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skteezcursed · 3 days

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❝0025❞ — j.wy.

PAIRING. jung wooyoung x fem!reader.

GENDER AND WARNINGS. smut. friends to lovers. kinda idiots in love. switch woo. switch reader. teasing. strip poker. mentions of alcohol. pet names (pretty boy, bunny, love, good girl, etc). praising. p in v. unprotected sex (please, do NOT!). oral (mostly fem receiving). creampie. kinda breast play. mostly filth, i'm sorry. lmk if i forgot anything!.

SYNOPSIS. you and wooyoung have always had a thing for each other, but never acted on it, until one day he gets tired of waiting once he notices you want him just as bad as he wants you.

RATING. R (+18) - MDNI.

WORD COUNT. 3,3k.

NOTES. english is not my first language. part of the ateezchella especial. bye ♡.

IMPORTANT. this is a work of fiction, it has zero intent on portraying how any of the people quoted here are in real life.

CREDS. dividers by cafekitsune ♡

The idea that something could be so infuriating and exhilarating at the same time was confusing to say the least, but that was how you felt whenever Jung Wooyoung would look at you, the eyes that held a teasing and menacing gaze at the same time they burned to your skin as if you were the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. In all truth, you were, and he was expecting to make that known to you that night as he had managed to convince you to play a game of strip poker, the drinks you had earlier not helping one bit at keeping your judgment clear.

It’s not that you were bad at card games, no, you were amazing at them, except when you had something – or several – to drink, which was now the case. Although Wooyoung wasn’t too far behind you in being intoxicated by the alcohol, he seemed to have kept his cool, almost sober as the cards were dropped and clothes started to fill in the floor you two were in, thanking heavens that you were alone with him at the comfort of your house, at the same time trying to ignore how the pool that was forming in between your legs kept getting more annoying as the time passed and your clothes were on the floor while he still had his pants and one sock on.

“Oh, look at that…,” the grin that took over his lips made you want nothing more than to rip it out as you groaned loudly looking at the cards he was showing, winning again. “C’mon pretty, take some piece off.”

“I fucking hate you,” his laugh reverberated through the room as he watched you take one of your socks, trying your best to push away the cold that involved you as you were only in your lingerie. Sensing the disappointing look Wooyoung sent your way, you hid your smile trying to calm your heart. “Be ready to take off some pieces next time, you are gonna lose!”

The smirk was quickly back into his lips as he picked the cards shuffling them around his hands, as you forced your eyes to not stare at them, not to imagine how good they always looked on your thigh or how flustered you always were whenever Wooyoung was bold enough to touch you a bit longer and in a daring way. The truth was, you’ve always had a thing for Wooyoung, if you were honest, how could you not? He was the perfect mix of a gentleman and a menace, but never going as far as making you uncomfortable, whenever a slight hint that you were annoyed by his antics, he would stop and apologize to you. The fact he was a touchy person didn’t help keep your feelings at bay as you grew closer.

As the cards were thrown, you tried your best to keep your poker face and legs crossed – the latter so he wouldn’t be able to see the wet patch on your underwear. Wooyoung was already cocky enough about all the attention he got, although he got shy, you knew he enjoyed teasing the living shit out of you whenever someone would compliment him or indicate they wanted him, but curiously enough, he never gave them another second of his attention, just politely declined and kept on with whatever it was that your group was doing, also leaning closer to you, even if it was to tease how many gorgeous women and men wanted him.

Although you wanted to deny, you loved how he would decline all the offers that came his way. You weren’t much of a jealous type, but you were definitely a possessive one, as much as you wanted to tell your brain you shouldn’t be like that towards Wooyoung. Whenever he would tease about that, you’d play it out by saying that’s how you were with all your friends, receiving a laugh from Wooyoung as you felt his hands linger on your body, sometimes he would talk back against your ear, others he would pull you closer with some excuse, and on rare occasions he would just stay like that, fingers burning on your skin as the tip of his fingers would lightly caress your exposed skin.

“YES! Told you I’d win!” You cheer with excitement as you draw your cards laughing loudly at his pout as his eyes bore into your figure and you notice a small smirk appear on his lips before he gets up, eyeing you with that menacing glare. “No, I don’t care what you say, I’ll win the next ones too and -”

As his fingers went to the buttons of his pants, your voice stopped at once, eyes ignoring the apparent tent that was there. Once his fingers found the zipper, your eyes averted to the ground, specifically to his feet that still had one sock, which brought an inquisitive look to your face, turning into shock as his pants fell at his feet before he took them out completely kicking them somewhere along with his shirt, the sock joining it not long after, bringing your eyes to finally look up, straight into his face, as the tongue was in between his lips along with the growing grin that made you clench your thighs together.

The movement did not go unnoticed as you saw Wooyoung’s eyebrows rise and fall before he took a few steps closer to you, noticing finally how you had your legs up to your chest cursing at yourself as you realized he probably saw the wet patch in your underwear. As he lowered himself in front of you, the maximum you would allow your eyes to wander off was up to his chest, the tattoo on his ribs finally visible for you to see, for you to touch, to –

“My eyes are up here bunny,” luckily, you only clenched your own cunt and not your legs as the pet name reached your ears, as your eyes found his predatory ones, the smirk with a slight gap between his lips, allowing you to see his tongue moving inside his mouth… God, you needed it in – “still need to go a bit further up,” his finger found your chin bringing your eyes to finally meet his and stay there. “That’s it, I like when you look at me, especially when it’s like that.”

“Fuck off,” you push his hand away and turn your legs around in front of you, still covering the growing wetness between your legs, making Wooyoung chuckle before he returns to his position, “why didn’t you take your socks off, you are supposed to only take one piece of clothing.”

“Are you complaining, love?”

You rolled your eyes as you pointed to the cards in between you two, ignoring his grin as his fingers nimbly organized the cards, ignoring how his eyes were fixed on you.

“You're scared you will lose?”

The scoff that came from Wooyoung made you finally eye him as he finished organizing the cards. “I was planning on suggesting something for the grand finale.”

“You definitely scared to lose though, you were the idiot who took two pieces of clothing, while -”

“You would do the same if you had noticed how hard my cock is as it only got harder as I saw how wet your cunt is,” that shut you up at the same instant, the deck of cards being left on the coffee table as his eyes never left you, the smirk growing as his tongue wet his lips, sitting cross legged in front of you as his hands found his thigh, chuckling as he noticed you finally noticing his hard cock against his underwear. “Are you still gonna pretend you don’t find me attractive and that you don’t want to fuck me as badly as I want to fuck you?”

“Wooyoung, look -”

“What do I have to do for you to understand I don’t see you as a friend and that I want you to be mine?” As your eyes averted from his, you could hear the movement and see it from the peripheral view, only to get his hands on your chin, making you eye him as he towered above you, trying to ignore how his hard clothed cock was inches away from you. “I never wanted to be just your friend and I sure as fuck ain’t blind not to notice how you react to me, so are you gonna be a good girl and let me fuck you senseless before becoming officially mine, or you still gonna be fucking brat?”

Instead of responding you palmed his clothed cock watching as his mouth opened with a gasp as you squeezed gently the length, his hands moving from your chin to caress your cheek as you smirked at each other.

“Tell me again how badly you want me, Wooyoungie.”

As you said that, both your hands moved to the waistband of his underwear, pulling slowly as you sustained eye contact with him, until you noticed that the tip of his red angry leaking cock was finally seen. Making you eye him before moving your face closer to his hip bone, leaving a tender kiss there as you slowly moved towards his cockhead, watching as it twitched slightly, his chest going up and down rapidly, making you giggle before your lips touched the tip making him groan loudly.

“Fuck you are gonna torture me?”

“I told you what I want, if you give it me, I’ll give it to you,” another kiss on his cockhead makes him throw his head back groaning before his hand go to the back of your head, your hair getting tangled within his fingers, “it’s a fair trade don’t you think, pretty boy?”

“Fuck I knew you were gonna be my end the day I laid eyes on you, bunny,” at that, you finally took the rest of his underwear, making his cock slap you in the face, making you giggle before holding it with one of your hands, putting just the tip inside, feeling his precum on your tongue before squeezing lightly the base of his cock. “Fuck, you are such a fucking tease, the way you’d sway your hips, how you always wear something that shows skin just to have my hands on you trying to take those fuckers who just want to fuck you away -”

“But you are one of the fuckers who want to fuck me, aren’t you Wooyoungie?”

“The difference between me and them my dear bunny, is that I can fuck you senseless and you’d still come begging for more, because you are just as desperate for my cock as I am for your cunt.”

At that he forced your head down his cock making you gag as you took him all in, tapping his thigh after a while, feeling him pull your head back and up, as his lips finally met yours. It was sloppy, desperate, lustful, it was all you both wanted and more and you felt him pulling you closer, his other hand found your waist going up your back to unclasp your bra, but never leaving your lips, not even when he felt your hardened nipples against his chest, pulling you closer to his, letting his cock press against your stomach.

You tried to put your hand in between you two, but he wouldn’t let you, keeping you firm against him as his tongue explored your mouth, God the amount of time you imagine those lips against yours, leaving wet traces until it finally found itself between your legs with your hands on his hair as he ate you out.

“Be a good girl and sit on the couch, legs spread open,” he was as out of breath as you were, yet you complied taking off your bra first, but he stopped you as your hands went to your panties to pull them off. “Did I say something about taking these off?”

“Then how are you gonna eat me out properly?”

“Oh, my sweet bunny,” he hovered over you on the couch, the smirk forever present as you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer to you, “I’m gonna make you scream my name in no time once I get a taste of you, and then I’ll fuck into oblivion until you beg me to stop.”

“Is that a promise?”

The doe eyes you sent him not matching the secret wish that question held, making his smirk grow as he pulled you in for another kiss, one of his hands going all the way from your waits to your knee as his other, found your breasts, pinching the hardened nipple making you moan against the kiss before he slapped it before massaging it all over again, making you whimper against his lips.

“It’s a promise since the moment I first saw you,” his lips lingering closely to your own as you felt his hand squeeze your thigh as his other moved up to your neck cupping your face pulling you in for another tender and innocent kiss before he started moving downwards, leaving a trail of open mouth kisses on your jaw and neck before reaching the valley of your breasts. “It’s a promise from the moment I saw your tits almost slipping out of one of those dresses you wore for the first night out we had as a group, where I almost had to fight a few guys who wanted what was mine.”

“I thought I wasn’t yours yet.”

“You were always mine, you just didn’t want to accept it,” his mouth fully involved your breast as his hand massaged the other, feeling the little random bites that would sure make their appearance in the morning, but you couldn’t care less as your fingers found his hair moaning every time he sucked and bit your breast, “so pretty like that and I barely touched you, I wonder how pretty you look all fucked out.”

“Why don’t you start by putting your mouth to use somewhere else?”

“Your wish is my comment, love,” he kisses you one last time before the wet trail of kisses happens all over again, slowly but surely accompanied by small bites here and there as Wooyoung makes sure to hold you down and spread your legs open as he gets closer to your clothed core. “Fuck, you are so wet, I wonder how much you can last.”

Combination of his words, eye contact, fingers gently taking the edges of your panties and the small kiss he leaves on top of your clothed aching clit, makes your hips jolt up, bringing a chuckle to Wooyoung’s mouth as he finally takes your panties of, a this line connecting your panties to your soaking core makes him curse before completely throwing your panties somewhere along with the other clothes. “Fuck, I can’t wait to taste you and make you cum on my mouth.”

Before you could say anything, his hot breath collided with your sensitive clit, a tender and contained kiss being left there as you could sense the chuckle Wooyoung left at your whimpers, reverberated through your body before your fingers found his head pulling him into your soaked cunt. His hands firmly on the back of your thigh spreading them open, your knees up to your chest as his mouth fully involved your clit, the kitty licks making you moan loudly and arch your back, feeling the small laugh he let out reverberate through your body once more.

“Woo, fuck-,” you cried as he lowered his head, his tongue at your entrance as his nose would meet your clit sending shocks of electricity and warmth through your body, “fuck, just like that Woo, fu-fuck, your ton-tongue, I can’t I-”

“Don’t you dare hold back, I wanna hear you, bunny.”

As two fingers entered you and his mouth closed on your clit sucking it, a scream left you. His fingers were quick, curling from time to time inside you making you squirm under him, as his arm could barely hold you still, but he honestly didn’t care, the sight of you shaking under him, your taste on his mouth, the feeling of your cunt clenching his fingers was sending him into overdrive and he wasn’t even inside you yet.

The first wave hit you like a truck, the guttural sound that left your mouth followed by a scream as your fingers pulled Wooyoung’s hair was enough for him to finally let go of your wet folds. Once you felt his face away from you, your eyes met with his face glistening with your juice as he pushed his two fingers into his mouth, ravishing on your taste before pulling you in for another kiss. Your hands quickly ran down his chest to find his hard cock, before he stopped you.

“But Woo-”

“We’ll have plenty of that, unfortunately, if I don’t get inside of you right now, I’m afraid I’ll combust,” as you pulled him in for another kiss, your heels found his ass and thigh, pulling him into you, your hand finding his hard leaking cock and putting it at your entrance, making him whine against your lips as you squeezed him with your hand as to pull him closer to where both of you needed. “Fuck, I’m gonna break you, bunny.”

“You can break me as many times as you want if you are willing to put me back together.”

“God you are so perfect,” as his lips found yours with a tender and borderline innocent kiss, his cock pushed through your gummy walls making you gasp and moan against his lips before he hid his face on the crook of your neck, biting the base as he slowly entered your tight hole. “Tell me when I can move.”

A small shake of your head was all he needed before he started progressively thrust into you, his hips finding yours at a rapid pace as both your moans and grunts filled the house along with the sounds of your bodies. Wooyoung was a bit over average size, but he was girthy, so you were still getting used to his size as he fucked you, the head of his cock hitting your cervix every so often.

His hands pulled your legs towards your chest making him hit a whole new spot inside you, making you scream at the feeling before his thumb start rubbing circles on your clit, your legs already shaking, mouth open, uncontrollable moans leaving both of you as his thrusts became sloppier, his kisses were messy and you clenched so much around him that ripped profanity after profanity from his lips.

“Woo, I’m coming, fuck, please don’t stop, don’t fucking stop, it feels so good!”

“Cum with me, love, cum all over my cock,” as if magic, his words hitting your core sending you to combust under him, shaking and screaming as you felt your orgasm reach you, feeling his warm seeds inside you as his thrusts faltered before coming to a stop. Your legs were numb, but your arms quickly wrapped around him, your nails scratching his scalp softly as his body weight held you against the couch. “You are just as perfect as I imagined you to be.”

Your giggle came with the small kisses and love bites he left on your neck before pulling out of you and placing some distance between you two as he watched his seeds leak from your fluttering hole, a smirk on his lips before his lips met with your clit making you cry a moan.

“Wooyoung, please…!”

“Sorry love,” his face was quick to go up to yours, a kiss on your lips as you both smiled at the current situation. “So, can I ask you to be officially mine, now?”

“I was yours from the moment we met, Wooyoungie.”

“That’s my good little bunny.”

general masterlist here ♡

network: @cultofdionysusnet ♡ @atzhouse ♡

DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

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badasbebi · 3 days

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home is where the heart is ➛ ♡

✦ pairing: bada lee x fem!reader

✦ summary: new to seoul in search of revitalizing opportunities, you're excited to see what the city has in store for you. however, after numerous awkward encounters with your (hot) neighbor and other unfortunate circumstances, you start to doubt whether this move was right for you.

✦ genre/au: fluff, smut MDNI!!, neighbor!au, accidentally turned into a coffeeshop!au as well. maybe some slight angst?

✦ word count: 14k

✦ warnings: probably has grammatical/spelling errors. switch!bada and switch!reader?? sort of?? y/n has a toy collection that could probably contribute to the production of toy story 5.

✦ a/n: initially really liked this story. then, i sat on it for three days, and now I'm not really a fan of this? i also feel like i forgot to how to write? hope yall still enjoy though! i have a few ideas I'm rlly excited abt anyway <3

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The elevator lobby echoes with the shuffling of your feet and the thud of the cardboard box shifting within your grasp. Your new apartment complex seems to grow larger with each step, the space stretching endlessly as you aim for one of the metal doors. The box, marked “fragile,” presses into your arms, and beads of sweat drip down your forehead as you internally curse at yourself for your excessive overpacking and stubbornness.

You don’t know who or what made you believe you were capable of doing this move entirely by yourself, but you are now facing the consequences for past you's groundless self-confidence. As you take a step forward, your arms wobble under the strain, and the box slips precariously, threatening to escape your grasp. You tighten your grip, determined not to let the flimsy box defeat you. You were not going to let a box labeled fragile, of all things, be the reason for your demise. No way.

While attempting to steady yourself, you vaguely hear a loud ping reverberate throughout the lobby. Like the easily hyperfixated person you are, you pay no mind to it, focusing only on the task at hand. The last thing you need is to drop the box and have its contents shatter against the floor. You would never forgive yourself.

Just as you pause to readjust the box, the elevator door opens, and footsteps follow it. A tall, dark-haired woman with bangs stumbles into the opening, her phone in her hands. She stops in her tracks, clearly distracted, and you foolishly walk straight into her.

The box falls from your grasp, and as it plummets to the ground, you have an out-of-body experience. This was it. The box is going to hit the ground, and you will have lost this uphill battle. In slow motion, you watch the box tilt backward and forwards, suspended in midair for what seems like forever until, suddenly, you feel your hand wrap around it. As you blink away the stars clouding your vision, you register that you've saved the box from certain doom, just barely. A sigh of relief escapes your lips.

A triumphant smile graces your lips as you clutch the box tightly. It’s a bit more crumpled than before, but it is still very much in one piece (ignoring the fact that the fragile item inside the box was most definitely broken). Gravity was no match for your superior reflexes.

As you look up, your smile falters. Your eyes widen, and you feel heat rise to your cheeks. You just ran into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, and she is staring at you. Her eyes, framed by thick-rimmed glasses, gaze at you, wide and unblinking. She looks at you as if you were the most embarrassing thing she has ever seen, and it takes all your willpower not to turn around and run back down the hall.

Her long, dyed black hair hangs in a braid down her shoulder. Her outfit consists of a plain, oversized black t-shirt, baggy pants, and a pair of worn nikes. The only pops of color are the bright yellow socks poking out from underneath the white shoes, and the streaks of blonde in her hair.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry!" you finally manage, stumbling over your words. "I should've been paying attention to where I was going."

The woman seems to snap out of her daze with a vigorous shake of her head. "No, no, it's fine. Don't worry about it," she responds with a small laugh. Her voice is light and melodic, and the sound makes your heart skip a beat. She glances down at her phone, and a slight frown creases her forehead. "I wasn't watching where I was going either."

You give a small, awkward chuckle in response, but you feel your nerves ease a little. She didn't seem weirded out, thank the stars.

She glances down at the box, and her eyes widen as if she is just noticing its existence.

"Here, let me help you," she says as she effortlessly picks up and takes the box from your hands before you can even think to say no, a shiver running up your spine at the contact.

"You really don't have to," you protest weakly, making much of an effort to actually stop her.

"It's the least I can do after making you almost drop the box." She gives you a warm smile, and the butterflies in your stomach start dancing wildly.

"Thank you." You return the smile, feeling the corners of your mouth twitch.

She turns on her heel and gestures to the elevator doors. "Where are you headed?" she asks, pressing the up button with her elbow.

"Uh, floor 8," you answer. She nods, and when the elevator doors open, the two of you step inside.

The combination of the woman's vanilla-scented perfume and elevator music does little to soothe your anxiety. You stand side-by-side in awkward silence. You shift uncomfortably, feeling your cheeks burn. What do you even say to a person this gorgeous? You clear your throat and will the courage to speak. You are an adult. You can talk to people. You got this! Just be casual. Easy peasy. Just say words! Just. say. them.

"So, uh, is this your first time using the elevator?" You wince.

Maybe not those words.

"No, I usually use the stairs." She says with a giggle, seemingly unfazed by your pathetic attempt at conversation. "But, um, is this your first time here?"

You nod. "I just moved here today." You pause. "How did you know?"

"I just—haven't seen you here before," she says simply, looking you up and down with an expression you can't quite decipher. "I'm Bada, by the way."

"Bada," you repeat, testing out the name on your tongue. It sounds nice. You smile, and the tips of your ears grow hot. "I'm Y/N."

"Y/N." She returns your smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Your fingers fidget with the hem of your shirt. Your eyes wander over to the numbers lit up on the panel, and your face pales when you see that the two of you are already on the eighth floor. The elevator slowly comes to a stop, and you swallow thickly. "Well, I guess this is my stop," you say as you step into the hallway.

"Did you want me to walk you to your apartment? This is actually the floor that I-" Bada starts, but a faint chime rings out before she can finish. She pulls her phone out, holding the box with one arm, and frowns at the screen.

"Ah, damn, I gotta go," she says. She looks back up at you and gives you a smile, although a little less bright. "I'm going to be late for a meeting. Do you think you can manage?"

You stare, momentarily perplexed by the kindness this random stranger is displaying towards you, but then you catch yourself, and smile.

You shake your head, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, I've got it. I'm a big girl," you reassure her. "Thank you for helping me, though."

She hands the box over, and your fingers brush again, sending a jolt of electricity up your arm.

"Of course," she replies, smiling. "Anytime. It was nice meeting you."

"Yup."

You give each other a brief wave, and you watch the elevator doors slide shut.

As you stare at the spot she was once at, you feel a pang of disappointment in your chest. You wish you could have gotten to know her better, but there was always another day. You lived in the same building, after all. Maybe you'd run into her again.

You struggle with the box a bit more, and then you finally enter your apartment, the door clicking shut behind you.

The first thing you do is drop the box in the entryway and walk over to the nearest wall. You lean your back against it, sliding down until your butt hits the ground. You sit there for a moment, gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling window across the room, trying to process everything that just happened. And, well, everything else that's been happening in your life.

As the sun dips below the skyline, casting long shadows across the city, you find yourself finally having to wrestle with contrasting feelings of excitement over this fresh start, mingled with a weariness that's settled into your bones after a day of moving boxes and thinking of the uncertainty surrounding the days ahead of you.

Just a month ago, you made the spontaneous decision to move to chase your dreams in Seoul, a country an entire ocean away from where you're from. Now you are in a new city, a new apartment, a potential new job, and you have mixed feelings. You're excited about the possibilities but also scared of the loneliness you know is inevitable. It is a loneliness that is necessary, though. You’ve spent too long stuck, moping about your unfortunate circumstances in the same mundane city you grew up in. You were aching for something new. As terrified as you are, you know that it’ll eventually feel worth it. It has to.

In the meantime, your living space echoes with emptiness and awaits your touch. Exhausted but determined, you eventually drag yourself off the ground, the weight of the day catching up to you, but not stopping you.

You scan the space in front of you, surrounded by the remnants of your previous life, now neatly packed into cardboard containers. The living room, cluttered with boxes marked "pictures," "books," and "memories," feels too overwhelming, so you decide to tackle the kitchen first. Igniting your last reserves of energy, you unpack your pots and pans as your thoughts drifts to old routines. As the clock ticks away and you find new sacred spots for your favorite items, your exhaustion begins to fade as you infuse the space with pieces of yourself, fueled by the realization that this is your sanctuary that you could call your own.

By the time you empty your last box for the day, the apartment glows with your presence. It’s nowhere near finished, but you already feel as if your choices have been validated. You collapse onto your makeshift bed, and as you close your eyes, a smile plays on your lips.

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"I asked for three and three-quarter pumps of brown sugar. Is this really the best you can do?"

You stare at the cup sitting before you. Three and three-quarters, your ass. Who the hell was going to measure that? You glance up at the man before you. His face is contorted into a snarl as he glares at you, as if he expects an apology. It takes everything in you not to throw the steaming hot cup of coffee in his face.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I believe that this is indeed three and one half—i mean—three quarter pumps," you lie, attempting to brush past your stumble in the calmest voice possible. You try to muster a professional smile, but it's a difficult feat.

"Bullshit. You clearly can't read a scale properly or hear. Just do it over, and make it right. Three and three QUARTERS," He huffs, shoving the cup in your direction.

Your fists clench behind the counter. "Yes, sir," you mutter through gritted teeth, your politeness hanging by a thread.

You dump his original drink in the trash and grab a fresh cup. The man watches as you add the pumps, one by one, ensuring that each one is added correctly. It is, and instead of being grateful that you did not put three and three-quarters of spit in his cup, he rolls his eyes, mumbling to himself about younger generations being too lazy to do their jobs right the first time. He takes the cup from you, without saying thank you, and struts off.

You sigh, shaking your head. You needed to get your blood pressure checked.

"You okay?" a voice asks.

You turn around, coming face to face with your coworker, Mijoo. She stands before you, leaning against the counter, a sympathetic smile on her face.

You groan, running a hand over your face. "I don't know how much longer I can take this. How have you worked here for this long?" you reply, your voice muffled by your hands.

Mijoo shrugs. "Honestly, you get used to it after a while. And on the rare occasion that you run into a genuinely nice customer, I promise they make up for the hundreds of shitty interactions."

Without moving your hands from your face, you state, “That doesn't make me feel any better."

Mijoo laughs, bright and bubbly, and pats your shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll get easier, I promise. You'll be desensitized in no time! Seriously, I feel nothing when people call me stupid, or an imbecile, or a bitch-"

You frown, dropping your hands. "Mijoo, that's awful."

Mijoo sighs and walks around the counter to wrap her arm around your shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Just don't stress about it, okay? You'll be fine. Plus, we've got each other!"

You return the gesture, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You're right."

Mijoo has been your rock throughout this whole process. She was the one who interviewed you for this crappy job, and she was the one who showed you the ropes inside and outside of the cafe you work at. In addition to showing you her go-to spot in the cafe for mental breakdowns, she's shown you her favorite spots in Seoul. If it weren't for her, you're sure you'd be a complete and utter wreck.

"What would I do without you?" you ask.

Mijoo chuckles, squeezing you tighter. "Probably have a lot more panic attacks," she replies, causing the two of you to erupt in laughter.

The alarm on your phone blares, signaling that it's time for you to go home. You and Mijoo share a dejected glance. You hated leaving her alone at the shop, but she always insisted that you go home before the rush. You had no choice but to agree.

"See you tomorrow," you tell her as you shrug on your jacket.

"Bright and early," she responds, throwing you a wave.

"Are you at least going home soon?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, I've got a few things I need to finish up, so I'll probably be here for a few more hours. I'll lock up."

You sigh. "Alright, but please text me when you get home."

She smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Will do. Now, go. Go home and get some sleep, you deserve it."

You make your way to the entrance, giving Mijoo one last glance. She waves to you, a big grin on her face. When you open the door and step out, the bell above you chimes.

As the crisp air hits your face, you can feel the tension drain from your body. A content smile graces your lips, and you can feel your mood instantly improving. Even though your job was stressful, there was nothing quite like coming home after a long shift.

The sun has already begun to set, and the streets are bustling. People pass by you, not paying attention as they make their way home. Some have earphones in, while others are on their phones. You watch as couples and groups of friends chat and laugh as they make their way to whatever destination they have in mind. You feel a small pang of loneliness in your chest.

Your apartment isn't too far from your work, so you reach your destination quickly despite the heaviness in your heart. You're exhausted, and all you want to do is go home, cook dinner, and crawl into bed.

You ride the elevator to your floor, and you're reminded of the time you ran into Bada months ago. Her name echoed through your head every time you heard this elevator music, which was every day. You haven't seen her since that day, which wasn't really a surprise. It was a big building.

When the doors open, you make a beeline to your door, fishing your keys out of your pocket. As soon as you unlock your door, you practically skip inside. You immediately slip off your shoes and toss your jacket and keys onto the counter. You let out a satisfied sigh as you plop down on the couch, closing your eyes. You stay like that for a few moments, listening to the quiet hum of the air conditioner. After a few minutes, you hear your phone ping. Yelping, you sit up and pull it out of your pocket, hoping it's the text you've been anticipating from a landlord. Disappointment settles in the pit of your stomach when you see it's just a spam email. Groaning, you drop the phone onto the couch next to you.

You sit there, wallowing in your misery and loneliness. The quiet hum of the AC does little to soothe your worries.

You miss your friends, but the distance has made it hard for them to keep up with you, and vice versa. They all had lives, and jobs, and families. But you didn't. All you had was an empty apartment. And you had Mijoo, but you felt terrible relying on her for everything.

As you’re ruminating on the pathetic reality of your social life, a loud bang comes from the wall behind you. You jump in shock and quickly turn to look at the source. You can barely make out a muffled, feminine voice, saying something that sounds like a curse. Seconds later, music starts playing through the walls. Loud, bass-heavy music. You sit up, your hand hovering over the plaster, feeling perplexed. You haven't heard anyone in the apartment next to you since you moved in. You just assumed you were neighborless. Maybe someone new moved in? You haven't seen anyone with boxes or anything all week, though, and there's no way someone just managed to move in within the last 8 hours.

A beat passes. You can feel the vibrations from the loud music rattling the walls. You frown, and walk over to the wall. You raise a hand and knock loudly, but it's useless. You sigh. There was no way you could relax with this noise.

You turn away from the wall, and pick your phone up in case you need to dial 119 during this confrontation. You make your way out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind you and ignoring how your heart pounds in your ears. You walk to the door next to yours and, after a moment of hesitation, knock loudly. The music stops, and your heartbeat slows. The door remains closed, so you knock again, even harder this time.

After what feels like an eternity, the door finally swings open, revealing a woman you thought you'd never see again.

"Bada?" you question, bewildered.

"Hey," she replies, sounding equally surprised. She's wearing sweatpants and a black tank top, and her hair is in a messy ponytail. You can smell a faint hint of sweat. She's still gorgeous, though.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, trying to hide your shock.

She looks behind her, as if to verify that she's in the correct place, then turns back around. "This is my apartment," she states, slowly, as if she's speaking to a child requiring stabilization.

"Since when?"

She laughs at this, and your heart flutters. "Since I've lived here. Which is a long time, considering this is the second year."

"No, I mean," you pause, searching for the right words. "I haven't seen you around? I mean, you're right next door. There's no way I could've missed you."

Her lips form an 'o' shape, and she nods. "Ah, well, I travel a lot for work so I haven't been home much. I was out of the country for a while."

You nod, "Oh. That makes sense. Well, see ya!"

You turn on your heel and make your way back towards your apartment, embarrassment beginning to flood through your body, when Bada's voice stops you.

"Hey, wait."

You turn around, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

She looks amused. "Are you going to tell me why you came knocking? Or did you just want to see me?"

Your eyes widen and your cheeks burn. "What? No, I'm sorry, I-"

She interrupts you with a laugh. "Relax, I'm joking."

You nod, feeling relieved. You weren't sure why this woman made you feel so incompetent. "Well, it’s the music. It's really loud, and-"

"Oh, shit," she cuts in, her eyes widening. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I'm not used to having neighbors. It's been a while since someone lived next door."

"It's totally fine, it's just...a bit much."

"Gotcha," she replies.

You stare at each other for a few seconds, and you can feel yourself begin to sweat. You clear your throat. "Well, I should probably go now."

She nods, a slight frown on her face. "Okay. See you around."

"See ya," you reply, awkwardly, before walking away.

When you reach your door, you let out a deep breath As annoyed and embarrassed as you were, seeing her again was a bit of a pleasant surprise. She seemed even more beautiful now than she did in the elevator. Your mind wanders back to the sleeveless shirt she had on. The hair bun that gave you a clear view of her neck, her jawline, her collarbones.

You shake the thought from your head and walk into your apartment. You needed to put yourself out there, soon. It’s been too long since you’ve felt a woman’s touch, and now you can barely look at an attractive woman without spiraling into a frenzy.

You decide to go take a shower and call it an early night, hoping that a session with Rosalia 3000 will ease your mind.

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You stand behind the counter, boredly wiping down the surfaces. It's a slow day, and Mijoo is off, finally using her vacation days. The cafe is mostly empty, save for a few students studying in the corner. You've already cleaned the entire place twice today, and the clock hasn't even struck 4 o'clock yet. It was days like these that you hated most. As much as you disliked angry customers, having to stand behind the counter doing nothing all day was enough to make you want to claw your eyes out.

You sigh, and lean back against the counter. You check your phone, just in case you missed any messages you’ve been waiting for. When the screen loads, the familiar white background greets you, with no new notifications.

You lock the screen, and stuff the device into the pocket of your apron. You look around the cafe, hoping to find something to occupy your mind. Your eyes land on the display cases of cakes on the far end of the counter, and an idea pops into your head.

You grab a bag of flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and baking powder from the storage room. You mix the ingredients together, and add a few teaspoons of vanilla extract. After about ten minutes, the batter is ready, and you scoop some into a pastry bag. You start to pipe the dough into shapes, filling the space. The familiar motion relaxes you, and you can feel the stress slowly leaving your body. There were only a select few people in the cafe who were permitted to contribute to the array of treats your cafe housed. Unfortunately, you weren’t one of those people, leaving you little time to partake in your passion in between busy shifts and tiring days. You needed this.

Working quickly, you fill up the space within 30 minutes. After placing the cookies in the backoven, you start cleaning up the counter, throwing away any leftover bits of dough and tossing the used bowls and utensils into the sink. When you finish cleaning the area as best as you can, you turn back around, and your eyes widen as you realize you aren't alone.

Standing before you, his arms crossed, is the man with the ridiculous coffee order from a couple days ago. Yikes.

"Um," you begin, trying to keep your voice from wavering."Can I help you?"

"I’ve been standing here for two minutes,” he begins, and you can hear the aggravation in his voice. "Do you not know how to do your job?"

"I-"

"So you’re not just a terrible barista, you’re a terrible worker too,” he spits out.“There are barely any people in this cafe and you can’t keep up?”

You clench your jaw, trying to keep the anger bubbling up inside of you at bay. "Sir, I apologize for not noticing you sooner, but I’ll be happy to assist you now."

"Yeah, I’m sure. Where’s your manager?”

Your eye twitches. “He isn’t here right now. I can assure you I’ll be able to help you with anything you need."

"Well do you have a way to contact him? A phone number? Zoom?”

You shake your head. "Sorry, sir. Our manager prefers that we only contact him when he is away if there’s an emergency.”

He releases a maniacal laugh, then immediately straightens his face. “Is this not an emergency? How is this not an emergency when the service in this shop is so fucked that you don’t see a customer standing in plain sight for ten minutes?”

You blink. “I thought—never mind. Sir, again, I’m terribly sorry. If you’d like, I can give you this drink on the house and—"

He cuts you off. "I don't want a refund. I want better quality of service…”

He drones on, and at this point you tune him out. There was nothing you could do or say to satisfy him. Really, the irony of the situation just made you want to laugh. He was complaining about you wasting his time, and by doing so was wasting even more time. Did this man actually have a job other than being a menace to innocent baristas? Probably not. As you mindlessly watch the man flail his arms in exasperation, you hear the bell above the entrance ring. You’re about to glance over, when the man in front of you slams his palm on the counter, demanding your attention.

"I'm not done yet! I've spent the last fifty six minutes telling you everything you're doing wrong, and you've barely apologized. In fact—"

"I'm sorry, sir, but if you don’t calm down I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” You cut him off, your voice surprisingly steady.

"What?" His mouth hangs open.

You cross your arms. "You are disrupting the environment and harassing me.”

"Harassing?" He repeats, incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me? Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? You don’t have the authority to kick me out.”

You roll your eyes. "I'm not kicking you out. You are free to stay and order anything you'd like. If, however, you choose to continue to cause a scene, I'll have no choice but to have you escorted off the premises."

His eyes narrow, and this time he crosses his arms. "Yeah? And who’s gonna escort me?”

Customer service thrown out the window, you open your mouth to call him a prickly little bitch, but are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a hooded figure walking up beside him.

"Leave her alone," a familiar voice states. You look over, and realize the individual you’re looking at is Bada, who towers over the man beside her.

The man scoffs, and looks her up and down. "Excuse me? Mind your own.”

"This is her cafe, and she has a right to kick you out if you're being disruptive."

"I'm not bothering anyone," the man retorts.

"Well, you’re bothering me. I’ve had to stand here and watch you squeal for the past few minutes and quite frankly it's starting to piss me off. If you don’t leave, I'll escort you out myself."

The man opens his mouth, presumably to spit some more venom, but the sight of Bada's clenched fists and murderous glare causes him to snap his mouth shut. He glares at the two of you for a moment, before turning on his heel and stalking off.

Both of you watch him leave. As the door closes behind him, you witness the door swing shut with surprising speed, smacking into Mr. Grumpington's rear end just as he reaches the threshold. Stumbling forward with a startled yelp, his briefcase flies out of his grasp, scattering papers across the sidewalk.

Your hand flings up, over your mouth as you observe him stand slowly, his knees wobbling. A woman and her child pass by him with bewildered expressions, and you repress your laughter. Once he gathers himself, he shoots a withering glare in the direction of the café, and storms off.

Old man finally gone, Bada turns back to you, her expression soft. "Sorry. I know I probably overstepped, but I saw the whole thing and I was worried he was going to hurt you.”

You sober up and shake your head, smiling slightly. "No, it's okay. He was being an asshole and I didn't know what to do with him. I'm glad you were here."

Bada returns your smile, and you're once again taken aback by her. “Anytime."

"I have cookies, if you'd like some," you offer, suddenly remembering the sweets baking in the oven. "On the house, for the trouble."

Bada's eyes light up. "I'd love some! And an iced latte, please.”

You nod. "Sure. Have a seat and I'll bring it out."

Bada takes a seat in a booth in the corner, and pulls out a laptop. As the coffee brews, you glance at her as she types and reads something on the screen, her expression concentrated. She purses her lips as as she focuses on whatever she’s looking at, and you find yourself staring.

She looks up, catching your eye. You blush, and spin around to face the display case, pretending to wipe it down. You grab the iced latte and a plate of cookies, and walk over to Bada.

"Thanks!" she says, smiling, and grabs a cookie. She takes a bite and hums in satisfaction.

"Good, right?" you question, a smile tugging at your lips.

"So good!" she affirms, her cheeks full of the pastry.

You break into a wide grin that you’re not sure is because of the woman’s cuteness, or the pride blooming in your chest. "Thanks. I made them."

She raises her eyebrows. "Wait, really? Woah. I'm impressed."

Playing nonchalant, you shrug. "It's whatever."

She laughs. "It's not whatever! These would sell out in seconds if you displayed them in here," she remarks, grabbing another one.

You're reminded of the call you're still waiting on, and try to dispel the anxiousness growing inside you. That’s the plan, just not here. You decide not to bring that up, though. You dont wanting to put a damper her spirits with your oversharing.

But you're not tired of hearing her praises. "You think?"

"Definitely,” she confirms. "I'll come by every day to buy a dozen.”

"I'll hold you to it."

"Please do," she responds, and you swear you detect a hint of flirtation in her voice. Before you can retort, a notification pops up on her computer, and her eyes dart down. She sighs.

"Everything alright?" you ask.

She nods, but her brows are furrowed. "Yeah. I'm just stressed. My job has been keeping me super busy lately."

You nod, and hesitate before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, what do you do?"

"Oh," she answers, her face clearing up. "I'm a dancer. And I choreograph for kpop groups."

Your eyes widen. "Whoa. That's cool."

"Thanks," she responds. She pauses for a moment, and she looks like she wants to say more. "It is, but...I don't know, sometimes these companies get on my nerves." She says with a tired laugh.

You're a bit surprised by her confession, and the dejected look on her face makes your heart hurt. "What do you mean?"

She shrugs. "They're never quite satisfied with what we do and it sucks, you know? The only time I have fun is when I'm working with a company that doesn't treat their artists like shit."

You frown. "Yeah, I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating that is. I'm sorry."

She smiles, looking sheepish. "No, I'm sorry for venting. It's been a long week."

You shake your head. "Don't apologize. You're saving me from having to clean the counter for the nth time today."

She smirks. "I thought the jerk from earlier was already doing that?"

"Oh god, please don't bring him up again." You groan, and she giggles in a way that makes your chest warm.

"Don't worry. He won't bother you anymore. I scared him away," she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

You laugh, and a comfortable silence falls between the two of you. You're about to ask her another question when you hear the bell on the door chime. You look over, and see a group of college students walking in. Your stomach drops.

"Guess it's time for me to actually do my job,” you mutter.

She nods. "What time do you get off? Maybe we could talk more after you're done? Walk home together?"

Walk home together? You should’ve put on a better perfume today. "Sure, but I'm gonna be here for another couple hours."

She slaps her hands together. “That’s actually perfect. I have a bunch of videos to review anyway. I'll be here." She gives you a small wave, and returns to her laptop. You walk away, unable to contain your grin.

And she is there. As the night drags on, as the rush comes in and finally calms, as the clock strikes 8, and as you close the doors.

You turn the keys, locking the door. You turn around, and she's there, waiting for you, laptop in hand. She kicks a rock and it skitters away, hitting a lamppost. When she notices you watching, she offers a shy smile.

"Ready to go?" she asks.

"Sure am," You respond, and the two of you start heading down the street.

The air is warm and the night sky is clear, the stars twinkling brightly. You glance over at her, and admire the way the streep lamps lights up her face. Her eyes are focused ahead, and you stare at her profile. She notices you staring, and turns her head, smiling softly.

"What's up?" she questions.

You shake your head and face forward, wanting to crawl in a hole at your slip-up. "Nothing." You feel the heat rise to your cheeks. This is silly. You've seen this woman plenty of times recently. Hell, you were just in the cafe together not even fifteen ago. But now, walking side-by-side with her, the air between you heavy, you can't help but feel a need to impress her. The idea that you could possibly have a friendship (or more?) with her makes your heart soar. It's silly, and maybe a bit childish, but you're not one to let a good feeling pass by. So, you take a chance, wanting to make this work.

"So, I don't know much about you, but I'd love to," you begin, and her gaze darts towards you. "Tell me about yourself. You said you were a dancer, right?"

"Oh, yeah." She nods. "I started dancing when I was a kid. It was fun, but I didn't start taking it seriously until I was older. I started out doing covers, and eventually landed an audition with a company. That's how I got my foot in the door, and then I kept climbing and now I'm here."

"That's amazing," you tell her. "I'm guessing it's a lot of hard work?"

She nods. "Definitely. It's rewarding, though."

You want to know more, so you ask her more questions, and you follow into comfortable chatter as she tells you all about her life. She asks you a few questions too, some of which you avoid, like why you moved here, or why you're working at the cafe that you obviously dislike. But, overall, the conversation flows easily, and before you know it, the two of you are standing in front of your apartment building.

As the two of you approach the lobby, Bada speaks. "We should do this more often."

"Which part? Walking home together, or me talking your ear off about the ending of Twenty-Five Twenty-One?"

"Mostly the first part. Although I didn't mind hearing you talk about that kdrama. The lead actress is really hot."

You snort, and she follows suit. "You know, I'm glad you came into the cafe today," you confess.

"Me too." She responds, and the two of you stop in front of your door. You're unsure of what to say next, but Bada steps forward, and you tense. Was this really happening?

But then she's inching away, her hands tucked into her pockets. You relax, and ignore the slight disappointment built up in your chest. Duh, you think, shaking your head. What were you expecting?

"Well, have a good night." You say, offering her a small smile.

"You too," she says. "I'll see you soon."

She waves, and you watch her go, before unlocking the door and walking into the apartment. You close your door behind you, and lean against it, releasing a breath.

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Over the next week, you see Bada in passing in the hallway multiple times. Each time she sees you, she stops and says hi, and you talk for a bit. She stops by the cafe a few times too, although she hasn't been able to walk home with you again yet, having a late-night schedule nearly everyday.

But each encounter makes your heart race, and by the end of the week, you feel like your chest might explode. You're not sure the attraction is reciprocated, but even if it is, would she actually be interested in someone like you? Someone who had to deal with a shitty customer service job, was running increasingly low on money, had a terrible sleep schedule, and was depending on one call to determine whether or not this move was a mistake? Probably not. The videos you've been watching for the past hour have made that evident.

Curiosity got the best of you, and you finally looked up Bada about an hour ago. It didn't take long for her to pop up. A ton of information about her was available, from her birthday, to her favorite food, to her shoe size. You mostly ignored that stuff, opting to watch her choreography videos instead. A horrible mistake. She was undeniably talented and captivating, and watching her perform made you feel a million things all at once, the most powerful being desire, much to your dismay. Why was that woman always humping the floor?

After watching the last video, which was a choreography of a popular girl group's song, you shut your computer and lean back on the couch. You stare at the wall separating your apartment from hers, wondering what she's doing right now. Is she getting ready for bed? Did she have a busy day? Is she thinking of you, like how you're thinking of her? Doubtful, but the thought makes your stomach flip.

A notification from your phone interrupts your pity party. You assume it's a notification about a delivery you have coming, but you're surprised to see a text from one of your hometown friends.

Jasmine: heyyy how is everything going over there!

Jasmine: opened up your dream bakery yet?

Not this. You really, really do not want to get into this right now, especially with your friends and family from home, who had high expectations for you. But they were your friends, and you didn't want to keep them in the dark. You take a deep breath, and respond.

y/n: almost. just working at a cafe while I'm getting everything settled.

You wait a few minutes, but she doesn't respond. You sigh. Another thing you miss from home—texting your friends in real time. It would have been nice to be able to vent.

You're about to stand up when you get a response.

Jasmine: oh okay! just be careful not to fall into the same trap you were in here. I don't want you working yourself to death :(

y/n: i won't.

Jasmine: good.

Jasmine: anyway, met anybody cute out there yet?

You stare at the screen, and you can't help but smile.

y/n: yes.

Jasmine: OMG!!!

Jasmine: details plz!

You laugh.

y/n: it's none of your business, lol.

Jasmine: come ooooon y/n!

y/n: nope! I don't want to jinx anything

Jasmine: fine. just keep me updated.

You're about to respond, but a knock at your front door startles you. You set your phone down, and walk over to the door, looking through the peephole, and speak of the devil: It's Bada.

You quickly comb a hand through your hair and rub the sleep out of your eyes. Taking a deep breath, you open the door, trying not to look flustered.

"Hey!" you greet.

"Hi." She responds, and you immediately recognize that something is decidedly off. She looks tense. Her brows are furrowed, and she’s avoiding eye contact, shifting her weight from side to side awkwardly. You see her clutching something behind her back, but cannot make out what it is.

"Um, are you okay?" you ask hesitantly, half-ready to grab the (tall and grown) woman to pull her inside your apartment to protect her from potential imminent dangers.

"Yeah. I just-um. I think your package was delivered to the wrong address?" She pulls her arm from behind her back, and hands you a large box with it flipped to the bottom. "Sorry."

"Oh!" you take the package, are immediately met with the recipient name printed in bold font that is, of course, addressed to you. "Thank you. Sorry about that."

"No worries." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "I'll, uh, see you around."

"Yeah, definitely."

She walks away, and you're left standing in the doorway, a bit confused. That was...weird. You step back inside, shutting the door. You set the package down on the coffee table, and just as you are about to rip it open, you make eye contact with the imagery on the front of the package.

Your eyes widen. Oh no. How could you have forgotten?

There, plastered across the front of the box, was a clear picture of a very suggestive toy. You read the words below the image.

"Battery-Operated Love: Your Guide To The Best Vibrators, Toys, and Dildos!"

You stare. You blink. You look around, as if someone is playing a prank on you. You stare some more.

Then, you hurriedly reach for the throw pillow sitting next to you on the couch, and scream into it.

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You sigh, tapping your foot against the floor to the rhythm of humming washers. It's early morning, the sun barely peeking out, and you're currently in the laundry room in your building, waiting for your clothes to dry.

It's been a few days since your package fiasco, and Bada hasn't made another appearance. You'd say she's trying to avoid you, but in reality, you’re the one going out of your way to steer clear of her potential judgments. You've even taken to staying in late, leaving the apartment only to go to work, where you've adjusted your schedule to further avoid the woman in case she tried to stop by. You acknowledge the fact that you're probably overreacting. It wasn't that big of a deal. You're a grown woman with needs! And you weren't going to let those needs fester when you had such an accessible way of gratifying them. You couldn't let the hard work that ancient physicians put into developing such helpful products go to waste. You love to support small businesses!

Although, you weren’t a big fan of the one you ordered from this time. So much for "discreet packaging.”

You stand up, deciding to grab a drink from the vending machine outside to cool your nerves. You reach the lobby, and walk towards the corner, where the row of machines are lined up in front of windows that belong to the gym. You insert your coins, press a few buttons, and wait for your drink. The vending machine is old, and the whirring and clanging of the dispensing mechanism are loud, so it takes longer than usual.

You glance around as you wait, and your eyes finally settle on the windows. You squint, noticing a familiar silhouette performing a series of exercises.

Bada is inside, doing pull-ups. Her back is to you, and her hair is pulled into a ponytail. She's wearing a loose t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and shorts. Sweat drips from her forehead and down her back, and the muscles in her arms flex and move with each lift.

You feel your throat dry up. The machine spits out the can, and you grab it. You hesitate for a moment, and then step forward, pushing open the glass door leading into the gym as if you were moving on autopilot. You don't know what you're doing.

"Hey!" you greet.

She turns around, eyes wide, and lowers herself onto the ground. "Hi."

"How are you?" you ask.

"Good! Just finishing up my workout," she answers, reaching for the towel draped on a bench beside her.

"Cool," you answer, trying not to focus on the way her chest heaves as she catches her breath.

"What about you? Haven't seen you around lately," she says, wiping the sweat from her neck.

"I've been busy," you lie, weakly holding up your can. "Just got something from the vending machine while I'm waiting for my laundry. Probably gonna head out and run some errands after this.”

"Ah, okay." She nods, and reaches for a water bottle. You watch her tilt her head back, gulping down the liquid, her Adam's apple bobbing as she swallows. Your eyes travel to her neck, and her collarbone, which is exposed, and the droplets of sweat that rest on her skin. You watch her throat move, and suddenly, your mind is filled with images of her lips trailing down your neck, nipping at your throat, and you're overcome with desire.

You swallow, then continue rambling, trying to rid yourself of your debauched thinking. "Yup, heading over to Itaewon with a friend tonight. Probably won't be back home until tomorrow morning!" you say with the projection of a teenage boy who had his first drink yesterday. You weren't lying this time, though. After the incident, you were humbled into a state of reflection. You wanted to try putting yourself out there, and potentially find gratification beyond something that was battery-powered. Mijoo was ecstatic to hear this, and immediately sent you a list of clubs she and her friends frequented.

"Sounds fun." She takes another sip, and sets the bottle down. "Hope you have a good time. Actually, do you have time to do me a favor before you get back to your laundry?"

"What kind of favor?" you ask, a bit suspicious.

"Can you spot me?" she asks, and you're confused for a moment. She gestures towards a padded spot on the floor. "I was gonna do some more reps, and I’d really appreciate it if you could help me—um—make sure my form was right. f you don't have time, that's fine, I can ask someone else."

"No!" you answer. She jerks her head back in confusion, and you flush at your stumble. "No, I have time. I can spot you."

"Awesome! Thanks so much," she says with her signature heartwarming grin. "I'll just do a couple of sets. It shouldn't take too long.”

”I should warn you that I don’t know anything about weightlifting. Or strength exercises. Or cardio—”

"Not a problem. I’ll just do sit-ups." She reassures as she sits on the floor, and lies down.

“Oh. Okay,” you felt like you were in grade school. "Are we counting or not counting?"

"Um, counting would be helpful," she says.

You nod, and kneel beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. You feel her tense for a second, but are quickly distracted trying not to focus on the way the damp fabric of her shirt sticks to her skin. "Okay. Ready when you are."

You count, and with each sit-up, the muscles in her arms flex, her jaw tightens, and her breathing becomes labored. You're in such close proximity to her, her arm brushes against yours every time she goes down. The heat radiating from her body is palpable, and you feel yourself begin to sweat, the air becoming hot.

When she's finished, she falls back onto the mat, and you release the breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding. She gets up, and wipes the sweat from her forehead.

"Well, that was fun," she says, standing up to grab her stuff.

"Yeah, it sure was," you murmer, trying to hide the fact that you're completely out of breath despite doing nothing but count. You stand up, and follow her out the door. "See you later, Bada."

Bada waves, looking you over once more in a manner that makes your insides twist, before turning around a speed-walking toward the elevators.

You take a minute to breathe and head back into the laundry room, where your clothes are ready. Instead of grabbing them, you collapse into one of the cheap folding chairs in the corner of the room. Your clothes are probably tinier at this point, but you can't bring yourself to move. Why did you even walk in there in the first place? You knew well that you weren’t capable of acting normal in front of that woman.

You remind yourself of your plans with Mijoo tonight. A club. In the city. With pretty people. Where alcohol was served.

You take a deep breath, and stand up, taking your clothes and throwing them in your basket.

You'd be fine.

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An ear-splitting wail from the girl next to you almost makes you drop your drink.

"I CAN'T DO THIS SHIT ANYMORE!" the woman screeches, and Mijoo, who is currently attempting to console her, rolls her eyes.

"Honey, please, don't make a scene."

"But it's true! I'm a loser, and I'm going to die alone! I might as well stop trying!”

"No, you're not, just stop drinking," Mijoo responds, her voice a few octaves higher in annoyance. She glances at you, and rolls her eyes.

The two of you are at the gay bar in Itaewon, and after an hour and a half, it seems that the night is coming to an end. Mijoo's friend, Naeun, had a mental breakdown after spotting her ex-girlfriend making out with the woman she told her not to worry about. After that, the mood was completely killed. Naeun feigned nonchalance at first.That relationship was seven months ago, she said. I’ve moved on, she said. I’ve had better, she said. it was almost convincing, until you saw her gulp down three shots at a pace you did not know was humanly possible.

And now…

"It's like, you don't listen to anything I say," Naeun sniffles, and you genuinely feel bad for her. You give her a gentle pat on the back, and she turns to hug you.

"I know, I'm a horrible friend or whatever. Let's just go home and eat ice cream or something," Mijoo sighs, and the two of you help Naeun stand.

"Yes. Thank you. You guys are the best," she whimpers. "I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do," Mijoo assures.

"Yeah, it's all good," you chime in. "Let's just get you home. I think you've had enough alcohol for the next week. Or year."

You and Mijoo drag her out of the bar and into the streets of Itaewon. It's dark, and the neon lights illuminate the sidewalks, where drunk patrons stumble through. You're a little buzzed, and Naeun's deadweight is difficult to carry. Somehow, you manage to get her onto the subway, and inside your building, which is closest. When you reach your front door, you can't help but glance over at Bada's apartment, and are surprised to see a light peeking through the crack between the door and the frame.

"You live here?" Naeun slurs, and you nod, opening the door and dragging her in.

"We'll put her on the couch. Do you mind if we stay over?" Mijoo suggests.

"Not at all," you agree, and the two of you set her down. She groans, and closes her eyes, stretching across your couch in a starfish position. Her dress has risen all the way up to her stomach, but she doesn’t seem to care, You grimace at the sight. "Poor thing."

"She'll be fine," Mijoo says, waving her off. "Come on, I’m starving,"

You follow her into your kitchen and lean against the counter as she reaches into your fridge to pours herself a drink. So much for ice cream.

"Sorry our plans fell through," she apologizes, and you shrug.

"It's not a big deal. Shit happens. Besides, I had fun even though we were only out for, like, five seconds," you answer.

She takes a sip of the liquid in her cup. “We can try again next week? I'll make sure that Naeun is mentally stable next time."

"I don’t know. That doesn’t sound as fun,” you joke, and she grins.

"You’re so right,” she pauses as she opens your fridge back up, and gasps. "Ooh, y/n, can I have one of these?"

"One of what?" you ask, peering over her shoulder, only to find her holding cupcake that you'd made earlier. "Oh, yeah, sure. Go ahead."

She rips off the wrapper, and takes a bite, moaning. "Wow, this is—"

A loud thump sounds from the other side of the wall, and the two of you turn your heads, eyes wide.

"Is that your neighbor?" Mijoo whispers, and the two of you stand still, listening intently. There are a few more thumps, and then a sharp gasp.

"I think she's fucking someone," Mijoo whispers, and then a moan sounds from the other side, followed by a string of curse words, and the bed frame slams against the wall, a rhythmic knocking echoing throughout the apartment.

Naeun sits up from where she's sitting on the couch, and mechanically states, "I need to call her."

"Don't you dare," Mijoo growls, aggressively pointing a finger at the pitiful girl. Naeun whines, and collapses back onto the couch, and you continue to stare at the wall with wide eyes. This couldn't be happening.

You're quiet, listening to the creeks of the bed, the groans, the panting, the curses, and, despite the situation, you can’t help but feel…curious. You’d usually be irked by this situation, reminded of the particularly horrific nights you’d have when you lived with a roommate in your younger years. As made evident by the fluttering in your stomach (and in other parts of your body) you, this was not that. Not even close.

Mijoo laughs. "Oh my god, does this usually happen?"

You snap out of your stupor. "Uh, no, actually. She's usually pretty quiet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And besides, she's sweet, so it's kind of weird hearing this, but, uh, it's whatever," you reply, attempting to ignore a squeal that vaguely resembles Bada's name.

The bed's movements pick up speed, and the sounds become louder.

"Oh my god," Mijoo murmurs, covering her ears. Naeun starts crying again.

"She's gonna fuck her to death," Naeun sobs, and then the two of you can’t help but burst into laughter. You walk over to the living room, and pat her on the back.

"Come on, let's get you to sleep," you say, helping her up. "You can have the bed. Mijoo and I will take the couch."

"Thank you, I love you both so much," she blubbers, and you drag her into the bedroom, tucking her into the bed.

"We're gonna stay in the living room, so holler if you need us, okay?" you tell her, and she nods.

"I love you guys," she slurs, and then passes out, mouth wide open.

"She’s so dramatic," Mijoo cackles as you close the door.

You and Mijoo get ready to go to sleep, and soon enough the obscene noises from next door are gone. But, as you fall asleep on the couch, they still ring in your head.

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"I'm so sorry for the way I acted last night." Naeun apologizes, a pout on her face. You wave her off. “Don't worry, you're good. At least you gave us some entertainment while you were at it. Are you okay, though?"

She shrugs, adjusting the duffle bag on her shoulder. "Yeah. I mean, it was a pretty big blow, but I'll get over it. She's not worth the tears."

"Atta girl," Mijoo cooes, patting Naeun's head. She turns to you, and smiles. "Thanks for letting us stay over, y/n."

You open your front door, and wave. "Yeah, of course. I'll see you guys later."

Just as the two girls step out, the door to the apartment next to yours opens. You all look to the side, and notice a disheveled woman with blonde hair and bright red lipstick exiting into the hallway. You and Mijoo exchange glances as the woman's eyes meet yours. She gives a small, awkward smile when she notices the three of you, and then bows before hurrying down the hallway.

"Was that your neighbor?" Mijoo asks, and you shake your head.

The actual neighbor in question steps into the hallway, and the three of you watch her with wide eyes. She's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, long hair cascading down her back.

Bewildered by your stares, she looks at the three of you with confusion.

"Hello," she greets, bowing, and the three of you bow back. "How are you?"

Naeun's eyes become the size of saucers. "Y-you're Bad—"

"Good!" Mijoo interrupts, and gives a wide, forced smile. "We're all doing well."

"That's good," Bada replies, giving a polite nod. She looks at you, and the corners of her lips quirk upwards. "Hi, y/n. Nice seeing you."

After last night’s noises, her politeness makes you want to laugh. or scream. or cry. You return the smile, gripping your doorknob until your knuckles turn white. "Yeah, nice seeing you, too."

She turns her attention back to the other two, waves, then walks off.

Mijoo and Naeun immediately whip around to face you.

"Your neighbor is Bada Lee?!" Naeun screeches.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mijoo yells, and you step back.

"Bye guys!" you say, closing the door on the two of them.

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Shortly before closing, the bell rings.

"Hello!" you chirp. "Welcome to—oh, hello!"

"Hey, y/n." Bada waves.

"Hey," you say, even though the two of you already said hello. "How are you?"

"Good, and you?"

"Great, thanks," she responds, staying put in front of the door. "Uh, I actually came here to, um, ask if you wanted to walk home together? I was just passing by, and I thought maybe we could just, like, walk back. At the same time. Since we both have to, um, go there. To our respective homes. I know it's been a while, but I thought it'd be fun. I-if you want some company, I mean. Sorry, I'll leave if you want me to, I'm just—"

"Bada," you interrupt, and she looks up, her eyes meeting yours. "I'd love to."

She blinks. "You would?"

The look of surprise on her face almost startles you back into hesitation. Why wouldn’t you want to spend time with the woman? Even with all the moments you’ve wanted to bury yourself in a hole because of your embarrassment, you couldn’t find it in yourself to ever say no.

Untying your apron from around your waist, you nod. "Yeah! Just give me a second to grab my stuff."

"Okay." She grins. "Thanks."

You pick up your belongings, clock out, and the two of you stepping outside. You lock the doors, and begin to walk towards your building.

"So, how was your night yesterday?" Bada asks, and you almost trip at the reminder of yesterday’s events.

"Uh, it was fine," you reply, clearing your throat. "What about yours?"

"Oh, it was, um, good." She nods.

I’m sure it was, you think. You look at the ground, biting the inside of your cheek. "That's good."

The two of you walk in silence, and now you feel awkward. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. The only sounds surrounding you are of the rustling of the trees, and the occasional passing car.

"Was that your girlfriend?" she suddenly blurts out, and you whip your head around to look at her.

"Huh?"

"Last night, when I ran into the three of you in the hallway. Were one of those girls your girlfriend? Or…”

"No, neither of them," you reply, shaking your head. "One of them is Mijoo, the coworker I told you about, and her friend, Naeun. They came over after we went to a bar."

"Ah." She nods, looking at the sidewalk, and your eyes narrow. You swear you see a small smile on her face.

"What about your girl?" you ask, and her head shoots up.

"My girl?"

"Yeah. Was the girl that was over last night your girlfriend?"

"Oh, no, no, she wasn't," she quickly answers.

"Hm," you hum. And then, your next words spill from your mouth before you can even process them. "I would've thought so with all of the…screaming that was going on."

"W-what?" she stammers, freezing in her tracks.

"Uh," you say, stopping as well. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Did you hear...us?" she asks, her voice quiet, and you can't bear to look at her. Why did you speak up? You didn’t want her to feel embarrassed. Or worse, think of you as a creep for listening in.

"Yes," you murmur, and she lets out a groan, her face turning a shade of pink.

"I am so, so sorry. I thought you were gone. Oh my god, that is so embarrassing." She buries her face in her hands, and despite your previous regrets, you bite your lip to suppress a giggle. Her reaction was too cute.

"It's okay, really," you assure, and she drops her hands, still refusing to look at you. You smile, and continue walking. "Don't worry about it."

"But that's so embarrassing," she whines, and you laugh again.

"You were clearly having a good time."

"Yeah, but I didn't want you to hear," she sighs, and you pat her back.

"Well, at least we're even now."

"What do you mean?" she asks, puzzled.

Uh oh. She probably already forgot about the delivery situation, and you just brought it up for no reason. What the fuck was up with you right now? You were just saying anything.

"Oh, nevermind. Forget about it," you respond, waving her off.

"What was it, though? I haven't heard you…uh…do anything before," she protests, and you shrug, trying to brush her off.

"Nope! Forget about it! I confused you with someone else," you rush out, picking up your pace as you make eye contact with your building.

"You have another neighbor that could’ve potentially heard you having sex?" she replies, clearly confused, as she jogs slightly to catch up.

"No idea!" you sing, and open the door, stepping into the lobby.

"This makes no sense. Now I’m not gonna stop asking," she tells you, and you can't help but laugh.

"And I'm not going to stop avoiding the question."

"Y/n!"

You enter the elevator, and press the button to the 8th floor, watching her enter. You give a polite smile, and she sighs, giving up.

"Fine," she finishes with a pout.

The elevator goes up, and the two of you stand in comfortable silence. You don't know if it's because of the woman's earlier embarrassment, but something about tonight definitely has you feeling a little bold and ready to tease.

"Hey," you pipe up, and she looks over at you. "You guys were pretty loud."

"Shut up," she grumbles, and you can't help but smirk, watching her glare at the floor.

"My friends almost called the police. It sounded like you were committing murder."

"What?" she exclaims, and then groans. "Oh my god, don't."

"And I almost let them. I was like, woah. I knew this woman couldn't be entirely perfect and had to be keeping some sort of deep, dark, secret. But a serial killer? I would've never thought. Turns out you just had a serial moaner in there, I guess."

"Please stop."

"I mean, what were you doing to that poor girl. I—"

"At this point, it just seems like you're trying to get details out of me," she interjects.

"W-what?" you squeak, and she smiles, turning to look at you, suddenly cool and collected.

She shrugs. "You keep bringing it up."

You scoff. How dare she accuse you of such a thing! All of the thirst comments under her posts must have gotten to her head.

"You're ridiculous," you retort.

"Am I wrong, though?" she counters, and you stare at her with wide eyes.

"No," you reply quickly, and then you mentally facepalm, realizing what you said. "I mean yes. You're wrong."

"Right," she chuckles, and the elevator dings, the doors opening. "I have a question for you."

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" you ask, stepping out into the hallway.

She bites her lip, clearly trying to stifle a laugh. "Have you had the chance to use your Satisfyer Pro yet?"

Your jaw drops, aghast. "Wh-what? What the fu—"

"Goodnight, y/n," she grins, snickering as she runs inside her apartment like a little goblin, leaving you to watch her with a mixture of disbelief and irritation.

You can't help but let out a huff of laughter as you enter your own apartment.

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You're sitting in bed with a slice of cake on your lap, blanket tossed to the side due to the hot weather, binge-watching a new series. You contemplate checking your email for a message from that landlord, but decide against it, not wanting to put a damper on your decent mood. Instead, you tune in to another episode of a k-drama, in which the protagonist dies for a second time. Supposedly, it's for real this time.

You're about to finish the slice when there's a knock at the door. You frown, pausing the episode. You stand up, place the plate on the dresser, then walk towards the front door, peering through the peephole. Your heart begins to beat faster when you see a certain woman standing outside your apartment.

"What's up?" you greet, swinging the door open.

"Hey," she says, a soft smile on her face. She's wearing a pair of loose shorts and a white t-shirt, hair in a bun. Sweat glistens on her forehead, and her cheeks are flushed. You can't help but note how good she looks, despite looking rumpled.

"Hi," you respond, returning the smile. "What's going on?" you ask, leaning against the doorframe.

"So, uh, my air conditioning broke," she begins. "And I was wondering if I could hang out in your apartment for a bit? The maintenance people said they aren't going to be able to get here until tomorrow. Apparently they don't work on Sundays."

You've suddenly become aware of the fact that Bada has never been inside your apartment. The idea of her being inside the same room as you, sitting on your furniture, breathing in the scent of your home, sends a wave of heat down your spine. Maybe it was best to reject her offer and suggest another solution.

"Come on in!" you say, and open the door.

"Thank you," she breathes out, walking in, and your eyes rake over her figure as she passes by you.

She looks around, taking in the sight of your apartment. You notice her eyes linger on some of your old pictures from your hometown.

"Your apartment is really nice," she tells you, and you feel a rush of pride.

"Thank you! Feel free to take a seat wherever," you reply, gesturing towards the couch, and she sits, throwing her head back as she lets out a sigh of relief.

"You're a lifesaver," she declares, and you plop down next to her.

"What happened?" you ask, and she shakes her head.

”I wish I knew. I went to turn on my AC and it just, didn’t come on. Completely out of the blue.”

"That sucks," you respond, and she nods, a grim expression on her face.

"So," she begins, turning her head towards you. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," you answer, and then remember the slice of cake on the dresser. You point to it. "Would you like some?"

"Yes, please," she says, nodding fervently. "Water would be great, too, if you don't mind."

Grateful to put some distance between the two of you, you practically bounce out of your seat. "Coming right up!"

You return with two glasses of water and your cake. She thanks you, and you hand her a fork, taking one for yourself.

"This is really good, y/n. Did you make this too?" she praises, and you nod.

"I did. Thanks," you reply, taking a bite.

"You really need to give me the recipe for these things. Or start selling them! I'd buy them all," she compliments, and you blush, waving her off.

You stare at the ground for a moment, before laughing bitterly. "That was supposed to be the goal, I guess.”

She furrows her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

You inhale slowly, prepping yourself. You hated this. But maybe you needed this. "I used to have my own bakery. In my hometown That's actually where I moved from. But then my landlord jacked the rent up and I couldn't afford it, and I was forced to close," you explain.

"Oh." She frowns. "That's awful. What a jerk."

"Tell me about it," you mumble, carelessly dropping your fork on the table.

"Are you looking for another place here?" she asks, and you nod.

"Yeah. There's a lot of great spots in Seoul, but there's one building in particular that I've had my eye on. It's not far from the Han River, and the rent is relatively cheap, and it's got everything I could possibly need. I'm just waiting to hear back from the that landlord. We were negotiating and things were going pretty well. But now its been months. I haven't heard from him since I moved here."

You blink back tears, and clear your throat, picking up the fork again. Whenever you think of everything that's happened to you recently, you cannot help but feel like an utter failure. You worked hard, finally achieved success, only for things to all fall apart. It seemed as if all of your efforts were for nothing.

"Hey," she whispers, and her voice is soft, calming. "It's gonna be okay."

She gently squeezes your arm, and her touch is warm. You look at her, and the tenderness in her eyes is enough to make you want to cry more.

"I know. It's just hard, sometimes," you confess, and her hand remains on your arm.

"I get that, but I can promise you that what you're going through is temporary. I can't tell you how many times I thought I was done for good when I first started out, but now, I've come this far. If you keep your head up, and just keep working hard, you'll make it. You’ve done it before.”

Her words resonate with you, and her unwavering support fills you with hope. "Thanks, Bada," you respond, smiling.

"Of course," she responds, her eyes never leaving yours. "I'm here for you."

"I'm here for you too," you whisper.

A moment of silence passes, and your eyes travel to her hand. Her skin is smooth, and her fingers are long and slender. You wonder what they'd feel like intertwined with yours.

"Um, I’ve been meaning to ask," she says, interrupting your thoughts, and your eyes meet hers again. "Any new dramas you wanted to tell me about? Or, what about the one with that married couple you talked about?”

You almost laugh at her obvious attempt to distract you from your depressing thoughts.

"Pretty good," you reply, and she gives you a pointed look.

"And by pretty good, you mean..."

"Amazing, wonderful, mind-blowing, spectacular," you continue, and she nods, satisfied. "I was actually watching it before you knocked on the door."

"Ooh, really?" she responds, eyes widening.

"Yeah. Would you like to watch it together?" you suggest, and she grins.

"Yes, please."

"Okay," you giggle, and grab the remote, pressing play.

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Halfway through the episode, you decide to move to your bedroom (because the AC works better in there, of course!). Somehow, while lying on the bed, your legs become intertwined. She's sprawled out, and her head is resting in the crook of your neck, her soft hair tickling your face.

You can feel her steady breathing, and the heat radiating off her body, and all of your senses are filled with her. You're so focused on her that you can't even focus on the episode.

"Y/n?" she murmurs, and her voice is low, quiet.

"Yeah?" you reply, voice equally as soft.

"Would it be weird if I said that I'm glad my air conditioner broke?"

You snort, and her body shakes with silent laughter. "Not at all."

You pause the show, and sit up. She does the same, and her eyes are shining.

"Do you want anything to eat? I've got chips, and some ice cream," you offer, and she bites her lip.

"Not really. Thanks, though," she responds, and your eyes travel to her lips. They're plump and pink, and you're tempted to reach out and kiss her.

"Okay, no problem," you say, and her gaze is intense, burning.

"Thanks for letting me come over. I appreciate it."

"Of course," you murmur, and then clear your throat. "Anytime."

"Really?"

"Yeah! You can even stay the night, if you want. I don't mind," you respond, and her eyebrows raise, lips curling upwards.

"Okay," she answers, and leans forward, cupping your face in her hands.

The action surprises you, and you let out a gasp. She pauses, eyes searching yours, and you nod, giving her permission.

She leans forward, and you close your eyes, waiting for her to press her lips against yours. Instead, you feel a pair of lips softly kissing your forehead, and your cheeks, and your jaw, and your nose, and then they finally, finally press against yours.

The kiss is gentle and sweet, and when she pulls away, her eyes are filled with affection.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," she admits, and you chuckle.

"Me too," you whisper, and her smile grows wider.

She moves closer to you, and you wrap your arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Her body is soft, and her skin is smooth, and you can feel her warmth seeping into your skin.

"I really like you, y/n," she whispers, and you tighten your hold on her.

"I really like you too, Bada," you respond, and she nuzzles her face into the crook of your neck. You're in heaven.

"Thank god. I was afraid I was making a fool out of myself," she confesses, and you giggle.

"What? Oh my god. Not at all," you assure her, and she pulls away, a smirk on her face.

"So, I was right about you wanting details?"

"Oh fuck you," you mutter, pulling her back into a significantly more aggressive kiss. A surprised noise escapes her lips, but she eventually melts into it, moving against you with equal fervor. Her hands run up and down your sides, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind, and you're so caught up in the sensation that you don't even realize when she starts straddling you until she presses her body against yours in a way that has you gasping.

Your hands travel underneath her shirt, feeling the smoothness of her warm skin, the lines of her stomach, the swell of her breasts, and the curves of her waist. She groans into the kiss before slipping her tongue into your mouth, causing heat to pool in the pit of your stomach.

When you pull away, she's panting, and her lips are swollen. Her hair is slightly mussed, and her pupils are dilated, her eyes filled with desire. Without words, you both begin removing each other's clothes, tossing them to the side. She's left in only a black bra and boxers, and you have to remind yourself to move.

She chuckles, and you stare at her chest. You can see the outline of her nipples, and you reach out, brushing a thumb against them, and she bites her lip, closing her eyes. You can feel her heart beating rapidly, and you trace circles around her nipples, and she lets out a shaky breath.

"Please," she begs, and you smile, pulling her into another kiss.

Your hands move lower, caressing the skin of her thighs, and then you're cupping her center, and she gasps, pulling away.

"Y/n," she pants, and the sound of her moaning your name sends another rush of heat down your spine.

"Bada," you breathe out, and press kisses against her jawline, and down her neck, and collarbone, and chest. Your hand is still between her thighs, and she bucks her hips, trying to find friction.

"Y/n, please," she repeats, and the desperation in her voice is so fucking hot.

You slip a finger inside her, and you feel her walls immediately clench, followed by a whimper you're not sure belongs to you or her. You curl your finger inside her, and her head falls back into the crook of your neck as she rolls her hips, grinding against your palm.

"More," she practically demands, and you add another finger.

She's soaking wet, and the lewd sounds coming from your fingers sliding in and out of her has you squeezing your thighs together, desperate for some sort of relief.

You use your thumb to rub circles on her clit, and her movements become more erratic, her moans becoming louder.

"I'm gonna-ugh," she pants, and her nails dig into your skin as she orgasms.

You can feel her walls clenching and unclenching, and her body trembles, her eyes squeezed shut. She breathes heavily, and the sight of her is enough to drive you wild.

You continue stroking her until she opens her eyes, and you can't help but grin.

"Holy shit," she manages, and you remove your fingers, and she lets out a moan.

"Good?"

"Yes," she replies, and leans forward, capturing your lips in a heated kiss.

"Now," she begins, breaking away. "Let me take care of you."

You can only nod as she reaches for your breasts, fondling them, and her eyes never leave yours. She's smirking, and the intensity in her gaze is enough to make your heart skip a beat.

You close your eyes, enjoying the sensation, and you nearly jump when you feel her body shift, her lips pressing against the sensitive skin of your neck.

She moves down, taking a nipple into her mouth, and you groan, arching your back. Her lips travel to your stomach, and then your thighs, and then you're lifting your hips, and she's sliding your underwear off.

"Spread your legs, y/n," she requests, and her voice is low, seductive.

You obey immediately, and then her tongue is inside you, and her fingers are on your clit, and your entire body is on fire. She sucks on your clit, and then makes headway further down, sliding her tongue inside you. You can't stop the moans that escape from your mouth, and you're certain the whole complex can hear, but you don't care.

Suddenly, she stops, and looks up at you. Your eyes snap open, annoyed by the interruption until you observe the way he's smiling, her chin slick with your wetness.s

"I wanna try something," she begins, and she sits up, scanning the room. "Where's that thing you got the other day?"

You bite back a moan. "Nightstand drawer."

She opens it, and takes out a small, pink object. Your face flushes as she turns it on, the vibrations audible in the otherwise quiet room.

"Is this okay?" she asks, and you nod, eager.

"Yes," you answer, and her mouth returns to your center.

She teases your entrance with the object, and the combination of her tongue and the vibrator has you squirming, your hands finding their way to her head, holding her in place.

"Oh god," you whimper, and the pleasure is indescribable.

Her tongue picks up speed, and then the vibrator enters you, and you nearly scream.

She pushes the toy in and out, and as it vibrates against your clit, and begin to feel like you can't take anymore. Your back arches, and a wave of euphoria washes over you as your orgasm hits, and the only thing you can see is the light from the lamp and the white of the ceiling.

When you regain control of your senses, you can feel her body lying on top of yours, her head on your chest. You lay in silence, trying to catch your breath, and it isn't until you hear her voice that you speak.

"How are you doing?"

"Sleepy," you mumble, and she smiles, pecking you on the lips.

"Then let's go to sleep."

You can only nod as your eyes slowly close and your mind becomes hazy. Before you drift off completely, you think to yourself that this might've been the best night you've had since moving here.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Two weeks later, you and Bada are going up the elevator to your respective apartments after a walk from your job. You'd just spent the past hour gossiping in between taking customer's orders. Apparently, Mijoo and Naeun are going out. Figures. You hoped it worked out for them, but nobody was beating the blissful few weeks you've.

The two of you are holding hands, and your free one is holding a box containing a dozen chocolate chip cookies, made especially for Bada.

"I'm thinking of moving out," she suddenly states, and the statement catches you off guard.

"What? Why?" you ask, and she shrugs.

"It's about time. I can afford a better place, and I'm ready to move on from the apartment life. I need a house."

"I can understand that," you reply, nodding.

"You should move in with me," she continues, and the statement makes you laugh.

"What? Are you crazy? We just got together."

"Who cares? I want to live with you. Don't you want to live with me?" she responds, pouting, and she gives you puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, but...," you pause, and you can tell from the expression on her face that she's serious.

"But what? What's the problem?"

"Nothing. Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," you confirm, and she beams, leaning in to kiss you.

You can't believe what you just agreed to. But, in a way, you're relieved. Maybe this will finally bring a sense of finality to everything that's happened.

"Damn, guess I'm gonna have to tell Jennifer about us. She's coming out here soon," you mutter, opening your email app. You go to type in your friend's email, but your eyes land on an unread email in your inbox, sent two weeks ago. It's from an unknown sender, and the subject is 'Regarding Your Application.'

Your eyes widen, and Bada nosily peers over your shoulder, reading the words.

"What's that?" she asks, and you gulp.

"I don't know."

"Open it!" she exclaims, and you do.

Y/N,

This is Kim Sung Soo, the owner of the property you inquired about. I was out of town for business and unable to contact you regarding your application. I've looked through the papers, and everything seems to be in order. I'd like to meet up with you so we can further discuss the terms of the lease before we finalize anything. When are you available?

"Oh my god," Bada gasps, and she stares at you, wide-eyed.

"What the hell?" you whisper, and Bada squeals.

"Oh, y/n! This is so exciting! Congratulations! I knew it would work out. Now, you can start your bakery, and we can move in together, and oh, my god, I'm so happy!"

"I'm confused," you mutter barely believing your luck, and the elevator dings, indicating that the two of you have arrived.

"Don't worry about it, okay? Come on, let's go have some cookies," she says, tugging on your arm.

You nod, following her down the hall without a hint of resistance. As you watch the woman drag you with a giant smile on her face, you cannot help but giggle. Who knew you'd find home and happiness in such an unlikely place?

#bada lee #bada lee fanfic #bada lee imagine #bada lee fluff #bada lee x reader #bada lee x y/n #street woman fighter 2 #swf2

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sturnsbabie · 8 hours

Text

EXPOSED-N.DOE

pairing: nate x sls!reader

summary: sls gets her wisdom teeth out and exposes her secret relationship with her brothers bestfriend nate.

warnings: cussing,mentions of needles,suggestive.

inspired by the anons on @hysteria-things blog this for you nate nation 🤗😋

short n rushed so id have something to post 😜

today i was getting my wisdom teeth removed. i was scared to go under anesthesia and to get a iv in my arm but my brothers were going with me.

they were filming the video for their youtube channel because i said it was okay to vlog but i was nervous for what was gonna come out my mouth when being on anesthesia because i was hiding stuff from my brothers. like the fact that their bestfriend nate and i have been together for over seven months secretly.

we were on our way to the dentist office as i sat in the back with nick. they were still vlogging, currently getting my thoughts on what was going to happen.

finally we had reached the dentist office and i was sat in the dentist chair as they were getting ready to put the needle in my arm for the iv.

“okay y/n we are gonna put the iv in you and inject the medicine into to it a little bit at a time to see how you do.” the doctor explained.

i nodded as matt held my hand distracting me from the fact that the needle was going in my hand. nick and chris also kept talking at me distracting me.

i started to feel sleepy as my brothers kept talking to me but i couldn’t understand what they were saying as i fell into a deep sleep.

they stayed in the room for a minute while the doctors made sure i was completely out before they started the surgery.

matt was comfortingly rubbing my shoulders talking as chris held my hand and nick was recording.

after a while the doctors had my brothers go wait in the waiting room as they did my surgery.

about half a hour later they allowed my brothers to come back into the room after they finished my surgery and i was starting to wake up.

“hey y/n!”they all three said and i just glared at them.

“looks like someone still has her attitude” chris chuckled and i flipped him off.

all three of my brothers laughed as i rolled my eyes at them. the only thing on my mind being my boyfriend nate.not wanting anything else other then being in bed with him. with my face in the pillow while he pounds me into the mattress.

the doctor was talking to my brothers about how to take care of me and what i need to do for the next few weeks. as i kept thinking about my boyfriend.

“you wanna send a video to nate?” chris asked and i immediately smiled.

“nateee? i love nateeeee” i giggled.

they all laughed and shrugged it off as they figured she meant that she loved him like a brother because she was close with nate but oh boy they were wrong.

chris started recording the video for nate. “hey nate im here with y/n she just got her wisdom teeth out and she had something to say.”he said as he moved the phone over to the girl.

“hi nate! callllll meeee i need to tell you a secretttt!” she giggled into the phone as chris sent the video.

suddenly her phone started to ring and nick was holding her phone. he saw that nate<3 was facetiming her and he immediately accepted the call.

nick knew about the two because he walked in on them right as they were kissing. he promised he would not tell matt or chris because he respected his sisters privacy.

“hey y/n nates calling you!”nick said as he handed her the phone.

she smiled as she looked at the phone screen seeing nates face. “nateeeeeee”she giggled.

“hey y/n how’re you feeling!?”he asked softly as he admired the girl still thinking she looked beautiful even with a swollen face and a mouth full of gauze.

“im great!sorry i cant suck your dickkkkk anymore for a few weeks though” the girl said as she forgot about her brothers not knowing.too gone on the anesthesia to stop whatever she wanted to come out of her mouth.

nates face went red as he stayed silent knowing her brothers were probably gonna freak out.

“WHAT?”chris said as he couldnt believe what the girl just said.

“what do you mean you cant do that anymore for a few weeks youre not supposed to be doing it anyway!” chris said.

matt was in shock about what his sister had just said. chris was going into overprotective brother mode trying to grab the phone from her and nick was just laughing watching everything happen. he knew he was gonna have to cut this bit out of the video.

“cant wait til i can suck your dick again and watch you whimper and beg for me to-“the girl said as chris cut her off.

nates face was blood red as he listened to the girls brothers talking from the other end of the phone.

“seriously what the fuck is going on between you and nate?” chris said as he looked at her.

“hes my boyfrienddddd but you’re not supposed to know thattt chris!”she said rolling her eyes and flipping him off.

nick was laughing as this was pure comedy to him as chris was going on a rage.

“next time he comes over imma beat his ass”chris says with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

chris was mad that they had hid this from him nick and matt but then he couldnt be mad at how gentle and calm nate is with the girl.

and with that once they got the girl back home there was nate waiting for her with some ice cream and a bunch of cuddles with her name on them.of course chris told them to keep her door open so he could keep an eye on them.

the girl got countless cuddles and she ate all the ice cream in the world as her boyfriend was by her side along with her brothers checking on her every so often.

TAGLIST: @eupiasworld , @sturniolosloves , @mattslovelygf , @smittensturniolos , @hauntedxchris , @hearts4tatemcrae , @bernardsbendystraws , @jo-777 , @wurlibydominicfike , @meerkatzthings , @jnkvivi , @sturnzblog , @pinklittleflower , @sturnioloblogs

#sturniolo triplets #nick sturniolo #matt sturniolo #sturniolo triplets imagines #chris sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #chris sturniolo imagine #christopher sturniolo #christopher sturniolo imagines #matt sturniolo imagines #nate doe imagines #nate doe #nathan doe smut

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toji-fushiguro-is-broke · 2 days

Text

How you date

(He picks where you go out)

Dating Toji isn't that hard, this man can survive anything. He isn't that picky.

He can eat anything and go anywhere as long as it isn't boring and expensive for him.

Toji isn't the one who does romantic dates. He doesn't know what that is, he'd probably bring you to places he likes and he thinks that maybe you'd like it too.

...Well, you did ask him to take you to places that he normally goes to and spend his time...

And those places were either dangerous, shabby or unheard of.

One time you both went to a gambling den, he asked you to wear a oversized shirt and pants going there.

You could smell the sweat of different men all the same time, their beer, and their cigarettes.

"I spend my time here, whenever I have no missions. Pretty great place if you ask me."

But you both weren't here for that. You looked as you see people fighting to death in the den as people bet left and right.

And the way people look at you like they were about to kill you in an instant, as Toji looks at them, they look away scared.

You wonder how that was Ideal for a date.

'Oh yeah, I forgot. There's no romantic bone in his body.' You thought as you saw Toji betting for the people fighting inside the den.

*End of Flash back*

*Back to the Present*

This time, you asked Toji to bring you somewhere that he normally eats and relax.

Where it isn't a gambling den or anything dangerous.

You were wishing this time, the place would be decent. You thought to yourself as you continue to follow him.

"They sell the best food" He said as he stopped infront of a shop as he enters and orders two food for the both of you.

The food was super cheap, and it looked like it was made something that wasn't made from real food.

As you looked at your food, you looked at him eating his share happily.

You sighed, and began eat it because he tried to bringing you out, as you tasted the food. You couldn't taste anything, like there was no seasoning on the food.

Atleast it you can tolerate eating the food.

Then it made you think, if this food was delicious for him. What kinds of food did he eat throughout his life.

Why did this cheap food that doesn't even taste anything, taste so delicious for him.

That place last time, that gambling den.

Where people fought to death just for money, that isn't even more than a few thousand that wouldn't even pay for all of their bills.

The thought of him being relaxed in that atmosphere makes you think. What kind life has this man went through that his standards was almost low as if it didn't existed.

After eating, you two started walking around the park. And sat down, looking around the people and family enjoying their time at the park.

"Look, I'm bad at this shit." He spoke.

"It's okay, you tried. I'm happy to see this side of you." You smiled as you looked at him.

He scoffed and looked away smiling. As he looks back to seeing you looking the scenery in the park where there was a lake infront of you with swans enjoying a beautiful scenery.

You thought to yourself, that you'd love him and teach him how to love.

#jujutsu kaisen toji fushiguro #jujutsu kaisen toji #jjk toji #toji fushiguro #toji x reader #toji x you #jjk x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen

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6rookie-writer0110 · 3 days

Text

Afternoon Sketch

Cora Herrera x Male Reader

Request - where y/n is Adan's brother who meets her before the events of the movie. Y/n met her after she dropped out of college, and they became friends for a while before they started dating. Cora wanted to have their relationship a secret from her dad since Billy is already on her ass about dropping out from college and is stuck in his old ways. Y/n meet Billy before he meets Cora, he notice that Billy is a more traditional type of person as well as saw similarities of his brother in Billy, even though his a hard ass.

You and your brother Adan want to open a cafe shop. Adan hired an architect named Billy Herrera and you are going to meet with him. But Billy saw you argue over the phone with your dad and you hung up on him.

“Yelling at your father is a sign of disrespect,” Billy said.

“Well, he is acting like a kid,” You said.

You look at Billy up and down, you can tell that he is old-school when it comes to respect. Then you started to text your brother Adan and he isn't replying. You called him and left him an angry voicemail. It feels like you are doing everything on your own instead of working together like you two talked about.

“Older brother?” Billy asked.

“Yes. What, you are going talk about how I need to respect my older brother?” You said.

“Is a must, that you have to respect your older brother, everyone knows that” Billy said.

“Let’s talk about the blueprint, please,” You said.

“Of course,” Billy said.

He showed you the blueprint of the building and he started to talk about it.

———

You went to a restaurant for lunch. When you sat down you noticed a sketchbook on the table. You open the sketchbook and it's sketches of clothes like wedding dresses and party dresses. You are impressed and you keep looking at every page. Cora is down the block and she notices that she forgot her sketchbook, she rushes back to the restaurant. She noticed you looking at her sketchbook, then she walked towards you. And she snatched her book away from you

“That is rude to do,” You said.

“That is my sketchbook and you shouldn't have been looking through it,” Cora said.

“It’s still rude but I don't see your name on it,” You said.

“It's right here inside the book, it's Cora,” Cora said.

“That’s a beautiful name, Cora. I like your sketches, you are very talented” You said.

“Oh… thank you. What’s your name?” Cora said.

“My name is, Y/n. So are you a fashion designer?” You smiled.

She sits down and she starts to smile back at you.

“I’m getting there but it's hard. We just met I’m not going to tell you my whole life story,” Cora said.

“I understand. But we could be friends first” You said.

“Yeah, I think we can,” Cora said.

You and Cora start to talk about university, fashion, and food.

——-

You went to a party for your brother’s Adan and it's his birthday. But he hasn't arrived at the party just yet. You see Cora and she seems mad and she cleans her dress with a napkin.

“Cora, what happened?” You asked.

“Some jerk bumped into me and ruined my dress. I didn't know you were going to be here” Cora said.

“Me either. That is a huge stain” You said.

“I came here for my sister but she hasn't arrived yet. Ugh!”’Cora said.

You take off your blazer and gave it to her.

“The stain won't come out with the napkin. Wear my jacket and no one will notice, think of it as a fashion statement” You said.

“Thank you, Y/N,” Cora said.

She puts on the blazer. You walk Cora home, she has her arm around your arm. You and Cora are making each other laugh and talk about everything.

“You didn't have to walk me home,” Cora said.

“I couldn't let you go home by yourself at this time. You still look beautiful even with the stain on the dress” You said.

You and Cora stare into each other's eyes, she can't stop smiling. She slowly leaned in and kissed you on the lips.

“I really like you, Y/n,” Cora said.

“I feel the same way. Do you want to go on a date?” You said.

“Yes,” Cora smiled.

You smiled and kissed her on the lips.

✬ ✬ ✬ ✬

For the past few days, you and Cora have been texting each other every day. You can see how passionate she is when she talks about fashion and owning her own studio.

You are in your apartment when you hear someone knocking. You opened the door and it was Cora you let her inside your apartment.

“I didn't know you were coming, Cora. I would have picked you up” You said.

“I did it, Y/N!” Cora smiled.

“Did what?” You asked.

“I dropped out of college. I took your advice and I’m going to follow my dreams of being a fashion designer” Cora smiled.

You can see how happy she is feeling right now, it is a huge step for her.

“I’m proud of you, Cora,” You said.

She puts her hands behind your neck And she starts to kiss you. Then you pull her closer to you and you start to kiss her back.

“Wait… did you tell your parents?” You asked.

“Don’t ruin the moment, babe” Cora smiled.

You have a feeling she didn't tell them, but you won't pressure her to do it. You take your girlfriend to her favorite restaurant for dinner. She starts to talk about the clothes she wants to design and then you talk about your brother, who doesn't help with the cafe shop.

After dinner, she goes back to your place. She puts on your shirt then she cuddles with you in bed.

“My dad will be angry that I dropped out. He wants me to be perfect like my sister” Cora sighed.

You put her hair behind her ear.

“You don't have to be perfect, Cora. It will take him a while to understand but you have to make what makes you happy” You said.

“You always know what to say, Y/N” Cora said.

“I had to grow up fast. Yeah, my parents are rich, but my dad was always at a party” You said.

You haven't met her family and she hasn't met yours. Sometimes, you and Cora would talk about family and how they are.

——-

Sofia went to see her fiance, Adan, then she met his younger brother. This is the first time you have met her.

“Wait, you proposed to my brother? Wow, I find that hard to believe” You said.

“Times are different, little bro. We are happy and this feels right” Adan smiled.

“Welcome, to the family Sofia,” You said.

“Thank you!” Sofia smiled.

Your girlfriend called you on Facetime and you smiled at her. Sofia recognized the voice and said something

“Cora?” Sofia said.

She is standing next to you.

“You know her?” You asked.

“She is my little sister Cora. How do you know her?” Sofia said.

“She is my girlfriend,” You said.

“Wait, you are dating his brother!? Wow, this is a small world” Cora said.

“I agree with her,” Adan said.

“I can't believe I just met your secret boyfriend. She told me that she was in a relationship but she never showed me how you looked” Sofia said

“He was the same way with me. He would be smiling at his phone but he never told me who she was” Adan said.

Everyone started to talk at the same time.

———

You and Adan went to visit Sofia’s family. You are mainly happy to see your girlfriend but she is feeling nervous. She hasn't told them that she dropped out of college. You and Billy are in shock, he told his daughters that he is working with you. And he isn't happy that you are dating Cora or that Adan is with Sofia.

“You knew about them dating and didn't tell me!?” Billy said to his wife.

“I told mom two days ago. And he is a really nice guy” Cora smiled.

You brought flowers for her mom and wine for her dad.

“Dad, just to get to know them, please,” Sofia said.

“Fine. This is your weekend and we have a wedding to plan. Cora, how’s college going? I'm still waiting to see your grades” Billy Said.

Cora starts to panic.

“Well, dad… -” Cora said.

“Cora told me that you used to live in Cuba” You quickly said.

“Yes, I came to America for a better life for my family and me” Billy rambled.

Cora is glad you changed the subject. During dinner, you noticed how Billy wasn't happy that Sofia proposed to Adan.

“A man should propose to the woman, not the other way around,” Billy said unhappily

“Dad, times are different now” Sofia Said.

“In my time, that would be embarrassing,” Billy said.

“Let’s talk about the wedding” Ingrid said.

Sofia and Adan started to talk about the wedding, but Billy wasn't happy about the idea. Sofia wants Cora to design the wedding dress and Cora Said yes.

✬ ✬ ✬ ✬

The last few days, have been stressful for everyone. Your parents arrived and Billy didn't get along with them. Cora is feeling stressed out, trying to design The dress.

“Babe?” You said

She fell asleep and you gently wake her up.

“Oh, no! I fell asleep. What time is it?” Cora said.

“Baby, come down. You need to eat and I got coffee and a muffin for you” You said.

“I didn't even start to put the other materials together. Y/N, I need to finish the dress and everything is moving so fast” Cora said.

She stands up to grab the fabric, but you gently pull it towards you. You caress her cheek and put her hair behind her ear.

“Cora, breathe. You got this. Don't put a lot of pressure on yourself, you are not a robot. You are a great designer” You said.

She kissed you on the lips. She lays her head on your chest and you gently rub her back.

“I’m glad you are here right now, Y/N. Let's run away, Y/N” Cora said.

“No. Because I know you wouldn't want to miss your sister’s wedding” You said.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Cora said.

You help Cora move the heavy fabric around.

———

Your father Hernan is laid back and just enjoys life without stress.

“We must follow traditions. For luck, they must get married on that date” Billy said.

“What tradition is that? As for the music, i know this great DJ. I went to his party and he knows how to move the crowd” Hernan said.

“There will be no dance techno or whatever it's called at the wedding. There must be traditional Cuban music at the wedding” Billy said.

“I don't think they would want both,” You said.

“Sofia And I talked about it. We don't want a big wedding or a huge party-” Adan tried to talk

“Nonese, you and Sofia don't know how to throw a party,” Hernan said.

“Dad, we know what we want,” Adan said.

Billy, Hernan, and Adan started to argue. No one is actually listening to each other, everyone is yelling. Adan just walked away and you sighed. Billy And Hernan continued to argue they were so loud, that Ingrid had to walk in and tell them to stop fighting. Your dad left the room and you left but you heard what he said about you…

“I don’t approve of my girl marrying that boy, and I don't approve of Cora dating Y/N!” Billy yelled.

Sofia walked in and she yelled at her father.

“Stop it! I love, Adan and I'm going to marry him. You are going to be like this then I don't want you at the wedding” Sofia said.

She walked away angry. Much later, Billy heard you and Cora talking about her dropping out of college. Then he started to blame you and he grabbed You by the shirt.

“Dad!” Cora yelled.

You don't hit him and he doesn't let go of your shirt. But Ingrid, Adan, and everyone pulled Billy away from you.

“Because of you, she dropped out of college! Cora why you didn't tell me!?” Billy yelled.

“I was going to you, but I didn't want to ruin Sofia’s wedding,” Cora said.

“She was going to tell you after the wedding. I only told her to follow her dreams” You said.

“Dreams don't pay the bills. I don't approve of you dating my daughter” Billy said.

“Dad, I’m not a kid anymore. I will do what makes me happy” Cora said.

“Everyone, calm down especially you, Billy. Y/N go take Cora for a walk, I need to speak with her father alone” Ingrid said.

You leave with Cora and you take her away from the house. You start to comfort her and You listen to her talk.

———

You are at the bachelor party for your brother. You are alone with Billy at the bar. Everyone else is dancing and having a good time.

“Since I got here, you have been tough on Cora and Sofia. It's like you are hiding something” You said.

He doesn't say anything and you wait for a reply. He drinks his liquor and you continue to wait.

“How do you feel Adan And Sofia moving to Mexico?” Billy asked.

“It sucks, but it makes him happy. I want him and Sofia to be happy” You said.

“Ingrid and I, are getting a divorce. I wanted to wait until after the wedding” Billy said.

“Cora told me. When my parents got divorced everything changed rapidly. I don't like my dad’s wife and I try to avoid them” You said.

“I don't want Sofia and Cora to pick sides,” Billy said

“Don’t push them away. Cora doesn't like it when you compare her to Sofia. Cora is her own person and she is very talented” You said.

“You are right, Y/N. I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you and Adan,” Billy said.

“I accept your apology,” You said

✬ ✬ ✬ ✬

Sofia loved the dress that Cora designed. After the wedding, Adan and Sofia moved to Mexico. But you worked with Billy to design the cafe shop into a fashion studio. Ingrid and Billy got divorced, and you had to comfort Cora through the process.

“Y/N, can I take off the blindfold now?” Cora asked

You took her to the studio and put a blindfold on her.

“Okay, relax babe” You smiled.

You take off the blindfold and she looks around.

“Why are we here?” Cora asked

“This is your fashion studio. Do you like it? Your father helped me design the place” You said

“Wait, my dad!? No, this can't belong to me. I can't afford the rent or the furniture” Cora said.

You grabbed her hands and you are smiling at her.

“This place belongs to you and you don't have to pay rent, because I own the place. You are talented, Cora, and I know people will want you to design their clothes. Do you really like the place?” You said

She hugged you tight then she started to kiss you.

“I love it, Y/N. Oh, this is the best gift ever, I'm speechless. I don't know what else to say besides Thank you” Cora smiled.

You start to kiss her again.

“You can repay me back by making a suit for me. I have a business meeting next week” You smiled.

“Of course!” Cora smiled.

She hugged you again and she couldn't stop smiling.

#Cora Herrera x male reader #Cora Herrera x reader #x male reader #male!reader #male reader #male reader insert #male reader fanfic

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fantomette22 · 2 days

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Ok, let’s hear about your favorite Gehrman and Maria happy AU!!

With pleasure!!!! :D

Ok so for context yesterday I refound this post :

And I was like "hey guys in my happy AU Gehrman could totally get or make something like this for Maria!" And then it spiralled into "oh I completely forgot to explain my bloodborne "happy ending AU" so there it is finally I guess. I think I only share to a couple of persons so far XD (I have a few others many different AU and darker but it isn't for today).

I already did a few drawings in link with it : here, here, here and there. Yeah with the gehrmaria ship involve so pass your way if that isn't your thing.

I did end up making the cottage house of the AU in Minecraft since a few months ago by the way XD I even have a tanner, hunter and a freaking cleric villager who now took possession of the house 😂😭 even Laurence decided to live here now I can't. I would need to redo it I kinda screw up proportions I think. Sadly Minecraft bedrock doesn't offer to put many details. I guess it would be better in the sims? If someone knows a good game to built house (and 19th century one) I'm taking it!

So now about the AU it's kinda an AU of my fic verse who can be consider like an AU as well I suppose (even if I tried to stay as canon complaint as possible in this one). Like you can guess from the name Yharnam doesn't became hell on earth and most people don't end up dying horribly. I will copy paste below the summary so you I can explain it better.

Bloodborne happy/good ending AU Summary :

Basically after bloodborne game event (in my fic verse interpretation) our dear baby squid good hunter decided it was rewind time and give everyone a 2nd chance. Don't ask me how

Then it's not clear but either the souls of everyone were taken and yet back in their old self, decades earlier of if people from the past dreamed of the future or a weird mixt of both. But it's what happened. Decades before the game invent (Byrgenwerth era) people started wake up and remember events that haven't happen yet + message from the new great one that they were giving a 2nd chance to make things right etc. It feels like a very strange dream but they knew it was real. Some people remember more than other and they especially remember their own future and they lived/are gonna live+ a couple of other things in game event for exemple.

Now it's up to them to not make the same mistakes and make things right.

So imagine it’s like 2-3am at Byrgenwerth, everyone wake up from well this dream/ nightmare and they basically remember everything that happened to them. So you haven hundreds of people outside in their pyjama. Crying, hugging, and some almost throwing hands with others 💀 quite emotional. I know it’s pretty crazy (i don’t have everything settle yet)

*Yeah you have people who were basically bestie at the time almost punching each other because one betrayed the other years later lol and people who didn’t like each other at Byrgen but become friends way later are hugging and crying. Some people were really confused xD like the one who die earlier on the timeline or weren't very important or just leave this mess early.

So of course you have Laurence & Gehrman crying and holding each other in pyjama in the middle of the dark campus. Then Maria show up in the distance 👁️👁️ it’s even more of an emotional reunion.

So you have this 2 idiots then Maria show up in the distance, they’re stunned and then Laurence tells him « what the hell you’re waiting for just go!!!» so he runs extremely fast (maria too) and they stop a few meters away from each other just staring. Then he tried to apologize says he’s sorry for everything. « YOU’RE SORRY?! » she’s kinda mad and sad about everything that happened she kinda hit him but he is surprise it’s not that hard then she hugs him and they hug each other and cry. (Yeah the Doll is discuss a bit later it's all good)

At some point Laurence try to eclipse himself and Maria’s like « you fucking stay here! » because she have things to say to this dumbass too.

So everyone reunite and all. With Caryll/ Rom/ Ludwig etc.They are hugging and all and then you have like Damian trying to kick Mico’s ass and nobody stopping him XD

Also Charles and Laurence threw hands 💀it’s a mess.

*People who’re not suppose to be very friends at this era are in each other arms and some bff are like throwing hands.

Then Willem show up and tell everyone to shut up and calm down 😂

Charles and Maria later go to Cainhurst to hug all their family who slightly remember all the shit too. And so it don’t cause a war again as well 😂 because they're kinda salty about their nightmares were the church + executioners killed them.

Anyway they all kinda calm down and some times later they’re all reuniting by Willem & Laurence because we need to talk about what the hell happened. « Yep that was real » now time to change it.

After this mess and discussing what the hell happened and « we need to changed things! » they need to make a big plan how to avoid the fishing hamlet pb and save the orphan. they also can't just not use blood because it does save lives so it's quite complex.

So years later (because the beginning of it during like Maria, Ludwig, Caryll & Rom's hm 3rd of 4th years of university) they manage to make sure the hamlet don't became fishmen, and help Kos give birth (she isn't dead yet but her physical body do die afterwards). And baby orphan is fine and taking care off 👍

Then it's party time 😎 Well they still have things to take care of but I didn't thought of all the details yet. So Maria & Gehrman officially get together 🎉 (never really happened in my main interpret, it's complicated) and some times later travel between Yharnam and other places to help people around (to put it shortly).

THEN they buy a house next to a forest and a small village and live there for some time, maybe start a family etc (see the drawing with the baby!! I won't get into all the family detail today through). So they got the cottage/country house ✨

How they found it? Well funny story one day old hunters were on the mission (not the happy au but fic verse) and the mayor leave the house to them so they could sleep for a few nights and Gehrman really liked the house and even made a deposit for it for a few years if one day he wanted to buy it XD

Then after some time they accidentally adopt a lil dog too (before the huge white wolfhound years later) XD

Something like this. Need to find a name for this lil guy.

And recently I've been thinking a cat could be cool too. A really fluffy one

I made those 2 other sketches last year in link with the AU as well. I never share those so there it is.

And I have a fic planned (1-2 chap max for now), an entire summary, a chapter plan and even a few sentences written for this AU in particular. But idk when I could write it. And I could even have 2 versions depending the rating @_@ so maybe one day...

So yeah it's a bit messy but it's all the fluff & some other things I need. And that's it for now!

#bloodborne happy ending au #gehrmaria #fantomette22art #sorry that was long XD #my asks #bloodborne au #bloodborne headcanons #gehrman the first hunter #lady maria of the astral clocktower #bloodborne

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icypenguin · 2 days

Text

★~ Streamer!venti headcanons!

heyyy how’s everyone doinggg? sorry for the messy schedule by the way, i was in a writers block and can’t really figure out what you guys would like.. but i hope this is enough! so without further ado, please enjoyyyy!

-streamer!venti who would play horror name ‘just for fun’ cuz he thinks he’s brave enough to face the fear, yet he got goosebumps just by the title screen and background music.

-streamer!venti who loves pokémon and sonic the most. he has a full collection of their funko pop figures.

-streamer!venti who’s got the famous and iconic squeal when he’s excited.

-streamer!venti who often streams with his friend in aim to complete a horror game but they ended up chatting about how unicorns are fake and their delusions on them becoming a business man...

-streamer!venti who does those kawaii neko girl dances just for fun but ended up getting viral and teased for it.

-streamer!venti who always includes you to his stream, even if it’s just you watching him or greeting chat.

-streamer!venti’s chat who has been asking since ages a go if you guys are dating and even started to make a ship page about you both.

~ small drabble ~

“CHAT CHAT CHAT HELP MEEE HELP ME WHERE- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE KEY- THE STUPID WAFFLELING KEY SHUTUP MONSTER SHUTUP YOU BIG POOPYHEADDDDDD” venti was screaming his lungs out by the horrors he got from the video game, not minding what could possibly happen if your neighbours have heard it. “shh venti quiet down! you’re being too loud!” you opened the door quickly to shush venti down, remembering what happened by the last time when venti screamed in the middle of the night… “oh yeah- sorry! AAAAAAA OPEN THE DOOR OPEN THE DOOR-THE KEY WONT WORK STUPID KEY STUPID STUPID STUPIDDDD” he was too focused on the screen that he even forgot what you just said. “VENTI! i told you to quiet down!” this behaviour or venti was tiring but still, you stayed with him even if you can’t have good rest. “oopsies… sorry y/n i- sighs i was so close to reaching the end!” he was now devastated since the monster succeeded to catch him and slash him in the game. both of his hands were placed on his hair as his elbows were on the table. another defeat of another game that he was on the edge to finish. you noticed what happened by his expression and felt guilt drowning your emotions. “ah- sorry.. i disturbed you, didn’t i?” you got closer to venti, patting his head in hope to cheer him up. “it’s fine y/n.. it was my fault too.. i should’ve been more careful” he looked up to see you with shimmering eyes, a mix of devastation and guilt. meanwhile you both were comforting eachother, chat was going crazy by the more-than-friends contact!

ilovegummybear456: SHIPPPPP

elgatofan1267: AWWW THEY’RE SO CUTEEE

pizzaburritoslice: OMG VENTI X Y/N CONFIRMED???

wigllyjellyyyyyies: SHIP NAME RN????

pandalover02: THEY’RE LITERALLY CUDDLING?!?!!?!?!?!

and the rest were filling the chats with love emojis… upon focusing on the screen again, you both were suddenly in a blushing mess as chat goes wild about this. neither of you were brave enough to speak so soon, but he finally did it. “so- shall we play pokémon shining pearl now?” he cleared his throat before saying and tried to move on to another topic, but chat resist and kept on spamming love emojis and teasings. “ughh guyss stop ittt! we’re just roomatessss!” he whined to make them stop while you giggled at this. “well chat, time for me to go! oh and- dinner in 30 minutes, kay?” “okie dokie!” he shot you and thumbs up and went back into his stream. now chat was teasing about you taking care of him, feeding him, cooking for him.. well, goodluck for him to escape out of this naggings!

TYSM FOR READINGGG! hope u all liked this one! please have a nice dayy!

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. thankyou for supporting! ୨♡୧

#genshin x reader #genshin impact #venti headcanons #venti x reader #genshin impact venti

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hykar · 2 days

Text

💫🌷Im into you Pt 2•°

Synopsis: Sucheon Kang is your admirer, the way he shows you affection however is in such an odd way... A grumpy(?) Kind of way. At first you thought he was just trying to be more nicer to people not until you noticed that he's only acting this way to you.

You as: Anon [Anonymous]—Anon who doesn't treat Sucheon as any different, Anon who treats him like a human being and just that.

°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°

You and Subin sat down on a wooden platform under a huge tree, sheltering in its shade from the blazing sun, the breeze brought by the lake facing the courtyard outside the campus cooling your bodies down. It's campus clean up day and all of the students are assigned to clean their classrooms and certain places within the school grounds, staff and teachers are included in this activity.

"They should've scheduled the courtyard clean up early in the morning or in the afternoon where the sun isn't cooking us assigned to this task alive." Subin muttered, wiping off her sweat with your towel. You checked todays weather temperature on your phone, 33° Celsius.

"...We're already done with this part at least." You sighed, knowing that the two of you might've passed out from the heat if it took the two of you any longer. "Just the hallway left."

"You got water with you?" Subin asked, "Forgot to take it down with us, its in the classroom." "Fuck.." Subin reached for her pocket "Fuck, I left my card in my bag..." The two of you sat in silence for a moment. "Jisuk?" "Jisuk." Subin stood up and looked for him.

No thoughts, head empty, and staring at the grass. Thats how you looked like as you sat in silence. A cold and moist material jolted you awake when it pressed against your skin. You looked towards the direction of where it came from and faced Sucheon, holding two ice cups of 2 different drinks of some sort.

"Did I scare you?" "Just got surprised thats all." "Ahh okay... Got you something by the way." He handed you the ice cup he pressed against your skin earlier as he sat down beside you. You took the cup with a small smile on your face, "What drink is this?" You asked, looking at the light green liquid. "Green grape ade, thought you might like it.", you smiled again "Thanks."—The two of you sat there in silence, just drinking refreshments.

"We found a big dead ass rat right under the pot, I nearly vomi- HOLY SHIT GO BACK-" "OW WHAT THE FUCK SU-" "SHHH"

Subin pushed Jisuk behind a wall and hid behind it too, peeking at you and Sucheon sitting beside each other.

"You see this shit?" "No, your head full of air is too bi- HOLYYYY-" "SHHH".

(This is the best one I can find Im sorry TT)

"Oh the storage rooms?" You said, finishing your drink. "Yeah—got assigned with Jisuk and he's making things more difficult, no offense." You chuckled. "Is cleaning the courtyard easier?" "Pretty much, the heat is what makes it difficult." "Ahh..." Sucheon noticed a spray bottle in the cleaning bucket given to you and Subin, he grabbed it and sprayed a bit on you. "What was that for?!" "To cool you down, you said its hot." He said, trying not to smile. You blinked at him. He sprayed again. "Sucheon." He sprayed again, grinning. "Sucheon." He kept spraying then started chasing you around with the spray bottle.

"Stop it!" You squealed, running away from him. "What? I'm just helping you cool down!" He laughed as he ran after you and spraying whenever he gets close.

You saw a hose on the ground and picked it up, Sucheon stopped in his tracks. "[Name]... Please don't-" "What? You don't want me to help you cool down in such a hot weather?" You opened the faucet and chased Sucheon with the hose spraying water. "[NAME]!" He exclaimed, picking up an empty bucket to shield himself then started running away from you as you chased him around laughing.

Subin snapped a picture of the two—Her and Jisuk giggling and feeling on top of the world. "We're gonna have loads of fun with this shit!" "I'll miss teasing Iseul though." They laughed.

[KDRAMA: Our Beloved Summer]

°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°

Sucheon was walking down the hall, carrying a bucket of dirty water. Subin and Jisuk were walking in the opposite direction as him in same hall, upon seeing Sucheon—the two started snickering.

Jisuk started jogging in a real slow pace while Subin acted as if she was running after him. "Im gonna spray alcohol on you Jisuk!" "Ahh! Subin please no!" Then they started laughing. Sucheon frowned, he knew what they're trying to imply or do, or both. "Oh look Subin a hose! Better start running!" "Jisuk no! Ahh!" The two were laughing and all not until they screamed and ran off, partially laughing when Sucheon turned to them and was about to pour the dirty water onto them.

°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°

"I don't think he understood..."

°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°☆°•☆•°

You were expecting a notification from Sucheon to arrive sooner or later that says "Outside." When he leaves the stuff he got for you outside your door, a knock isn't what you expected. Nevertheless, you got up and opened the door. He was there. "That's new." "Were you shala?" "...That's not how you use the slang-" "Oh...".

From that day, he would knock on your door instead of sending a message to tell you that he left what he got you in front of your door. He doesn't stay, just hands it to you then smiles—a very tiny one. Then leaves, but the two of you would talk on the phone shortly after.

This day however it was different...

He's sat down with you on the floor of your living room, eating the tteokboki he brought with him for the two of you. "Do you think it needs a bit of spice?" He asked, looking at the tteokboki like something is missing. "I think its good." "Thats good to hear." He smiled—a really soft one, your lips wanting to curve into a smile too seeing it. "Why, did you make it?" You asked—your lips finally curving into a smile, finding the thought of it cute and sweet. Sucheon remained silent for a moment, his ears burning a light shade of red. "So you did make it." "Shut up and eat." "Thats cute." He looked away, his ears getting redder.

A question suddenly dawned into you as you looked at him. "Should I ask or should I not?" You pondered. "Nah Im just jumping to conclusions and assumptions... But what if..."

—To be continued....

#kang sucheon #sucheon kang #sucheon x reader #yoo jisuk #lee subin #eleceed #alternate universe

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 2 years

Text

Oh no. I’m back. And I didn’t shut up for 9 pages. I’m sorry.

Moon Knight. A commentary on mental illness and able-ism?

I’m not going to dive into the comics because we have…..YEARS of content to unpack there with every single writer. But I am going to brush on it just a little. This is going to be mostly about the show.

I’m going to preface this by saying that everyone’s experience in anything is going to be different. We are, after all, individuals. You can give the same diagnosis to five different people, and while they will have some overlapping similarities, they will all experience it differently. Honestly, the same goes for any type of handicap, mental illness, religion, autism, or any sort of neurodivergent person. Which is both wonderful and oftentimes frustrating. One person can point at something and scream how wrong it is and toxic, while another will point and say “I feel seen! At last!” We just have to keep in mind that maybe both perspectives are right. Which is hard to do, but all we can do is try.

Let’s start with the abuse. Wait, let’s go further back. Let’s start with the absolute neglect that was given to Wendy.

I am not here to apologize for her. She was monstrous and cruel and 100% a destructive force… But what was done to help her in the start? What was done to stop her from taking it out on Marc?

A mother that just lost her child is in pain and mourning. We see a glimpse of people sitting around, but no one is actually talking to her. Where is her support network? Where are the family and friends? Where is the culture? Where is the Rabbi? If she was not Jewish, or considered a convert, let’s assume the father has his own cultural support. So where is his support? Why is he not grieving with his wife?

She starts to scream and blame Marc for the loss of her son and the smallest effort is made to stop her. More so, no one follows Marc up the stairs to comfort him. A child that just lost his baby brother. A child that was there and witnessed the drowning of his baby brother. A child that probably just barely escaped death himself.

There is a lack of a support system. A lack of grief counseling. A lack of spousal support. A lack of spiritual help. A lack of community.

She sank into alcohol and while we see the father trying to give Marc a normal life of birthday parties and so on, it all feels forced. Nothing is wrong here. Why can’t you just be normal and happy? There is nothing wrong with the family. Your mother doesn’t mean those things she says. She’s just sad sometimes.

Wendy is spiraling down and at most the husband is a small voice in the background asking her to please get over it. Please don’t do this. Don’t make a scene.

As a child watching this, you don’t understand why it is happening. This isn’t supposed to happen. Adults are invulnerable. They have all the answers. They are supposed to make things better. The only logical conclusion that can be made is that it is your fault. If you didn’t exist they could be happier. They wouldn’t be so sad. None of this would have happened.

Next we see a very good example of looking the other way. She starts to beat him. She would have left marks. Using a belt with that much pent up rage, she would not have been careful to only hit so it won’t show. Unless he was dissociating so hard that completely tuned it out, he would have had defensive marks that first time. Hands up, curling up in a little ball to protect himself if she had let him. She might have grabbed his wrists to prevent him from curling up. She would have left bruises there.

Did the father not notice? Marc would have been too scared to have told him. It was ingrained too much in him that it was his fault and that he deserved this. He wouldn’t have told anyone. But someone would have seen the marks. Over and over again.

Now we have the failure of a society to talk about or question what was happening at home. A thing that still very very much happens. Why is the kid acting out? Why are they suddenly quiet and submissive? Why are they getting into fights? Clearly they are just a bad child and nothing is going on at home except for a lack of discipline. The school calls up “Hey Marc got into another fight. He’s failing math. He needs more structure at home.”

This leads to more beatings.

I wish we had seen more of his interactions with his father. The one scene we got was “Why haven’t you?” as his father begs him not to leave. The one time Marc questions why his father hasn’t done anything to help him or help his mother.

My personal head canon is that Marc has very little memories from around this time. Especially around his father. Giving his time to Steven, dissociating, and possibly the emergence of Jake all scrambled his memories. I believe that Marc reached a point where he took too much from his mother and that Jake came during a very dark time for the system. Possibly in a psychiatric ward. Possibly during a break down. Possibly in dealing with his father’s failure to properly identify the problem and further putting it on Marc instead of Wendy. I think Jake’s demons lay in facing his father and the lack of proper help and protection Marc was offered. But none of that is solid or supported by the show. Just my own two cents.

Next we go into the military. Cause they’ve never failed to identify mental illness and give support, right? HA.

Marc is good at hiding his problems. Scarily good. Going with the show, he’s very very good at masking his autism. Honestly, he takes things at face value, likes structure, and doesn’t understand exaggerations. Of course he thrives in the military. He’s good at it and picks it up. He makes it his drive to understand weapons and fighting. He mostly has Steven figured out at this point. Steven is a switch he can turn on when he feels overwhelmed emotionally. He isn’t going to have that in the military. He has control. He is a picture of perfect cool.

Except when he isn’t. Marc has anger problems. He is still overwhelmed by other emotions. He has self worth problems. He probably wakes up at night cringing and defending himself from his mother.

I’m going to go off on a small tangent for a moment, but please hang in there. I met a guy in college who wanted to be a nurse. He was so happy and bouncy and bubbly. A huge buff man that worked out with muscles for days. He was ex army and covered in tattoos.

He had to give a presentation on something personal and he gave one on PTSD. Now, we all knew he was a former army and had seen action. We all figured “Ah, PTSD from the army guy. He must have seen some fights!”

His presentation started with how one quiet night he was on guard duty. He got up to check on a weapons shed. He reached up to turn on the light and he was suddenly a small boy again seeing his mother’s hand come flying towards his face. He started having panic attacks, night terrors, and would freeze up in routine situations. He had blocked out the years of abuse his mother had done to him. It all came flying back to him because he got up one night and turned on a light.

How often do you think Marc would hear someone bang on a door and kick start his fight or flight response? How many times do you think he would start to dissociate because he could hear running water?

I believe that the only time Marc had full control of himself was in the heat of battle. He could focus on the battle. On getting through. He could feel alive and ignore anything else. He could focus his unchecked rage. He could ignore any pain in the heat of the moment. I think it was when things calmed down and were quiet and he was left to his own thoughts that things got bad for him.

I think Marc’s own problems started to get in the way. Dissociating, losing time, wandering off because he can’t handle the clam and quiet. Moments where perhaps Steven would come to the surface for just a bit. Moments where Jake might have had to take over because Marc was too lost in his own head. Jake would have had to learn to fight just to get them through. I can imagine the first time Jake was dropped into the middle of some fire fight. The absolute sheer terror and determination to get them out of there.

So of course Marc gets kicked out. A fugue state. They don’t want to deal with that. Forget sending him to counseling. He came in already broken. It isn’t their fault he can’t handle it like everyone else. Marc wouldn’t talk to a counselor anyway. He’s been trained not to talk. To put on the mask and make it all fine.

There is no fall back as a mercenary. No therapy or ‘hey you okay?’. You fight and hope you don’t fall behind and that you get paid.

I’m not going to get into Khonshu. We all know what he did. His manipulation and using Marc’s problems against him.

Let’s jump into Steven. Sweet Steven. Here is a man that doesn’t know the definition of Masking. Why would he? He’s never had to. He sees the museum is hiring and they have a special exhibit on his favorite thing ever!

So he wanders in and applies. This part is actually upsetting. He has the knowledge. He wants to be a tour guide. He wants to smile and tell people everything he knows about Egypt. He knows so much that he can’t help but correct any mistakes he sees. Correct anything someone mispronounces. He’s awkward, he doesn’t have social cues. He’s a grown man with the energy of a child.

He knows more about Egypt than any of the tour guides that sat through a five minute video course and was forced to memorize a script. THE MAN CAN READ HIEROGLYPHS. So why is he a gift shoppist?

Is it because he talks too much and too fast when excited? Is it because he can’t stay on script because he has so much more to tell you than what was written out by some tired man that read a book once? Is it because he awkwardly sat in the interview, waved, and said “Hi! I’m Steven with a V. I saw you had a sign up about Egypt and I love Egypt I’ve been reading about it for years and I’ve been through your exhibit about ten times in the past week and let me tell you that the sign on the statue of Horus is absolutely wrong because while they are both birds it is actually Thoth, who is vastly different. I bet whoever made that mistake is going to be so red in the face, am I right?”

And they keep him there in the gift shop. Any time they see him talking to the patrons they put him back behind the counter. They punish him for being over exuberant and being late with inventory duty late into the night. They can’t be asked to learn his name or listen to him when he tells them he doesn’t like nicknames. He isn’t normal and honestly they treat him like a child.

When Steven starts to show signs of stress and causing problems, they punish him more. We all know at this point that Donna is a representation of continued abuse from his mother and Ammit and so on… But we all know a boss like her. A bully. One that has decided that you are an idiot and not worth their time. She doesn’t care about his dreams or desire for a better job position. She would put him in the broom closet if she could. To her, he is disgusting and wrong. He doesn’t act like everyone else. She just wants him to shut up and sell whatever crap they have to sell that day.

So when the bathroom is trashed and they have the video of a man clearly in distress, they don’t know what to do with him. He’s called out as being mentally ill, which to them is a liability. What if he freaks out in front of guests? What if he breaks something important? He’s fired and given a pamphlet. “We aren’t going to help you get help, but read this and go find help.”

Is this the place he needs to go? Do they know what kind of help he needs? Is he in crisis? If he were a man in crisis, handing him a pamphlet is not a great move. They don’t know what kind of help he needs! Does he need a very specific type of trauma therapist? Does he already have his own therapist or doctor? Who cares, give him a pamphlet to a place they heard about. At least they can be seen as compassionate and offering help, even if he doesn’t take it.

At this point, the only person who Steven is comfortable talking to is a man that is akin to a mime. He can’t talk back and is a living statue. I think this says a lot about the state of how alone Steven is. So when Harrow calls him Broken, Steven knows he isn’t broken. His life is falling apart and he doesn’t understand why, but admits that maybe he needs a little help. Of course Harrow isn’t there to help him. Harrow is there to make him feel broken. To feel powerless.

The way Harrow asks Steven if he can talk to Marc is like when a teacher talks down to you and asks what you did wrong, knowing you did wrong. Steven puts his foot down. Steven is not having it. There is nothing wrong with him and this is not the help he needs. Steven can see past it and has had enough being belittled and overlooked.

It affects Marc, though. Marc hasn’t learned how to handle this sort of thing. Harrow is chipping away at him. For the first time ever, someone is acknowledging that there is something wrong with him, but instead of helping him, they are throwing it back in his face. Of course he’s broken. Of course he is mentally ill. He’s so broken and ill that no one can help him. He is just more of a disgrace.

Harrow further chips away at Marc in the great pyramid. Calling out all of Marc’s insecurities that he witnessed when he looked at his scales. Of course Marc knows his own name. Marc knows about Steven. He probably helped set up Steven’s work history. But Harrow is taking Marc’s fear of being seen as broken, wrong, and mentally ill and throwing it back in his face. He’s using it against him. He’s telling these other powerful people that hold a place of power not to listen to Marc because he is sick.

These are things Marc fears. Things that have probably happened to Marc at some point in his life. Perhaps things his own family threw at him. “Don’t talk like that, what will the neighbors think?” “Put on a long sleeve shirt to hide your scars.” “Smile for the picture. You don’t want people to think you aren’t friendly.”

And we do see how it hurts him. Khonshu has used his body without permission. You can see how it hurts him after each scream. How draining it is. Not to mention this is a sensation Marc knows. To not have control of your body. To not feel yourself. To have to watch and listen as someone else uses you and you can do nothing.

You can see the point where Marc is broken down after Khonshu is forced to release his hold on Marc. On his knees before people that now only see him as ‘unwell’. Before a man that knows his secrets and just how sick he views himself as.

He once more asks for help and he is not only denied help, but he is dismissed. They don’t listen to him. If they had a pamphlet for ‘Sick Avatars’ they probably would have given it to him. It’s exactly what Steven went through in the Museum and while it made Steven angry and seek answers, this is where Marc has been before and he is too broken down and tired to fight it anymore. He knows where it has landed him before.

If it weren’t for Steven, Harrow would have won right there. Marc was done fighting.

So where does the story change?

In the comics it still hasn’t changed. For so long Moon Knight was seen as the crazy hero. The one playing hero that no one took seriously. The Avengers called him a mad dog. They don’t trust him to carry out serious missions because he’s crazy and could go off at any moment.

He’s been called schizophrenic, been tossed older terminology of Multiple Personality (even after the newer terminology was recognized and accepted in more common use), been shown as having made it all up in his head, of erasing his traumatic past and blaming it on being touched by a god and frying his brain, of saying his problems are an outside force that damaged him somehow.

The hard part is that when we do get a good writer that puts Marc through his struggles and brings him the peace and understanding he has always been looking for, the next writer could undo it all so easily.

Moon Knight has come to be defined by his mental illness. I think they are afraid that if they make him more at home with himself then they will lose the edge and he won’t be fascinating to read or write. That is why they keep redoing him. They didn’t know what to do with him and now all they do with him is try to define his illness.

In Marc alone, we have depression, trauma, DID (heavy on the D), guilt, self spite, symptoms of having been gaslighted, PTSD, suicidal tendancies, and a man that is always on the edge of being in crisis. The beautiful part? So many of his readers can relate to some part of this.

I’ve seen so many people be asked, “Hey, you have DID, what do you think of Moon Knight?” And they just start gushing. While it hasn’t always been a realistic representation, and not always a favorable one, this is a man that chooses to be a hero in all aspects and somehow figures out how to function. A man people love not despite his illnesses, but because of.

There are some readers out there that go to him because he’s wild and ‘unhinged’ and has violent fights and kicks ass. There will always be that group. Yet there are so many that want to see how he handles being in real therapy. To see how he manages to still be a figure of importance in his neighborhood. To see him make friends and fight his inner demons as much as his enemy of the week. People that see his struggle as their own and want to see him crawl out of the sewer and be surrounded by his friends.

We want to see him acknowledge that he is who he is. That he isn’t broken. That maybe he’s a little different but that he can still be who and what he chooses to be, and that is a hero.

So back to the show. Where does that leave us? He isn’t asking for help anymore. No one listens. No one understands and while everyone is telling him how broken he is, no one is willing to help him get himself back together.

I think this is where a lot of people see themselves. Rock bottom, desperate, giving up, broken, tired of asking before no one is listening or seeing them. So how does Marc get lifted up?

In this case, Marc has built his own support system. Jake is there to force him to stop hurting himself and Steven is there to lift him back up. Even Layla who eventually realizes that despite Marc pushing her away, he really just needs her there. She literally flies in and saves him, then helps him back up.

It doesn’t matter where your support system comes from, it’s something we all need. Outside forces or inside.

I wish I wish I wish we had the Diab cut. We got to see him stand up to Khonshu, Ammit and Harrow… But to see him confront his mother… Something we all wish we could have. To find the person that has abused and tormented them and stand up and say “You were wrong. I am not broken. I am surviving and I am still here.”

So again, where does that leave everything? We don’t know. These are problems that don’t go away overnight. The show ends on a note. Not an up note or a down note. Just a note. They are still back right where the show started. Tethered to a bed and unsure about the future.

But on waking, the first thing Marc does is call out for reassurance. “Steven, are you there?” A man always on edge of crisis. This time he is asking for his life line, and his life line, while sleepy and unsure about his own future, will always be there to help him.

They will still face rejection, people trying to tell them that they are wrong or not normal or broken. People that feel the need to bully them because they are different. They will still face prejudice and people not willing to understand. People who will think that they need help and proceed to offer the worst help one can find.

Is any of that okay? No. Unfortunately it is realistic. But I think they are going to be more confident in themselves now. When one feels insecure or like maybe they are wrong, the other can help them push through.

Society is not the best at offering help. Sometimes it’s going to miss big things and then pat itself on the back when it hands you a fucking pamphlet. The important thing is that we are our own heroes. Maybe we can be someone else’s hero.

We’d rather save the world.

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight Meta #Oh no I started going and forgot how to stop #talks of abuse #Marc Spector #Steven Grant #Jake Lockley #It's been a week and this was my only escape #I slipped and fell in the deepend here #All I want to do is scream about Moon Knight #Seriously though #If you need help don't be Marc about it

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