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#WRONG. do it again. go get groceries. do the dishes again. put the laundry away again.
merrigelblogs · 10 months
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#yammers#yeah sorry time for a tag post bc I gotta put this somewhere but. quietly#I get so few days where I don't wonder what the fuck I'm even doing here#and that wondering gets ramped up by the fact that there just. isn't anywhere else for me to be#bc I'm always gonna be far away from someone now#my home country is a dangerous shithole where I'm uninsured and jobless#(where I could raise my hire-ability by.... shelling out money I don't have to move away from family and friends#to get closer to where the action is. except it Barely is bc animation is in a freefall)#in my new country I can barely communicate with anyone and my job prospects are so up in the air#that I have to waste my day doing the most demoralizing ugly work I've ever done for a job I don't want#because my visa requires that the country deem my presence PROFITABLE!!!#and I'm burned out to hell and back from running paperwork last year to move here#and it never stopped. it never ever ever stops. I am never ever EVER doing enough#practice french. more. more. MORE. learn this program. learn that program. test for this. apply to that. never hear back. get rejected.#go do paperwork again. figure out your taxes#WRONG. do it again. go get groceries. do the dishes again. put the laundry away again.#there's no space for your stuff. you barely have any stuff because you had to get rid of it all.#do something you don't want to do. again. again. smile! have fun! be charming! connect! network! stay longer!#I just want to curl up in a ball and disappear for a month or two#let me summer hibernate#it's so fucking hot here anyway I'd prefer a cave#negative /)/-)&$
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chopper-witch · 2 years
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Everyone headcanoning that Eddie would remember all your favorites is…
It’s a headcanon so I don’t want to say wrong but bro is like ✨ADHD✨.
He’s going to forgot shit all the fucking time. Here is an example of things I have forgot/done as someone with fairly life disabling ADHD that I was only recently medicated for:
- forgot homework. All the time. Every time. Literally even as soon as it was assigned it has vanished from my brain.
- forgot where I put books. Any books of any importance. So many library fees. So many lost school books.
- gone to my kitchen, needed to make food, washed the dishes I needed for said food, and walked out because I forgot the point was to make food, not wash dishes
- returned to kitchen, made food, didn’t eat it, just put it away
- gone to grocery store without list and forgotten everything I needed so I left empty handed or with one thing when I was literally out of necessary items
- forget to do my laundry for over a month
- forget to go to the grocery store despite driving past it three days a week
- forget to take my dog out (though she lets me know when she’s like “mom, it’s fucking time. I haven’t got to play fetch. Let’s gooooo”)
- appointments 🫡
- alarms 🙃
- what day is it? what month is it?
- dunno when holidays are. Christmas is when again? New years?
- dunno when birthdays are (and not like kind of friends or friends. I mean like my sister. My younger sister. Who is 21 now).
- forgot my own birthday when i went to the dmv on my birthday to get my license
- cannot process mess once it is there. Brain automatically integrates it into my space
- shower but dont actually wash my hair or face or body
- and so so so much more
Without my phone I literally fall apart. Shit keeps me on track so much. And now Vyvanse too.
Unless he writes it down and doesn’t lose the notebook (my phone is the one thing I have almost never lost which is why I am so in love and it backs up to the cloud so I can access my notes and pages elsewhere 💖) he is going to forget. Once it becomes habit he wont. And he probably has ways to remember super important things or things he wants to do (I repeat them over and over and over until I can write it down or type it out because my mind is good at remembering things visually. So like I can remember where on a page I wrote something and know what it said or roughly what it said?). But it will be a long and hard process for him to get there.
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TLDR; I’m just venting about my parents lol. I feel like a teenager again, but with more bills and a car, so at least I can leave when I’m too annoyed 😂😂
So my partner and I have been living with my parents again since mid February. We all got an apartment together and have been splitting rent, utilities, bills etc. 50/50. But we do get separate groceries, laundry stuff and, toiletries. It actually hasn’t been too bad living with them. It’s not nearly has bad as it was when I was a kid/teenager, but there are little things they do that just irk me.
The unnecessary comments about what I’m eating or drinking. Do you know how much sodium is in a danish? My mom does lol. Do you know how much caffeine is in ginger ale? The answer is none lol, but my dad will tell you there’s too much caffeine in ginger ale and that’s why you’ll nap in the middle of the day… obviously this is wrong lol.
Having my chronic illness (fibromyalgia) ignored and dismissed daily, kind of annoying. This is why I take frequent breaks throughout the day to avoid of flare up.
Being told repeatedly, by my father, that I need to get a job, despite the fact that I have a job, kind of annoying.
Every time my mother feels insecure about her body she projects that onto me and tells me I need to lose weight.
Whenever I cook, doesn’t matter what time of day it is, suddenly my parents need to be in the kitchen too (it is an extremely small space and there’s not enough room for more than 1 person to move around comfortably).
They’re just so go-go-go with their energy and I am… not lol. They’re inpatient and rushy.
They think because I’m home all day (I WFH) that means that I’m available to do things and when I tell them I can’t go anywhere because I’m working, I am called lazy and made to feel guilty that I’m not spending enough time with them.
They don’t have “inside voices” and my father slams every door and cabinet. He’s so aggressive with literally everything he does. I don’t understand it.
When their dog barks (she’s just a small little pompom) they think the appropriate response is to yell at her to stop. They don’t seem to realize that their yelling is louder and more annoying than the dog barking (she literally barks like 2-3 times and then stops, it ain’t like she’s going nonstop for 30 minutes or something lol).
I think the most annoying thing is all the comments about what I eat. I specifically avoid doing the counting calories and carbs and sugar bullshit because for 12 years I suffered with an ED. And part of recovery was to not focus so much on micromanaging my food. Of course I look at the nutritional information on the bag, but I’m not counting how many blueberries I can put in my pancakes. My mother is a counter. And she thinks not eating is a flex. “I only had 10 blueberries, 1 piece of toast, and 6 grapes for breakfast. But I couldn’t even finish it all. I threw away half of it.” And she tells me these things randomly. I don’t ask about it because I don’t care. My mom is an almond mom lol.
It’s become so hard to enjoy our meals because they always have something negative to say about it. Yesterday I made Indian food (butter chicken) and the entire time I’m cooking they’re sitting in the living room making comments about how it’s unhealthy. Pretty much any ethnic food, to them, is unhealthy. And most of my dishes lately have been Indian and Japanese food. And a lot of vegan stuff too (I’m not vegan, I just happen to make a lot of vegan dishes lol). I just want to cook and eat in peace lol.
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myckicade · 3 years
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Prompt: Ok so we all know Coco is touch starved, and would be clingy af in a relationship. What about Coco x wife!reader, while she’s trying to do basic errands/chores and Coco is her shadow?
A/N: I’ve been waiting for this one. I really have. Hee hee. I just adore Coco. <3 . This piece sort of follows the story of the last two Coco x Reader pieces I have written, but it will stand-alone, just fine. And, I swear, these things just have a mind of their own. I can continue to apologize for length, and content, but, in the end... I let the story tell itself. ;) . <3 .
As a warning, I come from Vermont, where we have a plastic bag ban. Last I knew, California was the first state to have one. I don’t know how that would translate to Santo Padre, but… When I mention fabric bags, I mean reusables, and the ban is why. ^^;;;;.
Title: Worthwhile
Teaser: He’s a little rough, your Coco, foul-mouthed, and quick to anger. Untrusting, and bitchier than a woman, on his best day. But, once you have his love, you have it. All of it.
“Okay…” you murmur, slowly, eyes scanning over the paper in front of you. Fifteen items, nothing crazy. Shouldn’t take you more than an hour, tops, and that includes travel to and from the store. “I think I’ve got everything we need… And, specials included your beer, and those little frozen cream puffs.”
Beside you, Coco groans, deep and guttural. “Fuck, I love those things.”
You giggle, but keep reading. Your man is too damn cute. “Feminine products.”
“Do those count as special?” Coco genuinely sounds thoughtful, as he steps up behind you, where you are leaning over the counter top. He wraps his arms around your waist, chin coming to rest on your shoulder. “Kinda’ a necessity, ain’t they?”
Tipping your head, you glance to your husband. Seriously. This man is a treasure. “Why don’t you run for political office?” you tease, pleased when Coco chuckles.
“Yeah, my record’ll look great, on the campaign trail.”
You shrug. “You can tackle pink tax, and tax evasion, at the same time.”
Coco grins, and steals a peck off your lips. “What else you got on there, muñeca?”
“Hmmm, let’s see…” You turn back to your list, tapping the pen against your lips, thoughtfully. Spying the next item on it, you try not to let out another giggle. He’s not going to like this one. “Letty asked if we could have that cauliflower pizza thing for dinner, tonight.”
As expected, this groan is decidedly not from food lust. “Fuckin’ vegetarians. When the hell is she gonna’ get over this shit?”
“It’s just a phase, Coco,” you remind him, for the… Well, honestly, you’ve lost track. It started shortly after the wedding, Letty’s change in diet, and you’re still not convinced the two aren’t related. You’re just not entirely sure how. But, two months in, and she’s still looking healthy, so you won’t send up any alarms. “It’s very popular at her high school, right now.”
Coco scoffs, disgusted. “When the hell’d she start copyin’ other people, anyway? My girl ain’t no follower.”
The words send a shot straight to your heart. He’s a little rough, your Coco, foul-mouthed, and quick to anger. Untrusting, and bitchier than a woman, on his best day. But, once you have his love, you have it. All of it. The love he has for Leticia is the greatest proof. They may carry on like cats and dogs, but when push comes to shove, there is nothing they won’t do for one another. My girl. It brings a warmth to your soul, and a smile to your lips.
You shake it off, enough to formulate a response. “She’s figuring out how to be her own woman. Trying new things.” You shrug, not wanting to make a big deal of it. You were Letty’s age, once, of course. And, a girl, to boot. Some things, Coco just won’t be able to understand. “It’s a process.” He hums, still disgruntled, but doesn’t push out another word. “You want anything else?” you ask, holding up your list. “I’ve gotta’ get going, before I run into the football widows.”
Before you can even take a step away, Coco tightens his arms around you. “You sure you gotta’ go, though?” he asks, leaning in to brush his lips against your neck. “With the house all to ourselves, like this?”
“If I don’t go,” you start, as Coco’s touches gain intent, becoming teasing kisses. Damn him. It feels nice, you won’t lie, but there are other things on your mind, right now. Priorities.
You’re just… having trouble remembering what they are.
Oh. Yeah. Shopping.
“If I don’t go, we won’t have anything for dinner.”
Another kiss, accompanied by a barely-there swipe of tongue. You shiver, and Coco moves his lips to your ear. “We can order in,” he whispers, breath so invitingly warm against your skin.
Oh, this asshole.
“And, what are we supposed to have for breakfast, tomorrow?” you try, again. “Half an Eggo, and a pack of Skittles?”
Coco cuddles you closer, again. “Ain’t you never heard about livin’ on love, baby?” Some of his smoothest work, that is. And, it’s almost convincing. Almost. You can imagine the afternoon ahead, if you give in. Your clothes will come off, and won’t be back on until the last second, before Letty walks back through the front door. By that time, you’ll be too tired to roll your ass off the bed, let alone go grocery shopping. And, you promised Letty you’d talk Coco into that cauliflower pizza.
“Great as that sounds,” you agree, preparing to capitalize on the truth. You ease yourself away from Coco’s stubborn hold, and give him one more smooch, just to soften the blow to come. “I don’t think Letty will appreciate the sentiment.”
A third groan. You must be going for a record. “C’mon, (y/n).” Oh, he’s whining. It’s so cute, it’s unreal. “We’ll find some place that delivers that rabbit food shit.”
Unfortunately for Coco, you’re already grabbing your bag. Lucky for you. You’re still two seconds from giving him what he wants. (He just doesn’t need to know so). “I’ll be back in a while.” God willing. “If you think of anything else, call my cell.” You rush out the front door, and don’t look back. If you see the look on your husband’s face, you know you’re as good as done.
*
Well, what the shit? Coco stares at the front door as it closes, you on the wrong fucking side of it. His arms are at his sides, palms turned toward the ceiling. That went so well. He kind of can’t believe you just walked away, like that. Left him alone, and wanting. In your big, empty house.
He probably should have volunteered to tag along, instead of just chasing you off.
Fuck.
Glancing around, Coco tries to find something to do. Something to clean, at the very least. But, that’s the trouble with having moved in with you, after the wedding, he supposes. Ain’t nothing to tidy up. Not that the three of you don’t have possessions. They’re all just in their proper places. Probably Leticia’s doing, in the end. He’d had a long talk with her, before the move, that she absolutely has to keep her shit where it belongs. Your house isn’t like their house. There aren’t burn marks in the carpet, or gouges in the coffee table. Dishes go in the damned dishwasher, not left to pile up on the counter, or in the sink. Beds get made. Laundry gets folded, and put away. No more wrinkled heaps in the clothes basket. So far, the kid’s been doing good. Real good.
Coco, though? He’s never felt so unnerved in his life.
It was different when he just visited. Spent a night or two, here or there. He’d almost felt at home, then, stupid as it sounds. At home, with the knowledge he wasn’t staying. But, now? Now, the reality has settled in, and he feels so-so… out of place. There’s so much he’s struggling to adjust to.
You have a purified water system installed under the sink, where Coco is used to buying bottled water.
You have a dining room, where Coco and Letty are used to eating on the couch.
You have an extended cable package, whatever the fuck that is.
You kind of have it all, here, certainly by comparison to what Coco is used to. The best of everything. Which really makes him wonder – not for the first time – what the hell you’re doing with a dirt-poor biker for a husband? You’ve had this conversation, on multiple occasions, and you’ve explained yourself, every time. But, this time… This time, you’re not around to give that speech. You’re not around to hold him, and kiss his face, and reassure him in a way that only you can. No, you’re at the grocery store, shopping for Coco, and his kid, which was apparently a better offer than staying home with him.
Oh, nope. Nope, he’s doing it, again. He can feel it. You love him, he reminds himself. You’ve got his ring on your finger, his last name, and – God-willing – his baby in your belly. By choice. All by choice.
Coco takes a deep breath, in. Lets it back out, slowly. Tries not to get sick, for all the nerves coming up to greet him. He wraps one arm around his own torso, free hand moving up to cover his mouth.
Fuck, he hopes you get back, soon.
*
You let out a deep sigh, as you park your car in the garage. Oh, it is so good to be home, at long-last. Talk about Old Home Week. You’d run into everyone, and his brother, at the grocery store. Shopping had taken nearly twice as long as you’d meant for it to, and you just know Coco must be losing his mind, by now. You hate to think about it, in such terms, but, sometimes… Well, sometimes, Coco reminds you of a new puppy. You can’t really leave him alone, without some kind of separation anxiety creeping up on him.
Ah, well. At least he isn’t ripping down the drapes, and shredding the couch cushions.
You blink. Well. That you know of.
Shaking your head, you climb out of the car, mentally preparing to unload armloads of bags. Maybe, if you really, really try, today will be the day you can finally get all twenty bags in, in one trip.
Right. And, shortly thereafter, you can have both forearms set, and casted. Be a real turn-on, in the bedroom.
You’ve managed to grab half a dozen bags, when the door to the mud room opens. “Hey, don’t grab too many!” Letty warns, as she comes hopping down the steps. “Let us help!”
Glancing up, you smile. For having had such a rough start, Letty can be a sweet girl. You know she gets that from her father. “Well, thank you,” you reply, resting a few, fabric handles onto her outstretched hands.
Letty grins, lowering her hands to her sides, before leaning in. “Did you talk him into it?” she whispers, conspiratorially.
You snicker, and whisper back, “He isn’t getting a choice. He’s outnumbered.”
“Yes!” Her hiss of victory is hardly subtle, catching Coco’s attention as he pokes his head out the door.
“You two plottin’ against me, again?”
“Yes,” you and Letty reply, in unison, leading you to erupt into a fit of giggles.
Coco is all grins. “’Course, you are.” He strides closer, he and Letty dancing around one another as she moves into the house. You lean into the car, and retrieve a few more bags. If Coco’s out here, he might as well assist. He’s peering into the car, once you stand back up, and lets out a low whistle. “Damn, (y/n)! You buy out the whole store, or what?”
“Hardly,” you reply, dryly. You hold up your hands, offering Coco the bags. “Here you go.”
“Oh, don’t mind if I do.” Thankfully, your hold on the bags is solid. Instead of grabbing the groceries, Coco’s hands are suddenly groping all over you. One hand is settled firmly at your ass, the other sliding into your hair, at the back of your head. He wastes no time diving in for a slow, deep kiss, and, damn, does his timing suck. He could have at least let you put the bags down, first. The contact makes you tingle, and has you regretting your decision not to stay home. Coco pulls back, after a few seconds, and hums. “Mm. Best delivery ever.”
You can’t help the small snort of amused laughter that leaves your throat. “Good try, Coco,” you praise, easing back far enough to offer him the bags, again. The look of disappointment on his face is just pitiful. “I’m not banging you in the garage.”
He has the grace to mock gasp. “I’d never!” It’s a crock, and you both know it. He looks too amused to be repentant, and you look too aware to be angry. You just raise your hands, slightly, in a third offer. Coco sighs. “All right. All right.” He takes the bags from your hands.
“Thank you.” You grab another load for yourself, rounding the open car door to follow Coco’s lead, into the house. One more trip for each of you, and you should have it covered. So much for only buying fifteen items.
Coco might be right about buying out the store.
*
Watching from the dining room, Coco has a good view of you and Letty unpacking the last of the groceries. Damn kid, she’d thrown him out, about ten minutes prior.
“Less groping, more helping, Coco,” Letty had warned him, after he’d tried to pin you against the sink.
It had been his last warning. Now, he’s been banished. Not the worst thing in the world, not really. Over the last few weeks, he’s really learned that there are some tasks he’s not so fond of. Pruning roses… Yeah, he’s pretty sure you’ll never let him do that, again. And, hey, nobody told him what to fill the bird feeder with. Unpacking groceries goes on that list, somewhere between line-drying laundry, and a streak-free mirror. He’s not sure why. Goodness knows, it makes him feel like a kid at Christmas, most times. Since being with you, though…
Since being with you, he feels like he’s taking advantage of something.
Yes, groceries are a strange place to let that feeling land, but he can’t help it. Coco’s been responsible for feeding himself since before he cares to remember. The only time anyone provided his meals was during deployment, and half that shit barely passed for edible. You, though… You keep the house stocked with more food than he’s seen anywhere, outside of a corner market. Letty always has options to take to school, and there’s a nutritious dinner on the table, almost every night. (Some nights, he actually does win the battle for delivery). If Coco goes on a run, you send him along with snacks for the road. And, yeah, he kinda’ likes that. He also likes the energy bars you picked out for him, last week. Something with cherries, and dark chocolate. He wonders, for a second, if you picked up any more. Come in handy during his mid-week trip outta’ town.
Coco blinks. Then, he does it again, just for good measure. That’s it. That’s what’s so fucking weird about this whole thing.
It’s you.
Okay, no, it’s not you, you. But, it’s you. It’s you, taking care of him. It’s you, seeing to his needs. Letty’s needs. It’s you, being his wife, his partner. It’s you, slotting into the place of role-model for his teenaged daughter. Welcoming them into your home. Not treating it like it’s your home. It’s you, being so fucking perfect for him, it’s taken his mind all this time to catch up with reality.
Coco doesn’t get perfect. Perfect doesn’t want him.
Except, now, it does.
Before he knows what he’s doing, Coco strides into the kitchen. He doesn’t wait for you to put the box of pasta in the cupboard. He just takes it from your hand, ignoring your confused look, as he tosses it onto the counter.
“Coco!” Letty admonishes, but it’s no use. He’s already lifting you off the floor, arms around your perfect backside. The kid gives a long-suffering sigh, he hears it, but pays it no mind.
Nothing – nothing – is going to keep him from holding you in his arms.
Your own arms go around Coco’s neck, and you smile down at him, surprise still lingering in your eyes. “Uhm… Hi, there.”
Coco grins. “Hey, muñeca.” Leaning up, he pecks you on the lips.
“Can I help you with something?” you ask, to which Coco shakes his head. Closes his eyes, as your fingers play in his hair.
“Nah. Got all I need.”
*
Pulling a package of mixed vegetables from the half-unpacked shopping bag, Letty rolls her eyes. You two… God, you’re gross. Coco always has his hands on you, no matter what you’re trying to do. It’s a wonder you don’t carry a damned fly swatter around. Actually, it’s a wonder you ever accomplish anything. He’s always smooching, and smiling, and snuggling at you. It’s disgusting. It’s pathetic.
It’s so damned cute, it’s sickening.
Really, Letty’s enjoying seeing Coco so happy. Like, genuinely happy. Not the false pride he carries around with his kutte. He’s more relaxed, nowadays. He drinks less, and he spends more time at home, both of which mean he’s not hanging around with those skanks at the clubhouse. He eats more, he’s healthier… Nothing to complain about, there.
And, hey, she has no complaints about you, either. You’re pretty cool, all-around. A woman who takes care of herself, and her family, and doesn’t bitch about either one. You’re not using Coco for money, or status, none of the shit she’s always been worried her father would fall into. There aren’t arguments, every night, not even between herself and Coco, as of late. No hostilities, nothing to avoid the house over. Just good dinners, and movies, and a new fish tank in her room. (Okay, so, you’d earned some major points with that birthday gift. She hadn’t actually expected to get one, when she’d mentioned it). For the first time, she understands what a peaceful, happy family feels like. It feels nice. It feels like home.
Glancing back to where Coco now has you perched on the counter top, stealing the most syrupy-sweet smooches… Letty can’t help but smile. Home is A-okay by her.
*
The sound of the air conditioner humming in the bedroom usually lulls you right to sleep. Tonight, it’s just providing you with white noise, a low background track to your thoughts. You don’t mind, not really. It gives you a few minutes to reflect on the day that’s just ended. To plan your day, tomorrow. To weave your fingers through Coco’s hair, and listen to him breathe. That, alone, makes it worthwhile.
Coco has been asleep against your shoulder for nearly an hour, now. Your arms are wrapped around him, comfortably, his own around your waist. You’d urged him up to bed, after he’d fallen asleep on the couch, his head in your lap. He’d snoozed from the middle of the movie, to the end of the nightly news report. Letty had tsked, and complained that no one had any business, whatsoever, in falling asleep during Zombieland. (How he’d stayed asleep was still a wonder to you, both, for how hard you’d been laughing at Tallahassee). With your fingers in his hair, Coco had been blissfully unaware for a couple of hours.
Glancing down, you take in the sight of your husband’s sleeping face. He looks so damn peaceful, the kind you’d outright murder to preserve for him. Coco’s still struggling with sleep, and relaxation, even though you’d hoped it would ease up, once your nuptials had passed. Most of it, you know will never go away. Anxiety doesn’t have a magic wand, or some perfect little on/off switch. And, all things considered, today wasn’t a terrible day. You’d been able to leave the house, with minimal panic on Coco’s part. Granted, it had taken extra time to get the groceries put away, and dinner made, but… You understand, as much as you are able to, that Coco needs the reassurances. It doesn’t cost you anything to carve a few moments from the day, every here and there, to give him what he needs.
Okay, so it did cost you that first batch of pancakes, this morning. They’d burned on the stove, and set off the smoke alarms, when he’d insisted on a dance through the living room. But, Coco loved the song you’d been playing on your Spotify, so there was really no denying him.
Oh, and… Yeah, you’d missed that phone call from the bank, the week before. Your husband had slipped up next to you, on the porch swing, and snuggled you to within an inch of your life. An easy fix, and you still got the business loan, but…
And, sure, you’ve been late to work, on numerous occasions. Coco has a habit of sneaking into your morning shower. And, after that… Well, hell, you own the company. It’s not like you have to explain to the boss that you’re late to your shift, on account of baby-dancing. (Fucking forums).
Point is, you’re more than happy to take care of Coco’s emotional needs. It may take you an extra hour to pay your bills. Daily tidying may have become every-other-day-if-you’re-lucky tidying. And, your ass may have gone numb, tonight, while he slept on your thigh. During which time, you could have loaded the dishwasher. Taken out the trash. Any number of tasks that have been neglected, in the name of Coco. They can wait.
Leaning in, you press a tender kiss to your husband’s forehead, before settling back in, and closing your eyes. Yes, chores can wait. Work can wait. The whole world can hold it, with both hands. So long as you’re around, Coco’s well-being will never have to take the back seat.
*
P.S. If Coco denies it, he’s full of it. He fucking loved that cauliflower pizza. Fucking vegetarians, indeed.
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patchworkpuzzle · 3 years
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MINORS DNI 18+
word count: 3k
warnings: cheating? (it’s a consensual roleplay so idk), oral (f!recieving), overstimulation, breeding, creampie
author’s note: Wow first time writing/posting smut….. y’all can thank @doinmybesthere  for this. Like she wrote that rp headanon thing and I just couldn’t get this out of my head (even if I was the one that suggested it to being with) Anyway…. hope you enjoy!
“H-hi…!”
That was the first thing out of your mouth when you opened the door to the repairman. You knew he was coming, the invoice on your answering machine said ‘11am sharp’, but you couldn’t help being caught off guard. You just weren’t expecting him to be so young…. Or handsome.
“Sorry! Come in!” you shake your head as you open the door further, taking a step to the side to get out of his path.
He gave you a chuckle, smiling kindly as he walked through the threshold of your home “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, no, no!” You quickly reassure, closing the door behind him while waving a hand in reassurance “I knew you were coming, just… just guess it slipped my mind for a moment!”
“Hey, it happens. Things slip my mind all the time!” He laughed for a moment, amused by your almost frantic nature in reassuring him before squaring his shoulders “So, where’s the problem?”
You shyly met his gaze before, pointing the direction of your kitchen, taking small steps in that direction “Um, the problem is this way.”
You led him to your kitchen, trying your best to ignore his large frame behind yours. You couldn’t understand why you were so nervous around him. You never felt like this when it was your gardener, or the grocery delivery person, or any of the other repairmen that showed up to help you out.  Maybe it was because he wasn’t a middle-aged man. Maybe it was because he had the nicest smile you have ever seen, and wonderfully dark eyes that matched dark hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail, or that the t-shirt he wore showcased his strong arms really, really, well.
You shook your head to shake you out of your thoughts, now was not the time to gawk at the help. Now was the time to tell him what needed to be fixed before escaping to the other room to start folding the neglected laundry.
“Uh, it’s the sink, I guess” You spoke once again when you got into the kitchen, pointing at the sink “It started with the dishwasher. It was working funny and then the sink followed suit. My husband tried to fix it, but I think he made it worse…”
“Not much of a handy man around the house, huh?” He chuckled as he bent down to open the cabinet that held all the pipes to the sink.
“Uh, no.” You gave a breathless giggle as you moved out of the way “He’s helpful in other areas, just not this one.”
“Ah, I get it, not worries! That’s what I’m here for.”
“Yeah, exactly…” You fiddle with your hands as you stare at his profile for another moment “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll just be in the other room if you need anything….?”
“Sero, you can call me Sero” The man, now known as Sero, smiles up at you “And sounds good to me!”
You simply nodded, dumbly, as you quickly turned yourself away from him and exiting the room to make sure he couldn’t see the blush that was now painted on your cheeks. Though mentally you were kicking yourself over how dumb you were acting. Why was he making you so nervous? Why were you acting like such a fool? He was just here to fix your sink, to clean out your pipes, nothing else!
You groaned at the way your brain phrased that sentence in your head, placing your head in your hands. This was going to be a long day.
~
“You don’t have a lot of people to talk to, huh?” Sero asked from where he was positioned under the sink.
You knew he was bound to say it. After you finished folding your laundry, you asked if everything was okay. When he told you it was, you went to tidy your bedroom. Once your bed was made, and everything was put away, you came down to check up on his once again. After another affirmative you just went to check the mail to then immediately come back into the kitchen to bug him once more. You were surprised he wasn’t annoyed with you.
“Guess not…” You chuckle, playing with your fingers as you lean forward on your kitchen island “Normally I do! Just…. Everyone is busy lately. Sorry for bothering you so much…”
“Don’t apologize! I don’t mind!” He quickly reassured as he stood from the ground, turning to test to see if the sink was finally working “I like the interaction too. Makes me feel like a person and not a tool, ya know?”
“Oh! That’s awful! People really treat you like that?”
“Yeah, but hey!” He turned back to you, wiping his hand on a dish towel he had around his toolbelt “Just means I appreciate people like you even more.”
The wink he sent you way caused an almost girlish giggle to escape your mouth as you turned your head away from him. After a moment, the silence that hung in the air somewhat heavy, you pushed off the counter “Are…. Are you hungry? I can make you something?”
You rushed towards your fridge, opening it to inspect the things within it to see what you could possibly prepare for him. Head racing with those thoughts you didn’t notice him moving closer to you, or that he was behind you, until you felt one hand on your hip and the fridge door closing in front of you.
“I could think of something I want to eat.” He breathed hot on your neck as he pulled you closer, making sure that you could feel the prominent bulge on your backside “If you catch my drift.”
You gulp trying to move away but only succeeding in wiggling your hips further into him, he hissed and gripped your hips more tightly to stop you from moving. Both of your breathing starting to grow hot and heavy, mingling together as you turn your head shyly towards him.
“W-we shouldn’t be doing this” You shake your head, trying once again to move away from him “My husband wil be home any moment…”
“Will he?” Sero chuckled, turning you around to face him, pushing your body back until the small of it hits your countertop “I don’t think he will. If he was, then you would have already had lunch ready.”
He tilts your chin up, leaning down until his lips hover over yours. His hot breath caused your tongue to poke up to run across your lips as a flush began to bloom on your cheeks “And you seem like a dutiful housewife, you wouldn’t keep him waiting.”
“S-Sero…” You breathe out, closing your eyes as you felt his forehead connect with yours.
“Tell me to stop, that you don’t want it.” His breath was tickling your cheeks as he spoke “Tell me and I’ll leave right now, and we’ll never speak of it again.”
“I… I don’t want you to stop..”
Your lips were captured in a hungry kiss as soon as you spoke those words. The kiss so engulfing that it captures all your thoughts, how soft they were and how they work against your own that when you granted his tongue access you didn’t realize that he had picked you up and placed you on the countertop.
He forced your legs to wrap around his waist as he grinded your hips together, the action causing a small moan to leave your mouth as you parted from the kiss. More mewls kept tumbling, out of your control, as he trailed kisses down your throat. Sero delighted in the way your hips would involuntarily buck into his when he would nip at the delicate skin, causing him to leave harsher nips the further he went down.
“So sensitive,” He murmured once he got to your collarbone, taking the time to lick a stripe up your neck and chuckling in your ear as you whimpered “Does your husband not take care of you, baby?”
“Y-yes…!” You give a tiny yelp when he bites onto your ear lobe.
“Clearly he’s not doing a good enough job,” Sero brings a hand down to rub you through your pants, cocking a brow at how you ground yourself onto his palm “Is he?”
You whine, shaking your head ‘no’ at his statement. He wasn’t wrong. Your husband has been less than affectionate with you lately, and when he has it was always lackluster. And after months of a non-excitant, or if it was non-pleasurable, sex life you were quite needy. Even your vibrator hasn’t been able to be enough for you anymore. But now? The way he was touching you was burning a fire deep within you, and you wanted nothing more than for him to continue to let you burn brighter.
“Do you need me to help with that, little Lady?”
“Yes!” You cry out, tugging at his shirt to try and pull him closer as you continue to buck wildly into his palm, like a horny teenager, once again. “Please Sero!”
He groaned when you called out his name, resting his forehead against your shoulder to regain some semblance of control. After a breath he pulled away from you slightly to remove his shirt, giving a cocky smirk as you took a moment to admire him, as he reached down to pull your shirt over your head.
“Like what you see?” He teased, smiling only widening when you gave a small shy nod as a response, reaching behind you to unclasp your bra before tossing it aside “Aww, why don’t you say it, baby?”
You shyly brought your arms up to try and cover your chest, turning your head away embarrassed. It had been a long time since someone had looked at you the way Sero was; so hungry, like you were about to be eaten alive. It was causing you to become nervous.
“I know I like what I see.” Sero brought his hands to gently cup your chest, causing your arms to fall away as he leaned down to press gentle kisses along the swell of your breast “I like what I see a lot.”
You mewl when he starts his assault on your chest. The way he was nipping, sucking, and biting all over your breasts, never staying on one for too long, was causing you to pant. He was aggressive, but not enough to break the skin or leave a mark; which you were grateful for. His hands continued to grope as his lips grasped onto one of your nipples, assaulting it with continuous flicks of his tongue.
You let out a quiet moan as you arch your back into his touch, a hand coming up to tug at his hair gently while the other started to wander the expanse of his now exposed chest. Relishing and marvelling at all the lean muscle under your fingertips, slowly dipping lower and lower…
“Ah, ah, ah” Sero chides, removing your hand from tugging at his toolbelt to undo it “it’s all about you right now, baby.”
“But I wanna make you – ah!” you cry out, taken by surprise as his own hand slipped between your pants and panties to run through you folds.
“You’re already so wet,” Sero slides one of his long fingers into you, groaning at how tight you are “You really are pent up, aren’t you? I barely touched you”
You don’t have the care to answer him, or to be embarrassed by the slight squelching sound that could now be heard as he slowly pumps his finger in and out of you. You keen when a second finger joins the first and his pace starts to pick up, his thumb coming up to rub at your bundle of nerves. Shamelessly spreading your legs wider as you buck your hips into his hand, desperately trying to chase your release that is so close to washing over you, the ache in your core almost unbearable.
Your release finds you with a choked out gasp as you clamp your thighs tightly around Sero’s hand as your body spasms with the intense aftershocks, which are only amplified as he continues to finger you through your orgasm; only stopping when you have officially calmed down. Well, calmed down enough.
“Oh, please, please, please fuck me Sero” You beg, letting out a whine when his fingers leave your drooling hole.
“You want more, hm?” He asks, bringing his hand up to your mouth, to which you open for him to let his fingers into your wet craven. His moan spurring you on to suck his digits with more fervor “Then get down.”
His command sends a pleasurable shiver down your spine as you carefully slide off the counter. Once you were on steady feet he turned you around and forcefully, but still with a gentle touch, bent you forward, allowing you to adjust on shaky arms before quickly pulling the rest of your clothes off. The swift smack that echoed throughout the kitchen, and the slight burning ache on your ass, caused your legs to shake.
“Step out.” His voice was deep with desire, and you couldn’t help but immediately follow his instruction.
A surprised, and strangled, gasp left your lips as you felt his tongue take a swift lick up your folds. Only for it to be followed by another, one more fervent, as he gripped your hips tightly to pull you back onto his face as he continued to swipe at your folds greedily.
“More, Sero, please” You whimper, your voice needy as you try to move closer to him. “I want more!”
“Want me to fuck this pretty pussy bad, huh?” He hummed, spreading your folds to get a better look “I will, don’t you worry. Just wanted a taste.”
He’s big, you don’t really know for certain as you haven’t had the chance to see it. But from how he felt grinding on you, and the way the tip of his cock runs through your slippery folds, you can tell that it will be quite the stretch.
You whine as he slowly starts to enter you, the stretch is an intense but a pleasant burn as he slowly sinks into you inch by inch. You both groan in unison when he finally bottoms out. You close your eyes as you try to adjust, you’ve never felt so full, and you know Sero knows this as well.
“Good, you’re so fucking tight!” He groans, slowly pumping in and out of you, bringing a hand around to rub your clit “Relax for me, baby. I’ll take real good care of you, trust and believe.”
Once you started to relax was when his pace quickened, your moans getting louder in tandem to the speed his hips were going. It didn’t take long before his thrusts were hard and fast, hips snapping into you with such force that you were unable to stay upright on your arms. The chaffing of his jeans and toolbelt were just adding to the rough pleasure you were losing your mind to.
Your walls started to clench and flutter around him much sooner than you were expecting, his relentless fingers that were rubbing your clit making it impossible to hold out any longer. Another orgasm runs through you, your wail of ecstasy lost as your ears deafen to any noise as blood flushes through your body.
His pace and how his cock kept hitting that special spot inside you meant that you weren’t sure if you were about to start cumming again or if you hadn’t finished cumming in the first place. Not that you cared or could really think. The delirium he kept you in was so wonderful that you couldn’t find in yourself to try and fight it. The slick that was constantly spilling out of you and onto your thighs proof that this was the best fuck you had in a long, long time
You don’t know how long it’s been, or how many times he made a mess of you, you’re now too dumb to really think due to how overstimulated you are, all you can do is moan and mewl for him and ‘just take it’. To enjoy the drag of his cock going in and out of you, the way the vein on the underside of his cock catches so wonderfully against your walls.
“You’re doing such a good job, baby. So, so good” Sero mumbles, placing kisses along you back and cracking a head over you ass once again “You’re gonna keep taking it baby, keep taking it so good for me till I cum, okay?”
You whimper, turning your head to face him, the cool countertop a wonderful contrast to your flushed cheeks “Cum for me, please! I want it so bad!”
“Fuck! Yeah, you want it. Want me to cum all over you, don’t you? Want me to cum all over this pretty pussy, making you forget about your worthless husband, yeah?”
You merely nod your head, your voice all but gone as his pace somehow gets even faster making it impossible for you to let out any noise but screams of pleasure, your mouth in a permanent ‘O’ position as you try to hold on until he cums.
He does with a loud groan, hips pressing snuggly against your ass, as he paints your insides white with ropes and ropes of his cum. Slowly pulling out with a hiss, spreading your swollen and sore lips apart to watch it drip out of you and down your thighs.
“Are you okay, love?” Sero asks after a beat, slowly regaining his breath.
You tiredly laugh and nod your head “Yeah, I’m okay.” you slowly start to pull yourself upright, trying to properly stand on your wobbly legs “You know you broke character. You’re not suppose to cum inside some random housewife.”
“Yeah, well.” He shrugs his shoulder, collecting you in his arms “Got too lost in the moment… Now come on, let’s get you cleaned up!”
Before you had the chance to tease your boyfriend even further he threw you over his shoulder and started bounding his way to your shared bathroom to draw you a bath, just like he said he would.
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outforawalkb1tch · 3 years
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How to Adult from a neurodiverse perspective. Some tips might also be helpful for anyone with mental illness that makes adulting harder.
It's going to be hard but try to stick to a certain area when cleaning instead zip zooming around doing things here and there. It's going to be a lot more satisfying to have one thing done fully then multiple things partially done.
Go to an area in your home and put away x many things that are in the wrong area.
If I'm having an especially hard time staying on one task I'll either tell myself ok I'm gonna wash the dishes (or whatever task it is for you) for x many more minutes or x many songs before I take a short break.
I try my best to make cleaning tasks more game like like I'm not just picking up dirty laundry off the floor into the basket I'm playing laundry basket ball! Making little games like this for cleaning will help make cleaning fun and something you want to do.
Make sure your breaks are actually short put a timer on your phone if you need to.
If you can't take a shower or bath for whatever reason get two washcloths. Get one washcloth wet and soapy, wash yourself. Get the other washcloth just wet and go over yourself again. I would do this a lot coming home super late from visiting family and my mom would call this a rag bath.
Try your best to fold your clothes out of the dryer to avoid wrinkles so that no matter what your wearing you'll look better put together.
If you struggle with this I suggest getting a clothes steamer its like an iron except theres no ironing board to set up and all that jazz that comes with a regular iron. Just fill this baby up with water and use on your clothes while they're hanging and watch the wrinkles go away.
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If your having a hard time washing your clothes all together get a fabric fabreze and spray it on your clothes. This isn't a replacement for washing them but it certainly helps the smell if you're stuggling to get your laundry done. Make sure its fabric though regular fabreze won't help your clothes as well.
If you have delicates that your afraid the dryer might ruin let them air dry by hanging them on the shower curtain rack. Or if you have the room to do so invest in something like this:
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Make your bed every day. This is just a good habbit to be in. Along with that make sure to freshen your sheets at least once every 2 months. Having more than one pair of sheets also helps with this because even if you can't get to washing your current sheets you could always just replace them with a different clean sheets and get around to cleaning the other sheets some other time.
Vitamins are great just generally but especially helpful if your sensory issues make it hard to eat certain healthy foods.
When making important phone calls make sure you already have a pen and paper so you can write down things you need to remember on the spot, instead of either scrambling for a pen and paper or thinking you'll remember then forget. Also sometimes it is good to have a bullet point list if you need to remember what exactly to say to this person istead of going uhhh umm and such.
When someone tells you an important date for something write it down right afterwards. Writing it right on the calendar were I can see it works better than using the calendar on my phone for myself as I usually forget about it until the day of if its just on my phone whereas if its on my paper calendar I see it a lot since I check my calendar a lot but this might be opposite for you so do whichever one works better
If you have long hair learn cute hairstyles other than just a messy bun. Its fun to switch it up from braids to pigtails to spacebuns or whatever. I'm putting this as a tip because I have long hair and whenever I am having a bad hair day, my hair is greasy or just do not have the energy to properly do my hair I would always opt for the messy bun. But you know what ? That gets boring and there's no age limit on braids or whatever no matter whatever other people state. Plus imo braids hide greasy hair better than buns.
Remember to clean your skin, but also being to harsh with rubbing your face with the cleaner or picking at your face can actually cause more problems! You want your face to not be too oily but also not too dry.
You can tell if your getting enough water by your pee color if its clear or really light yellow your doing good on keeping yourself hydrated if its yellow or darker you need some more water.
Contrary to popular belief/s coffee and cigarettes are not breakfast, and they cost as much as a real breakfast would. Please eat real food instead of bean and sugar soup and nicotine.
Make a budget, ask for help if needed as budget making can be kinda confusing, but make a budget and stick to it. This one has made my life so much better. Be the "crazy" coupon lady if you need to be to stick to it. Be a stickler with the lights and water if you need to be to stick to it.
Speaking of budget the dollar store and the generic grocery store version of things are your friends. The dollar store is a go to for kitchen stuff, cleaning stuff, snacks, some self grooming stuff, and even some of there frozen food and pantry food is pretty decent. They also have plenty of other stuff so honestly if I need anything I usually check there first before another store. Whatever they don't have that I need I can usually find a generic cheaper brand at the grocery store and most the time its absolutely no different than the big brands!
Buy clothes that fit NOW. Don't waste money on clothes that are smaller for inspiration for losing weight. (Or vice versa if you're trying to gain weight) Its important to have fashionable clothes that fit you at the weight you are now because if you don't you'll be stuck in boring sweats and sad because of it. I know. I've been there.
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shurisneakers · 3 years
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shut in [epilogue]
Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)
Warnings: anxiety, ptsd, swearing
Word count: 4k
A/N: annnnd we’re done :)) thank you to my resident bully @midnightsunfae for really getting this fic off the ground and helping with the planning. ily upo and thank you to everyone who’s read this series over the 5 months it’s been going on. it’s meant the absolute world to me :’)
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Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist
Your fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, an indicator of the nervousness that was building to a crescendo in your chest.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” he asked, hand placed gently on your forearm.
You nodded, eyes downcast. If you looked at him, you wouldn’t be able to find it in yourself to follow through with it.
“I am,” you said quietly, swallowing to get rid of the lump in your throat.
“Okay,” he confirmed, letting his arm drop gently.
Ten minutes to go. You took a sip of water nervously. The glass had already found itself shifting back and forth on the table in search of the perfect place. It was a fruitless quest anyway.
The door was painted a dark green, steps leading up to it from the pavement.
“Are you sure he won’t mind?” you asked quietly, standing a stair below him in apprehension. Neither of you had contacted him or sent a message, just showed up at his place exhausted and covered in a thin layer of dirt.
“I know he won’t.” Sam raised his fist to knock thrice, a pause before knocking two more times.
A code.
He turned around slightly, checking to see if you were fine. The longer you stood out there, the more afraid you were of someone spotting the both of you, putting an end to your life before it even began. You had a feeling that paranoia would continue for a long time.
The door swung open, revealing a tall man with blonde hair leaning against the doorway with one arm. There was a nick above his eyebrow, an old scar that hadn’t faded over time. Even though his other hand was concealed behind the door, you could tell that he was holding something by the way his muscles were clenched. Years of training wouldn’t disappear overnight.
"Sam." Surprise overtook his face in a second. "You're alive."
"Don't sound so happy, I can't handle it." Sam rolled his eyes, an affectionate smile on his face. "This is Y/N, we need a place to stay."
“It’s just been a while since I heard from you, man. Coming from a hit?” Riley didn’t think twice about moving aside, scrutinising dried blood on your person as you walk past. “Nice to meet you, I’m Riley.”
It was a cane in his hand. Sam’s mention of his limp flashed in your mind.
You gave him a small wave and a quiet re-introduction of yourself, following Sam into the house.
“You could say that.” Sam paused, a hand on Riley’s shoulder as he says something out of your ear shot to him.
Riley’s face turned stoic immediately, a nod of his head and a deep exhale soon following. “Stay as long as you need.”
“Thank you.” You pressed your lips together in a straight line with a corner quirked upwards, a half smile of sorts.
“Bathroom’s down the hall, to the right.” He pointed out the direction. “I’m getting you some food. Gumbo still your thing, Wilson?”
“Anything other than peanut butter.”
Riley was a blessing you could have never prepared for; knowing exactly what you both would need and anticipating emotions you had no idea you’d be feeling. For someone who had guests show up completely uninvited to crash on his couch, he was ready as ever, given that he had been through the same thing a while ago.
It was difficult. Fuck that, it was one of the hardest things to go; not pretending like everything around you would fall into soon and that you would be fine because you had to. You had worked too damn hard for you not to be.
But you knew things weren’t going to be fine right off the bat and it would be foolish to think it was.
“Sam, look at me,” you commanded gently, but there was an edge of firmness to your tone. You were sitting on the bench near the entrance of the park.
“I’m sorry, things were going good and I thought-” He shook his face that was hiding in his palm, elbows resting on his knees.
His attacks didn’t come nearly as frequently as yours. It was easy to think that he had no trauma just because he learnt how to deal with it better.
“Look at me, Sammy.” It was just a walk in the park, a stroll that should have lasted twenty minutes tops. You had been on that trail before for the same purpose but something triggered him today, someone’s gaze who lingered too long on the both of you.
He clenched his fists, lifting his head to meet your gaze.
“Breathe with me.” You exaggerated the movements to have him follow, a system the both of you had come up with when anxiety attacks used to hit at random. A temporary solution to an aftermath that would go on for hours, days even.
It took him a few staggered breaths to get there, finally falling into routine with you. He could feel his heartbeat slow to what it was but the pit in his stomach wouldn’t subside for a while.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t-”
“You have nothing to apologise for,” you reassured, still making sure he was breathing with you. You were nervous too and your eyes were still darting about to survey your surroundings, but he needed you at that moment. “We’re safe. We’re okay.”
“No one’s here,” he mumbles, interlacing your fingers and bringing it to his forehead to lean against your hand.
“We’re okay,” you repeated, giving him the space he needed. “We’re okay.”
“Will someone be joining you?” The waiter prodded softly. If it wasn’t your incessant tapping at the table, the clammy palms and constant checking of your watch was a clear giveaway that you could use a bit of kindness that day.
“Yeah, any minute now.” You smiled at her. She simply nodded, refilling your glass of water before leaving you alone.
You looked at your watch and sighed.
Seven minutes.
Things were fine. Things were good.
Sam and you were… undefined. Labels almost seemed too constrictive for now and it wasn’t like the both of you didn’t know what the other felt. It was kind. It was soft. Sometimes you kissed his cheek when the sunlight bounced off his face while he watered the succulents and the smile he gave you was addictive. Other times he snaked an arm around your waist and leaned his head on your shoulder while you watched the street from the kitchen window.
It made you happy, and so you tried to force away the stem of doubt that creeped into your heart.
Riley had introduced the concept of movie nights and the occasional mob movie would make it in there just to poke fun at. He showed you around the city, inviting you to go grocery shopping with him at the farmers market, the best places to get a glimpse of the music scene or to subtly point out potential date night spots.
He was a genuinely nice guy, and if you thought Sam was fun to hang out with, you were not prepared for the both of them together. You could tell why Sam adored him.
“Y/N, I don’t know how you stayed with him for all that time and didn’t murder him in his sleep.” Riley glared at Sam who had once again left his collection of music CDs strewn around on a couch. It was all in jest; it was well known that Sam found an anchor in music that kept him up late at night for a sense of calm.
“It was a close call sometimes,” you added playfully, giving Sam a grin.
“You weren’t exactly easy to survive with either.” He scoffed. “How many times did we watch Megamind in a row? Eight?”
“You wouldn’t stop watching Die Hard,” you accused, arms crossed over your chest. “It was payback.”
“You made the rule saying we couldn’t watch things more than twice in a row and you broke it first.”
“I’m gonna go,” Riley interjected. “But y’all keep at this. I heard it’s good for your soul.”
“Stay there,” Sam demanded, pointing to where he was standing a second ago. “You’re gonna be play judge since you started this shit.”
“I really don’t want to.” He shook his head, staying put nonetheless, amusement clear as day on his face.
“The laundry.”
“The dishes.”
You both narrowed your eyes at each other. His argument didn’t hold a match to yours.
“You know what, I was wrong,” Riley announced to no one in particular. “I’m pretty sure you guys would kill each other under any other circumstance.”
The smile on your face faltered but you straightened it back out with a clearing of your throat before firing a comeback.
It was barely a second, almost unnoticeable. But Sam caught it.
Four minutes.
Almost time.
The tapping became more intense, and the rate at which you pulled out your phone to check the time increased.
Fuck, this was a bad idea. How were you supposed to behave with him after all this time?
Something was wrong. Something was off.
Sam wasn’t blind to it. He could see it under the smile you eased into at game night, the complaining when too much food was ordered for three people to eat, the good natured teasing when he rolled over to your side of the bed at night to steal your blanket.
Something was eating at you, gnawing at you from the inside.
His suspicion was confirmed when you whispered at 2am one night to what you thought was an asleep partner that you wanted to move out. Find a place of your own.
His stomach dropped instantly but he didn’t so much as move a muscle.
“I need to get out. I need to have a life,” you sniffed, doing your best not to wake him up as you traced circles into his skin lightly. “I don’t know what it’s like to be independent. I won’t know unless I figure it out myself.”
The air had a chill to it and it was one of the times you had asked him to sleep in the guest bedroom with you instead of on his own, knowing that it was one of those nights where you could use a little extra warmth.
“Even when we were in there I couldn’t stop thinking about whether this thing between us was just because we were forced to stay together. You said it wasn’t, and I know that but I can’t help but think-” Your voice cracked. “Would you come back to me if things were different?”
He didn’t answer, even though he knew what he wanted to say with all the certainty in the world. Your fingers continued to draw on his skin. He continued to let you.
Sam didn’t even bring up the conversation that morning, or that week. Instead, he held you a bit closer whenever he could and gave you the space to hopefully open up to him on your own time, letting you know that he’d be there to listen.
It took a while. You both were in the middle of watching a movie that wasn’t Die Hard when you told him that you needed to talk to him about something. The hesitancy in your voice and the fixation your fingers had with the hem of your sweater was painful to witness.
He understood, of course. He always did. That you needed to experience what it was like to live, not survive. That decades of living with other kids, living under an abuser, living in a safehouse for months, was restrictive and suffocating and you needed to find what made you happy.
And so did he. It was something both of you had to do eventually, exit the bubble you had been staying in under such ardent protection for those two months.
Riley was wonderfully supportive of it, vowing to find you the best apartment that New Orleans had to offer. You didn’t doubt it.
His place had been colourful and bright and everything you could have asked for after the monotone walls you were used to. But it wasn’t yours.
A few weeks later you had moved out. Sam left a lingering kiss on your forehead, a sign to say that he’d be here whenever, whatever.
You made a Shakira joke. He laughed.
A completely fresh new start. If you failed now, it was all on you.
And what a terrifying thought that was.
It had been four months since you had left Riley’s apartment behind.
Four months since you had seen either of them.
The cafe was starting to feel too small for this event. Too intimate, too-
When the bell above the cafe chimes, something at the back of your mind instantly wakes up, sending you on high alert.
“Y/N?” he called out from behind you.
You knew he’d be early.
“Sam.” You breathed out, standing up to face him.
Video calls didn’t do him any justice. He had a particular glow to him, an aura of confidence that wasn’t there the last time you saw him. His beard was neatly trimmed and the smile that tugged at his lips the minute you caught his eye was beautiful.
You didn’t realise how different he looked until the time apart. Months of makeshift workouts and peanut butter as your only source of protein had done a number on him. You remembered him being leaner, and what you now realised was the constant burden of fatigue on his face.
“You look good.” An understatement escaped you, but he did.
He had a deep blue shirt on that hugged him in all the right places. Months of seeing him only black and grey had you damn near drooling when he wore other colours after you got out.
Not that you were staring, but his biceps had definitely made a wonderful return.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Sam sent you a smile that instantly put you at ease. “Independence looks good on you, sweetheart.”
You gave a small laugh, gesturing for him to take a seat. Should you have hugged him? Shook his hand? Kissed hi-
“It’s been a while,” he politely interrupted your overthinking. “How are things going?”
You let out a small breath. It was a big question, one that you had answered over text and call a few times but it was different now. He was in front of you now and you couldn’t bullshit the way you used to on call occasionally.
“Weird,” you admitted. “I don’t know what to do with myself now that I have all this time.”
“It takes some gettin’ used to.” He nodded in agreement, leaning back in his chair.
A lot of your time went into trying new hobbies. Knitting, pottery, drawing- anything that you could get your hands on. Things didn’t always catch on, some discarded just after the first week. Others stuck, bringing you bits of triumph every time you moved forward with your newfound skill.
“You still seein’ your therapist?” He flashed a smile at the waitress who filled his glass of water.
Ah, yes. Dr. Bishop had been one of the first people you sought out.
“Yeah.” You took a sip of water. “See her weekly.”
You still had money left over from all the hit jobs that you had done. As much as you wanted to leave every inkling of that life behind, you needed the cash to live. You had enough for the time being, but you knew that eventually you had to start working; if not for the money then for the peace of mind.
“How’s that goin’?”
“She thinks I talk in elaborate metaphors. The gang’s what I call my toxic family, he was my abusive father, stuff like that.”
There were moments where you thought you saw someone you knew standing at a corner, vendors giving you icy looks from across the street, footsteps outside your door that seemed too damn loud. But nothing ever came of it.
“Thanks for the tip, by the way.” You extended a smile to him in appreciation for the idea.
“Worked with my therapist, figured it would be the same with yours.” He shrugged casually. It wasn’t like you wanted to lie to her, and you weren’t. But some things were better left in the dark.
“But I think it’s helping.” You exhaled deeply, eyes downcast. “The nightmares are reducing.”
“That’s a lot of progress.” The corner of his mouth quirked upward in pride.
Several feelings erupted from that look, some that you’d spend the whole day revelling in if you didn’t force yourself to move on.
“How about you?” you diverted the subject back to him. “How’s Riley?”
“He says he misses ya.” Sam laughed. “Says he can’t handle me alone, that he needs you back to save him.”
“What have you been doing to that poor man?” you teased, easing back into your seat. “He was fine when I left him.”
“He’s got a fancy new job now and it’s been going to his head. Needed a little humbling.”
“You’re not going too hard on him, are you?” Even though you knew he wasn’t, it was fun to make sure.
“Nah, I’d say it’s just about the right amount.” Sam grinned and you felt the familiar flutter return to your stomach. “I’ve been doing good. Working on getting my license.”
“Oh yeah, how’s that going?” You were thrilled when he said he was going to look into becoming a youth counselor, knowing that it was something he had been genuinely wanting to do for ages.
“With my background, or lack of it, it’s a little trickier than I thought it would be,” he divulges a bit more seriously. “Riley’s been pulling a few strings and I got a few contacts but it’s gonna take some more time.”
You bit your lip, worry rising for him. He deserved it, he earned it. It fucking sucked that it wasn’t going to be an easy, direct path.
“We’ll figure it out,” you said quietly, reaching out to intertwine your fingers with his in reassurance.
The contact brings with it a small spark. You wondered if he still felt it.
“Yeah. We will.” He sent you a soft smile at your action, not making any effort to move it. “You been on any dates lately?”
You let out a snort at that. “Loads. Have fellas lining up at every corner for me.”
“I bet.” He’s more bold, a bit more open than he was in the first month when you both got out. “How many of them do I have to fight off?”
“I’d say six as a rough estimate.” Your expression mimicked one of consideration. “I hope you’ve been getting your hours in at the gym.”
“I’ll kick it up a notch,” he promised, hands raised in surrender.
“You better. We’re supposed to go for laser-tag.” A dumb callback to a joke he made on one of your last days there.
“Or paintball.” He remembered. It made you unnecessarily giddy. “I added an escape room to the list too.”
“Hilarious,” you fired at him, rolling your eyes slightly but the happiness on your face proved otherwise.
His laughter died down eventually, paving the way for the comfortable silence that lingered between you both. Your eyes fell down to where your hand still held his, biting your lip to conceal a smile.
“Y/N,” he called out, pulling your gaze back to his. “Jokes aside… how are you?”
You let out a breath at his question. You knew it was coming.
“Riley found me an apartment,” you murmured.
Sam looked up from his phone. “Yeah?”
“It’s a nice place. Lots of sunlight. Quiet too.” You toyed with your fingers. “But it’s about an hour away. More if you consider traffic.”
Sam set his phone down gently on the bedside table, indicating that you had his full attention.
“I don’t want you to think I’m abandoning you, because I’m not. I wouldn’t, I just-”
“Hey,” he interrupted calmly, twisting his body to face you. “I don’t think you’re abandoning me. If this is what you need, then you should do it.”
“I don’t know if this is what I need. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ve never been-” the frustration in your voice only increased as you went on. “-I don’t even know if this is going to work. What if I hate it?”
“Finding out what you hate is just as important as what you like, I think.” He watched you toy with the fidget square he had gotten you. “And you know that if you don’t feel like it, then you can come back here at any moment.”
“I know.” It was a comforting thought. A safety net.
“But would this make you happy?” That caught you by surprise.
It wasn’t something you had thought of. You thought of the negative consequences, the devastating effects it could have on you, how it could be the worst possible decision you’d ever make.
“I don’t know,” you mumbled, a new anxiety setting in. “I guess we’ll see.”
You liked the neighbours who played the piano way too loud at 2am, the really terrible coffee at the therapist’s office and the feeling the paper plane on your dresser gave you when you occasionally looked at it.
You didn’t like how hot the apartment could get, especially during the afternoon, or the guy who sold magazines down the street who cursed at everyone for no reason, or the gentrified Indian food they served at the mall.
But Sam was right. Figuring out what you didn’t like was just as beautiful a journey as figuring out what you did.
“I’m happy.” You breathed out. “Or I'm working towards being happy. But it’s there.”
He doesn’t say anything to that. Simply slipped his palm under yours to lift your hand, pressing a kiss to your knuckles.
“I’m proud of you.”
If anyone could feel the heat that rose to your face they would probably think you had a fever.
The fear that you had, the one of what things would be like if you weren’t forced to survive in a confined space together, had begun to fade the minute he called out your name that day.
It was Sam. Your Sam.
You shake yourself out of your train of thought with a small smile, making a move to gather up your belongings without letting go of his hand for a second.
“Well, c’mon then. Those paintballs aren’t going to shoot themselves.”
“Are you saying this is a date?” There was a smirk on his face that wasn’t there a minute ago.
“Would you still consider it one once I annihilate you?” You tilted your head in a challenge.
“That would never happen, first of all.” He scoffed. “Second… I was thinking that maybe we could do something normal for a change.”
That had you more interested than the prospect of adventure sports. You had enough of it for a lifetime, frankly speaking.
“Lead the way, Cinnamon.” He only rolled his eyes at the nickname, sending you a vaguely threatening look. You just laughed.
“This place got good coffee?” He looked around at the establishment and its patrons.
“One of the best.”
“Then I don’t see why we have to go anywhere else,” he offered and you nodded, relaxing back into your place with the same sense of warmth in your heart that only intensified with his proposal.
He raised his hand up to flag the server, the same girl who had been helping you out since you got there, asking for two menus.
The smile he sent her was infectious. It was good.
“Sam,” you began quietly. “I missed you.”
His eyes softened, the sunlight reflecting in it making it shine like dravite. “I missed you, too.”
“Ready to order?” The waitress stands beside you with a notepad.
He looked at you and you nodded with a smile.
Things were different. You were different.
And he still came back to you.
--fin--
here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <3
thank you so much for reading!
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saltyhyunjae · 3 years
Text
CHAPTER THREE: YOU KNOCK ME OUT COLD AND DISAPPEAR
Tumblr media
genre/warnings: angst, fluff, slow burn, enemies to lovers (?), kidnapping, criminal!tbz, mentions of guns & knives, small mention of suicide
word count: 2.2k
summary: It’s time for y/n to carry out her escape plan.
part two
“Here’s the diary you asked for.” Kevin gives you a small notebook with a pen. “Thank you.” Tomorrow is gonna be the day. The day you finally escape. When you enter your room, you sit on your bed and write down the info you have gathered all week.
Everyone goes to their room around 2 in the morning. Eric gets his midnight snack at 2:30, and Sunwoo goes to the toilet around 3. By the time they’re all asleep it’s 3:30. Instead of leaving at 3:30 you decide that it’s better to stay put till 4. You also checked the door last night. It doesn’t have any censors and an easy lock. This should be an easy mission.
“Knock knock.” Younghoon walks into your room. You quickly close your diary and put it on your nightstand.
“That’s not how you knock.”
He laughs and lies on your bed. “I’m so bored, what should we do?” “We?” You turn around to face him and he nods. You look outside. It’s been raining all week but the sun has been shining all morning. “Why don’t we sit in the garden?” You suggest. Ever since you came back from the grocery store you’ve only been inside. You needed some fresh air.
After a couple minutes you were outside with Younghoon, sitting on a picnic blanket, eating some fruit and enjoying the nice weather.
“Ah, the weather is great today.” Younghoon smiles, laying down on the blanket and you do the same. You smile at the warm feeling from the sun, finally relaxing.
Even though your eyes are closed, you can suddenly feel a shadow above you, blocking the sun. “What the-, move!” You hear Younghoon complain and you open your eyes to see Hyunjae, standing between you too. If you’re completely honest you’ve been avoiding him ever since what happened that one night. The more you hangout with him, the weirder you start to feel.
“What are you guys doing?” “What does it look like? We’re enjoying the sun.” Younghoon puts his sunglasses back on and lays down again. You’re about to close your eyes again but Hyunjae finds a way to lie between you two. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Younghoon groans. “I wanna enjoy the sun too.” “Go do that somewhere else.” “No.” You scootch over a bit and decide to just ignore him.
»»————- ➴ ————-««
After you’re done with cleaning the living room and folding the laundry, Jacob asks you to have another guitar session, to which you excitedly agree. You loved his voice and you were hoping he could tell you a bit more about the boys.
He starts off by singing Paris In The Rain by Lauv. you absolutely love his voice and you automatically start smiling the second you hear him sing. You once again take your time to look at him. He has a soft smile as he sings, his hair falling just right above his eyes that are following the chords of the guitar and his head slowly nodding with the melodies.
When he finishes the song, you applaud him. “Wow Jacob, you’re so good at singing. Do you have some self-written songs?” He nods “I do, do you want to hear one?” You nod excitedly. “This one is called happy-” Jacob gets interrupted by Hyunjae storming into your room. Are you actually kidding me?
“Jacob, Sangyeon needs you to help him.” Jacob nods, stands up and thanks you for your time before leaving to help Sangyeon. You were hoping Hyunjae would leave with Jacob but instead he sits next to you on the bed, very close, leaving no personal space.
You're about to scootch away from him. But he places his hand on your thigh to stop you. Usually if a guy did this you would slap his hand away, but you can’t bring yourself to do that right now. “What’s with the distance? You’ve been avoiding me all week. Did you think I wouldn't notice?” He asks in a low voice. Your brain starts to fog up. “I-” You try to find words to say but nothing comes out. His face gets closer, never breaking eye contact with you.
“What? Do I make you nervous?” He smirks. You feel a bubble of annoyance come up. As you're about to reply with ‘no’, Eric storms in. “Y/n! ah Hyunjae, there you are!” “What do you want?” Hyunjae asks, clearly annoyed at Eric interrupting the two of you.
“Y/n, come play games with me. Hyunjae, you can come too if you want.” Hyunjae huffs and rolls his eyes. “Y/n, please.” Eric whines, now pulling your arm, trying to get you off the bed. “Okay okay.” You give in, scared to be alone with Hyunjae in one room. You would be lying if you say that your heart doesn't flutter every time you see him.
After an hour and a half of playing mario kart with Eric and Hyunjae, and you despite your sneaky protests, sitting in between them, and you beating both of them more than seven times, it’s finally time for dinner. And guess who you're sitting next to. Hyunjae.
“So guys, our break is ending. Our next group mission starts next week, so make sure you prepare for it well. I’ll tell you guys the details later.” Sangyeon announces and the boys cheer. “Finally I was so bored.” Changmin drops on his chair. “You're always bored, maybe you're just boring.” Eric laughs, making fun of him, but quickly stopping as Changmin points a knife at him.
After dinner Sangyeon and Chanhee offer to help clean up and Kevin helps you with the dishes. By the time you're done it’s late, so you decide to go to bed first. Since your escape is tomorrow, you need as much rest as you can.
»»————- ➴ ————-««
Today you woke up a little later than normally so you won't be tired tonight. You really need your energy to run as fast as possible. After you guys are done with eating breakfast you watch a drama with Juyeon, Haknyeon and Eric, do laundry and clean the house and by the time you're done it's time to prepare for dinner which Younghoon and Sunwoo helps you with.
After dinner you clean up with Eric and then go to your room to prepare your outfits. You grab a sweater from your closet and a pair of leggings that would be comfortable and warm, since it would be cold at night.
While you put them under your bed with your sneakers, someone knocks on your door. Finally someone who can knock, you think. “Come in.” Jacob comes in smiling at you. “Hi, am I disturbing you?” You shake your head sitting on your bed and he does the same.
“Well I just wanna tell you I'm very happy to have you here, you’ve been helping us a lot even though I know you don’t wanna be here and I really appreciate you. I would’ve given you a present, but I don't think you would appreciate stolen stuff.” He looks down at his knees, blushing a bit, cute.
You started to feel a pang of guilt in your heart, Jacob has been an angel to you ever since you first spoke to him but you couldn’t take it any longer, you wanted to leave. You needed to leave. Trying to enjoy the time you had left with him you guys spent hours talking about Canada, his childhood, why he doesn’t swear and about how much he loves basketball. You could watch him talk for hours. You nod to everything he says, trying to ignore the butterflies you feel when you two make eye contact.
»»————- ➴ ————-««
You look up at the clock in your room. 04:00. You get up from your bed and make your way to your bedroom door. You slowly open your door and walk to the stairs, quietly going down the steps and taking breaks every few steps. You mentally sigh when u make it downstairs u slowly make your way to the front door in the dark careful not to make a noise.
When you walk past the kitchen you decide to take a knife with you, just in case. When you get to the door you slowly open the door, cringing at the little squeak sound it makes in the process.
Once the door is wide enough for you to fit in, you step outside, leaving the door open, since the sound of the door closing might wake them up. You take a few quick steps till you reach further from the house.
Once you’re reaching the forest you hear the door slam open. Shit! You turn around before you start running. Sangyeon’s standing at the door. Clearly very angry. “Y/N!” You hear him scream as you start running fasters. You hear the others making a fuss as you take a turn right into the forest.
“God, she’s fast.” Kevin breathes out, taking a break from running. “Yeah, just let her go, I'm too tired.” Chanhee squats down, Younghoon doing the same. “No! she’ll report us to the police and then it’s over for us, we need to find her.” Sangyeon says before making his way to the forest, the others following behind him.
You notice the forest is on top of a hill, which makes you run down faster. You run way faster than expected, almost twisting your ankle when taking a turn left. The footsteps of the boys started to fade away but you didn’t slow down, adrenaline still rushing through your body.
“Y/N!” Sangyeon screams looking around, he stops running and waits for the others to catch up, when they do, he shares his plan. “Okay, we're splitting up in the units we use for our missions, call me when you find her.” And they all split up in their units, Sangyeon’s unit going left.
“How could she do this?” Eric sighs. “I mean we kidnapped her, this was bound to happen.” Hyunjae says. He hates to admit but he’s worried sick and hopes you're not hurt. He shrugs it off thinking it's just a normal reaction and that he’s not actually catching feelings for you.
After a while your running slows down and you start to get tired. You stumble across a huge fallen down tree and you decide to hide behind it. Cliche but you're so tired, you can barely feel your legs. Once you sit down, you bend a bit making sure your head isn’t visible. You sigh. Why did you have to be the one to get kidnapped, why did they have to rob the store you work at. You stop the tears you feel from flowing so it won’t block your sight.
“How fast is she, God.” You hear Changmin’s voice from a little distance. Shit. You're freaking out but remain in your position. You pray that they won’t see you, cause they’ll definitely kill you when they do. The voices are starting to fade and you take the opportunity to start running again, regaining the adrenaline you had earlier.
But you should’ve waited. Juyeon spots you. “There!” You hear him yell and they start running after you. You panic, taking a run right, into the darker part of the forest. You jump over another fallen tree and make your way further down. Once you lose them you slow down a bit. You can barely see anything, so you start walking.
Suddenly you feel two hands grab you. You startle and stab the person with the knife you're holding. “Ow!” Jacob. You panic as you start running again, feeling slightly bad that he was the one you stabbed. You hope he’s okay as you start running faster.
After a while you stumble over something that makes you fall down, hurting your knee and elbows. “Fuck.” You whisper, quickly getting up. Soon after you run into a tree hurting your chest and cheek. You were getting so tired, you couldn’t even focus on where you were running to. You prayed this all was just a bad dream and you would wake up in your own room again, remaining your normal life.
“Jacob what happened!” Sangyeon gives him a worried look. The boys gather around Jacob, who’s holding his arm. “She stabbed me.” He understands why you did it but it still hurts him. “God, she has a knife.” Sunwoo panics. “Younghoon and Chanhee, bring Jacob to the house and take care of his wound. The rest of us will keep on searching.” The boys nod at his order and split up again.
An hour passes and the boys still haven’t found you. Hyunjae starts to worry even more. They were all wearing a jacket, but you didn't. It was so cold around this time of the day and it would be so easy to freeze up. “Shouldn’t we just give up. The sun will start rising soon, she’ll probably show up again.” He suggests, but Sangyeon ignores him. He sighs. As much as he wants you to be free, he doesn’t want to let you go.
You’re just roaming around at this point. You have no idea how much time has passed, or if the boys have given up already. You think it might be easier to just stab yourself with a knife and just die. But you didn’t want to give up. You wanted your old life back. You finally see the end of the forest a couple meters away from you and run towards it. But something grabs you and spins you around. You look up and your eyes widen. Hyunjae.
»»————- ➴ ————-««
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lexa-lives-in-us · 3 years
Text
Saving Tips for Hard Times
I found this old document where I collected a series of tips to save money. This is all part of my experience of when I was near homeless, and some work depending on where you live, some don’t. Here we go.
BILLS:
1. The optimum temperature for refrigerator operation is 5°C, and -18°C for freezer operation. As a rule of thumb, for each additional degree of refrigeration output about six percent more electricity is used.
2. Unplug your appliances. Lamps, microwave, tv, computers etc. They don't need to be plugged until you use them, and it saves energy to keep them unplugged. Therefore, money.
3. Do homework for phone companies and internet plans. Call them! Often they are toll free and if you mentioned that you were already with them or thinking of going with them and then found out another company had a better deal, they could offer you deals for lower prices. I had to do it all the time for my phone, until they couldn't really offer anything better.
4. BIKE. Invest in a used bike if you can, especially for the warmer months. It offsets the transit costs and better your health.
5. WALK. That's the same as the bike, honestly.
6. Pay your bills on time, you will avoid late fees which can up to HUNDREDS of dollars wasted over the course of a year. If you can, set up automatic payments so you don’t forget.
FRIDGE:
1. Every time the refrigerator door is opened, cold air escapes and warm ambient air enters. To compensate for the temperature increase in its interior, the refrigerator must then use energy to bring the temperature back down. Always avoid opening the door unnecessarily and for too long.
2. When defrosting frozen food place it in the refrigerator. Not only does this ensure that the food is carefully defrosted, its presence cools down the refrigerator interior, reducing the amount of work that the compressor has to do, and therefore lowering energy consumption.
3. Never put warm food in the refrigerator as this will heat up the interior, as well as other stored foods. Hot food should always be allowed to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator
MONEY:
1. Keep all the containers like glass bottles, juice bottles, jars, cans etc. Look for your Return-It depot and have trips to return them. They give back coins for laundry, small expenses etc
2. Use that junk mail. Go through it, find coupons for food, for essentials like toilet paper or shampoo.
3. CHECK. THAT. DOLLARSTORE. They often have things like pasta, ketchup, toilet paper, batteries etc for literally 1 dollar.  Pasta is pasta, toilet paper is toilet paper. Seriously. Don't need to spend 5$ on a shampoo bottle when you can have it for 1/5 of the price.
4. Do homework and check with different banks for which one offers a better plan. Some of them are willing to help out. Sit down with their advisors, find the best solution!
5. Use the envelope system! For example, one envelope with a label “food” the other with “entertainment” the other with “bills”. Then set the right amount of cash for each. That’s what you’re allowed to spend each month. If you realize you need more for food, grab it from the entertainment envelope. Adapt and arrange as needed.
6. If you can, set up an automatic saving (example 50$ every paycheck) for both regular saving AND an emergency fund.
7. Use the 24-Hour Rule. Avoid purchasing expensive or unnecessary items on impulse with a self-imposed 24-hour rule. For any non-essential item, wait 24 hours before purchasing. It’s perfect for online shopping where your items can simply be added to your cart to purchase later.
8. Make a grocery list BEFORE going to the grocery store and STICK to it. You’re going to avoid buying things you don’t really need.
9. DO. NOT. SHOP. WHILE. YOU. ARE. HUNGRY. Or you’ll end up buying food that you actually don’t need just because you feel snacky!
10. Only use ATMs from your bank, or you get charged small fees.
11. Set a “No Spend Day” per week, where you consciously DO NOT spend any money for that day.
12. Ditch the paper: Cutting out paper towels and using cloths and napkins that you can simply wash and reuse is a simple way to save.
13. After you wear clothes, hang them outside your wardrobe, on a door or something. You can air them out a bit, then stick them in the closet without washing. You can basically reuse the same clothes two or three times without having to wash them, sometimes they just need a bit of air and they won’t smell AT ALL.
14. If you don’t own or want to spend money on an iron, hang whatever blouse you need to iron in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will humidify the fabric and straighten it up.
15. Hang stuff to dry. Really don’t need to spend money on the dryer.
16. Sign up to the library. They have so many books and DVDs nowadays. You can also just go, sit at the library and stay warm for a while, so that you don’t have to sit at home and either suffer the cold or use money on your own heat.
17. Budget, budget, budget. Get a lil notebook, write down the monthly expenses, cut what you don’t need. It gets easier with time.
 FOOD:
1.       Make a meal plan. Write 10-14 days worth of dishes that you can do (lunch, dinner, everything you need). You can then toss them around as you go on with your week, but that way you have a pretty clear idea of what you use and the food you go through for how long. It also reduces the risks of getting take out since you already have plans for what to eat.
2.       Cook double! Seriously. Make that dinner and double it up. Leftovers can be frozen or put in the fridge for the day after.
3.       Meal prep. Once a week, prep a bunch of different recipes. Let them cool down, stick them in the freezer. At that point you’ll already have all these meals at the ready to just thaw/microwave or oven up.
4.       You don’t need pop. You don’t need alcohol. You most likely don’t need milk, but go for it if you wanna. Just remember dairy products go bad WAY more quickly than non dairies, so consider getting food and drinks with no dairy in them. Mainly, though. Water. Just drink water. Lots of it too! Sometimes our brain can’t tell the difference between hunger and thirst. You think you’re snacky? Drink some water instead! It’ll quell your hunger.
5.       Freeze fruit! If you think you’re not gonna be able to eat fruit in time, put it in a Tupperware or a ziplock and slap it in the freezer. You’ll be able to then use it for smoothies.
6.       Use the Italian saying “Colazione da re, pranzo da nobili, cena da poveri.” Which quite literally means “Breakfast as a king, lunch as a noble, dinner as a poor.” Breakfast should be very filling, carbs, protein, vitamins. It carries you for the whole day. Lunch should be quite filling too! But supper doesn’t really need a lot of it, and if you REALLY have to skip a meal, skip supper. Your body doesn’t need that much sustenance while sleeping.
7.       This is for the desperate times but I’ve done it, and I would do it again if I ever had to. Go to markets that have like… Fruits and veggies. Talk to them. Ask them “HEY, can I have the fruit/veggie that you have to throw away?” Ask them if you can have the ugly produce, the one that doesn’t look pretty enough to be put out. Or ask them to have whatever extra they have to dump because is past the expiry date. EXPIRY DATE IS USUALLY MUCH LONGER THAN WHAT THE LABEL SAYS. I wouldn’t risk it with dairy stuff or with things that are VERY expired, but one or two days? Totally fine, I promise. And if you have to? Dumpster Dive. Especially at markets with fruit and veggies that have to be sold on the same day (because it’s not considered “fresh” past that day.) Or behind pizza places like Dominos or Panago or whatever chain. They get pizza orders wrong all the time. Just give a peak behind these buildings and look inside their boxes. You have no idea how many times I found perfectly fine pizzas. For free! IF YOU DUMPSTER DIVE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GLOVES, A MASK AND PLASTIC BAGS TO PUT YOUR STUFF IN. ONCE AT HOME, DISCARD GLOVES AND WASH PRODUCE THROUGHLY. Also check tumblr for your divers community, they usually know the best spots.
 CLOTHES:
1.       Thrift shop! So many GOOD used clothes are out there! Honestly! My whole wardrobe is thrifted and everything looks brand new. It takes a bit of research and maybe that shirt you liked is not in your size, but you can find EVERYTHING, from socks to bras, at a thrift store. Don’t thrift underwear though. You want to go new with those.
2.       Invest in some needle and thread, then open youtube. There are SO MANY tutorials that teach you how to mend holes in socks and underwear. And really, no one will really notice if a mend is perfectly done or not. After a week, you’ll forget it too! But that prevents you from throwing away clothes that could just be mended a little.
3.       Something doesn’t fit you? Too small, too big? YouTube, homie. They have tutorials on how to fix these kinda things! All you need, again, is needle and thread.
4.       Organize clothes swaps with friends and/or neighbors. Everyone brings clothes they don’t need, put them in a pile. Go through the pile and grab whatever there is. There’s no money exchange, one could go home with 1 item and one could go home with 50 items. Who cares? The extra stuff… DONATE IT TO A SHELTER.
Feel free to add more, and stay safe!
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junghelioseok · 3 years
Text
novae.
↳ what is grief, if not love persevering?
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◇ hoseok x reader   ◇ angst | fluff(?) | time traveler!au     ◇ 1.8k [1/1]
notes: a polaris drabble, so please read that beforehand. summary is from wandavision, which i haven’t seen, but that line is everything and i got inspired! also, i am so not kidding about the angst!!! be warned!!! (and i’m not saying that you should listen to blue side while reading this but i’m also not not saying that, so....... do what you want 🤷🏻‍♀️)
warnings: not super edited bc i couldn’t handle it tbh, dealing with death and loss, i’m pretty sure this is the angst you were all afraid would be in polaris so sorry but there’s some cute stuff too i swear
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You said goodbye to your husband yesterday. One final goodbye as you scattered his ashes to the wind, watching as they disappeared into the flurry of dry brown leaves spiraling into the river.
There’d been a wake, of course. Last week, at a modest little place on the outskirts of the city where you and your husband had made your home. You'd watched people come and go—friends and family and those acquaintances you never really knew but who all seemed to know your husband one way or another. They flowed on through, a seemingly never ending stream of dark-clothed mourners with good intentions and well-meaning words on their lips.
Thank you for coming, became your mantra after the first dozen or so. Yes, I'm fine. Sure, you can bring a casserole by the house tomorrow.
You really ought to put the casseroles in the fridge. They sit on the kitchen counter in a colorful array of dishes, wrapped in saran wrap and flecked with condensation from being packed up when they were still warm. You can see them from your seat at the dining table, as you tear your gaze away from the window it’s tucked against and prop your chin in your open palm.
The last of your family left yesterday, boarding flights and climbing into cars to return to their own lives. Your friends and neighbors offered their final condolences, before falling back into their own habits and routines. With their departure, you’re alone for the first time in what feels like forever, doing your best to pick up the pieces of your life. And though you have no more tears left to cry, there’s a rift in your heart that refuses to mend, the jagged edges of it digging into your lungs and ribs.
The house is cold without him by your side. That's what it is, now—a house, because you can no longer bear to call it home even if it doesn’t look any different than it did two weeks ago. The things that surround you—the worn couch and the novelty mugs and the patch of imperfect paint on the living room wall—they belong to you. The memories that well up when you look at them, they belong to you.
But they belong to him, too.
Your late husband’s presence lingers in everything around you. There's the faint dip in the couch cushion from decades of use—years of Netflix binges and late night cuddles and the occasional romp when the two of you couldn’t quite make it all the way to the bedroom. There’s the goofy cartoon sun that decorates your favorite mug—the very first one he'd gifted you all those years ago when you first started dating. There’s the memory of the laughter that creased his face when he accidentally leaned against the wet paint in the living room, his white t-shirt muddied with streaks of green. You'd fixed it, of course—done your best with the leftover paint scraped out of the bottom of the can. Doesn't have to be perfect though, he'd said with paint on his cheek. I think it's nice. Gives the place a little more character, you know?
Heaving a sigh, you push back from the table and wearily rise to your feet to put the casseroles away. But your fingertips have only just brushed one of the several ceramic platters lining the counter when there’s a sudden, loud thump from the living room.
“Damn it,” a voice says, and you freeze in your tracks, your heart skipping several beats. Your hearing isn’t what it used to be, but you’d recognize that voice anywhere.
“Hoseo—” you begin, but the second syllable gets caught in your throat. Your husband walks through the doorway with a curious little smile, and your eyes well up with tears that you didn’t even know you had left.
“Hey, beautiful,” he says, coming to a stop before you and brushing a thumb across your cheek fondly. Then his expression sobers, as he takes in your misty gaze and the countless casseroles on the counter. “What’s wrong?”
This Hoseok is in his mid-forties, at most—several decades younger than you are in the present. There’s the barest glint of silver around his temples, a smattering of salt beginning to overtake the pepper of his hair, and you blink rapidly as your throat begins to well with emotion again.
“Hoseok,” you breathe. “Nothing’s wrong. You’re here.”
“I’m here,” he confirms. His palm caresses your cheek, and you lean into the touch as he pulls you close and into the warmth of his chest.
It’s been years since you last saw a Hoseok that wasn’t your own—a Hoseok that came from a time that wasn’t your present. Once the two of you moved in together in your twenties, Hoseok’s travels through time tapered off. The last time you’d seen him was about six years ago, when an eighteen year old Hoseok stumbled into the backyard while you were planting peonies and your Hoseok was at the grocery store. You’d offered him milk and cookies, and he’d been all too happy to accept. You remember that he’d been stressed about final exams, at the time.
And now, here he is again, older and wiser and thankfully not scratched up from appearing in the middle of your rose bushes. Pulling back from the embrace, you take in his face once more, your gaze roving across the wrinkles of laughter around his eyes and the familiar freckle above his lip. His hair, upon closer inspection, is damp, and gingerly, you reach up to trail your fingers through it.
“Rain?” you ask. “Or shower?”
“Shower,” Hoseok replies with a smile, intercepting your hand and pressing a warm kiss to your frail knuckles. “Seriously, I just barely managed to get dressed before I found myself here.”
A laugh bubbles up in your chest, escaping into the open air and easing the tightness in your throat. “It’s good to see you,” you murmur, smiling when he laces your fingers together and gives your hand a squeeze. “It’s so, so good to see you, Hobi.”
Hoseok chuckles and bumps his forehead gently against yours. “It’s good to see you too, babe.”
You laugh again at the term of endearment, smacking his chest weakly with your free hand. “Babe? I’m old enough to be your grandmother.”
“And yet, you’re as pretty as you’ve ever been,” he replies with a grin. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Slowly, your smile fades. You think of the casseroles, and the jar of ashes you’d scattered to the wind. You think of the little spoonful of ashes you’d saved, that now hangs heavy in a locket in the hollow of your throat. “Hobi, I—”
You trail off, and Hoseok’s expression softens. “It’s me, right? I’m… gone?”
“You—” Sniffing, you bury your face into his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his citrusy shampoo melding with the vaguely floral laundry detergent you both favor. Underneath it all is something that is distinctly Hoseok, something warm and comfortable and inviting, and you sniffle again when he reaches up to stroke along your back.
“It’s okay, baby,” he whispers into your hair, his breath warm against the shell of your ear. “You can let it out. You’ve been so strong, but you can let it all out now. It’s okay.”
“I don’t know what to do, Hobi,” you mumble into the sky blue cotton of his t-shirt, whisper-soft. “I don’t… I don’t think I know how to live without you.”
And it’s true. You’ve known Hoseok since you were eight years old—ever since he appeared in the middle of your garage and knocked over a can full of paintbrushes. You moved in together at twenty-four, got engaged two years later, and haven’t looked back since. You’ve given decades of your life and all of your love to Hoseok, and he’s done the same. And now all that you have left of him is a locket full of his ashes and a house filled to the brim with memories both good and bad.
“Were we happy?”
You blink, twice in rapid succession, before looking up into his achingly familiar face. His eyes are soft and his smile is tender, and you blink again slowly before answering. “Of course we were.”
Hoseok’s smile widens. He touches your cheek again gently, the pad of his thumb brushing the delicate skin just beneath your right eye. “And we had decades of happiness, didn’t we?”
“A lifetime’s worth,” you agree in a whisper. “But I’m selfish, Hobi. I want more. I want you.”
“You have me,” Hoseok replies, and your eyes flutter shut when he reaches up to cup your face in his hands, his touch delicate and light as if you’re something to be treasured. “I’ve been yours since we were kids, and I’ll be yours until the universe ends and the stars die out. You couldn’t get rid of me, even if you tried.”
The sound that escapes you is part laugh, part choked sob, and when you speak again, your voice is small. “I know. You’re right, and I know that. But—” and here your throat closes up, and you have to clear it twice just to continue on. “I just miss you, Hobi. I miss you so much. Between the wake and everyone coming into town, it just feels like… it feels like I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye.”
“Say it now, then,” he says easily, and you suck in a shaky breath.
“Really?”
“Really.”
So, you do. You tell him everything you never got a chance to say—from the stupid jokes you never got to crack, to how happy you are to have met him all those decades ago. Hoseok listens to you ramble on with a tender smile and his fingers twined with yours, and when you fall silent again, he utters four simple little words that somehow still manage to make your breach catch and your heart sing.
“I love you too.”
You nod, and blink back a fresh wave of tears. “Will I see you again?”
“I don’t know,” he answers, and you know he’s telling the truth because he’s incapable of lying. “I hope so. But even if you don’t, I know you’ll be okay. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, and you’re going to be fine. I know it.”
Hoseok stiffens, then, and you know it’s time for him to go. “I love you,” you repeat, whispering the words into his chest as if you can force them past the material of his shirt and imprint them into his very skin. “Goodbye, Hobi.”
Your husband squeezes your hand, planting twin kisses onto your eyelids one onto your lips. “Goodbye, {Name}.
And then he’s gone, leaving you alone once more.
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laurenairay · 3 years
Note
1 with Matthew Tkachuk possibly if you want to?
Thanks for requesting this one, anon! I had a lot of fun writing this one – maybe I should write more for him in the future? 
Tagging @danglesnipecelly for getting me on the Matthew Tkachuk train the first place! 😘
“You owe me.” “Fine, whatever you want.”
*
Summer. The start of warmer weather, longer nights, ice-cream dripping down your fingers, the happiness that only true sunshine could bring. It also meant gatherings of friends from far and wide, those still living at home in St Louis like you, or those who ventured out of state and further afield. Friends whose lives had taken then far away from home, but the lure of summer always brought them back. Friends, like your neighbour Matthew Tkachuk.
You’d already seen him a couple of times since he arrived home a few days ago, a wave from your house next door and a pizza night when Taryn had come back home too yesterday, but you couldn’t wait for summer to sink into his bones, to give him that freedom he’d been missing too.
That’s when summer would really start.
Growing up, he’d always had that big brother vibe, despite you only being a couple of months younger than him, and you were glad for his steady friendship. But for the past few summers, things had changed slightly. Those friendly brotherly vibes had shifted, the airs of childhood having long faded away, and a teasing playful vibe had turned up in its place. Summer had never lasted long enough for you to figure out how you felt about this change, to be honest. But you were hoping that this was the year, this was when you finally figured out what it all meant.
You were sitting in your room, putting away some laundry when your phone buzzed with a call. The Best Tkachuk. Huh.
“Hey, Matty, what’s up?” you said, smiling.
“Hey, I need your help,”
Woah.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?” you frowned, dropping the last of your clean socks onto the floor.
“Oh, no, no I’m fine. Well, I’m stressed out because I’m trying to do this dinner thing and…damn it, can you drive me to the grocery store?”
“Why don’t you take your mom’s car? Or the car that you and Brady are sharing?” you asked, confused.
“Mom and Dad took Taryn out to the mall to get some new sneakers. And Brady took off in the car to see that girl he’s sneaking around with that he thinks we don’t know about,”
Oh yeah, Brady was super obvious.
“There’s a grocery store you can walk to in 15 minutes, Matty,” you mused, rolling your eyes.
“I went to that one yesterday and I thought I picked up everything on my list but I missed an ingredient because they didn’t have it,”
His voice was getting a little petulant, a whining tone, making you grin. You were going to help him, obviously, but it didn’t hurt to make him work for it.
“And I should help you…why?” you said simply.
“Because if I screw this up when I said I didn’t need any help then Brady and Taryn will never let me hear the end of it!”
“Again, why should I help you?” you teased.
Matthew groaned down the phone, making you smile.
“Because Brady chopped off your favourite Barbie’s hair when we were kids and Taryn scratched up your 13th birthday CD?”
He had a point…
“Try again,” you grinned.
“Because you’ll have my everlasting gratitude?”
“Hmm…”
You trailed off, pretending to think, earning another groan, although you were pretty sure he’d figured out your game by this point.
“Please?”
The softness of his voice made butterflies fizzle in your stomach at the vulnerability. How could you say not to him?
“Yeah, I’ll take you to the grocery store, Matty. Let me put on some shoes,” you said, smiling.
“Thank you, so much,”
You just laughed, shaking your head. “You owe me,”
“Fine, whatever you want,”
“Ooh that could be dangerous,” you teased.
“I can handle it,”
You grinned at what you knew was a smirk in his voice. This was much more like it. “I’ll see you in just a minute,”
And with that, you ended the call. It didn’t take long for you to get some shoes on, and by the time you were downstairs, Matthew was waiting by the car. You bit your lip to hide your smile at how good he looked, sleeveless shirt exposing those sculpted arms, beautiful eyes dangerously focused, hair mussed and wild. Damn. You wiggled your fingers at him in a wave, smile coming through properly at the look of relief on his face.
“You’re a lifesaver,” he groaned, getting in the passenger seat of your car.
“I know,” you mused, “What went wrong?”
Matthew huffed out a laugh, running a hand over his messy hair as you pulled out of your driveway. “You know how mom always throws the big neighbourhood get-together when me, Brady and Taryn are all home for the summer?”
You nodded, knowing it well. “Yeah it’s this weekend, right?”
“Right! Well, I said that I would cook for the family tonight, give her a night off before the big party,”
“She does deserve the rest,” you nodded.
God knows that poor woman put up with enough thanks to all those big personalities.
“Exactly! She deserves it. I got the recipes for her favourite foods, and I planned it all out properly because I want to make it special for her, but I literally forgot the key ingredient for the spices in the main dish and it won’t be the same without it,” he grumbled.
“That’s really sweet of you, Matty. You’re a good son,” you said softly.
“I try,” he mumbled, blushing lightly at your compliment, “But if I don’t get it right then Brady and Taryn will make fun of me for ages,”
“I don’t know how your mom puts up with all of you, really,” you snorted.
Matthew blushed a little more, but laughed. “Yeah, I know we’re a bit much. You love me anyway, right?”
“Don’t push your luck, Tkachuk,” you said dryly.
When Matthew pouted, you just laughed, shaking your head. Having grown up next door to the Tkachuk family had always been a loud intense ride, but your friendship with Matthew, especially now that he’d settled more into himself, was something you cherished. And it was times like this, when he went out of his way to make his mom happy, that reminded you of just how sweet he was. You may only really see him in the summer now, your lives having taken you in different directions, but you missed him like this.
“You know she’ll love it, whatever you make, because you made it, right?” you pointed out.
Matthew smiled, a little shyly, but shrugged. “I’d hope so…but I still want to do it well,”
“There’s the Tkachuk fighting spirit talking,” you laughed, pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store.
Matthew laughed as well, a bit more of his usual sparkle coming into his eyes as you parked the car.
“I’ll be really quick, I promise,” he grinned, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“Yeah no worries, take as long as you need. Just remember that you owe me, Matty,” you grinned back.
You saw a flash of fire in Matthew’s eyes, making those butterflies flare up again, but you managed to keep your face calm and collected.
“Oh I haven’t forgotten, trust me,” he murmured.
He winked as he walked towards the store, that little smirk on his face that you loved, leaving you a little stunned before you shook your head with a laugh. Looks like you had a lot of thinking to do before the big party this weekend.
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yourmidnightlover · 3 years
Text
pain reliever
TW: descriptive talk abt period cramps ig?, talk abt cysts, mutual pining lol
Summary: in which spencer and Y/N love each other but refuse to tell each other. Y/N's having major period pain, the effect of a cyst, and spencer comes over to comfort her.
WC: 3,744
A/N - this one’s a bit of a rollercoaster. it has three different POV’s so just bear with me please!
masterlist
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don't get me wrong, working at the BAU is amazing and definitely has it's perks, but it also has several downsides too. one of those pesky little downsides includes the amount of time off we have.
meaning we don't have much downtime.
this was one of the rare occasions when we were able to have two weeks off, the result of a very strenuous case.
this time was so exciting, spencer and i planned to go out to a movie he'd been dying to see. nobody else wanted to go with him and were being absolute jerks about it, so i automatically stepped up to go with him.
i went to bed the night before we were supposed to go out after showering. i was actually excited to be able to spend some time with him.
i couldn't help but begin to have feelings for him soon after i joined the team. i mean, who would be able to resist those amazing curls, the sweet smile, kind spirit, not to even mention how smart he is.
he didn't know that, of course. and i planned for him to never know. i was able to keep it a secret for 5 and a half years, and i didn't plan on stopping that streak anytime soon. i didn't want to ruin the friendship i had with him by confessing my undying love for him only to confirm my fears of it being unrequited.
i woke up groaning, the effect of an intense pain on my neck, back, and uterus. I almost immediately knew what that meant, sadly.  
i ran to the bathroom, only to find my suspicions confirmed. my period has always been irregular but about a year ago, i started getting terrible cramps when it wasn't anywhere close to the time for my period.
i went to the doctor to find out a cyst had grown on my left ovary so i started taking birth control per my doctor's request. the only thing about the birth control i was on was that it made me sick when i was on the green pill, so i had to stop taking it.
not taking it meant my period was always a surprise. but hey... at least i wasn't pregnant i guess.
when i took the birth control, it also lessened the cramps. not taking it also brought them back. sometimes not even the extra strength mydol was able to subside the terrible cramps that would ripple throughout my body.
those cramps meant that i needed to cancel my plans with spencer. i could only hope he wouldn't take it as me not wanting to spend time with him.
although, i certainly didn't want him to see me like this.
i decided i would take a shower in attempt to wash the dirty feeling off of my body. I could just call him after i got out and tell him i have a bug or something.
i took my time washing myself, letting the hot water soothe my aching muscles. cysts normally only affect the uterus area and cause discomfort at most times, but it always becomes severely worse during that time of the month.
luckily, my doctors helped create an appointment for a procedure to remove the cyst. the only catch being that the appointment is still 6 months away.
i finished showering and wrapped a towel around my body before popping two mydol's in my mouth and swallowing. i grabbed my cell and quickly dialed spencer's name.
"Y/N! hi. what's up?" he asked sweetly. i could hear the excitement in his voice.
"hey, spence," i started, already feeling terrible for the sad news. "i won't be able to go out today. i really, really wish i could. i came down with something and don't think i'm well enough to go out. i'm so sorry," i murmured, already regretted having to cancel.
"oh... that's okay. are you alright? do you need me to take you to the doctor?" he asked all worried. i giggled softly.
"no, that's alright, spence. thank you though. i think i'm probably just gonna get some house work done in the meantime," i declared with a sigh.
"you're planning on cleaning when you're sick? another reason to never doubt the strength of a woman, i suppose," he quipped, another laugh erupting from my chest, this one being louder.
"that, spencer reid, is why you're my best friend," i said with a smile.
"that and the fact that you actually listen to my incessant babbling and rambles," he remarked.
"i actually happen to enjoy those rambles, doctor. don't sell yourself short," I demanded in a sweet tone.
"thank you, Y/N. you should get some rest. don't overexert yourself," he said sweetly. "in all the years i've known you you've only been sick a number of times, so i would imagine you really don't feel too well," he declared. "goodbye."
"goodbye, spencer. s-sorry again," I stammered out.
I hung up the phone before actually getting dressed in some proper underwear. I threw on some loose shorts and skipped putting a bra on, my boobs were really sore, opting for just throwing a tank top on.
i started with doing the dishes from last night. the medicine was kind of kicking in, not fully taking the stabbing pain away but lessening it enough to where it would be manageable.
once the dishes were done i started doing the laundry, taking breaks in-between loads. during the breaks i made sure to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.
part of me was debating going to the store to pick up some dark chocolate, ice cream, kale chips, and some chinese, but i decided against it.
i'm sure if i went out i would immediately regret it and have the pain 10x worse, just because that's my luck. so, suffering alone it was.
once i finished all of the laundry, i sat down on the couch. i had been going for about three hours, and definitely felt the toll it was taking on my body.
i turned on FRIENDS and grabbed a heating pad from a bin in my living room. i placed the pad on my upper back and groaned at the heat.
before i knew it, i was dead asleep.
SPENCER'S POV
i didn't buy it.
she never gets sick, and when she does it's like she's dying. she doesn't laugh when she's sick, and her voice wasn't as nasally.
don't get me wrong, something was obviously wrong with her, but she wasn't sick sick. maybe another sick.
what else would cause her to cancel plans with me? she's never done that before.
although, there was one time where she mentioned her needing to go to the doctor for a consult about a cyst. maybe it was the cyst?
wait... her uterus. the cyst was on her uterus.
we were on a case a couple months back, and this unsub was hard to track down. when we managed to figure out where he was, she ended up having to chase him down. she had to run a mile for at least 7 minutes before actually getting him. he was only 25 and was an exercise fanatic.
after catching the guy and bringing him in she had a hard time hiding her discomfort. even at the station, abut an hour later, she was still grabbing her lower stomach in pain. when i asked her what was wrong she told me about the cyst and where it was.
although, the cyst never really affected her energy level since then. she was able to go out on cases and perform perfectly fine.
the only thing that it could've been would be her- ohhh!!
oh...
i should get her something. food. she loves food.
she's probably in a lot of pain right now because of that. she shouldn't have to handle that pain 24/7. she was so sweet, and caring, and generous, and loving, and undeserving of any sort of discomfort.
to be honest, i've had the largest crush on her since after she joined the BAU. who wouldn't?
she's such an amazing person. just being around her lightens my mood. not to mention her beauty. don't get me wrong, i absolutely love her mind and everything about her personality, but the beauty she beholds is beyond anything i've ever encountered. then again, maybe the feelings i have for her boost that beauty in my eyes.
it was that beauty that kept me quiet. why would someone with beauty as ethereal as hers even look at a guy like me? it's like she's not meant for this world. she's too good for this world.
i'm in too deep now to share my feelings. i would do anything to keep her light in my life, even if that meant keeping all my love for her bottled up.
my heart ached at the thought of her in pain that i can't help her subside. the least i could do is be there for her.
i quickly grabbed my keys- yes, that's right. i'm driving for her. what kind of man am i?- and headed out of my apartment.
i went to the grocery store and picked up some of her favorites, dark chocolate, mint chip ice cream, kale chips, and... chinese. she loves chinese, so surely that's what she's craving. if she doesn't want it i would gladly get her whatever it is she does want.
i would give her the entire world if i could.
after picking the items up, i made my way to her place and pulled her key out of my pocket after she didn't answer my knock the first couple times. We had both decided to give each other a copy of our keys for safety purposes, result of me becoming the designated driver after a girl's night out gone wrong.
long story short, all the girls left with someone, leaving Y/N stranded at a heavily populated bar. if the girls weren't drunk when they left then i know i would've scolded them for leaving her in such danger. hell, they were FBI agents and left a friend who wasn't in her right mind alone in the middle of the night.
the only reason i was able to pick her up was because she drunkingly called me, slurring her words together. that's a story for another time.
i held the bags in one hand and the chinese food under my arm while i unlocked the door and quitely walked in. i saw her laying down on the couch, looking so peaceful.
SECOND PERSON
spencer looked at you as you slept. he noticed the heating pad laying on your back as your face was partially smushed from the couch. he'd never seen anything so adorable.
he pushed a strand of hair out of your face as he gently tapped your shoulders to wake you. you squinted at him in confusion for a second before you finally spoke.
"spencer? wh-what're you doing here?" you questioned him in disbelief.
you had no idea why he was here. you had told him you couldn't go out, right?
"me being the amazing profiler i am figured out what was actually wrong," he gloated. "i brought your favorite snacks and came with chinese food. if you want something else i could always go back out and-"
"did you drive?" you squeaked.
"why wouldn't i? you're in pain right now, that's the least i could do to somehow help you," he gushed.
you felt tears pricking your eyes at his confession. how could someone be so selfless and kind as to put themselves though something they hate doing for you?
"hey-hey, what is it?" he worriedly questioned.
"i-it's just... th-that's so sweet, and nice, and you hate driving, and you're such an amazing person, and i don't deserve you," you sniffled out, the tears flowing past my eyes as you sat up on the couch to give him a place to sit.
He grabbed the heating pad that fell off your back and set it on the coffee table before wiping your tears. His arms wrapped around your shoulders as you lightly cried into his shirt for a few minutes before pulling back.
"sorry about your shirt," you whined.
"don't worry about it. and i truly think it's me who doesn't deserve you, Y/N," he said softly. "now, let's dig into the food. i'm actually hungry right now, i had to smell it the entire way here and it's been taunting me ever since," he said seriously, eliciting another laugh out of you. "oh! there she is! i love hearing your laugh," he smiled.
"oh, you're just saying that," you waved him off as he feigned offense with a loud gasp.
"are you accusing me of lying, Y/N? i'm terribly offended," he shot his hand over his heart in an attempt to mock pain as he groaned.
"i would never, spencie," you taunted with a smirk before getting an actual cramp.
your face contorted slightly in pain as you bent over in an attempt to ease the discomfort. it felt like someone was stabbing your entire lower stomach and punching you all at once. the pain and sudden movement made your head begin to throb intensely, so you didn't know where to put your hands. your stomach or head? you chose stomach.
spencer felt horrible as he watched you go through such pain.
"what hurts, Y/N/N? let me help you," spencer pleaded.
"head. really bad," you groaned.
he got behind you as his hands found your temples and began massaging them gently, being able to subside the pain pulsing in your head. while your stomach still hurt, the pain became bearable again, allowing you to sit up and face spencer. he saw that your eyes were full of tears once again and his arms flew around you.
he hated that you had to go through that... every month too? your pain tolerance has always been high, something spencer learned after you got shot in the thigh and didn't even shed a tear, so he knew the fact that tears were in your eyes had meant the pain had to be terrible.
"food?" he said softly, you nodded eagerly, still being wary of the headache.
he went into your kitchen and put away the ice cream, chocolate, and kale chips before getting the chinese. he grabbed you a water bottle from your fridge before exiting the kitchen and sitting beside you on the couch.
"why didn't you tell me they were this bad?" spencer wondered.
"i didn't want you to worry, or see me like this," you shrugged.
it was true, you hated anyone seeing you hurt or weak. you prided yourself on being tough and strong enough to withstand most things. the fact that a measly monthly period was breaking you hurt your ego more than you'd like to admit.
for spencer, he didn't care. the only thing he wanted to do was make sure you were okay and be there for you when you weren't. he was determined to help you through this time. it made him feel... important. he enjoyed caring for others as it gave him a sense of purpose.
"Y/N, i don't care what state you're in. i always enjoy seeing you. and i'm always here to help you. asking for help makes you stronger than you'd think," he soothed you.
one thing you loved about him was that he always had a way with words. he was able to make you feel safe in the most dangerous situations, calm in the most chaotic, comfortable in the most destitute, and all with words.
you ate your food rather quickly after realizing you hadn't eaten all day. you were unashamed of eating that much, too. you'd become so comfortable with him over the years that you didn't feel embarrassed over something as routine as eating as you normally would with others.
after spencer finished eating he insisted on cleaning up rather than you do it yourself.
and to think, you thought you couldn't fall deeper in love with the man and here you were, falling deeper the longer he stayed.
little did you know that spencer was already madly in love with you.
he came back and sat beside you gently, looking at you with the utmost adoration that you couldn't see since you were back to being doubled over in pain.
"let's get you laid down, hmm?" spencer suggested as he gently rubbed your back.
"mhmm," you agreed, sitting up far too quickly. your back shot out in pain as you tried to straighten out, bringing a groan to your lips and causing you to twist your torso in an attempt to avoid any more hurt. "i guess i can just stay here," you said, resuming the doubled-over position.
spencer wanted to cry himself seeing you so defeated. you were the most strong-willed person he knew and here you were, giving up on something. he wouldn't let that happen.
"you'll be more comfortable in the bed. i'll carry you since you can't get up, okay?" spencer suggested.
you hummed in defeat as he swiftly scooped you up, leaving your body folded up as you swung your arms around his neck. he laid you down on the bed gently as you groaned at your back stretching out.
"turn over on your stomach," spencer ordered.
"wh-what? why?" you wondered.
"you'll see when you do it, ms. stubborn-pants," he teased.
you groaned and flopped onto your stomach, reaching to cuddle the pillow your head was resting on. spencer secretly wished he was that pillow.
his hands fell onto your back, applying light pressure right between your shoulder blades.
"ohh, this is what you were gonna do," you hummed in content as his hands continued to work their magic. he gathered your hair and pulled it to the side as he worked his way up to your neck. "ugh that feels amazing, spence," you groaned.
spencer huffed a laugh at your enthusiasm, him being happy that he can subside some of your pain. if doing something as simple as giving you a massage made you happy, he was happy.
spencer worked his hands back down to your shoulders and worked out nearly every single knot on your back. you felt your breathing slow from the relaxation and didn't even realize how good of a distraction your hands on her body were. if only you could massage my boobs, you thought with a laugh.
"umm... what?" spencer questioned.
"hmm?" you questioned, suddenly realizing that you had said that out loud. "i didn't say anything," you said, your voice raising an octave as you spoke.
spencer knew what he had heard, but decided to drop it to make you more comfortable.
"right, sorry," he said with a smile. maybe you did have feelings for him.
he continued the massage and noticed you were asleep after about ten more minutes. He sighed as he watched your hair move with each breath you took. he relished in the fact that he helped you achieve something, that he was useful for something.
"god, i love you so much," he whispered. "i love you so much, i don't even think i could tell you how much i truly love you."
you were awake. you heard him. you heard every word. you were in that weird between stage when you weren't really asleep, but you weren't necessarily awake either.
"i love you too, spencer," you spoke.
spencer shot up at your words, realization hitting him as you stirred in what he assumed was your sleep. you rolled over onto your back and looked into his eyes.
"i love you so, so much, spence," you smiled, noticing the shocked look on his face.
"y-you do?" he babbled.
"of course i do. how could i not?" you quipped, noticing his utter nervousness.
"i-i can't believe it. you love me?"
"how many times do i have to say it? i love you, spencer reid. i love you," you said as the shocked expression on his face turned into one of pure happiness and joy.
"i love you, Y/N Y/L/N. i've loved you for so long..." he trailed off, bringing your body into his arms.
"and fyi, i mean the romantic way if you didn't catch that," you joked.
"good because that's exactly how i meant it," he said, pulling back to look at you once again. "ca-can i kiss you?" he asked as his hands were balanced on the back of your neck.
you nodded eagerly before his lips crashed into yours passionately as you placed your hands on his face. the feeling of his sharp jawline with his scruffy facial hair something you've been wanting to feel against your skin for far too long.
spencer tugged gently at your hair, bringing a soft moan to your lips, allowing his tongue to enter your mouth gingerly. he was immediately granted dominance as you allowed his tongue to travel into your mouth, investigating it thoroughly.
you were both in a state of euphoria as you delved into each other's presence in a new manner. both of you knew this discovery would change your relationship, but you had both gone through every scenario in your minds in the many years' past.
you finally pulled back at another sharp pain in your uterus.
"ouchhh," you grimaced.
"are you okay? what can i do?" he wondered eagerly.
"just cuddle with me?" you asked with pleading eyes.
"of course i can," he smiled.
he moved up to the headboard and laid his head on one of your pillows after getting underneath the covers. after he opened his arms, you rested your head on his chest and threw one arm over his torso, interlacing your legs underneath the sheets. he brought one arm around your waist as the other drew you closer across your shoulders. You nestled your head into his neck and inhaled his comforting scent.
"you smell good," you giggled.
"thank you," he laughed at your compliment.
"spencer?" you asked.
"yea, Y/N?"
"you're my pain reliever."
271 notes · View notes
seostudios · 4 years
Text
mark’s dad.
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pairing: johnny x fem!readr
genre: fluff + smut (like little angst) info: dilf!johnny, son!mark, best-friend!mark, aged-up!johnny warnings: age gap, unprotected sex, masturbation (fem) wc: 2.1k
note: hi i wrote this on my phone at like 1-3 in the morning... sorry if it’s bad but i wanted to put out something! i hope you guys enjoy it though cause dilf!johnny is so sexy
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i think my son ditched you for haechan today, dear.” mr.suh informed you as you stood respectively in front of him, wearing an oversized sweater and basketball shorts. “aw man, i drove all this way for a movie with mark, and he ditched me for his other best friend...” you quietly sneer, the obvious jealously making an appearance. johnny chuckled, hands resting on his hips. he felt bad you came all this way for a simple movie night. “how about this?” your eyes look up, to the terrifyingly good looking man. “i will treat you to a movie and popcorn!” he suggested, knowing very damn well he’s going out of his way to possibly spend time with his son’s best friend, who he has known since they were sewed to the hip in sophomore year, now in university. “i-i don’t think that’s be appropriate,” “why? because i’d like to spend time and get to know the friend and possible love interest of my son? i don’t see any harm in that. i’ll get my coat.” he quickly responded, saving himself.
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you knew he said you’d watch a movie together but you didn’t expect to get yourself two tickets to go watch a movie at an actual theatre. “that was amazing mr.suh-“ johnny looks down at your tiny figure holding the popcorn, “-i mean johnny!” if you’re being honest now, it was really nice getting to know johnny, besides the age difference and the possible complications with your amazing friendship with his son, you liked him. making your way over to his car, you listen on as he rambles about how he hasn’t this much of an outing since mark was in high school. “now he’s clinging onto me like we’re dudes, like i’m his dad not his bro.” he laughed, starting the car. “that’s so sweet though!! my mom never gave an effort to trying to be my friend even when i tried,” although you kind of party pooped the mood, you can literally reverse uno it right there. “but whatever!! she still brings me shopping which is good enough,”
nearing midnight and you know god damn well your mom would’ve killed you if she knew you took a taxi home alone in the middle of the night. johnny picked up on this, and even if he saw you in a new light today, a light which could possibly ruin his relationship with his son and a possible one with you, he couldn’t have let you home alone. “you know what? marks sleeping over at haechan’s anyway. i’ll call your mom and tell her you should stay over.” nodding, you let yourself in and up into his (messy) bedroom.
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“hope you enjoy peanut butter and jelly for dinner, i kind of forgot to buy groceries...” johnny said handing you a plate of mini sandwiches. you mutter a quick thanks before digging in. tonight you saw johnny not as mr.suh but as johnny, the hot ass mother fucking dilf of the neighbourhood. you thought you were just a regular teenager to him, but you thought wrong. feeling his gaze on your exposed neck, lips. how his breathing would quicken whenever you leaned in to grab another sandwich. “wanna watch america’s got talent?” you asked pointing towards the couch. he shrugs agreeing, “why not?”
you had insisted on cleaning the dishes, i mean it was the least you could do. “so what’s the point of this whole show? to humiliate people or actually scout out people?!” johnny questioned staring at the screen, not noticing how you went from being on opposite ends of the couch to being almost inches away. should you initiate something? no, that would be overstepping into something erasable.
“this is so wrong,” you tell yourself before abruptly standing up. johnny turns his attention to you, trying to foreshadow your next moves. however, he didn’t expect for you to turn back around and straddle on his lap, “whoa..” he said, gripping onto your hips. “i want you.” his mind goes blur momentarily, “i-i cant, your my son’s best friend...” god, you looked so hot with your shorts bunched up as far as they could as you slowly grinder down onto his (huge) clothed cock. “fu..fuck,” he moans aloud, pushing all thoughts aside except for the one that kept telling him to ruin you tonight. the night was going better than planned, since you were in straddled on a topless johnny with only your bra and shorts on... probably a good twenty five minutes into kiss play, but mark chose the best time to unintentionally cockblock you and his dad. “y/n!!”mark shouted through the phone loud enough for johnny to hear (and the speaker wasn’t even on!) “yes markie?” you cooed, using one hand to speak on the phone and the other to signal johnny to keep it quiet. your hands trailed overtop your breasts, cupping them through your bra and pinching your hardened nipples, soon bringing your cold fingers down to the waistband of your shorts. “it’s fine. we can always watch a movie next weekend, i literally see you everyday! go hang out with hyuck,” you encouraged. past the waistband and under the hello kitty panties your hand comes in contact with your sensitive (dripping) folds. “a-ah, m..mark i gotta go...” “are you getting laid or something? i’m out.” he quickly ends the phone and you made sure to turn on ‘do not disturb’ incase he calls again.
“go on, i’ll watch.” johnny said seductively observing you as you toyed with your sensitive clot. “i’m close johnny!” you quietly moan into his ear, rubbing faster. “cum on your fingers, now.” he ordered, feeling you twitch underneath him, grinding as you had an orgasm. “dirty girl...” he groans watching you pull your fingers up to suck dry. now, you were a filthy girl, tasting yourself without being told to, cumming in your panties which you knew damn might have to force you to go commando tonight in marks bed. it was like a slap in the face when johnny lifted you up to stand, “it’s late. i- we should head to bed... i can give you some new shorts... since you know,” he quickly stammered before swiping his shirt off the floor, heading upstairs.
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it was almost nine in the morning when you woke up, you knew johnny woke up around seven to eight so the sizzling smell of bacon wasn’t just some evil mind games. after last night, you felt, intense shame and guilt. did you seriously just betray your best friend for a lousy orgasm you could’ve done alone in the bathroom. “your up! i made breakfast, go ahead and dig in, i’m just gonna be cleaning up my bedroom.” he sounded as if you didn’t cum all over his lap not even 12 hours ago, but i guess he shouldn’t dwell in the past especially this time.
“mr.suh! my mom’s here! thank you... goodbye!” you shout from the front door. “anytime! bye!” he replies before you jolt out the door.
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it’s been a couple days and johnny hasn’t left your mind. you always think about what stopped him, was it the age? your friendship with mark? that fucking phone call? johnny and you that night was like no other, you saw him for johnny, not mr.suh and it made your panties soak at every thought. how his ink black hair is always combed and in the most attractive middle part, how his broad should could feel when you hold yourself while being railed by his enormous cock. it was big, would it even fit? you’ve been with men before but the bulge you felt poking you in then thigh was something else compared to the other men.
you roamed his mind freely too. spending his day drinking hours, pondering over you, will you just slap him in the face and let him know you want him and you don’t care? he hopes. but it’s wrong. “dad! y/n’s coming over to study today,” mark shouted running down the stairs to his father. “so don’t snatch her up and take her away for a movie date, we got an exam this monday.” he said nonchalantly, the mention of their little outing slipping oh too casually. “w-what?” he asked surprised. “yeah yeah, i know about your little date and hook up” “- we didn’t hook up.” johnny interrupted, “well whatever you were doing for her to end my phone call like that,” he goes to the fridge to grab some milk, “so...” johnny said, eager on his son’s say on this. “so..? do you want me to be mad, dad?” i was lying if i said johnny was chill now... “no!!!!” he shouted, which earns a couple laughs from mark. “hey, dad,” mark sits down infront of his father. “it’s okay, y/n probably likes you back so you can do whatever you want with her, except hurt her cause i’ll kill you.” he deadpans before letting him off with a laugh. “so she can be your new mom for all you care?” he asked, playfully of course, waiting for the “hell no” and “what the fuck dad?!” to come but... “i mean she bags and tells me what to do, she helps me with school, laundry and chicks so... i don’t see why not,”
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ding ding ding ding ding ding now what? hopping off the bean bag you were binge watching the office on, you head over to the door, not caring what you look like, just shut up to whoever had the audacity to spam a doorbell. “hello?!” you look up, “hey y/n,” johnny said with a small daisy in his hand.
“let me be your boyfriend,”
“what about mark?” you asked, staring at your feet wiggle in anticipation. hoping he’d tell you he doesn’t care and we could do whatever we wanted to. “funny you asked, he said for all he cares you could be his step mom.” you threw your head back laughing “he what?! no he didn’t....” the laughter dies down soon enough to get back to seriously listening in on what he has to say but did mark really not care? “your girlfriend huh?” you asked, raising a brow. he nodded. johnny proceeds to take the daisy and place it behind your ear, “you look like shit, but that is sexy as fuck.” he said, caressing your cheek before leaning in to place a peck on your lips.
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“i don’t get why you drove half an hour here to say that, when i was already coming over to study.” you tell your boyfriend, johnny, as your backs his mattress. it was seriously an eventful day, wasn’t it? “i thought i should be romantic,” he shrugged turning to his side to wrap his large arms around your waist pulling you in closer. “i like this...” he mumbled into your hair, slowly drifting off to sleep.
“are you falling asleep?! we need to leave in ten minutes!!” you shouted, attempting to free yourself from his hold but he was knocked out and not letting go any time soon. “i hate you.” “i think it’s the quiet opposite y/n dear,” he replied, burying himself in the blanket, bringing you with him. “now let’s take a quick nap, mark can wait,” you sigh in defeat, “okay fine... twenty minutes!”
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five months later, and you couldn’t believe having a relationship with your best friends dad was oddly working out perfectly. “johnny! fuck! baby your so good!” you whine as he penetrates into you against the wall. your legs wrapped around his waist as his cock rubs around your g-spot stimulating you into your third orgasm of that night. mark had recently gone travelling with jeno for fun so that meant you and johnny could’ve have your own fun in the empty house. “you can cum for me one more time can’t you?” he begged, placing you on the kitchen counter, kissing down your stomach. “answer me...” he sucks harhly on your clit. “yes! i can!!” you whined, squirming feeling johnny licking up your juicie; which sure as hell was mixed with his own cum, lapping his tongue around until you were shaking under his mouth and curling your toes to his mouth’s magic. “i’m- i’m cumming!!” you scream, releasing your juices onto the man’s face. “my favourite meal of the day.” he playfully joked before pinching your nipple. “tired?” he asked, as if he hadn’t been using you as a cum dump for hours. “mhm,” you reply opening your arms for him to carry you up, because “no way in hell am i walking up the stairs today after being railed by a monster cock.” you said snorting with a laugh. nonetheless, johnny swoops you up and gracefully carried you up and into his bed, “we can clean up tomorrow, let’s sleep now.” he said, feeling you wrap around him like a koala. “mmm goodnight... i love you,” you said in the crock of his neck, right below his ear before drifting off, “love you too,”
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376 notes · View notes
uriagii · 3 years
Text
Thomastair Youtube AU
Sorry I’ve been neglecting this... I had this started and then my brother got his laptop stolen so he borrowed mine until he got a new one and then I have executive dysfunction. Thanks for being patient!
part 1, part 2
1.6k word count, all i have to say is poor thomas
3: Ignoring my boyfriend!
“Hey guys, it’s Alastair.” Alastair waved. “As you can see, I’m by myself today, Thomas is out getting groceries right now, and while he’s gone I thought it would be a good time to film this little intro.” 
Alastair shuffled a little, fiddling with the camera. 
“So I’ve seen this little challenge going around on Youtube, and I wanted to try it out on Tom. When he gets back, I’m going to be ignoring him to get his reaction.” Alastair continued, “Thomas is a very touchy-feely boyfriend, so I’m anticipating a big reaction out of him. He’d better not disappoint. I’ll blame him if this video flops.
“So I’m just going to set this camera up, and hide it behind the pillows we have on our window seat, and then wait for him in our bed.”
Alastair moved the camera to the window seat, then turned and ran back to the bed behind him, pulled up the duvet and crawled in. 
The footage sped up as time passed, and Alastair looked at his phone while waiting for Thomas to arrive. 
Eventually, the door opened, and a tall, brown haired man walked in. 
“Hey babe,” Thomas said as he gently closed the door.
Alastair said nothing as he continued to stare at his phone, but Thomas didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He simply toed off his shoes, walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss Alastair on the forehead.
Alastair didn’t make any response, just kept scrolling through his phone. Again Thomas didn’t seem put off by his boyfriend’s behavior, and collapsed onto the bed next to Alastair.
“Whatcha lookin’ at?” He asked as he peered over Alastair’s shoulder to see his phone.
Alastair slightly turned away from Thomas, and said nothing. Thomas’ brows furrowed slightly, but he shook it off and peered up again.
“Something I shouldn’t be seeing?” Thomas asked, “Is it something naughty? Did I catch you at an awkward time, love?” 
Again, Alastair didn’t respond, he only gave a subtle look to the camera paired with a small smirk before returning to a blank expression.
“Hey, look at me.” Thomas said, starting to get a little suspicious of Alastair’s behavior. Alastair did no such thing. Instead he sighed and turned his body so that his back was facing Thomas, and he readjusted into a comfortable position as he began scrolling through his phone once again. Thomas sat up with a frown, looking down at his boyfriend, stumped.
“Ooh! I know!” Thomas abruptly stood up from their bed and left the room, whistling as he went. 
Alastair glanced at the camera in confusion and whispered, “What?”
A moment later, Thomas came waltzing back into the bedroom, carrying a tabby cat above his head, singing the Circle of Life. 
Alastair glanced over his shoulder and pressed his lips together tightly, just barely able to contain his laughter and somehow maintaining his passive expression. Thomas looked down from the cat above his head and towards Alastair. He smiled at him then, and it was a brilliant smile. All sparkling teeth and pure love and childish joy in his eyes. Alastair was visibly shaking from the effort it took to not get up and plant a kiss right over that perfect smile.
Instead, he only glanced away and turned back around to his phone, frowning at the camera once.
Upon seeing his theatrics fail to prompt his boyfriend to speak, Thomas lowered the cat and his sunny expression deflated. He set the cat down and reclaimed his seat on the bed behind Alastair, frowning.
 “Hey, are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong?” Thomas worried, though he again received no indication he had been heard. Thomas looked up to the ceiling in concentration. “I did the dishes, I picked up my laundry like you asked, I… what did I do…” Thomas trailed in thought as he tried to jog his memory to figure out any missteps he’s made, and apparently came up with nothing.
“Okay babe, what’s the matter? Did I piss you off? Did you go through my browser history?”
At this, Alastair furrows his brows, and looks at the camera, thoroughly surprised at the idea Thomas would have anything unsavory in his browser history, and curious, he mouths the words, browser history? 
“Just kidding, hmm, what did I do to piss you off? Oh! Is it because I used your toothbrush again?”
At this, Alastair almost breaks character because Thomas knows Alastair doesn’t like when Thomas uses his toothbrush. They’d had that conversation before. And, seriously? Again?
Somehow, Alastair was able to maintain stoicity and he looked back down at his phone. 
Thomas waited in silence for Alastair to respond, but Alastair remained about-face from Thomas.
Thomas grabbed Alastair’s shoulder and tried to pull him down so that he could see his face, but his boyfriend shook him off and returned to his earlier position facing away from him. 
“Hey, Ali, babe, what’s the matter? Did something happen?” Thomas asked solemnly. “You were fine when I left to get the milk, what changed since then? Did I do something wrong?”
Again, Thomas was met with no reply. 
Thomas leaned up and over his boyfriend to try to see his face and get any sort of response. He was met only with Alastair’s blank face, seemingly not hearing a thing he said. Thomas sat back down heavily on the bed behind Alastair with his brows furrowed, beginning to get visibly upset. He sat there for a minute, slouched over and confused. Presumably trying to think of a reason why this was happening. Alastair looked up to see that Thomas was no longer above him, and made eye contact with the camera, before looking back down. Behind him, Thomas turned so that he faced away from Alastair, his back to the camera.
Alastair waited for Thomas’s next attempt at getting him to respond, but it never came. Alastair’s expressive eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to why his boyfriend had quit his antics. He looked over his shoulder to check that Thomas was still there, and when he did, he heard a tiny sniffle, just barely audible. 
Alastair immediately sat up, dropping his charade of ignoring his boyfriend in favor of grabbing Thomas’s shoulder and turning him to face him.
 When he did, he was met with a sight that broke his heart.
Thomas was crying. 
Tears ran down his miserable face, and he sniffled again, this time louder, wetter, as fresh tears spilled from his eyes. 
“Oh, baby, no.” Alastair said softly, his face guilty and regretful.
“What did I do?” Thomas asked, his voice breaking, sniffling again.
“Nothing, love, you didn’t do anything.” Alastair wiped the newly fallen tears from Thomas’s face and pulled him in to give him a hug.
“Are you tired of me?” Thomas said miserably into Alastair’s shoulder.
“Never.” Alastair responded.
“Then why aren’t you talking to me anymore?”
“It was a joke! A prank,” Alastair rushed out, trying to reassure his dejected boyfriend. “A bad one, a stupid one. It was just a prank, love.”
Thomas looked confused, tears still escaping from his eyes.
 “How is that a prank?” He said, unconvinced.
Alastair pointed toward the camera hidden on the window seat and said, ““I was ignoring you to see your reaction. See, it’s just a joke, I’m sorry. It was bad.”
Thomas spotted the camera and wiped his cheeks.
“So… you’re not mad at me?” He asked tentatively.
“Of course not. Why would I be mad at you?” Alastair said, once again pulling Thomas close.
Thomas waited a moment, then pushed Alastair away by his shoulders gently.
“I can’t believe you,” He said, laughing slightly, relieved. “How could you do that? I almost had a heart attack!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t think you would cry!” Alastair exclaimed, then quieter, “I didn’t want to make you cry.”
“I hope it was worth it, you asshole.” Thomas replied affectionately before tackling Alastair onto their bed and burying his face in his shoulder.
“It was not. I don’t ever wanna see you cry ever again.” Alastair said decisively. 
Thomas picked his head up and looked at his boyfriend and sniffled once more. 
“Well now you have something to post,” he said.
“I feel bad about it though,” 
“You can make it up to me somehow.” Thomas said with a grin. “I bet I could think of a few ways you can repay me for subjecting me to this God-awful idea of yours.”
Alastair rolled his eyes slightly but smiled up at Thomas. 
“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” 
Then, Alastair leaned up and gave Thomas a kiss, an apology.
The two of them sat up and Alastair got up to dislodge the camera from its hiding place, returning to sit beside Thomas.
“Well that was a colossal failure.” Alastair said to the camera, then looking at his boyfriend. “Sorry, Tom.”
Thomas only stuck his tongue out at Alastair affectionately.
“I almost lost it when you picked up William Shakespurr and sang the Lion King song. I don’t know how I didn’t give it all up right there.” Alastair chuckled.
“I really thought that one was gonna work.”
There was a pause, a silent moment before Alastair said, “I really am sorry, Tom.” Alastair sighed, “I love you.”
“I know. I love you too.”
The two of them leaned back against their plush headboard tangling into each other like vines, silent for a few moments, cuddling contentedly before Alastair spoke up.
“Did you really use my toothbrush again?” 
Comments
>kit does science!: Oh no, no no no. omw to blow up ur house
10,638 likes, 57 dislikes
>cordeliacarstairs: as soon as you said you were ignoring him i knew mans was gonna cry.
10,121 likes, 14 dislikes
Replying to @cordeliacarstairs: i shoulda known
>eugenia lightwood: lol
8,235 likes, 195 dislikes
>vampire-faerie15: heart=BROKEN OMG WHEN HE STARTED CRYING I STARTED CRYING
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nazyalenskyism · 3 years
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Let’s Get Married 1
Summary: A Zoyalai modern AU with fake dating in latter parts.
Ao3: Let’s Get Married
Excerpt: He raised a brow, easing back in his chair, “can I help you?”
“What’s this?” Genya exclaimed without any preamble, grabbing a paper off the top of the stack in David’s hands and slapping it onto his desk.
“Paper, I assume, darling Genya.”
“I mean what’s on the paper,” she snapped, “it says you’re married.”
“That sounds great. See you at noon tomorrow. Yes, Madraya I know how to get to the Palm Court. Yes, I promise I won’t be late. Okay, I’ll see you soon.” Nikolai gently placed the receiver into the cradle before dropping his head into his hands. He was lucky that it was a Friday evening, the firm was empty which meant no one was around to witness this. He was nestled away in his favourite hidden corner in the law library which was the perfect place to get his work done, though he wondered how productive he would be now that he had to create a game plan for the following day. He was practiced in making sure his mother didn’t spill any secrets which was often the result of wanting to spite his father and one too many drinks, but no matter how good he thought he was his mother always managed to surprise him. And then there was the matter of his brother and father. He wanted nothing more than for them to burn with their continual mistakes, but he couldn’t. Whether it was out of some strange sense of loyalty to people who only made his life more difficult or to protect his mother who always stood silent at their sides when they tormented him, he didn’t know.
The only thing he did know was that he was about 15 hours away from another lunch with his mother and her gossiping group of friends where his father would decide not to show up at the last minute because Vasily wanted to go golfing in the Hamptons where they would undoubtedly spend the rest of the weekend philandering. Another weekend where his mother pretended she didn’t know what was happening, deciding to drop as much money as she could manage, just to irritate her husband. Then it would be Monday again, where Nikolai was left to pick up the pieces from the damage that his family caused, wishing that he could close his eyes and disappear off the face of the Earth for just a second if it meant he could be left without responsibility over people who didn’t care about him.
“What are you doing?” From between the shelves stepped out another lawyer, not just any other lawyer, it was Zoya. Zoya Nazyalensky was a talented lawyer who had joined the firm a few years after he had, right out of law school. She was skilled, hardworking, and an expert in making the most egotistical men shrink by simply raising her brow. They had worked a few cases together over their time at the firm, but more often than not, they had their separate cases that they chose to work on together. Most days they could be found in each others’ offices, working silently for hours with only occasional requests for advice or lunch orders. Despite all the time they spent working together, Nikolai, who considered himself something of an expert when it came to others’ feelings, had no idea if Zoya actually liked him or if she simply put up with him because he was the least terrible person at work. He always welcomed her company though.
“What are you doing here so late?”
She raised a brow before crossing the space and sinking into the couch cushions next to him. “I could ask you the same thing. In fact, I just did.”
“I’m putting some things together before the weekend.”
“Was your phone call that bad?”
Nikolai wanted to wince, “you heard that?”
“You were on speaker.”
“Saints, as if I needed that broadcast to the entire firm.”
“Oh, there’s no one here. You and I are the only ones left,” she said as she pulled off her high heels and curled her legs onto the couch.
“You haven’t answered my question, why are you still here?”
“You first.”
He sighed, she’d already heard the entirety of his conversation with his mother, it’s not like he could ruin her image of him further. “The sooner I go home, the sooner the reality of tomorrow will hit me.”
“Is getting tea with your mother really that bad?” she asked almost hesitantly.
Nikolai threw his head back, “I love my mother, but these luncheons usually involve my father ditching at the last minute to go and break his wedding vows, while my mother pretends she doesn’t know what’s happening
“And you have to go?”
“Someone has to make sure she gets home in one piece, and I trust her friends as far as they can throw me.”
“Isn’t the saying that you trust them as far as you can throw them?”
“I excel at everything I do, naturally but they can’t say the same.”
“Ah, I see.”
They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again, her tone hushed as if speaking any louder would shatter the calm. “Is that why you don’t work for your father?”
Nikolai exhaled, “that’s a part of it.” His father was C.E.O of Ravkan Industries, and unlike his brother, Nikolai hadn’t joined the family business right out of highschool. Make no mistake, he wanted to be a part of the company, he knew he needed to be a part of it to spare the world of further misguided leadership from his family. It pained him, but they were the worst thing to happen to the company, and he often feared that he was the only person who could stop the trainwreck that was his family from derailing.
She nodded, “I know a thing or two about bad families.” Her legs had been drawn up to her chest, and she rested her head against her knees, eyes trained on him, “I can’t speak about anyone else, but your brother is definitely a jackass.”
“You’re right, I’m sure everyone who’s ever met him agrees. Speaking of which, when did you?”
“I came to your office a few weeks ago looking for you. He was waiting for you, gave me a sleazy once-over and asked me out. He got offended when I said no, and I told him that I didn’t date men who look like the Walmart versions of their younger brothers.”
Nikolai shook his head in amusement, “I’m surprised I haven’t heard him complaining about that. You must have really wounded his ego.”
“What,” Zoya said, fixing him with the withering glare she dished out when someone was being incompetent, “like it’s hard?”
“Ooh,” Nikolai groaned, rubbing a hand over his chest, “glad I’ve never been on the receiving end of one of those.”
She gave him a small smile, picking at a loose thread at her sleeve, “how do you usually spend your Saturdays when you’re not cleaning up their messes?”
“Go on a run, get pastries and coffee from the bakery across the street, read a book with my cat, catch up on some shows…”
“That sounds…. surprisingly pleasant.”
“ What did you think I got up to?”
“I don’t know… peach picking or something?”
“Aren’t you allergic to peaches?”
Zoya looked startled for a second, “yeah, how did you know that?”
“That time that we helped Genya with her groceries because she broke her leg? You weren’t paying attention and grabbed them, 10 minutes later you got hives.”
The look she gave him was intense and assessing, had he said something wrong? As much as he liked to think he knew how everyone operated, Zoya Nazyalensky was a bit of an enigma to him still. “What about you? What are you doing tomorrow?” he said in an attempt to maintain the conversation.
“I’ll go on a run with my dog, get breakfast, do some work, get some flowers and do my laundry. The usual.”
“Have you ever had lunch at the Palm Court?”
“No, but my aunt took me to the champagne bar when I graduated,” her smile was small, “it was the nicest night I’ve ever had.”
“I can’t promise that tomorrow will be anything less than a disaster, but would you like to accompany me to lunch?”
Zoya fiddled with the chain around her neck, fingers running over the seams of the locket, as if she was contemplating opening it. “Would it be proper?”
“You said it yourself, you have nothing else to do tomorrow morning, you’ll get a ridiculously expensive and delicious lunch for free.”
“But wouldn’t I be intruding?”
“My father’s going to cancel at the last minute, remember?”
“And what if he doesn’t?”
“He will. He always does, and he is nothing if not a creature of habit.” His phone rang at that exact moment, “like clockwork,” he murmured. “Hello.”
“Tell your mother that I can’t make lunch tomorrow, Vasya and I are going golfing.” The line cut before Nikolai could reply, not that he’d been planning on it.
“So, Nazyalensky, are we on for afternoon tea then?”
She sighed, “fine. But it better be as tasty as you’re saying it is.”
“It’s absolutely heavenly. The Dom Pérignon really brings out the subtle undertones in the Pistachio Dacquoise Cake. And the Devonshire cream is absolutely to die for.”
“I didn’t understand half of that.”
“Don’t worry, after the first time, you’ll be begging that we go back.”
She raised a brow, “is that a challenge, Lantsov?”
He grinned, “when is it not?”
“This is a pity lunch, I’m not going because I actually care about you.”
Nikolai nodded understandingly, “of course, of course. This is strictly a pity invite too, since this brunch will definitely be more entertaining than a Saturday spent at home.”
“Great. So we’re on the same page then,” her smile was sharp and Nikolai felt his blood rush at the sight. Maybe tomorrow would be bearable.
***
“Anything I need to know before we go in?” Zoya crossed her arms over her chest, staring up at the façade of the infamous hotel the following morning, suppressing the urge to run home. Was she nervous? For what? To meet Nikolai’s mother? No, that couldn’t be it. She was nervous to lose her bet with him, that was it. He had called her early this morning to make sure that the terms of the bet were solidified, if she fell in love with any of the food, she had to accompany him to any future lunches, whenever he asked. If she won, he had to accompany her to any errands she wanted. She had thought about making him assemble all of her IKEA furniture for the foreseeable future on the way here and had nearly bumped into him while she daydreamed about him carrying her groceries every week.
“If a question doesn’t feel like a trap, then it is one. If it feels like it’s a trap, then it’s definitely a trap. If it feels like someone is fishing for a response, then that’s a trap.”
“So, everything is a trap?”
“Exactly!”
“And you do this every month?”
“More like every two weeks.”
“Saints,” she swore, “and you don’t get sick of the food or company?”
“Well, they do let a little bit too much slide about their husbands’ schedules, most of them are on the board of my father’s company, and if I can get on their good sides they might vote for me over Vasily to take over one day.”
“You’re always playing the long game, aren’t you?”
Nikolai raised a brow, “and you’re not? We both know your ‘favourite hangout spots’ are coincidentally the same places where you can poach clients from Fjerdan Holdings.”
“Wait,” Zoya frowned, ignoring him completely. “If your father and Vasily are both skipping, who else did you invite? I'm taking your father’s place and what about Vasily’s?”
“I’m honoured you think I’d be invited in the first place.”
“You’re not invited?”
“Only when Vasily cancels, which is every time.”
“They really don’t invite you to family lunches?”
“I’m something of a problem child to them.”
“Nikolai,” she said and he could feel her gaze on him, “are you sure about this?”
“Yes, Zoya. I’m sure.”
“Let’s get moving then, we’re about to be late.”
“Ruthless as always,” Nikolai sighed, pushing open the door.
“Punctual, as always,” Zoya retorted, following him through the lobby, “you should take a lesson or two from me on showing up on time.”
“Never heard of fashionably late, Nazyalensky?”
“That’s just an excuse people with no dress sense use to justify their inability to choose a functional outfit.”
“Ruthless.”
“Honest.”
***
“Kolya!”A blonde woman dressed in beige exclaimed, beckoning him over before pulling him down into a hug . Zoya looked down at her pale blue dress, was she too colourful for brunch? But no, Nikolai’s dress shirt was the same colour as her dress, surely that meant that it was okay. She’d forgotten the ultra-rich nature of Nikolai’s family and the way that high society acted. Sure she made good money at work, but this world, the world of her clients, was something else. She’d grown up eating lunchables when she’d lived with her parents, while she suspected that he had never eaten anything that wasn’t prepared by a gourmet chef before he went to university.
“Madraya, this is my friend, Zoya,” he said, pulling away, “she’s the one I told you would be joining us this morning.”
“Thank you for having me,” she smiled, trying to put on her most charming persona, The Nikolai, as she liked to call it.
Nikolai’s mother shook her hand enthusiastically, “Zoya, this is Svetlana, Kolya’s auntie. Please! Sit, sit.” The other woman assessed her slowly from head to toe and Zoya shot her a cool glance, a challenge, to which Svetlana turned away from. Off to a great start.
Zoya reached to pull out her chair, faltering when she felt someone else’s on top of hers. “Your jacket,” Nikolai whispered, “I can take it.”
She stared at him. What? She went rigid as Nikolai helped her out of her coat, the warmth of his fingers brushing against her skin, making her thoughts freeze too.
“You alright, Nazyalensky?” he murmured in her ear as he pulled her chair out for her. “You should stop staring, it’s rude.”
She rolled her eyes at him, whatever spell had fallen over her was broken now, “thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he winked in return, but she could see the surprise on his face. Did he really think she was so ruthless that she had no manners?
“So Kolya, tell us about how you and Zoya met!”
***
Lunch was rather mild, and nowhere near as horrific as Nikolai has mentioned. In fact, it was pleasant, certainly much more enjoyable than any meal she’d had with her own mother. Nikolai’s mother cared for him in her own vapid way, and once Nikolai had reiterated that Zoya was not his girlfriend, Svetlana had thawed considerably, both of the women asking her about her clothes, work, and life. The lies came easily, they always did when it came to her family. She wasn’t embarrassed by her past but she saw no value in mentioning the people who had conceived her but had done nothing more than that. Zoya was also not in the mood to be pitted by these women, and she spun them a web of what they wanted to hear. A girl from a rich family who grew up doing all of the things they had.
She told them details from trips she had always dreamt of taking with her aunt but that they’d never been able to afford, easily replying to their inquiries of, “oh, I love Paris! When you went, did you eat at the cafe 3 blocks east of the Louvre? With the 100 year old bakery? It’s a must!” with an exact order of their most deep-menu items. Zoya smiled as they tittered on about the delicacies, as if an evening dining there didn’t cost more than what a month’s worth of groceries had cost as a child. To them her weekends were spent at tennis practice at the local country club instead of split between doing homework, working at her aunt's cafe and in the mail room at the law firm across the street to earn a little money. She didn’t say this explicitly of course, but she didn’t deny it either when they acted like she shared their experiences.
She’d never spoken to Nikolai about her past, nothing beyond the fact that she was raised by her aunt and that she had a younger cousin. He’d never asked, not out of a lack of interest in her, she knew that— but out of understanding that she didn’t particularly care to share that information. In the world in which she now found herself, anyone that deviated from the norm was looked down upon and she refused to be a source of entertainment for them.
The conversation quickly turned away from her however, with a few carefully timed lines from Nikolai. He brought up childhood memories of his own that made everyone laugh, recounting his numerous hijinks through the years. He told stories about the more interesting cases he and Zoya had worked on recently, his flow pausing naturally to let her throw in her own banter as well. She learned of the multiple times Nikolai had nearly burnt their beach house down, how he once “accidentally” lured a hoard of sheep to chase his brother when they were visiting Scotland, and how he was the youngest in his highschool graduating class, finishing at 15 before going to university, and then sailing around the world for a year.
As enjoyable as seeing Nikolai’s nose scrunch when his mother recounted a particularly adorable story was, by the time the desserts rolled around, Zoya felt fatigued. How did Nikolai do this all the time? When he wasn’t charming his family he was charming clients, coworkers, whoever he needed to. She had enjoyed the afternoon a lot more than she had anticipated, especially the food which was heavenly, like he’d said. But in the end she was adamant not to admit defeat to Nikolai even if it meant more meals like this. She would rather stab herself with the salad fork than admit he was right— or was that the dessert fork? Why were there so many forks? She was granted a bit of a reprieve when the ladies saw another group of their friends and decided to go chat with them at their table. Then it was just her and Nikolai, who had gone unusually quiet and was staring at her empty plate quite critically. “What’s wrong?”
***
Nikolai had been right, inviting Zoya to lunch had been a great idea, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d genuinely enjoyed one of these lunches. She had been brilliant, with the way that she handled all of their questions and discussed topics that interested them, the way that she’d chimed in at the perfect moments in his stories to add a little detail that made the anecdote even better. Everything had gone better than he could’ve imagined, except for the fact that it looked like he might be losing their bet, and after today, he didn’t think he would hate these lunches if Zoya were attending them with him.
Af first he’d been genuinely worried that she wasn’t enjoying herself since her reaction to the food had been muted, but the longer he watched her the more he was able to figure out exactly what was going on. He knew she wasn’t touching the desert tower because she knew that it would be her downfall. Most of the sweets were exactly of her taste and she was desperate not to lose to him. What had she intended on making him do if he lost that she was fighting so hard to win?
“Try it,” Nikolai mumbled, pointing at the tea tower, “it’s delicious.”
Zoya rolled her eyes, “you’ve said that about everything so far.”
“I’m serious, Nazyalensky. You’re going to love this.”
“I’m going to love it, or you’re convinced I should love it so that you win?”
Nikolai pulled a face, “why can’t it be both? Come on, it’s a dark chocolate cherry custard, that’s pretty much all of your favourite foods.”
Zoya peered at the dessert as if she was holding herself back, “it does look slightly edible…”
Saints, she would do anything to beat him, wouldn’t she? Nikolai smothered his grin, holding out a spoonful of the custard to her, “you know you want to try it.”
She let out an exasperated breath, taking the bite. Her eyelashes fluttered as she tasted it and she turned to him, scowling, “damnit, that’s so good.”
“I won’t say I told you so, Zo,” he laughed, as she smacked his shoulder with one hand, the other wielding a spoon that was digging into the custard on his plate. She hated that nickname.
“Well, Nik, or should I say Nikky? Or Niko? Or Nikola? Or--”
“Ah, that’s enough, dear,” Nikolai groaned, he definitely had worse nicknames.
“Whatever you say, Kolya.”
“Who would’ve guessed that brunch Zoya was a gloater?” His tone was teasing as he leaned in, brushing the bottom of her lip with his thumb to get rid of a chocolate smudge. “I certainly figured you were the modest type,” he trailed off, realizing what he’d done.
“Me and gloat don’t belong in the same sentence,” Zoya said, but her voice was low and her eyes were trained on his fingers. Nikolai repressed the urge to sit on his hands or flee from the table, but she said nothing and neither did he.
“Kolya, sweetheart, be a dear and wait for your father’s card.” His mother was back. Nikolai shot out of his seat, walking over to her. “We’ll be down the street at Svetlana’s daughter’s boutique. Zoya, hon, are you coming with us?”
“Oh, I’ll just wait with Nikolai,” Zoya smiled.
“Of course, dear.” His mother then pulled him aside, “you should bring your girlfriend around more often. It’s been so long since you’ve brought someone home.”
Nikolai looked at her, bewildered, “girlfriend? Zoya’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends. Not even friends, coworkers is probably a better descriptor for our fully platonic relationship.” Was he rambling? He felt like he was rambling.
Instead of replying his mother simply patted his cheek with an infuriatingly knowing look before she followed her friends out of the dining room. Nikolai shook his head out, walking back to Zoya as they waited.
“ ‘Not even friends?’I have to admit, that’s probably the best thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,” Zoya said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“I was just taken aback,” Nikolai protested, “of course we’re friends, okay,” he said, raising his hands in surrender at her pointed glare, “I consider us friends at least, I don’t invite strangers to the brunch from hell.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she scoffed, flicking a piece of lint from his lapel absently. “The food was good, and they were nice enough.”
“Oh, they’re not nice at all,” he laughed, turning to take the card from the approaching waiter, “you just knew how to handle them.”
“I suppose I’ve spent enough time with clients like them to know how to act,” she frowned, “I didn’t really have to think about it.”
“That makes you a perfect fit in their social circle,” he winked, holding the door open for her, “you’re clever enough to outsmart them all, they can’t get anything from you unless you want them to have it.”
“I thought being clever was your brand?”
“I’m okay with having a worthy companion in that bracket.” Nikolai jested, surprised when she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they began their way down the street. She probably just needed to keep her balance, he couldn’t imagine navigating the cobblestone path in the high heels she was wearing. He couldn’t recall her ever wearing anything but heels, now that he thought about it. Perhaps she would require further assistance walking in the future, he didn’t think he would mind that.
“But really,” she said, tilting her head up to look at him, “you’ve never thought about us?”
Nikolai turned away for a second, unsure of what exactly to say, and when he turned back to her, she was already looking away. “I can’t say I have. To be fair, I didn’t think you liked me until yesterday, or that you considered us friends until today.”
“Of course we’re friends,” she scowled, punching his bicep with her free hand, “we’ve been friends for years, you dolt. You think I waste my free time on people I can’t be bothered to tolerate?”
“Oh.”
Zoya rolled her eyes, “yes, oh. I always knew I was smarter than you but this is pathetic on your part, Lantsov. What did you think when I gave you that scarf for Christmas?”
“I thought you were just being nice?”
She groaned, “take that back. I’ve never been nice a day in my life.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke, “you really didn’t think, ‘hey, we do our work together at the office, we have the same friends, and I’m the only person in the office that Zoya hasn’t threatened to throw out the 29th floor window? so maybe that means something?’”
“You threatened to throw me out the second floor window 3 days into working at the firm.”
“Exactly!” she nodded, “you would probably survive that fall. That was essentially me telling you I didn’t hate you that much.”
“You work in mysterious ways, Nazyalensky.”
“Hold on,” Zoya put out a hand to stop him, “your collar is up.” She stepped towards him, fingers brushing his neck as she folded the fabric, her gaze intent upon him.
“If it weren’t for my newfound knowledge that you consider us friends, I would think you were considering strangling me.” Nikolai laughed, feeling her pause in her movements.
“That can certainly be arranged,” she teased, smoothing out the lapels of his coat, her hands resting on his chest for a second. Her eyes met his and she looked away quickly towards the boutique, freezing when she saw the occupants staring out the window at them. “Why are they looking at us like that?” Zoya murmured.
“I think that Svetlana thought she could get me to marry her daughter.”
“Aren’t you all about love, is it really that bad of an idea? She owns a boutique, that’s pretty cool.” She stepped back, shoving her hands into her own coat pockets, and Nikolai instantly regretted opening his mouth.
“I’m not really her type.”
“I thought you were ‘everyone’s type?’”
“Am I?” Zoya turned away from his gaze, and he thought he saw her face flush. “She dated Tamar a few years back, and then she was with my sister for a few months, but I doubt her mother knows if she’s dating anyone right now.”
“Wait, wait, wait. You have a sister?”
“That’s a story for another time,” Nikolai grinned. “It may cost you another lunch date.”
“If they have food as good as today’s, every Saturday is yours.”
Nikolai smiled as Zoya waltzed into the boutique, an elegant but disruptive storm in his life. She hadn’t flinched when he’d called it a date, hadn’t hesitated when he’d asked her to accompany him again, hadn’t protested at the fact that he’d won the bet. Despite all the good that had come out of the day, he felt something gnawing at his chest, ‘what, you’ve never thought about us?” and he doubted it would ever leave his head now. ‘Whatever’ Nikolai thought, trailing after her. It wasn’t like even if he wanted to, they would ever be together. There was no use in worrying over something that would never happen.
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btsslowburnfic · 3 years
Text
The Arrangement Chapter 9
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Series Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable ad. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.
Chapter Summary: Getting your bearings at BigHit
Previous chapter here ---------------------------
It’s fine it’s fine, Yoongi kept repeating to himself this morning after you had left to go to the security office. I’m not even home that often, it’s not her fault. He slipped on a t-shirt and jeans and went downstairs. He put his dishes away and looked in the foyer. Two suitcases and a backpack were sitting there. He couldn’t believe this was all you had. That’s it. He sighed and picked up the bags, wheeling them over to the guest bedroom. He looked around the room and frowned. He would need to order a few more blankets. He took out his phone and ordered some quickly. He walked into the guest bathroom. No towels. He placed an order for those as well. Even if you ended up living somewhere else, it was good to have extra towels and blankets, he reasoned with himself. 
He checked his calendar and yours. You should still be in the security office with Namjoon. He had already texted Hobi earlier.
Y:WTF dude, I thought you were my friend
JHOOOOOOPE: I brought a nice looking girl to your house, how is that not nice **angel**
Y: You can’t just drop someone off into someone else’s house without asking!
JHOOOOOOPE: It’s not my fault no one told you. I was told to deliver your new assistant to your apartment because you needed her to be available to whims at all times. I do what I’m told like every other person who works here. **shrug** it could be worse. I could use an assistant. Send her my way if it doesn’t work **Grin**
Y: >=(
Yoongi walked off the Elevator and saw Namjoon’s smug face there "What the hell is wrong with you?" Yoongi growled, walking up to him. He was surprised he didn’t see you anywhere.
"Not now Yoongi, I have a meeting in 15 minutes." Namjoon sighed. That fucking prick.
"You just dropped a girl into my house without telling me and think I'm not going to have something to say about it?" 
"You knew she was starting today. You agreed that the two of you were going through with all of this. What did you think that meant? Huh?" Namjoon said, almost bored.
"Why don't I get a say in any of this?" Yoongi raised his voice, exasperated. 
"You did. You picked her." Namjoon said calmly as he pushed the up button on the elevator. 
"This is such bullshit!" he yelled. You walked around the corner, surprising him. 
The elevator for Namjoon arrived and he got on it, not bothering to look back. 
You walked closer to Yoongi. "Hey. I'm sorry this was a surprise for you. It was to me too. I thought I would be in a dorm with a bunch of other girls." You gave him a sympathetic look. 
He took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry it's not you. It's just...ughhh…" He put the hat back on.
"Really. It's fine. It seems like Namjoon isn't interested in our opinions though, huh? I'm a good roommate. I'm quiet and I clean up after myself. And I can cook." 
Yoongi wasn’t angry at you, so his feelings had morphed into pouting at this point. "It's fine I put your bags in the guest bedroom." He pushed a button on the elevator. He sighed 
"Thanks Yoongi." you said, standing next to him. 
“And I can cook too. So don’t think that’s part of your job or anything.”
“Now what kind of wife would I be if I didn’t cook for you,” You teased as the doors opened up. You were surprised to see him blushing. He hit the button for the 12th floor, feeling like a total idiot.
You looked so cute and professional. He tried to not think about the fact you had seen him in his underwear that morning. He looked down, mumbling something, hoping you wouldn’t notice how embarrassed he was. He was eager to just get to his studio. He understood abstractly that the two of you would be spending time together but now that it was actually happening, he felt awkward and shy. And vaguely annoyed by everyone else. He got off the elevator with you following. “What are you doing exactly?” He turned and asked.
“I’m your assistant. I’m supposed to help you. Do I have a desk or anything? There wasn’t really an orientation. There isn’t anything on the calendar for the rest of the day.”
“Oh. Ok. Umm take the rest of the day off…? Go unpack?” He shrugged.
You scowled. “That doesn’t seem particularly helpful especially since you want me to move out.”
Yoongi sighed and continued to move down the hallway, “You don’t need to do that. There,” he pointed. “That’s Jiwoo. She’s the office manager for this floor. Ask her if she knows anything. I need to get to my studio.”
You had so many more questions but you didn’t want to bother Yoongi.“Ok. See you later.” You turned and walked over to the woman he had indicated to.
Yoongi continued on to his studio. He had no idea if you had a desk or not. He hadn’t really put thought into it. He cursed himself for not thinking to ask Namjoon about any of this. He detested appearing as though he didn’t know something, which unfortunately meant he hadn’t asked questions when he should have. Oh well. He hoped Jiwoo could straighten it out. Otherwise he would later today. He typed in his pass code and walked into his studio. Fortunately he felt inspired this morning and went straight for his notebook.  
“Hello. Excuse me?” You said as you walked up to the desk of the woman who had been identified to you as the office manager. She appeared to be older than you; her hair cut into a bob, she also had super cute glasses. She looked up. 
“Yes, can I help you with something?” 
“I’m Mr. Min’s new assistant, [Y/N]. Today is my first day and nobody really seems sure what to do with me.”
She laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. They all do a great job with the big picture around here. But the details? That’s my specialty.” She stood up. “Follow me. Your desk is over here, near the lounge area. It’s a little noisy, but it’s across from the coffee maker. Which is important because Min Yoongi loves coffee.”
“Yes, thank you. That is like one of the only things I do know.” You smiled, grateful for any help.
“You don’t have a company laptop yet. I would expect it by Monday. You can do most things via the App though. If something does come up, let me know and we can work something out. Now, if you walk around the corner here,” she led the way. “We have some empty studios. If you ever need to rent space for any reason, they are available under the App. Mr. Min has his own studio so you shouldn’t need to book any spots unless you are helping with a collaborator. Speaking of, here is his studio. Good luck with that.” She pointed down to the doormat which had a cat flipping you both off. You laughed. You looked at the plate by the door. “Min Suga. Genius Lab.”
“Humble. Nice.” You pointed at the placard.
“He is really good though.” She said thoughtfully. She began to move down the rest of the hallway, pointing out the restrooms and arriving back at her desk.  “Also, don’t wait up on him. He’s in there most of the time. Follow your calendar. If you try to follow his, you’ll never sleep or you’ll end up with a sleeping disorder. Seriously. He sleeps in there sometimes.” She sat back down at her desk.
Your eyes bugged out a little bit at this. Damn that was some dedication. You hoped he at least had a futon in there then. Jeeze. “Alright. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.”
You almost wished you would have kept your desk plant now, looking at the empty space. You had a few office items in the bags in Yoongi’s house but nothing really worth going back for. A message popped up on your phone. **ORDER READY MIN YOONGI #2983627** You clicked on it. Apparently there was an order at the store ready for Yoongi. Because there was a store in the company building. Huh. Ok. I guess this is part of my job now. You looked up where the store was and headed down to the 2nd floor. It appeared to be a multipurpose grocery and home-goods store with also a few clothing items.  Looking around you found the *Pick up online order* section and walked over. You queued up and recognized the perfectly coiffed blonde hair of Namjoon’s assistant. 
You gave him a light tap on the shoulder. “Hey!”
Jimin turned around, surprised to see the girl from the interview last week standing behind him. “Hey you.” He smiled, “so you got the job?”
You nodded. “Yep. Sorry again about last week. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He laughed, his eyes turning into adorable crescent-moons  “I’m sorry I literally yelled “shit” at you. So I think we’re even.” He stuck out a hand, “Park Jimin. Nice to officially meet you.” You shook it. “I see you have figured out some stuff. You’ll be on the 14th floor with Yoongi right?”
“Yep. I just got my desk. That’s it. The rest of the day doesn’t have anything and he hasn't given me anything to do yet.”
Jimin turned to move forward in line, with you following suit. He turned back, “Well Yoongi hasn’t had an assistant before but if he’s anything like Namjoon he’ll figure out a million things for you to do soon. Once they get used to it they forget how to even use food delivery apps or how to do their own laundry.” He shook his head. “To clarify: I don’t do his laundry. I coordinate the dry cleaning.”
“And here I was imagining you washing Namjoon’s undies.” You teased, causing him to laugh some more.
“Noooo stop. I don’t want that mental image.” Jimin licked his lips. “If you’re not doing anything later you should join me and Tae for drinks. Not at Club Tokki.” You raised your eyebrows. “Sorry, I peeked at your resume. Think about it and let me know.” He cut the conversation short as it was his turn in line. He concluded his business at the counter quickly. He turned around, carrying a few paper bags. “I’ll see you around.”
You waved, “Alright, I’ll text you about later.” It felt so nice to be included on your first day. He seemed fun. You stepped up and held the QR code up for them to scan. You were handed two paper bags and a larger plastic one. You took them and stepped aside, reading the stapled receipt paper. **PINK TOWELS X 4** on one of the bags. **QUEEN SIZE BLANKET WHITE X 2** on the larger one. He bought me blankets and towels!?!?! You took the bags back to the apartment. Yoongi had taken your bags and put them nicely in the corner of your room. You were pretty sure this stuff was for the guest bedroom and bathroom but you didn’t want to seem presumptuous.
YN: Hey! I picked up your order from the store. Where should I put the towels and blankets?
You waited a few minutes, unpacking one of your bags.
Y: Those are for you. The washing machine is upstairs in the hallway. 
YN: Thank you so much. Pink is my favorite color!
Y: :]
You went and started a load of towels and continued to unpack. Holy shit. This was weird.  You went back upstairs with the blankets. The upstairs loft area had a more lived in feel to it, with blankets strewn over a black couch, a large tv, and a video game system. There was also a keyboard in the corner. There was a short hallway containing a closet and the washer and dryer. You assumed the door at the end of the hallway led to his room. You were a very private person yourself, so you weren’t about to intrude on that. You honestly felt weird being in the loft area, it felt as though the lower level was for show and this was where Yoongi actually lived. 
You moved some more laundry around and decided to head back to the office. You still weren’t sure about joining Jimin for drinks tonight. You decided you would wait and see what the laundry status was. You set a timer on your phone and went back to the office. You stopped by the lounge area and made a coffee for yourself while preparing a coffee for Yoongi. Another ping on your phone.
***EVENT ADDED SATURDAY 6 PM***
Retirement Party for Lee Soobin Akioko Flame Restaurant
The espresso stopped dripping. You added the water and then poured it over ice. You walked over to the studio and gave the door a knock. No answer. 
 You huffed in slight irritation while trying to get your phone out one-handed. 
YN: It’s me. I have coffee.
Y: Leave it by the door.
YN: :( But someone could kick it over
Yoongi took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
Y: Give me a minute.
He got to what he deemed was a good stopping point and walked over to the door, opening it the slightest bit.
“Here you go.” You handed him the iced coffee. 
He took it, eyeing you suspiciously.  “What?” You said, exasperated. You had lovingly hand-crafted this brew.
“You like shitty coffee so I’m worried.” He took a sip. His eyebrows went up. “This is not shitty. This is good. Where did you get it from?” He noticeably relaxed, the doorway opening slightly more. 
“I made it using the espresso maker in the break room.” You said. “I worked in a coffee shop before I was old enough to work in bars. Shitty coffee has to do more with sleep deprivation than actual preferences.”
“True true.” He said, his lips pouting as he took another sip. The sound of a phone ringing in the studio cut through the air. He scowled, making no attempt to answer it.
“Is that your work phone?” You asked.
“Yes. I imagine it’s Jimin or one of BPD’s assistants.”
“So...shouldn’t you answer it?” You asked.
Yoongi shrugged and walked into his office, not bothering to shut the door. You took this as a slight invitation and followed him in. You took a brief look around before the phone rang again and you identified it’s location. You walked over and picked it up. “Genius Lab. This is [Y/N] speaking.” 
Yoongi turned around to ask what the fuck you were doing but then you had sounded so professional, he just plopped down in his work chair instead, a dumbfounded look on his face.
“I’m not sure. I’ll find out and get back with you. What’s the number?” You took out your phone and typed the information in. “Ok yes. Thank you.” You hung up the phone. 
“What are you doing exactly?” He asked. You weren’t sure if he was angry, amused, or confused. He was difficult to read sometimes.
You smirked. “Being your assistant. Would you like me to have this phone forward to mine so it doesn’t ring in here?” 
Yoongi’s eyes grew slightly wider, “You can do that?”
“Yep. There’s an app for it.” You responded, happy some of your previous office experience actually translated to this position.
“Yes. Please God yes.” He said quickly. 
You laughed, setting up the forwarding application. You picked up the phone to see what the number of the studio was. “Alright. I can at least triage some of the calls for you.” You said, satisfied with yourself. “Also. Ew.” You eyed a few take-out containers and coffee cups. “I’m coming back for...this.” You gestured to the room and excused yourself to get a trash bag. 
Yoongi sat there slightly dazed. He rarely let anyone into his studio and yet you had just come in, fixed his phone anxiety issue, and also scolded him. He scrolled through his phone, seeing the event on Saturday. It was annoying but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad with you and J-Hope there. Maybe. Even if it all was a stupid pretend performance.
You retrieved a trash bag from the break room and came back. You started cleaning without saying anything. It was becoming obvious that Jiwoo had spoken the truth, Yoongi really did spend most of his time in here. You made your way around the surfaces, throwing trash away. To your shock, Yoongi just sat there, drinking his coffee and scrolling through his phone.
“Thanks again for the towels and blankets. It was very thoughtful of you.”
“No problem.”
“Are we going to the party on Saturday?”
Yoongi looked up at you, “Sure.”
And just like that, you had committed to your first event at BigHit. “Alright, I’ll let Jin know.”
Yoongi shifted in his seat slightly, “is that who called?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Has he hit on you yet?”He asked casually, belying the fact that he was actually very interested in how you would react to the infamous flirt. 
You giggled. You were almost all the way done tidying up. “Of course. Have you seen his face? He had to let me know how in demand it is at all times.” You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, him and Namjoon stopped by the bar last week. Idiots.”
“Agreed.” Yoongi felt his body become more at ease with your answer. He didn’t know why he cared.
You looked around the spartan room. “Alright. I’m all done. Do you need anything else?”
Yoongi put his phone down. “Just to get back to my writing.”
You were so very curious but you didn’t want to intrude. “Sure thing. See you later.” You picked up your trash bag and left the room, shutting the door behind you. You were honestly surprised at how easy your day had been so far.  You sat the trash bag down by your cubicle, unsure of where to deposit it.  A text to Jiwoo about the dumpster and an RSVP to Jin about the party on Saturday and your day was almost done. You dropped the garbage off on your way to the apartment to switch out laundry. You were getting tired.
YN: Hey! I’m going to take a rain check for tonight. I am so tired and I still need to unpack ;-; I do want to though, so don’t think I’m blowing you off. Lunch tomorrow? 
JM: Shit I totally forgot you would need to unpack and everything. Sorry. No worries. Also, check your schedule, we have a huge design meeting around lunch time so they will most likely have it catered. I’ll buy you a drink on Saturday if you actually get Yoongi to attend.
You raised your eyebrows. It was on the schedule clear as day, on you and Yoongi’s calendar. Why wouldn’t he attend?
YN: Of course he’ll be there. Why wouldn’t he be?
JM: HAHAHAHA good luck. See you tomorrow!
It was already after five so you didn’t bother going back down to the office. You finished the laundry and finished your unpacking. And then you stood in the apartment just staring. The sun had gone down and the windows had a lovely view of the city. You could see part of the river and one of the many lit up bridges. You turned on the kitchen light. Shit. You had no idea what the food situation looked like here. Your stomach growled. You took some rice out of the cooker, leaving enough for Yoongi and sat at the countertop. 
You opened up your personal email. You had paid the dorm deposit for your brother, using your “disappear in the middle of the night and change your name again” emergency fund to pay for it. It had scared the shit out of you to pull all your money from savings and you still were secretly afraid that the job was lying about how much money it would pay you. Before you knew it, it was 9. 
YN: Hey, I ate some of the rice but I don’t want to just go through your kitchen. Do you want me to order or make anything?
No response. Ok. He was probably busy. You rifled through the cabinets. If his office was any indicator there should be at least a few ramyeon packs you could eat and replace. Bingo. You made a spicy prawn one and texted one more time.
YN: I owe you a spicy prawn ramyeon pack. Thanks again for everything. See you tomorrow.
You set the coffee maker for the next day and brush your teeth. You nestled into your new bed complete with one of your new fluffy blankets. You couldn't remember the last time you had your own bedroom. It was before your sister was born. The two of you had always shared a room. And then 7 years ago you started sharing a room with her and your niece. You took a deep breath, feeling as though you were letting 7 years of bullshit go all at once. If only it were all so simple. NEXT CHAPTER @lidda  @anpanman-sonyeondan  @firefairy1  @cuteipat  @sugaslittlekookies  @janeelizabeth1216 @deeepvibes @gxldenhunny
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