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#rare book marbling
noelcollection · 1 year
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The marbling pattern on the boards and endpapers of our late nineteenth-century multi-volume set of John Morley's English Men of Letters is marked by colorful spirals. I wonder if there's a metaphor here: enter the irresistible whirlpools of knowledge and lose yourself in all the information contained within!
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Images from: Morley, John, ed. English Men of Letters. New York: Harper & Bros., ca. late nineteenth century. Catalog record: http://bit.ly/40F5jaR
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riesenfeldcenter · 4 months
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Some unexpected marbling on two books (here and here) covering the trial of Lord Sackville, 1760.
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muspeccoll · 7 months
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We've been posting materials for #MarbledMonday for years, but for the first time ever, we get to post our own work. On Saturday, Jim Downey of Legacy Bookbindery led students, faculty members and librarians in a paper marbling workshop. Watch the video to see what we learned!
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hdslibrary · 1 year
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Marbled Monday Pattern Puzzler
There are three volumes to this late 18th century set of biblical criticism. Based on the similarities of the marbling patterns we wondered if the papers might have originated in the same sheet? Maybe not, but it was still fun to try to line up the patterns!
This set was owned by 19th century Unitarian minister and and scholar, Convers Francis.
Niemeyer, August Hermann. Charakteristick der Bibel. 5. Aufl. Halle : im allen soliden Buschhandlungen, [1794-95].
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vox-anglosphere · 1 year
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On this day in 1876 the Parliamentary Library opened in Ottawa
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upennmanuscripts · 1 year
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Our next weekly series is #ToolingTuesday! Featuring bindings with cool tooling. First up is Ms. Codex 1008, French 18th century marbled calf with the arms of former owner Bonnier de la Mosson on the upper cover and his name on the lower cover
Online:
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theartofgooglebooks · 2 years
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Leather and marbled paper rendered in high contrast black and white.
Covers of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (1877).
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when i make the gtmpota whodunit? video.....then
#posts made by people who haven't started working on it at all but intend to really get serious about that when it's officially september....#which are also posts made by people w/the autistique inertia; the adhd exec dysfunction; the perfectionism avoidance...#the Very Slow Artists even when they do get going and can't Just draw quickly / without editing much#the people who don't really picture faces or voices for characters & are shit at making things up like say a character design....#still like oh jeez how do i even throw together like various inspirations into any solid enough idea of how to draw brooke#then head in hands when i remember tina's also in that scene technically & it Would be funnier to include her#she doesn't even have Any appearance description from the book to be a helpful little detail like e.g. brooke's glasses; zeke's freckles....#so help me god i'll make this quasimatic which also i'd probably be putting together via windows media maker lmfao#but lord.......held back by the scruff of the neck. if i could do things more easily imagine the material#however. it is me being me doing the things the way i do that creates all the preexisting material & leads to me wanting to make this one#now one of the less Relatively niche things i could post about but still like. whom else is raring to make the whodunit sequence#imagine if a year out almost someone did though lol. like well....two cakes#speaking of niche but not i was seeing some reddit post the other day about like marble hornets lore of yore like yeah lol...#being informally around for this as ppl in the replies are like ''well all i have is the vaguest speculation''#like well me too i guess but a little less vague and a little more informed. anyways
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wri0thesley · 10 days
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let me see - arlecchino x fem!reader (3.8k)
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you work as a tutor at the house of the hearth; but the father of the children you teach seems to haunt your thoughts.
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cw: not sfw, fem reader. employer-employed dynamics, reader calls arlecchino 'sir', chubby reader, reader is inexperienced. arlecchino calls reader 'good girl' and 'darling'. guided masturbation.
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You see your employer only rarely, but that does not mean that you do not think about her often. 
It’s in the way that the children - your students, the ones you have been engaged to teach basic arithmetic and reading and as much history as you can squeeze in - speak of their ‘Father’. The look of wonder and devotion and just a touch of intimidation that comes over them, even as they chatter to you about the next time she is coming home and what they plan to do to welcome her. It’s in your salaries; perfectly paid, on time, with extra money left in an envelope and a note in beautiful, sharp handwriting mentioning your students by name and how well they’re progressing.
And, of course, it is in the times you see her - for you do not think anybody could see Arlecchino and not think about her regularly for the rest of their life. 
She makes you nervous. There is something about her commanding presence; her lovely marble face, the strangely striking appearance of her eyes, the self-assured way that she stands. You think her beautiful, of course - but you have always had trouble around beautiful people, and so you find yourself stumbling over your words, your cheeks burning hot, coming far too close to making a fool out of yourself whilst she keeps a small, polite smile on her face as she watches you falter. 
You worry, sometimes, she knows that you find her at once intimidating and irresistible - that something about the way you hold yourself will give away that you have wondered what her nails would feel like, digging into the soft skin of your throat as she tipped your chin upwards - or that you have wondered what it would feel like to have her corner you like a trapped rabbit and have her way with you--
But they are just daydreams. The truth is that you are as green as they come; you had gone to Sumeru’s Akademiya, a child who could not stop devouring books, who was obsessed with learning - and you had returned back to your native Fontaine to teach, and had no time in between that to pursue romantic relationships. The sum total of your romantic experience is a hurried kiss with another student, another beautiful older woman, who had pulled back and laughed at you, touching your cheek gently. 
“Aren’t you adorable?” She’d asked you, in a low, sleepy voice with her eyes half-lidded. “Maybe a bit too adorable for just right now. Come find me again if you’re ever in Mondstadt.”
So . . . your fantasies about Arlecchino are just that. Simple fantasies. You have other things to attend to, after all! You care about the children whose education has been entrusted to you - even those who have now grown too old to need your guidance, who you watch flower and blossom and strike out from the House of the Hearth. Even if they stray beyond the nation you live in, though . . . they always seem to come back, to pay their respects to Father. 
But it doesn’t stop the fact that sometimes she looks at you, when your paths crossed, with her head tilted just slightly to one side, and you feel like she knows exactly what you’re thinking. She always makes you feel strangely exposed; you keep up with fashion, because you enjoy it, but something about the fripperies of your gowns and skirts and blouses and the ribbons and the carefully chosen accessories in front of Arlecchino make you feel as though she is stripping you down in her mind, so perfectly poised and tailored. So you drop books in front of her. Your sentences get tangled together. You go hot all over and look at the floor--
But still she employs you, and still you hurry home at night and try to ignore the pounding in your chest and the way your breath goes short at the sight of her. Your paths cross only occasionally, you tell yourself. Next time you will be prepared. 
But you are not prepared, the day that Arlecchino meets you in the hallway (your arms full of books and the work of the children that you intend to look over that night), running late with your hair ribbons askew and your dress crooked and she looks at you and says, in a voice that brokers no argument;
“Won’t you stay a little longer and have afternoon tea with me?” 
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“Do I make you nervous?” The red crosses in her eyes bore into you as she pours you a steaming cup of tea into a delicate teacup. You sit primly, your hands folded in your lap, your feet together, feeling entirely too exposed alone in this room with her. “You shake like a leaf whenever I speak to you.” 
You wet your lips awkwardly, your throat dry, as you reach out for the teacup. You notice your hands are shaking and try to stop them, but she leans forward herself and places one of her hands over yours, steadying you. You stare up at her, eyes wide, whilst she looks down at you with something calculating and predatory in her gaze. 
“I’m sorry,” you whisper, your voice very soft. You can feel your cheeks going hot against your will, and you wonder what you must look like to her - because you feel like a rabbit who is about to be pounced on by a wolf. Arlecchino slowly and purposely guides your hand back down, to put the teacup back on the saucer, and you begin to get the strangest impression that her invitation for ‘afternoon tea’ was actually an invitation for something entirely different. Her hand comes back up, and one of your idle questions is given an answer as you feel her sharp nails dig into the soft skin under your chin, tipping it up as she leans in closer. Close enough that she could kiss you, if she wanted - close enough you can smell the scent of Rainbow Roses and smoke that lingers on her clothes. 
“Oh,” says Arlecchino, and she smiles at you and something about the smile makes you go hot and cold all over all at once. “Don’t be. It’s terribly cute.”
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You don’t know how you end up sprawled out over her lap, your thighs hooked over the arms of her chair, as she takes control of you - but before you know it, that is the position you have found yourself in. Her hands roam slowly all over you, savouring the feel of your skin - soft and warm, generously curved - beneath her long, elegant fingers. 
“These ribbons drove me to distraction today,” she murmurs against your ear, as you melt helplessly against her and she tugs at a brightly coloured red ribbon that trims your blouse. “I kept thinking about tying it around your pretty wrists instead.” 
“M-Miss Arlecchino--”
She clicks her tongue at you in admonishment, running her thumb over the seam of your lips. 
“Call me ‘Sir’, darling.” You practically fall over yourself to rectify your mistake, your tongue messy and heavy in your mouth, and you win a little chuckle from the woman who has you at her mercy. “You’re just so eager to please, aren’t you? What a good, obedient little thing.” 
“Please--” You whisper breathlessly, as she tugs at the ribbon completely and the throat of your blouse falls open. Her nails scratch a slow line over your neck, almost like a threat, and you shiver again helplessly under the touch. 
“Please what?” She murmurs against the shell of your ear. “You know, I did employ you as a tutor . . . for an academic, you’re rather inarticulate.” One button of your blouse, torturously slowly. The next, and she smiles against your bare skin to see the way your chest is rabbiting. “One would think you’d never been touched like this before.”
She knows.
There’s an edge to the way she says that, a note that’s teasing and suggestive, and it tears from your throat a little whimper of embarrassment that, in turn, makes her let out a sigh of satisfaction. 
“My, my,” Arlecchino says to you - two more buttons, and your blouse is barely fastened. You’re inordinately glad you wore pretty underwear today, though you suppose it must look rather fussy to Arlecchino. “Have you not, sweetheart?”
“Sir,” you whine out, feeling tears spring to your eyes at the humiliation of the whole thing. Despite the humiliation, though, heat spirals out from between your thighs - your matching fancy underwear, you know, is soaked through. “Please-- it’s embarrassing--”
The final button, and Arlecchino’s fingers are running over bare skin now. The pudge of your stomach, the curve of your chest through the ruched cups of your brassiere. 
“Say it,” she says to you, her voice sharp in the command. She circles a finger over your nipple through the lace and chiffon and you squirm in her lap at the sensation of the bud puckering and hardening. “If you want me to touch you, you understand, you have to at least have the confidence to tell me the truth. Or I’ll just send you home without your blouse and with your poor little aching cunt untouched, hmm?”
“Sir--!”
She grabs your cheeks between thumb and forefinger, squeezing the roundness of them roughly. The Father of the House of the Hearth, after all, is not one to be intimidated by whining or begging. She has plenty of experience dealing with brats. Her fingers still as she waits for you to do as she asks, and you squeeze your eyes shut and hiccup out a sob of longing. 
“I--I’ve never . . . had anyone else touch me . . . l-like this--”
She lets out a pleased purr in the back of her throat.
“There,” she soothes. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Good girl.” She drops a kiss on the side of your forehead like a reward, her hands sliding over your body to find the catch of your brassiere. There’s a brief tussle of movement as she ensures you are shed of both your blouse and your underwear, and then you’re once more on her lap, your entire top half bared, only your skirts and stockings and underwear still on. “And if I’m honest . . .” She moves back to your ear, pressing a kiss on your jawline beneath the earlobe. “I rather like getting my claws in someone before they can learn any bad habits. I, too, am an excellent teacher.”
She takes a firm hold of you, pulling you even closer to her so that her hands can each take a palmful of your breasts. You feel exposed before her; the rolls of your stomach, the way that your chest sags into her grip, but Arlecchino does not seem to care about these things - instead she just sighs like you’re a fine wine she’s sampling, palming and squeezing the heavy weight of them. 
“You’re such a pretty thing beneath the flounces,” she says to you, plucking idly at your nipples between thumb and forefinger - the movement sends hot lightning flashes of pleasure right down to the space between your legs. “If I were in charge, I think I’d leave you naked in my bed. Much more practical like that, don’t you agree?” 
“I--” 
“What about kisses?” She asks you, not letting you say anything. Your head is spinning pleasantly, and you cannot say that you are annoyed she’s stopping you from making a fool of yourself. “Are you as unversed in those, too?”
“I--I’ve kissed . . . someone--”
“Just one?” She laughs, a not unkind noise. “Oh, just the one kiss, I see. Poor thing, your cheeks are like Pyro slimes. Come here. Let me show you how to kiss someone properly, hmm?” 
Arlecchino pulls you into a kiss that is so unlike the one you once had that to call them both by the same name seems a great disservice. There is no other way to describe it; she claims you, her mouth like a conquering king, your own the battlefield. Her teeth tug at your lower lip and you are helpless to do anything but open your mouth, let her tongue sweep over yours. She tastes like fire and tea, some of the little cakes she had offered to you - and you whine helplessly, clutching at her slacks because there’s nothing else you can reach in the position she has you in. 
She lets go of your face with a satisfied sigh, and your head lolls back against her shoulder as she delicately wipes a smudge of her lipstick from the corner of your mouth. 
“Let’s get this off you,” she says, tugging at the frills of your skirt. “Let me see you, darling.” 
You’re only too eager to assist, embarrassed but needy, wanting but nervous. The fastenings at your waistband are unhooked, and then she is carelessly sliding it off of you until you are back before her in nothing but your underwear and your stockings, digging into the fullness of your thighs. For a moment, you are embarrassed again of your softness - but Arlecchino grabs your hips, pulling you back bodily onto her, and you realise from the possessiveness of her movements that she does not see it for a moment as something to be ashamed of. 
Arlecchino’s hands are hungry as she squeezes at the softness of your thighs, as her palms sear hot across your stomach, as her fingers drift towards the gusset of your underwear. Her touch is feather-light, there, but you keen even so - terribly aware of every movement, even the smallest brush of her fingers. Arlecchino clicks her tongue against your ear again. 
“So sensitive,” she whispers. “I’m afraid I might hurt you, and I’m afraid I’d very much like it. Why don’t you show me how you touch yourself?”
Your breath gets caught in your chest. Her suggestions so far have been, perhaps, embarrassing - have put you at a disadvantage due to your lack of experience. But nothing so far has been quite so brazen. You burn with the unease of it, but Arlecchino is already grabbing your hand, placing it over your soaked underwear. 
“Don’t worry about making a mess,” she murmurs into your ear. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that. My pants are soaking.”
She seems to enjoy watching you squirm as you whimper again, face hot. But her hand does not move, keeping your own anchored against your underwear until you do as she asks and shyly, nervously, rub at yourself through the sodden fabric just a little. 
“Oh, darling,” she breathes, condescension dripping off every syllable. “You’ll never get anywhere like that.” You are inarticulate with your touches, still trembling and shaking at the strangeness of all of this - and you have done this, of course, but never with an audience! Never spread out over someone’s lap as they critique your technique!
“Sir, please--”
“You’re supposed to be a teacher,” she admonishes you. “You’re supposed to know everything, are you not? Have I really got to help you with something so simple as touching yourself?” She’s enjoying it; the sight of you, normally so prim and shy, utterly undone by her every word and action. Her hand moves over yours, holding it, guiding you to press two of your fingers together and circle over your swollen clit through the underwear. 
It’s different, with her guiding you. You turn your head to try and bury it against her collar as she continues to mercilessly guide you into circles, sniffling pathetically - but she just coos, just nudges you back so you watch the visual of her hand over yours between your thighs. 
“Shall we get your underwear off too?” She phrases it as a question, but it’s not one - she is already peeling off the frilly cotton, inching it down your generous thighs. She laughs a little meanly when she sees just how large the damp, darker patch is, and you think you will cry. Every feeling you have ever had is magnified a thousand fold here, in this incredibly vulnerable position spread over the lap of your employer. 
(There are whispers that Arlecchino is even more than that; that there is a secret purpose behind the orphanage you have been employed by. But you do not put much stock in rumours, even when the children look at each other strangely and whisper when they think you cannot hear them. The thought of who you might really be letting touch you . . . You wish it did not stoke a fire in you even hotter and brighter than before). 
“There we are,” she murmurs. “Good girl. Look at you. Look how pretty you are.” She deals your sex a short, soft slap - her palm comes away sticky, the noise indecent in the little room she had brought you to for afternoon tea. “I wonder how much prettier you’ll look with three of your fingers stuffed inside of you?”
Another strangled noise from your throat at the easy way she says the filthy things, and Arlecchino merely makes a soft huff of laughter. 
“Carry on touching yourself for me,” she says to you. “Let me see.”
It’s an order, and you know that orders from Arlecchino are to be obeyed. Shyly and hesitantly again, you bring your fingers back to your sex. She rests her head against your shoulder, and moves her own hand; uses two of her fingers to make a ‘v’ shape and places them on your sex, using them to spread the plump outer lips aside so that you have better access to your clit and your entrance, still soaking and leaking slick out onto Arlecchino’s lap. 
You’re hot and awkward as you touch your clit; as you try and mimic the circles that she had drawn on you earlier - but you are not brave enough to keep at it, and before long you have returned to your own faithful back-and-forth motion on your clit, your hips moving in little thrusts to try and prolong the sensation. You can hear yourself in the charged air; the hot little pants, the whimpers of frustration that none of it feels as good as it did when she was in charge. Arlecchino, though, merely watches you struggle. 
You cannot see her face, but you can imagine the look upon it; the barest quirk of the lip, the single raised eyebrow. You carry on as best you can, trying to think of all the things you would usually think of - but it all spirals back to where you are, what is happening, and the fact no fantasy can truly compare. 
Her voice is a little thick when she speaks next, and you realise with a strange jolt of pleasure that your inarticulate touching is still having an effect on her. It’s almost unnoticeable - but Arlecchino’s normal tone is so very poised, even the smallest change feels like a blaring siren to you. 
“Put two of your fingers inside of you,” she says. And then, as you inexpertly slide two of your fingers inside your channel, she lets out a shuddering breath. You’re wet and tight around yourself, aware that you must look a mess - but Arlecchino’s fingers are sliding between your sex, moving to touch the space on your clit you just vacated, and your entire mind goes blank. “Don’t stop. Let me see you move them.”
You do your best, but Arlecchino’s own movements are just too much. The sensation of her dragging the pads of her fingers over your swollen clit; the way she circles and flourishes and swirls . . . you try, desperately, to keep your fingers in some kind of rhythm as they slide in and out of you, but before you know it you’re using your other hand to clutch at her arm and whimpering as you hump upwards into her touch. 
“I ought to stop you,” she tells you, but she doesn’t for a moment stop her ceaseless assault on your clit; the wet, sticky clicking noise of your slick between her fingers. “You’re being a brat.”
“Please, Sir,” you whisper, babbling, “I’m . . . it feels so good--”
“Flatterer,” she murmurs, in that low, hungry voice. “You’re lucky that you look so very pretty like this, and that I am perhaps more soft-hearted than I appear . . .” Tears are running down your cheeks, sniffling, whimpering, helplessly moving your hips in time with her touches. Nothing seems to exist but the feel of Arlecchino’s fingers on your clit and the firm, certain way she touches you. “Be a good girl and come for me.” 
The order tips you over the edge. The knot of heat in your belly comes undone and you whine helplessly as you buck into her touch, and you feel a gush of your own slick wet the fingers that are still stuffed inside of you. Your thighs try to clamp shut around the sensation, but the position that Arlecchino has you in with your thighs over the arms of her chair stop you from doing it - and so does she, still working her fingers over your clit through every trembling moment of your orgasm. 
You come back down, panting, aware of the wetness between your legs and your nakedness, the stiff points of your nipples and Arlecchino’s fingers on you and the fact that Arlecchino is still dressed exactly as she was when she caught you in the hallway. 
She moves her hand, and to your surprise she presses her fingers against your lips, forcing your mouth open. 
“Taste yourself,” she tells you, and you are still so in awe of her that you can do nothing but obey - the slightly tangy taste of you lingering on your lips. You’re even more surprised when she uses her other hand to pluck your hand from between your thighs and guides the two fingers that had been inside of you to her own mouth, her tongue hungrily drinking in the wet webs of your slick. “Well. Aren’t you sweet?”
The unprofessionalism of what you’ve just done begins to creep up on you, shame drenching your back. All of those talks about ethics that you’d had at the Akademiya - but Arlecchino takes your head and turns it and gives you another firm kiss, another bite to your lower lip, another conquering that makes you feel weak at the knees. Your own taste lingers in your mouth, but, too, it lingers on her lips, and she seems supremely satisfied as she pulls back. 
“I’ll be away on business for the next week,” she tells you. “In Snezhnaya. I’ll bring you something back.”
“Sir--”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she continues. “That little apartment you live in - well, it seems a shame, when we have so many empty rooms, and a live-in tutor would be far more beneficial - don’t you think? The children do adore you, and it seems so very practical.”
It’s a bizarre time to be having a business meeting, with your slick staining her clothes, with your own clothes a crumpled pile, with your position so terribly open and exposed - but all you can do is blink at her, and she smiles at you like a cat who has gotten the cream. She pats your cheek. 
“Besides,” she says. “It will give us far more time together. And I do have so much more I’d like to teach you.”
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othmeralia · 2 years
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What a marvelous marbled Monday! This marbling is found inside our copy of L'art du distillateur liquoriste (1773).
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silantryoo · 1 month
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baek harin x reader
WARNINGS ; TRIGGER WARNING! heavy manipulation, love bombing, possessiveness, gaslighting, physical and emotional abuse, spoilers up to episode 8 of pyramid game
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your thoughts ran wild.
harin probably already knew. somehow, she always figured out what you were thinking, as if you were an open book. she could tell your worries and your fears by glancing at you.
you did well. you knew that she would be proud of you, but still...
you shook your head. now wasn't the time to be nervous.
smoke wafted around the baekyeon heiress as you approached her, her eyes drifting in the distance. in her hand, a cigarette, laced with gold and stuffed with toxins that harin always seemed to indulge herself in.
her head tilted towards you, a dull sparkle in her eye.
"so?"
her voice was monotone, carrying out a sense of boredom that she only showed to a few others.
you watched her in all her beauty, the curls of the fog shaping the area around her. the heiress was stunning, and it always took you a couple seconds to reel yourself back to reality.
harin rolled her eyes as she approached you, tapping the side of her smoke as a warning.
instinctively, you straightened, your eyes wide as she smiled.
there was something so addictive about frightening you, something that was true genuine fear laced with an undying loyalty. you were impossible to replicate, a faithful dog waiting by her bedside.
you took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke through your nose. "i got ambushed by jaeun, suji, and them."
"i thought so." another puff of smoke exited her mouth. "did they mention anything?"
anything else?
you bit your tongue, your face ridden with guilt.
you were tired of the game, tired of getting hurt. as much as you yearned for harin's happiness, the exhaustion was getting to you. you just wanted one day to yourself, without eunbyeol and harin breathing down your back.
"no."
harin's eyes hardened, her gaze trained on you like a hawk. her pupils took in the sight; your quivering mouth, your avoidant stare...
she smiled.
"why don't i believe you?" harin clicked her tongue, pointing the end of her smoke near your cheek. "is it because you're lying to me?"
she knew. how did she know?
"no, i just..."
("join us.")
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you never questioned why class 1-5 were in the middle of nowhere.
the building was nice, decorated with marble columns and sleek white paint. the washrooms were clean, close by, and rarely messy except for the occasional tissue lying on the ground.
it felt as if you were purposely isolated, the twenty-four other girls in your class being the only ones in reach.
sometimes, you even forgot other classes existed.
"harin's a fucking bitch."
you paused. kim dayeon?
a girl like her wouldn't be caught dead in the library. there was no reason for her to be here, much less talk shit about the heiress of the entire school.
you kept your mouth shut as your thoughts wandered to the girl in question.
baek harin.
pretty, intelligent, soft-spoken. from what you've seen, all those things were right. you were always too shy to approach her, your thoughts clouded by the beauty that she held. from what you heard from others, she was the embodiment of niceness, going out of her way to lend others money with nothing in return (yet).
why would dayeon even say these things about her?
"god, you think she's all high and mighty." dayeon muttered, her feet shuffling as she paced back and forth. "that psycho probably wants us to worship the ground she walks on."
psycho? baek harin wasn't a psycho.
"a hierarchy game?" dayeon could already see it in her head. she had no choice but to agree at that moment, wanting to spare herself from her father later that day, but when harin had mentioned it... "is she demented?"
"pyramid game, dayeon." seo doah. that made sense as to why dayeon was here. "if you're gonna insult it, at least name it properly."
"shut it."
"you might also wanna check if anyone else is in the library." your throat ran dry as doah stood up, staring at you across the room. "right, y/n?"
you shot up, your eyes wide as dayeon stared at you. there was something in her eyes that was unfamiliar.
fear? what was she scared of? surely, it wasn't harin.
"um..."
"fuck." your eyes widened at her words. never in your life would you have thought that the eccentric kim dayeon would swear like a sailor. "don't you dare say shit, you understand me?"
you shook your head, your body stiff. "i won't-"
"you don't know what the fuck is at risk here." dayeon's anger roared throughout the library, her fist shaking. dayeon wouldn't hit you... right? "open your mouth and i'll stitch it shut."
you nodded, trembling as you packed your things to leave.
"jeez, dayeon..." doah shook her head.
you stood up, your bag half open, and your textbooks barely inside. in your arms, you gathered everything that you could, arms shaking as you rushed out the room.
a spark of fear lighted up inside you when you saw daeyeon fingernails imbed themselves into the soft skin of her palm. the crescents swelled a bright red, and you knew that she wasn't joking.
she was gonna hurt you. was she gonna hurt harin as well?
you needed to get out of here, maybe even tell harin how insane and dangerous her friend seemed.
how was that even possible? how could someone like dayeon hold a rage inside themselves like that? you could understand it from that suck up, wooyi, but dayeon?
you stumbled slightly as you turned the corner, the books nearly falling out of your bag as you collided with someone. a strong, sculpted hand grabbed your elbow, electricity shooting up your arm.
that feeling...
"is something wrong?"
her breath smelt faintly of nicotine, her perfume - one you assumed cost at least a couple hundred dollars - blocking the scent enough to not register in your brain.
you bit your tongue. "no..."
"you can tell me, y/n-ah." your heart leaped at her words, a cloud of affection and care seemingly coating them. "i don't bite."
harin's smile seemed so soft and elegant, like the status she so desperately upheld. her eyes gleamed gently (and if you looked any closer, void of life) as her cheeks dusted in a costly blush.
don't snitch. you thought as her worried gaze peered into your soul. why should i protect dayeon?
you bit your tongue, your chest bursting with guilt at the thought of dayeon laying a finger on the heiress in front of you.
"dayeon..." you whisper as an eyebrow on her pretty face raised. "she, um, she might hurt you."
you waited for harin's face to shift into worry, into fear, into a normal reaction. you waited for her lips to part and ask 'why?', to ponder what your words truly meant.
instead, she laughed, as if the thought of dayeon hurting her was a part of some greco-roman comedy and not a tragedy.
harin let go of your arm, moving your hair out of your face as your eyebrows furrowed.
"so i'm guess you heard about my game as well?"
you nod. you had forgotten that those threats had stemmed from some game dayeon had mentioned.
a hierarchy game... a pyramid game.
"what do you think about it?" harin's eyes shone in a playful demeanor, full of curiosity and excitement. you couldn't fathom why or how she wasn't worried. "doesn't it sound fun?"
the air shifted around you as her irises seemed to blacken. a heavy burden settled on your chest as she face twitched into a smile, and you felt compelled - forced - to agree.
"it does," you chuckled awkwardly. "i guess."
a soft hum escaped her mouth, her eyes glancing at your face, taking in the fear that had shifted from dayeon to her. behind your eyes, she saw something... something exciting.
the heiress smiled.
"i hope you're in 'a' with me." you had no idea what she meant, but the thought of being near baek harin made the room spin. "it'll be lonely without you."
she stepped beside you, a gentle touch on your shoulder. her breath wafted close to your ear as she spoke with a stiff voice, one you wouldn't recognize as harin's.
"thanks for the heads up about dayeon." you shivered, a cool line shooting up your spine. "i'll deal with her."
she walked away as a deep pit in your stomach emerged.
deal with her?
you gripped your books tighter as you listened to the fading footsteps, and the soft "hello, can i speak to mr. kim? it's harin." in the distance.
you didn't know why, but somehow, you made the wrong decision.
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you were never scared of blood.
it was a liquid that flowed inside you and every person's body, just like how water seeped from the sky and into the ground. blood was a natural process, nothing more and nothing less.
but when you saw that knife, drenched from your classmate's fresh wound...
you shivered at the thought, while harin's soft hands fiddled with a strand of your hair.
"do you feel bad for her?" harin's smile never disappeared, not since the game started. it didn't disappear when crimson dripped onto the floor, either. "woori?"
her lifeless eyes bore into yours, jolts of electricity and fire rising throughout your fingertips and cheeks. her hand, close enough to feel your breath, paused as the rest of harin's body stilled.
all of her stopped, as if so curious about your thoughts that each cell of hers had to still.
"you can be honest." her breath laced in nicotine once more, her perfume no longer covering the overwhelming scent. "i wanna know."
woori was an 'f'.
being an 'a' yourself, you had the right to torture her, to manipulate and ridicule her.
you never did, leaving it up to dayeon to do whatever she pleased with her. part of you still felt bad for what happened earlier in the year, and each time you blinked, you remembered the heavy-handed bruises left on dayeon's face the day after you had told harin about the library incident.
you understood woori, though. the mental toll it must've taken, being bullied throughout the day, months on end without another student looking your way. telling the teachers only resulted in a beating at best, and at worst...
your eyes clenched tightly as your brain replayed that video.
"a little..."
harin chuckled, pulling her hand away and fishing out a cigarette.
"you saw her cut jaeun up." harin muttered through her smoke, her delicate fingers wrapped around the golden band.
you remember the marble on the classroom floor stained red in a way that you didn't think it would.
blood wasn't scary. fear was.
"i did."
"and you still feel bad." harin inhaled, smoke leaving her nostrils as she looked you up and down. "interesting..."
as of late, harin had been smoking around you more and more often. whether it be behind the shed or simply just the two of you in the library, clouds of smoke seemed to follow her, and in turn, you.
the first time it had happened, you had coughed violently, taken off guard as the heiress smiled. your tears were exciting to her, much like your overwhelming sense of loyalty clashing with your morality.
she had never met anyone who was so inwardly conflicted.
"did she really drop out, harin-ah?"
harin blinked, standing up from her chair as she snubbed the end of her cig on some random book cover in front of her. she threw the smoke onto the floor, grinding it with her heel. her eyes were cold, and dark, and you knew that you had messed up again.
you didn't cough this time around. she had no reason to be mad.
the heiress gathered her belongings, sparing not a single glance your way.
"y/n?"
your heart skipped a beat.
"yeah?"
"my name's harin." she glanced at you, unamused. "don't call me that again."
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seong suji.
the girl was nice, a little naive to the happenings of class 2-5. you could tell from a mile away that the girl wanted to stay low and let time pass its course, but you knew better than anyone that she had a target on her back.
everyone's attention had been on her from the moment whispers spread about a new girl transferring into the class. the moment she stepped into the room, you watched as harin's eyes lit up, and a fire blazed inside you.
you didn't know whether it was guilt or jealousy.
"are you stupid?" harin clenched her teeth as she hovered over you, her eyes hardening like coals under pressure. "telling the new girl about my game?"
suji didn't hear the predators hiding in the tall grass. she didn't see their eyes, nor did she notice their bloodlust-filled gazes, but she felt it, and there were only two people in her mind who seemed to lack the barbarity that lingered in the empty halls of the complex.
"look at me!"
your eyes snapped to harin's, anger exuding from her lips as puffs of smoke filled the air and ashes fell onto the ground.
you winced.
"harin..." you had never seen this side of her, not directed at you. you had always watched from the distance as opposed to being the target. "i just thought-"
"did you?" harin's lips curled in a way that could only be described as disbelief, your utter incompetence boggling her mind. "or are you just as stupid as your dropout brother?"
you winced, the low blow winding your self-esteem.
"she looked confused." you tried your best to reason with an iron wall. "i didn't want her to feel like-"
harin's eyes widened, and her usual curiosity morphed into an unfiltered rage.
"like who? woori? jaeun?" she exhaled another cloud, your face getting covered in smoke as you struggled to breath. "you're so fucking stupid."
you felt the heiress lean closer, the tip of the cigarette centimeters away from your cheek.
"i'm sorry."
"you're sorry?" harin could feel her blood boiling. everything was ruined. "i had a plan. you ruined it for me. you ruined my game, y/n."
you closed your eyes, trying to drown out the sharp words and the blanket of burden that harin enveloped you with.
you just wished harin would go back to being curious and playful, and leave you ignorant to the fact that deep down, she was the monster dayeon had implied many months ago.
with a weak voice, you tried to reason. "i didn't mean to..."
"you didn't-" harin backed away, ripping the smoke from her lips and into her fingertips. "give me your hand."
your eyes widened.
"harin-"
she grabbed your wrist with a surprising amount of strength. her nails dug into your arm, your teeth grinding together at the dull pain. the heat of the cigarette hovered over your palm as you struggled to pull back, and you couldn't help but choke out a strangled gasp.
"harin, wait-"
the smell of flesh burning invaded your senses as your arm shook from the pain. lightning seemed to replace your veins, as a fire replaced your blood. your vision fuzzed, the tears in your eyes falling down your chin.
harin glanced at you, a small smile replacing her grimace. you were always so pretty when you were in pain.
"remember this." she threw her smoke onto the ground, her grip on your wrist tightening. "you mess with my game, you upset me. you don't want that to happen again, do you?"
the last thing you wanted was to see harin frown in your direction.
"no."
harin smiled, glancing at how your lips quivered and how your eyes held an intoxicating mixture of fear and want. quietly, she wiped a tear with her free hand, chuckling as you flinched at her touch.
"then stay away from seong suji." she leaned in, her voice soft except for the threatening undertone. "if i see you even look at her without my permission, i'll make your life hell."
her grip loosened, harin's eyes softening as she looked at you with what seemed to be worry and understanding.
"i..." you blinked, agreeing like an obedient dog. even now, you couldn't help but wonder which harin was the real harin, but all you knew was that you didn't want to disappoint her. "i understand."
harin sighed, glancing at the burn in your hand with contempt. "i don't like doing this to you."
you paused, your face brightening as the smell of tobacco stuck to your blazer.
"you don't?"
harin smiled. it was like catching a mouse in a well placed trap. you were predictable and easy to please. a couple right words and you'd be under her spell all over again.
"you think i do?" the heiress frowned, biting her tongue.
she loved it.
"no..."
with a giggle, she took your wrist, much more gently than before.
"let's get you patched up."
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harin liked putting on lipgloss around you.
she liked the way your eyes darted to her mouth for a split second before they looked anywhere else in the room. the redness of your cheeks delighted her in the sense that she knew that no matter what, you'd be stuck under her thumb.
you were her stupid, little puppet. your strings strong and unwavering, and your heart tainted with a loved one that you thought she didn't see.
it was adorable, like a puppy chasing its own tail, or a whale, no longer strong enough to go up for air.
harin liked to send you on mindless errands.
it was a good way to keep you in check, much better than instilling fear. she could sense that someone like you liked to feel needed, even if it's something as simple as fetching her more of her favorite brand of smokes or picking up items that she used for bribery.
it gave her a good laugh when you would come back, beaming as if you accomplished something when in reality, one of her maids could have easily done the same.
you were none the wiser, currently on your way to getting her more coffee (well, to get doah coffee per harin's demand).
you were just about to leave the campus, but a strong yet gentle hand yanked you aside, dragging you out of sight from the windows of the complex.
"sorry, y/n-ah."
you tried to shake her off, but she was too strong.
"jaeun, let go." why was she doing this? more importantly, why was she taking you to the nearby convenience store. "i can't be talking to you. you know that."
jaeun stopped, and you thought that she had finally gotten tired of you complaining so much. instead, you looked at the scene in front of you, two girls sitting in the shade of a foldable umbrella.
harin was gonna burn you alive.
"harin's pet?" jaehyeong shook her head, staring at the taller girl beside you. "jaeun-ie, are you sick? do you have a fever?"
you frowned. you weren't 'harin's pet'. so what if you liked being around her?
"she's nice." jaeun muttered, ushering you to the other girls. you tried to turn away, but she moved you in such a way that you couldn't escape. "she helped suji out."
"that was a mistake."
suji raised an eyebrow. she didn't know what was wrong with you. how could someone change so much in a matter of two months?
her eyes wandered your figure, stopping at the burns that littered your right hand.
oh. that makes sense.
"hey, y/n-ah."
"yerim?" you turned around, your jaw hanging open as the trainee sat with the girls, sipping on a can of coffee. you glanced at her phone, watching as she scrolled through eunjeong's instagram. "what the hell is going on?"
you looked around, their eyes glancing at suji with hesitation.
"you're not gonna convince her, suji." yerim shook her head.
being in rank 'a' herself, she knew firsthand how you followed every word harin said. she could tell from a mile away what it was, yerim herself victim to the feeling with a certain swimmer.
but there was a difference between the two of you, one that could prove to be detrimental.
you needed someone to follow, while she didn't.
"i can." suji glanced at your hand again. "i know i can."
"convince me?"
you felt a lump in your throat, praying that somehow, in some way, harin would come barging in and save you from whatever was going on here.
you took a deep breath, and sensing danger was near, gripped your wrist for safety.
jaeun frowned.
"i was serious about bringing down the game, y/n."
the pyramid game.
that stupid game that harin focused all her energy into, hellbent on keeping the perfect hierarchy intact. the one where you watched your classmates get beaten to a pulp, bloody and broken to the point of mental disarray.
you had never spoken it out loud, but you were tired of it, watching everyone you know either do the hurting or get hurt (most times both).
but this was harin's game, and you'd rather hurt yourself than upset the girl you loved.
"harin'll be pissed."
yerim chuckled, a knowing smile on her face. she didn't expect anything less from you.
"aren't you?" suji glanced at your hand, one you held for dear life, as if you were afraid it would get burned again. "after everything you've done for her, she still burns you."
you frowned.
harin did it with good reason. she needed to keep you in line, to keep you from lashing out. she did this to you because, unlike wooyi or dayeon, she trusted you enough to understand.
harin did it out of the pureness of her heart.
"that was an accident."
"an accident?" suji could feel your doubt starting to seep through. that was enough for her, to see the light beyond the cracks of your love. "hurting you multiple times the same way was an accident?"
was it an accident? it had to be, otherwise, harin was just hurting you to hurt you.
you shook the thought out of your head, missing the way the girls looked at each other, satisfied.
"what do you want, seong suji?"
there was a beat in the air.
"join us."
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she knew. how did she know?
"no, i just..."
you liked harin, even when she suffocated you with her smoke, staining your white shirt with the ash of her cigarettes. her eyes wandered yours routinely, and it felt as if she was trying to dig deep as if she needed you.
"i figured out a way to get to them."
harin's eyes sparkled. she would have never thought that you, docile and timid, would ever think of something other than her and school.
it was... exhilarating.
"sim eunjeong." you rattled out a breath, your eyes clenching at the very thought of what you were doing. "yerim... likes her more than we think."
the heiress laughed, the excitement in her chest bursting at the thought of you ignoring your morals just to please her and only her.
she leaned close to you, her face in front of yours as she moved a single lock of hair behind your ear. shivers ran up your spine.
"do you feel bad, y/n-ah?" harin hadn't felt this happy in a while. "ratting them out to me must be so heavy on your consciousness."
she looked you up and down, your eyes avoiding hers. your cheeks were tinged in red, and the guilt written all over your face didn't help the giddiness that was starting to overtake her.
"you're fun, y/n."
you'd do anything for her, even when she hurt you. even when everyone screamed and yelled at you to leave, ignoring the bright red stop signs.
"i like you."
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> main masterlist.
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riesenfeldcenter · 1 year
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This copy of Traité des délits et des peines by Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria is a gorgeous book, with marbled endpapers and edges.
Glancing at the title page, you might assume this book was published in Philadelphia. It was actually bound in Paris, where it had been banned for its condemnation of the death penalty. The publishers gave it a false imprint to evade punishment.
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muspeccoll · 4 months
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It’s a particularly wild #MarbledMonday! via Dissertatio medica inauguralis, de febre scarlatina : ejusque cum angina nexu.by Blake, Malachias. Adamus Neill, 1793 · Special Collections and Archives)
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hdslibrary · 1 year
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St. Patrick's Day Marbling!
Today we share our luck in finding such a lovely green marbled paper binding on this 18th century, German theological work.
Don't worry, we didn't stick the labels directly on the book! The paper is protected from dirt and abrasion on shelf and during handling by a clear jacket.
Schmid, Hieronymus Wilhelm. Theologisch=Historische Betrachtung, Vornemlich der Heil. Kinder=Taufe ... Schwabach: Verlegts Johann Jacob Enderes, 1733.
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dragonsbluee · 26 days
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I need everyone to acknowledge the fact that KRS!Cale is a MASSIVE bookworm. He's able to thrive in Birth of a hero because he read it and enjoyed it. (yesyes record helps him, but you can't ignore the fact that he knows the characters, not just the plot. That comes from liking the thing you're reading!)
Give me the young master spending his afternoons reading under the shade of a tree with a new book series and absolutely devouring it in one sitting. He's missed being able to read a whole series and not having to hunt for the next books through a destroyed city.
Give me Cale with a little notebook full of books he'd like to read, the titles collected from the people he talks to. He'll read anything or at least try it out, but fantasy remains his favourite genre.
He also writes little opinion blurbs for his favourtie books, or jots down quotes and favourite lines. Sure his record ability means that he doesn't really have to, but it's an old habit he enjoys.
Cale, who starts collecting books on his travels, just one or two from every place he visits. His friends and allies pick up on this and start bringing him books they think he'd like. Cale has a very speicifc and rare smile when someone gifts him a book. Its small, but it somehow takes over his entire face, and you can almost see his eyes sparkle in delight. It quickly becomes a smile everyone looks forward to.
Cale, who never turns down a book given as a gift, and so he starts picking up bits of knowledge from across the continent. He learns about the edible plants in the Jungle, the different variations of marble and stone throughout the Roan Kingdom, the fables and myths of the Dark Elves. He keeps them on a shelf in his room in the super rock villa, and every once in a while, the kids pick one to have read to them. When the shelf is full, Eruhaben pulls some out from his hoard as a gift to Cale. They're almost too gaudy, but Eruhaben enchants them to protect the books from dust, damage, and pests. Cale spends an entire day reorganizing his collection.
He never thought he would be able to build his own personal library, but here he is.
Cale loves to compare the books he has in this world and the ones he knew before. Sometime in the future, he sits down and uses record to copy out his favourite series. He gifts it to Choi Han so he can have a small piece of home he never got to experience.
It becomes known that the best way to get Cale to stop and actually take a break is to plop a kid on his lap and give him a book he's been looking forward to. One year for his birthday, Alberu gives Cale free rein to explore the palace's secret library. They find him curled up in a corner a couple hours later surrounded by stacks of books.
Cale is 100% the type of person to insist that more libraries should be available to the public so that he can read easily when travelling to different places. It's definetly not because he wants more kids to be able to learn how to read, and he was able to grow into loving books because of his local library.
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honeybleed · 6 months
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— ★ JUST A LITTLE WHILE // JEAN KIRSTEIN
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content & warnings: comic book artist!jean, modern au, female reader, black-coded reader, established relationship, angst kinda but fluff, smut so mdni (breast play, vaginal fingering, oral, f. receiving)
author’s note: i always wanted to write sumn dat gives kdrama ost so lets hope this gave obashata 🏹 n i always complain i hate everythin i write for jean so i hope i don’t hate dis
word count: 2.5k
Jean's studio was an array of things.
One wall with comic book covers and vintage sci-fi posters, the other adorned with sketches, character studies and concept art.
Sat by the drafting table, which was scattered with pencils, inking pens, and a meticulously organised array of reference materials.
Sticky notes on the bookcases that practically groaned with the heavy weight of the collection of comic books, graphic novels, and rare editions, meticulously organised and catalogued.
With his hands on his head, Jean let out a deep sigh as the sketches lay in front of him on his desk.
Despite such a critical thing left to do, the only thing on his mind was you.
Things were slightly off, to say the least. With the upcoming finale of his series, Jean was more distant than ever. It had been a long six years.
Most comic book series span decades, but quite frankly he'd run out of steam.
This was a story he loved dearly, and the last thing he wanted was for it to get taken away by the publishing company and morph into something unrecognisable and soulless.
So he'd end it himself. And the pressure to create a satisfying conclusion was immense. He felt as if he was wading through a swamp of problems and sinking.
It had to honor the journey of the series, it needed to respect the investment of the audience and leave a lasting impression that resonated even after the final chapter.
It'd been three weeks since he began the finale saga and you were an understanding girlfriend.
You'd drop by once in a while to check if he ate or needed some fresh air or even some downtime away from it. In the first few days, it was alright and he obliged.
But later on, he just couldn't bring himself to even take a five-minute break. The constant barraging phone calls from the editors and staff made Jean struggle to even breathe sometimes.
He was overwhelmed. Everything was closing in on him, and as much as he gave his all it seemed like his integrity as a storyteller was slipping from his grasp.
Suddenly his ears pricked up at the sound of the keyhole of the front door jiggling and some footsteps as the door closed.
He’d been at the drafting table for hours, and he could feel it. Eyes strained and dry, neck and shoulders stiff and achy.
He made his way to the hallways where you were taking off your shoes to place on the rack as you gave him a small smile.
“Hi.” You chirped. “You good?”
“No.” He thought to himself.
“So-so.” He snorted as he stretched his arms with a groan.
Involuntarily your eyes settled on his rising black t-shirt, which showcased the sliver of skin of his pelvis and his happy trail.
“Pervert.” He snickered, humored at the fact you were shamelessly ogling him, as he grabbed the takeout bag from your hands and headed to the kitchen.
“Am not!” You snapped, following after him.
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"Here...open this." Jean says as he averts his gaze, unable to meet your eyes pushing the envelope in your hands.
"Okay.." You respond with an uneasy laugh at his skittish behavior.
"Open it now." He says, a little demandingly.
"Jean, can't you see that's what I'm doing?" You snap, kissing your teeth.
Despite the bite in your tone, your teeth sank into your lower lip to stifle back a laugh. Jean with his towering figure acting like a shy toddler was amusing.
You grab a knife to tear open the top of the envelope and see a pristine white paper neatly folded. You made your way to slump on the dining chair as he stood, leaning against the marble countertop in your kitchen.
You unfolded it to see a drawing of a couple.
But surrounding the couple were six mini versions of the two of you.
In the middle, it was undeniably Jean, with his sandy brown mullet, upward-curved ends, stubble and goatee.
You giggled, as your finger traced along the drawing of him.
He was holding you, kissing your hand gently, and his other hand was firmly planted on your side in the illustration — then there was you. Rich brown skin, bouncy curls, plump lips and doe eyes.
Jean had done many drawings of you in the past but there was something more heartfelt about this particular art.
He could see your eyes were soft, filled with a glow while you gazed at the gift, as he watched you with bated breath.
Anxiety stirred in his stomach as he absentmindedly clenched his jaw, a habit of his when he was feeling uneasy.
You'd never bashed his art, on the contrary, you were probably one of the most supportive people in his career as a comic book artist, but there was always something nerve-wracking about pouring your heart into something for the person you love.
You were in awe of the powdery and soft art. The pastels had a warmth and gentleness, something that was rare in his artwork.
Jean who always fared better in bold lines and vibrant colors. Whose art was always praised for dynamic action scenes and expressive storytelling.
To picture the sheer intimacy of his hands spending time on this artwork, where you could feel the earnestness with the dreamlike lilacs and turquoises caused a tingling warmth to spread through your body.
"This is so...beautiful, Jean..." You finally mustered out, your voice barely a murmur earning a sheepish grin from him as he rubbed the nape of his neck.
“I know it’s tomorrow but…I just couldn’t wait.” He said. “But you really think so...?" He chuckled, but when he saw tears stream down your cheeks he immediately paused feeling his heart sink.
He hurriedly crouched in front of you as he cupped your cheeks, wiping the droplets with the pad of his thumb.
"Why are you cryin', huh?" He chuckled his voice soft but still with a hint of concern as he stroked your cheek. "I hope my drawings ain't that bad." He teased in an attempt to make you laugh.
"No, it’s lovely.” You mumbled. “I just thought you forgot.”
“Look, baby…I know I’ve been acting distant and grumpy lately but it’s not because of you.”
He paused, as he took in your features intently. You felt your stomach flutter as you met the soft, golden glimmers of his light brown eyes.
“It’s just this stupid comic causing me stress. So just promise me that you’ll always be by my side when I need you.” He said with a warm smile, as he pecked your lips and then pressed his forehead against yours.
“Will you promise me that?”
His tender tone stirred up feelings you haven’t felt in a long time.
A mixture of desire for him as your mind was fogged with his familiar warm, woody musk fused with the clean, crisp scent reminiscent of freshly washed linens.
And adoration as the hair on the nape of your neck began to rise. This all-consuming need to reach out and touch him properly. Feel his skin on yours, like you used to.
He called your name to drag you out of your daze.
“Yeah?” You quipped, trying to recompose yourself.
“Thought I’d lost you there, baby.” He chuckled as his sturdy palms and weathered pads of his fingers settled on the bare skin of your waist which made you jolt slightly, as he remained crouched in front of you.
“Promise?”
“Promise.” You affirmed as you slot your pouty lips against his own.
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Pattering raindrops gently tapped on the windows as the both of you began to prepare for bed. It was a long time since you slept at similar time.
Jean made it a habit to fall asleep in the studio or even crash on the couch so as not to disturb your deep sleep, despite you chastising him.
He came out of the ensuite bathroom in your bedroom after a shower with a smile. Dried up and dressed for sleep.
As you sauntered up to him for a kiss you could still feel the heat from the hot water emitting from his flush skin, and smell the light citrus scent from the soap he used.
You reached a hand to rake your fingers through the ends of his tousled tawny hair, the droplets sliding down his collarbone.
He pulled you close against him as he gave you a cheeky grin.
“Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you. Okay?” He said in a tone laced with jest.
You obliged fluttering your eyes closed, just happy he seemed to be returning to the mischievous nature of his you remember when you first met.
Jean meets your lips. This kiss is different to the quick pecks you’ve become accustomed to.
It’s almost as if this kiss won’t end. You feel yourself gasp slightly when he brings his tongue to your mouth. Softly tasting you.
His large hands grasp at you to pull you even more impossibly close as if you aren’t already flush against his firm and solid body.
“That kiss got you raring to go, huh baby?” Jean snickered to himself, a gleam in his eye.
Any time he could make you jump or make a noise, it stroked his ego immensely. One of his less favorable traits but he wore it well sometimes.
Rarely.
“Do you want more?” He murmured in your ear, breath tickling the shell as his voice became husky, which was quickly stirring arousal within you.
The deep baritone of his voice, the tingling of your lips after the wet and heavy kiss that left your lip a little swollen, and the overbearing proximity of him created a deep heat within your gut.
“I have a lot more to give.” He stated, voice firm.
“So do it.” You provoked, and within an instant, you were backing up on the bed until your back hit the headboard of the king-sized bed as Jean’s toned figure hovered over you.
The contrast between the rainy outdoors and the cosy glow indoors, with the dim bedside table lamp made things different.
Though the kisses were lust-filled and hungry at first, when he leaned in to meet your lips once again, the way his breathing was soft and shallow along with the way your eyelashes against each other's skin made it morph into something more sweet.
“Want this off..” He muttered as his tongue danced with yours, tugging at the satin, champagne-colored night dress.
“Jeez, be patient.” You tittered as you sat up from lying down to pull the garment over your head and discard it onto the carpet. “There.”
“Much better…” He chuckled, running his tongue over his lip as he gazed at your bare chest.
His hands began to roam across the soft skin of your body, then settled on your breast, kneading it gently and tweaking your nipple which made you gasp.
Your stomach turned again.
In the glow of the lamp, your boyfriend when aroused has an animalistic look in his eyes. Very rarely. It frightens you at first but also rouses something primitive within you.
He eagerly dived in to kiss you again, but you dodged the kiss. His eyes widened.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” He stuttered, panicky.
“No…but you gotta strip too! Fuck you thought this was.” You giggled.
“Jeez, I was so wrapped up in what was goin’ on in here that I forgot. Alright.” He responded as he began to tug off his boxers, discarding them quickly.
Your eyes descended lower until you gazed upon Jean’s length.
“What’s the matter?” He asked a little sheepishly as he felt anxiety seep into him when you gazed at him wordlessly. “Guess I could use a little trim, mhm?”
“No, it’s fine..” You giggled. “It’s sexy, don’t worry.”
“You think so?” Jean grinned as he ran his hand over his stubbly chin. “Maybe I’ll go full 70s.”
“Jean, you’re sick.” You scoffed.
“I can be a lot worse…” He chuckled as he leaned in, to trail kisses along your soft skin.
“Is that so?” You teased.
“You pushin’ me?”
“Maybe.”
With a wicked grin, Jean slid lower on the bed to position himself between your thighs, prying them apart.
You’d been together a long time but the glistening arousal from Jean’s earlier teasing and ministrations that sheened in the low light made your cheeks heat up.
“I barely touched you, y’know.” He chuckled darkly as his eyes hungrily raked over your thighs and wet heat.
“Shut up!” You protested but were cut off with a squeak as Jean immediately delved between your thighs, wrapping his arms around them as he began to suck and lick at your folds.
“Jean…!” You gasped as he restricted you from squirming with his strength.
“I promise I’ll make you feel so good…” He muttered as his tongue began to take long and languid strokes, losing himself in your centre, drooling and moaning so loud it reverberated against you, which made you even more jumpy.
Your hands threaded his hair as you tugged, bucking your hips against his face. It spurred him on even more, and he slid one finger inside of your entrance, pumping slowly.
His jaw clenched and he groaned at the feeling of your gummy and plush walls, clenching and pulsating around his digits.
“Fuck…” He said with a low growl. “You’re so sensitive.”
He slid two fingers in, which made you mewl pathetically.
You knew you must’ve looked and sounded ridiculous but with the intense pleasure washing over you, you couldn't care less.
“That’s it, baby…” Jean said in response as your name fell from his mouth like a mantra, his fingers curling inside you as he massaged the tip of his tongue on your clit. “Want you to cum for me..”
“Jean…” You cried out weakly, as he was coaxing you nearer and nearer to the edge.
Your eyes squinted shut as you felt your peak reach you, your body shuddering as you gushed all over his fingers.
“So beautiful, baby.” He grinned as he kissed your temple, stroking your hair back, leaning to kiss you gently the tang of your arousal on his lips and tongue.
“You’re so sexy when you cum.” He said as your chest heaved, attempting to catch your breath. He trailed his hand down your body, cupping your breasts to tweak your nipples again.
You smacked his hand away.
“Move.” You chortled.
“This better?” And you shoved him off when he swiped his tongue against your hardened nipple.
“You are so!-” You thumped his chest.
“Hope you’re ready for me, baby.” He smirked as he gazed at you. “Cos I ain’t finished. Think I might just fuck you into the mattress til dawn.”
“Jean…never change.” You chuckled as you squeezed his broad shoulder.
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The next morning, Jean was out cold. You glanced over at him where his bare back was facing you and his arms were sprawled over the mattress.
“Wake up…” You called out as you slapped his back.
“What?” He groaned, voice groggy and drowsy.
“Happy anniversary, baby.”
“Don’t wake me up for no stupid shit like that again.” He muttered as his hand slid to caress your thigh and squeeze it.
author’s note: if u made it this far, ty for reading sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes love u all, reblogs and interactions r always appreciated 💓✊🏽
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