#this has been sitting on my computer since like FEBRUARY
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without you i'm nothing 🥀
#PLEAse open the image for more quality#this has been sitting on my computer since like FEBRUARY#but my lazy ass didnt pick it up for months#here it is now#god knows how i struggled on this one#saw#saw x#amanda young#the pig#my art#jigsaw#alphonse mucha#<- the GOAT and inspiration for this#art nouveau
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Good Omens Fic - A Well-Earned Nap
Title: A Well-Earned Nap
Fandom: Good Omens
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley
Word count: 1561
Rating: T
Tags: Post-s1, Fainting, First Kiss
Summary: "Crowley, is something wrong? You don't look so well."
Crowley intended to brush it off, to say he was fine, but instead he said "I'm a bit tired" and promptly collapsed.
Read it on AO3!
#Good Omens#Aziraphale x Crowley#ineffable husbands#ineffable partners#M writes fic#M writes Good Omens#y'all this fic has been sitting mostly finished on my computer for FOUR YEARS#literally I started the doc in August 2019#s2 helped me drag it out of WIP hell#thank you to the WIP Wednesday folks who gave me the oomph to finish the last like 12 sentences XD#also good lord this is the first fic I've posted since February#it's been a Year
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Chapter Twelve
I don’t eat very well for the next week, because everything makes me nauseous. It starts off with a plate of chicken strips at a restaurant on Sunday which for some reason repulses me so much upon taking a bite out of them that I’m sure I’m about to start heaving. I have the waiter box them up for me but they sit sadly in the fridge for days, and then eventually hidden behind the jars so that I don’t have to look at them. Claire eventually throws them in the bin, but it only gets worse from there. By Wednesday breakfast is off the table, even cereal proving too much for me, and as I’m eating it I have to stop, lips quivering with the spoon halfway to my mouth and push the bowl across the table.
“You have to calm down.” Claire says as I stand up from my seat and start pacing the kitchen with my hand grabbing fistfuls of the hair at the back of my head as I try to fight my gag reflex. “I’m not sure this is a typical reaction.”
“Oh really?” I say sarcastically. “I thought everyone threw up when they got anxious about really tiny, stupid things.”
“You haven’t thrown up yet.” She points out. “But if you really don’t want to see Jude I’ll just tell him you don’t want him there.”
“Don’t do that. I do want to see him.”
She eyes me cynically. “Yeah it really seems like it.”
“I’ll be fine when… when he arrives, it’s just the not-knowing part that’s stressing me out. What’s he going to be like?”
“Probably very normal, Evie.”
“God, this is so weird. I’ve never felt this anxious before.”
“Pet.” She says with sympathy. “You do not have to put yourself through something if it’s too upsetting. I hate to see you skipping meals like this. Your body has just gone into proper survival mode.”
“I just can’t eat anything, everything is repulsive at the moment. It’s like my body is putting all of its energy into creating stress hormones.” I put my hand on my chest where I can feel my heart thrumming in a rhythm that’s faster than it should be but it hasn’t slowed down much more than this in several days. “There’s something wrong with me.”
“You’re just afraid of what you don’t know, but you’re going to be alright.” She says as she picks up her phone and starts scrolling. We’ve had this exact exchange every day since last weekend and she’s used to it. I watch her pick up a slice of buttered toast and take a bite, and a fresh wave of nausea washes over me. I have to squeeze my eyes tight. “Get out of here.” She says with her mouth full. “Get fresh air, you’ll feel better on your walk to college.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I say and I take my coat off the hanger before heading out onto the freezing streets. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yep. Come back cured.” She says over her shoulder.
The weather has been spectacularly bad this week. At the moment that our collective positivity had begun to rise, the dawn chorus began again and the flowers shot their way through the soil in announcement of spring, a freak weather event brought actual snow to Dublin. There is never snow in Dublin, but there is this week, the week where February becomes March and usually the temperature reaches a tropical thirteen degrees. It’s been sub zero and everything bar the trains have ground to a halt.
I watch the news from the airport carefully, keenly tuned in as they cancel flights one after another, a big part of me wishing that they’ll cease operations on Friday, but another part knowing I would probably despair a bit if they did. My mindset is so weird, it’s like I don’t know myself anymore. Usually it’s easy to look inwardly and discover what it is that I really want from a situation, but now I want two things in equal measure. There are competing desires within me, each matched in intensity with the other. Seeing him and not seeing him are equally devastating outcomes and it’s like I won’t win and I won’t be happy no matter which comes true, so my body has become some machine in overdrive, glitching out, overheating, unable to compute.
On Friday I hear definitively that they haven’t cancelled any flights, so I start dry heaving in my room.
On Saturday night I put on the dress that Claire bought for me, a tight, black number with one sleeve and a big peekaboo hole in the side of it. It clings to every part of me. I felt a lot better about it when I tried it on in the shop but now it looks wrong. I despair at the soft flesh of my upper arms, the dips where my hips meet my thighs, the little pooch at my lower stomach, all parts of me that used to be flat and tight when I was still keeping myself fit, but now are soft and pliable. I don’t feel as pretty when Claire’s not behind me in the mirror hyping me up. I pinch my face, looking drawn and pale with great big shadows under my eyes, hollows in my cheeks, nothing that makeup can’t fix, but my hands are shaking as I bring a brush to my face. I take a bottle of whiskey out of my bedside table and twist off the cap, taking a gulp from it to steady my nerves.
I had a dream last night that I was at a table across from Jude and he didn’t have a face, but this vast expanse of horrible smooth flesh. He didn’t move, just sat there looking at me without any eyes, and then features started to roll across his face like slot symbols in a casino, stopping only for a second to reveal these weird, incoherent faces, eyes and noses and lips like they’ve been cut from a magazine and taped in place, misshapen and mismatched and wrong. None of them are him, but I can’t conjure up what him is either. I wake up feeling disturbed and I don’t go back to sleep again after that.
Snow starts falling again as I finish my makeup and do something to my hair, and by the time it’s time to leave it’s already ankle-deep, so instead of suffering through a walk I order a taxi through an app. When I’m waiting I decide to have another shot of whiskey so I unscrew the lid and swallow a mouthful, feeling it burn all the way down to my empty stomach. I consider decanting some of it into an empty water bottle so I won’t have to spend any more money on alcohol tonight but the moment I have that thought my phone buzzes to let me know my taxi driver is outside. I shove it into the cupboard under the sink.
When I’m sitting in the car he goes on about the government and how they’re a shower of clowns and I stop humouring him eventually with “yeah”s and “mm”s and just stare out the window and imagine what course Claire and the others are having now. Maybe they’re only getting their main courses, which means they’ll be another half an hour at least. Unless they decide to get dessert. Or even coffee. I know that Claire always gets a cup of tea after her dinner. Maybe they’ll sit talking for a while?
“Here you are, love.” The driver says as he pulls up outside the bar. “Have a good night, yeah?”
“Thank you.” I say, handing him a tenner. The trip costs €9.70 but I wait for him to give me back the thirty cents in change anyway, which seems to perturb him, and he changes his tone then, giving me a very gruff “‘night” as he pulls away from the curb.
Prev // Next
#sims#sims 4#ts4#simlit#sims 4 story#sims story#writing#fiction#romance#sims 4 storytelling#sims4 storytelling#sims storytelling#lucky girl part 2
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Friends
Niall Horan fanfic
Info: In this fanfic the reader and Niall are good friends. And share a friendship were people have suspected that they are dating.
Warning: spelling mistakes and let me know if I forget anything.
Y/n pov
Me and Niall have been friends ever since we were kids, and our friendship is still going strong. Even with him being the famous Niall Horan, to me he is till the same guy I have know since we were kids. So we both grew up in Mullingar. And our friendship has just been blossoming more and more since we met.
Even with both of us in a relationship with different people, we are still the best of friends. And my own boyfriend has gotten used to me also hanging out with Niall alone as friends. But we have had the experience we’re people think that me and Niall are dating. Then we start to explain that we are not dating. But I do understand that for some people it can look like it.
And Niall’s girlfriend is totally fine with our friendship. There are sometimes we all go on double dates together. Tonight me and my boyfriend were on a double date with Niall and his girlfriend. On this double dates we just sit and have friendly conversation’s all around.
This friendship was still strong while he was touring and being all over the world, and he still does go on tours and meets so many amazing fans. I have also been to his shows, being in the area and just being so excited to see his joy of preforming.
As the night goes on we soon decided it was time to go home. Well my boyfriend had to go since he had a work thing in the morning. And I also remember I have to finish something for my work tonight. So me and my boyfriend said goodbye to Niall and Amy. (Amy is Niall girlfriend) After saying bye, I walked in the direction of were I parked my car. And my boyfriend Derek had also parked his car close to were my car was parked. I said goodbye to Derek and got in my car. And then started the 20 minute drive.
When I got back to my apartment, my phone vibrate and I looked to see how has text me. The message was from Niall.
Text conversation:
Ni: Hey, I just wanted to know if you got home safe?
Y/n: Yes I did thanks for asking. I am just now inside my apartment.
Ni: Good that you are home safe. How was tonight? I had a great time. It is so nice to able hanging out together and with our partners as well.
Y/n: Yeah I had a great time tonight. And I agree that it is nice to hang out with each other as a group. Have a great rest of your night Niall. We can talk more tomorrow.
Ni: Yea, have a great rest of your night y/n and we can definitely talk more tomorrow.
Text conversation over.
After putting my phone away and charging it for tomorrow, I remember that I had to finish up some stuff for work, I sit down I front of my computer and started to finish my work. You might be wondering what my job is, well my job is as a writer. I specifically write articles for The Post. My dream was always to be a writer so I follow my childhood dream into adulthood. After finishing my work I get ready for bed and set my alarm before falling asleep.
Niall pov
Me and y/n have just known each other since way before I was the famous Niall Horan. I am happy that we still have the friendship we have today. We actually meet in 1th grade and that started the friendship we have shared, and continue to share.
We are both the same age. But out birthdays are not on the same day. I have my birthday in September and y/n has hers in February. So we are a few months apart.
We have always supported each others dream o DC what we wanted to do in life. She supporters me with my music career and I support her writing career.
As you can understand we’re the best of friends. And I don’t think it will end anytime soon.
Actually we don’t live in the same area. I am between London and LA, but y/n she lives in LA. So we see each other when ever we can.
So as you can probably understand, we have a really strong friendship bond. I am thankful for having y/n in my life.
I suddenly heard my phone ring, and look to see y/n calling me.
“ Hey, y/n how are you doing today?” I asked her over the phone.
“I am doing good Niall, how are you doing today?” She asked me over the phone.
“ I am doing good. Do you have any plans later on today?” I asked hoping we could hang out with each other later today. Just the two of us as friends.
“I am available later today, want to meet up and hang out together?” She asked me. And I felt like she was reading my mind.
“Yes let’s meet later today and hang out together. It does sound nice.” I told her.
“Great should we meet at 4pm?” She asked me.
“ Yes 4pm works for me. Should we meet at that cafe we got to some times?” I said, and was wondering if we should meet at the specific cafe we go to when it is open.
“Yes let’s meet their at 4pm. See you later Niall. I have to get back to my writing. Can’t wait to hang out with you. Bye.” She said.
“Okay y/n see you later. And I also have to get back to my song writing. Can’t wait to hang out with you ether. Bye.” I said, and we both hung up the phone.
Y/n pov
Late that day.
I am sitting at a table in the cafe waiting for Niall. It is nice to have moments of just us hanging out together. Then after a few minutes I see Niall walking  towards me. I got up and went to give him a hug.
After we hugged we both sat down and ordered what we wanted. Our conversation started and was about how life is going at the moment.
I just enjoy every minute I can spend with this amazing human being. I feel so lucky to have him as a friend.
Sometimes it can be hard to find time, we’re we just hand out. Since I live in London and he is between London and LA. But we always try when he is in London to make time.
Our friendship has a really strong bond. And our bond can’t be broken.
He is one of my best friends. And I can’t imagine my life without him in it as a great friend.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy this fanfic. And hope you enjoy the friendship in this. Sorry if it took some time. Just took some breaks form writing. And also had some other ideas I wanted to write. And I tried my best. And I try to write long fanfics but sometimes just short ones feel easier. I might have longer ones in the future. And just please be patient with my writing. My next fanfic after this I don’t know when I will post it. Just have a eye out for my fanfics. Take care.
🩷😃👍🏻🌸🖤
Grace
#austinstyles writing#austinstyles#niall fanfic#niall horan#niall horan imagine#fanfic#new fanfic#niall imagine#niall horan fanfiction#niall horan fic#frienship#request are open#niall james horan#multifandom writer#fanfiction
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2023 Update
Most normal people would do this in January, but here I am being a weirdo and doing it in February. Why is that so? Well, it’s because my life has taken a major change exactly a year ago so I’m doing it now instead.
Life isn’t too bad, I’m not very busy but I can’t get to writing as easily as I used to. I still want to write, I still spend some time every other day opening up a draft but the words aren’t coming as easily as before.
This update will mainly be talking about my drafts and asks along with other random bullshit:
Drafts
Throw everything you expect from me out of the window. I don’t even know what I want to commit to anymore. My two original series are pretty much dead and I lack the drive to complete them. A part of me really wants to even delete the rewrites but I would not for the memory of them. Just don’t expect a continuation of them at all, let alone the completion of them.
I think the only few drafts I’m really interested in are some college AU smuts (like Bust or Bust) along with trying to get Conquered Odds to a satisfying conclusion. However as usual, ideas come in the most random places so I might stray away from these again in the future.
Basically, don’t expect any specific piece from me. If something even comes out, hope you guys appreciate it and continue supporting me.
Asks
I have been ignoring many many asks for the past year and I’m not really in any mood to get to them whenever I do have free time. So I intend to delete all of them and empty my inbox for a fresh start. Going forward, I will try to answer them but I also can’t guarantee answering them. If I don’t feel like it, I’ll likely just delete it. Hope there are no hard feelings. If I don’t want to, I don’t want to. As easy as that.
Community Labels
So ever since this bullshit has been a thing, I mainly upload my posts with them immediately but I don’t think all my readers see them because they are hidden due to the mature tag. Look at this post by peach on how to turn off the filter.
To avoid missing out on my posts, I do hope you guys also check out my pinned post or my (desktop) masterlist on my latest works. I will not be posting my stories with the tag immediately but will delay it for maybe a week or two, or good ol’ Tumblr decides to put it for me.
Confidence
My confidence is fluctuating a lot these days. Sometimes I come in wanting to write, then I sit in front of my computer/phone and no words come out. From my POV, there’s no better way to get a gauge of how the general readers view my works other than notes so I tend to over fixate on them at times. The other writers are always amazing at conveying their feelings about them but it’s really hard to get any form of feedback from readers.
I say this, but I don’t really want to reach out to you guys to send asks for some feedback but just to let you guys know how I feel about this and a little more about myself.
I’ll try to continue growing as a writer, but I feel like I’m stagnating a lot. Sometimes I want to try something different but I don’t know how to get started. So I go in a circle and go back to the default. Ok I think I’m ranting at this point and I don’t know where I’m going with this lol.
---
That’s it for the 2023 update, see you guys again if/when a new fic is out (probably)
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What’s your publishing schedule looking like?
That’s a great question. I have no clue (kidding but also not?)
Kidding…not kidding lol…send help pls. But seriously.
Rough Schedule (As it Stands)
I’m currently working on a follow up to Relinquish that sort of fell by the wayside. That is nearly done (75-80%) and it will be up before the end of week (ideally today or tomorrow). This will just be added as a second chapter to the original.
Leather Black I’m actually planning to post more frequently on because that’s meant to be a short series similar to how I did Empty Rooms. I’m planning to resume updates for that this week/weekend with weekly updates but will ideally be more like every 2-3 days depending on my schedule. I really like this one so I’m eager to update for it but I think I just started tackling it at a time where there was a lot going on in my personal life that messed up my schedule quite a bit.
After Hours is reaching its end with maybe another 2-3 chapters (the last likely being an epilogue) so I’m trying to wrap it up by getting back to (at minimum) a biweekly update schedule. Max I’m giving myself to finish is through end of January since that’s around when I first started it. Should have an update to this by the end of next week.
Similar to After Hours, I intend to wrap up Promise Me very soon as well with, likely, another 2-3 chapters. The alternating updates really worked well for me as I would just toggle between which one was the previously updated fic. (Unrelated) Promise Me I’ve actually been debating on because I already set the layout for a sequel in my head. I was thinking about whether I wanted to just keep it going or create a separate fic for it and right now I feel like the latter so we’re surprisingly wrapping that up soon. Should have an update on this in about two weeks if not sooner.
I want to lighten the load before I tackle anything further so I think this is the point where I kind of stop the addition of any new fics until I get a better handle on my current WIP. That said, I most likely won’t be updating Hour of Need or When We Serve until I finish After Hours and Promise Me. Encore is there as well though I’m feeling a little iffy on whether or not I want to come back to that but we’ll see. HoN and WWS will likely follow the pattern of alternating biweekly or even weekly updates between the two once After Hours and Promise Me are done. We’re going to give these a hopeful return in early February but may come sooner.
I’ve gotten several Tumblr requests in my asks that I do see and will definitely get too. I have a tendency to overload myself and I’m very susceptible to burnout so those are just a little behind but I’m hoping to add a few into my update schedule resuming in Mid-Jan/Early-Feb if not sooner once I wrap up Leather Black and my other two bigger fics.
As always, thank you everyone for being so patient with me. I hope that I’m fortunate enough where I can eventually just write for a living and just play with words all day. Until then, I most resume my normal day to day life which isn’t nearly as exciting but keeps me equally busy. I write most of my fics on my phone but also try to sit at my computer to write which tends to motivate me more. Unfortunately, my computer has been inoperable for a few months now as I’ll likely need to replace the CPU I’m pretty sure I broke lol. It’s had to take a backseat to a few other things but I’m planning to get a replacement in mid January and hopefully that’ll help with a lot with my productivity.
I hope this provides anyone looking for their particular favorite of my works, a bit of relief knowing that updates are coming soon. Thank you all for being the best part of getting to do this, truly. 🩵
#ao3 author#ao3 fanfic#writing update#update schedule#pitch perfect#beca mitchell#bechloe#chloe beale#read on ao3#bechloe fic#in short i tried to do way too much and am now reaping the consequences of my actions lol#send help#and snacks#but mostly help
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hi congrats :)) nursey, annie's, february 12
hi annie, thank you! hope you like this little look into Nursey's freshman year <3
_X_ _X_ _X_
Annies, Feb. 12
Nursey doesn’t know how long he’s been in Annie’s today. Long enough that what’s left of his latte has gone cold and the sun is mostly set. He straightens up, wincing at the number of times his back cracks, and blinks to try and clear the haze of calculus homework from his mind.
He rolls his neck and shoulders to try and loosen up, but all he wants to do is head back to his dorm and sleep until practice tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, his math being done is not the end of his misery today. Holding in a sigh that he suspects would sound more like a whimper, he swaps his math for his history reading. With a groan, he leans his elbows on the table and scrubs at his face, taking another minute for himself with his eyes closed. The scrape of a chair across from him has Nursey’s head jerking out of his hands and his eyes fly open in surprise.
Dex sits down across from him, and hands him one of the cups in his hands with a slightly nervous smile on his face. Nursey blinks, taking the steaming mug reflexively, startling at the smell of hot chocolate and cinnamon beneath whipped cream. He takes a sip and raises his eyebrows at Dex over the rim.
“Saw you in here on my way back to the dorm,” Dex shrugs. “It looked like you could use some company.”
“And the drink?”
Dex’s flush deepens. “It’s after five, if I got you more coffee you’d never sleep tonight.”
“Thanks,” he says, oddly touched. He and Dex are friends these days, pretty good ones, actually, when they aren’t arguing about stupid stuff. But this is the first time Dex has sought him out without Chowder.
“No problem,” Dex says. He pulls out the novel he’s been slogging through for his Gen Ed literature class with a sigh, and starts reading. Nursey sets the mug down with some reluctance, and starts his own work. One day, he’s not going to have to memorize facts about Christopher fucking Columbus and it can’t come soon enough.
They sit like that for a while, the easy silence broken occasionally by the squeak of a highlighter, the scribble of a pen, a distinctly Maine-flavored huff of annoyance, a groan that sounds like New York City frustration.
Finally, finally, Nursey finishes both his reading and his hot chocolate and starts packing up. Dex smiles softly at him, stowing his own book. He pulls out a wrapped package and slides it carefully to Nursey.
“For me?” he can’t resist asking.
Dex nods, biting his lip. The blush is back, faintly, but unmistakable on his freckled skin.
“What for?”
“It’s your birthday in two days. And – I wanted to make sure you got this since I’m going straight from practice to class to my late shift at the computer lab. And then probably right to bed,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Oh.”
Nursey doesn’t know what to do with that actually. He just stares down at the present, wrapped neatly in brown paper and a string bow. His fingertips brush the simple Happy Birthday Nursey, from Dex in Dex’s characteristically untidy scrawl.
“Are you going to open it, or just stare at it?” Dex chirps.
“Right, yeah, I’ll just—”
He unties the string and tears the paper and reveals a book – wait no, it’s a journal. The leather cover is worked to look like a star-filled sky, and the letters DMN are stamped in gold along the spine. The paper inside is a lovely cream, the pages not the perfect cut edges of a generic journal, but the uneven, almost ripped, look of something from the last century. There’s even an attached ribbon bookmark in a deep green color.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous, thank you, Dex. I’ve never seen anything like this before, where did you get it?”
Dex’s cheeks turn even deeper red. “I, um, made it actually.”
Nursey’s mouth falls open in shock. Dex made this. Dex made this. This work of art masquerading as a journal – Dex made this.
“What?” he croaks.
“I just – I noticed at the end of last semester that your writing notebook was almost full, so I was gonna buy you a new one, but when I was looking around I couldn’t find one that I thought you’d like, so, I made you one instead.”
“You just made a journal. Casually.”
“Well – yeah,” Dex says, bites his lip again, before— “Is it – do you like it?”
“Do I like it, he asks,” says Nursey, shaking his head. “Dex, it's probably the best present I’ve ever gotten in my life.”
“Oh. Well. Good then.” Dex’s face looks good with a smile.
“You just knew how to make one?”
Dex shakes his head with a shrug and his blush trailing down his neck now.
“Wasn’t that hard to learn,” he mumbles.
Nursey throws his hands up in exasperation. “Fucking hell, Poindexter. Absolutely insane, you just fucking learned how to make a book over winter break?”
“Ayuh, I guess.”
“Seriously, man, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble. But, thank you. So much. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it. Happy early birthday.”
_X_ _X_ _X_
if you follow me and want your own ficlet details are here! 💜
#cricket writes#ficlet fest#omgcp#nursey#derek nurse#check please#annie's#nursey the valentines baby#dex#frog year Frogs
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The Office Part 1
She's watching porn at her desk. Again. We're the only two in the building as far as I know right now. It's long since gone dark on a cold February evening. I wondered why she was still here, when I could see a light still on in her corner of the office.
As her boss I have the absolute right to check what she is working on to justify her being here so late. And her search history showed a lot of porn videos.
"Secretary fucked by her boss"
"Dirty little slut shagged by her manager"
"Cute girl does everything to keep her job"
Well. There certainly is a theme there. I stand up and look out from my office window to the corner where she is sat. Jenni is a very beautiful woman in her mid-twenties. She dyes her hair auburn. She has a gorgeous face and a smile that lights up the room along with her stunning brown eyes. She is on the curvy side but I've always been of the mind set that thick thighs save lives.
This is not the first time I've seen porn in her search history. She definitely has a thing for being controlled and dominated by a man. Or men. She's watched a few gangbangs in her time. But this is the first time she's still been in the office when I've caught her watching right now. And we are alone too....
I am a decent looking guy. I'm in my early thirties. I work out and take care of myself. I take pride in my appearance with my suits. I've worked hard, damn hard, to get to where I am today. This office and position of power is well deserved. But it meant I haven't had someone serious in my life for a while.
As I look over at her, knowing full well she is wearing a loose top with her cleavage on full display. A tight skirt and tights. All currently hidden behind that computer screen as she watches some dirty, filthy fucking. Is she touching right now? Playing with her wet little pussy while on company time? Well... I better go check.
Trying not to get too excited and carried away with myself I move the chair opposite my desk against the wall, open my office door, leaving it open and walk down the office to where she sits. I see the flashes of light on her face as she stares, eyes glued to whatever she's watching. Her hand wrapped tight on the mouse, the other curled into a ball on the desk. Not touching then. She has ear buds in and I can see they are connected to the computer. I don't know if the moans are in my head or so loud they are coming out of her ear buds but it sounds like a lady enjoying herself very much so.
I can't see what she's watching but I put a hand on her screen to get her attention. She's startled as she snaps out of the trance of what she was watching, takes the ear buds out - Definitely female moaning - and hurriedly clicks whatever she was watching off. I put on my best smile and keep my tone cool and casual.
"Working late Jenni?"
"Er, yeah, I was, uh-"
I could see the cogs working in her brain as she was thinking of an excuse.
"Just catching up by listening to the recording of last week's meeting."
She smiled happily back at me. Clearly she was pleased at thinking so quick on her feet. And, I had to give it to her, if I hadn't known what she was watching, I would have believed her. But right now all I could think of was my big hard cock in that pretty little mouth of hers. Damn. Be cool. I nod and keep smiling.
"That's great! Listen, could I talk with you in my office real quick?"
She looked like a deer in headlights for a second. I'm sure the idea that I knew exactly what she was doing was flashing like a danger light right in the face. I'm sure she was dreading the idea of being fired for watching porn at work. Imagine the shame. I try to keep the cool, calm, casual smile but say it with a little bit more force.
"Come with me Jenni."
I take my hand off her screen and step back. I can see her thinking but she obediently stands up from her desk, pushing her seat back into the desk. I motion with a wave of my hand for her to lead the way to my office which she does. I am mesmerised by the way her ass moves in that tight skirt. The thought of bending her over my desk and... Damn. Stay calm. Stay focused. She enters my office and I close the door behind us.
Without a seat she has to stand in my office as I move past her to rest my butt on the edge of my desk. She's nervous as she has her hands clasped together, alternating between staring down at the floor and then beyond me, staring out the window into the night sky. I let the silence linger before I drop the bomb.
"I know you were watching porn."
"Fuck."
She can't help but blurt it out. Now she looks me in the eyes as she pleads.
"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. It won't happen again."
"But this isn't the first time is it? I know you've done it before."
That one stung as the truth hit home and she couldn't look me in the eyes after that.
"What's...."
But she trailed off before finishing her question. I guess she was going to ask what was going to happen with her job. However I had a question for her.
"Are you wet?"
"What?"
She snapped her head back up to look me, clearly in shock. She wasn't expecting me to ask that.
"Are. You. Wet?"
I said more slowly, more forcefully.
"I-er-I-"
She seemed lost for words. So I thought I'd help her out.
"Is your pussy wet Jenni?"
I don't know if it was the use of the word pussy. Or saying her name. But her attitude seemed to change as she looked me in the eyes.
"Yes."
Maybe she was trying to wrestle some control back as she looked me in the eyes. Those fuck me eyes of her. But I wasn't done yet.
"Show me."
If she thought she was in control, she now knew she wasn't. She was not offended. She was not scared. She was confused.
"How?"
"Take your panties off."
I'm sure my smile was no longer cool and casual. But hungry. Jenni used both hands to pull her skirt up, hooked her panties in her thumbs and pulled them down. Before she had to bend over and lift her leg up to take them off fully, I could see how well and truly wet her pretty pussy was. But with her panties in her hand she worked her skirt back down to cover herself.
I smirked and chuckled at that pointless move. With her panties in her hand she seemed temporarily lost until I extended my own for her to give the panties to me. Straight away I felt how wet she had made them, how desperate her soaking wet pussy must be to be touched.
"You're a dirty little slut aren't you Jenni?"
I took a chance but her involuntary moan let me know it was the right move.
"Yessss."
She couldn't help but let those S's linger at the end of the word.
"A dirty little slut with a soaking wet cunt."
Ordinarily I wouldn't use that word. Pussy is the word I use. But here cunt felt right. And the way she moved her hands right in front of her pussy proved me right.
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes-"
She gulped considering the next word.
"Sir?"
I smiled in those pretty brown eyes.
"Good girl."
The way she shuddered back in pleasure to those words melted me. I wanted to hold her. Stroke her hair. Kiss her. But I had another idea in mind. One which I hope she would respond to due to her porn search history.
"Take off your clothes Jenni."
She looked out the window beyond me. We're on the second floor and it was dark out. I guess she was weighing up the thought of being seen. But she obediently pulled her top over her head. Her big full breasts still contained in a lovely bra that matches the panties in my hand. A wicked thought crosses my mind - She wanted to be caught.
Jenni then took hold of her skirt and pulled it down her legs, repeating the same movement that she'd done with her panties. When she stood back up, I took sight of her pretty little pussy. She'd recently trimmed her bush, she is a natural blonde. The thought that she may have wanted this only intensifies. Her hands go behind her back and unclasps her bra, she removes it by extending her arms and letting it fall down off her body.
Her tits are pierced. I am devouring every inch of her with my eyes. Her cute face. Lovely big breasts. She stands with her legs spread a little so I have a full view of her pussy. The woman is body confident and I love that. But I'm not done yet.
"I said take all your clothes off."
It sounded colder than I had intended. Jenni looked at me confused for a second so I lowered my head down to look at the tights and high heels she was still wearing.
"Oh."
She said with a slight giggle in a silly me type of way. She takes her heels off and chucks them over to her pile of clothes. I idly play with her panties, rubbing her wetness over my fingers as she takes her tights off. Now completely naked, she feels a bit more vulnerable. But I smile warmly at her.
"You have a beautiful body."
Jenni positively beams back with a smile.
"Thank you. Sir."
She hastens to add at the end. I smile even more. She is a quick learner. I stand back up, coming off the desk. I walk around her, standing with her back to me as I place my hands on her hips, her panties still in my right hand. Her body responds to my touch as I move my mouth to her ear.
"You're a bad girl Jenni. A naughty little slut."
She fights to stifle a moan back as my hot breath tickles her ear.
"Yes, Sir."
"Have you ever tasted yourself?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Open your mouth."
She does as she is told, even sticking her tongue out which is not what I had to ask her to do. She must have been expecting just my wet fingers so she is a little surprised when the fabric of her panties touches her tongue and I, gently, stuff her panties into her mouth.
"How do you taste?"
Her muffled reply is still an unmistakable "Good." There's another noise which I have to presume is "Sir.". I move my hands up to the bun in her auburn hair and untie it, her long hair flowing past her shoulders as it's released.
"Do you know what happens to bad girls Jenni?"
She shakes her head no. I grip her hair with my left hand, holding it firmly as I pull her hair.
"They get punished!"
I growl into her ear as I lead her forward to my desk and use my hand to bend her forward, her face turned and on the cold plastic of my desk. My hand still keeping a firm grip of her hair, I stand to her side so I can raise my right hand and come down with a spank on her white ass.
Her body jolts with the impact and she makes a muffled noise through the panties in her mouth. My right hand raises again and plants another smack on her other cheek. The only noises made in the room are the sounds of my hand spanking each of Jenni's ass cheeks, her body as it is jolted on my desk and the muffled groans she makes.
I look down at my handiwork. Quite literally my hands are red marks against the white of her beautiful white ass. My hand comes down on her ass again but the noise coming from Jenni's mouth is an unmistakable moan.
I, safely, pull her up by her hair and use my free hand to remove her panties from her mouth.
"Was that a moan?"
I growl into her ear as she breathes heavy.
"Are you fucking enjoying this slut?"
The only sound is her breathing as she contemplates her answer.
"Do not lie to me!"
I warn her through gritted teeth.
"Yes.... Yes I'm liking this, Sir."
The moan escapes from my lips this time and she can't help but shudder back at the sound of my moaning/growling in her ear.
I keep hold of her hair as I lead her away from my desk and walk her right against the window. Her breasts and her piercings are flush against the cold glass. Her face is turned so her cheek is against the glass, her breathing already fogging up the glass nearest her mouth.
If she was worried about being seen earlier, she is completely on display to anyone who would be walking by our building and looked up. Before she can even think about that I put two fingers near her mouth.
"Suck them."
I command to her. And she does so happily. Eagerly. She treats my fingers like she would my cock, taking hold of my hand to hold it for her as she bobs her head on my fingers, I can feel her tongue swirl around my fingers. She is drooling all over them before I pull them out.
"Where do you want them?"
"My pussy, Sir. Please, Sir, please, I need to cum."
I move my hand between her legs and slide my fingers inside her pussy. Her hand goes back to the window to help support herself as she jolts forward and lets out a long, deep moan.
Truthfully I didn't need the lube from her spit. Her pussy was already soaking wet. My fingers easily slide in and out of her tight little pussy as I finger her. A little bit rougher than I usually would but listening to her moans, watching the way her body moves, I know it's what Jenni needs right now.
"Do you like that?"
"Yesssssss. Fuckkkkk."
Her eyes are barely open as she is lost in the feeling from my fingers inside her.
"What are you Jenni?"
"I'm your dirty little slut-I'm your dirty little slut, Sir... Oh fuck I'm gonna cum-"
Her orgasm is loud. Her entire body shakes as I keep a firm hand on her hair and my fingers don't stop fucking her. The glass is almost all fogged up and one orgasm becomes two as the roll and crash over her body.
Knowing when to stop I remove my fingers from inside her as she whimpers. It feels like it's only my hand in her hair and the window holding her up right now as she keeps her eyes shut and slowly gathers her breathe back. She opens her eyes with a wide smile as she looks back at me. I put those two fingers inside her mouth as she tastes herself, sucking them clean and looking back at me suggestively.
I lean forward so my mouth is over her ear.
"But I didn't give you permission to cum yet."
Jenni half moaned, half whimpered.
"I couldn't help it, Sir."
"Good girls ask permission."
I growl into her ear.
"Bad girls get...."
Letting the question linger, I wait for her answer.
"Punished?"
She says and bends her ass out to me. I chuckle as I use my free hand to part her legs further.
"Yes they do."
My hand is raised and I bring it down to spank her pussy. The way she jolts forward and yelps, she was not expecting that.
"You enjoyed me spanking your ass. Let's see how you feel about me spanking your soaking wet cunt."
She moans at that word. It's blunt. It's viscous. But she loves it. I spank her pussy a few more times. Not as hard as I was her ass but still more than a love tap. Jenni jolts with each spank but she's not yelping anymore. I spank her again and she moans. I do it again to make sure it wasn't my imagination to a louder, clearer moan. I pull her hair to turn her eyes back to mine.
"I don't believe this."
I say in mock outrage.
"Are you a dirty little slut who loves her pussy being spanked?"
"Yesssssss."
And she nods enthusiastically, as much as she can with my hand still gripped around her hair. I move my hand from her hair and wrap it around her throat, fingers squeezing instead of palm as I choke her.
"Do you like that?"
Jenni makes a noise which is a "Yes.". I keep spanking her pussy as I choke and release her.
"Do you like this you dirty little slut?"
"Uh huh."
She gets out breathlessly with a moan before I squeeze around her throat again.
"You like being choked as you get your pussy spanked?"
For extra effect I spank her pussy twice in quick succession before I release my grip on her throat.
"Fuck! Yesssss."
"Yes what?"
I whisper dangerously in her ear.
"Yes, Sir! I love it, Sir."
Spanking her pussy again, I moan into her ear.
"Are you close to cumming Jenni? My good girl."
She moans at those words.
"Yesss fuuuckkkk."
I rub two fingers teasingly up and down her wet pussy.
"Do you want to cum again Jenni?"
"Yes, Sir!"
She nods emphatically and looks me deep in the eyes with her eyes, begging, pleading. But not her mouth.
"Tell me."
"Please! Please let me cum."
I move my hand away and spank her ass instead.
"Sir! Please, Sir. Please let me cum, Sir."
"Good girl."
I say softly into her ear as my fingers slide into her. Very soon I am finger fucking her and every time she moans, I am moaning with her right into her ear.
"Ch-choke me again please, Sir."
I'd been so wrapped up in my fingering I had forgotten the hand on her throat. I smile as I squeeze my fingers around her throat.
"Good girl."
One hand chokes her while the other hand fingers her. She is so wet that my fingers are easily sliding in and out of her. I'm watching her body, listening to her strained moans and groans to find out what speed for my fingers. What angle. If I should curl them inside her. I am using her body like an instrument to hit all the right notes in order. I can feel her body begin to shake against the glass, my fingers and my body.
"Are you going to cum Jenni?"
I don't stop and keep going as her eyes plead for permission.
"Cum for me."
I can't help but moan/growl as I say it.
"Cum hard for me good girl."
Her orgasm is an explosion. An explosion on the office carpet as she squirts. I've only been with a few women who have squirted so I was not expecting this as my fingers don't stop fucking her. She is making the most wonderful noises as she moans and groans, eyes practically rolling back in her head. I slow my fingers down as her body stops convulsing, releasing the grip on her throat but still needing to hold her body up as I am afraid she would slide down the glass.
I keep hold of her, both of us are breathing pretty hard as she slowly comes round.
"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck."
She turns around to look at me with a smile. That big beautiful smile.
"Thank you, Sir."
Jenni laughs to herself as she looks past her reflection in the glass and to the night sky. Anyone looking up into my office now would have the sight of a beautiful naked woman with her pierced breasts still flush against the window. I imagine after three orgasms, Jenni no longer cares.
Knowing she can hold herself up without my support, I step away, swiveling my chair back so I can sit down.
"Get on your knees to thank me properly."
Jenni obliges getting down onto her knees and the proceeds to crawl the short distance between us. There isn't much space, she's only doing it to wiggle her ass and look up at me with those big beautiful eyes. Resting her hands on my thighs, she stares at the bulge in my trousers.
I've been rock hard ever since she undressed for me. My cock has been straining against my boxers and trousers for some time now. I already know I have a wet mess of precum stuck to my boxers. Jenni is looking at my bulge with a hunger.
"Unzip me."
We practically lick our lips in unison as Jenni slowly unzips me. My cock wrestles to be unleashed as she uses the one hand to pull it free from my boxers while using the other hand to pull my boxers down and out of the gap in my trousers. Once sprung free my cock stands at full erection as Jenni moans at the sight, precum already on her palm from handling the tip.
"Suck my cock."
I command her before gulping in breathless anticipation. Jenni wastes little time in grabbing the base of my big hard cock with the one hand and lowering her mouth over the tip, pulling my foreskin back as she licks my precum. She licks my cock clean, making happy little moaning noises as she does so. Then she does her best to take several inches of my cock into her mouth as her hand strokes from the base.
"Good girl. You are such a good dirty little slut."
Her thank you is in the form of more moans as she continues to move her mouth further and further down my cock with each bob of her head.
"You're such a good little cock sucker Jenni."
I say as I moan and groan for her. I'm not shy to be vocal for her. To let her know what she's doing to me.
"You love sucking my cock don't you?"
She moans an agreement with half my cock down her throat, she's really doing a fantastic job with that, but that wasn't good enough for me as I grab her hair to pull her mouth off of me and have her look me in the eyes.
"Do you love sucking my cock?"
"Yes, Sir. I love sucking your big cock, Sir."
She keeps stroking me with her hand.
"Are you my dirty little slut Jenni?"
"I'm your dirty little slut, Sir."
"Drool on it. Spit on it."
And she does so happily when I've released the firmness of my grip in her hair. She drools and slobbers all over my hard cock as she takes me in her mouth again, pushing herself down further than she was before. Further than she thought she could with the help of my hand on the back of her throat as she gags.
She comes back up for air, her make up running on her face, then she starts spitting on my cock. My trousers are a wet mess but I don't give a fuck right now.
"You're a messy little girl Jenni."
"Yes, Sir."
She says stroking my well lubricated cock.
"Do you know where my cock is going next?"
Jenni giggles and tries to give an innocent look.
"In my cunt?"
I was expecting her to say pussy. My cock throbs in her hand and my body shudders in response.
"Yes. Good girl. Stand up for me."
She does exactly as I ask. I gently take her hand and walk her back over to the other side of my desk. The side I'd spanked her on. I move her to face away from me.
"Bend over the desk again."
Jenni does exactly that. I step back and kneel down to untie the laces on my shoe.
"Play with yourself for me."
Snaking a hand between her legs she rubs her clit and moans, putting on a show for me. I take off one shoe and sock. Then the other. Then unhook my belt so I can open my trousers and pull them down along with my boxers. I undo my tie and then unbutton my shirt to remove that.
Jenni's clothes are in a thrown together pile on the floor. My clothes are put down a lot more tidily on the seat against the wall.
"Put your knee up on the desk."
She does so but unsteadily. I move behind her to help push her knee further up on the desk, running my hand up her thigh and then back down to her knee. I use my other hand to take hold of my hard cock as I rub the tip up and down her wet lips.
"Do you want me to fuck you?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, Sir. Please!"
I can't help but smile as I continue to rub the tip of my cock against her wet pussy, knowing I am one good thrust away from fucking her.
"Please what?"
"Fuck me. Fuck me please, Sir, oh please fuck me."
I thrust forward and her tight wet pussy stretches as it takes at least half of my cock in one move.
"Fuuuuuuckkkkk!"
Jenni moans out as I keep the one hand on her knee and the other on her hip. I slowly pull myself out to the tip and then thrust forward as the desk shakes.
"Good girl. You can take it Jenni."
"Yes.... Yes I can."
She says to me as much as to herself. I don't correct her for not saying Sir as I pull out to slide my cock right back inside her. Each time her pussy allows more of my hard cock inside. Each thrust gets a bit quicker.
"Your pussy feels so fucking good Jenni."
Jenni makes a happy noise but it's quickly replaced by a moan as my cock thrusts deeper. We're beginning to pick up the pace as she even rocks herself into me as I fuck her deeper, harder and faster.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
That seems to be the only word she can say between moans and groans as I fuck her. And she's got me all worked up as I moan and groan along with her.
"You like this? You like me fucking you hard?"
"Yes! Fuck!"
My thrusts speed up as I can feel she is going to cum.
"Are you going to cum Jenni?"
"Yesssss pleeeeeassseeee sssiiiirrrrr-"
I concentrate all my efforts on thrusting deep and hard inside her.
"Cum Jenni. Cum for me."
"Ffffuuuuccccckkkkk!!!!"
Her body rocks as her orgasm spreads fire across her entire being. My thrusts slow down as she continues to be very loud as her orgasm runs it's course. I'm sure anyone out walking outside the office would have heard her.
I slide out of her and stroke her hair and back as she gets her breath back.
"Good?"
I ask her with a chuckle. She looks back at me, a sheen of sweat, spit, drool and run off make up.
"Yeah!!!!"
She says with a laugh.
"Lay down on the desk.... I want to taste you."
I help her bring her knee down from the desk, holding onto her hips as my nose automatically goes to her hair. She turns round to face me and we gaze into each other's eyes. I'm sure she can see the lust in mine. I stroke her hair and wipe some of the spit and drool from her chin. My cock is rock hard at how beautiful she is.
My hands move down to cup her breasts. I can't believe this is the first time I've touched them. They are so soft and full in my hands. The metal of the piercing is still cold after they were against the glass. I play with her breasts as she moans for me.
"Do you like this?"
"Yes, Sir."
I lower my head down to kiss her neck as I continue to tease and hold her breasts.
"Pinch my nipples please, Sir."
So I do as she asks. I should not have been surprised that the lady with nipple piercings enjoys them being pinched. Jenni moans as I leave hickies on her neck and pinch her nipples. My hands go to her hips to help pull her butt onto my desk and then my mouth goes to each breast.
Kissing. Licking. Sucking. Little love bites on her nipples. She moans as my head and mouth does it all to each breast. Jenni runs her fingers through my hair as I suck on each breast in turn and she makes the cutest little noises. I push her down to be flat on the desk as I kiss my way down her stomach and she spreads her legs awaiting my movements.
My mouth moves past her pussy and to the inside of her thigh, kissing, sucking and giving it a quick little nip with my teeth. I keep eye contact as I move my head over to her other inner thigh to kiss, suck and bite that one. Jenni makes a noise of frustration as I kiss everywhere but her pussy.
"What do you want Jenni?"
I ask in a voice of feign ignorance as I knee down and spread her legs wide, holding them on the underside of her knees.
"Eat my pussy please, Sir. Pleeeease."
I decide not to tease her as I put my mouth right on her pussy and start licking her clit. I keep my eyes locked on her face, her eyes on mine as I try different speeds with my tongue. Different angles. Different pressure down onto her clit. Finding which speed, which angle, her body is responding to the most.
Trying something, I cover her clit with my mouth and suck on it. The wild jolt of her body and the moans she made let me know she could take more. So now I alternate between the licks of my tongue and sucking on her clit. Holding her legs spread wide, she is completely open to me and she uses her hands to pinch her nipples as I devour her pussy.
The next time I suck her clit into my mouth, I push my tongue down flat against it and hum. The vibrations in my mouth go straight into her clit and run through her body.
"OHHHH FFFFFUUUUCCCCKKKK!!"
Knowing she can take it, I now lick, suck and hum on her clit. My hands are firmly holding her legs as Jenni, moans, groans and says the words "Fuck", "Yes" and "Please" in varying order as I eat her out.
"I'm gonna cum-I'm gonna cum-Oh FUCK!!"
She gets out in a rush as I hold my mouth on her clit and I have to move my head with the thrust of her hips in order not to hurt her or myself. When she stops bucking, I move my mouth away from her soaking wet pussy, still holding her legs spread as I stand back up.
Jenni is murmuring to herself a little, smiling a happy little smile. I line my hard cock right against her pussy and thrust myself deep inside her.
"Unffff."
Is the only noise she can make. And I go as deep and hard as I can from the start, picking up the pace. I moan loudly as I fuck her, fuck her for my own pleasure now as I have been waiting for my own release.
"You want me to cum in you?"
"Yesssssss."
"Cum deep in your tight pussy?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me!"
"I want you to cum in me."
My thrusts get faster as I get more breathless.
"Beg me!"
"Please! Please cum in me, Sir. Please!"
I am almost at the point of no return.
"No."
I pull out, even if I really didn't want to. But I have one last act of dominance. Moving around the desk, I don't even give Jenni time to react before I'm clutching her hair hanging over the desk and stroking my cock in front of her face.
"Open your mouth."
She does so and sticks her tongue out. That's all it took her for me as spurt after spurt of my hot cum shoots into her mouth, some missing to hit her cheeks and chin as I keep stroking, groaning like an animal as I cum all over her pretty face.
With no more cum left, I stop stroking my cock and pant heavily as I look down. I've painted her face with cum but she just smiles back at me and looks absolutely beautiful.
"Fuck..... Good girl."
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Cardboard/Paper Pack-age Design
February 5, 2024
This assignment tasks me with coming up with a sustainable package design that serves its intended purpose, as well as an additional purpose. The intended goal is to make us think of designing a better future that isn't full of pretty garbage.
I wanted to pursue a packaging design in something I would actually use. My first thought was video game cases. I play a lot of video games, and over the years I have amassed a collection of plastic cases that sit in a box in a storage unit. I thought of replacing the plastic case with a cardboard one that contains the disk on one side, and the other can unfold into either a game manual or a poster.
My second idea came from my families love of card games. Growing up, most card games I would play required you to discard the Jokers from the deck, but now that I'm older and can comprehend more complex rules, the Jokers are back in. So I thought, why not make the box out of the 2 most optional cards in the deck? The front and back of the box would tear off to become the Jokers while the rest of the box could fold into a holder for the remainder of the deck.
Following this line of thinking, I lead myself to music. For the last decade of my life, I have spent most of my days with a tune on my lips and an earbud in my ear. I have since adopted the over-ear headphone lifestyle, which has introduced a more engrossing and higher quality listening experience, however I often struggle with finding a place to leave them. I have been known to use the adjustable branch of a floor lamp, a banister, and the edge of my coffee table to store them. Although these alternatives work fine for a short time, it would be much easier to have a dedicated spot for easy access and safe storage. After a brief research session I have concluded that my proposed design is not only sustainable, multi-purpose, and incredibly clever, but it will also push the world of headphone packaging into a new-age.
My proposed design will allow for headphone users to take their brand new headphones fresh out of the box, and quickly fold said box into a stand so they can proudly display them for all to see.
February 7, 2024
I spent this class researching the top headphone brands, their products, and their sustainability practices. I found that Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser are striving for a sustainable future. Sony and Sennheiser have fully recyclable packaging, but I could not find the same for Bose.
February 12 + 14, 2024
After spending too much time staring at different boxes and researching headphone brands on the computer, I decided to finally try and make a box.
My first attempt at making a box was a successful experiment. I started with cheap paper and the memory of how a box might go together. I took the measurements from the headphones I currently own and then created a template at half the size to see if my vision was a viable option.
My first layout went surprisingly well, however there were obvious changes to be made. Most obviously, a door for the bottom section.
With those alterations in mind, it was time to make another template.
I was happy with how this test worked out so I made a few more adjustments and decided to go bigger.
February 19-23, 2024
Family week was productive for me! I put together the first full sized prototype, marked down the adjustments that needed to be made, and began making paper (more on that at the end).
The cardboard I used had a fold in it that I, unfortunately, could not avoid, so I had to improvise with two support struts on the outside of the box. a few of the fixes to be made were shorter lower supports so the muffs wouldn't touch the cardboard, as well as moving the lower door. I liked the idea of keeping that attached to the cover of the box, but it wasn't a functional choice.
February 26+28, 2024
After the deconstruction of prototype 1, it was time for the second.
After making a new template in Adobe Illustrator, I went back to the cardboard and knife.
Along with a new layout, I came up with the idea of using Velcro to increase the potential of reuse. This turned out horribly. I didn't consider the width of the Velcro in the template so the bottom of the box was entirely unstable and threw off the integrity of the stand. Although this box was already a failure, I pressed on to see what I could learn about the stand.
That too was a failure, but I was happy with where the muffs were compared to the lower supports. I ended up learning a lot from this prototype, and was excited to move on and implement the changes in the next one.
March 4+6, 2024
Prototype 3 was a whirlwind of emotion. I chose a new material to work with, Illustration board, because it is thinner, feels more solid, and is clean and white for that extra elegance factor.
Before I could get to cutting, I had to make a new template that included the changes that needed to be made.
This new template included a color coded system to help guide me in what needed to be done and where. Orange was box, green was the stand structure, blue is glue, red is Velcro. The changes were minor for this iteration, but they improved the design substantially. The black lines were indents for the stand to slot into, and the door for the bottom was moved to the bottom. I chose to make the front of the box fully detachable in hopes that it would increase the reusability of the box. (this kind of turned out to be pointless.)
When putting this box together, I cut too deep while scoring in some areas, so some parts ripped (which was a huge bummer). I got really disheartened at this point because the culmination of hours of work was a bunch of pieces of a box that wasn't supposed to be in pieces. After a brief moment of self-reflection I pushed through the disappointment and learned what I could.
I discovered that the small supports combined with the new indents was enough to keep the stand from shifting and allowed for the top to fold smoothly to hold the headphones.
Although the box originally fell apart, I wanted to know if the box would actually work so I recut, and put it back together. It worked, and I finally felt like I might have been in a place I was happy with.
I then thought of a completely different design that could potentially allow for complete reusability of the box. The wonderful thing about this design is that I could reuse my old template to create the new one.
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Dear Zoe, I think my blog post is overdue? Anyway, here I am now getting my act together after feeling quite scatty for a couple of weeks. Life gets in the way doesn’t it? That’s why people go on residencies of course! This has been literally hitting me in the face these past weeks as I go back to just juggling everyday life, teaching , trying to keep on top of things around the house and garden and dealing with family emotions and issues…..Where does the studio fit into all this? That’s just it – It always seems to come last – well today finally I have /am prioritising my studio practise!! (well to be honest I have done a few other domestic things too – but I have the kiln going and I am sitting down to attend to a list of things which – whilst they are computer things – also need to happen!)
One of the things I’ve been meaning and wanting to do since getting home from Europe – is to process the lumen prints I did whilst on residency. I rediscovered this process whilst I was at CRETA and it’s so much fun – a little bit addictive! I have finally scanned a bunch of lumens and edited them- just playing around with colours mainly and saturation - here's a few. Fun!
Maybe these will become new works? Who knows? The point is to keep playing and experimenting right? Also revisiting my notes to see what other methods there are for fixing the images as I remember there are other experimental options so I'm gonna try this out too now that they've been documented - the originals can change into something else - I don't mind....
In the background I have been angsting a bit about our upcoming show at Belconnen in February…..I guess it’s precisely because we are working and making in unknown territory that it’s a little bit daunting! Still visiting your studio in Sydney last week was good and I feel that we made headway. The road ahead is still a bit foggy but I can sort of make out where we are going (how’s that for a metaphor!)
Anyway, I am so glad that you will be in Canberra over Xmas and that we can put in some quality collab time in the studio working and making and just putting this show together! It will be an intense couple of weeks but I think it will be good.
So once again: trust the process.
PS that quote from Louise Bourgeois that you mentioned about architecture and memories – I knew I’d read it before – I came across a photo from an exhibition I visited the Gallery of NSW earlier this year - it was all about the idea of home – and I really liked it. There were quotes and poems displayed with the works – one of them was that exact same quote. It resonated with me too….and I just love the idea of memories building up in layers like bricks….creating architecture….reminds me of another book called “The Memory Palace” which I need to revisit.
It’s amazing how in-sync we are with our practices…...
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Burchard Scholars gather to network, connect, and learn
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/burchard-scholars-gather-to-network-connect-and-learn/
Burchard Scholars gather to network, connect, and learn
The Burchard Scholars Program pairs expert faculty with promising MIT sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated excellence in the humanities, arts, or social sciences. Launched in 1986, the program continues to demonstrate the importance of an integrated approach to scholarship and education.
Administered by the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), the program features a series of dinner discussions between student participants and experts and thought leaders from across SHASS disciplines. The scholars, with the support of guest speakers and faculty fellows, develop respectful and adaptable approaches to engaging in complex intellectual discussions. The program is named in honor of John Ely Burchard, former dean of SHASS.
MIT students chosen to be Burchard Scholars are consistently among finalists for Rhodes, Marshall, and other major scholarships and fellowships.
About 35 MIT undergraduates are selected each year for the competitive program. Each cohort of scholars participate for one calendar year, from February through December.
Willow Huang, a biological engineering major, just wrapped a year as a Burchard Scholar, and calls it a valuable experience. “I’m glad I applied,” she says. “We had thought-provoking talks over the course of the year.”
Huang also praises the program for helping her improve her comprehension and communication skills.
“These will undoubtedly help me in my career,” she says. “Attaining a level of knowledge in fields like art, history, and literature is an essential part of our education, as it broadens our perspective and helps us make more sense of things like cultural phenomena and political issues.”
Margery Resnick, a professor of literature and women’s and gender studies, is the Burchard Scholars program director. Resnick launched the faculty fellows component of the scholars program 15 years ago.
“These faculty members provide a consistent presence at the Burchards, since they attend the dinners and events and get to know the students well,” she says.
The faculty fellows, chosen by the dean, select the Burchard class and help create a valuable support system for students.
“By the end of the Burchard year, students know a range of faculty, not only the fellows, but also the speakers who come from different programs in the school,” Resnick says. “Most importantly, over the course of the year, students get to know each other and the faculty fellows well.”
The final Burchard Scholars dinner of 2023 was held Nov. 1 at Catalyst restaurant in Cambridge.
Before the dinners, faculty mix with students and come to know each other beyond the classroom. The faculty fellows then sit among the students, and, over dinner, exchange ideas based on the presentation.
“Conversations over dinner are lively, fun and engaging,” Resnick says.
“The scholars represent a diverse swath of studies across the Institute,” she adds, “But all are curious about fields other than their own.”
Martin Beraja, the dinner’s guest on Nov. 1, is an MIT economist who studies the role of government policy in stabilizing business cycles and responding to the challenges posed by new digital and automation technologies. He presented “Artificial Intelligence and Governments: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” during the Burchard Scholars dinner.
The variety of presentation topics is a highlight for students chosen to be part of this year’s Burchard Scholars class.
“We’ll move our world forward by combining disciplines, not by staying in silos,” math and computer science major Laker Newhouse said after the dinner. “With highly capable AI on the horizon, it is important to build diverse, broad coalitions to secure a bright future.”
Benjamin Lou, a double major in math and physics and a philosophy minor, speaks highly of the opportunity to explore ideas outside his academic area. “Burchard shows other SHASS disciplines are valuable,” he notes.
Senior Iana Ferguson, a physics major, enjoyed this year’s dinner series. “It’s a setting where you hear topics you wouldn’t otherwise get,” she says. “Connecting disciplines has value outside physics.”
#2023#ai#approach#Art#artificial#Artificial Intelligence#Arts#automation#Awards#honors and fellowships#Biological engineering#Business#Calendar#career#catalyst#communication#comprehension#computer#Computer Science#course#december#double#Economics#education#engineering#Events#Faculty#Features#Future#Gender
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Hunger
Story submitted by Alexandra Harvey on February 10th, 1999.
I hunger. Deep within me, I feel it. The urge to indulge my animal self despite my attempts to discipline it.
You cannot help me. Nobody here can. Nobody can no matter who or where they are, no matter what they do. But maybe my suffering is worth something. A sacrifice for the greater good. I will die. I hope it will come soon. I hope that before I die I can try and explain-no not explain, tell you, what happened. What is happening.
Maybe I will be useful before I die. Maybe. I doubt it. But maybe helping someone here solve some sort of mystery, figure out what happened to me, who did this to me and what the hell is wrong with me will make me at least somewhat useful.
I´m sorry if this feels… disjointed. I will try to make it make sense, impossible as it is.
I have not been sleeping well. I have barely been sleeping at all, in fact. Within a few hours at best I will always wake up, deprived of sugar, shaking, disorientated, my head spinning. And my stomach begging me to feed it. No. No not begging. Begging implies that it is weak and I am giving it something out of mercy or pity or compassion. It´s moreso an order that I cannot help but fulfill.
Do you believe me? I wonder if you believe me. I do not think you believe me. Sitting behind your computer, snacking on some salty, fat-laden food while I desperately just want to stop typing and find something, anything to satisfy me.
But I cannot. I will fail. I have not been truly full in almost a week now. At least I think it was a week. So I must type and write my story here. In vain hope someone will believe me, and care enough to actually figure out what happened to me. To stop her from hurting more people.
I live in a small house in Bullhead City. I have no money to pay the bills with anymore, however. I spent all of it on food a while ago. No job anymore either. My house is a barren, lifeless thing. It was not always like that mind you. It used to be a place of life, of fertility and of growth. But then I consumed it all. I did not enjoy it. The life I had spent years cherishing and nurturing, ripped from it´s earthen home by my own hands. Reduced to only fibre and sugar. It did not taste good either. Perhaps it could have if I had bothered to cook it. But it has been a long time since I have had the concentration or patience necessary to prepare a meal.
Have you heard of philodendron? I ate mine. It felt like chewing on tiny, pointed blades. My tongue and throat swelled and sagged inside of me. I deserved it. Maybe I deserved everything that happened to me. Despite it, I kept eating. It was painful, oh so awfully painful, trying to squeeze anything more than air down my throat. But despite vomiting several times, I always managed to force it.
It´s the pills. Little pink pills. I do not know when exactly I started taking them. Time is such an elusive thing. I know how long the last hour took, I think. But if you were to ask me how long an hour took last month, I wouldn´t be able to tell you how long ago that was.
I stopped taking them a while ago. Not because I had regained self-control from my addiction, no of course not. I simply indulged too deeply. I took all of them at once. It felt better than anything can describe.
They aren´t the cause anyhow. They were just… a catalyst, I think. I do not know when the hunger started, but I know it was a time before the pills. I fed the hunger inside me by not feeding myself. I was proud of it. Of the white chain that I had used to bind it, and tame the urge to eat. Now it controls me. Something inside of me hungers.
I got the pills from a blonde woman calling herself Victoria. We met near Sam´s Club. She looked to be in her 50s, judging by the slight wrinkling on her face. But she had the body of a goddess. A body I craved, and she offered to me. To wear as my own. To wear my perfect self, as she put it.
I wonder why we met there. I think I found an ad in a magazine. Whenever I think of her, the word „allure“ springs to my mind. I know she told me I would starve no longer. Or did I read that in the ad? Probably neither. It may have just been an imagining, a hopeful fever dream. What if all of it was? What if Victoria was just some spectre, a phantom of my own making?
How did I find the pills then? I know they were real. I know their taste. They were hard and bitter and they would drain the moisture from my tongue when I took them. I took to swallowing them as quickly as possible. But they were filling. I think the first few managed to make me feel full for days.
I know Victoria is real too. She was unassuming from afar, just a slim woman in an floral-pattern sundress on a hot Arizona day. But I can distinctly remember her being… more, somehow. More than I saw, and could only begin to truly feel the power of. If you or I are real, she certainly is. More real than either of us, actually.
I know she gave me the pills and that I accepted them. But I do not exactly remember why. We didn´t know eachother, so why would I trust her? I didn´t. I probably never trusted her one bit but was just desperate for a way out. Out of a life spent hungry. If I had only known what the word desperation meant back then.
Maybe the ad was on the TV instead? Sometimes there was a blonde host on the news who would say strange things. But things I wanted to hear. That I was doing a good job, only had to last a few more weeks, and where to find more food to do so. And I found that the things she said were always true.
It was her who told me about this website. She told me the people here would help me. I think she lied. In hindsight she probably lied about a great many things too. You will not help me, nobody will. Nobody can. You do not want to. You will read this and scratch your chin and ponder and cross-reference and by the time I am dead and rotting you probably still won´t know half of the full truth.
#horror#original fiction#short fiction#short stories#short story#stories of the strange#urban fantasy#urban horror
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TWITL - week 5 - winter sunshine
It's Sunday night and very close to bedtime and here I sit at my computer desk trying to figure out what to write about the week that has just passed. Let's go with bullet points since I'd like to be in bed soon.
https://flic.kr/p/2ofaKGU
so easy for that corn in a cup...
- We went to the farmers market yesterday (Saturday). So glad to see the vendor that has the corn in the cup. I love that stuff! Next time I might get a croissant at the vendor that set up across the usual place I get my croissants. I drank a fair amount yesterday, starting with a Bacardi and coke with my corn in a cup and ending with another Bacardi and coke for our late lunch/early dinner at Black Angus. Good times.
- I walked to the library during my lunch break every day this past week. It's nice to be somewhere else during my work day. I've been listening to The Sandman Act III. I've enjoyed them all and will be super bummed when I get to the end of this one.
- My busy time started on Wednesday, February 1st. TRANSFERS! I'm working through them but lo, it's getting tedious. I don't mind, honestly. I like the bustle of it all.
- The weather was nice most of the week. We did get some rain on Friday and then again during the weekend. I had to walk back to work in the rain during my lunchbreak on Friday. Good thing it wasn't so bad.
- I'm trying out a new social media site called Spoutible. It's so new that I got my first name as my username. Huzzah! I feel like I might use it a bit more than the ones I have right now. It's giving off the early Twitter days vibe. I'm @valerie there. Remember, it's new and at the moment, a bit slow. Hopefully it'll get better.
https://flic.kr/p/2ofhRPB
Do you see the pattern?
And that's all for now. It's bedtime!
Read the full article
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Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix upgrade#
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix full#
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix pro#
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix tv#
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix mac#
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix mac#
These are just four instances detailing issues with the 2011 MacBook Pro that Apple isn’t willing to address via a proper replacement program - Apple did have replacement programs before for certain issues affecting Mac models including iMacs and even MacBook Airs, but the MBP2011 has yet to receive such treatment. The replacement model failed Rook in 2014 as well, and he received a $1,200 repair estimate from the Apple Store. They exchanged my Early 2011 MBP for a Late 2011 MBP.” After about 3 hours of waiting they came back and told me the logic board had failed. I took it to the Apple Store and they ran some tests on it in the back. “It would sit like that for a few moments and then restart itself, then sit and restart and do it all over again. November 2011 I started my computer and all I got was a blank screen and the fan revved up full-speed,” yet another user who asked to be identified as Adam said, suggesting these issue do not affect just machines that have been used for a few years. “August 2011 I purchased the absolute top-of-the-line (at the time) 17-inch MacBook Pro. Other times when booting up it would come up to the spinning wheel then get stuck on the grey screen and sit there forever - fans kicked up into high gear.” If it booted, it was a matter of time before it froze up and had to be manually shutdown. It went through a few days where it may or may not boot. “Then suddenly had video issues where the screen shifted halfway and wouldn’t do anything.
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix pro#
“ began with sleep wake issues – would sleep when should be awake and awake when should be asleep,” another 2011 MacBook Pro user named Holly said about her laptop. The symptoms are the same for many MBP2011 buyers. The new logic board I bought has exactly the same GPU so I expect it to fail too.” “I was forced to shell out $322 for the logic board replacement, despite 2 letters to Apple’s Tim Cook, but none at Cupertino bothered to reply either time. Apple Store Phoenix’s head ‘genius’ feigned ignorance of the faulty GPU issue,” a Mac user who asked to be identified only by his first name, Eugene, said. The GPU burned out with exactly the symptoms (blue screen, graphics artifacts, horizontal lines, overheating, crashes, etc) as described by thousands of other MBP users. He further shared with BGR three other stories detailing unpleasant graphic card-related experiences with MBP2011 units. Looking for a solution online, Pickard found out that many people have encountered similar difficulties. The problem started occurring more and more frequently since then. Within a day, my computer malfunctioned unexpectedly for the first time, presenting as a black screen, cooling fans engaged and the last second of sound continuously looping.”
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix tv#
During the Spring semester of this year, I first plugged my computer into an external monitor, using my TV as a larger screen. The computer worked extremely well for three years without a problem.
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix full#
“They offered a two-year expanded warranty, extending the warranty to three full years, however, I declined it. I got the works, 17 inch monitor, 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM and the Intel Core i5 processor, spending $2,500,” 2011 MacBook Pro user Jerry Pickard told BGR. “I purchased my MacBook in February of 2011, right after finishing my Bachelor’s degree. One of the affected 2011 MacBook Pro owners reached out to BGR to share his story. Not to mention the fact that some of these repairs are very expensive. The company would swap out the logic board for some users, but the problem would reappear, affecting the performance of the Mac. Many buyers purchased these devices specifically to enjoy those powerful, Pro features.īut thousands of MBP2011 users have been systematically experiencing graphic card-related crashes that occurred right after purchase or a few years later (before or after the extended AppleCare expired), and Apple has not been able to fix the problem once and for all. “The powerful 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature quad-core Core i7 processors up to 2.3 GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory for high performance gaming, pro video editing and graphics intensive applications,” the company said. In its press release announcing the device back in early 2011, Apple highlighted the graphics card in the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models.
#Macbook pro 2011 graphics card recall fix upgrade#
However, the laptop still costs a lot of money, and many buyers simply can’t afford to upgrade to a new model every year - nor should they have to, considering that Macs generally have a longer lifespan than competing devices.īut that doesn’t appear to be the case for many MBP2011 units. Apple’s MacBook Pro line is one of the company’s flagship products, a computer that became more and more powerful over the years, and more affordable.
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Lazarus PT 2
Batmom x Batfamily
Prompt: The batfamily discovers a dark secret that Bruce has been keeping from them....even his wife.
February 1692- Salem, Massachusetts
You were a sight to see! Dressed in silk robes as your covenant danced all around you. You were the mysterious protector of the women of Salem, Massachusetts. You kept them safe from the puritans who tried to have them killed for witchcraft. Of course they were as guilty as ever, but they were under your protection....or so they thought.
Your eyes began to glow a soft green as you drained the magic from your covenant. They couldn't feel a thing as you did, only the urge to dance faster, and worship you even harder. You watch with a fake sadness as one by one the women began to decay and turn to dust around you. Once the last one had fallen, you stood from the stone throne they'd made for you and was trapped in a golden Ankh. You grinned evilly then looked up as Doctor Fate hovered above you.
"My my Nabu...it's been awhile since we were like this. You should have waited for me to undress first my love." You tease and wink to the sorcerer. You could see him visibly tense before he growled under his helmet then he lifted you into the air.
"You are far from your time." He mumbled then in a blink you were back in the time you came from. Fate pressed his hand to your head and you felt a pain go through your skull.
"No...NO...YOU CAN'T LOCK ME AWAY!"
"It's the only way to ensure order."
Now- Gotham
Bruce rubbed his neck as he searched for the batwing signal. He was praying that you weren't put in the Lazarus pit. The children didn't know the dark secret he and Fate knew. She couldn't get out again.
His fears turned out to be true when the batwing landed, and you stepped out looking as if you weren't on your death bed hours ago. Bruce pressed a button on the computer and then walked towards you, "You can't hide from Fate. You never could and you won't be able to now." He says then grabs you by the throat.
"Give me my wife now!"
Just as he was doing this the rest of the family comes running down the stairs and Dick pushes Bruce away from you, "What the hell are you doing?!? Get your hands off of her!" He yells and pins Bruce to the nearest wall.
"Awww! You didn't tell your family the dark little secret about their mommy?" You coo then wrapped an arm around Damian who jerked away from you and held up a sword.
"She isn't Ummi! Something has happened to her!"
"What have you done!" A voice boomed through the cave. A giant golden Ankh formed in the cave and Fate walked through along with John Constantine as his side looking rather bored. Your eyes widened and you felt a chill run down your spine. It's been years since you last feasted on magic, so you were powerless against them.
"Oh bloody hell! She's real! Tin Tin I always thought you were making up stories, got rather concerned after awhile but I take it all back!"
Stephanie looked at you before she stepped forward and stood in front of you protectively, "No one is laying a hand on her until we know what the hell is going on!"
You grin then sit on the hood of the batmobile, "Go on Bruice! Tell them the truth!" You tease then laugh wickedly.
"Your mother is one half of a whole. She was a woman from the time of the witch trails that got possessed by spirit that caused nothing but chaos. She went through time until she was captured, but somehow ended back up in 1692, and when Fate brought her back he locked her away letting your mother have her body back again. Y/N has no clue of this."
"Yes...that explains the illness, this particular pain in the ass burns out the host so she can regain control. The Lazarus pit just made it easier." John finished explaining. The room went quiet before Jason stepped forward.
"Don't you think that's something she should've know?" He asks then looks towards you who was still sitting on the batmobile. You needed a way to get power back into your veins, "It's her body and soul at risk and you didn't think to tell her? Or us?"
"That doesn't matter, now does it? She's all gone!" You yelled then started laughing. You hopped down from the batmobile and began walking around the cave, "Let's see...world domination? No...hmmm what shall I do?" You ponder then grin. John watched you carefully as you moved around. If you were such a powerful being and you were feared by many, why haven't you done anything?
"You're powerless, aren't you love?" He asks then smirks when he sees you freeze up. Maybe you should have made an escape instead of gloating.
"Y/N..the real Y/n has the magic, and judging from the way the body looks...she's still there. We just have to reach in and pluck her out. The thing is though, it can't be anyone...it has to be someone that her mind trusts the most, or very bad things will happen."
They have the solution, but who is the one person Y/N Wayne trust the most?
@lil-baby-nor
#nightwing#dick grayson x batmom#batfam x reader#jason todd x batmom#bruce wayne x reader#batmom imagines#batman#batmom#john constantine x reader#dc comics#tim drake x reader#jason todd x reader#dick grayson x reader#jason todd#red hood#dick grayson#damian wayne x reader#damian wayne#robin
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Don’t Go Baking My Heart || Seokjin
Pairing: Seokjin x reader
Summary: You fall in love with Kim Seokjin’s bakery after wandering into it to take advantage of the post-Valentine’s Day discount on the chocolates. Maybe it’s the owner’s bad jokes, maybe it’s the other regulars, maybe it’s the delicious pastries. Or maybe there’s something more that keeps you coming back to that shop.
Also available on Ao3.
Word count: 14.7k
Genre: Strangers (to Friends) to Lovers, Bakery AU, tooth-rotting Fluff, some smut
Warnings & Tags: mentions of insecurities and of former relationships, smut (vaginal sex, oral [male receiving], fingering), Jin makes Bad Jokes, Valentine’s Day themed
A/N: Soooo this was supposed to come out for Valentine’s Day, but it wasn’t ready then, so you guys get it now instead! I’m bad with puns so I definitely had to look online for those used in this oops. Finally, I’d like to give a big thank you to the amazing @elidebrey who actually worked in a bakery shop and told me all about (I’m sorry you guys ran out of milk all the time). She’s an amazing writer and you should check her out if you like the Batfam! Hope you’ll enjoy this one-shot!
February 15th
You first walk into Kim Seokjin’s bakery the day after Valentine’s Day. Your eye was caught by the chocolates and cakes you noticed on sale from the outside, and also the name of the place, The Rolling Scones, which is either genius or terrible, you can’t pick. The door bell chimes happily, first when you push the door open and then when it closes behind you.
The place is empty. There’s no one behind the counter, and you find yourself hesitating there for a second, both arms behind your back like a shy schoolgirl — which you once were, but that was a while ago now. Natural light, the cold sun of February, is falling through the bay windows, and the place is cute, clearly decorated with love and care. It makes you feel just a little warmer inside.
Since no one seems to be showing up, you take your time to look at the display. You’ve spent the past week crying over the end of your two year relationship, and you’re desperately craving something sweet and sugary to fill the hole in your heart and in your life. Post Valentine’s Day discount is definitely the best way to do that.
If you’re being completely honest with yourself, you knew this relationship was never going to be your forever. It was just a nice and comfortable situation to be in, and you expected you and him to part ways at some point.
You just didn’t particularly expect it to be now.
“Jungkook!” a strong voice shouts from the back of the shop, startling you. It’s quickly followed by a curse, and then a man walks in, glancing back with a worried expression, tying an apron around his waist and adjusting a small black hat on his head. You notice the ‘Jungkook’ tag on his apron, and it makes you soften in sympathy. The second his eyes fall on you, he recomposes himself, and shoots you a smile that’s professional, though the nervousness doesn’t quite disappear. “What can I do for you?”
“I was just looking,” you say, and he leans forward, probably straining to hear. Your voice has always had that weird tendency to become inaudible when you’re talking to strangers. “You don’t have anything with strawberries, do you?”
“I’m afraid everything we had went yesterday,” he says with a sympathetic frown.
“Oh, right,” you mumble. You’re disappointed to a stupid degree, and you know it’s because your emotions have been running wild recently, to the point where any small contrariety threatens to make you cry. Fortunately, you don’t, right now. That would be horribly embarrassing. “Um, I guess I’ll take that box and, uh, the éclair, please, then.”
“Of course!”
His movements are quick and precise as he takes it out, and you could be mistaken, but you think he’s deliberately not looking at you. You’re not particularly blaming him for it, though, because you’re doing the exact same thing.
“Anything else?” he asks once he’s done, and you shake your head, avoiding eye contact. “For here or to go? We’re also a café,” he elaborates when you give him a surprised — and slightly panicked — glance.
“Oh. To go, please,” you say, not so much because you actually want to, and much more because you’re bad at changing your plans when you had already made your decision.
Except… You eye the bakery. It’s not like you have anyone to come back to, and you don’t particularly want to be back at your apartment to wallow alone. You might even get some things done while you’re here.
“Um, actually, would you mind if I…?” The question dies on your lips. You’re already feeling too embarrassed to continue, but he looks up, eyes wide, and nods.
“No, no, please take a seat! Do you want something to drink as well?”
“That— That would be nice, actually.”
“Alright, just give me a second and I’ll bring you our, er, menu.”
It’s not a menu, it’s a list of drinks the owner printed and coated with plastic, and insists on calling a menu, but he isn’t going to tell you that.
You pick a table that faces the door, and after choosing and ordering your tea, pull out your computer. It’s not that the things you have to do can’t wait, but you don’t like sitting alone doing nothing. The shop is desperately empty, and part of you is terrified by the idea that Jungkook could come over to talk to you. That would probably end up not being completely unpleasant, but you’re not sure you can handle that much interaction with other human beings right now.
While scrolling through the text you are currently working on editing, you pick a chocolate out of the box to eat it and hold back a satisfied moan at the taste. The fact that it’s so good makes you feel a little more upset that you’ve never been in a relationship for Valentine’s Day and therefore have never been given anything like that.
It’s always been bad luck really, because you’ve been in a few relationships, but even with your last boyfriend, the two of you were on a break in February. The others never made it longer than a few months, and never fell at the right time. It’s not even like you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, you do think it’s mostly a commercial holiday, and you definitely don’t want any expensive gift, but you’d be happy to have someone by your side to make fun of other couples with. Someone to love you, and someone to love.
God, you want to be in love so bad. For a few months, you thought you had it with your ex, and maybe you did, for a moment, but it had slipped from your fingers without you managing to do anything about it, leaving you sad and empty. You want to feel everything the movies and books promised, the butterflies in the stomach, the rush in the beat of your heart. You want to feel like someone holds your world in their hands. You want them to love you back — really love you, so much that you’ll catch them looking at you and see it in their eyes immediately, so much that they’ll remember how you like your tea in the morning.
You don’t think your ex ever loved you, and you don’t really blame him for that. He liked you, certainly, and for a long time that was enough for you. But now, with it being over and him telling you he’d ‘met someone’, you want more out of your next relationship.
Then again, you’d thought that last time as well.
You’re grateful when Jungkook brings you your tea, tearing you away from thoughts you really don’t want to be having right now. He gives you a smile, then is quick to retreat back behind the counter, and something tells you that he has the same difficulties talking to people as you do.
That can’t make his job fun.
You’re soon able to immerse yourself in your work, much to your surprise. Usually, you’re hyper aware of your surroundings, and it’s hard to get work done unless you’re in a place that’s both quiet and familiar, but the atmosphere in here is so warm and pleasant that you’re able to relax and focus, all while drinking your tea and eating your sweets. It’s quite close to perfect, actually.
Which is why you jump violently when someone’s voice booms into the shop.
“Jeon Jungkook!”
You look up, panicked, and Jungkook turns around with the exact same look on his face. You don’t remember the doorbell ringing, so it has to be someone from the shop, and indeed, a tall man with short black hair walks in from the same place Jungkook entered. And your brain short-circuits.
It doesn’t happen all that often, for you to simply find yourself frozen because of how good-looking someone is, but in that case, you just can’t help it. The man who just walked in is tall, with very nice, broad shoulders, and the apron he is wearing underlines the muscles of his chest in ways you didn’t think were possible, but more than that, he’s also, quite possibly, the most handsome man you’ve ever laid eyes on. When you glance at his plump, full lips, you find yourself having a hard time to tear yourself away. You’re relieved that you didn't have to order from him, because you’re sure it would have made you blush and stutter.
“Jungkook, there’s a mess in the back! What are you waiting fo—” Jungkook gives panicked glances in your direction, and the man catches your presence from the corner of his eyes, turning his sentence around as smoothly as is humanly possible, all while his lips curve up into a professional smile. “Ooh, hello, dear customer! I don’t think we’ve seen you here before, have we?”
A smile spills on your mouth, much to your surprise.
“No, it’s my first time here,” you answer. Your voice isn’t as strong as you’d like for it to be, but at least you didn’t choke. You suppose still being heartbroken serves as a shield against the man’s handsomeness. “I figured there’d be some discount after Valentine’s Day, and I was hungry, so…”
“You figured you’d kill two birds with one scone?” the man asks while Jungkook, behind him, silently smacks his forehead. You figure he’s heard it a million time before, but you haven’t, and you can’t help but laugh. That makes the man’s smile widen genuinely and his eyes crease.
“I guess you came up with the bakery name,” you chuckle.
“Absolutely. Isn’t it a great name?”
Jungkook shakes his head in disgust.
“It’s genius,” you say, and the man slams his hand on the table.
“See? I told you! Jungkook keeps saying that I have a terrible sense of humor—”
“I’ll be in the back if you need me,” Jungkook grumbles.
“Hey, what do we say to customers?”
“Ah— It was nice to meet you!” he says, turning around to look at you and he seems somewhat sincere. “I hope we’ll be seeing you again.”
Then he bows his head politely and disappears in the back of the shop. The other man — who you suppose is the owner of the place — watches, laughing fondly, but goes quiet after that, so you go back to your work.
You don’t stay around too long, not wanting to overstay your welcome, but you’re still the only one in the shop by the time you decide to walk out.
“Was the tea any good?” the man asks as you walk by him.
You nod and smile.
“And the chocolates were delicious,” you add. “I’ll make sure to come back.”
“That’s music to my ears,” he says, dramatically putting a hand on his chest. That’s when you notice the ‘Seokjin’ tag on his apron. You don’t know what to do with that information, though. You don’t call strangers by their first name and you also don’t stalk people on line.
Especially not when you don’t have their last name.
You say a quick ‘goodbye’, then walk out. Jin’s eyes follow you for a few seconds, before he sighs and turns around, already taking off his apron.
“Jungkook!”
The boy is quick to appear again, scanning the shop for your presence.
“She’s gone?” he asks, and Jin gives a slap at the back of his employee's head with a groan. There’s no strength in it, though, and Jungkook barely reacts to it.
“How could you run away like that, you little—”
Jungkook easily avoids him when Jin tries to him it again, laughing at his outrage.
“We’re not going to be getting a lot more clients today, are we?” he asks, looking outside at the passers-by that don’t even spare a glance at the little shop.
“No,” Jin groans, letting himself fall on a chair.
The depressing calm that follows what is possibly the busiest day of the year for him is just one of the reasons why he absolutely despises Valentine’s Day.
February 22nd
When you show up at the bakery again, about a week later, you’re feeling surprisingly good about it. Last time went well, you decided, and the people were nice, so you’re not afraid to throw a quiet but polite “Hello!” when you walk in. It’s kind of funny — or is it sad — how it always surprises you when people are nice to you, much more used to passive disinterest at best.
There’s another man in the shop this time, with a laptop and a coffee in front of him, but he doesn’t look up at you. A head lifts up from behind the counter though. You feel vaguely embarrassed that you remember this one is Seokjin, and you only feel more awkward when he gives you a dazzling smile.
A glance at the display tells you that they have restocked on their strawberry-based pastries, and you happily pick a slice of cake for yourself.
“For here or to go?”
“I’ll have it here,” you say with a smile. You feel strangely proud of yourself for being able to say it spontaneously. He has no way of knowing it, but it’s quite the victory for you. Usually, you try to run from the presence of others as fast as you can, and it’s even worse those days. “And I’ll also have Darjeeling tea with it, please.”
“Coming right up, just take a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” he says, and then he winks. He doesn’t stick around to see the surprised look on your face, so you just do as he told you, wondering if he was flirting with you or if he’s just Like That. You think that second explanation might be the answer.
“It’s nice to see you again,” he says when he arrives with the cake and the tea. You’re pretty sure he can’t place you exactly, just thinks your face is familiar, but it still makes you happy.
He tells you he hopes you’ll come back when you leave, and you decide you want to believe it.
June 1st
You’re not sure when you become an official ‘regular’ at the bakery. Maybe it’s when you ask Jin if they even do scones, and he leans over the counter to tell you conspiratorially that he actually wanted to call the shop ‘bake it ’til you make it’, but was told it was too long. That elicits a brief burst of laughter from you, and Jungkook tells you to stop encouraging him, but Seokjin looks so happy with himself when you laugh that you decide not to listen to him. Jin has that way of breaking past your shyness that fascinates you. It might be what keeps you coming back, more than the delicious sweets and how beautiful the two workers look.
Or maybe it’s when Jin tells you that it’s not fair you know their names but they don’t know yours, and that he’d ask you for your ID before selling you stuff if you don't tell him. When you tell him, he repeats it a couple of times, like he’s tasting it, before nodding with satisfaction. After that, him and Jungkook start greeting you with it, and insist you do the same with them. You’re reluctant at first, feeling somewhat confused about the whole thing, but it turns out to feel… nice, to have people to greet, and who also know your name.
Maybe it’s when Jin tells you that you’re late when you come in, or complains when you don’t show up on one of your usual days because you had a meeting with your boss. He doesn’t say anything on the day where you take your pastries to go because you’re visiting a friend at the hospital, though, and you wonder if he can just tell. Regardless, you appreciate it.
You find out about other people who come here frequently, too, and especially the ones who are friends with Jin and Jungkook. Namjoon, who sits with his laptop at the opposite end of the café from you. Yoongi, who usually sits in the same spot as you, and eyes you threateningly when he comes in and you’re there the first time, until Seokjin tells him to knock it off. Taehyung and Jimin, who always come in together, and who Jungkook usually joins to bicker and laugh with them. Hoseok, who likes to waltz in at random times, and whose smile actually rivals Jin’s.
You yourself come in twice a week, getting to your usual place to work — except on the couple of occasions where Yoongi gets there before you and gives you a triumphant smile when he sees you. You enjoy the way you’re always greeted by Jungkook or Seokjin, like they’re genuinely happy to see you. You discover that the old ladies who come here to gossip love to flirt with Jin and that, even though he flirts back outrageously, much to their delight, his ears tend to turn a bright red when he does.
You even bring your friends on a couple of occasion, and Seokjin jokes that you’re responsible for half of his turnover at this point. Your friends enjoy the food, and the drinks, but they enjoy the handsome employees and customers a lot more.
“So this is where all the hot men were,” Hana marvels when you walk out, and you burst out laughing. You like that you’ve shared this place with her, because it’s something that makes you really happy these days, motivates you to come out of your bed, and even to talk to people, something you’ve never been good at.
When you walk into the shop and make small talk with the people you’ve come to know, something you used to consider yourself terrible at, it might be silly, but it kind of feels like home.
June 21st
You are pretty sure you know when you go from regular to friend, though. It’s a day like any other and you hum on your way to the shop. Instead of the joyful “Welcome back, (Y/N)!” that you’ve gotten used to hearing these past few weeks, however, you’re greeted with Seokjin shouting “(Y/N), my savior!”.
You freeze on the spot and give him a worried look. From his table, Namjoon looks up, just as puzzled.
“Is everything okay, Jin?” he asks.
“Jungkook isn’t there today,” Jin tells you. His voice doesn’t sound different from usual, but there is a glint of panic in his eyes. “I need your help.”
Namjoon stands up.
“Why didn’t you ask me? I could—”
“Stay where you are and don’t even think of approaching my kitchen,” Jin says threateningly. “(Y/N)? Please?”
Well. You suppose your work can get done later. You’re more productive when you come here, so you have some advance on your usual deadlines these days. But you don’t know what Jin wants from you and you’ve never worked in a bakery.
“What do you want me to do?” you ask cautiously.
He grabs your shoulders and your eyes widen at the contact. Not that it’s unpleasant, just unexpected.
“I knew when you first walked in here that you were a godsend,” he tells you seriously, looking right into your eyes, and you tell yourself that if he’s that good of an actor, you should probably watch out. “We’re out of milk.”
You blink.
“Okay. Is there a specific type of milk you want?”
“Just, milk. Get me milk and I’ll worship the ground you walk on until the end of days.”
You roll your eyes at his dramatics, and take your bag off your shoulder, handing it to him.
“Look after that, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll protect it with my life,” he says solemnly. “Also paper napkins please!” he shouts as you’re already walking out.
“Will do!”
“Bake a leg!”
You want to protest the joke that even you find to be quite bad, but the door has already closed behind you, so you just shake your head at him, only to see him laughing with satisfaction through the glass, and head to the nearest supermarket.
You come back with two big packs of milk and a lot of paper napkins, just as two men are exiting. You’ve seen them before, but they never stay to chat. Inside, Jin is juggling three women, and he looks more relieved than you’ve ever seen him when you walk in.
“I’ll help you with that,” Namjoon says immediately, bumping in the table as he gets up.
“If you break anything, I’ll kill you,” Jin warns him. He’s smiling like he’s joking, and his tone is light, like he doesn’t want to scare off his customers, but his eyes say he’s sincere.
You’re quick in the back, and Namjoon does drop the packs once, but nothing bad happens. He presses a finger against his lips to tell you to keep it a secret, and you grin without a word. Part of you is kind of wondering what you’re doing there, why Jin feels comfortable letting you in the back and why he asked you to do that, but you don’t have an issue with it, not by a long shot. This is… kind of fun, actually.
“Anything else you want me to do?” you ask Jin when you come out, and he looks at you in a pleading way.
“You don’t mind?”
Something tells you you shouldn’t accept too quickly, that you could end up in way over your head faster than you know. But his brown eyes are wide and desperate and you just can’t say no. So you smile and shake your head.
“Of course not. You look like you really need a hand here.”
“I do.”
That’s how you find yourself in an apron, with the cute, black hat Jin and Jungkook always wear on your head. Jin mostly sends you in the back to pick up things he needs, or makes you bring the beverages to the customers, which you’re thankful for, because that way you don’t have to greet anyone. Time flies quickly, and you can barely find a second to breathe for the first few hours.
“Sorry, it’s lunch time,” Jin grimaces as he passes you by, and you think to yourself that at least, it will get better, but it takes a while even after that, and when it’s done, Jin sends you to buy some more stuff from the supermarket, because as it turns out, things go fast.
Before you know it, it’s closing time, and you look outside in disbelief. The sky is starting to turn a nice pink, and other shops are putting up their shutters.
“You can go, if you want,” Jin tells you. He sounds terribly sorry, and that makes you feel bad. It’s such an unusual tone for him to have.
His offer is tempting, of course. Your feet hurt, your head aches a little from all the noise that never bothered you before but turns out to be a lot when you’re there all day, you’ve burned your hand against an oven, and you’ve found out that carrying things ends up really hurting your back. But you know that he’s experiencing the same thing you do, and you just don’t have the heart to abandon him here. Also, you’ve already lost your day, so you might as well help him out now.
“It’s fine,” you sigh. “Do you want me to help with anything?”
Cleaning up goes quietly in the main shop, and that soothes you a little. You don’t mind the silence, even enjoy it, and find yourself relaxing for the first time today. Surprisingly, you’re feeling… satisfied. It’s not something you would particularly look forward to doing again, but you’re happy you did it, happy you helped Jin, and you feel like you’ve accomplished something today, which is always a good thing.
“You have flour everywhere,” he tells you bluntly when you walk in the back of the shop, and you laugh.
“Well, it got everywhere,” you reply, trying to rub some off your face, and it’s Jin’s turn to laugh when you fail miserably.
You know you shouldn’t do it, but you gather a small handful of flour from the table, and throw it at him. A good chunk hangs in the air and makes you cough, but the rest does land on his apron. His mouth falls open into an ‘o’ shape and you know you’ve messed up.
“Listen, I am so sorry—”
“No you’re not,” he says, taking a step towards you. His hand is on the table, which is covered with flour, and you swallow.
“Sure I am, Jin, please—”
But your pleas fall in deaf ears, and flour is soon flying your way. It’s your turn to stare at Jin in disbelief, and then you’re laughing, loud and clear.
Maybe that’s the exact moment when the two of you become friends — really friends.
Or maybe it’s seconds later, when the room you’re in turns into the scene for an all-out flour battle. Regardless, you’re laughing the whole way through, when you’re not choking on the flour hanging in the air. Jin’s laughter is quieter than yours, miles away from the booming and somewhat fake laugh you’re used to hearing from him.
The fight only escalates when Jin picks up an egg. You shake your head, mouth ‘no’, but he doesn’t listen, and after that, things get a lot messier. By the time the two of you, exhausted and bent in half because of how much you’ve been laughing, finally stop, you can feel yoke trickling down your back, and you know the sight can’t be pretty. Jin reaches out to you in a useless attempt to wipe some flour from your face, only to laugh more when it, of course, fails once more.
You try not to think about the jolt of electricity that ran through you when his fingers came in contact with your cheek.
“I’ll clean up in here,” he tells you, “but you should go take a shower upstairs.”
“Are you sure?” you ask, surprised. Suddenly, you’re very conscious of the fact that you don’t know him that well. In recent months, you’ve talked to him more than you do with your close friends, and you did just throw several eggs at him, but you don’t know him. You’re aware of the fact that he lives above the shop, but you’ve never been there. The two of you have never even exchanged numbers.
He makes dramatic hand gestures to signal you to get away, like you’re bothering him, and you leave with a last laugh. You don’t notice the way he looks up when you do, or the way it makes him smile. He can’t help it, he just loves that he makes you laugh.
You’re relieved to step into the shower, both because you’re happy to clean up and because there was something really awkward about being in Seokjin’s apartment for the first time, alone. The place was not quite as decorated as the bakery was, with paler colors. Walking through it, you had noticed big speakers, some books in a shelf, and a couple of cute plushes that you had had to resist not to fawn over. The place worked for him, you had decided. It was more understated than you would have expected when you had just started to know him, but it doesn’t surprise you anymore. Jin tends to be quiet when he doesn’t have to be ‘on’, and it’s something he doesn’t seem to feel he has to do around you anymore.
You sigh in pleasure when the hot water hits you, close your eyes. You’ve been craving it for hours now — long before the food battle with Jin. It helps relax your aching muscles, washes away all the sweat from the day, and you have to resist not to just let yourself fall down onto the floor. Your back hurts, but the worst part has to be your feet. You feel yourself gaining a lot more appreciation for Jin and Jungkook, who are always kind, smiling and polite despite all of this. The only thing that kept you from biting someone’s head off tonight was your crippling anxiety when it comes to interacting with strangers.
It’s almost funny now to think you used to feel that way around Jin.
You look around for some soap you could use, and in your search, you’re surprised to find shampoo that was definitely intended for a woman. You don’t know why you’re surprised. It’s no wonder that Jin would have a girlfriend, really, it’s the opposite that should shock you, but you still didn’t expect it. You force away the pinch in your chest. Jin is a new friend, you can’t have your heart fluttering like that.
You consider using it for half a second, before deciding that it would be very awkward if you came out smelling like his girlfriend. Instead, you do your best to get rid of any egg, and tell yourself you’ll wash your hair at home. You barely hear the sound of the door opening and closing over the water, and you’re startled by Jin’s voice outside the bathroom.
“You can take a towel from the chest of drawers,” he tells you, “and I’ll leave a shirt outside, if you want it.”
“Thank you!” you shout back.
Seokjin stands there a few seconds, before quickly shaking his head and walking away. He knows his ears are turning red, and he hates himself for it, but is it his fault, really? Is he supposed not to think about you, right now, in his shower, water running down your body? He never even thought to pretend he was that innocent.
He occupies himself by preparing a drink for the two of you, and then by cleaning around. He’s not particularly messy, though, and there isn’t much to do, so he ends up sitting on his couch, feeling awkward in his own house, and scrolling aimlessly through his phone. He freezes again when he hears the bathroom door open and close, guessing you’re picking up his shirt. Which means you’re— God what is wrong with him tonight? When did he regress to the state of a hormonal teenager?
He hopes he looks natural when you come out, because he’s doing his best for that. The nervous way he’s running his hands over his thighs would probably give him out, though, if you weren’t feeling just as stressed as him.
“I’m done,” you mumble, your shyness coming back, which you decide is to be expected in that situation.
It vanishes the second Jin looks you over and snorts.
“What’s wrong?” you ask, glancing down, and immediately you know that you’re probably ridiculous in his black shirt. It looks like it’s swallowing you whole. “It’s not my fault if your shoulders are that broad,” you pout.
“You look so small,” Jin chuckles. He sounds endeared, and if you noticed that sort of things, you would absolutely realize that his eyes linger on you in his clothes fondly — and a little longer than necessary.
“Want something to drink?” he asks, gesturing at the stuff he got out of the fridge when he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Sure,” you smile, letting yourself fall down on the couch next to him and pouring yourself a glass. The brief awkwardness that washed over you when you came in vanishes already, because of how comfortable you feel around Jin. He’s always been good at making you feel that way, and now he doesn’t even have to try.
“So, how did you find your day?” he asks you, and you look at him, surprised by his tone. He sounds quiet, cautious almost, like he’s worried about what your reaction might be, or that he could be bothering you.
“Fine,” you say with a shrug. “I can’t say I’d want to do it again— When is Jungkook coming back?”
Jin chuckles, and again, it takes you by surprise. It’s so… quiet. So discreet, compared to his usual attitude.
“He should be there tomorrow, don’t worry about it.” Then, he grimaces. “But seriously, thank you for helping out today. I owe you.”
“Yes you do,” you say with a grin, bumping your shoulder against his, trying to lift the mood a little, because he sounds genuinely worried. “Just offer me the tea next time, and I’ll consider us even.”
Finally, a smile forms on his lips, and he shakes his head dramatically, putting his hand over his heart.
“No, I don't think I could ever repay you,” he says, and you laugh at his antics, like you always do. He looks a little appeased by that, and that’s a relief. “Your back must hurt,” he says. “Turn around.”
You raise an eyebrow, but do as he says, startling when his hands fall on your shoulders. They’re large, engulfing you easily, but they also move gently as he slowly massages you.
“Oh,” you gasp, leaning back into him. This is— good. This is very very good. For a few minutes — or maybe much longer, you couldn’t tell — you just stay there, eyes closed, lips parted, focused on the delicious feelings of his hands gently rubbing all the pain and soreness of the day away. When he stops, it takes you a few seconds to come back down to reality, and maybe, just maybe you miss the feeling of his hands. “Oh,” you repeat, rolling your shoulders slowly. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Jin says. “It’s kind of my fault.”
You turn around, shaking your head.
“Seokjin,” you say. “It’s fine. I didn’t mind helping.”
“You’re too kind,” he frowns. “You shouldn’t let people take advantage of that.”
“I’m not!”
Then Jin smiles, in a way that only lifts one corner of his lips, and suddenly you feel— you’re not too sure. Something seems to melt inside you, something moves in your stomach like you’re free falling. You probably should recognize the feeling. It’s not like it’s anything new to you, and yet you miss it. You do something you almost never do in that situation, and you take a step back. You glance up from his lips, shoot him a smile, and get up from the couch.
“It’s getting late,” you comment. “I really need to go home.”
Jin is on his feet immediately.
“I’ll walk you back,” he says, concern flashing in his eyes.
“I’m good. It’s not that far and I need to clear my head after, you know, everything today.” You’re not sure you know, but Jin nods, though a little reluctantly.
“You’re sure?”
“Very.”
He sighs. He doesn’t seem too pleased about it, but you guess he doesn’t want to insist too much, either.
“Give me your phone,” he says, and when you hand it to him, he types his number in, pouting as he explains himself to you. “Text me when you get home, alright? Otherwise I’ll just worry all night, because everyone is so unreasonable, and just wants me to lose sleep, and—”
You take your phone back from him with a laugh.
“I’ll text you,” you promise, briefly putting your hand over his. That feels— normal, you decide. It’s not like your hands have never brushed in the months since you’ve started frequenting the bakery. It just feels fine, and whatever there was before could just be a false alert. But then Jin looks into your eyes, and the feeling comes back.
“You better.”
You practically flee the bakery. You’re trying to make sense of the whole thing in your head, and it doesn’t go over great. You let Jin know you got home safe, and then do your best to push the whole thing out of your mind when you go to bed. You refuse to think about it too much. Not because you don’t understand what’s going on, but because somewhere, deep down, you do. This isn’t— this isn’t something you do. You fall hard and fast, that’s— that’s your thing.
Sometimes it’s nice, others it’s disappointing, but most importantly, it means that when the relationship is over, your life just goes back to what it was before. It you ever had feelings for a friend, someone you’re so used to having around… You’re sure it would truly break your heart.
July 15th
Summer is horribly hot this year. Fortunately for you, your favorite bakery has started serving ice cream. There is air conditioning in the store, but with the door constantly opening and closing, gusts of hot air regularly reach even you. No one seems too happy with the situation, with Jungkook seeming to slowly come apart under the temperature. Even Namjoon has abandoned ship, leaving much earlier than usual today. He waved at you when he got out, and you waved back.
Who knew, maybe the two of you would actually talk next time.
Jin uses a lull in the otherwise busy afternoon to drop at your table, and you smile to him. You haven’t really gone through anything like that night ever since, and you decided it was just a one time thing. You were tired from the work, and you were touch-starved, and, surely, there was nothing there, other than you gaining a new friend.
Yup. Nothing to see at all. Even when he’s sitting next to you, trying to fan himself with one of the bakery’s menus, head thrown back in a way that makes his Adam’s apple even more prominent.
You never thought yourself as someone who particularly enjoyed necks, but it seems you were wrong.
Not that that has anything to do with feelings, of course. Jin’s just hot. You already knew that.
“Hey, (Y/N), what’s your favorite cake?” he asks you.
It takes you just a second too long to answer.
“Uh. Anything that has strawberries in it, I guess,” you say, and he nods, but he’s also frowning. “Are my tastes not up to par?” you grin, raising an eyebrow.
“Clearly, your tastes are great, since you keep coming back,” Jin answers immediately, with the confidence that you now know to be mostly facade, but that you’ve still come to love. “No, strawberries are good. I can work with strawberries.”
“I actually wanted strawberries the first time I came here,” you reminisce. “But there weren’t any left because that was after Valentine’s Day.”
Jin clicks his tongue in disgust.
“Worst day of the year,” he says, “though February is a bad month for strawberries in general.”
“You don’t like Valentine’s Day?” you ask, and if you were a dog, your ears would be perking up with interest. You’ve always loved to hear people’s opinion on the holiday, because it’s so divisive. “You guys must make quite a lot of money…”
“I’m wounded that you’d think money is all I care about,” Jin sighs dramatically, though the glint in his eyes lets you know that he’s only joking. “It’s just very busy,” he admits. “It’s a lot of work to prepare, people place a lot of orders, and we basically don’t get a minute to ourselves. Not to mention— do you know what it does to a person to know that the food he lovingly prepared is probably going to be eaten off someone’s body?”
You can’t help it. You burst out laughing. When you do, you’re completely unaware of the fond way Jin looks at you. He’s always liked that he made you laugh, from the very first day you came into the store.
“No,” you admit, “no, I haven’t thought about it.”
“Well I have to.”
“I’m so sorry for you.”
“I’m sorry for me too.”
Then Jimin practically waltzes in and energetically greets everyone in the room, including you, and Jin gets up to serve him and Taehyung because Jungkook looks like he’s about to collapse, and you don’t give much more thought to the conversation.
But Jin remembers that strawberry cake is your favorite.
September 18th
Somehow, you get roped into helping Jin with his grocery shopping. He sat at your table and complained about how Jungkook wouldn’t be able to help him that week, and you voiced your sympathy, and next thing you knew, you were in the supermarket with him.
Well, maybe you’d offered your help. Maybe you just didn’t want to admit it because of that time he’d told you you were too kind.
“You know, I thought I’d be helping you for the bakery,” you comment, “but this mostly looks like it’s for you.”
“I am the bakery,” Jin replies, and you grin.
You watch him as he carefully crosses item after item of his detailed list. You expected him to be messy, to grab whatever he wanted, but he is as meticulous with this as he is with the baking he does for his customers. Which is— strangely endearing to you.
“Most of what we get comes in bigger orders,” he explains to you once he’s done with that aisle. “Sometimes, we find ourselves missing some things…”
“Like milk.”
“It’s always the milk,” he sighs, shaking his head it brings back bad memories. “But that’s not an issue for a lot of thing, unless something very specific comes up. Like a customer wanting a pineapple pie.”
You tilt your head as he cautiously picks pineapples. You’re not even sure how you can tell if a pineapple is ripe, but he looks like he knows what he’s doing.
“That sounds… interesting?”
“It’s going to sound very interesting when I’ll make you carry half the bags,” Jin says, and you roll your eyes. Does he think you’re going to bail on him? You would never do that.
Well. Until your eyes fall on Minho, standing there, like he hasn’t simply vanished from your life six months ago. There’s a woman with him, and she’s laughing at something he said. You suppose she was the one he met — or maybe another one, there’s no way of knowing, really. But they look like they’re getting along well, and it— it makes you happy. You think.
“Huh,” you mumble. “That’s my ex over there.”
Jin looks up so fast you worry he might hurt his neck.
“What? Where? Do you need me to insult him?”
You’re about to say no when Minho turns around, and his eyes meet yours. He gives you a hesitant nod, and you think that’s going to be it, but then, after a few seconds of obvious inner debate, he makes his way towards you.
Great.
“(Y/N),” he says, a bit awkwardly. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” you reply softly and, much to your surprise, you mean it. You did your best not to let yourself miss him, but you suppose you did. It’s been a long time since you last saw him.
“This is, erm, this is Lisa,” he says, gesturing at the woman, who gives you a polite smile. It looks like she knows exactly who you are, and you suppose it must be uncomfortable for her as well. “My girlfriend.”
Yeah. You’d pieced that together. But then, Minho’s eyes move to Jin, and he raises an eyebrow, and you realize what he’s thinking about.
“Oh, this is—”
“Seokjin,” Jin says, extending his hand. “I’m her boyfriend.”
You’re sure that anyone looking at you can tell from your expression, from the way your mouth falls open and from the incredulous way you shake your head that that’s not true, but both Minho and Lisa are looking at him, and miss it completely. When Jin looks at you, he gives an imperceptible nod and puts an arm around your shoulders.
The warmth is— kind of nice. Maybe it even sends a shiver down your back, but you’re sure it’s because you’re still quite touch-starved those days.
Nothing else here.
“That’s great,” Minho says, and he looks relieved. “It’s great that you’re with someone.”
“Isn’t it?” Jin says before you can think of anything to answer to that. “She walked into my bakery and I just knew she would become my favorite client. Basically love at first sight.”
“Love at first sale, maybe,” you can’t help but answer, even if you know, reasonably, that you shouldn’t entertain him. You’re pretty sure he’s trying to show off in front of the two, which is really unnecessary, but you appreciate the gesture. “Jin makes the best cakes you can find in the whole town,” you tell them. Not to show off, but because it’s true. There are a lot of good things you could tell them about Jin, come to think of it. A lot.
“Maybe we should try it then,” Lisa says, smiling. She looks more relaxed than earlier, though you suppose she could also just be trying to get out of this conversation.
“Oh, it’s a must,” you reply sincerely, and Jin laughs, pulling you against his chest a little.
“She’s too nice,” he says, and you immediately protest that no, definitely not, he does, and you’re sure you look like a very annoying couple, because it doesn’t take long for Minho to clear his throat.
“Well, we have to go but it was— it was nice catching up with you.”
“Same,” you nod, and when he leaves, you can’t help but watch him. You don’t really feel anything right now. You were sincerely happy to see him, but it felt like running into a childhood friend you haven’t seen in a long, long time, and now have nothing in common with outside of those memories. Except it hasn’t been a life time since you last met him. Just a little over six months. Soon, he’ll just be someone you used to know.
You wish you were more upset by this. You wish there was anything that told you that what you had with him actually mattered. Instead, this vague indifference lets you know that your paths had probably diverged before the two of you even broke up. And that makes you kind of sad.
“Are you okay?” Jin asks. He has that quiet voice you’ve heard a few times now.
“I’m fine,” you nod, “but you really didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t— Minho and I aren’t— there really was no need.”
“I was happy to do it,” Jin says, and you notice how petty he sounds. “It’s always a joy to let an ex see how much better than them you’re doing.”
You laugh. You probably agree with him on that, but you’re not going to help feed his ego even more. Jungkook would probably never forgive you for it.
“I don’t think your girlfriend would like you doing that,” you observe, and Jin answers that remark with a blank stare.
“When have I ever said anything about a girlfriend?”
“Well, there was a bottle of shampoo at your place that—”
“So a guy can’t like having his hair smell like fruit, huh?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Wow, way to reinforce stereotypes, (Y/N). I expected more of you.”
He ignores your attempts at protesting and strides away from you. It takes you a few moments to catch up, because of his stupid long legs of his.
“If I had a girlfriend, I would never stop talking about her,” he lets you know while you’re catching your breath. “So don’t worry. You’ll know about it.”
“Duly noted,” you say. You maybe feel a little too happy about that new information so, to distract yourself from it, you change the subject. “So I’m your favorite customer?”
He scoffs and glances away from you, refusing to meet your eyes. He thought you hadn’t picked up on that.
“You’re a strong contestant, I guess,” he says reluctantly, and you laugh, not pushing it further.
“Anyway— Minho broke up with me a week Valentine’s Day,” you say. You’re not sure why. Maybe to let Jin that you’ve been over it for a long time.
“That’s rude,” Jin comments with a disapproving click of his tongue.
“He probably wanted to spend it with her,” you shrug. “When we got together, he told me he didn’t cheat. He left. So— I guess that was it.” Then there’s a laugh, and you can’t tell if it sounds bitter. You hope not. “I’ve actually never had a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day,” you confess.
The silence that follows is unusual for Jin. When you glance up at him, he’s just looking at you, and for a second, you think it’s pity you find in his eyes. But, from the way he frowns, you realize it could just be genuine sympathy.
“Would it make you feel better if I tell you it’s a terrible holiday that’s just there to sell things?”
“I already know that,” you chuckle, even if it does make you feel a little better. “I just want someone to buy me roses once, you know?”
Jin doesn’t answer, just looks at you, and something about the intensity of his stare makes you feel— feel things you told yourself you weren’t feeling for him. But then, you just ran into Minho, didn’t you? It makes sense that you would be all over the place emotionally.
“Anything more on your list?” you ask, and Jin blinks.
“Yeah, that way,” he says, sounding a bit off, but then he adds “More things for you to carry,” and you decide to brush it off.
But he stores the information in his mind. Strawberry cake and roses. Duly noted.
October 31st
“So do you actually like Halloween, or is this just another shameless cash grab for you?” you ask Jin when he brings you your tea.
You have to admit, him and Jungkook truly went all out for this. They’ve decorated the shop with pumpkins, and there are fake bats hanging from the ceiling. There are also themed cakes and chocolates shaped like spiders. It’s spooky, and it delights the kids that come in and ask the parents about it. You definitely appreciate the atmosphere it creates — and you also appreciate the way Hoseok jumped when he walked in front of the witch that lets out an evil laugh when someone passes the movement detector.
“Halloween is not terrible, I guess,” Jin says, like him and Jungkook don’t take a full day out of their schedules and bring in some friends just to decorate the shop. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” you answer sincerely, and Jin’s expression softens.
“Hey, we’re having a small get-together after closing tonight,” he tells you spontaneously. “Wanna join us?”
You take a second to answer. It’s not like you don’t want to — far from that — but there’s that voice inside of you that tells you that you’ve been weird around Jin, and you don’t want to be weird around him. You want to keep things as they are, because he’s such a wonderful friend to have around. You’d hate yourself if you changed that.
But if the point is to have him around, then surely, telling him no right now would be counter-productive, right?
“Absolutely,” you say with a smile, and Jin beams, and you feel all warmed-up inside.
You already know that you’ll have fun, and you’ll laugh, and he’ll insist on walking you him and you’ll tell him no. And it sounds exactly like how you want to spend your evening.
January 10th
You first meet Sungho on New Year’s Eve, at Hana’s party. The two of you click immediately, and you enjoy the familiar rush of feelings, the waiting for a text after you’ve given him your number, the anticipation of knowing where this is all leading, if everything goes right. After a week, you run into him at the bakery, or, well, you’re sitting in your usual corner when he comes in. He doesn’t see you immediately, but when he looks in your direction after a little while, you happily wave him over.
“You don’t usually come here, do you?” you ask him. “I would have seen you by now if you were a regular.”
He chuckles, flashes you a bright smile, and you smile in return. Sungho has a nice smile. He doesn’t laugh easily, though, from what you saw when you met him, which is a shame, but definitely not a dealbreaker, even if you love to hear people laugh.
“No, I saw you were talking about this place a lot online, and I figured I would come and check it out. Of course, seeing you here is the best part,” he adds with a wink, and he leans towards you a little. The obvious flirtation sends a wave of heat through your chest, and you don’t hesitate to lean forward as well, resting your elbow on the table and putting your chin on your hand. You enjoy the closeness, the proximity, the chase.
You pull away when Jin arrives with Sungho’s order.
“This looks great,” Sungho comments. “I’m glad (Y/N) advertised you so much.”
“Well, there’s a reason she’s our favorite customer,” Jin replies, smiling, and when you meet his eyes, they’re fond and— and something else that makes it hard to breathe for a second.
But the smile fades when Sungho takes a portion of his cake with the spoon and offers it to you.
“Wanna try it?” he asks, and you do, because you know everything Jin makes will be amazing. You’re not sure you love the gesture itself — it’s kind of cute, but you’ve also just met him and it feels a bit strange — but you still giggle and take the bite.
And all Jin can do is stand there, looking at the two of you. He feels something he has felt before, and it’s that he let something he wanted pass him by. He waited too long to make a move, once again, and once again, it’s cost him something he doesn’t know how he’ll live without, and now he’ll have no choice but to figure it out.
You glance up, and he catches himself, plastering a smile on his lips.
“Enjoy yourselves!” he says, a little too loudly, and he knows, from the way you blink and the puzzled look you give him, that you’ve noticed and it’s— it’s horrible. It’s horrible that you know him that well and that you’ve seen so many facets of him and you’ve chosen someone else. You don’t ask anything, though, and he’s quick to leave.
He’s also quick to ask Jungkook to replace him in the shop, and he, very deliberately, doesn’t ask anything about how things went. Doesn’t want to know if you kissed, or worse, if you left together.
He’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s anything he hasn’t been through before.
February 5th
You feel impossibly excited when Sungho asks you out for Valentine’s Day. You gush about it to your friends, a lot, and Hana is delighted for you — and very pleased that her circles of friends are meeting like that. Jungkook sounds happy, too, though slightly more reserved, but you get the type of enthusiasm you wanted from Jimin and Taehyung.
Jin gets quiet when you let him know, though. It’s not something you haven’t seen before, but it does take you off guard, because you’ve never seen it happen while in the shop, where he’s usually on top of his game.
“Are you okay?” you ask, worried, leaning over the counter to put a hand on his arm. “You look a little under the weather these days.”
He smiles, but it lacks his usual flamboyance.
“Valentine’s Day is coming,” he tells you. “The worst day of the year.”
You laugh at that, relax, and take your hand off. You miss the way his eyes fall on the place you were just touching.
“Well, not this year, hopefully. Not this year.”
Yeah. He’s not so sure about that.
February 14th
It’s your first time, ever, having a date on Valentine’s Day, and you’re determined to do everything right. Sungho is taking you to a fancy restaurant, so you decide there is no issue in going all out. You take the day to prepare yourself, enlist Hana to do your make-up and hair, and you use the opportunity to wear a lovely bright red dress that you had been saving for a special occasion.
Hana whistles when you come out of your room after you’ve also put on half-transparent black tights.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she says with an appreciative nod.
You glance down at your body self-consciously and try to smooth the fabric of the dress. You do think it looks pretty good, but you could be wrong. Does it show too much of your legs? Does it hug your curves too tightly?
“You think he’s going to like it?” you ask, somewhat shyly.
“He should if he knows what’s good for him,” she replies, expression turning murderous, before softening. “Just… Are you sure you want to be doing that?”
You give her a confused look.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know, going out with Sungho,” she says with a vague hand gesture. “I just— I don’t know. Do you like him that much?”
It’s funny. You haven’t really asked yourself that question. You’ve just been going through all the usual motions — the flirting, the dates, and, inevitably, the start of the relationship, which is probably for tonight.
“We— we get along fine,” you answer. “I like him.”
You leave the words ‘well enough’ out of that sentence. You like Sungho well enough. But then, that’s always been good enough for you, so why should it change now?
Hana seems to think about it for a little while, then shrugs.
“Okay then. Do you need my help to walk to the cab? I would not trust these things.”
She’s pointing at your heels, and it makes you laugh. These aren’t even that high, and they’re pretty stable. You don’t think you’ll have any trouble walking in them. Hana wouldn’t abandon her flat shoes to save her life, though, so you suppose the question was to be expected.
“You can just tell me if you want to hold my arm,” you tease, and it seems to take her by surprise, before she chuckles.
“You’ve gotten a little too good at that. I don’t know if I like it.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid Jin has infected me.”
That gives her pause, and she shoots you a weird look, but you miss it. She opens her mouth to say something, then gives up. She could be wrong, after all.
She kind of hopes she’s wrong, or that if she’s right, you’ll realize it soon enough.
The dinner is perfect. You’re dressed perfectly for the occasion, fitting right in the restaurant’s decor, Sungho complimented you when you walked in and you told him he looked great, which is true, the food is delicious, the conversation flows easily, and there are roses on the table. They’re not for you, part of the decoration, and it doesn’t look like Sungho’s gotten you any, which gives you just a little pinch of disappointment in your chest, but it’s also not a big deal. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
And you’re not happy with it.
You can’t place it, and it slowly drives you insane, as you and Sungho make your way through the meal. You try your best not to let it show, but you think he notices your increasing restlessness. You feel bad about it, because really, he hasn’t done anything wrong. You just— something’s not right.
Dammit. It’s your first time having a date on Valentine’s Day, and you can’t make it work.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Sungho says while the two of you are waiting for your desert, and you do your best to snap out of whatever is going on in your head to focus on him.
“Tell me,” you smile, though the smile is polite, rather than genuine.
He takes a deep breath and reaches over the table to take your hand. It’s far from the first time the two of you make physical contact, you’ve even kissed a few times, and it was nice, but something makes you want to recoil, in that moment. You don’t, though. Why would you? It doesn’t make sense. Nothing about you makes sense right now.
“I like you,” he says, and you find the breath knocked out of you. It’s not unpleasant, though, it’s very nice in fact, and it almost completely dissipates your previous discomfort. “And I think— you know. We haven’t said anything about being exclusive yet, so I figured I’d— ask.”
He looks pretty confident, which you thought would put you off, but it doesn’t. The answer seems obvious to you. It’s been just a little over a year since you broke up with Minho, which is a reasonable time, so your lips part to let him know that you’d be happy to—
It’s then that you remember. You remember what you told yourself after that break-up, and what you thought after the break-up before that, and the time before as well. You remember you told yourself you wouldn’t settle for less than what you really wanted. You told yourself you wanted to love and be loved. You told yourself you wanted someone who’d remember how you liked your tea.
And, just like in a movie, Jin’s face appears in your mind. You almost dismiss it, tell yourself it’s just because of the tea, until you realize it’s not. It just isn’t. You should have noticed earlier, you know that, but you’ve never been friends with someone before developing feelings for them. You’ve always told yourself you were an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person, that you were the type to know immediately if things could happen. Maybe you didn’t quite believe in love at first sight, but you’d always thought that love didn’t wait.
Apparently you were wrong.
Jin’s the one who inadvertently makes you pulse rush, when his hand brushes against you. Jin’s the one who lifts your spirits, no matter what. Jin makes you happy, makes you want to get up in the morning, has done that for months now. Jin actually knows you. Jin looks at you like you’re precious to him. Maybe that doesn’t mean love, maybe to him, it’s all just friendship, but to you, it’s much more than that. And the feeling you get is so strong, so powerful, that you understand that you need to tell him. Need to tell him now.
“I’m sorry,” you say to Sungho, who’s been waiting for an answer all this time. “I’m really sorry, I don’t think that can work out.”
His face falls, but he looks far from heartbroken.
“Oh,” he says. “Um. That’s—”
“I’m sorry,” you repeat, already getting up from your chair. You’re buzzing with excitement, with feelings. “I have to go. I’ll pay for the meal, okay?”
“No, don’t—”
“Sorry!”
You stop at the counter briefly before rushing out into the night. You feel that you know exactly where you need to be.
You get to the bakery minutes before closing time, which is exceptionally at 9 p.m. for the day. A couple is just coming out, and that leaves only Jungkook inside. There’s nothing left on display, and you know it’s been impossibly busy, which means Jin is probably in a bad mood, but you can’t wait until tomorrow. When you walk in, Jungkook looks up from behind the counter, clearly surprised by the sound of someone coming in that late, and a puzzled look settles on his face when he notices that you’re out of breath, your previously perfect make-up now looking a little worse for wear.
“Is everything alright?” he asks. He sounds worried, and any other day you would take the time to reassure him, but in that moment you’re pushed by an energy that can’t be stopped, so you just nod quickly as an answer.
“Is Jin here?”
“In the back,” he says, tilting his head in that direction, and you’re pretty sure a glint of understanding lights up in his eyes.
“Can I….?”
He nods, a grin on his lips, and now you’re sure he knows why you’re here. You don’t wait for him to tease you about it, quick to make your way past him.
You freeze the second you walk into the backroom, though. It’s not just because of Jin’s back, though that definitely has more of an effect on you than you’d like to admit — the broad shoulders, the muscular back, and inexplicably, the nape of his neck. It’s also because of the large bouquet of red roses, standing in a vase on the table next to him. Your breath catches in your throat as you look at them. They look beautiful, vibrant, their fragrance floating through the room, all the way to you.
“Who are the roses for?” you ask, making Jin jump.
Any other time, you would have been pleased to take him by surprise for once, but right now you’re hanging on his words, waiting for an answer. The air feels heavy between you, and it doesn’t help that he doesn’t answer immediately, swallowing silently as his eyes travel over your body. You had almost forgotten about the dress you were wearing, and, instead of making you feel comfortable and confident, like it had earlier, you feel naked and vulnerable under his gaze.
Finally, his eyes meet yours, mouth slightly open, and by that point your heart is hammering in your chest. You wonder if he has any idea of how you’re feeling right now. Had he noticed your feelings when even you weren’t aware of them?
“What?” he croaks, voice dry, like he’s forgotten what you said.
“The roses,” you repeat. “Who are they for?”
You need an answer. Desperately.
Jin’s eyes move to the roses, and his face falls. He turns his back to you again as he goes back to whatever he’s cleaning.
“Didn’t you have a date tonight?”
You shrug, though he can’t see it.
“I broke things off with him,” you say lightly, and you don’t miss the way his movements pause, or the way his shoulders tighten, for half a second, before he keeps moving. “Are you— are you meeting someone?”
“No,” he protests immediately. “You know I don’t believe in Valentine’s day.”
You do. You remember that. So you wait for an explanation. It takes a while, and you just wait silently behind him, suspecting that he’s waiting for you to go away. After a few minutes, though, he slams his hand on the table, still not looking at you.
“They’re for you, okay? You said you’d always wanted roses for Valentine’s Day, and I figured, maybe your stupid boyfriend didn’t know that yet, and that I could maybe just drop them off at your place, and—”
“You didn’t ask me why I broke up with him,” you interrupt him, cutting his rambling short, and he falls silent. You catch his eyes from over his shoulder. Finally, you’re feeling yourself calm down, and at the same time you’re practically shaking with anticipation. “I realized I had feelings for someone else,” you say when he still doesn’t ask, just watching you, lips tight.
“…You do?” he simply says in reply. He’s tense, guarded, and you take a careful step towards him.
“Yeah,” you nod. Your eyes aren’t leaving his, not even for a second. “He’s smart, and kind, and handsome.” You take a step for each description you give, and you can’t help but smile on the last word. But your smile doesn’t reach Jin’s lips, and he’s just looking at you like he’s expecting you to tell him someone else’s name, or to make fun of him. “And he makes me laugh,” you add quietly, as you get to him, leaning against the table. “A lot. Some have even said it was a little too much.”
“So who is he?” he asks, and you smile. It’s wild to you that you haven’t understood earlier how absolutely head over heels in love with him you are, especially right now, when you’re standing so close to him. It’s also wild that he can’t see it, because you feel as though you’re radiating with that emotion, feel that anyone should be able to tell.
“It’s you,” you breathe out. “It’s obviously you.”
Then you’re pushing yourself up against his mouth, soft and slow. One of his hands closes around your waist as he leans forward, towering over you. His eyes are shut, and you close your own, reveling in the feeling of his warm body pressed against your own. You feel his tongue darting out to brush against your lips, and they part to grant him access, eager to taste all of him and—
“Couldn’t you tell me that earlier?” Jin protests loudly, tearing himself away from you, and your eyes snap open. “I would have planned the best Valentine’s Day you’ve ever—”
You groan and cut him off with another kiss, faster and harder this time, grabbing his wrists to guide his hands to your hips. You moan in contentment into his mouth when he kisses you back and he swallows it eagerly, pressing you into the table, bodies meeting like they’ve been waiting for it for forever and you—
“I wanted to make you an amazing strawberry cake! Now I don’t have any strawberries left!”
“Jin, please,” you sigh, unable to tolerate any other interruption, “would you just shut up and kiss me?”
And, finally, he does. Holds you like he never wants to let you go, kisses you like there’s no tomorrow, and when the two of you part, he rests his forehead against yours like he can’t bear the thought of being away from you even for a second. The silent stretches, comfortable, only filled with your respirations, until someone clears their throat, and the two of you jump away from each other.
“Sorry,”Jungkook says with a shit-eating grin that tells you he’s not sorry at all, “but I was about to leave. Will the two of you be okay?”
“I’m sure we can work things out without you,” Jin says. “Goodbye!”
But Jungkook doesn’t leave right away, turning his smile to you. You would hide into Jin’s shoulder, but you feel so good you can’t be bothered right now.
“Goodbye (Y/N)!”
“Bye, Jungkook!”
“That kid, I swear,” Jin says, shaking his head, as Jungkook leaves, his laugh hanging in the air behind him for a few seconds.
“I quite like him,” you comment, fingers dancing down Jin’s neck to come trace the border of his shirt.
“Oh, you do?” There is a dangerous edge to his tone and you glance up, surprised.
“Are you jealous?” you ask. “I didn’t know you were the jealous type.”
“I’m not.”
“Because it’s not Jungkook I abandoned my date for.”
“Good that you did. I never liked him.”
“So you are jealous.”
Seokjin mumbles something incomprehensible and you laugh and hug him tighter. And when he asks you if you want to come upstairs, even if he doesn’t have the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner planned, even if really, all he has to offer is himself, you tell him yes, of course.
Because he’s all you want right now.
It turns out, you wouldn’t have eaten the dinner anyway. The second the door closes behind you, you’re pulling him down against you for a kiss, and he doesn’t oppose any resistance, doesn’t protest like he did before, just lets out a moan into your mouth. He’s just as eager as you are to get rid of that tight dress.
“Careful with the tights,” you warn when his hands start roaming your thighs.
“Take them off then,” he groans.
You press a few kisses against his mouth, feeling delighted with the way he restrains himself, hands turning into fists against your hips as he stops himself from tearing off your closes. Finally, you pull away with a giggle. His eyes are wide and dark with desire, and they only get wider when you playfully slide off your dress’ strap.
“Don’t tease,” he says, practically growls, but you decide that you will. You guide him to his couch, push him down onto it, and evade him when he tries to pull you down with him, slipping out of his grasp. You stand just out of his reach, but more than close enough to be tantalizing, and you see in his eyes that it’s working just fine.
You take the time of making a show out of sliding down your dress down your body, letting it pool down at your feet before stepping out of it. The heels are the next thing to go, and then, finally, the offending tights. The second you’re out of those, Seokjin pounces, grabbing your hips and pulling you onto the couch.
“If you want us to move this to the bedroom, now would be a good time to say it,” he says as he kisses your neck, hands traveling up and down your body, large and calloused, but kind and gentle.
“I’m good here,” you say, arching your back to grant him better access — and to roll your hips against him. “Are you good here?”
You feel his breath catching in his throat when you move, as well as something hard pressing against you in his pants, and his voice is slightly choked when he answers.
“Yeah. This would happen at some point anyway.”
You laugh. You can’t wait to try this in all the places the two of you can think of in his apartment.
“Then let’s get to it, shall we?”
Jin doesn’t seem to have anything to answer to that, especially not when you hook your leg around his, using your heel to push him down on top of you. He’s still dressed, but you plan on rectifying that. You stop kissing him to work on the buttons of his shirt, and he lets you, breathing heavily. Your fingers explore the skin you reveal in the process, and you’re delighted when he shivers as you find out where his sensitive spots are — right under his collarbone, his nipples, his ribs.
Finally, the shirt joins your dress on the floor. You take a second to marvel at his body. His shoulders are even nicer to look at like that, you decide. You capture Jin’s mouth again, this time with your hands fisting his hair. You’re feeling yourself growing more impatient, wetter, and while your panties are the only thing still covering your body, he’s still wearing pants — which is far too much clothing.
“I want you so bad,” you whisper to him, and his breath catches in his throat.
“Fuck. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
That makes you grin, and you arch your back into him again, pressing yourself against his now rock hard crotch.
“Oh, I think I do,” you reply devilishly, and all Jin does is to bury his head into your neck. His fast breathing tickles your skin, and you love it. You love discovering that you have that effect on him, love how you can make him come undone. Another night, you might really, really enjoy teasing him about it, but you have something else on your mind tonight.
Your hand travels down his body to palm him through his pants, and he groans, bucking his hips against it involuntarily.
“Let me take care of that?” you offer, and he pulls away to raise an eyebrow at you.
Wordlessly, you guide him so he’s sitting on the couch, and then, without breaking eye contact, you drop to your knees. You watch as his eyes go wide and he swallows loudly. You don’t give him time to regain his composure, gently nudging his legs apart so you can place yourself there comfortably.
“Fuck,” he repeats as your hands travel over his thighs before unbuckling his belt.
He lifts himself off the couch so you can slide down his pants and underwear, and that leaves him in his naked glory. And boy, is he glorious, dick standing erect and proud, precum already dripping from the tip. You suppose it’s been a while since the last time he had any sort of intercourse, and so you decide that you will do everything that’s in your power to make it worth his while.
You do your best to maintain eye contact with him while you lean forward to gently take in the head of his cock, wrapping your red lips around it as your hand grips the base.
“Ah,” he gasps, and you wonder if he gets loud during sex.
You hope he does.
You mostly tease him at first, running your tongue over the tip, and you feel his hand grabbing the back of your head gently. He doesn’t try to control your pace or to push you down. He seems to just be anchoring himself as he lets you do whatever you want. Glancing up, you see that he’s thrown his head back and his mouth is hanging open, letting out quiet moans that sometimes get high-pitched.
For some reason, the sight of his exposed throat turns you on impossibly. You slide a hand down your body to try to get some relief as well, and you moan loudly when your fingers finally find your clit. The vibrations have Jin push his hips up as his hands tighten on you. A second later, his eyes snap open.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s fine,” you reassure him, “I don’t mind but— Do you have a condom somewhere?”
He hesitates, then reaches for the coffee table. He opens the drawer, rummages through it quickly, and finds what he’s looking for.
“Taehyung said it was good to have them all over the house, just in case,” he feels obligated to explain to you, even while he struggles to open it and to put it on.
Well, you owe Taehyung one, you decide, but now really is not the time to discuss that, so you pull him down for quick kiss before he can lose himself in his ramble.
“Want you now,” you tell him, and it sounds like an order.
“Yes ma’am,” he mumbles, pulling you back up onto the couch.
Your panties are soon gone, and he spreads your legs open with utmost care. Even if you’re pretty sure he could just slide right in, with how wet you are, he pushes a long finger inside you, then another.
“You’re so wet for me,” he marvels. “So wet, and I haven’t even touched you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself too much yet,” you moan. “There’s still work to be done here.”
His eyes are full of love when he looks at you, taking in your body, now completely naked and offered. Just for him.
“Oh, I’ll do it. Don’t you worry about that.”
You’re about to call him out for his cockiness when he lines his cock with your entrance, tip rubbing against your folds, and you close your mouth instead, wisely choosing not to provoke him when he could so easily make you pay for it by making you wait. Except it seems he’s just as impatient as you, because he pushes himself inside you without pause.
You moan and shift to accommodate the stretch, and Seokjin goes still on top of you.
“Are you okay?” he asks. You’re satisfied with the strain in his voice, like knowing you’re not the only one to be so affected here.
“Hmm,” you hum. “Can you— move? A little?”
He pulls out a little, experimentally, and you moan louder than before. It takes you a few minutes to figure out the pace, as your hips keep moving, desperately searching for more friction, but they’re not unpleasant, filled with kisses, sweet nothings and the feeling of his warm skin against yours. In those moments, you feel like you’re discovering him all over again, and you find yourself enjoying that more than you can say.
Finally, you find yourselves, and the sound of skin against skin fills the room, along with your loud, high-pitches moans, and Seokjin’s — softer, quieter, but definitely there. You meet each of his thrusts, with one hand between the two of you to rub against your clit. When you first clench around him, he finally lets out a moan that’s as loud as yours.
“Fuck, fuck, fffuck,” he says, head falling against you, cheek pressed against your collarbone. “If you— If you do that again I’ll— Wait, please, wait, wanna— wanna cum with you—”
You arch your back, your nipples grazing against his chest, and force up the pace of your hips. Jin is moving incoherently, begging into your neck, and you want to give him exactly what he’s asking for. When you clench around him again, it’s with your orgasm. It’s all it takes to push him over the edge as well, but you barely feel his hips stutter into you, completely taken over by your own pleasure.
It takes you a little while to come back down from your high, and when you do, you meet his eyes. They’re soft and gentle, and, more than anything that’s happened until then, they make you melt.
“Hey,” he whispers, “you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, more than okay, in fact. You?”
“More than okay, too,” he says as a lazy smile spreads across his features.
“Good. That’s good.”
Pillow talk is not your forte.
“Hey,” Jin says, coming to rest his forehead against your shoulder.
“Hmm?”
“I think I’m in love with you.”
You chuckle.
“I think I’m in love with you too.”
“That’s good,” Jin says, but his voice sounds choked up, raspy, and you know he’s probably blushing. So you don’t add anything, just run your fingers over his scalp, the nape of his neck, down his back. Let him know you’re here, that you’ve got him, that you’re not going anywhere.
“Are you— are you staying the night?” he asks.
“Sure, unless you’re kicking me out.”
His arms tighten around you possessively.
“I would never.”
It takes a little longer before Jin manages to get the two of you off the couch to go get cleaned up, and then into bed, but of that night, there is not a second that you would call unnecessary or superfluous. Not one.
Every single one of them, every moment you spend with Jin on that first night, are essential, and you could not pick one of them to take back.
March 14th
The bell chimes happily when you walk into the shop, and even though Jin is busy with another customer, his eyes immediately find you. It’s something simple, yet it’s something you love about him. The way he always seems to find you, and the pleasant warmth that fills you without fail when you see him. You’ve been told that it was just the high of the first months of a relationship, not to get too used to it but you hope that, even if it dims, it won’t go away completely.
“Hey, Jin, your ears are turning really red. Why are your ears turning red?”
You laugh while your boyfriend turns to shoot a furious look at Yoongi. He’s sitting in your spot, in the back of the shop, and he’s looking smug. That comment of his has become a pretty common thing to hear whenever you walk in, or just when Jin and you are speaking. To be completely honest, you’re not too mad about it. Jin is good at acting like you have no effect on him, but the blush betrays him, and it’s been both cute and useful to see what actually gets to him, or bothers him sometimes.
“I’ll kick you out of my shop if you keep that up!” Jin shouts at him. “Don’t think I won’t!”
But Yoongi just chuckles into his mug, clearly not taking him seriously — and he’s probably right for that.
“So, do you know what today is?” Jin asks nonchalantly after he’s turned back to face you, gesturing for Jungkook take over with the other customer.
Your eyes widen in horror.
“Please don’t tell me you want us to celebrate our one month anniversary. I haven’t planned anything for that.”
Jin rolls his eyes.
“I would argue that our one-month anniversary is tomorrow, if we’re being precise, because that’s when we, um, really talked about it.”
He’s not wrong. It had been a pleasant thing, to wake up in his arms the morning after, to the sensation of his lips gently kissing your neck, and an even nicer thing to take your breakfast with him. You couldn’t pinpoint why exactly. It had just been what had absolutely and irrevocably sealed the deal for you. You knew it hadn’t been a mistake. You wanted to be with him.
“Hmm, but there is still some sort of anniversary to be celebrated tonight then,” you say, leaning over the counter. “I’m sure I could prepare something for that.”
His ears and neck flush, and Yoongi has the delicacy of not pointing it out this time.
“That’s not— That’s not what I’m talking about! Today is the white day.”
You raise an eyebrow.
“That’s when boys are supposed to give chocolates back to the girls they like,” Jin elaborates.
“But I didn’t give you chocolates,” you say.
“No, but you’re still the one who— Yoongi, I swear to God— You know. You’re the one who took the first step.”
Despite his recent outburst, it’s obvious that he feels embarrassed and vulnerable in that moment. You’d kind of gathered that he really regretted not asking you out before Sungho had, but you had never thought that it was actually an issue.
“I’m really happy I did,” you tell him quietly. He’s not fond of PDA, but you still allow your fingers to brush against his. That feels discreet enough.
“I know,” he says, and there’s so much love in his eyes when he looks at you that it’s a real miracle that you don’t melt into a puddle right then and there. “But I still—” He sighs. “You’re really ruining my plans. This was meant to go over smoothly.”
“Sorry,” you apologize with a wide grin while he picks something up from behind the counter.
“There,” he mumbles, handing you the box.
You open it, genuinely curious. You feel the eyes of everyone else in the shop — Yoongi, Namjoon, Jungkook and, of course, Jin — on you, and you want to tell most of them off, but you suppose that since this is where most of your relationship development happened, they’re kind of part of the story too.
The box is filled with chocolates shaped like roses.
“I know it’s not much,” Jin is quick to say, “but I just wanted to—”
“Jin?” you interrupt him.
“Y-yeah?”
“I’m going to kiss you.”
His eyes go wide, and then he sighs, but he can’t force away the smile that’s forcefully making its way on his lips.
“Well, if you absolutely have to—”
But he doesn’t protest when you pull him over the counter to kiss him, hands gently closing over your shoulders. He even brings you back for a second, even briefer kiss, and there’s something fierce in his eyes then. He superbly ignores the cheers that come from your friends in the room.
“I have to warn you, you’re never getting rid of me now,” he says, and it’s light-hearted, but you know there’s a lot of truth behind those words.
“Good,” you simply reply. “I wouldn’t want that for the world.”
He looks like he wants to add something to that, but he chokes on the words, and he falls quiet instead. It’s just as good, really.
There are some things you don’t need words for.
Some things that can be expressed just as easily with a box full of rose-shaped chocolates.
#jin x reader#seokjin x reader#bts#bts imagine#kim seokjin x reader#jin imagine#seokjin imagine#jin fluff#seokjin fluff#bts fic#jin fanfic#seokjin fanfic#kim seokjin#jin smut#seokjin smut#candywrites
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