#working retail will have you really hating just about any holiday

[someguyiguess]

IT IS STILL SEPTEMBER AAAAAAAAAAUUUGH

[virtie333]

Day 5 - Life Day Damerey Celebration

Prompt: Holiday

Summary: A new relationship is tested.

Warnings: This is a Modern Alternate Universe story. There will be more incoming. Fluff and feelings in this one.

AO3

“What do you mean you can’t come because you’re working?” he asked her. “It’s Christmas Eve! No one should have to work a holiday.”

Rey had just started dating Poe Dameron two short months ago. They had met thanks to their mutual friend, Finn, and while things had been going well in their relationship so far, and Rey was exceedingly happy to have finally found someone who actually seemed to ‘get her,’ she knew there would be bumps in the road. Apparently, this was the first one.

“I agree no one should work on holidays when you’re talking about retail or service industries, but some jobs are necessary all the time,” Rey argued. She hated that this conversation was happening over the phone. She would really like to see his expressive face right now, to know what he was thinking.

“Well, of course!” Poe countered. “Hospitals and cops and firefighters and such,” he continued. “They are needed and are hopefully getting extra pay for their service.” He paused. “But Rey, you work for a bank. Why are you working Christmas Eve?”

Rey smiled. There was a bit of a whine in his voice. “I’m not working my regular job,” she told him. “I’m volunteering at the local animal shelter.”

The other end of the line was silent, so after a moment, Rey continued.

“I’m volunteering to feed and clean that night so that the regular staff and other volunteers can have the night off to be with their families. I’ve always done it over holidays since I don’t have family of my own. I had already signed up to do it this year before we started dating and I didn’t bother changing it because I didn’t know if you even celebrated Christmas or not.”

“Well, yeah,” Poe answered her non-question. “Dad and I have always had a traditional Christmas Eve. Dinner followed by presents.” He sighed. “I was really getting excited about the thought of you joining us. I think he was, too.”

“I’m sorry, Poe,” Rey said, and she truly was. “I should be done by eight, if you guys want to do it a little later than normal?” She paused. “Or you could come with me and we could get done sooner..?”

“I… I wouldn’t know what to do. I’d just be in your way.” He sounded surprised but not upset. And he hadn’t said ‘no.’

“It’s not that difficult. I’ve done it so much I could do it in my sleep. It would be easy to direct you.” She bit her lip before adding, “and I know you’d love to love on all those dogs and cats.”

He huffed a laugh. One of the things that had helped them bond was their shared love of animals. Poe’s dog BB had solidified that bond by attaching himself to Rey more than any other woman Poe had dated. Or so he said. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice still uncertain.

“Poe, I would love to spend Christmas Eve with you, even if it means cleaning cat litter boxes and scooping dog poop.”

His responding laughter made her smile. Oh, how she loved to hear him laugh!

“Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll do it. I’ll just let Dad know we’ll be a little later than normal.”

Rey’s heart thumped hard a couple of times in her chest. She was more sure than ever that she was falling in love with this man. “Thank you, Poe,” she said softly. “For inviting me to be a part of your traditions and for your help.”

“Thank you, Rey,” he responded. “For letting me be a part of your holiday traditions, too.”

This just might be the best Christmas ever.

[carolmunson]

⭐️ i need a directors cut for i wish i had a river that story broke me in half put me back together and healed me

Director’s Cut Ask Game This is an excerpt from Wish I Had A River:

“Maybe I didn’t want one,” he bites, exhaustion turning into unbridled frustration, “God, you think everyone likes this shit? All this holly jolly crap?” You shake your head no, biting your lip to keep from crying but the tears well up anyway. “You know you’re just – you’re so caught up in the fuckin’ magic of it all cause you don’t know any different. Was your daddy ever callin’ you from jail on Christmas morning? You ever wake up to nothing and wonder why Santa kept missing your uncle’s fuckin’ trailer?” he kept ranting, the tinsel on the tree shook with every stomp of his black boots. You shook your head no again. “You have no fuckin’ clue! Not everyone wants to be reminded of all the shit they never had,” his nostril flared while he spoke, voice raising with every word that came out, “You think you’re doing me a fuckin’ favor?! Buying me shit, tryn'a get me to do these stupid arts and crafts? I’m not one of your students, Ms. First Grade – stop treating me like one.”

Director's Cut: Below The Cut

I wrote this fic in less than a day. It poured out of me like water. I think it was also one of my first fics that was written from Eddie's perspective. Maybe I'm lying. Maybe not. But I think it is. I really wanted there to be so much build to him finally snapping, very similarly to Wish I Had A River Part II where there's no where for him to go but blowing up. Once the floodgates opened he just couldn't stop. And I personally love Christmas, so I had to really put myself in the shoes of someone who doesn't. A true Grinch! And how it would feel to be around someone who still finds the holidays magical when they never had been to you. I also know the trials and tribulations of working retail during the holidays so writing that kind of stress was easy -- even more easy in the second part. But here, while he's yelling, I wanted him to also finally speak out loud why he hates the holiday. He hates that his dad sometimes called from jail, that his mom is dead and can't do christmas with him like when he was a kid, that Wayne could only ever afford one or two things and they were always from a discount shop. And then he'd have to go to school after break and hear all about everyone else's presents from Santa and wonder why Santa wasn't ever coming to his house. He'd been working so hard only to be reminded of the loneliness he felt as a kid. Like, 'oh shit, my girlfriend is just like those kids at school'. But of course, we realize that she's not and he kind of comes to his senses. Very much a: 'maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas -- perhaps -- means a little bit more.'

[pardonmydelays]

I am so close to putting my two weeks in without a job lined up.

I'm sorry but I honestly can't stand it here at this company anymore (it's retail); I like my coworkers and my manager when she's not micromanaging and being annoying, but it is very stagnant here and there is no growth beyond assistant manager. It's quite boring at times. I've come to hate talking to people too (mostly because we're forced to lol, and she is very on your a** about it.) I've been here since the fall of 2021. I've been applying to fashion and entertainment public relations agencies nonstop because creative marketing is what I want to do. I swear retail is the only industry that's hiring right now... I don't want to pursue retail management though, I want a 9-5 job that has the weekends + holidays off and where I can have fun and enjoy what I do, which is be creative. Teamwork, creative projects, collaborating... I want to marry my love for the fine arts and fashion industry together.

Sorry for the negativity, I just needed to let this out to someone, and that someone had to be you... :')

ok, wow, where do i start.

so first of all, i am actually flattered you chose me (although i am wondering why? i always thought i suck at giving advice but it's nice to know someone might have a different opinion). & second: i can't tell for sure but i feel like you wrote to me before, so we are basically friends at this point, no need to apologize 🤭

anon, quit your job. ok, that sounds scary & impulsive, but believe me or not, i was struggling with the same kind of thing last year. working in retail is probably the worst thing EVER, one customer can literally ruin your whole day, and, like you said, there is no growth in most places. once you quit your job, you are pretty much forced to look for something else (& that worked for me, cause i was too lazy before i quit but then i did so i had to), it's a risk but it's much better than suffering at your current place. it just makes you depressed... the only difference between us is that you actually know exactly what you want to do, i didn't (& i still don't, i'm just trying to find something that would be right for me lol), and this is already half the battle. and from what i can tell, you are working very hard to fulfill your dream & i'm sure everything is about to change for you pretty soon. i may know absolutely nothing about the industry you're talking about but if you can let yourself take a little break from working for a while to just breathe & maybe focus on what you really want to do & try a little bit more (and by that i mean: you're gonna have much more time to look for a job you want, so use it!), do it! this is what we need sometimes. and it has to work out eventually, right? i assume you are good at what you want to do & please don't you ever give up on that dream, it may take some time but someone will finally appreciate you, i'm sure of it.

be brave & you're gonna be fine. just breathe.

i don't know if any of this makes sense, i'm sorry, i'm pretty chaotic. but i believe in you & i wish you all the best, i truly hope you're gonna find what you're looking for.

[golbrocklovely]

I'm truly sorry for sending an ask about seg. I didnt think about any possible stress you may be under especially since you've mentioned you work retail and it's getting to be that hectic time of year. How do you like to destress when it gets to be too much? Do you have any stories about the absolute best/worst customer you've had to deal with? Does the holiday music lift you while working or drive you nuts? Favorite holiday song?

hey you're fine. i'm not upset at any of the anons that sent in asks about the SEG situation. i get it, yall want to talk about it and inform me. i appreciate it. i just had a stressful day and tbh i just don't care about this subject. seeing snc get needless hate over something that was dealt with is just deeply annoying. not to mention bc nothing is gonna happen until after thanksgiving, i would rather we all just wait to hear what gets said until then or straight up ignore SEG than give him more clout.

so, for all the years i've worked in retail, which now is 5... omg ew, i've actually never worked a black friday. first year my dad passed away, and then the past three year i've done overnights so i'm not around customers at all. this is my first time around customers this year, bc i just couldn't do overnights, and honestly... it's not that bad. it's not great, but it's mostly the store i'm working at that's upsetting me rather than the customers, which somehow is always the case anymore lol

i plan to leave as soon as i can. i can't stand the place i'm working in anymore. i pray i don't have to keep working in retail, but we shall see.

how do i like to destress? nap. like i fucking LOVE napping. i think i also have to nap more now bc i don't really drink caffeine anymore. i'll have an occasional soda or ice tea once in a while, but otherwise it's just straight water for me. so i usually just come home and nap. then when i wake up i'll either dance or sing to some emo music (got me like a 14 hour playlist of all my favorite songs) or i'll just watch some youtube vids.

i haven't had too many bad customers, thank god, but the one that always stuck out to me was during the holiday season the first year i work at my current store. so while i haven't worked really any black fridays, i have worked the lead up to christmas multiple times and i swear, i think ppl forget christmas is when it is with the way ppl coming in like the 23 of december buying all the random shit we have left.

so, i was up at the registers, and we have only self check out. i'm assisting ppl when i can and directing the line bc it's basically to the back of the store almost. the thing is, to literally come into the store, you have to pass the registers. so this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that it's self checkout only. but these two women are next in line and i direct one to an open register. she immediately says "what, i have to do it myself?" i'm not in a good mood bc there is just too many ppl around (and this was pre-pandemic) and i was like "yes ma'am, you have to."

my thing was always if you ask me nicely to help you, i gladly will. but being a bitch to me will basically get you no help whatsoever.

she starts to scan her items, and scans one too many times. she starts yelling "oh my god, i don't know how to do this, i double scanned" loudly, i come over, clear off the extra item and then direct her friend to the next register, which is coincidentally was the one next to her.

the main lady goes back and forth with her friend, saying and cursing "i can't believe i have to fucking do this myself, i don't like this, why the fuck can't they help us." mind you, i work in basically a kid's store. there are plenty of children around. there is no need to be cursing that much, and i say that as someone who does curse a lot.

finally she finishes up and for some reason the register spit out her change really fast so her coins fell on the floor. she picks up one of the coins turns to me, and basically throws it at me and snidely remarks "here you go, since you clearly need it"

i about swung on her, but she's lucky i didn't.

that was really one of the very few times i ever had a bad customer. as for good ones, i think for the most part most of the customers i interact with are either normal or pretty nice. i did one time have to explain to a man what bluetooth was, which is great bc i know so much about it….. and then he told my manager i did an excellent job helping him understand. so that was nice :)

as for the holiday music…. it's 50/50 depending on my mood. sometimes it's not too bad, sometimes it's annoying. bc we play random pop songs (that most of you have probably never heard of) in between the christmas songs. so for every one pop song, we get two to three christmas songs. and we only just recently started getting mariah carey and actual well know christmas songs to play in the store. before, it was like random covers of popular songs, which is very strange to me but whatever lol

and my favorite holiday song… i'm actually gonna list my favorite christmas songs bc i think i have the weirdest taste in them lol

christmas don't be late by alvin and the chipmunks

santa baby by eartha kitt

last christmas by the glee cast

baby it's cold outside by the glee cast

feliz navidad by josé feliciano

obviously mariah carey and michael buble are the top ppl for christmas music. but genuinely… i love these songs more.

a lot of christmas songs make me sad now since my father passed, especially 'i'll be home for christmas'. so sometimes it's a bit hard to listen to christmas music. but i usually hold off on listening to until like the 23rd lol

[iamgroundzero]

munday asks!

@mightiboy​ asked: Every symbol that doesn't get sent to you in the next three hours. I want to learn more and get to know you better. I hope that's okay and if it's too much, we can limit it to these: ❓❤️💘🗒🎶🤗😀🎁🎉😗💯 (( Don't be mean to my friend Tyto. I will bite your cheek if you are. )) 

Alright, here we go...

🌈 — name(s) & pronouns 

I have a very uncommon name so I don’t give it out, just call me Tyto and my pronouns are he or they.

🎈 — gender and/or sexuality 

Somewhere in the nonbinary spectrum and asexual.

🎂 — age and/or birthday

May 6th is my birthday.

💕 — single or taken?

Taken

⭐️ — sun, moon, & rising signs, if known 

I looked this up just now haha

Sun: Taurus Moon: Aquarius Rising: Scorpio

💭 — MBTI and/or enneagram, if known

ISTP-T (I took a test for this)

❓ — three adjectives that describe you

Quiet, Friendly, Easy-going

❤️ — what are some of your best qualities?

I’m very easy to talk to (I think?)

💔 — what are some of your worst qualities?

I have sometimes crippling anxiety and inferiority complex issues.

✨ — what would you change about yourself, if anything?

I’d get rid of my depression.

💘 — what and/or who do you consider near and dear to you?

My fiancee, my friends.

🚗 — what vehicle(s) do you drive?

We have a Kia Soul right now but might be getting a second car.

✈️ — ever traveled anywhere interesting?

I’ve been to England twice (London and Cambridge) and Hobbitcon in Germany once.

⌨️ — what operating system(s) do you use? 

Windows 10

📱 — mobile or desktop version of tumblr?

Desktop. I hate the mobile version.

🖥 — favorite platform besides tumblr?

 Eeehh... I don’t really have a favorite.

🎮 — favorite video game(s)?

FFXIV, Monster Hunter

🖱 — any cool devices/tool(s) of the trade? (i.e. type of mouse, monitor, keyboard, tablet, etc)

My keyboard and mouse both light up? I think I can change the colors too but I just have them cycling through rainbow because it looks best.

💍 — any piercings? 

Not anymore.

💎 — want any (more) piercings?

Nah, I had my wild phase. xD

🖊 — any tattoos?

Two. An owl on my back and my first snake on my leg.

🔏 — want any (more) tattoos?

Yeah, someday, but I’m not sure of what. I have a few ideas of the theme, just not the execution.

🎄 — favorite holiday(s)?

I don’t really have one. Any of them that I get off work.

😍 — celebrity crush(es)?

Never had any.

😊 — any career desires?

Something where I don’t have to talk to people unless I want to (so like, no retail, customer service jobs) and preferably work at a computer.

📚 — if you’re in college, what’s your level (undergrad, grad, phd, etc) and/or degree program? 

Until I moved, I was working on an accounting degree, but after I moved I can’t afford it right now.

🎶 — favorite song at the moment?

I never have just one, so here’s a few;

Crusader (Are We There Yet) - BlackGryph0n & Baasik

Need the Power - Dankira!!!

Anti-Hero - Sekai no Owari

Lion - Hearts & Colors

I’m Good (Blue) - David Guetta & Bebe Rexha

📕 — favorite book/series?

Dragonriders of Pern, honestly. I also really loved the Guardians of Ga’hoole as a kid. Harry Potter (Controversial I know, but it played a major part in my youth and even if Rowling is a trash human being she came up with an amazing world that has evolved and grown far more than she’ll ever be capable of).

🧶 — any non-writing hobbies/interests?

Games.

📺 — favorite movie(s) and/or tv show(s)?

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a TV show, honestly. My general go-to for movies is anything animated Disney/Pixar but I don’t have a single favorite anymore.

✏️ — how long have you been roleplaying on tumblr?

On and off since 2011.

✍️ — what other platforms have you roleplayed on?

Neopets. Gaiaonline. Proboards. Acornrack. Spleafnet. Avidgamers. Email. Skype. AIM. Yahoo!IM. Discord.

🗒 — what is/are your favorite genre(s)/theme(s) to write? 

Hhhh... Dunno. Slow-burn romance?

🤔 — what genre(s)/theme(s) do you struggle to write the most?

Fight-scenes.

😁 — what’s your favorite part about being part of the rpc?

Meeting people with similar interests.

😤 — what do you dislike the most about being part of the rpc?

Call-out culture. Feels like so many people are oversensitive.

💻 — how many friends have you made in the rpc? feel free to tag a few of them!

Quite a few, many of whom no longer RP.

🎧 — do you write while listening to music/podcasts/videos/etc, or do you need total silence?

Either works for me. Silence or music.

😀 — are there any rpc mutuals that you’ve met irl before?

Yes, but not from the MHA community.

😳

— what was your most embarrassing moment in the rpc?

I can’t recall any.

🫂 — how many friends are in your irl friend group(s)?

Like, 5.

🎉 — what are some of your favorite things to do with your irl friends?

We all live in different states but we used to go to anime conventions, before Covid happened.

😗 — what are some of your favorite things to do when you have some time to yourself?

Write. Listen to music. Play games.

💯 — share three random facts about yourself that your mutuals may not know about you.

1. I have a large collection of plushies, including a collected set that would be worth approximately $1000+ if I sold them on ebay.

2. One of my ball pythons, Marble, is a chimera and was hatched from the very first clutch of eggs bred by me (I no longer breed, they are all pets).

3. I used to be terrified of spiders and I’m still not comfortable holding them/handling them (not that they like being held/handled to begin with) but having to care for them has helped me otherwise completely get over my fear.

[circuitsofgold]

My sister's husband, whom I refer to as my brother by marriage because it's easier and I have no idea what the official title is if there even is one, has been an absolute stick in the mud this holiday season. Normally, I’d just roll my eyes and make some witty remark about it and move on with my life.

He has always been a stickler for finances. Not such a bad thing on its own. But there's being aware of your spending habits and being a jackass about it. He used to bring out a pen and a pad of paper to keep track of what was spent on vacation. One time my niece wanted a souvenir keychain because that was her thing. He's like, "do you really need that?" Until I said I would buy it for her. Which that's different because it's my money. I work and have some disposable income. Certainly enough for a keychain to get me some cool Aunt points.

He'll harp on about my sister buying name brand cereal instead of store brand. He sees any purchases she makes with the credit card. She makes more money than he does, to note. Heck, I make more money than he does and I work in retail.

I'm not at liberty to go into depth of just why everyone is mad at him. But I purchased a small can of peas to put in with his gift. Not that I wanted to get him anything anyway but I was socially obligated to get him something. He hates peas and equated it with him getting coal. Or maybe it was a lingering Krampus thought.

I’m not going to give him the peas because I'm going to be the bigger person. I could return it since I still have the receipt but the store where I work has food drives fairly often, I’ll just drop it there. Turn a negative into a positive. Or I’ll dump it into a stew.

Dad has also been trying lately. He's never been particularly the type to enjoy Christmas because he was an only child and just about neglected. He's mentioned that some winters he didn’t have a coat and it was rare for him to get even a singular present for Christmas. So I try to give him at least some leeway. Sister’s husband does not have this excuse.

I’ve been burnt out and having a months long depressive episode but I am trying my best to enjoy the holidays. But the grown ass adult men in the family are testing me. They're family and I love them but man, there are times I want to smack them upside the head.

[nerdgirlriot]

work-related stuff i need to get off my chest on this extremely stressful Thanksgiving week and this occupying my brain and making it hard to sleep so...!

arrrrgghh two co-workers are saying they're going to leave if I don't step into a more leadership role in the department bc they hate one of our managers (whom I have a decent work relationship with)

sooooooooooooo the thing is that they've been at the store for a LOT longer than i have. They could've quit ANYTIME. In fact, another former co-worker quit because she couldn't stand the manager in question. I admit that he's not nice, but he gets shit done. Thanksgiving would fall apart without him running the entire thing.

I really dont' think these co-workers know how hard this manager works. They should consider themselves lucky that they don't have to get pulled into the kitchen to pack 100s of pounds of green beans for Thanksgiving meals. And now they're trying to guilt me into taking on more responsibility so they won't leave for another store

how about fucking hell no?

i don't give a shit that you hate this manager. This manager is just telling you to do your damn jobs. These two co-workers open the store so they've got 3 full hours before the store is open to customers and somehow they hardly EVER get any non-customer facing stuff done? how in the fuck? how fucking hard is it to just do what's fucking asked of you and not bitch at me that our manager is "mean" and an "asshole" for telling you to do your fucking jobs?

so our store closes one hour later on the two days before Thanksgiving and one of these co-workers told me that they're scheduled to come in at 6am instead of 5am and then the store opens at 7 so they only have 1 hour before the store opens. so one of them asks, "We only have 1 hour so what are we supposed to do?"

IDK YOUR FUCKING JOBS????????????????????????????????

So as a closer I get all my tasks done and ALSO I deal with customers? like...i do EVERYTHING asked of me and our manager isn't "mean" to me? also how in the fuck is me taking on more responsibility and more work and more stress going to help? Tell me how am I supposed to change this manager's mind when these co-workers have sorta proven over the course of 8+ years that they cannot (or will not) do all the work.

Threaten to leave? Then LEAVE. oh btw they also hated the previous team manager (for, guess what, giving them these same tasks and expecting them to DO THEM) and theywanted to leave before and guess what? They fucking didn't? Move to a different store? Good luck bc you're going to be asked to do the EXACT SAME THING (and maybe even more if the store is busier than ours). that's kinda the point of big store chains. Run all the stores the same and put the same expectations on them all. It's going to be the fucking same shit but you're going to be dealing with a whole new manager who is also probably still going to be "mean" and "an asshole". I fucking guarantee you that our leadership team is the most level-headed and accomodating of all our stores in the area. Source: I've interacted with most of them and a lot of them are more metrics-driven than ours. With them, you're going to have to meet quotas, while I know our managers are fine with doing your best, unless that means not doing anything.

so don't come to me with this shit story and guilt-trip me into doing shit I don't wanna do just cuz you won't do your fucking jobs.

it's two more days to Thanksgiving. No one should expect work to be a walk in the park during the holidays. And if you don't understand that get the fuck out of retail

rant over

[blue-eyed-bloodstains]

What’s your favourite type of exercise? I don’t really exercise, haven’t for years and given how weak my body’s gotten from illness for years deteriorating my muscle strength...walking for more than a very short period of time before having to sit so I don’t drop would be a godsend so walking

What type of alcohol can you not stand to drink? I’ll drink anything I can get my hands on, though I’m not a big fan of champagne

Do you play The Sims? What’s your favourite one? I used to all the time...but I haven’t since like, they came out with the vacation one and the one where you can get pets so goes to show throwback lol I loved those expansions/spin offs that came out then and had so many more options for houses, hard to choose just one and I’m so far behind I’m sure I’d love the more recent ones too

Whose wedding did you last attend? my fiance’s cousin’s in December 2021

Have you ever received a parking fine? no

What time did you wake up today? kept dozing on and off for most of the day

Do you know anyone who has a hyphenate name? I’m assuming this means last names to which yeah a few

Have you ever studied colour theory? no?

What can you hear right now? listening to music and tv in the background

Are you in any group chats? Who’s in them? none

Do you have a lisp? unfortunately because of severe underbite and jaw issues yeah...I try putting my teeth together when I talk like how most people talk but you can still see and hear the lisp since physically I can’t fix it without surgery...very very very self conscious about my jaw/teeth/talking...

What are you afraid of? darkness, spiders, silence, abandonment, losing everyone...

What are your fingernails like right now? short

How many pillows are on your bed? two

Are you more a numbers or words person? words

Do you separate your laundry? no, never have

If any food or drink could appear in front of you, what would you get? ALCOHOLLLLLLLL...and a pound of crabs with old bay seasoning! 

What languages can you count to 10 in? obviously English...and Spanish, Italian, and I can “say”/read Roman numerals 

Who in your family are you most similar to? as much as I hate it with every bit of my heart and soul, my mother.

Other than Christmas, do you celebrate any religious holidays? I mean, Easter is religious but I wouldn’t say I “celebrate” it, plus I’m not religious 

Have you ever worked in retail? Where did you work? oh dear lord that’s half of my resume is retail...Six Flags (yes that counts), Forever 21, Kohls, Walgreens (pharm tech but counts still, plus also covered the front register sometimes)

Do you have an Instagram account? Do you use it often? yes and no

Can you parallel park? I used to be able to but not anymore lol not gonna chance it

[survey--s]

437.

When was the last time you used a regular telephone? Ha, good question - years ago probably. I suspect when I worked at my old job which was back in 2019.

How many times have your comments been top comments on YouTube? I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a YouTube video in my life.

Would you ever wear a wig? Sure.

What did you learn today? Uh, nothing in particular really. I haven’t exactly done very much as it’s been pouring rain most of the day, plus it’s Sunday.

What are you most afraid of? Failure.

Are you watching TV as you fill out this survey? Yeah, I have Two and Half Men on at the moment. I’m not really watching it though - it’s more background noise.

Have you ever tried to make a movie? Nope.

When’s the last time you turned something upside down? Probably yesterday when I was winding the cat up, lol.

Do you read books just for fun? Sure, though I’ve not really read anything for ages now.

Do you like the moon or sun more? The sun.

Do you have any posters in your room? Nope.

True or False: You burn a CD every day? Ha, how old is this survey? My laptop doesn’t even have a CD player anymore.

Do you smile more than you frown? It depends on the day.

Do you know anyone named Spencer? No. Spencer is a really common surname here.

When’s the last time you used an envelope? Before Christmas - one of my customers pays me in cash and leaves it an envelope on the side for me.

Do you sing in the shower? Sure, sometimes.

What’s your worst subject? It always used to be maths and science.

Do you ever go to the mall on weekdays? Sure, when I worked in retail I always had weekdays off.

How often do you wash your pants? Well, I put a clean pair on everyday but I don’t do laundry everyday.

Would you rather have a million dollars or be able to fly? The latter.

Do you like Friday or Saturday nights more? Either is fine as I generally don’t work weekends anymore.

Have you ever been ice skating? Yeah, a few times. I used to go when I was on holiday a fair bit.

Do you hate it when guys treat girls like crap? I hate it when anyone treats anyone like crap.

Do you like turkey or ham more? Turkey. I’m really not a huge fan of ham.

When did you realize that Canadian bacon was just ham? We don’t have Canadian bacon here, so it’s not really something I’ve ever thought about before.

Have you ever slapped someone’s butt? Sure.

Do you ever have sleepless nights? Yeah, I’ve always had problems when it comes to sleep. Either it takes me ages to get to sleep or I wake up constantly in the night. I take Nytol now and that seems to have solved the issue luckily.

Would you rather be treated fairly or equally? Fairly.

What’s something that always comes and goes? Sunrises and sunsets.

How many pillows do you sleep with? Two pillows, plus sometimes a couple of small cushions.

Do you want to help save the rainforest? I mean, sure, but I don’t think there’s much that individuals can really do - it has to be all about corporations and government changes.

Do you think dimples are ugly? Nah, they’re pretty cute

If you could restart your life, would you? Nope, life is pretty good, for the most part.

Who is better: Shia Labeouf or Ryan Gosling? I prefer Ryan Gosling in terms of looks.

What’s your favorite food? Steak.

Did it snow today where you live? Yeah, it kind of sleeted for a bit this morning, but nothing settled.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be someone else? Sure, I think most people have wondered that at some point, surely?

What’s the last thing you purchased that you couldn’t eat? Uhh, medication for the cat lol.

Do you like zebras? They’re aggressive little buggers lol.

Are you missing anyone right now? Nope.

Have you ever taken a shower while chewing gum? That’s very precise, but no.

Do you own a pair of striped socks? I’m sure I have some somewhere, yeah.

Do you like Converse shoes? I love the look but they always rub on my heels and give me blisters.

Do you like Rihanna? I like her music, yeah. I think she’s pretty talented.

[ashotofeuphoria]

Better.

Pairing: Bf! Yunho x Gf! Reader

Genre: Fluff (self-indulgent sorry)

Word Count: 6.1k (not proofread sorry if it reads weird)

Warnings: one gendered insult (Whore), reader is told to unalive herself as an insult (roughly 8 paragraphs/dialouge in)

Authors Note: This is for all my retail workers who want so desperately to leave their jobs for something better. For all my gals and pals who just want someone to take care of them.

Work was usually bad for you, but today? Today was something else. Maybe it was the added stress of the holiday season working in retail, but patience was wearing thin on everyone, and basic manners seemed to be left at the door. You weren’t inexperienced at your job; you did know what you were doing. Granted, you had only worked there for about half a year, but that was plenty of time to know how everything worked, and to answer the questions you needed to. That didn’t seem to matter though. You were the person standing in front of them. You were their punching bag in those moments, and by God did you take a beating. It started off decent. You were helping on the sales floor, directing people in the right direction, explaining how certain products worked, and how to use them. Answering any questions that you could, being pulled this way and that by customers, all while management delegated youas the do-it-all for the shift. “Everyone else is busy with bigger tasks” they would say, and you had a hard time saying “No”. They knew that.

The first customer that crossed a line was a guy in his twenties. Normally people your age were the easiest to assist. (If they weren’t hitting on you.) You were only doing your job, asking for his email and number for rewards, scanning all his items, and smiling and being friendly. You were paid to do that. You were required to do that. It was your job. You weren’t flirting, surely, he had to know that. It didn’t seem so when he started complimenting you. All you did was smile kindly and continue ringing up his items. It didn’t warrant a response you thought. If you said thank you, he would just continue, he would think you liked what as happening. But he didn’t like the lack of a gratitude to his compliments.

“You’re really full of yourself, huh?” He sneered when he realized you weren’t acknowledging his flirtations.

“Sir- I would lose my job if I-”, you started to defend yourself.

“You just think everyone wants you, I bet you hear it all the time. Love hearing how pretty you are don't you? Fucking Whore.” He barked out.

You just stood there in shock, your eyes tearing up. But you had to take it. There wasn’t much else that could be done except trying to rush him out of the store. You gave him his total, let him swipe his card, and gently handed him his bag, placing the receipt in the bag as you did so.

“Have a good night.” You said lightly, void of all emotion.

“Go kill yourself.” He spat out with a roll of his eyes and a middle finger in the air.

The audacity, the vileness in the statement. You couldn’t hold back all the tears as a few slid down your cheeks. No one had even seen him do it. The one time you needed someone else in the line, it was empty. You squatted down below the counter, acting like you were grabbing something, and gently held your face in your hands, letting out a few shaky breaths, and wiping your tears as they fell. When a minute had passed, you glanced into a drawer pulling out some receipt paper to replace the paper in the printer.

You slowly stood back up hoping your face wasn’t too red, or eyes too puffy. And you proceeded on with your shift like nothing happened. You knew it wasn’t good for a job to wreck this much havoc on your health. You frequently couldn’t take your legally required breaks for lunch because of short staffing and shitty management. You would leave it soon. You had promised your boyfriend you would. You and Yunho have dated for 2 years. He’s seen you change, and he hates seeing you in the condition you’re in. You used to smile more, laugh more, enjoy life more. He knew the job was destroying you, and he tried to remind you of that when he could. But it was a job. It paid the bills. It wasn’t supposed to be heaven on Earth.

Hours passed, and you took your lunch break while walking around the floor working. You were hungry, tired, and counting down the minutes to when you would be able to leave and go home. It was busy in the store, but all the customers seemed to know what they needed and were in and out quickly. Until an old man walked in, leaning heavily on his cane. You were trained to assist the elderly, mothers, and mothers to be when they entered the store. It was not only because the company viewed these customers as liabilities but because, they say, if you treat these customers right, others take notice. Or at least that’s the idea. But no one really cares.

“Welcome in sir, can I help you-“ you started out chirpy before he interrupted.

“Where is the man in charge! I don’t want your help. I want a man who knows what he’s doing.” He scoffed.

Okay, fair. He wants to talk to management. Easy, you'll just call a manager up to deal with him.

“No problem, sir, let me call for our manager and she can help you.” You politely informed him as you reached for your headset to page your manager. You started speaking into it lowly, ‘manager to the front entrance please, a man is requesting a manager’.

“Are you deaf? None of you kids ever listen. I need a man. You stupid piece of shit.” At the end of his tirade, he reared his head back and spat on you. Spat. On you. You winced when it hit your face. “Go ahead. Call for him. I bet now he’ll come, bitch.” Your eyes burned behind your closed eyelids.

“Please excuse me, sir. I’ll go get him.” You weakly responded, leaving him to rush yourself to the back room. You wiped your face on your shirt sleeve, desperate to get the spit off you. You made a beeline to the staff restroom, passing your manager on the way.

“You should stay at the front with the customer until a manager gets there, Y/N, so we know who needs help. You know that. Don’t make me remind you.” She verbally pushes as she speedily walks herself to the front.

You run into the staff restroom and lock the door behind you. You lean over the sink, pulling your mask off and pulling the faucet on, splashing water on your face to clean it of the grime. You put some hand soap in your hands and rub it over your cheeks, eager to rid yourself of the germs. When you felt cleaner and had dried your face off, you looked up and hated the face you saw in the mirror. You stepped back hitting the wall and slid down it. You could hear your manager calling for you over the headset, so you carefully pulled it off your ear and laid it on the ground. You didn’t even have the energy to fight anymore. You were done. You stared blankly at the base of the sink for several minutes before you collected yourself enough to stand, replace your mask, and leave the restroom.

You calmly walked to your locker, grabbed your coat, bag, and car keys. Clocked out and walked out.

You made it to your car, unlocked it, sat in the driver’s seat, and closed the door. You leaned your forehead on the steering wheel and weakly cried. It was so late at night, the store was closing soon, and you just wanted to go home. You sat for probably an hour in the silence, listening to your own breathing, no energy to do anything else. When you looked up finally the parking lot was empty, and the store lights were off. You reached for your phone and saw a text from Yunho.

Yun <3: Hey jagiya i love you

hope work isn’t too bad today

I’ll see you later tonight

You teared up a little, knowing how much he cared for you. A love that was such a stark contrast from how you were treated today.

Y/N: i just need a hug rn

You don’t know what exactly you need right now after today, but you do know you at least want him holding you for a little while. You hear a ringtone and see Yunho calling. You let a ring a few times before swiping to accept the call.

“hi”, you answer weakly.

“Baby what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?” Yunho asks concerned.

You sniffle and everything that happened today starts playing in your mind. Yunho can hear you sniffling and crying.

“Baby, nonono. Why the tears? What happened jagi? Was it that bad?” He tenderly speaks to you.

You can’t respond, having trouble controlling your breathing between the sobs. Your intakes of breath are sharp and jagged, and you can only stutter through “I-i-i I’m s-so tired Yun” before you break into another fit of sobs.

“Are you home? Or still at work?”

“In m-my car a-at work.”

“Okay, I’m coming to you, okay? I’ll take you back to my dorm. You’re staying with me tonight. I’ll get Joong to drive your car to the car park. I just gotta get dressed and wake him up, and then I’ll be ten minutes away. Okay?” He rushes through his sentences, wanting you to know he’s there for you. That you’ll only be alone in your car for another few minutes.

“okay” you sniffle, your crying mostly subsided. Hearing his voice was comforting to you. Knowing he was on his way to you even more so.

“Stay on the phone with me until I get there, yeah? I don’t want you just sitting there alone. I’m here with you.”

“mhmm” you agree sitting in your car silently while he keeps talking through the phone. He tells you he’s only 3 minutes away now, to look out for his car coming in the parking lot. You can hear Joong talking to him in the background about tomorrow’s rehearsal plans. He keeps you in the conversation by never taking the phone away from his ear, including you in his responses. Soon enough you see his car pull into the lot, and his familiar headlights park in front of your car. You watch him unbuckle, jump out of his car, and run over to your door. You hang up the phone and reach over to unlock the door. He swings it open, smiles brightly at you, ducks into the car, and wraps his arm around you pulling you so close to his body you’d think he wants to envelop you in him and keep you forever.

“Hi baby, I love you, I’m sorry you had such a horrible day.” He whispers into your hair as he holds you close. One hand around your back and the other holding the back of your head into his chest. You don’t say anything to him just wrap your arms around his waist and press your face harder into his chest, slowly regulating your breathing, matching his.

“What can I do for you baby?” He gently asks.

You had calmed down enough to speak clearly and mumble into his chest, “I don’t know can you just hold me for a little longer?”

“Of course, jagi. Of course.” He squeezes you tighter, and holds you to him, smoothing over your hair. A few minutes pass and you feel exhaustion weighing your eyelids down.

“I wanna go home Yun. I wanna shower and change and go to sleep. I feel so gross.” You whisper to him.

“Okay, let’s get you home then. C’mon pretty.” He puts an arm around your shoulders and an arm under your knees and lifts you bridal style out of the car seat. He walks towards his car, and you see Hongjoong slide out of the passenger seat of Yunho’s car, and hold the door open for you both.

“I heard you had a rough day at work Y/N. Its brutal out there sometimes. We’re all here for you. I’ll get your car to the dorm tonight, yeah? Are the keys in your car?” Hongjoong asks you sweet and gentle.

You lean your head over Yunho’s arm, “Thank you Joongie, the keys are in the ignition.” He nods in acknowledgement and walks to your car, hopping in and turning the ignition.

Yunho places you into the passenger seat like precious cargo, reaches over you and buckles you in. He places a kiss on the tip of your nose, closes your door, and jogs over to the driver’s side to buckle himself in. You lean your head against the window, completely exhausted, while Yunho scrolls through his music to queue your comfort favorites for the ride to the dorm. Yunho smiles over at you endearingly, like he has never loved you more than he does right now. He places his hand gently on your thigh and rubs light circles on your jeans.

“Do you want to talk about what happened yet or would you rather a quiet ride for right now?” He inquires, not sure how far to push for you to open up, but knowing you’ll let him in when you’ve relaxed.

“I think I want quiet,” you respond, not entirely sure of your answer.

“Okay, no problem love. We’ll be home soon.” He leans over to peck a kiss on your cheek, puts the car into gear, and sets off toward the dorms. Hongjoong trails closely behind.

You arrive at the dorms with no obstructions thanks to the minimal traffic on the road at this time of night. Your eyes had closed, and you were drifting off in your seat, head lightly nodding off before you caught yourself and would jerk upright. You were almost fast asleep when you heard the ding of Yunho unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Ah, jagiya, we made it to the dorm. Stay there, I’ll run around to help you out of the car.” He says as he’s already halfway out of the car. You’re too tired to notice that Hongjoong has parked on Yunho’s side and is standing to the side waiting to walk up with you both. You nod and unbuckle yourself as Yunho appears at your window, opening the door, and lending a hand to help you step out on your own. You lean heavily against him as you ground yourself, and you both start walking towards the elevator. Yunho can feel your weight as you lean harder into him, and he hears your feet dragging. He can only imagine what your face looks like right now, in your sleepwalking state.

“Jagi come here. You can barely walk you’re so tired.” He stops walking and lightly tugs on your arm to get you to face him. He squats down and gestures for you to wrap your arms around his neck. He’s going to carry you the rest of the way. He can sense you hesitating, “C’mon baby I know you’re tired, just let me help you.” You shrug knowing you have nothing to lose, and jump softly into his arms, your arms wrapped tightly around his neck and your head resting on his shoulder. He stands and lifts you up from under your arms, so that you can straddle his waist with your legs, and he can support your weight with his hands. He lets you adjust yourself slightly until he can feel you relax into him.

He walks you over to the elevator and presses the button to go up. Hongjoong is beside Yunho waiting, eyeing you concerned, Hongjoong had seen you beaten down from work before (Yunho told his brothers everything) but he had never seen you so tired you couldn’t stay awake. But he knew with Yunho watching after you, you’d be just fine. He knew how much Yunho loved you and knew the boy would go to the ends of the Earth if it meant making you happy.

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open and Yunho walked you inside, holding the door for Joong so he could stand to the side. Yunho let one of his hands support you and transitioned the other to rub small circles on your lower back. The ride up is short, but even so, you managed to fall fast asleep. Yunho felt you get heavier as your breathing deepened, and he glanced down to see your face finally softened and your eyelids fluttering. He was ever so careful not to wake you as he walked you the rest of the way to his room.

-Yunho’s POV-

Hongjoong didn’t bring his keys, and mine were deep in one of my pockets, so I carefully knocked on the door. Not so loud that I’d wake Y/N but loud enough one of the boys would hear and open it. I’m banking on San still being awake playing on the computer.

I can hear shuffling and after a moment, the door unlocks and San swings it open. A look of confusion and concern etched on his face.

“Hyung? Y/N?” I can hear the concern laced in his voice. I step aside and Hongjoong makes his way inside first, walking past San.

“Shhh Sannie. She fell asleep.” I whisper to him. “She had a really bad day at work, I’m gonna go to my room to lay her down really quick. I’ll explain in a minute when I come back.”

“Ahhh” he whispers back, his tone matching mine. He steps aside with a curt nod of the head, and I walk down the hallway to my room. Everyone except Joong and San are asleep, so I try to tiptoe, careful not to make any noise on the creaky floorboards. Rehearsals and recording have gotten more intense as the months have gone on, and as we’ve gotten closer to tour and yet another comeback.

I crack open the door to my room and push my way in careful not to bump Y/N on anything as I make my way blindly. Gently, with my arms supporting her back and head, I lay her down on the bed. With her head resting on the pillow, I untangle her legs from my waist and lay her on her side. I tug a blanket up and over her, and lightly tuck in the sides so she stays warm. I stand up and walk to the side of the room flicking on the nightlight I keep plugged in, for when she stays over. As the room faintly lights up, I realize how many dirty clothes are scattered around, so I quickly pick them up off the floor and off the edge of the bed and place them in the hamper.

I’m about to leave the room to go talk to Sannie when I notice some of her hair has fallen in her face. Walking back over to the bed, I squat down and tuck the hair behind her ear from where it had escaped her ponytail. I let my thumb trace her cheek. Sometimes I can’t believe the world can be so cruel to someone so kindhearted. I kiss the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, and then kiss both her cheek and the tip of her nose.

Easing my door closed to just a crack, I walk back to the living room where Hongjoong is now debriefing San on the situation. I walk in just as I hear Hongjoong finish his thoughts.

“- I mean if it were up to me, she would be done at that shit-hole, living here with us, and finding a new hobby or something to do until she’s back on her feet. But that’s up to them to decide.” He glances up as I walk in.

“She’s in the bed sleeping now.” I explain as I sit across from San, next to Joong. “Thanks for catching San up, Joong, you can go back to bed. And thank you for waking up to help me get her here. I owe you.” I smile at him; I really do owe him for this. He may be our leader, but he deserves all the rest he can get.

“I was just explaining how something happened at her work again, but that whatever it was really got to her this time. And anytime. I’m the leader, it’s like part of the job to be there for everyone. Love y’all, goodnight.” Hongjoong says as he stands up and exits towards his room a sleepy look in his eyes as he yawns.

San turns to me looking excited but wary, “Can she really stay with us finally? We all love when she’s around, and if it would make her happier…” he trails off.

“I think she may really quit this time. And if she does, I’d love her to move in. It’s more a matter of convincing her to accept the offer though. I don’t know what it was that happened tonight but when she tells me I’ll let you know. She was so torn up on the phone before we got there. I mean the job is literally tearing her to pieces. I can’t remember the last time she came home after a shift and was happy or at least content.” Tears are starting to prick at my eyes at the thought of Y/N being so drained of life.

“Is there anything we can say or do for her to help? You know we’ve already discussed it and she’s welcome at any time to move in. But if the issue is that you need help convincing her, what can we say to help? I mean she knows you’ll support her if she decides to quit right?” San is so eager, he loves Y/N too and hates seeing her so overworked and stressed. If there’s anything he could say that could magically convince her I know he would.

“I don’t think it’ll be as easy as one conversation Sannie but who knows. I already offered multiple times but it’s hard for her to accept the help. She was raised to work hard, but I don’t think she can distinguish working hard and working herself to exhaustion.” Frustration is rising in my tone as I think of how much easier it would be if I could just quit the job for her and take care of her.

“Yun, even you don’t know the difference between that most days. You’ve been busting your ass at rehearsals lately, but you hide that from her because you know how much more exhausted she’s been from her job.” San challenges.

“I know I know, but it was just so different this time Sannie. I think this was really the breaking point for her. If that’s the case, I’ll make sure you see a lot more of her and that she stays with us from now on. But let me see what happened first and then we’ll go from there.” I stand from my spot and walk towards the kitchen. “Thank you for being awake and grabbing the door earlier.”

“Oh no problem, Hyung. I was just playing League.” He happily quirks, standing up and following me to the kitchen.

“Well, you can go back to playing games if you want. I’m gonna make Y/N some tea and go back to my room to check on her. Ill text you if I need anything tomorrow morning.” I’m quietly fumbling through the cabinets trying to find tea and a mug.

“The tea is next to the sink, and the mugs are above the fridge. You must be so tired Yun, please get some sleep too, yeah?” he reaches into the cabinet next to the sink and hands me the box before patting me on the back reassuringly and leaving to go resume his game.

My mind is so scattered trying to think of how to convince her to quit her job but for herself. How to convince her to stay with us. For now, I’ll make a cup of tea and maybe I’ll run a bath for her. But I don’t know if she wants to take a bath anymore. Shit, she may just sleep through the entire night now with how tired she made herself earlier. I’ll make the tea and if she doesn’t wake up when I get back into my room then I’ll just drink it myself. Problem solved. At least until tomorrow. With the tea brewed and steeping in a mug, I slip back down the hallway and into my room, clicking the door shut behind me.

-End Yunho’s POV-

You stir awake when you feel the bed move under you. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes, you focus as well as you can on Yunho’s large figure sitting on the edge of the bed next to you. It takes you a second before you can comprehend that he’s laid you in the bed after carrying you in from the car. You don’t know how much time as passed.

“Good morning,” Yunho softly speaks to you, his hand cupping your cheek.

“Hi,” you meekly reply.

“I made some tea for you. Oolong. Only a little drizzle of honey. Like you like it.” He smiles at you, transferring the warm cup into your hand once you sat up. “It hasn’t been long since you fell asleep, only like 20 minutes.”

“I’m sorry you had to carry me all the way up. Thank you for caring for me, Yun.” You mean it. As sorry as you are that he’s put up with you tonight, you’re grateful you have him to support you.

“No no, don’t be sorry. I’d do it every day if you needed me to. Seriously. You’re mine, and that means I take care of you and look after you. Those are the rules, jagiya.”

“I love you, Yun.”

“I love you more, Y/N.”

You sit in silence for a minute while Yun rubs soft circles on your leg as you finish your tea. When the cup is finally empty, you place it on Yunho’s nightstand gently.

Yunho leans forward, hesitating until he feels you lean into his touch. He brings his face close enough that his nose is nearly touching yours, his eyes drawn down focused on your lips. “Jagiya, I don’t know what happened today, and you don’t have to tell me. If you don’t want to. I just need to make sure you know that I will always support you in everything you do. Even if you do choose to stay at your job. Especially if you choose to quit. But more than anything, I need you to know how much I love and care about you and your wellbeing. Baby, this job is slowly taking you from me. I can see it happening. You hardly smile anymore; you never laugh like you used to. I want the happy you back. And I want you to know I’ll support you if you choose to quit. You’ll always have a place here with me. With us.”

You had closed your eyes and the tears were slowly falling down your cheeks hearing the heartfelt sentiments leaving Yunho’s mouth. You know he’d care for you for the rest of his life if you’d just let him. But you didn’t like the idea of being a burden. Of being too much. You wanted to be able to provide for yourself. And having a job and your own place felt good. Yunho reared back just enough to focus on your face. He wiped the tears that had fallen down your cheeks.

“I love you Y/N. You don’t have to make any decisions tonight. You don’t even have to tell me what happened. I just wanted you to hear what’s been on my mind, okay?”

You nod your head gently, leaning into his palm cupping your cheek. He reaches his arms around you and pulls you tight against him. Enveloping you in a hug so warm you wanted to melt in it.

“You said earlier you wanted to go home, bathe, and get changed. Do you want me to run you a bath? I can help you wash your hair. And then we’ll get changed and get some sleep?” Yunho lightly questioned.

“Yeah, a bath would be nice.”

“Alright, I’ll go get it started” Yunho stood to walk over to the bathroom adjoined to his room. With the door open you could see him starting the water and checking the temperature with his hand until it was just warm enough. He grabbed a bottle of bath salts, sprinkling them into the water, and then used your favorite eucalyptus essential oil to add some fragrance. He stood up and grabbed a towel placing it on the heater next to the door, it would be warm when you got done bathing.

“C’mon jagi. It’s perfectly warm.” You stand up from the bed and Yunho walks you over to the bathtub, your hand in his. “Here, I can help you.” His hand slips under the hem of your shirt, raising your arms so he could take it off you. Pulling the shirt up, he smoothed your hair back down, pecked a kiss on your forehead and unclipped your bra, pulling the straps down your arms. It was all so domestic. His fingers smoothly worked over your jeans button and pulled your zipper undone. He slid his hand over your thighs as he pushed the fabric down. Allowing to step out of the pants. You pulled your underwear down as he turned to the side to let you step in, his hand held out for you in case you slipped. You sink into the warm water, instantly soothed by the warmth.

“Is there anything else that would comfort you right now? Are you hungry? I can make you a snack.”

“Just want you to stay here, Yun. Want to be close to you.”

“Okay jagi, I’ll stay right here with you.” He gazed at you with all the love he could muster. He wasn't looking at your body, but at yourself, seeing you for you, not sexualizing the moment. It felt comforting.

“Can you get in with me? So I can lean against you?” You sheepishly asked him.

“Y/N I would want nothing more.” He swiftly undresses himself and eases into the tub behind you. His hands pull your shoulders back against him once he’s situated, and you can feel his muscles imprinted on your skin. You slip further into the tub, water barely below your chin. His arms wrap around you and the feel of his large frame surrounding you relieved you of the stress your body was holding onto.

“Thank you,” you softly whisper to him.

“Always” he responds, his hands rubbing up and down your biceps. He kisses the top of your head in-between ‘I love yous’. After a few minutes pass Yunho pushes you forward gently and tells you to tilt your head back so he can wash your hair. You feel him swirling your hair around in the water, and then you feel his hand support the back of your neck as he lifts your head out of the water. He lathers your shampoo in your hair and you feel relaxed enough to converse with him about what happened. You recount all the details of your workday, the man who hit on you, and the old man who spit on you. How it made you feel so disgusted, like such a lowlife. How you clocked out and walked out and didn’t turn back. How deep down you knew you had quit but that it didn’t bring you the comfort you thought it would have, since you hadn’t told your manager.

As you finish your story, Yunho has washed the shampoo from your hair and was finished conditioning it, when you finally sighed, bringing him back to concentration. You couldn’t see the anger in his eyes as he heard what those men had said and done to you. He had zoned out thinking of all the things he would’ve said to them should he have been there. But he lets you air out all your frustrations and doesn’t offer his input until you’ve finished and asked him for it. He didn’t want to burden you, making you feel worse, knowing how enraged it makes him to hear you be treated that way. So instead, he compliments you. Calls you what you are. The opposite of everything you were called earlier.

“You’re beautiful jagiya. I’ve never had the pleasure of knowing someone more beautiful both inside and out than you. I’m so sorry you were treated that way, and I can’t imagine how that must’ve felt in the moment, especially now after thinking about it all day. But nothing they told you in anger holds any truth to you as a person.” He smooths over your hair brushing through it with his fingers. “You are smart, you are gorgeous, you are kind-hearted, and you are so strong. Especially for opening up and telling me. You are hardworking, and you deserve so much better than that job can offer you.” You smile up at him, tilting your head to give him a brief but deep kiss.

“I know Yun. You tell me every day.” You smile into the kiss before pulling away, turning around in the tub, sitting cross-legged in front of him. He searches your eyes as you struggle to think of what to say next. What you know he wants to hear. You wrap your arms under his and around his waist pulling yourself into him.

“I don’t think I have it in me to call them tomorrow. To tell them that I really did quit.”

“I’ll call for you.”

“No, Yun I- “

“No. No questions asked I’ll tell them for you. You shouldn’t have to explain yourself to them, but because you want to, I’ll take that burden for you.” Yunho smiles down into your hair, kissing the top of your head, relieved that you’ll come back to him once more, that you’ll be happy again. “But promise me this jagiya. Stay with me for a little while until you can get back on your feet. I know your independent and you don’t need my help, but I want you to take my help. To let yourself be taken care of for once. Until you’re happier again."

“Okay Yun. I can do that.” You kiss him deeply, your hand lightly hovering on either side of his face. “Thank you for loving me the way that you do.” You kiss him again. “Thank you for being the most kind and caring man I’ve ever met. For always being there for me.”

“Nonsense, you deserve nothing less.” He pecks you once more on the lips. “Do you want to get out and get changed so we can get some rest?”

“I’d love nothing more.” You stand from where you’re seated, and slowly step out of the tub, careful not to slip, Yunho’s hand never leaving your lower back until you’ve walked towards the towels. You wrap the warm towel around you and watch as Yunho pulls himself up and out of the bathtub. You watch as the water splashes out the tub and drips everywhere as he walks toward you. You giggle at him, “Yun, you always make a mess baby. You’re like a big puppy.”

“Your big puppy.” Yunho taps your nose and cheeses down at you, as he wraps around you and lifts you up, twirling you around. “There's my pretty girls smile. I missed you baby.” He kisses the tip of your nose. “Let’s get some sleep, I’ll call your boss in the morning for you. Okay?”

“Okay. I love you, Yunho.” You lay your head on his chest briefly, before walking to the dresser to change.

You both finish your nightly routine, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and washing your face. When you finish drying your hair, you look over to the bed to see Yunho watching you. He lifts the edge of the comforter up enticing you to climb under. You scoot backwards pressing your back to his chest when you hear him pout and flip you around.

“Want you closer,” He pouts at you. You bury your face into his chest.

“Better?” You ask him.

“Better.” He responds. You fall asleep with his arm wrapped around you, breathing in his scent, and matching his steady breaths and slowing heart rate.

[inestheunicorn]

Hi! I love your art and I'm also from Portugal. Jobs in my area for artists are, put nicely, dismal or nonexistent. Do you think it's possible to make a living through art or is it always better to have a supplemental income? I left my retail minimum wage job and started freelancing on character art, but I'm having trouble making my social medias grow and I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any advice? Thank you for reading and happy holidays if you celebrate!

Hi dear Anon! Brace yourself for a huge wall of text, but here we go: Portugal can be really demotivating when it comes to finding creative jobs and it’s super competitive since there are so few companies. Freelancing is a great option if you like to work with different clients and projects, specially if you hate to be stuck on a job where you do the same thing every day. It can be hard to find Portuguese companies willing to pay you the fair cost for a project, so it’s always good to reach out to potential clients from other countries as well. Another thing that makes it challenging for a freelancer in Portugal is our astronomical and absurd taxes. What keeps me motivated here is undrestanding that having to pay more taxes also means I’m earning more. It still hurts and I always cry in a corner every month, but it’s not as bad if that makes sense 😂  About having some extra income. I still live with my family and I was lucky to had saved enough from previous jobs and freelance gigs, so I was able to quit my job and go full-time freelance. But if this isn’t possible for you, first I recommend you save enough to survive for at least 6 months (I had saved for a whole year tho) and then try to grow your online presence, portfolio and plan your business in the meantime. I definitely recommend you try out the business model canvas. This might sound like something shady entrepreneurs or crazy marketing dudes would use, but I promise you it makes a huuuge difference when you’re just starting out and have no idea which direction to go. You’ll get the chance to figure out which type of clients you’d like to get, what your values are, plan income streams and ways to reach out to potential clients and so much more. There’s lots of guides out there and it’s free, so I really suggest giving it a go. When starting your freelance adventure, it’s super important to have everything planned, grow your online presence, portfolio and learn about all the taxes and legal stuff, so you’ll have to deal with a lot of boring and stressful stuff in the beginning. So you can deal with this stuff while you’re still on your day job and saving to go freelance. If you’ve already quit and are finding it hard to make ends meet, you can always try to get a job or a part time that doesn’t leave you exhausted at the end of the day, so you can work on your art career when you’re free. I’m still on my 2nd year as a freelancer and only now I’ve noticed I’ve learned enough and things are starting to get better, so keep in mind these things take some time. I hope this giant text helps you somehow!! ♥ Wishing you the best of luck and a Happy and Brilliant New Year!! ~~ <33

[xxtoothachexx]

Hello there.

I saw that your emergency requests are opened and would like to request Kyojuro and Mitsuri comforting their s/o who got told off by their manager for crying at work (this actually happened to me last week) .

My retail job has really dampened my mood this year and made me hate Christmas now.

Sorry if this doesn't meet the request rules. You can just ignore it.

Rengoku & Mitsuri comforting a reader from work issues

a/n: oh dear I'm so sorry!! that's awful, there's no reason your boss should treat you like that. I hope the days to come are better for you. there's nothing wrong with letting your emotions out despite how your boss likes to think

Rengoku goes eerily silent when you tell him what your boss had done, he’s incredibly mad that your boss would treat you so poorly for practically being human! Crying is natural and there shouldn’t be any shame in it

He offers you a moment to get your feelings out in a safer environment. You know he’d never judge or treat you the same way, you’re free to cry and yell about whatevers bothering you with him

Rengoku gves you plenty of advice and praise so you can feel better. He thinks that you’re strong for dealing with that and that there was nothing wrong with crying at work. Stress can get the best of us sometimes

“They have no right to treat you like that love, I’m sorry. If you ever need me to say anything for you I will. I’d hate to hear you crying about them doing it again.” He hums and rubs your back as your face is buried against his chest, sobbing freely for once

He’ll buy you a little gift to try and fix your mood for the holidays, something small and sweet that can brighten your day up!

Mitsuri is a very emotional person herself, it doesn’t take much to have her bawling her eyes out or freaking out. You can put up it perfectly fine so she tends to believe that everyone should be as great as you

She’s just as upset when you tell her about your boss yelling at you. Wrapping you up in a hug, she won’t stp telling you how you didn’t deserve that and that you’re still an amazing person

If you start crying again she’ll wipe your tears away for you, kissing your cheeks and whispering sweet words as reminders to breath. She’ll give you some water and tissues if you need them

Confrotation can be scary to her but she has no qualms taking it up with your boss!! I hc that she also runs her own little cafe in modern au and she’d definitely try to convince you into working with her instead

She’ll take you out to go get food with her and watch a movie on the couch together. Whatever you’re craving is what the two of you get, it’s a self care day for you two

[lnights]

☕ Christmas!

Ooof alright.

So first I'll say I do like all the house decorations I see for Christmas, they're pretty cool and there's a few houses in my neighborhood and my folks neighborhood that go all out on decor displays for Christmas and Halloween so those are cool to see, and it's nice to be able to get stuff on sales and chocolate oranges only ever really show up around this time and I love those.

Rant section: maybe don't read if your a fan of Christmas.

TL:RD I think Christmas brings some fun things around this time of year but there's a lot I don't like about it, even if I kinda go along with it because of my in-laws.

Tbh I'm saying this as someone whose lives in the US and has their whole life, I don't know how different it is in other countries.

IT FUCKING DOMINATES EVERYTHING!

Days off school and work? Totally centered around it (assuming you don't work retail, if you do you just suffer longer hours until the 25 then you're allowed to die)

I saw fake Christmas trees being sold in fucking September this year. SEPTEMBER.

*angry bat squeaks*

And it's everywhere and every year I see people whining and trying to acted like there's a "war on Christmas". Why? BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE CELEBRATES YOUR CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY KAREN!? And if anyone isn't shoving candy canes up their ass is apparently attacking it.

Because Starbuck doesn't put "Merry Christmas" on their holiday cups anymore, but "happy holidays" or more benign winter stuff like snowmen or flakes that?

It's not like THERE'S A BUNCH OF OTHER HOLIDAYS IN WINTER. and of course there's people that just don't celebrate any of it.

I was raised in a different religion than Christianity so my family never celebrated Christmas, and I legit had people feeling sorry for me when they found out and I just 🤷🏻‍♀️ didn't care. It's part of another religion, why would I care about it?

"but don't you want presents?" No? Plus my birthday is in January lol I'll get presents.

"oh but you don't have to celebrate the Jesus part!" It's. A. Christian. Holiday.

"it's really more cultural." Yeah Christan culture.

And then there's the fact almost everything attached to Christmas (yule logs, wreaths, trees, stockings, probably lights, etc) Was ripped from other winter holidays (Saturnila, yule, solstice etc) with the express purpose of converting pagans.

Also, historians believe Jesus' birthday was most likely in June, even that was changed to put Christmas with more holidays so they could convert more people.

And before someone comes at me I am talking about the history of it, this is all documented history. Has it morphed somewhat since that time? Yes.

I hate the assumption of everyone celebrating it. It's so enmeshed in the culture here even though we have so many different people and beliefs. You literally can find someone from anywhere here and basically every belief structure, it's one of the few things I like about my country (my state alone has a good sized communities of Muslims, Jewish, Asatreu (Norse Pagan) and Wiccan) and people get pissy if you don't play make believe with your kids about a fat man on a red suit.

Aaand somehow I've been roped into celebrating it every year with my in-laws because my SO is ex-catholic. Please don't think me a hypocrite, they're aware of my views.🫣

Look, I really have nothing against people celebrating it, religiously or not, ultimately it's a time to get together with people and I hope people do that, spend more time with people they like (the cultural pressure to be with family even if they're awful is another thing that can go though)

[prettyboyeddiemunson]

Hi Sweetheart,

I missed you this weekend. That’s my own fault. I was thinking about you every day. I would love to know more about you. Honestly I want to know everything about you. Everything you love to the things you hate. I came up a list of questions since you made the offer. I tried not to ask anything that would make you uncomfortable. If any of them do, ignore them and I’ll understand.

What book are you currently reading, just finished, or about to start?

What’s your favorite memory?

Do you have any quirky habits?

What’s something on your bucket list?

What deal breakers do you have when it comes to relationships or in a partner?

Waffles or pancakes? Or neither?

If you could be any animal or creature, real or mythical, what would you choose?

Do you have a big family or a small family?

What was it like where you grew up?

How do you see your life in the next 5 or 10 years?

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard or witnessed?

What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

What’s something you really want to do this holiday season?

What was your first impression of me writing to you?

Song to go with this letter: Waiting For A Girl Like You- Foreigner

-Your Secret Admirer

hello there!! thank you so much for the questions, i answered them to the best of my abilities! i was having some super bad anxiety after a trigger, so this ask came at the perfect time. focusing on your questions helped me a little bit, so thank you again for them! 🥺

1. I’m currently reading The Talisman by Stephen King, and The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost! I’m reading that second one for the second time, because I wanna watch the series again and it’s been years since the first read! I forgot some of what was in it and wanted to refresh my memory a little

2. I have many, but when I was 16, I went on a ghost hunting thing (with other ticket holders) with the cast of ghost hunters! I loved that show when I was younger, and it’s still one of my favorite memories

3. Does picking at/biting my lips count?

4. Publish a book!

5. Someone who is rude to wait staff or retail workers, someone who cheats, and someone who won’t make an effort to make the relationship work

6. Pancakes! I was never a huge fan of waffles

7. Probably a vampire! I’ve always loved them & been fascinated with them

8. Small family!

9. Interesting, to say the least! Not in a good way

10. Hopefully happy, with a book or two published, maybe a house of my own and a family.

11. That’s a tough one, since I’ve had so many of those!

12. Their eyes!

13. Relax and just try to be present! I don’t wanna be in my own head this Christmas, I want to enjoy it and be able to have fun with my family

14. I thought the asks were very sweet, and you seem like a very kind person!

[mooshys]

zara employee!AU futakuchi

content: me trying to be funny, retail headcanons

word count: 2.0k

a/n: ah yes, so winter (@/wackatoshi) and I planned out this entire mall universe for the hq boys and it’s the funniest thing to think about. y’all know those rude zara employees at the mall who judge you as soon as you walk in and tell you that “everything’s out on the floor already” when you ask for a size up? and all the racks on the floor are in shambles? that’s what inspired this. not sure if another installment will be added to this, but whatever! for reference, the other employees: oikawa, ennoshita, kuroo, hanamaki.

the worst person to work with... ever

he completely fits the stereotype of zara employee

will go on his lunch break, but “accidentally” forget to clock out, so he’s still earning cash for eating his sandwich in the back. also prolongs his breaks by at least 5 minutes

can never be found when there’s a rush. and by the time they DO find him, the store is completely empty

comes in late, but leaves as soon as his shift ends

never comes to the store on his days off and whenever the managers text him asking if he can pick up a shift he says he’s “busy”

everyone knows it’s a lie. one time ennoshita, the manager, went on his break and saw futakuchi buying a pretzel at the auntie anne's from the mall food court even though he texted ennoshita like thirty minutes ago that he already had important plans for the day. futakuchi made direct eye contact with him as he took a bite into his pretzel, not the least bit apologetic about lying

all his coworkers wonder how he still has this job

spends most of his shift complaining about working than actually working

when people ask if there are any other sizes in the back, he’ll go to the storage room, play on his phone for 5 minutes, and then walk out to the customer and tell them that they're out of stock

will say he’s doing go-backs, but in reality he’s just walking around the store in circles to avoid work

when he’s REALLY annoyed he sometimes won’t even wear his name tag on the floor so the customers don’t know if he works there and will leave him alone

doesn’t even try to hide how disgruntled he is with work, will literally say “I hate this job” loud enough for customers to hear when he’s shit talking with oikawa behind the register. does loud audible sighs when a customer comes up to check out if he’s in the middle of telling a story

awful at folding the clothes. he might as well just compress all the shirts into a ball and toss them into the bag instead

DESPISES CLOSING WITH A PASSION. he hates staying back even five minutes to pick clothes off from the ground. will literally curse that the company is so inconsiderate of his time even though he clocked in late to his shift...

if you’re on shift with him be prepared to do all the work... go see a chiropractor cuz you’ll basically be carrying him on your back the whole time!

he also finds the most creative ways to get others to do his work for him. his usual victim is hanamaki. he’ll go up to him and say “hey, do you mind folding up all the shirts in zone B for me? ennoshita asked me to organize the back since we’re doing new promos tomorrow” and hanamaki’s so clueless and goes “yeah! sure dude, I got it!”

futakuchi doesn’t organize in the back, he hides behind all the boxes while crouched down on his phone for about twenty minutes before going out on the floor again

someone save hanamaki he’s literally doing futakuchi’s work for him... poor boy needs a RAISE

you actually don’t work at the store futakuchi works at, you’re a part timer at another nearby store

during the holiday season the zara futakuchi works at gets super busy and you take a few extra shifts there to help out

you and futakuchi have an... interesting relationship

first thing you say when you see him during the holiday season: “you haven’t been fired yet?”

he’s rolling his eyes going “oh haha. very funny. saw you were at the bottom of sales last week. that’s probably why you’re always getting transferred here, huh.”

you two are constantly snapping back at each other, even when you’re ringing other people up at the registers. the customers are standing there awkwardly as you two scan and passive aggressively insult each other

it’s so weird, like you two are so mean to each other, but at the same time you’re both practically attached to the hip during your shifts together

futakuchi is more... punctual during the holiday season and even takes a COUPLE EXTRA SHIFTS which floors ennoshita (he’s so moved, he thinks futakuchi has had a change of heart and is trying to improve his work ethic... buddy that’s not it, I’m so sorry)

every time you clock in, futakuchi is there too and you’re going. oh great. not this guy again. it’s like clockwork, as soon as your shift starts, you’re at each others’ neck

when you diss the way he folds clothes, he’s scrutinizing your high pitched customer service voice

at first the other guys are laughing at what’s going on between you two and they’re thinking you two are Mortal Enemies For Life

but then they start noticing little by little that your relationship with futakuchi isn’t like that at all

when you’re scolding futakuchi with his awful folding, you take the time to show him all the steps to make a clean display free of wrinkles. he’s standing next to you trying to imitate the way your hands work on the fabric. he adds in a few snarky comments here and there, but you hush him as you’re giving instructions

and when you’ve got a huge rack of clothes from the dressing room that need to go back on the floor, futakuchi offers to help you put them away. he’ll say “ennoshita told me to help out” and you brush it off, but he’s actually lying. he’s helping you on his own accord

he has his asshole persona to keep up with, so he’s still sliding in snide remarks, but you’re so used to it and can keep up with him that he’s always on his toes. he likes this back and forth with you

one day, kuroo starts talking about you with futakuchi to get the 411 on what’s going on between you two. futakuchi denies it all until kuroo starts teasing him by saying he’ll ask you on a date. that’s when futakuchi’s going. wait what

“yeah, there’s a nice restaurant about ten minutes from here and I think going there on a date would really—”

futakuchi starts internally freaking out. he’s going “oh. a date. at a nice italian restaurant near here. wow.”

and kuroo’s got a nice lopsided grin because HE KNOWS and he’s still egging him on

that’s when it finally hits futakuchi. he... he likes you. He Likes You A Lot

the tips of his ears start turning red at this sudden revelation

and upon seeing this kuroo’s like "Alright bud, I was just messing with you. But if you don’t ask her out on a date then I sure as hell will!"

futakuchi’s going alright man give me like a week

Bro futakuchi is even MEANER to you than he was before because he Likes you and Doesn’t Know How To Deal With His Feelings since he’s got the emotional capacity of a grade schooler

futakuchi: wow. that blouse you’re wearing. it suits you.

you: really? thank you I think the color—

futakuchi: yeah. it’s ugly. like you.

you: ...

kuroo’s watching the exchange from the register completely horrified. he’s like. what have I done. futakuchi whips his head over with pleading eyes when you tell him to shove it and kuroo’s shaking his head thinking “I never should have gotten involved”

he’s in too deep already and when you leave the floor to help ennoshita with the stockroom, kuroo has another one-on-one with futakuchi. he tells him the basics like “Don’t call the person you like Ugly”

“well what else am I supposed to say”

truly a lost cause...

it’s like talking to a wall with futakuchi. kuroo’s telling him to be polite and sweet to you and futakuchi’s nodding his head in understanding, but as soon as he’s within a 3ft radius near you his brain is thinking “insult them for attention” kuroo’s like DUDE. WHAT DID I SAY.

this sad exchange goes on for a week and by then kuroo’s like. I give up on you. I can’t deal with this and the holiday rush. he’s waving up the white flag

futakuchi’s been kinda meaner to you than before, so you start ignoring him a bit and he’s getting so frustrated with himself that he doesn’t even know what to do and kuroo notices you two not talking AT ALL during a shift and he’s like. Futakuchi. Just Confess Already. Jesus.

futakuchi wishes he never realized he likes you because he wants to go back to those work days when you two would be Kinda Cheeky towards each other and everything was lax

the confession happens when ennoshita assigns you and futakuchi to work on orders in the back room. at first, futakuchi was trying to find hanamaki to do the work for him, but was promptly dragged by ennoshita to the back. there was no getting out of this

when he saunters on in, he sees you’re already printing out the shipping labels and folding up boxes and it’s silent, your back is facing him and he can definitely feel something is wrong

you saw him searching for hanamaki on the floor and it hurt your feelings because were you that insufferable to work with?

there’s silence between you two and then you break it and tell him that he can go back on the floor if he doesn’t want to work with you

and he can sense the hurt in your voice and he’s like... no, no, no that isn’t it

you’re shaking your head and saying “look, I get it. I get on your nerves. I could tell from this past week and you avoiding me. sorry if I did anything wrong... you can grab hanamaki and we’ll finish these orders while you work in the front”

now futakuchi is internally screaming NONONONONO in his mind because YOU’RE not annoying him at all he’s just a complete dummy who doesn’t know how to deal with his own emotions and now you’re on the verge of crying as you fold some shirts with tissue paper

it’s now or never

futakuchi blurts out that he Really Likes You

at first you think he’s joking and you’re going “Are you serious right now? I’m literally crying and you think NOW is the time to do some fake middle school confession? you’re sick”

POOR GUY HE’S LIKE “NO I REALLY MEAN THAT I LIKE YOU... A LOT...”

he’s right next to you now and grabs onto your shoulders so you can get a good look at his face. his eyes are all business as he confesses again

you’ve got your hand over your mouth and it hits you

futakuchi being Extra Mean to you is his way of showing affection...

now you’re throwing your head back in laughter because he’s so dumb. he’s tall and handsome and too cheeky for his own good, but he’s also like an elementary school kid realizing he’s got his first ever crush and he has absolutely No Idea how to Deal With It

after you’re done laughing, you lightly hit him on the chest and throw in a few lighthearted insults before you hug him as tight as you can. he returns the favor by wrapping his arms around you, practically engulfing you

he’s thinking wow. this is nice. he’s keeping his mouth clamped shut to avoid ruining the moment, but he’s totally digging the way you fit perfectly in his arms

when you pull away you notice his face is red all over and now you’re cracking up and calling him tomato head

and at this, he’s pointing at your running mascara and is like “sure I look like a tomato, but you’re looking like a reject Joker with all that smudged makeup”

now you two are fighting in the back, but in a more loving manner

as soon as you both clock out for the night, futakuchi takes you to the nice italian restaurant nearby. the one kuroo mentioned about a week beforehand

it’s the perfect place for a first date

(he’s too prideful to thank kuroo, but what he instead does is send a selfie with you in the picture + the food during the first date. kuroo’s slow clapping it out. he knew the little asshole could do it.)