so. I mean laughing is so important and Cas makes me laugh all the time (not always on purpose).

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh?Cas asking Sam why his hair looks like that.

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now?Sure do. Mostly my mom. But I also miss Cas and Sammy when they are away.

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?Yes.

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?No. He’s my brother.

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?Yeah. I mean he didn’t for a long time, but I was brave and finally told him.

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?Yeah kinda. Like really rare that I order soda.

34. Listening to?Led Zeppelin.

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore?Sometimes.

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is?Yeah I can hear the shower and you know what? He sings sometimes in there.

37. Do you believe in love at first sight?Ask me ten years ago, I’d say no. But when Cas came into that old barn? All powerful and hot? Maybe I got hard. But really the love came after I really got to know him.

38. Who did you last call?Charles. Invited her over.

39. Who was the last person you danced with?Cas. I just dunno grabbed him and spun him around in the bunker. I think he was kinda surprised but it was nice.

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?Because I wanted the pie he baked. No, because I love him of course. Wished him a goodnight like that.

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?Donna gave me some a few weeks ago. So good, but not pie.

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?No... they are both dead.

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?When do I not? Just yesterday I slipped in the shower and Castiel saw it while he brushed his teeth. A+

44. Do you tan in the nude?I try to tan, but it never works. I get only more freckles.

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss?No.

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?Yeah. Cas always talk to me to sleep, so I can shut my brain off.

47. Who was the last person to call you?Cas or Sammy.

48. Do you sing in the shower?....No?

49. Do you dance in the car?Hell yes.

50. Ever used a bow and arrow?Yeah quite a lot actually. Comes in handy while hunting.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?Oh... never actually. Or does the mugshot count?

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?Yeah. But I like them anyway.

53. Is Christmas stressful?I have no idea? I just sounds nice.

54. Ever eat a pierogi?No.

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?Everyone thinks it’s apple. And while I kill for apple pie, cherry is even better.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?After that with Mom, I wanted to be a firefighter. Also loved to be a mechanic or... have a bakery.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?Ha. yes.

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?Yeah and I hate it.

59. Take a vitamin daily?No?

60. Wear slippers?Yeah.

61. Wear a bath robe?Also yes.

62. What do you wear to bed?If Cas fucks the lights out of me, nothing. Otherwise he got us soft pajames, because apprently it’s not good for me to sleep in jeans.

63. First concert?Small town band I forgot the name of. I sneaked out when Dad was sleeping and got wasted. I can still hear him screaming at me next morning, cause he thought a monster got me.

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?I don’t care.

65. Nike or Adidas?Neither?

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?Cheetos.

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?Peanuts.

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song?What? I don’t have a... okay it’s ‘Shake it off.’

69. Ever take dance lessons?No - but when I was young I wanted to... I just.. well maybe I should take some before the wedding, right?

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?Oh. Not really, I’m just happy if they are happy as well.

71. Can you curl your tongue?Yes.

72. Ever won a spelling bee?No.

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?Yes.

74. What is your favorite book?Sherlock Holmes.

75. Do you study better with or without music?With.

76. Regularly burn incense?No.

77. Ever been in love?Still am.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?Led Zeppelin. AC/DC. Elvis...

79. What was the last concert you saw?Can’t remember their name.

80. Hot tea or cold tea?Hot.

81. Tea or coffee?Coffee.

82. Favorite type of cookie?Chocolate.

83. Can you swim well?Yes.

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?Eh yeah.

85. Are you patient?Not really. Which is not a good thing.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?Band.87. Ever won a contest?Yeah once I won an eating contest.

88. Ever have plastic surgery?Nope.

89. Which are better black or green olives?Ew. None.

90. Opinions on sex before marriage?Everyone can do what they like. I wish I hadn’t waited for marriage but maybe for the right person.

91. Best room for a fireplace?Living room. Or my Dean cave.

92. Do you want to get married?Yes.

[escapingreality1992]

Secret Pen Pals Ch. 3

Steve’s POV

 This current week, I ended up busier than I ever thought possible. More boring debriefings that ended up giving me more opportunities to doodle aimlessly a mission came up in the middle of the week, excitement swelling within me. As I battled with the team, one thought decided to pop in my head; Keira’s birthday is on Saturday. Not much of a thought but enough of one to distract me. I took a direct hit to my jaw, making me stumble back a few paces.

           Get it together, Rogers, I thought as I shook my head, stars in my vision for a few moments. I managed to push the random thought to the back burner and got to work in order to defeat our enemies. Landing a few punches on the man – humanoid – in front of me to stun it. I delivered a final blow to completely incapacitate him; the team, which consisted of Nat, Tony, Bruce, Bucky and Wanda detained the otherworldly creatures that showed up a few days ago to take us out. We got the tip from Stephen Strange, who opted to sit this battle out, figuring we could handle it on our own without assistance from him

           The Avengers, I mean when I say us. I noticed Natasha shoot me a worried look and she walked over to where I stood.

           “What happened earlier? You don’t usually let the enemy get one on you. Is there something on your mind?” she greeted me.

           “No. You know I can’t always counter-attack hits all the time. I guess he – it – saw an opening and took it,” I answered. It wasn’t a lie; sometimes we can’t avoid hits from enemies, but I still wished the thought didn’t appear during a time when I’m trying to thwart enemy attacks on the planet. The other thing is I still didn’t want anyone to know of the correspondence to Keira. Maybe it was a bit selfish, keeping her to myself, but I wasn’t certain if anything would transpire between us.

           The relationship we shared was still new. There could be a possibility we could grow tires of each other and end communication all together. I feared it. My preferred choice would be to eventually meet and maybe develop our friendship into something further.

           “Are you sure? You can talk to me, you know. Or Bucky. If it’s something serious we could help,” she commented.

           “I appreciate it. It’s nothing. Really. Should I need your help, I’ll come running, I promise,” She nodded and the six of us returned to the jet and headed home.

             Deciding to shower, I stripped out of my combat suit in the privacy of my room, starting up the shower in the bathroom; I chose not to wait for the water to warm up and quickly cleansed my body of all the sweat and dirt acquired during the short battle. This process took about 15 minutes; I stepped out, shutting off the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist. Striding into the bedroom, I made a plan to send out my next letter and the gift I bought for Keira’s birthday. First, I needed to see about getting the gift wrapped; I had bought her a gold bangle bracelet with a charm of a dog on it, a German Shepherd specifically.

           I didn’t know if the breed was a favorite of her, but I thought it fitting for her. I sighed, laying it out in front of me while sitting at my desk and opened the smaller bag, which contained another charm; one custom made, tiny star shaped shield. I mentally debated about attaching it to the bracelet; Did I want to reveal my alter identity now? How would she take it? Does she already know? The final question lingered in my head, something I hadn’t thought about since the first letter. The second letter had only intensified the idea that she had no clue who I really am, but I still wondered if she was hiding that fact away from me.

           Stop it. Trust your instincts. Keira doesn’t know you’re Captain America, I thought. Sliding the star shield back in the silk bag I kept it in, I placed it back in the secret box and closed the drawer. Opening another drawer on the left side of my desk, I pulled out a small roll of wrapping paper and the jewelry box I had purchased in the shop the same day I got my suit. I carefully wrapped the gift and set it aside to start penning my next letter to Keira.

           My plans to drop off the letter and the gift were delayed by another meeting, which lasted around two hours, putting the time past when most post offices closed for the day. Not only that, but everyone wanted to go out for drinks and dinner and by the time we returned home, I had completely exhausted myself, going to bed once we returned from our outing.

   Keira’s POV

           My week started how it always began; with a client and dogs. Well, dog in this case. Instead of the usual week with two dogs, this time it happened to be one and only for three days, the remaining four, I’d spend alone, the excepting being my birthday on Saturday; or so I thought. The client this time – Clyde Andrews; the dog, a black lab named Landon. He arrived at 11 a.m. instead of the usual 10 a.m. and appeared to be in a hurry, dropping off Landon and shoving a check in my hand before turning on his heel towards the exit. The price for watching Landon – 2000 dollars. Not bad, though it was 500 more than my asking price.

           “What shall we do today? Be couch potatoes? Go swimming? Sleep? Hmm…couch potatoes, you say? Sounds good to me,” I asked aloud, noting the excitement of Landon at the words ‘couch potatoes’. I closed the door to my apartment, unleashing him and we headed for the large couch in the living room. I queued up Netflix and most of the day was spent watching and re-watching romantic comedies; we ate lunch and dinner during breaks of taking Landon out and a random nap that took place around 3 p.m. Around midnight, we retired for the night, disappointment awaiting me tomorrow evening.

             A cold nose nudged me around 8 a.m. followed by a whine alerting me to the presence of Landon. I rolled over to meet two dark brown eyes staring at me and a tongue, which Landon decided to lick me with.

           “Ugh! Alright, I’m getting up. Then we will be going back to sleep when get back inside okay?” I stated, shifting out from under the warm sheets. Landon ran around in circles while I pulled on a thick sweatshirt and my tennis shoes over the fuzzy socks I wore to bed. At my door, I leashed him, and we walked out in the chilly air of New York. I walked him around for a few minutes, returning to the warmth of the apartment once he did his business. My request of going back to sleep was fulfilled when Landon hopped onto the bed, curling up near me when I slid under the covers.

              I awoke a few hours later, lunchtime fast approaching; I made a sandwich, feeding Landon a cup of dog food while we watched a baking show on Netflix. Cleaning up, I decided to head to grocery store to pick up something to cook for dinner as well as a few other items for the next couple of days. As I unloaded the bags, my phone rang; the caller ID shown as my mom. I answered it, putting away cans of beans in the pantry for chili Friday night.

           “Hey, Mom. Are you and Dad still planning on coming up Saturday?” I greeted her.

           “That’s why I’m calling. Unfortunately, work has caught up to us and we no longer have enough time to see you,” she answered. My fingers paused on the next can of chili beans, my heart dropping to my stomach.

           “Oh,” I managed, struggling to keep sadness out of my voice.

           “We’re sorry. Maybe we can do something next weekend? Next Sunday perhaps?”

           “No, I understand. Next Sunday is fine with me,”

           “Okay. Love you honey,”

           “Love you too, Mom,” I hung up and resumed putting way the rest of the groceries. So, my parents couldn’t make it. Well, at least I’d still have my friends. Right?

 Steve’s POV            Wednesday came around and I panicked some trying to get Keira’s package to her. Though I tried not showing it during the dull meeting that went on in the morning. Tried is the keyword here. I drummed my fingers on the table, my foot tapping continuously underneath as my patience weakened each minute passing by as Tony continued talking. Finally, after two hours of endless babble, Tony wrapped things up, ending my torment, my impatience.

           Bolting from my seat, I headed out of the conference room and grabbed the package from my room and almost sprinted to the entrance.

           “Steve? Everything okay?” Bruce asked as I passed him in the lounge.

           “Yeah, fine. Excuse me,” I answered, leaving the compound and entering the garage to ride my motorcycle into town to drop off my gift to Keira.

             At the post office, a line delayed me even more, going slower than I imagined and I prayed that I’d get the gift out in time for her birthday. Once it got to be my turn, I got everything set up and handed off both the letter and jewelry box to be placed in a medium box that would ship out today.

           “It’ll get there Saturday afternoon. Is that alright?” the female clerk asked. Relief flooded through me as I nodded, paying and hoped Keira would like her birthday present.

  Keira’s POV – Saturday

           Landon left Thursday night, leaving me to busy myself with other tasks like paying bills and going for walks. It wasn’t like I got too busy, but the depression I felt with my parents not coming up started to grab at my thoughts, squeezing them relentlessly.

           I hadn’t even bothered to go through the mail or write to Steve. Believe me, I wanted to write to him, but I didn’t want to burden him with more complaints. The only thing keeping me from curling up with blankets and breaking down was the thought my friends were still coming out with me tonight. At the moment, I let my emotions out in the form of cleaning around my apartment. Imagine my excitement at the sound of a ping coming my phone; The message was from Charlotte.

           ‘Can’t come out tonight. Tasked with closing,’ My excitement deflated like a balloon, but I still had hope. It quickly disappeared when the next two messages from Lena and Jana followed, which both read ‘Can’t come out,’ Jana, being a nurse, got called in for a shift at the hospital. Lena, however, decided to go out on a date with a guy she met at work. The balloon of hope popped with a loud bang, leaving a huge mess in its wake. I shut off the vacuum and packed it up in the closet, coming to a final decision about plans for the night.

           One thing I hate is when people cancel plans at the last minute, but this moment hit me hard, emotions running around in my head like a chicken with its head cut off. The disappointment surged through my veins, tears threatening to pour of my eye sockets like waterfalls. Pull it together. Don’t let it affect you, I thought to myself, sniffing up the snot wanting to drip out of my nose.

           Changing into clothes I deemed appropriate for the store, I went out and picked up a bottle of red wine, a large cake, and ingredients for spaghetti, returning home to spend my birthday alone. While feasting, I allowed my emotions to stew, building them up more as I stored leftovers in the fridge and cleaned up. Somehow, I ended up standing in my living room staring at the cake on the coffee table. Releasing a deep sigh, I ventured to my room to grab my portable Bluetooth speaker, turning it on and placing it next to the cake.

           I found a song – fast-paced, something I could dance to – and expelled everything I felt; anger, sadness, loneliness and poured another glass of wine. Someone, meaning me, was getting drunk tonight. I planned on having my cake as well.

  Sunday Morning

           An alarm I forgot I set woke me; the blaring sound did nothing for the terrible headache I had.

           “Oh, damn,” I grumbled, images of what happened last night returning to mind. Hangovers never looked good on me. Groaning, I shut off the alarm and got out of bed. Bed. When did I get in the bed? Oh great, it was one of those black-out drunk nights, I thought. Stumbled is more like what I did, and I clung to the nightstand, regaining my balance and attempted to head to the bathroom. My feet collided with a box sitting nearby and I nearly fell but managed to right myself.

           Thankfully, I made it there before I heaved up chunks of cake, last night’s wine and the meal I ate before losing control. Nausea passed and I sat on the cold tile floor for a few minutes, not moving until certain round two wouldn’t rear its head. Standing up, I filled up a small paper cup of water and took two Advil from the container I kept in my medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Making my way back into the bedroom, I leaned down to see what I kicked, discovering the package I overlooked when checking the mail Saturday afternoon. I gasped when I noticed the name on the shipping label. Opening the box with scissors found on my nightstand from a knitting project a few nights ago, I emptied the contents onto my lap.

           The letter I expected, the small box I had not, so I unsealed the envelope first, excited to read Steve’s words.

             Keira,

Happy birthday! I’m technically writing this a few days before the actual day, but I hope you’re not reading it on the very day. Your last letter warmed my heart and I love the Polaroids you sent.

           They immediately brought a smile to my lips. The blankets are gorgeous and appeared to give me a sense of coziness without even being there. All I wanted to do was to bury myself underneath them and read a book. The bookshelves are impressive with the amount you’ve managed to fill them with. They gave me a thrill finding out you’re a book lover as well.

           Anyway, back to your birthday and the gift I’ve sent along with this letter. I hope you’re having a good one, celebrating with your friends and family. Maybe you’re down in North Carolina with them or perhaps they came to New York.

              “They left me alone, actually,” I mumbled, stretching out on my stomach, my feet hanging in the air. I palmed the wrapped box, sliding a digit under the paper and tape, removing the paper entirely. I uncapped the box, tears brimming in my eyes at the item inside, continuing reading the letter.

             In the box you will find a golden bracelet with a German Shepherd charm (it was the only one the jewelry shop had) on it. It’s nothing much, but it made me think of you. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it of course.

           As to the other matter, please don’t be afraid to write about anything to me. I don’t mind. Complain to me. Rant to me. Release anything that’s on your mind. This isn’t silly, it’s romantic, even fun. I happen to think it could bring two strangers together in a way no one could ever begin to understand.

             Forgive me. I’m also a romantic at heart and if this pen pal event brings love to two people, it would give me absolute joy. It may not be us but at least I’ve got this new friendship with you. I hope I’m not out of line when I tell you your friends seem jealous. Of you, of this. There’s a possibility they’re missing out on something great, something exciting, something…new. They also might even seek out fault in others to feel better about their own selves.

             I’d like to suggest a book recommendation. You can choose to read it or not. You may like it depending on if you love horror novels or Halloween. The Haunting of Hill House. I don’t want to give you the synopsis, afraid I’ll give away too much. I’m hoping the name alone will make you curious.

           I’m glad I can bring you comfort and a sense of calm. I have to admit I’m always expecting another letter from you. I keep checking the mailbox for your words, to hear more about you and your life. I feel a need to read your words, to see your exquisite mind on paper. You bring me a sense of comfort I’ve not experienced in a while. I find I’m able to relax more when reading your letters.

           Happy birthday once more.

Patiently waiting for you,

Steve

              Tears of joy poured from eyes as I finished reading the letter, my fingers toying with the bracelet. I folded up the sheets of paper, sticking them carefully back in the envelope. Picking up the bangle, I adjusted it for my wrist, the cool metal resting on the inside of it. He remembered my birthday, I thought. I knew I had told him in the last letter about it, but I didn’t tell him the date. Perhaps he had figured the date out given the timing of it being sent out. I didn’t expect Steve to send me anything for it though.

           Smiling, I got up and decided to grab a burger to help cure this hangover; leftovers be damned, greasy food is the way to go. I had also made the decision to bring along the notebook I’d been using to write to Steve and began constructing a ‘thank you’ for the gift along with some other things that were on my mind.

             After lunch and finishing up my own letter, I made a stop at a blue postal box since I knew the post offices weren’t open on Sundays. Returning to the apartment, I pulled out the cake I somehow managed to put in the fridge despite having a “fun” night. I cut a slice of it and put it on a paper plate, sitting down to watch TV as I ate. While eating, my thoughts drifted to Steve and I began to think I was starting to crush on the man behind the words.

  Three Days Later

Steve’s POV            “Steve! You’ve got a letter! Steve! Where are you?” Natasha called out. Currently, I was in the training room building up strength and releasing some pent-up energy; boxing with the punching bag helped clear up thoughts when I felt I couldn’t talk to anyone. I chose not to send Keira another letter, though I wanted to; I patiently waited for her new one, which might have been in Natasha’s hands at this very moment.

           Natasha. Oh no, I thought, half running, half walking out to the lounge to get the letter. Please, don’t open it, I pleaded silently, rounding the corner where I met the red head standing by the couches.

           “Oh, there you are. Here’s your letter. I thought it might be important,” she greeted me, handing the unsealed letter to me.

           “Thank you. I’ll be in my room is you need me,” I told her, clutching the letter in my hands. I turned, expecting no response from Nat…until she spoke, shattering hope of no comments about it.

           “Who’s Keira, Steve?” I froze, realizing I needed to give an answer.

           “No one. A new acquaintance, maybe,” I stated, trying not to wince at the words that escaped my mouth. Keira meant more to me than I thought; I didn’t really want my friends to find out about her yet. I needed more time to write to her and eventually meet her to decide if and when I’d like her to meet them all. No need to give any more information than what I’ve already provided. I refused to meet Nat’s gaze, knowing she’d have an eyebrow raised, questionable doubt at the answer.

           If I met her gaze, I’d spill everything, and I wanted this relationship to be a secret for now; until I felt ready to tell them.

           “If you say so,” she responded, letting the subject go without pressing me further. I released a sigh and ventured to the seclusion of my chambers, locking the door restricting any others to barge in if they needed something. They would have to knock to get my attention. I unsealed the envelope, sitting on my bed and started reading.

              Steve,

Thank you for the gift. It’s lovely and it’ll now become something I’ll be wearing all of the time. I can’t believe you remembered my birthday but I’m glad you did. It brought me joy and tears. Don’t be worried. They were tears of joy. As to how I spent it. Well, I spent it alone.

             It wasn’t too bad though. My friends forgot about it, going out or working additional shifts instead. My parents got caught up in work and couldn’t come up. I understood, of course, but it didn’t make me feel any happier. I let my emotions build up and then proceeded to get drunk and dance around the apartment. That’s what happens when you get a bottle of wine and cake. It’s didn’t really help matters because now I’m suffering from a hangover.

           I resolved it by going out for a burger with French fries and a fried egg squeezed in the bun. Not the fries, just the egg. The fries were on the side. I’m thinking about returning home to have cake and veg out on the couch watching movies. At lease my parents planned to visit next Sunday, but I haven’t gotten words from my friends. It’s fine, nothing to really worry or stress out about. I didn’t know what to expect from my outburst at the luncheon with them the other day.

             She spent her birthday alone. I wish I could’ve been there to celebrate with her, I thought, a twinge of sadness hitting me as I read those words. My friends managed to remember my birthday and there was always a party thrown by Tony or sometimes a quiet dinner arranged with our small group.

             The only thing is I wished we had already met. Maybe we could have done something between the two of us. Thank you for allowing me to tell you anything I want. It’s been a long time since I felt I could be myself. Most times I mask my true self from others afraid of what they’d think of me. Writing to you frees me from the cage I’m trapped in. It allows me to express myself in ways I never thought possible.

           I’ll have to check out that book recommendation. You’re right, the name alone sounds intriguing enough for me to pick up and read. Fall is the perfect time to delve into something creepy. Per your request for a creation of mine, I don’t mind making one for you. I make ones for strangers sometimes. Of course, I don’t think ‘strangers’ applies to us anymore. I think we’re beginning to become friends. In your next letter send me your favorite colors and I’ll get to working on it then.

           Here’s a list of favorites since you kindly asked:

Movie – The Longest Ride, but I also love Hereditary, which is horror movie (my favorite genre)

Season – Fall because sweater weather, boot season. More importantly, the beautiful scenery as the leaves change colors.

Color – Green, especially dark green. It looks really pretty on me.

Musical – RENT. The music, the story, everything. Highly recommend if you haven’t seen it.

 Ideal date? A dinner and a movie maybe, however, I’m also the type that would enjoy a day trip to the beach and spend time in the sun.

 Ideal day? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate. Bundled up with a book. Rainy day. Some furry companions to keep me company or someone to cuddle with. Maybe you – sorry. You’ve been on my mind today. We still don’t know too much about each other and haven’t met. Silly me.

             My breath hitched at the comment about me. No, no. She’s right. You hardly know each other. Be happy with the friendship, I thought. It didn’t stop me from wondering what it’d be like to…

             Memory? A beach trip where my parents and I did nothing for a week except swim and read. Relaxing for a while. We took the dog (I used to live with them and technically had a pet German Shepherd. I don’t have a pet of my own here) and he swam in the pool, enjoying life. Newt is his name. He’s 7 now. That’s the first. The second is…receiving your first letter.

 Music – Country, Pop. I’m not too picky. I’m not a fan of rap.

 This is all I can think of at the moment. I might slip in some more in the next letters or so. We’ll see. In need of a hug still. Provide me comfort instead?

Keira

              A wide, goofy grin spread across my lips. I found out more about her and the longing flared up, hot in my chest. I tried to smother it, not wanting to fall for her this fast. The problem is once she awakened it with her words, there was no way to stop its burning. I folded up the paper and stored it away from prying eyes, unlocking my door. I exited my room to join my friends for lunch. How could it be possible for me to feel this way in a short amount of time? The other question lingering in my thoughts had me pondering if I should let these feelings consume me entirely.

[inkjam-moon]

Charity (M) - Request

Summary: You’re a maid for the Crowned Prince of Busan, you’re in love with him, but you think he only uses you for charity, so one night at the new karaoke bar, you try your best to forget him, with the help of a stranger.

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Prince AU, Smut, Fluff, Light Angst

Word Count: 16.1k

TW: swearing, drinking, thigh riding, unprotected sex, oral sex, blowjob, cunnilingus, face sitting, soft fluffy sex, 

You never really understood people’s fascination with ridiculing him. Sure, he was handsome and rich, but that’s so artificial and shallow, not everyone with money was an asshole. If they actually knew him, knew what he was like behind closed doors, how he acted when other people weren’t around, they might think differently, they would see it wasn’t just an act. But that’s why you were so thankful. In the moments you had him alone, he wasn’t the crowned prince of Busan, he was just Jimin. He was himself; the kind, sweet boy you’d grown to know and admire over the years.

Park Jimin. Where do you even begin to describe Park Jimin. He was born into a royal life, his father being the current standing king. He was raised in the castle; he had the finest tutors, the best food, received the best presents, and was taken care of by the best people in the country, but somehow, growing up with a literal silver spoon in his mouth didn’t affect who he was as a person. For as long as you’d know him, he had always been the sweetest, most genuine person you’d ever met. He cared about everyone. He was meant to be king.

His people however, disagreed. Jimin’s father wasn’t the nicest nor the most merciful king, so they all assumed Jimin’s kindness was simply a front, and when the time came, he would turn out to be just like the King. But he wasn’t. He was just like his mother; kind, loving, caring.

The King used to be a nice man. It wasn’t until the Queen passed that the King fell into a depression. She got sick when Jimin was nine, and passed shortly after his twelfth birthday. He never got over it, and became an extremely rage-oriented man, blaming Jimin for the death of his wife and leaving his servants to take care of the child.

That’s where you came in. Your mother was Jimin’s nanny. She practically raised the boy on her own along with raising you, and as a result, you and Jimin became close friends, although technically you weren’t supposed to be. He was royalty, and you were the daughter of a servant, and eventually, you became a servant yourself, but you weren’t just a servant, you were Jimin’s personal maid.

From the time you were 10 years old and Jimin was 8, you were in charge of getting Jimin where he needed to be. You woke him up, fed him his meals, got him dressed, made sure he knew when and where to go. You cleaned his room, you washed his clothes, you even prepared his baths until he was old enough to do it himself.

It was considered an honor to be the Prince’s maid, and honestly, it wasn’t a bad job. Jimin was so nice to you that you had to try and clean his things before he woke up, or he would try to help you, saying that he made the mess and he should be the one to clean it. You had tried to explain several times that it was your job, that you got paid to clean up after him, but he was insistent.

He always claimed that you were better than servant work, and he hated seeing you do it. Well, not everyone could be born into royalty. Some people had to make money for a living, and unfortunately, you were one of them. Honestly though, you didn’t mind your work, it gave you permission to spend time with Jimin without politics getting in the way. However, in the long run, that didn’t exactly work in your favor, and your feelings for him often got in the way.

Jimin was a prince, and of course, his father and the court wanted him married off as soon as possible, so suitors were often brought to spend a week or so in the palace. They were all Princesses, literally; the long flowing hair, the high priced designer clothes, the rosy cheeks, the perfect pouty lips, they all had them. They were perfect in every essence of the word.

Every time a new one came to stay, you had to tend to them in addition to completing your normal duties. They just loved gushing to you about how handsome and kind Jimin was, as if you didn’t already know, but you had to hold your tongue, you couldn’t lose your job over some spoiled brat.

You hung your head and did your work, nodding along and agreeing with everything the princesses would say like ‘Oh, yes, he is very handsome’ and ‘I do think I saw him looking at you at dinner last night’, or your personal favorite, ‘A picnic in the woods? That sounds like a great idea’, knowing fully well that eating outside wasn’t Jimin’s favorite, but your jealousy would somehow get the best of you.

Jimin, on the other hand, would be perfectly nice to the girls. He would do everything they wanted, and everything his father wanted, but when the end of the week came, he would simply send them off with a small smile and a wave. He didn’t like any of them; he wanted nothing to do with them, and in some small corner of your heart, it gave you hope.

And that’s how you ended up here, tonight; outside, pinned up against the wall of the karaoke bar, with a strangers thigh between your legs, and his mouth pressing hot kisses to your neck. You haven’t even seen his face, it was covered by a mask all night, but his voice, god his voice, it lured you in like no other.

“Y/N!” What? Who was that? Suddenly your body is being touched and you roll over to see your mother frantically trying to wake you up.

“Mom, what…?”

“Y/N-ah, you’re late! It’s already 9 o’clock!”

“What?!” You screech, jumping up out of bed and nearly knocking your mother over in the process. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” You grab some of your work clothes and exchange them for the pajamas you wore to bed.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t wake up to your alarm! How late did you stay out last night?”

“I don’t know… 2? 3?”

“Aish, Y/N, when are you going to learn?”

“I’m sorry, we just got carried away.” You grab your bag off the kitchen table and head toward the door.

“Well you better hope his highness doesn’t fire your ass!” She scolds.

You turn back to her as you stand in the doorway. “He would never fire me.” And with that, you shut the door and start on your way.

Thankfully, you and your mother live in the servants quarters in the palace, so it’s not like you have to walk across town to get to work, but you’re still late, so every second counts. You run up the flight of stairs to the kitchen, and as you push open the ‘in’ door, you’re greeted by a loud voice.

“Y/N-ah!” It’s the head chef, Seokjin, a good friend, and the older brother of your best friend Namjoon. He always sneaks you a few extra desserts after dinner. “Running a bit late, are we?”

“Yeah, I slept right through my alarm.” You admit.

“I told Namjoon to come home at a reasonable time because you both had work today, but no one listens to me.”

“I’m sorry oppa. Do you have his breakfast ready?”

“Of course. It’s under the dome there.” He nods his head to the prep table next to you. You quickly grab the dome and place it on a tray with silverware, a napkin, and some orange juice. Just as you’re about to rush out the door, Seokjin stops you. “Aren’t you going to eat something?”

“I don’t have time!”

“Here.” Seokjin walks toward you, folding something up in a cloth napkin. “I made some of those doughnuts you like. You can eat them when you have time.” He stuffs the package into your bag before ushering you off.

“Thank you!” You call as the door swings shut behind you. You hurry up the back hallway and up the last two flights of stairs to the third floor where Jimin’s room sits. You walk up to the door and give your appearance a check in the mirror across the hall to make sure you’re presentable before knocking. There’s no response, so you open the door a crack and peek your head in. “Your Highness?” You look around the room to see the figure of Jimin still asleep under his covers. Thank god. You hurry into his room and set his breakfast up on the table before setting your bag down in the corner behind his dresser and setting to work straightening his room.

You pick up the clothes that were discarded last night before he crashed, probably out late at another glamorous party, not that you have room to talk, although, your party wasn���t so glamorous. You fold what looks clean and put it away, and toss the dirty clothes into the laundry basket so you can throw them down the laundry shoot later.

You make sure everything’s nice and tidy before opening your phone to look at Jimin’s schedule for the day so you can pick out his clothes. He has a meeting with the court at 11, and then after lunch he has to go to a grand opening, and tonight at 7 is his father’s birthday celebration, and of course he’ll probably go out for drinks afterwards.

For his daily activities, you pull out a crisp blue velvet jacket with a black v neck shirt and black skinny jeans, and for tonight you take out his favorite paisley suit jacket, a pair of black slacks, his black cummerbund, and the black dress shirt with the ruffled collar that he just bought. Just as you’re pulling the shirt out of his closet, you hear a rustling behind you, signaling that Jimin’s waking up.

“Y/N?” Jimin says groggily, his voice still deep from sleep.

“Good morning your Highness.” You call back, hanging his outfit up on one of the hooks on his closet door.

“Morning. Ugh, what time is it?” He asks.

“9:45.”

“Why does it feel so much earlier?” He groans.

“Late night?” You turn to see him lying back against his pillows, his arms up above his head, and his bare chest peeking out from underneath the blankets.

“Jeongguk dragged me to that stupid party in Daegu. I don’t think we got back until 3.”

“Well, you can rest for a bit yet, your first meeting isn’t until 11.”

“Thank god.” Jimin sighs, sitting up, the covers falling to his lap and revealing his naked torso to you. “Hey, would you mind bringing breakfast over here?” He pats the bed. “I don’t want to get up yet.”

“Oh, sure thing.” You grab his breakfast off the table and carefully walk to his side, placing the silver tray on the mattress in front of him and placing the orange juice on his nightstand. As you go to walk away, Jimin grabs your wrist, startling you.

“It sounded like you were on time this morning.” He observes. “Which to you, means you were late.”

“Yeah, j-just a little bit.” You admit, blushing at the contact.

“And I assume you haven’t eaten yet?”

“Well no, but-”

“But Seokjin gave you something?” He asks hopefully.

“Yeah.”

“Go grab it. We can eat together.” He flashes you a smile and releases your wrist.

“Oh, no I’m okay, really I-”

“Y/N, I can’t have you working on an empty stomach! Consider this an order. Go get your food so we can eat.”

“Can I just finish-”

“Nope. Breakfast, now.” He commands.

“Okay, hang on.” You walk over behind his dresser and grab the food Seokjin shoved in your bag before walking over to the table.

“Hey, come over here.” Jimin calls as you go to sit. You look up to see him patting the bed in front of him again.

“Oh, no Jimin I couldn’t.”

“Come on Y/N. Don’t make me eat by myself.” He pouts.

“But-”

“Please?”

“Fine.” You sigh, grabbing your food and walking over to the bed where Jimin is cheering. Jimin opens his dome to find pancakes, fruit, cream cheese dip, eggs, bacon, and potatoes; a breakfast fit for, well, a prince. You sit on the opposite side of his tray and unfold your napkin of goodies to find not only doughnuts, but some fruit, and a container of eggs and fried potatoes. God Seokjin spoils you.

“Ooo, can I have a doughnut?” Jimin asks when he spies the sweet dessert. “I’ll give you some bacon.”

“Sure.” You pick up one of the sweets and hand it over, trading it for a piece of bacon. Jimin immediately puts the doughnut in his mouth and hums happily.

“How does Jin make such good food?” Jimin asks, his mouth full.

“I don’t know, he just does.” You state, picking up a strawberry.

“Oh, here!” Jimin grabs the cream cheese dip and holds it out to you. “Try this. It’s really good with strawberries.” You hesitate, but he pushes the dish toward you again and you relent, dipping your strawberry into the sweet white cream. You bite into the red fruit and an unintentional groan slips past your lips. Jimin smiles as he observes your reaction. “I told you!”

“It shouldn’t be that good!” You exclaim, finishing off your strawberry and placing the green top back down on your napkin.

“I know right? It’s delicious.” He agrees, trying some for himself.  As you go to take a bite of the bacon Jimin stops you. “Oh, wait, Y/N. You’ve got a little something there.”

“Where?” You look down and push your lips out to try and see.

“Right here.” Jimin leans over and swipes his thumb across your bottom lip, collecting the remnants of the dip. His thumb lingers a bit longer than it should, but he eventually pulls back and licks the cream off his thumb, surprising you a bit. “So why were you late this morning?” Jimin asks as he digs into his pancakes.

“Oh I slept through my alarm.”

“Late night?” Jimin wiggles his eyebrows, repeating the question you asked him earlier.

You giggle shyly. “Just a bit.”

“And what were you up to?”

“Namjoon and I went out to that karaoke place that just opened up across town.”

“Really? How was it?” Jimin asks.

“It was pretty cool actually. We stayed way too late though. I think I got back around the same time you did.” You admit.

“Ah man, I wish I could go there. It seems so cool.”

“Why don’t you?” You question, biting into your egg and potato mixture.

Jimin chuckles. “Um, hello? Prince?”

“Exactly, they’d probably love to have you.”

“But I don’t want to go as the Prince and be fussed over all night.” He sighs. “I just want to go as me.”

“Go in disguise.”

“What?” Jimin stares at you wide eyed.

“Go in disguise. You know, put on some normal people clothes and a face mask and pretend to be poor for a night.” You suggest.

“Do you think… You think that would work?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“I’ll have to try that.” He states, setting his fork down and leaning back against his pillows. “Mm, that was so good. You’ll have to thank Jin for me.”

“Of course, are you all finished?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, you should get dressed then. There’s only forty five minutes until you have to meet the court.”

“Right, um. You take these down to the kitchen and I’ll be dressed by the time you get back.”

“Can do. Chop chop though, you can't be late today.” You stand and start collecting the dirty dishes, expecting Jimin to start getting ready, but he just sits in his bed. “Chim, what are you doing? Go get ready.” You use the secret pet name you always call him when no one else is around.

“I can’t.”

“You can’t…?”

“Not until you leave.”

“What are you talking about?” You ask, picking up the tray.

“I’m um… I’m not wearing… anything.”

“What do you- Wait. Are you naked?” You gasp.

“Yeahhh.” His cheeks flush a light pink.

“So I’ve been sitting here, eating breakfast with you, while your junk is out under that blanket?”

Jimin starts laughing. “Don’t make me feel bad about it!”

“Ah, god, get dressed. I’m leaving.” You shake your head and make your way out the door, leaving a giggling Jimin behind you.

You walk back down to the kitchen and place the dirty dishes in the sink. When you turn around, you nearly jump out of your skin as you see Namjoon standing directly behind you.

“Hey Y/N.”

“Jesus Joon, why do you do that to me?” You ask, smacking him on the shoulder as you walk past him.

“Because it’s fun.” He states.

“You’re the worst.”

“So, did his highness confess his love for you yet?” Namjoon asks, hopping up to sit on the counter in his daily server attire. Seokjin got him a job in the kitchens, but Namjoon can’t cook to save his life, he can barely serve he’s so clumsy. You roll your eyes. Namjoon knows you like Jimin, and is thoroughly convinced that Jimin feels the same way.

“No, but he was naked.” You tell him.

Namjoon’s eyes go wide. “Did you see it?”

“I didn’t see anything, he was under the covers you dummy.”

“Aw man.”

“Besides, can’t you be like, executed for seeing a royal in the nude?”

“Maybe in the seventeenth century.” Namjoon laughs. “I think nowadays it’s just an ‘oops, sorry’ kind of thing.”

“Whatever, I have to get back up there.” You pat him on the thigh before heading back to the door. “Tell your brother that breakfast was amazing!”

“Hey, we’re going out again tonight! Don’t be late!” Namjoon calls after you. You wave him away as you exit the kitchen and hurry back up the stairs to Jimin’s room, knocking once more on his oversized mahogany door.

“Come in!” You hear Jimin’s cheery voice call.

“It’s me.” You state, stepping into his room to see him standing in front of the floor length mirror on his wall, now fully dressed. You shut the door behind you and make your way over to where he stands. “Lookin good.” You state, smoothing your hands over the lapels of the blue velvet to make it sit right.

“Hm. It needs something though.”

“Like what?” You ask, looking up to meet his gaze. God he’s so beautiful, you would happily get lost in his eyes and throw away the map any day of the week. You don’t mean it to, but standing in such close proximity to him always makes your heart rate pick up.

“I don’t know, just… something.” He pouts a bit, fussing with his sleeves. You think for a minute before an idea comes to you. You snap your fingers and disappear into his closet momentarily to locate the object you know will complete the outfit. You return with a black and red scarf choker in your hands.

“Here.” You hold the choker out to him.

“That works!” He exclaims. “Would you mind?” He nods his head toward the piece before turning his back to you, indicating for you to fasten it around his neck for him.

“Oh, sure thing.” You hold the scarf in front of him before wrapping it around his neck and fastening the clasp behind him. “Okay, turn.” You command.  He spins to face you, and you adjust the choker until it sits just right on his neck. “There, perfect.”

You step back and Jimin examines the newest addition to his ensemble. “It’s great Y/N, thank you.” He smiles at you, but it’s that cheesy smile where his eyes crinkle up to the point where you don’t think he can see and you giggle slightly.

“Of course it’s my job.” You remind him turning to pick up the clothes that had magically appeared on the floor in the time you were gone.

“Sometimes, I wish it wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?” You ask, pausing your task.

“Sometimes, I wish you helped me because you wanted to.”

You chuckle lightly. “I do like helping you, you know.”

“Yeah, but you mostly do it because you have to.”

“Well I do enjoy getting paid.” You point out.

“I know.” He lets out the smallest of sighs and for a moment, you can’t help but feel sorry for him. You can’t even imagine what it must be like, not knowing if people like you for you, or if they only like you for your title.

“Well, as your friend, even if I wasn’t paid, I’d probably come up here and dress your ass anyway. Can’t have you walking around in sweatpants and a t shirt.”

This makes Jimin smile. “Thank you Y/N. You’re the best.”

“You’re welcome. Now get going! Can’t have you be late to the court! Your dad will kill you, and then I’ll have to clean it up!”

“Aish, you’re right, okay. I’ll see you tonight though, at the party?”

“Oh, I wasn’t planning on going actually.” You confess. “I was just going to do your makeup and then leave.”

“What? Why not?” Jimin rushes to your side.

“Well, I don’t have to go for work, and I wasn’t invited as a guest, so I was going to take the night off.”

“You could be my guest!”

“Jimin I don’t even have anything to wear.”

“What if I got you a dress?”

“What? No, I-”

“I still owe you for your birthday last year!”

“That’s too much.”

“What if it’s free?”

“Hm?”

“If I get the dress for free, will you come with me?”

“Chim-”

“Please? I’ll feel so much better if you’re there. Come with me.”

The desperation in his eyes is almost tangible, and you can’t help but give in. “Fine, but only if it’s free.”

“Yes! Thank you, thank you!” Jimin exclaims, suddenly wrapping you in his arms.

“Yeah, yeah, now get going or you will be late!” You scold, breaking his embrace and ushering him out of his room.

“Alright alright, I’m going, sheesh! I’ll see you tonight at six!” He flashes one more smile before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

As soon as he’s gone, you walk over and flop down onto Jimin’s mattress, wondering exactly what you just did. Did you really just agree to go on a date with Jimin? Could you even call it a date? What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?

You shake your head as you stand back up, pulling the sheets off of Jimin’s bed and throwing them into a pile next to the laundry basket. You pick up the rest of his clothes scattered about, tossing them in the basket before bringing everything out into the hallway, and heaving them all down the laundry shoot.

You go back to his room, returning the now empty basket to its place before grabbing fresh sheets out of the cabinet in his closet and remaking his bed. When you finish, you go about and straighten everything else in his room, and when you’re satisfied with your work, you grab your bag and head back to the kitchen for lunch to seek out the Kim brothers.

When you walk into the kitchen, you find it in full swing, everyone busy preparing for lunch, except for Namjoon that is, he’s sitting at the table in the back corner eating a banana, watching his older brother bark orders. You make beeline for the younger Kim and throw your bag in his lap.

“Ah, what the fuck?” He cries as your stuff crushes his balls.

“Help me.” You beg, taking the chair next to him and laying your head on the table.

“What’d you do now?” He groans, putting your bag on the floor.

“I told Jimin I’d go to the party with him.” You mumble into your arms.

“Didn’t catch that.” He states. “Come on, sit up.”

You whine before sitting up and slouching in your seat. “I told Jimin I’d go to the party with him tonight.”

“What?” Namjoon’s eyes nearly burst out of his head. “He asked you?!”

“Sort of?”

“Tell me what happened!” He encourages. You quickly relay the events of the conversation to Namjoon and he listens intently.

“And then he said he’d feel better if I went with him, so I said yes.”

“Holy shit, Y/N. This is totally a date!”

“No it isn’t. I’m just going with him, I’m not going with him. I’ll just stand on the sidelines to make sure he’s okay I guess.”

Namjoon scoffs. “And if he asks you to dance?”

Shit. You hadn’t thought of that. “Joon, I have no idea how to dance.”

Just then, Seokjin walks over. “And don’t we all know it!” He laughs as he places your lunches in front of the both of you. “But who cares?”

“Hyung, she’s going to the party tonight. With Jimin.”

Seokjin reacts much in the same way his brother did, his eyes going wide. “Well then I suggest you learn how to dance. And fast.”

“Yeah, thanks.” You throw your head back in defeat. “I’m so screwed.”

“No, no.” Namjoon argues. “I’m not letting my best friend give up on the man of her dreams. We just need to find someone who can teach you.”

“You could always try Hoseok?” Seokjin suggests.

“Hoseok?” You question. “Like, Jimin's cousin, the Duke, Hoseok?”

“He’s really good at dancing.” Namjoon confirms. “I’m pretty sure he taught Jimin.”

“Yeah, but why would he teach me?”

“Because he owes me one.” Seokjin smirks.

You and Namjoon exchange a glance. “For what?” You ask.

“Don’t worry about it.” He waves the question away. “Hurry up and eat, we’ll go find him after lunch.”

You nod and dig into your food, closely followed by Namjoon. Seokjin goes and retrieves his own lunch before sitting down to join you. You all eat rather quickly, shoveling down the noodles Seokjin prepared. When you’re finished, you all put your empty bowls in the sink, and Seokjin gives a few orders before taking off his apron and ushering you all out into the hallway.

“He just ate, so he should be in his room right now.” Seokjin states, leading you up to the second floor and then down a long hallway to a large white door. Seokjin knocks, a bit obnoxiously, until you hear someone yell ‘come in’ from the other side. Seokjin pushes the door open and gestures for you to follow him in.

“Hobi!” Seokjin calls as soon as he steps over the threshold, startling a boy with subtle orange hair.

“Jin hyung!” The boy yells back, standing to greet Seokjin. “What are you doing here? It’s been forever!”

“Ah, I know, but it gets busy down in that kitchen!”

“I’m sure it does!” Hoseok chuckles. “But that just means you’re making good food!”

Jin joins in the light hearted laughter. “Thank you, I try.”

“Ah, Namjoon-ah, knocked any more vases over lately?” Hoseok jokes, probably referring to the time Namjoon crashed into a vase in the main hall, causing it to fall to the floor and shatter into a million teeny tiny pieces.

“Not recently, no.” Namjoon hangs his head, face flushing at the memory. It wasn’t one of his best moments.

“Don’t feel bad kid, all was forgiven, remember?”

“I know.”

“Anyway, what can I do for you guys?” Hoseok inquires, sitting at his desk.

“Remember that favor you owe me?” Seokjin questions.

“Of course! Are you cashing it in now?”

Seokjin nods, looking around for a bit before he locates you still lingering in the doorway. He walks over, grabs your arm and drags you into the room to stand in front of Hoseok who eyes you carefully. “She needs to learn how to dance.” Seokjin states.

“Oh?” Hoseok tilts his head, his interest clearly piqued. “You’re Jimin’s friend, right?”

“I’m just his maid-”

“Exactly!” Namjoon says over you. “And she has a date!”

“With Jimin.” Seokjin adds. “Tonight. They’re going to the party together.”

“Is that so?” Hoseok breaks into a wide smile. “It’s about time that boy found someone.”

“It’s not like that, we-”

“Isn’t it though?” Seokjin states. No one listens to you, they just go on about how cute you and Jimin will be together and how you deserve this and-

“We’re just friends!” You burst, startling the three boys surrounding you. They all blink at you, shocked.

“If you say so.” Namjoon shrugs. “So can you teach her?” He asks Hoseok.

“By tonight? Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem to teach her a few things. Hopefully she’s better than you two.”

“Yah, is that anyway to talk to your elder?” Seokjin whines.

“Eh. I’ll take my chances.” Hoseok shrugs before turning to you. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose.”

“Good.” Hoseok walks over to his dresser and pulls out a change of clothes for himself before turning to eye you and pulling something else out. “Here,” He tosses you the mystery fabric. A pair of leggings? “My ex girlfriend left those here, you can use them. It’ll be more comfortable than your work pants.”

You nod and Hoseok quickly begins stripping. Your eyes go wide in shock but you decide to just deal with it. You’ve already seen one royal almost naked today. You shoot a glare at Namjoon and Seokjin, silently telling them to turn around, you’re not sure why, they’ve both seen you in your underwear dozens of times, but you suppose you want the duke to think you have some decency. They roll their eyes, but agree, turning to face the wall as you slip out of your pants and into the leggings Hoseok lent to you.

When you’re both dressed, Hoseok walks over, grabs your arm, and drags you out the door. You have no choice but to follow behind as Hoseok leads you out of his room and across the hall to a set of large light brown doors. He opens the doors and leads you into what looks like a dance studio. You walk into the large room and look around at the wall to wall mirrors in fascination.

“What’s that look for?” Hoseok asks as he takes in your awestruck expression.

“I’ve never been on this floor before I don’t think. I had no idea this was up here.” You admit.

Hoseok laughs. “It was a birthday present from the Parks.”

“You must really like to dance then, huh?” You ask, turning to face him.

“You could say that.” He smirks. “Now are you ready?”

“I guess so.”

“Alright, Jin, Joon, you guys can go then.” Hoseok says to the other two boys who were still following you.

“Aw, we can’t stay and watch?” Namjoon whines.

“No, I need her complete focus here. No distractions.” Hoseok states. “Out out.” He walks over and shoo’s the two boys out the door.

“Bye Y/N!” Namjoon calls.

“Good luck!” Jin yells as the door shuts behind them.

“Alright, let’s get started.” Hoseok claps his hands together and walks over to the stereo, turning on some soft music. “So. How much dancing have you done?” He inquires.

“Um, I’ve been to some clubs with Namjoon, but that’s about it.”

“So, no ballroom dancing then?”

You snort. “I haven’t exactly had time to learn how.”

“Okay well, at the King’s parties, ballroom dancing is a must. He’s not a fan of contemporary or club dancing. And Jimin absolutely loves the ballroom style, so if you can learn a few dances, he’ll be really impressed.”

“I’m not trying to impress him.” You mumble, looking down at the floor.

“No?”

“He just asked me to come with him to make him feel more comfortable, you know, as friends.”

“Sweetheart, it’s his father’s birthday, in his own house. Why wouldn’t he feel comfortable?”

“Well, I-”

“It’s a date.”

You sigh. “Whatever. Can we just get started?”

“Sure thing. So, the only dance you really need to learn is the waltz. Most of the songs they play are are going to be in three-four time, like this one.” Hoseok pulls a small remote out of his pocket and changes the music with the push of a button. “Waltz’s are Jimin’s favorite, so he’s probably going to ask you to dance to at least one of them.” Hoseok walks over to you. “So, first things first. You’re going to be going backwards.”

“Backwards?”

“Yes. In dancing, the man leads, so you’re going to be backwards. But we’ll try it by yourself first.”

“Alright.”

“Okay, so, waltz’s are in counts of three, so for count one, slide your right foot back, and when you land on that foot, your left foot comes up on your heel.”

“Okay.” You slide your right foot back and rest your weight on it.

“Okay, good. On count two, your left foot slides out to the side.” He demonstrates, and you imitate him. “And on the third count your feet come back together, and you lift your left foot up because it’s going to be your next step.”

You bring your feet back together. “Like this?”

“Yep! Okay, now just repeat the steps with the opposite feet.”

“So…” You hesitate.

“So, left foot back, right foot out to the side, then together.”

“Right.” You nod and then follow his instructions.

“Good, that was good. Now just do it again. Starting with your right foot.” Hoseok has you repeat the process over and over, all across the studio floor; up and down, back and forth, for what feels like forever, until he finally stops you. “Alright! Now, let’s try it together.”

“Okay.” Hoseok strides over and stands directly in front of you.

“Now, put your left hand on my shoulder, and place your right hand in my left.” You step forward and do as he says and then he places his right hand on the small of your back, pulling you extremely close and making you blush at the sudden proximity. “Ready?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Right foot first.” Hoseok waits for the new song to start and then nods to you.”One, two, three!” On the next count of one, Hoseok steps forward, guiding you through the dance as you step back. You stumble a bit, but Hoseok is right there to keep you going. “Keep up, come on, you can do it.” He encourages, spinning you around on the dancefloor.

After you ‘perfect’ your waltz, Hoseok attempts to teach you how to salsa, but to no avail. When you stumble for the third time, you trip and fall flat on your ass, accidentally pulling Hoseok down with you. Hoseok immediately bursts out into laughter. “Alright, I think we’re done here.”

“Yeah I don’t think I was meant to salsa.”

“Well up until that point, you were actually doing really well. I think I just spun you too much.” He states, standing up. “But anyway, don’t you have to go get ready?”

“Hm?” You look up at the clock on the wall and see that it’s already almost six o’clock. Have you really been dancing for five hours? “Shit, Jimin’s going to kill me if I’m late.” You freeze when you realize you just swore in front of the duke. “I mean-”

Hoseok holds his hands up when he sees the panic in your eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Just be on your way.”

“Thank you.” You pick up your bag and wave goodbye, exiting the studio before  running down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. You wipe off the little bit of sweat you accumulated while dancing before knocking on Jimin’s door. “Your Highness?” You call.

“Come in!” Jimin exclaims, rushing to meet you as soon as you open the door and wrapping you in a tight embrace. That’s two hugs today alone, more skinship than you’ve had with him since you were little. When he releases you, he grabs your arm and pulls you toward his closet. “Come see, I have your dress!”

“O-okay.” You follow behind as he drags you with him into the closet. He pulls you up to  a large garment bag hanging in front of his pants collection.

“Are you ready?” He asks, quivering with excitement.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Jimin flashes you a bright smile before unzipping the garment bag and pulling out the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen. It’s simple, yet elegant. It’s a black, one shoulder dress with a large, full tulle ball gown skirt, and lace detailing throughout the bodice.

“Jimin…” You gasp. “It’s… It’s too much.”

“No it isn’t.” He assures you. “It’s perfect.”

“Jimin I-”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful, but I can’t wear this! People might actually mistake me for a princess.” You snort.

“That’s the point.” He reminds you. “I can’t just have you walk in there wearing,” Jimin glances down at you. “Leggings? Since when do you wear leggings?”

“Oh I um, spilled something on my work pants and didn’t have time to change, so one of the other girls lent me these.” You lie so you don’t have to explain that you were actually practicing dancing to try and impress him.

“You don’t have to lie to me Y/N.” He states, and you look up at him shocked. How could he know so quickly? “I’m sure it was Namjoon that probably spilled it.”

“Oh, yeah.” You agree quickly, thankful for your best friends clumsy nature.

“Anyway, let’s go do our makeup first!” He pulls you back out to his room and sits you down on the bench at the vanity before sitting next to you. Your heart begins to pound again. He’s so close that his thigh is pressed up against yours. “I am your canvas!” He states, turning a bit to face you.

You giggle a bit at his enthusiasm. “Okay, okay, sit still.” You grab his make up bag off the counter and start digging through it, pulling out everything you’ll need to try and give him a face more flawless than the one he already has. His face doesn’t need much; primer, concealer, blush, and a light highlight to give him some more definition. Then you go to work on his eyes, lining them, and then smoking them out just enough.

“There. Perfect!” You boop him on the nose.

Jimin turns and looks at himself in the mirror, smiling as he admires his reflection. “How do you always manage to make me look so good?”

“Ah, I don’t think that’s me, I think it’s a natural thing.” You point out

“Are you saying I’m handsome?” He smirks at you.

“W-what? I’m not- no. I mean, yes, but-”

Jimin starts laughing. “Look at how flustered you are! You’re so cute Y/N-ah.” He pinches your cheek. “Now, it’s your turn!”

“I can do my own makeup, you should, uh, you should go get dressed.”

“Are you sure?”

“I do your makeup, I can do mine too.” You laugh.

“Okay, feel free to use my stuff though!”

“Thank you.” You bow your head and Jimin walks off into his closet to change. You sit at the vanity and begin doing your own makeup. You keep it simple but elegant, with winged liner, and a slightly dark, nude lip. When you finish, you stand and walk into the closet to see Jimin standing there shirtless, fastening his pants. “Oh god, I’m sorry.” You state, turning away.

“Hm?” Jimin turns to see you awkwardly standing in the doorway. “Oh, it’s okay.” He hums, grabbing his shirt and walking up to you. “You can change in here, just come out when you’re done!” He pushes you into the closet and shuts the door, leaving you standing face to face with this monster of a dress you’re supposed to get yourself into.

You happen to look to the side of the dress as you take it off the hanger to see a pair of black heels with a red outsole and a note attached to them.

Can’t go without shoes!

~Jimin

You grab the heels and take note of their designer name. Louboutin. You know for a fact these weren’t free. You strip out of your clothes, slip the much too expensive shoes onto your feet, and take the dress off the hanger, unzipping it before stepping into the delicate fabric. When you get your arm into the one sleeve you realize that you can’t reach behind you to zip it shut. Crap.

“Chim?” You call out.

You hear a knock on the door before it opens. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You turn to look at him over your shoulder. “Can you zip me?”

“Oh sure.” He walks over to you, now fully dressed, and you feel his hands on the small of your back, brushing your bare skin as he grabs the zipper and slides it up your back, making you shudder. “There you go!” You walk over and look at yourself in the mirror, a bit shocked at the sight of yourself. Jimin walks up behind you and gasps. “Wow, Y/N. You really do look like a princess.” He whispers.

Not only do you look like a princess, you look like Jimin’s princess. Your outfits match, and with him standing behind and just to the side of you, it looks like a painted portrait of King and Queen. Your breath leaves you a bit as you stand there gawking at yourself.

“Did you like the shoes?” Jimin asks, snapping you out of your trance.

“The shoes, Chim…” You turn to face him, your dress swishing as you do. “The shoes are-”

“The birthday present I forgot to give you.” He interrupts.

“They’re too expensive!”

Jimin chuckles. “Do you know how much they cost?”

“No, but-”

“Then don’t worry about it.”

“Okay, what about the dress, there’s no way this was-”

“Free.” He states.

“How?” You ask. “I mean, look at it.” You twirl, stopping to look at yourself in the mirror again.

“It was my mother's.” He whispers.

“What? Oh god, Jimin, no I can’t wear this.”

“Yes you can.”

“It’s literally made for a queen, I can’t.”

“Yes. You can.” Jimin states. “She would want you to wear it. I think she’d really like you.”

“Jimin…” You bite your lip, unsure if you should go through with this or not.

“Are you ready? We’re going to be late.”

“You’re the prince, aren’t you supposed to be late to parties?” You joke, making Jimin smile.

“It’s called being fashionably late, but not today. Not on dad’s birthday.” You catch a glimpse of sadness flash through his expression before he smiles at you again. “Shall we?” He asks, extending his hand.

“We shall.” You nod, taking his outstretched hand and letting him lead you out of the closet, and out of his room into the hallway where he pulls you toward the main staircase. You’ve never taken the main staircase before, you always take the service staircase. You have to. You don’t realize it, but you’ve stopped walking. Jimin stares at you, a bit concerned.

“Y/N? Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, um, yeah. I’m okay. I’ve just never taken these stairs before.”

“They’re just stairs.” He reminds you.

“Right. Sorry, let’s go.”

As Jimin leads you down one flight of stairs, you can already hear the hum of the party. He leads you around the corner to the upper door of the grandhall. When you reach the door the hum gets louder, how is everyone here already? You can’t wait to see how the grand hall has been decorated. Hopefully Namjoon won’t knock anything over while he’s serving tonight. When you reach the doors to the grand hall Jimin stops and turns to you.

“Do I look okay?”

“Jimin you look great.” You assure him. He smiles at you again before turning frontward and nodding to the doorman. The doors open wide and music fills your ears, along with the chattering of all the guests. You both walk forward and the doorman announces your entry.

“Please welcome, Jimin, the Crowned Prince of Busan, and-” The announcer, long time friend Jiwoo, pauses when he sees you, as if unable to believe it’s actually you. “And his honored guest, Y/N?” It comes out as more of a question than an announcement. You give him a small wave as you walk past. Jimin leads you up to the banister and you look out over the hall to see what must be a thousand people looking up at you.

Your breath leaves you and you’re afraid your legs might give out underneath you until you feel Jimin’s grip tighten on your hand, steadying you.

“Wave.” He whispers. “And smile.” It takes you a second, but you manage to do as he says, relaxing a bit when you hear him giggling beside you. After a moment, he tugs you away and you stop waving, following behind him as he leads you over to where his dad sits.

“Father.” Jimin bows respectfully.

“Jimin, so glad you finally decided to join us.” The king says, not even looking up.

“Happy birthday!” Jimin smiles brightly before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small package. “I got this for you.” The king holds out his hand and Jimin gently places the present in it. The king tears off the paper and opens the box to reveal a brand new Patek Phillipe watch. “I heard Chaemi talking about how you needed a new watch.” Chaemi was the King’s maid.

“Thanks.” The king closes the box back up and hands it to the guard standing behind him. “Now go enjoy yourself.” You sigh a bit in relief, feeling a bit awkward watching this exchange.

“Wait, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Oh no. Jimin grabs your arm and pulls you forward, placing his other hand on the small of your back. The king looks up and you immediately shrink under his gaze. “Father, this is Y/N, one of my closest friends.”

“Your Majesty.” You curtsey politely.

“Is she a princess?” The king asks Jimin.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then I don’t know why you’re introducing her, she’ll be gone soon.” Ouch. That kind of stings, and you can’t help but flinch a bit.

“But father-”

“Can’t you bother someone else on my birthday?” The king raises his hand to wave you both away.

Jimin huffs in protest, about to say something else, but you pull him back. “Jimin it’s okay, let’s just go.”

“At least the girl has some sense.” The king mutters, just loud enough for you to hear, but thankfully, Jimin doesn’t as he walks away and leads you over to the stairs and down to the main floor of the hall where the actual party is in full swing. People all around you are smiling, laughing, eating, drinking, everyone’s in such a great mood, except for the king you suppose.

Jimin pulls you to the side over by the drink tables and grabs two glasses of champagne and hands one to you before downing his own and turning to you. “I’m sorry about him.” He states, replacing his empty glass.

“Don’t worry about it.” You wave him off, taking a small sip of your drink.

“But I really wanted him to meet you.”

“He has met me. I work for him, remember?”

“But not like this.” He gestures to your outfit.

“Jimin, I’m only going to be like this for tonight.” You remind him. Jimin looks at you as if to protest, but then just simply nods before downing his second glass.

You stand there a bit awkwardly as high class people come up to say hello to Jimin, completely ignoring you in every sense of the word. However, Jimin, ever the gentleman, makes sure to introduce you to every person that comes up to him, and you being raised well, bow politely and watch as the rich glower at you with disdain for your existence.

When Jimin’s ‘friend’, a princess you’d had to take care of while she was staying here, who was intent on marrying Jimin, approaches, you quickly turn and pretend to be fascinated with the champagne left in your glass.

“Jimin, your highness!” She cries, a bit over the top. “How are you?” She offers him her hand, which he takes, placing a delicate kiss on the top.

“Princess Minhee, what a surprise. I’m doing well, how are you?”

“Oh just awful darling! My designer got the color of my dress all wrong!” She crosses her arms in a pout.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that.” Jimin grabs you and pulls you back to him before you can wander out of arm's reach. “You remember my friend Y/N, right?”

“Your highness.” You mutter, curtseying. Minhee studies you for a moment as if trying to place your face, when her eyes suddenly go wide with realization.

“Y/N? Aren’t you that maid?” She questions, obviously disgusted.

“Tonight she’s a princess too!” Jimin exclaims, pulling you closer and watching your expression intently.

“Aw playing dress up? How cute.” Minhee spits. “That’s a little low, even for you, Jimin.”

“What are you talking about?” His head snaps back to Minhee.

“I mean, taking a servant girl to the dance because you feel bad for her? That’s enough charity for a year.” She laughs sourly and the crowd of minions behind her follow suit. You suddenly feel incredibly small and it’s a bit hard to breathe. You need to leave, now. You look around to see where you are. Perfect, there’s a servant exit just behind you.

As Jimin steps forward to confront Minhee, you slip behind him and disappear through the door, hearing Minhee call out behind you. “Aw, look she’s running away! See Jimin? She just can’t handle the-” The door shuts on her words as you begin sniffling quietly to yourself. You don’t want to ruin your makeup, but words can really hurt, even if they’re from the mouth of a spoiled brat.

You pick yourself up and begin walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, wanting to get away from everything, when you hear the door open behind you. You turn to see if maybe Namjoon caught sight of the whole ordeal and came to comfort you, but that’s not who wraps their arms around you. It’s Jimin.

“Jimin, what are you doing here?” You ask, pushing him away and lowering your face to hide your smudged makeup.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry.” Jimin repents. “Minhee is just… She’s such an awful person.”

You shake your head, wiping away your tears. “It’s fine.”

“No it isn’t! I can’t believe she said that to you.”

“Well she did so…” You shrug.

“So I kicked her out because of it.”

“You what?” Your head shoots up to stare at Jimin in confusion.

“I made her leave Y/N. I had security escort her out.”

“Chim, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes I did.” He reaches up and wipes a tear from your cheek. “If she thinks she can talk to my date like that, she’s way out of line.” Your ears twitch when he says date, but you don’t let it affect you, it’s most likely just a slip of the tongue.

“T-thank you.” You mumble.

“Of course Y/N-ah.” He pulls you into another embrace, and this time, you let him, wrapping your arms around his waist as he buries his face in your hair. “I would never let anyone hurt you.” He whispers.

“Thanks.” You mutter, looking up at him. “Now, let’s go have some fun.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Jimin beams at you warmly.

“But first things first, is my makeup okay?” You inquire. Jimin pulls back and cups your face in both hands, tilting your head this way and that to get a good look at you.

“Perfect.”

“Really?” You ask, skeptical.

“Thank god for waterproof eyeliner.” Jimin giggles, taking your hand and leading you back out into the grand hall. “So, do you know how to waltz?” He asks, tugging you out onto the dancefloor just as the current song ends.

“I guess we’ll see?” You answer hopefully.

“I guess we will.”

A swell of violins fills the air as the new song begins. You place your free hand on Jimin’s shoulder and raise the one already clasped in his. Jimin’s free hand wraps around your waist and settles on the small of your back, pulling you flush against him. Just behind Jimin, you spot Hoseok who sends you a sly wink over his date’s shoulder. You nod slightly in return before turning your focus back to Jimin. God, he’s so close you can feel his breath on your face.

As the music picks up, Jimin steps forward, and you step back. For some reason, this is so much easier with Jimin than it was with Hoseok. You’re not entirely sure why, maybe it’s because now you’ve done it before, but as Jimin effortlessly twirls you around the dance floor, you fall in sync with him. It’s as though the two of you are connected, every move he makes is countered by your own, and when the dance is over, you can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. It’s over? Already? But you were actually having fun.

“Wow.” Jimin gasps when the music ends. “You can actually waltz!”

“I guess I can.” You’re as surprised as him. You didn’t fall once.

“Want to go again?” He asks hopefully.

“Sounds great.” You smile up at him, and his eyes crinkle up from his own grin.

You and Jimin dance through the next few hours, it isn’t until Jimin stumbles that you suggest sitting down for a bit. You wander over to a table as Jimin goes to fetch you both a drink. As you sit, you can’t seem to wipe the smile off your face, that is, until you feel a presence behind you. You turn around to see one of Minhee’s minions glowering down at you.

“Hi Y/N.” She sits down in the chair next to you.

“Hello.” You nod your head in greeting.

The girl leans in closer, gripping your arm hard enough to bruise. “You little slut. You think you can keep Jimin all to yourself? Well, news flash, you’re just a dumb maid, not a princess. You’re only here as a charity case. Minhee is going to be Queen soon enough, so I suggest you stay the fuck away from her future husband you bitch.”

Just as she finishes speaking, Jimin arrives at your side. “Jaeeun, can I help you with something?” He asks, slightly hostile.

“Oh no, Y/N and I were just catching up! I haven’t seen her since our stay here!” She releases your arm before standing up. “She’s all yours!” Jaeeun shouts, disappearing into the crowd.

Jimin places both glasses on the table and takes his seat next to you, searching your expression for any sign of distress. “Y/N, are you okay? What did she say to you?”

“Nothing.” You state, your expression blank. “She didn’t say anything.”

He continues staring, clearly not convinced, and he shouldn’t be. “Y/N-”

“I have to go.” You abruptly stand up.

“Y/N, what did she say to you?”

“It has nothing to do with her.” You lie. “I just saw that it’s already ten o’clock. Namjoon and I are going to that bar again tonight, and I… I still have to change.” You turn and search for the closest servant’s door. The one you went through earlier. You make a beeline for it, leaving Jimin to trail behind you, shouting in protest.

“Y/N what are you doing? Come back here.”

“I’m sorry Jimin.” You call back. “I’ll see you in the morning.” You duck behind the door and immediately turn to your left, running down the stairway to the basement of the palace where the in-house staff sleeps, knowing Jimin won’t know which way you went, you hope he’ll just give up.

You slow your pace when you enter the long hallway where your home sits. You trudge down the hall, upset at Minhee, at Jaeeun, but mostly at yourself, for allowing yourself to become swept away by the fantasy that Jimin might actually like you, that this was actually a date, that he didn’t feel exactly like all the other rich people in the room, looking down on you with pity and condescension just because you weren’t born into wealth. Jimin probably didn’t even kick Minhee out. He’s probably talking to her right now, both of them laughing at how foolish you are.

You’re thankful your mom’s working at the party. You’d hate for her to see you like this. You input the keycode to your house and enter quietly, flicking on the lights and making your way to your bedroom. You shut the door behind you and text Namjoon, hoping that he’s almost done his shift and you can get out of the palace as soon as possible.

You kick off the ridiculously expensive shoes you didn’t realize were killing your feet until now. You then struggle to get yourself out of the absurdly poofy cupcake looking dress that you now despise, despite its beauty. It brought you nothing but bad luck and heartbreak; you’ll have to bring them back to Jimin tomorrow, thankfully, it’s your day off, so you won’t be forced to stay. You make your way to the bathroom to wipe off the excessive makeup now streaming down your face when there’s a knock on your door. That had better not be Jimin.

You walk over to the door and look through the peephole to see Namjoon standing there waiting. You hastily open the door and he immediately rushes in, wrapping you in his arms.

“Y/N, what happened? Are you okay?” He pulls back, cupping your face in his hands. “Did he hurt you?”

“He didn’t do anything. It was… It was amazing.”

“Then what’s wrong?” He drops his hands, confused.

“It was that brat Minhee and her band of barbies!” You whine.

“God, what’d she say to you this time?” He asks, following you as you make your way back to the bathroom.

“She called me a charity case!” You state, starting to wash your face. “And then Jimin supposedly kicked her out and-”

“He did kick her out.”

“What?”

“He had her removed by security, we all saw it. His dad was furious, but Jimin was insistent.” Namjoon explains.

“O-oh, well, one of her followers managed to stay behind, and she came over and threatened me!” You pause to rinse the soap off and pat your face dry with a washcloth. “She said ‘stay away from Minhee’s future husband you bitch’. Can you believe that?” You throw the washcloth down into the sink, suddenly furious.

“Wow, she’s just the worst person, I swear. None of the other princesses were as bad as her.”

“No! They weren’t!” You leave the bathroom and Namjoon remains close behind as you stomp back into your bedroom, rooting through your dresser for a change of clothes. “She just makes me so… So… Ugh!” You find a simple t shirt dress and slam your dresser shut before slipping it on. “Fuck that spoiled brat!” You exclaim, grabbing your purse off your bed and marching back out of your room, leading Namjoon out into the hallway, making sure your door clicks shut, before you both make your way out of the back of the palace, the fastest way to the bar.

You tell Namjoon the rest of the story on the way to the bar; about how Hoseok made you dance for hours, how Jimin kept calling you a princess, about meeting the king, about how Jimin came to make sure you were okay, and about how you danced for hours with Jimin’s hand firmly clasped in your own; how it felt like a fairytale. Namjoon’s insistent the entire time that Jimin was into you, and just as you walk up to the bar, you admit to him that Jimin called you his date.

Namjoon’s eyes go wide. “He did?”

“Y-yeah.”

“What did he say exactly?”

“He said ‘If she thinks she can talk to my date like that, she’s crazy’ or something like that.”

“Y/N he’s so into you it’s almost painful to watch. I wish you could’ve seen the way you two looked while you were dancing. Your focus was everywhere, but he was focused on you. Only you.”

“Really?” You ask as Namjoon holds the door to the bar open for you.

“Yes.” He states, ushering you in and leading you over to the bar before ordering you both a drink. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you all night.”

Hope flutters in your chest for a moment as your drink arrives, before you push it away, taking a sip from your glass. “It was probably just the dress.” You shrug.

Namjoon slams his glass down on the bar. “Y/N, when are you going to get out of your head and see that he likes you?” He asks, exasperated.

“Are we talking about Y/N and Jimin?” Says a voice behind you. You turn to see Seokjin striding up to the bar.

“Hyung, will you please tell her that Jimin is obviously head over heels?”

“He’s right Y/N-ah.” Seokjin agrees. “Anyone that was at that party tonight could see it.”

“Will you both shut up?” You roll your eyes and chug the rest of your drink before ordering another one.

“Y/N-”

“I’m serious!” You interrupt Namjoon before he can start one of his philosophical ramblings. “I don’t want to hear anymore. In fact,” You turn to face them both. “Don’t talk to me until we leave.”

“What?” Seokjin looks at you dumbfounded.

“I don’t want to hear another word out of either of you. You’re going to ruin my buzz.” You take a swig of your new drink before poking Seokjin in the chest. “Make sure Joon doesn’t drink too much.” You command. “And Joon, make sure he doesn’t flirt with anyones girlfriend this time.”

“But Y/N-ah-”

“Come find me when you’re ready to leave, in the meantime I’ll be… Anywhere else…” You get up off your bar stool and make your way into the crowd of people in front of the stage, quickly disappearing from the view of your supervisors and managing to snag a seat in the corner next to the stage.

You watch as drunk people climb up onto the stage to sing song after song with their friends, some doing well, some doing not so well. After about an hour, and two more drinks, someone comes over and asks to sit next to you, you agree, it’s not like you’re saving the seat for anyone. When he sits down you look over at him, taking in his strange appearance. He’s wearing all black; a baseball cap, a facemask, a hooded sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and boots. He’s also wearing sunglasses, inside, at night. You can’t help but laugh.

“Getting ready to rob a bank?” You ask.

“I’m sorry?” His voice seems deep, but he doesn’t have the typical satoori you find in Busan, so you slow down your words, thinking maybe he couldn’t understand your accent.

“Are you about to rob a bank or something?”

“What? No, why?”

“It’s pretty obvious you’re trying to hide yourself.” You point out. “All black, face covered; it’s very mysterious.”

He laughs, there’s something familiar and yet foreign about the sound. “Ah, I’m not really supposed to be here.” He admits.

“Why are you a minor or something?”

“No, just, uh… Let’s say I’m outside my comfort zone.”

“Okay, then why are you here?” You sip your drink slowly.

He shrugs. “I just wanted to check it out. I have this friend that said it was a pretty cool place. How about you?”

“Drowning my problems in alcohol, isn’t it obvious?”

“Problems?” He leans back in his chair.

“Yeah.”

“Care to lay your woes on a friendly stranger? Maybe I can help.”

“Why not.”

“So what seems to be the problem?” He leans forward again and rests his elbows on the table, placing his head in his hands.

“I’m having guy troubles.”

“Guy troubles? Aish, that’s the worst. What’s this guy doing to you?”

You take a deep breath. “He’s not doing anything, that’s the problem.”

“Oh?”

“So, we’ve known each other forever, and now, I kind of work for him. I accepted a long time ago that I had fallen in love with him, and that he would never love me back, but tonight, we had this sort of date I guess you could call it.”

“A date is good.”

“But I still feel like he doesn’t like me like that. And my friends, well, they don’t help. They’re insistent that he likes me back, but I just can’t see it. And then this brat comes along and ruins everything. She acts like such a… A princess.” You spit.

“How’d she ruin it?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.

“One of her friends came up and told me he only took me out because he feels sorry for me, and then basically told me to go fuck myself and stay away from him.”

“And does he like this spoiled princess?”

“No! Not even a little bit! He told me tonight that he thinks she’s an awful person!” You sigh, slumping back in your seat.

“And when she said these things, what did he do?”

“He… He chased after me to make sure I was okay.”

“Well to me, it sounds like he’s into you. He might just be sending mixed signals because he’s afraid to lose you, but I think you should tell him how you feel.”

“At this point, I’d rather just forget about him all together. She was right, he just feels bad for me.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Why not?”

Just then the announcer breaks your conversation. “Please welcome to the stage, a newcomer to the area, put your hands together for Christian Park.”

The stranger looks at you and pulls down his mask enough for you to see his plush lips formed into a smile. “That’s my cue.”

“Good luck.” You raise your glass to him as he stands, thinking you’ve see that smile somewhere before, but you’re too tanked to place it.

You sit back and watch as he makes his way to the stage, admiring the way his jeans cling to his muscular thighs, flexing as he walks up the stairs. As he grabs the microphone off the stand, the intro to Flame of Love by Taemin starts playing and you roll your eyes. This should be interesting.

But then he starts singing, and you swear your heart stops. His voice is the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard, you feel drawn to it, fulfilled by it. You can’t take your eyes away from this stranger as he belts out the song, staring directly at you as he does. His voice is so melodic, he hits all the notes perfectly, sending a strange flood of arousal through your body..

You’re entranced as the sweet sounds slip past the plump lips of this man you’ve never met before, but suddenly it’s as if you’ve known him your whole life. As the song fades out, the bar is filled with applause. The stranger bows politely before leaving the stage and walking directly back to you.

“What did you think?” He asks you, his mask already pulled back up over his lips, disappointing you a bit.

“You’re incredible.” You mumble, still slightly affected by his performance.

“Really?”

“I’d argue better than Taemin himself.”

“Wow, thank you. I’ve never performed in front of anyone before, so I was a bit nervous.”

“It was really good.” You assure him, blushing slightly for some reason.

“Thanks.” His face shifts and you realize he must be smiling under his mask. “So, can I buy you a drink?”

“Sure.” You nod, realizing that your glass is empty. You hand him the glass and he walks over to the bar, ordering you both a new drink and returning to the table. He scoots his chair around so that he’s sitting next to you instead of across from you, and then hands you your drink. You take it and thank him, taking a small sip and setting it down on the table. “So now that you know all about me, tell me about yourself.”

“Ah, I’m not very interesting.” He states, leaning closer and resting his hand on your thigh. “I’m more interested in learning about you.”

You can’t help the sharp intake of breath when his hand lands on your bare skin. “W-what do you want to know?”

“You said you wanted to forget this mixed signal guy, right?” He pulls down his mask and leans in closer, his breath fanning your ear. “How exactly were you planning on doing that?”

“Um, well, a lot of drinking.”

“You’ve already done that.” He places a soft kiss right below your ear.

“And then m-maybe something else? I-I don’t know.”

“What something else exactly?”

“I… I was thinking about getting some air.” You whisper, causing him to pull back. “Do you want to come with me?” You ask, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Sure.” He smiles at you, standing up and offering you his hand. You take it and let him lead you out of the crowded bar and around the corner into the alleyway where he immediately pushes you up against the wall.

His hands wander down to your ass, pulling your hips against him as you prepare yourself to feel those plump lips against your own, but instead, his lips latch to your neck; a bit disappointing, but it feels good nonetheless.

It isn’t long before he spreads your legs with one of his own, letting your core rest against his thigh. When he bites down on your collarbone, you let out a soft moan as your hips twitch forward against the muscles of his thigh, bringing you a small fraction of pleasure. He groans at the sound, biting down harder and pulling your hips so that you grind down against his thigh.

“F-fuck…” You gasp.

“Does that feel good?” He growls, tugging your earlobe between his teeth.

“Yes… H-harder.” You beg. The stranger pushes his thigh up into your core harder, dragging your hips fiercely against his leg. You pull his face toward you to kiss him, but at the last second he turns his head, causing you to land a peck on his cheek. The stranger’s breathing grows heavy, like this is having an equally pleasurable effect on him.

You can’t even remember the last time you had sex. Maybe a year or so ago? You’ve been too busy, and doing this now, especially with this mysterious man, your high sneaks up on you faster than you can even imagine.

“Fuck… I… I’m gonna…”

“Go ahead baby.” He growls, his lips going back to your neck.

“Ah, f-fuck!” You cry, burying your face in the strangers neck as you cum, your legs shaking a bit as you stand on your tiptoes, gripping his sweatshirt tightly. You pant as you come down from your high, slowly coming back to your senses when you hear a panicked ‘Y/N!’ Come from the entrance to the alleyway.

The stranger pulls himself away from you, dropping you back to stand on your own two feet and leaving you stumbling a bit when you do. He pulls his mask over his face as he backs up, while Namjoon and Seokjin come barreling towards you.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Seokjin asks, wrapping an arm around you to hold you steady.

“Yah!” Namjoon turns the stranger. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, huh?”

“Hey man, calm down.” The stranger raises his hands in defense.

“What did you do to her?” Namjoon barks.

“Joon stop.” You try to pull him back, but Seokjin blocks your reach.

“I didn’t do anything she didn’t want.” The stranger states.

Namjoon grows furious at this. “I suggest you get out of here.” He growls. “Before I knock your lights out.” The stranger quickly ducks back and leaves the alley, leaving you alone with the two Kims.

“Yah! Namjoon!” You yell, smacking him in the chest as soon as Seokjin releases you. “Why do you have to ruin everything?”

“You actually wanted to hang out with that creep?” He asks, confused.

“He was helping me!” You exclaim, pushing Namjoon away.

“Helping you do what? Take your pants off?” Seokjin scolds.

“He was-” You trail off, unsure what to say. “He was helping me forget.” You admit, dropping your gaze to the ground.

“Aw Y/N-ah,” Namjoon coos. “You shouldn’t forget. I’m sure Jimin will-”

“Stop!” You cry. “I don’t want to hear anymore about him!”

“But Y/N-”

“No ‘but Y/N’s’! Now I’m going inside to have another drink, and you two will leave me alone if you ever want me to speak to you again!” And with that you storm off back into the bar, ordering another drink and quickly downing it. Then you hear the sound of that all too familiar stranger coming back up to you at the bar.

“Let’s get you home, yeah?” He whispers in your ear.

“Yeah.” You nod, wobbling as you stand up.

And that’s the last thing you remember.

You wake up in a bed that’s unbelievably soft. It doesn’t have the same familiarity as your own bed, but you’ve definitely been in it before. You’re laying on your stomach, face buried in a fluffy pillow. Wait a second. You know these sheets. You sit up abruptly on your elbows and stare at the ornate headboard.

Shit.

You flip over and sit up completely, looking around the room in complete disbelief. How exactly did you end up in Jimin’s room, in Jimin’s bed, asleep with, you look beside you. Wait, no Jimin? What the fuck is going on here?

You look down at yourself. Well, at least you’re still dressed. Just as you’re about to hop up to try and make sense of everything, the door to Jimin’s room opens and in walks the missing prince, a tray in his hands.

When he sees you sitting up he smiles. “Good morning Y/N-ah!”

“J-Jimin I…” You fumble for words. “I’m so sorry!” You rush to get out of his bed, flinging the sheets off of you and falling as you scramble to your feet. “I don’t even know how.. I-I just… I’m so sorry. I’ll be out of your hair in just a second.” You look around to locate your shoes, hurrying to grab them once you see them.

“Y/N, wait.” Jimin states, placing the tray on the table.

“I’m so sorry.” You keep repeating the words, over and over like a mantra as you grab your discarded shoes. That is, until Jimin walks over and grabs your arms to stop you.

“Y/N, stop. It’s okay.” He pushes you back until your knees hit the bed and you fall backwards onto it.

“But… But I-”

“Shh, hey calm down. It’s okay. I brought you here.” Jimin sits on the bed next to you.

“W-what? What are you talking about?”

“Look, after Seokjin and Namjoon left, I couldn’t just leave you at the bar by yourself. You were completely drunk, and although I hate to admit it, I don’t know where you live, so I just brought you up here to sleep it off.”

“You… I… What?” Was he the mysterious stranger? He couldn’t be. Right? Because that would mean you… “What do you mean after they left?”

“After they went home from the bar. I couldn’t just let you wander around in that state. I needed to make sure you were safe. And I don’t want you to forget me.” He whispers the last part.

“What? Forget you? Why would I…” You trail off, confused as your mind tries to wrap itself around everything he says when Jimin suddenly leans in a places his lips on your pulse point, resulting in a shockingly familiar feeling. “Wait. Y-you? It was you?” You gasp, pushing Jimin away from you. “You! Jimin, what the fuck?”

Jimin laughs. “You told me to go in disguise.”

“Yeah, go in disguise to hang out not-” You stop, not wanting to say out loud exactly what Jimin did to you last night.

“Who else was I supposed to talk to?”

“Literally anyone else!”

“But I wanted to talk to you. And I’m really glad I did. You told me everything I wanted to know.”

“Yeah, because I thought I was talking to some random guy I’d never see again!”

“But knowing it was me doesn't change how you feel, right?” His hand reaches up to caress your cheek, but you nudge him off once more. “Y/N, stop pushing me away.”

“Chim, please, you’ve already done enough for me…” You mumble.

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“Because you have. You forgive me when I’m late, or when I mess up; you buy me stuff all the time, stuff I don’t deserve like shoes and dresses and purses and food; you take me to parties and parade me around like a princess, and dance with me all night, and protect me from actual princesses; and now apparently you finish me off in alleyways and let me sleep in your bed. Don’t you get tired of pretending?”

“What part of this is pretend to you?”

“All of it. I know you only do those things because I’m easy charity.”

“Do you really think that lowly of me?” Jimin asks, slightly hurt.

“What? No, it’s not-”

“Do you know why I really do all those things?” Jimin interrupts you, scooting closer. You shake your head, startled into silence by his sudden proximity. “You’re not charity to me Y/N, you never have been.” He states, placing his hand on your thigh, an electric shock shoots through your body, just like it did last night. “I do them because I love you.”

“What? B-but I’m just-”

“Who cares? Who cares if you’re a maid. The only person who cares about that is you. I don’t care what you are, a princess, a maid, hell, you could be homeless and I’d still be madly in love with you.”

“I-”

“Y/N, you told me last night that you loved me, do you know how hard it was not to reveal myself right then and there and yell it back to you? I’ve been crazy about you since we were little. And seeing you like that last night… God I love you so much.”

“Jimin-”

“You know why I treat you like a princess? Because I want you to be a princess. My princess.”

After a moment's pause, you try again. “Can I speak please?”

“Of course, I’m sorry.” Jimin sits back, removing his hands from you entirely and waiting patiently and restlessly for you to respond.

You roll your eyes. “I was going to say I love you too.”

“Really?” His eyes go wide.

“I do have one question though.”

“Anything.” Jimin nods.

“Why didn’t you kiss me last night? In the alley.”

Jimin smiles looking down at his lap. “Because I wanted you to kiss me as me, not as a stranger.” When he looks back up at you, his cheeks are tinged pink.

This time it’s you who reaches a hand up, letting it linger on his cheek before wrapping both arms around his neck and pulling him closer. “I’m tired of trying to forget you.”

“Good.” He mumbles, his lips brushing yours. “I don’t want to be pushed away anymore.”

“Never again.” You agree.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” And then his lips are on yours. They’re everything you imagined and then some. Soft and loving, yet at the same time, passionate and full of need. He grabs your waist with one hand, his other resting on your thigh again as his tongue flicks against your mouth, making you hastily part your lips for him.

The kiss becomes more aggressive as soon as his tongue slips into your mouth. He groans softly before pushing you down onto the bed, one of his knees between your thighs, the other resting against your hip as he slips one of his arms underneath you, wrapping around your waist as the other supports your neck, pulling you closer to him.

Your hands reach up and begin working on his dress shirt, popping the buttons open one by one until the fabric falls open and you can slide your hands up his chest, marveling at the way his muscles respond to your fingertips, jumping and contracting with every touch.  When you both come up for air, you sneak a glance and are awestruck by just how beautiful he is.

“God, it’s like someone made you on a machine.” You gasp, running your hands across his abdomen.

Jimin chuckles lightly. “It’s not that great. You should see Jeongguk. Now he’s got some-”

You silence him with a kiss. “I don’t want to see Jeongguk. Chim, you’re so beautiful I don’t even have the words.”

“Not as beautiful as you.” He whispers, gazing down at you, his pupils blown wide with desire. You try to pull him back to you, but Jimin hesitates. “H-hang on.” He states, getting off of you.

“What are you doing?” You sit up on your elbows as he walks toward the door, panicking slightly until you see him flick the lock shut.

He strides back over to you, shrugging off his shirt along the way. “I don’t want anything to ruin this.” He says, climbing back between your legs. “Now, are you sure you want to do this? We can wait if you’d rather-”

“Jimin, after last night? If you don’t fuck me, maybe I will go find Jeongguk.”

Jimin leans down and drags his teeth against your neck. “Don’t even think about it.” He growls before sitting back and grabbing the hem of your dress. “May I?”

“Y-you may.” You nod, suddenly nervous. You’ve seen Jimin shirtless hundreds of times, you used to prepare his baths for christ’s sake, but the realization hits you that Jimin has never seen you without clothes, he hadn’t even seen you in leggings until yesterday.

You hold your breath as he slides the fabric up over your hips, revealing your underwear, your stomach, your bra, and then it’s on the floor next to the bed as Jimin drinks in the sight of you. You squirm a bit, your face flushing red under his intense stare, silently thanking yourself for choosing your best lingerie to wear under your gown last night.

“Wow.” He breathes, finally breaking the silence. His hands land on your waist, gently tracing the curves of your hips as his thumbs rub over your hip bones. “You’re more beautiful than I ever could’ve imagined.”

If possible, you blush harder at his words, your entire body now sporting a pinkish hue. “Shut up.” You mutter, pushing his shoulder, embarrassed. This makes his smile as he leans down to kiss you again, his arms slipping under your back to fumble with the clasp of your bra. You lift yourself up on your elbows to make the task easier, and with the added help, he has the material off in mere seconds, tossing it aside and pushing you back down as his hands find purchase on your now exposed breasts.

He squeezes them tightly, making you gasp into the kiss. He pulls back again, looking down at you as he massages the tender flesh of your chest. He rolls your nipples between his fingers and is awestruck at the tiny mewls of pleasure that escape your lips, your body torn between retreating and wanting more.

“God you’re so beautiful.” He groans, releasing your chest and wrapping his arms back around you as he leans down to suck and bite on the sensitive skin of your neck. Jimin’s hands wander as his mouth tends to your neck, silently studying the way your body reacts to his touch; he slides a hand down your thigh and you lift your leg, allowing him to hook the limb around his waist and press his body closer against yours, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing against the thin lace of your panties, letting you feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against the zipper and giving you the smallest amount of friction you so desperately crave.

You appreciate that Jimin’s taking his time, but you need more. While he’s otherwise occupied sucking dark marks into your skin, you reach down and undo his belt, popping the button of his jeans before opening the zipper, your hands brushing against his bulge in the process and causing him to moan lowly in your ear.

Getting your message, he sits up on his knees and sheds his pants, revealing his tented skin tight boxers, complete with a dark wet patch on his crotch from his excitement. You sit up as well, hesitantly reaching out a hand to graze the skin of his thigh, watching his muscles flex in response. It’s then that you look up at him, seeing the dark glint in his eyes as he watches your every move.

You reach for his hardness, cupping him over his boxers and squeezing gently, eliciting a soft whine from the back of his throat, then you hook your fingers in the waistband of the fabric and tug them down, watching his cock spring free, bouncing as he maneuvers his boxers off completely.

When he sits back upright, you tentatively grip his length, tightening your hold when he tugs his bottom lip between his teeth. You scoot closer, stroking him slowly as he falls back onto the bed, letting you crawl between his legs, but before you can do anything else, he sits up again, pulling you in for another hot kiss. He then reaches down and grabs the band of your panties, rolling them down over your hips and tossing them aside. He lays down once more and pats his chest, looking up at you.

Does he really want you to do that? “Jimin, I-I-”

“Come on babe, you can’t expect me to not want to go down on you. That wouldn’t be any fun. Now come over here and let me see how pretty you are.” He orders, grabbing your thigh and pulling you closer.

“O-okay, give me a second.” You carefully climb up next to his head, but you hesitate, and he notices, quickly sitting up to comfort you.

“It’s okay baby. Here,” He pushes you back a little on the bed before spreading your knees apart, giving himself space. He kisses you once more before laying down in front of you and scooting his head between your thighs. You hear him gasp and you tense, instantly feeling a hand on your lower back to soothe you. “Fuck baby, you’re literally dripping on me right now.”

You shudder from the lewdness of his words, you’ve never heard Jimin swear before, and the way his voice rasps when he does only serves to turn you on more. The hand on your lower back pushes you down slightly, and you get the message, leaning over and placing your elbows on either side of Jimin’s hips, completely exposing your center to him.

“So pretty.” He hums. “God, just look at how wet you are.” You feel the hand on your lower back disappear as both of his arms slide under you and up around your thighs, holding you in place as he buries his face in your folds.

“Oh, fuck!” You moan out as soon as his tongue makes contact with your sopping core, pressing your hips back into him in a selfish desire for more.

“You taste so good.” He moans, his cock twitching beneath you, and you suddenly remember what you’re supposed to be doing.

You grip his cock tightly in your hand and then flick your tongue out, running it over the tip and collecting the bitter precum that’s gathered there. You swirl your tongue around the tip before taking the head of his cock into your mouth, hollowing out your cheeks and sucking on it vigorously, letting your lips rest just below the ridge. Jimin moans into your center, sending a shiver up your spine as his own tongue dips inside your entrance. His tongue takes its time, mapping out every nook and cranny that makes your thighs quiver around his head.

You on the other hand, begin to bob your head up and down on his shaft, tracing your tongue along the veins of his cock as you suck mercilessly, causing Jimin’s hips to buck up off the bed. It’s when his cock is in your throat that he decides to slip two fingers into your core, causing you to gasp at the sudden intrusion, and consequently, choke. You pull off him, coughing slightly as you try to breathe.

His mouths separates from your body as he sits up a bit. “Are you okay?” He asks, rubbing your back soothingly again.

“I-I’m good.” You assure him as your breath returns.

“Good.” He states, and then you’re on your back. In the span of three seconds, Jimin manages to slip out from between your legs and push you down onto the bed, quickly crawling on top of you. His lips find yours again, the taste of you lingering on his tongue and mingling with his own taste on yours, his cock pressing against your folds as he slowly grinds his hips against you, but it isn’t enough.

“J-Jimin,” You gasp, breaking the kiss. “Please…”

He kisses you one more time. “Anything for you princess.”

Watching your face the whole time, he reaches down with one hand, and coats his length in your juices before pressing against your entrance and finally slipping inside you. His girth stretches you, a lot, but the stretch is so pleasure you can’t formulate words. Your mouth drops open and you pant, letting out a small “Ah~” with each exhale as he continues pushing into you, until he’s completely surrounded by your pulsing walls. You throw your head back in satisfaction, obsessed with how utterly full you feel.

“God your face right now…” Jimin whines. “You’re unbelievably tight.” You look up to see Jimin’s eyebrows furrowed, his gaze boring into you, you can only imagine your expression matches his own. “Are you ready baby?” He asks, one of his hands reaching up to brush your hair back from your forehead.

“Yes, please…” You whimper, wiggling your hips against him.

Jimin nods, placing a soft kiss on your forehead before pulling his hips back and then slowly pushing back in, making sure you feel every single inch of him as he enters you. You groan at the feeling, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down to you for another passionate kiss as he continues his torturous pace.

“God you feel amazing.” He groans, trailing his kisses to your jaw.

“Chim, p-please, go faster.” You beg, your hands tugging on his hair.

“Yeah? You want more baby?” Jimin pants, grinding his hips against yours.

“Yes, please.” You plead, wrapping your legs around his waist, allowing him to somehow get even deeper inside you.

“Fuck.” Jimin grunts lowly, slamming himself into you.

“Oh my god!” You cry out, your hands falling back and gripping onto the pillows above your head. Jimin braces his weight on his hands, resting them on either side of your torso before hastily plunging back into you, over and over, rapidly and recklessly, your entire body thrown back on the mattress with each thrust of Jimin’s powerful hips.

Jimin’s eyes flicker between your face and your bouncing breasts, not able to tear his gaze away from either sight for very long, whereas your eyes, when their not shut from the pleasure, remain focused on Jimin’s face. You memorize every detail, just in case this is actually a dream; the way his brow creases, the way his bangs stick to his forehead, the way sweat drips down his chest, glistening in the early morning light; the way his lips look, red and swollen from your kisses; the way his muscles flex with each smack of his cock into your core; the sight of him alone is enough to bring you to the brink of your orgasm.

You wrap your arms around Jimin’s waist, reaching your hands up and digging your nails into his shoulders, bringing him as close as you physically can, not wanting to let him go. Jimin can tell you’re getting close, the tightening of your walls around him clueing him in, and the way his hips stutter lets you know that he’s just as close as you.

“Jimin…” You whimper in warning.

“Me too baby, me too.” He gasps. “Cum for me princess, please, I need you to cum for me.”

“Fuck, Jimin I-” Your words are broken off when Jimin starts slamming into you particularly hard, using one more burst of energy to bring you both over the edge. “Ji… Jimin!” Your entire body convulses as your orgasm removes all the breath from your lungs. You pull Jimin flush against you as your thighs shake around him, your vision temporarily going white.

Jimin’s moans become high pitched as your core squeezes his cock for all he’s worth. “Ah, fuck, Y/N!” He groans, thrusting into you one last time before following you into bliss. You feel the heat of his hot cum painting your insides white, making you feel even more full than you do with just his cock.

Jimin’s body collapses on top of you, his mouth pressing hot kisses to your jaw and neck as you both come back to your senses. “Stay right here.” Jimin mumbles, slipping out of you with a soft gasp before walking to his bathroom. You lie on Jimin’s bed, basking in the glow of your orgasm, a million thoughts running through your mind, but as soon as Jimin returns to the bedside, they all disappear. “Spread your legs for me princess.”

You sit up on your elbows, spreading your thighs. Jimin climbs between them and very gently cleans his mess with a cloth before throwing the cloth to the ground and lying down at your side, wrapping you tightly in his arms.

“You know, I’m going to be the one that has to pick that up later.”

Jimin scoffs. “Do you really think I’m ever going to let you do chores again?”

“How else am I going to make money?”

“Y/N-ah, you don’t need to make money anymore. When I said I want you to be my princess, I meant it.”

“Wait, so, are you saying-”

“Not right this moment, but eventually yes, I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Y/N, I love you so much. I want you be my future queen.”

“What if... What if no one likes me?”

“It doesn’t matter. Because I like you.”

“What about your dad?”

“He only cares if you’re a princess.”

“Exactly, and-”

“And once you marry me, you will be.”

“I don’t think that’s what he means.”

“I won’t let anyone or anything get between us, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He leans down and kisses you softly. “I hope you didn’t have anything planned today.”

“Today’s my day off.” You remind him. “I was supposed to have lunch with Namjoon.”

“Cancel it.” Jimin commands, reaching up to cup your cheek.

“Why?”

“Do you really think I’m letting you leave this bed today?”

You giggle. “And what if I don’t want to cancel?”

Jimin crawls back between your legs, trailing his tongue over your collarbone. “Then I hope Namjoon’s okay with watching me fuck you while he eats.” Jimin growls.

You push Jimin off and down onto his back, quickly straddling his lap. “And what makes you think you’re in charge?”

Jimin stares up at you in amazement, his hands landing on your waist as he breaks into a smile. “Uh, Prince?” He squeezes your hips.

“Titles mean nothing in these sheets baby.” You rub your hand over his chest before dragging your nails down over his abs, causing him to gasp.

“Fuck, then do what you want with me. I’m all yours.”

“Good.” You state, leaning down and pressing your chest against his before kissing him sweetly. “I love you Chim.”

“I love you too Y/N, so much.”

Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2018

[evapunk333]

Secret Admirer/Dirty Secret

I've kind of combined the prompts for the 2/11 @ghostbcfandomevents today just to give it a little spice..definitely NSFW guys.

This can also now be found on my Ao3 page..

Papa looked down the hallway but made sure to stay as hidden as he could behind a statue. At the end of the hall was Imperator and Copia talking. They both stood in front of her office. Shortly after their brief conversation, Papa watched as they both went in and shut the door behind them.

That's when he knew the coast was clear.

Papa hurried down the end of the long corridor to Copia's apartment. He brandished a key that he stole earlier and opened the door.

Inside was what he expected, an office/study to the side, bathroom to the left, a sunken sitting area next to a dining area, and at the end of the short hallway…Copia's bedroom. Papa felt a little apprehension about going into Copia's room, but he just had to. Ever since he met the man, he'd been intrigued by him. Yes, he was occasionally awkward, but it was endearing. Ever since he heard him sing his older brother's song Jigolo Har Megiddo in that gorgeous white suit, he couldn't get him out of his mind. Papa thought he had made it even sexier by performing it acoustically, but Copia…Copia took it to a whole other level.

Papa opened the door and looked around Copia's bedroom. His closet was what he was after. He looked around the room and found it. He opened the door and saw mostly a lot of his traditional Cardinal cassocks that he wore daily, both in black and red. At the end, covered in plastic were his "other"outfits..the ones generally only for ritual. Of course, there were a few of each, only an idiota would have just one.

He looked through and found what he was looking for, what the congregation called "The White Suit of Sex." He agreed…it was glorious.

He took one of them out and laid it on the bed. He took off the plastic and felt it. The coat seemed like it was made of some kind of reptilian animal skin. The pants were made of something he couldn't quite figure out silk..no..spandex..he wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he had to feel it for himself.

Papa began to strip off his own clothes. The pants went on first followed by the coat. He looked at his reflection in Copia's mirror. Papa gushed at himself in the pristine white of the outfit.

"Damn, I look fantastico!"

But then he noticed the way his dick looked in the pants..something about it didn't look quite right. 'Could it be that this Copia is bigger than me?' he thought.

Papa had only been with other men that were smaller than him in that department. Being a man of power generally meant that you didn't want anyone else to show you up, so he'd always pick men that were smaller, in stature and in package size. However, now…why should he even worry about that? Yes, he was still Papa in name, but after his death, someone else was appointed to lead, so he didn't necessarily need to be the one in charge anymore. Papa guessed that this was the beauty of his resurrection...he got to live again but didn't actually have to impress anyone anymore.

Papa looked at himself more in the mirror and groped his crotch, feeling the way that the fabric felt against his skin, and thinking about how Copia's obviously larger dick must feel inside the constricting pants. Papa wondered if Copia ever became aroused by the feeling. He could understand if Copia did, since he was starting to feel aroused just by the feeling of the fabric.

As he rubbed himself through the fabric, his cock grew harder. At one point he noticed that he finally filled out the pants the way Copia did.

"Ha! Guess he's not THAT much bigger."

Papa was somewhat relieved. He wanted Copia's dick, but started to get worried when he thought of how it might feel if he was able to get Copia to top him.

Once he felt better about getting Copia into his bed, he turned around to look at Copia's own bed. It looked comfortable so he laid down in it. Of course, Copia would be one to have his bed made everyday so he tried not to disturb it too much and just laid on the top comforter.

When he was comfortable, Papa unzipped the delicate zipper of the pants and pulled out his cock. It throbbed even more after being let free. He began to slowly stroke it, savoring every pull.

He thought more about Copia and how much he loved the way that Copia looked in the outfit that Papa was wearing right now. Papa also thought about how much he'd like to kiss Copia. To feel his lips over his own, to feel his tongue in his mouth. He also wanted Copia to undress him, and run his hot tongue over his chest as he unbuttoned his shirt. He wanted Copia's hands all over him. Then, Papa wanted Copia's cock in his mouth. He wanted to feel how big it was and how big it would get when fully hard.

The thought of it filling his mouth and throat made the stroking of his own cock increase in speed.

Finally, Papa would love to feel Copia's cock pounding into his ass. He wanted to feel how much his ass would stretch around it's girth. Papa knew there may be some pain, but the pleasure would be insurmountable.

As Papa thought of Copia fucking him, he could feel his orgasm rising. He lifted his hips slightly with each stroke, fucking his own hand like he would if Copia was behind him, pushing his cock in and out of Papa's tight ass.

Finally, he lifted his hips one last time and he could feel his muscles tighten. Papa let out a groan, "Fuck.." and cum gushed out liked it had not done before. Papa tried to catch most of it in his hand, but lost control of himself. His body jerked as the spasms of orgasm flowed through his body.

Once he normalized and his heart stopped racing, he realized his mistake. While, he had caught some of his cum, a lot of it had gotten on the pristine white pants.

"Shit..shit..shit!"

Papa rushed out of the room and into the bathroom nearby. He rushed to wipe off the pants. He then used water from the sink to wet some toilet paper to try and wash it out a little. Of course, now this made his whole crotch wet. Papa knew he couldn't leave it this way, so he used the hair dryer Copia had sitting on the sink. It didn't take long for it to feel mostly dry, but Papa was glad he tried to dry it before he left because apparently his half-assed clean up job was not going to be enough. He stared into the bathroom mirror at himself in the pants and realized that you could still see the cum stain, and it was VERY obvious.

Papa threw up his hands.

It looked to him like nothing really could be done right now and Copia could be coming back any minute. Papa decided that he would just find a way to clean them later. Luckily, the Cardinal would not be leaving for tour for the next month, so he had time.

Papa rushed back to the bedroom, took off Copia's jacket, and put his own clothes back on over Copia's pants. He hung up the coat and made sure that it could not be easily noticed that this outfit had no pants. He looked around the room to make sure that it didn't look like someone was there and made his way to the exit. He peaked out first to make sure no one was around, then locked the door back up.

Just as he was putting the key in his pocket, Copia came around the corner.

"Ah, Cardinal! I was just about to leave. I knock, but you were not home. I'm glad I run into you."

"Did you need something from me Your Dark Excellency?"

"Bah, what is this 'Dark Excellency' business? Call me Emeritus."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Ugh, fine..how about just Papa, eh?"

"Papa is ok."

"Good! Now, I visit for a reason. I would like you to join me for dinner tomorrow. You will do this, no?"

"I'm not sure Your Da..." Copia corrected himself, "Papa..I have a lot of work to do."

"Oh Cardinal, you don't want to disappoint your Papa. Per favore?"

"Ugh, I suppose."

"Eccellente! Grazie!" Papa turned to leave but then stopped to turn back around to face the Cardinal. "Oh Cardinal..I forget something, bring a date."

Copia looked at Papa in horror.

"That bella donna I see you with all the time should do nicely, ask her. I will bring mia amore Cirice, it will be a double date."

Copia gulped but bowed in acceptance of Papa's request, "Yes Papa, I will..see you then."

"Si, Cardinal, buongiorno."

Papa finally turned to leave all the while smiling to himself at all the naughty plans that he had in store for the Cardinal.

[meltingalphabet]

You don't know what you've got till it's gone

Would you describe yourself as spoiled?

My pencil glided over the paper, a smooth trail of graphite following. With a satisfying scratch, I circled “No.” The smell of fresh paper and pencil shavings took me back to high school. Before I was an adult. Before I knew how difficult life could get.

Would you describe your close friends as spoiled?

I hesitated.

First there was Meredith. Meredith, whose parents made damn sure she never endured hardship. Who paid for her Ivy League degree out of pocket and financed extended trips abroad in the name of their only child’s self discovery. Who owned the luxury apartment Meredith called her own. Who nested her in the comfort of unearned extravagance.

Meredith is an artist, they’d say. Meredith is a tortured soul who needs freedom to work on her novel without the hideous distraction of a 9 to 5. She is a creative who cannot be caged by the struggle of the common folk, but must sit and be and think and ponder and write and give a voice to the common folk and their struggle.

Then there was Erica. Erica, who glided by on her looks. Who didn’t have to work on her personality because she didn’t need one. Who could be rude without consequence. Her instincts unchecked, her id free to roam. Why would she think about you when everyone won’t stop thinking about her? It’s not inconsiderate if there’s nothing to consider. If she forgot who you were, you should’ve made yourself more memorable.

I circled “Yes.”

My eyes scanned the last question.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

What did I have? A shitty job, a tiny overpriced apartment. Jiggly upper arms, frizzy hair. My hand hovered over the 4. Robert’s warm smile. His soft kisses.

Sighing, I circled 8. I had a shelter, a stable relationship, a loving family. Life was good. Even if other people had it better than me.

Around me were 11 other people seated at small identical desks completing short identical surveys. Different shapes and sizes, ages and races. All completely forgettable.

A woman in her mid twenties sat at the front of the room poking at a tablet. She wore a neat expensive looking grey sweater. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. The desk she sat at was modern but simple, the desktop empty but for a plain water bottle. Both the desk and woman looked like they were from an IKEA catalog. Generic but tidy, desirable but empty.

I walked towards her, my completed survey in hand. She looked up from her tablet with a small smile and gestured to the corner of the desk.

Her voice was smooth but neutral. “Thank you, Laurie.”

I placed my answers face down beside her, completing the nostalgic experience of taking a quiz.

“Please proceed to the waiting room. We will get you once it has been processed.”

Not wanting to make additional noise, I nodded and smiled at her, but she was already looking back at her screen.

An hour later I sat in front of another tasteful but bland desk. Dr. Howden scanned the tablet in front of him, his fingertips pressed together.

Finally, he looked up at me. “Thank you for participating in our study, Ms. Cartland. We here at the Galvin Institute depend on volunteers such as yourself.”

I smiled. $300 to come fill out a survey, yeah no problem mister.

“Of course.” I said politely.

“We’d like to invite you to continue as a participant. The study is 6 days and pays $900 a day, along with a $1,000 signing bonus.”

My mouth fell open. “Sorry, how much?”

Dr. Howden’s smile tightened. “At the completion of the study you will have been awarded $6,400.”

I quickly calculated the cost of my morals. Is it worth $6,400 to inject myself with something that would make me lose all my hair? I shrugged internally. It’ll grow back. Probably. There’s always wigs.

“Is the study risky?”

“Oh no, not at all. All we ask of you is to answer 3 simple questions every day.”

“You just want me to answer questions?”

Dr. Howden opened one of the desk drawers and placed a tablet in front of me. It was identical to both his and the woman from the study’s.

“The Galvin Institute will provide you with this tablet for the duration of the study. Every night at 6pm it will notify you to answer three simple questions. You will then have an hour to answer them. Once your answers are submitted, $900 will be directly deposited into your bank account.”

He looked at me over his wire frames. “Do you accept?”

My heart thudded in my chest. “What happens if I answer incorrectly?”

He smiled again. “The questions are subjective, so there is no wrong answer.”

I bit my lip, looking down at the desktop in front of me. There must be a catch. There’s always a catch. Hesitant to accept his insane offer without some sort of probing, I looked back up. “Can I opt out at any time?”

His smile faltered for a moment before he continued. “Of course, but you will forfeit all payment up to that point.”

I picked up the tablet and examined it. On the back was a subtle green logo with the initials “GI” in a pyramid.

Dr. Howden continued. “The focus of this study is appreciation and gratitude. The questions are designed to encourage self reflection.”

I nodded, “sounds easy.”

“It is!” He said, turning his own tablet towards me to reveal an electronic contract. He held out a thin stylus. “Oh, and please note that your tablet is programmed to only ask the questions and cannot be used for any other purpose.”

The drag of the stylus was smooth and frictionless as I signed my name.

“Thank you, Ms. Cartland. We look forward to working with you here at the Galvin Institute.”

“This has to be a scam.” Robert said, his beer hovering in front of his mouth as he eyed the tablet resting on the table beside us. We had both tried playing with it, but the screen would only illuminate to show a timer counting down to 6pm. No games, no other screens.

I shrugged. “The building was super nice and it all seemed on the up and up. I doubt they’re going to try and use my information to drain my bank account or something. Besides,” I rested my hand on his, “it’s for the wedding.”

He sighed. “You know, you’ve got to stop pushing that.”

I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly.

A loud electric jingle made me jump. The screen of the tablet was now bright white. Black font was neatly written across at the top.

I picked it up as Robert stood to look over my shoulder. On the screen was a question:

What was something bad that happened to you today?

Other than applying for the study my day had been pretty uneventful. I clicked my tongue thoughtfully before answering.

Nothing.

A circle appeared at the bottom right corner that read “submit.” I pressed it and the second question appeared:

What was something good that happened to you today?

I smiled.

Dinner with my boyfriend.

Robert kissed my head as I hit submit.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

The numbers 1 through 10 were beneath in small circles. I felt Robert’s warmth beside me and pressed “9.”

The tablet made a small chime as the words “Thank you!” jumped on screen. Little bits of blue and yellow confetti fell around it before the screen went black again.

My blood vibrated hot beneath my skin as I excitedly logged into my bank’s mobile app. My checking account was, indeed, two grand larger.

“Not a bad day’s work.” Robert said as he returned to his seat.

I woke up the next morning to the shrill sound of my phone ringing. I looked at the clock. 9:31am.

“Ugh, fuck you!” I groaned at the ceiling. I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again, my room slowly focusing around me. Without looking I reached over and yanked it from it’s charger. My phone’s screen was filled with the smiling face of Meredith. I groaned again as I answered.

“Dude, it’s Saturday. What...” A high pitched squeal interrupted me.

“Random House bought my book!!!”

I sat bolt upright. “Sorry, what?”

“Random House, Laurie. Fucking Random House!!”

The meaning of her words slowly dawned on me through the cloud of sleep.

“Random House the publisher bought your book?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes!! Ah, we need to get coffee NOW!”

Thirty minutes later I sipped my latte while Meredith regaled me with the story.

“I thought it was really weird when they scheduled a meeting first thing Saturday morning, but you know? It’s Random House, so I couldn’t say no! Apparently one of their agents saw some of the chapters I published online and fell in love!! They’re offering me a $20,000 advance!”

I choked on the warm liquid running down my throat.

“I know, right!?” Meredith squealed.

“Twenty grand!?” The words came from my mouth violently as I tried to regain control of my breath. “Twenty grand for your first novel!?”

Meredith nodded, beaming.

“It’s not even done!”

“Oh, I know! I know! But you know what, I think this is really going to help motivate me to finish! My skin is tingling with creative juices!”

Your skin is tingling with $20,000. I bit back my tongue and gave her a weak smile.

“Congratulations Meredith. That’s awesome.”

Meredith and I met in college. We were both wannabe novelists, both women, both freshmen, and both living in Andrews Hall. We didn’t become friends because we connected artistically, we became friends because it was easy.

While I had thrived in school, Meredith had coasted. She graduated because she went to most of her classes and turned in most of her homework. Like our friendship, she succeeded because she didn’t fail.

After graduation I got a job in publishing as a lowly editorial assistant. I was paid the bare minimum to review encyclopedias written by retired middle school teachers. It sucked but it was a job. Without it, I’d be homeless.

Meredith was a trust fund kid. I was not.

I made a point of working on my novel for at least three hours every week. I was 60,000 words deep into a dramatic look at the repression of women in the early 19th century through the eyes of Charlotte, a lowly chambermaid working for a handsome but distant oil tycoon. Meredith, on the other hand, would write a few pages when the mood struck. Since graduating, we met monthly to discuss our progress and keep each other motivated, but more often than not the night would devolve into expensive drinks at bars filled with men with shirts inexplicably half unbuttoned. And while I woke up regretting all my decisions and trying not to vomit in my cubicle trash can, she’d remain untouched. She’d wake up at noon to order pizza and watch a marathon of shitty reality shows about overly dramatic rich people who also didn’t have any responsibilities.

Meredith’s novel, smartly titled A Rabbit Disturbed, was about an evil toy bunny that traumatizes a young boy. Imagine if Stephenie Meyer wrote a novel adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit after watching the entire Chucky canon while on acid. Oh, and Miss Meyer also doesn’t know what a rabbit is.

The three chapters I read, the only three Meredith had bothered to write, were so bad that my main criticism was towards our college for giving her a degree in creative writing.

But maybe I was being pretentious. Maybe I just didn't understand Meredith's genius. I took another swallow of my latte as she planned out the evening’s celebratory activities as if planning a bachelorette party.

I was in a bar bathroom when the tablet chimed. I steadied myself against the sink before pulling it from my bag.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

It was early but my mind was already drenched in vodka. I definitely wasn’t happy. I had thought drinking would make me feel more euphoric, would let me get caught up in Meredith’s excitement, but instead I felt ineffectual and ignored. I thought of my novel and the stupid melodramatic character that I had poured all my creativity into for the past two years. I was miserable. Frustrated and defeated.

But what was I going to write? That one of my oldest friends had succeeded?

If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. With my bare fingertip I rubbed my answer against the screen.

Nothing.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I gritted my teeth.

Nothing.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

I pressed “3” without much thought and dropped the tablet back into my bag as the bright “Thank you!” lit up the screen.

I woke up Sunday with a pounding headache. I looked at my phone to see several Facebook and Instagram notifications. All likes and comments on the many celebratory photos I was tagged in, all congratulating Meredith. I let my phone fall from my hand as I turned over, allowing myself to sleep in.

The chime of the Galvin Institute tablet rang out as I sat on my couch mindlessly watching tv.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

It was an innocent question. At least, it seemed innocent. And yet I felt a pang of frustration. Meredith was still riding the high of the best day of her life while I sat there very consciously not working on my novel. Robert was busy with his family all night, leaving me alone to wallow in my self-pity.

I wrote “hangover” before clicking submit.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I lifted the stylus, preparing to write “nothing,” but stopped short. This was a study of gratitude and here I was with absolutely none. I thought of Dr. Howden reading my responses. Judging them.

I got to sleep in.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

I pushed thoughts of Meredith out of my head as I surveyed my apartment. It was small and sparsely furnished, but the walls were lined with well read novels. I hugged my soft throw and took a sip of my tea, letting the worth flood down into my stomach. Ignoring the split second of burning at the back of my throat that told me it was still too hot to drink that fast. Feeling as if I had thoroughly experienced a moment of mindful appreciation, I pressed the tip of the stylus against the 7 with a sense of accomplishment. I was rising above my disappointment and struggle.

Dr. Howden would be proud.

My phone vibrated and I was surprised to see a text message from Robert’s mother.

Hi Laurie! Happy early birthday! Are you and Robbie free next weekend to come over for a birthday dinner?

I scrunched my eyebrows together. That’s odd. I guess Robert already went home.

Curious, I called him. He answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh hey, is this a good time?”

“Sorry babe, I’m still at my parents. Can I call you back afterwards?”

Icy fingers clasped around my heart. I swallowed.

“Oh, sure. Um, do you want to come spend the night when you’re done? I miss you.”

There was a pause before he continued. “Sorry, Laurie. I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The next morning I lay in bed feeling empty, worthless, and defeated.

I stared at my ceiling, trying to rationalize staying in the comfort and safety of my bed. What would happen if I just don’t go to work? I’m so unimportant. Would anyone even notice?

It was bagel Monday though. And I did like bagels.

Three hours later I sat at my desk regretting my decision. One of the other editorial assistants had called out sick and I was getting the brunt of my boss’ post-weekend wrath.

How fucking ironic, I thought as I scrolled past unread email after unread email. One email was three paragraphs of all caps red text berating me for the misspelling of Juan Ponce de León in an entry that was written and published five years before I was hired. I took a bite of my free bagel as I kept scrolling.

At lunch, Erica and I went to our favorite burger joint. Erica was an editor and close friend whose long blonde hair and curvy figure made her the center of attention more often than not. And she knew it. She could be narcissistic at times, but she could also be really sweet and what I needed that day was fried food and a friendly ear.

Her eyes lit up and she leaned in conspiratorially. “Maybe he’s ring shopping.” She whispered, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

I brought a french fry to my lips. I hadn’t thought of that. I put the fry back down on the plate untouched.

“You really think so?” I asked, butterflies fluttering low in my stomach.

She winked before taking a bite of her burger.

Returning to my cubicle, my high spirits were immediately dashed by an unread email marked important. The subject line was empty and only two words were written, all lowercase, in the body of the email: see me.

Harold Bradford sat behind his desk, the glow of his computer illuminating his glasses. He was a chubby man in his late fifties with wiry grey hair that wrapped around his head, leaving a round dome of perfectly hairless scalp in the middle.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, please sit down Ms. Cartland.” He said, his eyes never leaving the screen. “This will only take a minute.”

I sat down as he continued to tap at his keyboard. I pulled the hem of my skirt mindlessly as my eyes scanned the shelves of books behind him.

Finally, he looked up.

“Ms. Cartland, I asked you here to discuss your recent work performance.”

My stomach sank.

“Your work has been…” He tilted his head back, eyeing me through his thin spectacles. “Slipping.”

A heavy silence fell between us.

“I-I-I’m sorry, Mr. Bradford.” I stammered.

“You seem to think this job is... beneath you.” He sniffed. “And while your BFA from Dartmouth is quite impressive, your work here lately is not.”

“I understand.” I nodded, cringing at the waiver in my voice.  “I promise to work harder in the future.”

“There is no future, Ms. Cartland.”

I stared at him, mouth agape.

He turned back towards his computer, “Mrs. Littleton will explain your severance package.”

My body and mind was numb as I left his office.

The warm water lapped at my skin as I sat in the bathtub. A glass of white wine stood at the side of the tub, the half empty bottle on the floor. Robert had suggested that I could use this time to work on my novel, but I knew that was misguided. I needed to immediately focus all my attention on finding a job. Once that severance ran out, I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent, let along my bills or student loans. Oh sure, there’s forbearance but that’s just an ugly band aid. The interest would gather like bacteria in an infection, following me for the rest of my life.

The smell of Robert’s spaghetti and meatballs permeated the steam of the bathroom and I felt comforted slightly.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

I was fired.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I brought the stylus down, thinking I’d write something like, “my soon-to-be fiance was there for me,” but I hesitated. I thought of the phone call last night. The uneasy feeling that came with it.

Instead I wrote, “Bagel Monday.”

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

“Babe!”

The sound shook me and I jumped, cold water splashing around me.

“Babe, wake up!” I squinted to see Robert looking down at me.

“What happened?” I sat up and looked around. The wine glass had fallen from the tub, shattering on the tile floor.

“It’s okay, stay there.”

He left and I stood, grabbing my towel from the door and wrapping it around my shivering body. I must’ve been dreaming.

“What time is it?” I asked the empty room.

“Almost seven. You’ve been in there for almost two hours.”

Panic rose like an electric shot through my spine.  

“The tablet! Where’s the tablet!” I cried, jumping out of the bath. Glass cut into the bottom of my foot. “Ow, fuck!” I cried.

Robert appeared in the doorway holding a broom. “Laurie, stop! What are you doing?”

“The survey! The survey!” I pushed him out of the way, limping into the living room. “Where is it? Where’s my bag?”

Robert grabbed my arm. “Laurie you’re injured, stop!”

“$900!” I desperately pulled myself from his grasp, falling painfully to my knees. “$900!”

The alarm rang distantly from where my bag lay forgotten by the front door. I crawled towards it, shaking with sobs. I could hear Robert talking to me as I reached it, but his words were muffled and inconsequential. As I opened my bag my hands felt bloated and numb, as if I were wearing gloves. My fingers clasped around the hard familiar plastic and I pulled the tablet out.

4 seconds remained on the timer. Tears flooded my eyes as I poked desperately at the screen but it wouldn’t respond to my waterlogged touch.

“No, no, no.” The black digits counted down to 1 before dissolved into nothing.

A wave of despair crashed over me as I watched the numbers appear once again. 23:59:03. The seconds ticked down. Tiny insults adding to the bloody mess of my ego.

The next thing I remember was waking up late in the afternoon. My body was sore, my head foggy. A sharp pain radiated from my left foot and I wanted to cry, but there were no more tears.

There was a buzzing coming from my nightstand. I picked up my phone to see a new text message alert.

Hey babe

I stared at the words in confusion. Behind me I could hear the shower running. Robert hadn’t left. I saw the name at the top of the screen. “Erica.”

That’s odd. I opened the app to a chat I didn’t recognize. Messages I didn’t remember sending or receiving. I scrolled up to an image. It was a selfie of Erica, but she was wearing lingerie.

Realization hit like a cement brick. The phone in my hand wasn’t mine.

The shower stopped. My breaths grew short and ragged, catching in my throat in sharp gasps.

“Babe, are you okay?”

A shadow filled the door and approached me as my vision turned red.

I awoke on a hard, cold surface. I tried to move but my body screamed in pain. A bright light hurt my eyes as I slowly blinked them open. The room was grey and dingy. I sat up stiffly and looked in front of me at a wall of metal bars.

My head buzzed with questions, my eyes wide and seeing, no longer blinded or discomforted by the sudden light. Above me stood a police woman.

“Glad to see you finally awake, Ms. Cartland.”

“Wh-what happened? Where am I?” I tried to recall recent memories. The bath. My foot. Erica. Robert.

“We got a call about a domestic disturbance at your residence. You were found standing over your boyfriend's body, a pair of bloody scissors…”

The cop continued but the sound was eclipsed by a sharp ringing noise in my head. My brain buzzed with shock as I sat back against a wall, bringing my knees to my chest. The room began to spin and it felt like I was falling into the buzzing. Into the void of complete and utter surrender.

An electronic alarm echoed off the cement walls, shrill enough, and familiar enough, to burrow into my numb thoughts.

“It’s 6 o’clock, Ms. Cartland.”

I looked up to see the cop holding out the Galvin Institute’s tablet through the bars of the cell. I stared at it, uncomprehending.

“It’s time to take the survey.”

“What?” I looked at the cop, tears I didn’t think could exist forming at the corners of my eyes.

The cop cleared her throat and dropped her arm, the tablet hanging uselessly beside her.

“What was something bad that happened to you today?”

I looked at her with confusion and pain.

“What was something good that happened to you today?” The cop’s voice was flat and stiff. Robotic.

A sob broke out of my mouth violently. I clutched my hands to my ears, desperately trying to block out her voice.

“On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?”

I opened my mouth, a scream pouring from my throat like vomit, filling the small room.

Reality snapped around me, as if a door opened in a vacuum. The world sucked past my body as I ascended painfully to the heavens.

My eyes were assaulted once again with a bright light, but this light was softer. Cleaner. Nicer. I was in a white room, a simple desk in front of me. Behind it sat Dr. Howden.

“Thank you, Ms. Cartland, for your participation in the study.” The corners of his eyes wrinkled with a warm smile.

My breaths came to me in gasps. I looked around at the innocuous room. It was just like it had been days before.

“I… I don’t understand.”

Dr. Howden gave me a tight smile. “Only a few hours have passed since you completed your survey. You have been under electronic hypnosis. Since signing the contract none of your actions, or the actions of your loved ones, actually occurred. It was all…” he twirled his finger, “in your head. I gave you a slight sedative before you awoke to help the transition along. You should be feeling more…” He smiled, “relaxed soon.”

I nodded dumbly. The numbness weighing my body down was no longer raw and uncomfortable but calming.

“Now,” he said, sliding a tablet across the desk. “If you’d please sign these release forms, you can be on your way.”

My hand shook slightly as I reached out and drew a simple line across the center of the page.

“Very good. You may now be excused. Your designated contact is waiting in the lobby.”

I stood uncertainty and began to leave the room before he added, “oh and as I explained before, since you opted out prematurely you forfeit all reimbursement.”

My stomach tightened as I saw Robert. His face set in bored concentration as he scrolled through his phone. Feeling my stare, he looked up and smiled warmly. “Babe!” He stood and walked towards me, arms outstretched. “How did it go?”

I clenched my jaw as he brought me to his chest, his body pressed against mine. My skin grew hot with anger and my stomach turned with disgust, but the tranquilizer slowly quelled my hatred.

He hadn’t really cheated on me, had he?

Robert took me home and made me spaghetti, just like he had last night. Except last night never happened.

The next day was a normal Saturday. I had coffee with Meredith as she told me about a new guy she met. On Sunday I had dinner with Robert and his parents. Monday I nodded at Mr. Bradford’s requests and listened to Erica complain about her yearly review. Friday Robert took me out for my birthday and proposed.

My life is meaningless now. Trivial and petty. These people I once loved no longer feel real. Their lives are stupid and useless, filled with made up milestones to give the illusion that life is moving forward. That they are making progress.

I could no longer pretend to enjoy it, so I left. I don’t have a destination, but instead I’m letting my short life roll over me like the waves of an ocean. Massive and unknowable. It doesn’t matter where I am or where I end up. It’s all so permeable. All so temporary. Why bother clinging to something when it’s not really yours to begin with. And yet the questions still run through my mind.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

Nothing. Nothing bad happens anymore. Nothing happens anymore. Life passes. I exist. I question reality and then find I’m too tired to care.

What was something good that happened to you today?

Nothing. Objectively, nothing good has ever happened to me. It’s all a farce. Life is just a series of signals that our mind misinterprets as something organized and purposeful. And yet we run forward with abandonment, counting the seconds until there are no seconds left to count.

Tonight I’ve found myself somewhere in Pennsylvania. The red numbers of the clock illuminated 6:00.

The sky is a beautiful amber above the mountain tops.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

No longer applicable.

[jenatwork]

Mental illness and self-care at work

 I’ve had more than one person (including my doctor, ugh) suggest to me that, since I hold down a full-time (and fairly high-level) job, my mental illness can’t be all that bad.

Not true. It’s not uncommon for people with mental illnesses to work full-time, to reach high levels of management or be self-employed and successful. I’m lucky to have a job that I genuinely like, working for an NPO, and my job is my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. In previous jobs, I absolutely have been unwilling to get up or leave the house, taken long stretches of sick-leave or resigned when a job wouldn’t enable me to take time off when I needed it. And even in this job that I love, I struggle a lot, and often can’t do much in the evenings when I get home.

The reason I get by at work is because I’ve developed a ton of self-care strategies and coping mechanisms so that even when I’m tearing myself up inside, I can still get shit done.

 1.       Dress for work.

My job has a fairly relaxed dress code, and if I want to wear jeans and a T-shirt I actually can (and sometimes do). But on days when I’m wearing a button-down shirt or a smart dress, it makes me feel ‘managerial’. It puts me in a work-ready frame of mind before I even leave the house. In previous jobs where I had a uniform, I felt better when my uniform looked good – shirt ironed, smart shoes, and so on. I’m not at work to get a date; I’m here to lead my team and run my shop, and looking the part is like putting on a costume to get me into character.

 2.       Wear stuff you like.

Having said all that, wearing a bit of jewellery or a pair of socks that make me smile helps too! So I’ll wear my button-down shirt, but I’ll wear a pair of dinosaur earrings, or a Pride wristband, or my BMO socks, and get a little reminder of something that makes me smile. My Line Manager actually notices and makes positive comments (I’m lucky to have a Line Manager who appreciates that I’m unapologetically nerdy). If you can’t wear pierced jewellery, wear character socks or a tie-pin or put a keychain on your bag.

 3.       Take packed lunches.

Even if it’s a sandwich you made five minutes before you left the house, it can be a reminder that you did something positive to take care of yourself. When I’m feeling well, I take time to make elaborate decobento boxes or try new recipes. When I’m doing okay, I do meal-prep while making my dinner in the evening (or make extra and pack up the left-overs). When I’m not doing well, I have packets of ramen and small cans of veggies that I can heat up in the microwave at work. Taking even a few minutes to plan ahead and save a bit of money makes me feel like I’ve got some control and am looking after myself. Also, as I have ASD, I have issues with food choice, and if I have to buy a sandwich at the supermarket and they don’t have what I like I can have a full-on meltdown before I even get to work, so packed lunches eliminate that possibility.

 4.       Have healthy snacks available.

Obviously this isn’t possible for everyone, but if you have an office or a break-room and can keep your own food, it helps. I keep cereal and a pack of dried fruit in my office for when I couldn’t manage to make breakfast or if I forget my packed lunch or just want to keep myself from raiding the staff biscuit tin. Eating healthy food regularly also means your brain has fuel to work and focus.

 5.       Use a planner.

I started bullet journaling two years ago, and it’s had a big impact on managing my mental health. As well as helping to organise work stuff, I have spaces for doodling and bullet journaling, so if things get too much I can sit at my desk and have five minutes just putting the bad thoughts down on paper. It probably looks a bit overly dramatic when I read it back later, but at the time, it really helps me to put my thoughts in order and get some stuff out of my system. Plus it’s a way to switch off from work but still look like I’m doing something productive if anyone walks by my office!

 6.       Delegate tasks.

If you’re a supervisor, team leader or manager, trying to do everything yourself can be tempting. My mental illness often makes me feel like I’m worthless if I’m not doing everything myself, but then if I do too much I tire myself out and literally can’t do anything. So I’ve had to work hard to learn to delegate stuff to my team. But I’ve realised that delegating actually helps to remind myself that I’m in charge and I’m managing a team, not just running a business. It takes a bit of effort sometimes to train staff to do something they haven’t done before, but training someone on one specific task saves you a ton of time and energy in the future when you can hand the job to them (or even get them to train someone else!)

 7.       Personalise your work space.

Again, this doesn’t work for everyone. I have a tiny cubbyhole of an office with no door so anyone can walk in at any time. But I have a couple of photographs of my niece pinned up above my computer. Three years ago, when I was at my absolute lowest, the one thing that kept me from killing myself was thinking that I’d never get to see my niece grow up. I also collect little plastic dinosaurs on a bit of empty shelf space, and sometimes my staff even bring one to add to the collection!

 8.       Take breaks.

If you’re bound to take breaks when you’re told to, make the most of them. Have something to read or something relaxing to do (not video games – give your eyes a screen break and enjoy time passing slowly for a while). Sit away from your usual work space. This one is tough for me because we don’t have a break room and I can’t really leave the building, so I switch off my monitor and read or write in my planner.

 9.       Work in short bursts.

When I’m really struggling mentally, I can’t focus on anything for very long. So I work on one thing for about half an hour, then move to a different part of the shop and do something else. I take short breaks – maybe five minutes – then go back to task for another half hour or so.

 10.   Record your achievements.

I do this in my planner, but anywhere you can keep a list works. It’s especially useful on those days when I’m working in short bursts. Even if it’s stuff like ‘answered an e-mail’ or ‘submitted supplies order’, stuff I do daily, having that reminder that I’m getting stuff done helps to keep me motivated.

 11.   Encourage and appreciate others.

Honestly, this is the one I often find the hardest. When my mood is low and I’m isolated from friends, find the mental energy to praise other people seems almost impossible. But it keeps my team motivated and means they’ll work hard even if I’m not. I find that delegating tasks is easiest if my team feel like I’m someone they want to work for. Plus saying positive things to others can help lift my mood when I see them feeling encouraged.

 None of this stuff is intended to be a magical quick-fix. It’s stuff that requires mental and physical effort. I don’t do all of them all of the time (I wore jeans and a T-shirt at work today, and I’m really struggling with the ‘encouraging others’ bit lately since my mood has been particularly low). But putting in that effort is an investment in both my job and my mental health. Yes, it does often leave me exhausted by the end of the day. But putting the effort into my job means I build my sense of self-worth (when I’m unwell and my friends aren’t reaching out to me, I remind myself that my job benefits tons of other people). It means I can pay my bills, and live independently, and have money to do fun stuff when I am feeling well.

I realise this isn’t ‘fairy lights and blanket forts’ fluffy self-care, but I hope this shows it’s possible to hold down a job with a mental illness (and also serves as a reminder that your colleagues who seem like they’ve got their shit together might actually be struggling as well).

[takeeachdayonebookatatime]

Triple f day -fan fiction friday-

(Temporary parents)

Day 1 & 2 ……...

Staring team one

Jules : pov today at work when me and sam arrived we found out that wordy was out with the flu his kids and wife had it. After 40 minutes of working out winnie told us there was a little girl in the sru probably about 5 years old with no parents and when she asked her what her name is she told winnie it was abby and her mommy went to sleep so she came here for help.

Ed : pov winnie had Greg and Spike go to her house with police officers greg called to let us know the police said her mom was dead in the bedroom. Winnie told him Abby said it was her daddy.

Sam : pov jules picked up Abby and brought her to the briefing room we use while I got her food and a drink. I was so thankful we still had some teddy bears here at hq so I gave her a pink one which made her happy. Once back at hq Spike managed to get the monitor we use to debrief to play a kids show which also made her happy. Greg called child services and they said it would be an hour before they could come since it would be a lot of paperwork.

Spike : pov I feel so bad for Abby having to witness her mom dying like that here dad was still on the loose. Wordy called and said he would be back tomorrow.

Jules : pov I pulled sam aside for 5 minutes while ed was watching Abby which she did not like at all. I talked to Sam about us keeping her for a few days until they caught her dad. He said yes to the idea when the lady from child services came by we told her we needed to talk in private. I told her me and Sam wanted to watch her until her dad was caught. And I could take Thursday, Monday and Wednesday off so it would be 7 days and Sam could take Friday and Wednesday off. That would be four full days for him and 5 full days for me. She handed us a big stack of paper which I had Sam sign. While I held Abby which made her stop crying. I had Spike and Ed go find some pens and paper while I talked to Greg while Sam and the lady from social services talked. I told Greg we wanted to watch Abby until her dad was caught. I said if he gives me Thursday, Monday and Wednesday off. And Sam Friday and Tuesday off we could make it work since we had the weekend off Greg agreed. To give us the day's off. And Donna was so nice and agreed to extra shifts to cover for us if we needed extra days.

Sam : pov I know wordy has the day off because the kids are sick. But I need to call him. He picks up on the first ring I told him Abby's whole story and asks him if he saved the kids clothes from when they were five year old he says yes and some toys they outgrew. He says he will leave a bag on the print porch for us to pick up. The lady from social services had a car seat for her. Greg let us leave a little early when we stopped by a wordy's house. There was a big bag of clothes and a toddler bed with a mattress on it. I asked him what that was about and he said she needs a place to sleep.

Jules : pov once Sam loaded everything into the car we made a stop at Walmart to buy some essentials like snacks and hygiene products. We also let her pick out 2 toys and 1 movie. I bought her a cute outfit and pj set. Once home we made pasta since that is what she wanted I put a movie on after dinner that was kid friendly. Just before bed I gave her a bath, let her have a snack and then put her to bed in the guest room. I made sure to leave the door open.

Sam : pov it was now 9:00 and Abby was in bed. Me and Jules decided to look through the stuff wordy gave us. It had 2 month's worth of shirts, pants and pj's. There were also some shoes and socks. And a good amount of toys.³ We sorted everything then went to bed at 10:40 we knew it would be a ruff night. It was at 11:00 when Abby started crying so jules picked her up and cuddled with her. She asked if she could sleep in our beds just for tonight and I said yes this made her so happy. She slept through the whole night at 7:00 in the morning. I got up and got ready for work.

Jules : pov I made frozen waffles for Abby because that is what she wanted. I told her we are going to go on a hike in the woods which leads to a nice big playground and beach. I also told her we were packing some lunch so we could have a picnic. She asked about if she gets tired on the hike and jules said I will carry you. I can lift men twice my weight. Jules packed ham and cheese sandwiches with a mini bag of chips juice on the side and a baggy of fruit. Abby was so excited to go to the park and beach.

Sam : pov at work jules tells me what today's plans are and I tell her to have fun with Abby. And take lots of pictures for me. Today we had a hot call about a hostage situation at the bank. I was sierra one and ed was sierra 2 ugh today was going to be a long day.

Jules : Abby asked about her father and what if he finds us and I told her that is my job keeping people safe. I do it everyday so don't think about it. You are very safe with me. I think I made Abby feel better by saying that but to be honest that is the truth. After 10 minutes of walking Abby was tired so jules carried her the last 20 minutes. Abby played at the park for 2 hour, Jules was not taking any chances so she wore her sru shirt Sam had made for her, it says don't mess with me I work for the sru and know how to use a sniper rifle. while at the park another mom asked jules about her daughter and jules told the woman the whole story. The lady felt bad about asking but loved jules's shirt. Abby did not want to walk the 10 minutes to the beach so Jules carried her there and she made sure to take a lot of pictures for sam. The view at the lake was beautiful and she unpacked their lunch. Abby loved the food then went to play in the sand. Jules made a huge sand castle with her, they spent more than an hour at the beach. It took them 30 minutes to get back to the car which consisted of jules carrying her the whole way. Back at the house they played with dolls and barbies until Sam got home

Sam : pov the call ended Good no one got hurt jules made grilled cheese for dinner since that is what Abby wanted. After I played a few board games with her until jules had to give her a bath before bedtime. She was in bed by 8:30 which was an okay time. Me and Jules then watched a movie together and went to bed at 10:00. Abby slept through the whole night. To be continued………….

[freedom-shamrock]

A Little Secret - Chapter 2

Also on AO3

Chp 1   Chp 2   Chp 3   Chp 4   Chp 5   Chp 6   Chp 7   Chp 8   Chp 9 Chp 10   Chp 11

Amazing art created by @soundofez​  pg 1  pg 2  pg 3

Giving Your Tongue to the Chat

By the time Marinette reached the library, Adrien and Alya had already laid claim to one end of a table, but they hadn't started work on the project.  She slipped her things into the place next to Adrien.  "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

"Where have you been all morning?" Alya asked.  "Do you have any idea how hard it is being on a project with you and Adrien?  Between model shoots and extracurriculars, his schedule's insane, and you're the amazing vanishing bestie."

"Oh, you know me," Marinette said, smiling weakly.  "I overslept."  It was a lie, of course.  She'd spent most of her morning combatting an akuma on the other side of town.

"You know you're gonna need to fix that habit of yours before you pick up an internship, right?" Alya asked.  "Most designers aren't going to be as forgiving as us."  She planted her hands on her hips to deliver a stern look.

"Yes maman," Marinette promised.  She sure hoped she and Chat could find and neutralize Hawkmoth before Final Bac.  She suspected Master Fu had chosen teenagers for the ladybug and black cat simply because their absences would be difficult but not career shattering.  She couldn't imagine either of her parents fitting this into their schedules.

"She's just cross because she missed this morning's akuma," Adrien whispered.

"There was an attack this morning?"  She'd gotten much better at feigning ignorance and coming up with believable excuses.  She'd had plenty of practice, after all.

Adrien nodded, the small polite smile she hated firmly in place.  It wasn't quite his model mask, but it usually meant he was subduing himself to stick to the image his father had crafted for him.  It showed up a lot at school and in other public places.  Fortunately, it tended to be thoroughly tucked away when he was at her house.  "I was also out for an emergency shoot."  He snorted.  It had become a joke that his father's unexpected random photoshoots to capture one last thing, or replace something he found subpar constituted emergencies in Gabriel Agreste's mind.

"Oh dear," Marinette said dramatically.  "What was it this time?  Did you have a hair out of place?"

Adrien bit his lip and shook his head, clearly trying to restrain his mirth.  "Please, I was perfect."  He let out a sniff, tipping his nose into the air.  "But my jacket looked too snug across my shoulders while managing to look like a frumpy sack around my waist."  He rolled his eyes.

"I can't help but feel like neither of you are taking this very seriously," Alya criticized.  "This project is a quarter of our final grade."

"I'm so sorry Al," Marinette insisted, throwing babydoll eyes at her best friend.  "I'll do better."

"Ugh," Alya said, waving both hands in Marinette's face.  "Stop it.  You're crazy good at that.  And it should not be that effective on a seventeen year old."

She'd developed the skill to combat Chat's devastating kitten eyes, but no one in her civilian life knew that.  Grinning, Marinette patted her tablet.  "Well I'm here now, and I'm ready to be a focused and productive member of the team."  She straightened up proudly.  "I even did research last night in preparation."

"Was that during the time you were supposed to be sleeping?" Adrien teased, bumping her shoulder with his.

"The nerve," Marinette shot back with gasp.  Playful Adrien didn't come out nearly often enough, and she was always keen to encourage it.  She still liked him, possibly more than she had that first year, but it was the real him this time.  She'd been shocked to discover the true Adrien hidden under that image of calm perfection.  He was the second silliest person in her life, sometimes running neck and neck with Chat Noir, and probably the most approachable person she knew.  He got downright giddy when he could actually do a favor for a friend, and he tended to go over the top on such things.  She'd caught a persistent sadness lurking in the background, concealed by fake smiles and finger-guns.

His teasing demanded a response, so she stuck out her tongue at him.  

Grinning mischievously, he reached out and caught her tongue between two fingers.  "Gotchya."

"Llllll," Marinette objected, squirming out of his gentle hold.

"Could you two stop flirting and focus," Alya demanded, not bothering to cover her smile.

Marinette made a great show of assessing her tongue for damage.  "I'll get you back for that," she said, delighted by his lightheartedness this morning.  That usually meant things at home were going as well as they could.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" he asked slyly, leaning toward her.

"Dude, we do not use the smoulder at school," Nino said, tossing his things down across from his best friend.  "We've talked about this."  His tone spoke of long-suffering, but his knowing grin told a different story.

"Awww," Adrien whined, slouching in his chair like a chastised child.  "But it works so well."

"True," Nino agreed.  "But we are not raising a manipulative jerk here."  He gestured with one open hand at Adrien.  "You are so much better than some people you're related to. Let's embrace that, shall we."  Nino reached into one of the front pockets of his jeans.  "Oh, before I forget.  I got you a new workout mix."

Adrien's face brightened up, shattering the polite mask he usually wore.  "Really?"  He cradled the pen-drive as though it were precious.

"Yes really," Nino insisted.  "If your father is going to make you continue with the personal trainer and heavy duty workout program, despite the fact that you're already perfect, you deserve to enjoy the time as much as possible."

Adrien hugged the drive before carefully tucking it into his bag, beaming the whole time.  It didn't matter that Nino regularly gave his friends music, Adrien always considered it a special treat.

Adrien burst into history class after lunch with an excess of enthusiasm.  He was grinning and bouncing as he made his way to his seat.

"What did you have for lunch, and where can I get some?" Alya asked, leaning forward on the desk she and Marinette shared.  They'd returned to their original seating arrangement this year after trying all other configurations in previous years.

"My afternoon shoot was canceled," Adrien said.  "I have a whole afternoon off."  He collapsed into his chair in a move that looked remarkably like a certain boneless cat-boy.  "And father's gone this week, so Nathalie conveniently didn't plug anything else in."

"Aw dude," Nino said, disappointment coloring his voice.  "There's nothing I'd like to do more than hang out with you, but I've got a shadowing thing at the radio station today."

"No problem," Adrien insisted.  "I can't expect you to drop everything for me."

Nino frowned.  "You know I would though, right?  If you needed me to."

Adrien's eyes widened and he looked down, the edges of his ears going pink.  "Oh.  Um.  Today isn't a need, but thanks."  He glanced at the table behind him.  "Alya, Marinette, are either of you available?"  His voice sounded oddly strained, hopeful.

Alya sighed.  "I'm watching my sisters today, but we could probably join you for a bit at the park."

"I'm free," Marinette said.  "We could do the park first, and then go back to my place for gaming and dinner."

The goofy smile was back on his face.  "Really?  It's been ages since I had dinner with your family.  That'd be really cool.  Thanks."

At the park, Marinette watched Adrien chase Alya's nine year old twin sisters around the playground equipment.  He'd left his bag with her on the bench when he went in pursuit of "the little monkeys."  She hadn't asked him out, and had put that whole idea on hold for now.  It had less to do with nerves and freaking out, and more to do with reality.  The last thing Adrien needed was a girlfriend who ditched him regularly with crappy excuses for her absences.  He had more than enough abandonment in his life, and she couldn't bear the thought of adding to it.  Until she could be sure she wouldn't have to vanish all the time to deal with Paris' miraculous psychopath, she'd have to settle for being the best friend she could to him.  Her resolve didn't prevent her from enjoying watching him move.

"That personal trainer must have him doing some crazy shit to be in this kind of shape," Alya said.  "How does he even have time for that?"

Marinette shook her head, critically assessing everything he was doing.  The girls were chasing him now, and he turned and dodged far faster than seemed possible.  He could have run circles around Kim.  He darted under the swingset, leaping up to catch the support bar.  In a move that belonged in an action film or akuma battle, he swung his legs up and over the bar, holding himself fully upside down on extended arms for a moment before dropping down the other side and landing behind Alya's sisters, effectively swapping roles with them again.

"Holy shit Agreste!" Alya shouted.  "Don't you be teaching my sisters impossible stuff."

He glanced toward the bench, a wide devilish smile on his lips.  "Not impossible," he insisted.  "It just requires a working knowledge of physics."

"And a jacked body," she retorted.

"Hey!"  The girls swarmed him then.  Laughing, he scooped one up in each arm, spinning a bit as he walked back to the bench.  "I'll have you know that this body is the result of a lot of hard work."  He winked.  "And a pretty good hit from the genetic lottery."  He set the girls down in front of their sister, where they promptly flopped into the grass laughing.  "No artificial colors or preservatives."  He poked at his belly.

Alya made a little motion with her index finger.  "Let us have a look at that."

"Alya!" Marinette gasped.  "Do you want his father to see a photo of him flashing his abs at us on the front of some tabloid?"

"You're not curious?" Alya demanded in disbelief.

Marinette snorted.  "I've already seen it."  She grinned up at Adrien.  "I mean he had that recent swimsuit campaign, and it was quite flattering."

"I bet he was airbrushed," Alya taunted.

Adrien feigned shock, one hand going to his chest in mock horror.  "Airbrushed?  Me?!"

"The runway photos supported the evidence in the advertisements," Marinette pointed out.  "Don't worry, Adrien.  I've got your back.  I, personally, believe in your abs."

Adrien sat down beside Marinette, and oh, he was deliciously warm.  The air had just enough of a bite to chill her.  "I guess that settles that."  He stuck his tongue out at Alya and Marinette reached up and pinched it.  "Hey!"

Marinette burst into giggles.  "Told you I'd get you back."

"That was like two weeks ago," he objected.

"I can be patient."

Alya snorted.  "She can be ridiculously patient."  She sighed.  "Fun though this has been, I've gotta get my monkeys home, and you ," she paused to poke Adrien in the shoulder, "need to get our Maricicle warmed up."

Adrien looked down at Marinette, frowning slightly.  "Geeze, Mari.  I didn't realize you were so cold.  I'm sorry."  He stood up and pulled off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

Though she probably should have refused, her fingers held the jacket closed.  "Ooooh," she moaned.  "Soooo warm."  She tucked her face into the neck as well, subtly catching his scent from it.  She unzipped the little pouch she'd taken to wearing on her hip.  Scooping Tikki out, she settled the little being into the snuggly inner pocket of his jacket, feeling the little kwami shiver before relaxing into the added warmth.

"Time to get you home," he said firmly.  "I recommend tea and Mecha Strike."

Chapter title - "Giving your tongue to the cat" is a French idiom that means being unable to guess. Sometimes people use it in place of the American idiom "the cat has your tongue" but it's not an exact parallel. 

Chapter art by @soundofez, posted with express permission, can be found here.

 Huge thanks to my betas: Karnival and @chatbug-jk​

[littledonkeyburrito]

Internal organs

1. Where is your cell phone right now? Kitchen table

2. How many pictures of yourself do you have on your phone? There are several selfies, mostly while travelling

3. What song did you listen to the most this summer? Whatever was playing on the radio that I heard everywhere I guess. Probably despacito, subeme la radio, and vente pa ca

4. Describe your hands. They’re pretty handy

5. Have you ever been chased by an animal? (If so, which one) A couple of small dogs, a horse (while I had a strong fear of horses, I cried), probably some others that I don’t remember.

6. How many people in your family have blue eyes?  Most of us, except my brother has hazel

7. What’s the longest you’ve ever been on an airplane? Australia to europe is something like 24 hours. But that’s a couple of flights. The longest I’ve been on one flight was Sydney to Doha which was 14 hours and it was hell because the air pressure was wreaking havoc on my guts and gave me the worst cramps 

8. How did you get one of your scars? I was in the UK with my dad and brother when I was 10 and we were staying at a family friend’s house, along with a couple of other family friends. Me and a fellow child were building a little stick cubby house in the garden and we decided we didn’t want my older brother to get in because he would ruin everything, so we made the entrance really low to the ground so you had to slide in on your belly. Anyway, brother was chasing me and I tried to dive into the cubby house and one of the sticks scraped down my back and now I have a faint scar there.

9. How did you celebrate your last birthday? A group of friends and I went to a theme park and then went to a comedy cabaret show for dinner where we consumed a reasonable amount of alochol

10. How did you get the shirt you’re wearing? I probably bought it at a cheap clothing store. It’s a few years old so I don’t remember exactly

11. How old will you be at your next birthday? 24

12. What did you do last weekend? I was in Paris

13. What did you have for breakfast? I did not have breakfast

14. Have you ever been out of the country? Which country? I’ve been out of many of them

15. Have you ever had sex on the beach? No and I really have no desire to get sand in that region.

16. Have you ever dated someone younger than you? Yeah

17. Who was the last person you saw? Lady working at the cornerstore. For some reason whenever I buy a 6 pack of beer she always forgets to put it in as 6 and just scans one. I’m too honest to let it slide so I always look at the price and go, “...for 6 beers?” and she’s like “oh!” and rescans it as the 6pack. I mean, I go into that little store at least once a week so I’d rather not screw them over anyway.

18. Who was the last person you messaged? Anna

19. Where does your best friend live? All of my best friends still live in australia

20. Where did you last go? To the cornerstore

21. Where do you go to school? At a school

22. Would you ever get back together with any of your ex’s if they asked you? Depends on definition of ex but I’m considering (when I’m back in aus) getting back with a guy I had a thing with before I left australia

23. Who was the last person you sat next to? Somebody on the plane from Paris back to Barcelona

24. Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more? Yeah

25. When was the last time you ate chips? Maybe a week ago

26. How many people have you kissed in this month? None :(

27. Do you know what you are going to wear tomorrow? No but you’ve just reminded me I need to hang up my laundry to dry

28. What are you doing tomorrow? I need to stop into that telemarketing office and finally pick up my money. Then going to buy some rum and hopefully mandarins too (my grocery store didn’t have any today) and head home by midday to skype with maggie and anna for maggie’s birthday while I get drunk in the early afternoon

29. What color are your socks? Navy blue with little pink hearts on them

30. Last thing you got in the mail? Letter from 2 friends (a couple) asking me to be a groomsman at their wedding next year. They can’t stand the thought of me in a dress so they decided a long time ago that I could not be a bridesmaid

31. Who were you with Friday night? Just me, alone in Paris.

32. How long does it take you to get ready to go out? Up to 45 minutes. Usually about half an hour.

33. Where’s the closest hoodie to you right now? I only have one and it’s on my torso

34. Do you prefer to take your showers at night or in the morning? Mornings because I tend to sweat while I sleep. Obviously less of an issue in winter though. When I’m working I take night showers in winter because I know that if I get in the shower at 4:30am when it’s 5 degrees out, I am never getting out of that hot water.

35. Think back to June. Were you in a relationship? No

36. Who was the last person to be in your bedroom? I don’t know, nobody has been here in a long time

37. Have you ever eaten an uncooked cookie? Do you mean... cookie dough?

38. Is there a place that you wish you could visit? There are so many more places to go.

39. Do you believe that this weekend will be a good one for you? I think it will be the standard boring mediocre weekend I have every week due to having no friends in this country

40. Have you ever fallen asleep on someone? Yeah

41. Are all of your friends in relationships? About half of my close friends are

42. Would you ever eat a bug for 1000 dollars? Sure, give me 20 bugs and you won’t see me for 6 months because I’ll be off travelling. I hear fried crickets are pretty good.

43. What’s going on with you and the last person you messaged? Friend

44. Is your cell phone usually on vibrate or is the ringtone usually on? Ringtone, unless I’m on the train or something

45. Do you sext? I did once and I was surprisingly into it but I think that’s just bc I was really horny at time. Normally, it’s really not my thing.

46. Where are your biological parents? Their homes

47. Would you take $40,000 or a brand new car? Money please. Could spend 5k on a second hand car and still have 35k spare

48. Did the last person you message, message you back? Not yet. Asleep I think

49. Tell me about the last conversation you had with the opposite sex. Wasn’t much of a conversation. It was a guy working in the cornerstore was helping me find a 6 pack of beer that was actually a full 6 pack. For some reason most of them had exactly one missing. I say it wasn’t much of a conversation, firstly because not much needed to be said, secondly we’d both be speaking our second (at least) language, and thirdly he’s deaf so I’m not sure how much he’d hear from me anyway.

50. What is something you always have with you? Internal organs

51. Are you thirsty? In both senses of the word, yes.

52. What room are you in? Bedroom. It’s too cold to not be under blankets.

53. Rice or beans? Rice AND beans (seriously, listen to that song. I heard played by a band in a little beach town in Costa Rica)

54. Last pair of shoes you wore? Maroon sneakers I got from Alcampo for like 7 euros

55. Do your parents swear? Dad sometimes, mum no

56. Are you comfortable doing things on your own or do you prefer to have company? I prefer company when I’m not at home.

57. Do you think travelling is something that every young person should do to gain life experience? If they can. But not everybody will appreciate it

58. Do you have a certain color grape you like the most? Both are good but I tend to buy red grapes with seeds because then they take me longer to eat and they’re a good snack to have while I watch tv shows to keep my hands busy

59. If you could kiss someone right now, who would it be? I’m not too fussy, anyone off the shortlist

60. Would you rather go to a party or go on a quiet date? Depends who the date is with. I do like parties.

61. Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search: Maddie needs a daddy Reaction: Only if he pays well lmao

62. Type in “[your name] wants” in the Google search: Maddie wants a solo Reaction: a solo of what?

63. Type in “[your name] is” in the Google search: Maddie is back Reaction: Soon.

64. Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search: Maddie looks like sharpay Reaction: Um?

65. Type in “[your name] does” in Google search: Maddie does mackenzie’s makeup Reaction: I don’t understand what this means. Is this like highschool musical or something?

66. Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search: Maddie hates dance moms Reaction: Can’t say I’ve ever seen it

67. Type in “[your name] goes” or “..has gone” in Google search: Maddie goes to jail Reaction: I wonder what I did

68. Type in “[your name] loves” in Google search: Maddie loves lip balm Reaction: In winter I sure do

69. Type in “[your name] makes” in Google search: Maddie makes friends Reaction: Aww :3

70. When was the last time you wore a Band-Aid and why? A long time ago (more than a year) and probably for a blister

71. A trip to California, the Bahamas, New York, Wisconsin, Utah, or Canada? Canada or NY.

72. Whose house were you at last, besides your own? I haven’t been to anybody’s house in months 73. Any big plans for this summer? Ugh I suppose I have another summer coming up if I’m going back to australia. Plans are working, drinking and trying not to lose my spanish skills 74. Who was the last person you were in a vehicle with other than family? Everybody on the metro today 75. What’s something you need to get done soon? Booking flight back to aus. Need to do some research and also borrow some money first 76. Is your best friend awake right now? She is. And she’s hungover as fuck and regretting everything 77. If I came to your house, could I find any kind of chocolate? There is half a block of dark chocolate w almonds and also a pack of oreos. 78. What size bed do you have? King. It’s amazing and I love it and I want to bring it to australia with me even though I don’t actually own this bed bc it came with the furnished apartment 79. Who was the last person to upload a picture with you in it? According to facebook it was the friend I went to colombia with  80. Have you ever held a snake? Yeah 81. Do you ever wear sleep masks when you sleep or shower caps when you shower? Sleepmasks when I’m doing shiftwork 82. Would you rather go to a beach, an amusement park, or a water park? Amusement park 83. Have you ever kissed under water? Only if a shower counts as technically being under water 84. Have you kissed anyone whose name starts with a M? Yeah 85. Camping with a ton of friends or hotel with a few friends? Camping. It’s cheaper and there’s more potential for misadventures 86. Do you have alcohol in your house? I have 4 beers left and no rum

87. Do you have anything to pay off? I owe mum some money and soon will owe dad too. Won’t take me long to pay it off once I’m back in aus though 88. What are you listening to? Mi Vida No Vale Nada - Genitallica 89. Where did you first hear this song? Youtube bc I was looking up bands that sing in spanish

Last 10 people in your Facebook messages inbox: I’m excluding group chats

1. Anna 2. Brenda 3. Caitlin 4. Dad 5. Joh 6. Torin 7. Maggie 8. Pegler 9. Jenn 10. Patrick

How long have you known 1? A couple of months

When did you meet 2? Probably when I was a baby. She’s one of dad’s friends

When was the last time you saw 3? April when she stayed in Barcelona for a couple of days

Have you and 4 ever gotten into trouble together before? Me and dad? Nah

How old is 5? 28

Have you ever taken a shower at 6’s house? No.

Have you ever taken a dump at 7’s house? christ, almost definitely

Have you ever thought about going out with 8? No, but we made out in a bar like 5 years ago

What about 9? No

Would you ever go out with 10 or ask 10 out? Soz bro, but no

What’s the best memory you have had with 1? We’ve actually only met once in person

What’s 2′s lastname? Lewis

Would you ever take a bullet for 3? Yes, I would take it off the table and walk over and give it to her. Taking a bullet for her.

What would you do if 4 died? Cry 

What would you do if you found out 5 killed someone that you were related to? Well first of all I’d be super pissed. 

Would you take care of 6 if they were sick? Hmm probs not

Would you kill 7 if it was the only way for your other friends to survive? I couldn’t do that. 

Has 8 ever cooked for you? We lived together for 3 years so probably at some point I’ve eaten something he cooked

How many times have you and 9 fought? Never?

Have you and 10 ever cried together? Only over how adorable mass effect characters are

Have you and 1 ever kissed? No

Do you ever dream of 2? No

Is 3 a boy? No.

Does 4 have any kids? well... me, for one.

Do you want to marry 5? There was an in-joke amongst our friends for quite a while that we were already married

Are 4 and 5 friends? No. They met once and Joh drunkenly cried about how he hated my dad bc he said something homophobic. Joh also had no memory of this the following morning.

Who is 6 going out with? No idea Is 7 a boy or girl? I think the best answer to this would be... no? What would you think if 8 became your stepbrother/sister? I’d be cool having him as a brother

What is a random fact about #10? He was once part of a viral tumblr post because he and his younger brother used to look very similar and they had the same profile picture (of the brother) for a while. I was actually there when that photo was taken. If #3 said they were in love with you, what would you say? She is in love with my netflix shirt Is #4 hott? *vomits all over the keyboard* Who is #5 best friends with? Meeeee. jk we’re close but I doubt I’m his best friend.  Does #6 have good fashion sense? Yes. I always feel like I just crawled out of the sewer when I stand next to him. Then again, each item of his clothing probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. Is #7 single? Yes Would #8 and #9 make a cute couple? A cattle farmer and a vegan? I don’t see that working out too well.