#unlike most of my plush this one is not for sale
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Handmade Quilava plushie! He is extremely soft and floppy and has removable flames (which I custom painted, the fur was just plain yellow) that attach via magnets. Measures 46 cm nose to bum (18 inch). I'm so happy with this guy :D I've been wanting to have a floppy Quilava plush for so long!
#quilava#magmarashi#pokemon plush#handmade plush#avanii's plush#I'm going to take this lil guy to conventions and have him balance on my shoulder when I walk around#unlike most of my plush this one is not for sale#Quilava is my top fave pokemon it combines two of my favourite things: weasels and volcanoes. It was made for me hahaha#pokemon#avanii's art
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Ranking Plush Cobras 🐍
Part 1: ranking plush anacondas 🐍
"Cobra" is a little vaguer than anaconda, because "cobras" include a specific genus and the common names of a variety of snake species. As such, I'll give them more leeway in terms of color accuracy, but I think the shape of the hood will make or break these snake plushes.
Cobra Stuffed Animal by Wild Republic
Length: 54 in
11/10. I chose cobras after I found this guy because I love him, so much. Her cute little face. Their perfect little hood. They look like they're smiling. I can't see the back, but I think this is a creative interpretation of a monocled cobra, which can be striped. The spectacled cobra also has similar front-hood ornamentation, usually seem more "freckled" than "striped". I think this could pass for a creative interpretation of both. Unlike most snake plushies, the proportion of the head is much more accurate and in my opinion, cuter. Wild Republic really redeemed themselves from last time.
Cobra Snake Plush by Top Toy
1.5m
4/10, this guy certainly has the look of maybe a king cobra, and that chunky head shape so many retailers seem to use for snakes actually fits the cobra. But if I want a plush of a deadly snake I would prefer it have the :< expression of a cobra and the big, charming eyes. Also, king cobras should have round pupils.
Cobra Pillow Snake by Unknown (via whiteblackstore)
2.1m
8/10 This is one of the longer cobra plushes, and he has an excellent shape, very huggable, soft, and does look like he'd work as a pillow although I couldn't confirm whether there is wire in her body. I'll note that even the product photo seems to have a manufacturing defect in one eye. This cobra was found on several websites, but I couldn't find the manu. The cape cobra can be orange, so even that works!
Plush Cobra by Haihuiyuan (?) (via aliexpress)
Length unknown
10/10 considering the size and simplicity I actually really like these ones. They all look a little angry but extremely cute, which is what I want in a cobra stuffie. Not angry as in vicious but angry like you just walked in on them at a bad moment and they turned around in surprise. Again, the cobras have heads the same size as their body, which I think is great. There are no blue cobras (I think) but I will accept this inaccuracy for the sake of cuteness.
Cobra snake plush by iharttoys
1+ m
2/10. My partner described these as "muppet like" and I actually added a point of that because thats a cute concept, but I hate these. I despise cartoon animals with this much white in their eyes, but other than that I think the hood just looks awful, like terrible finds, and the scales look too fish-y because they're big. I wish more plushies had open mouths, though, but I would definitely put fangs in them if I did an open mouth.
Cobra Stuffed Animal by WildRepublic (2)
12in* *standing up, longer uncoiled.
6/10 This small cobra is like the platonic ideal of cobra plushes. Its fairly accurate in color, fairly accurate in shape, and uses simple patterns effectively. Its like an 8/10 for accuracy, but it just doesn't charm me as much as some of the others I've seen.
Realistic stuffed cobra by Aurora (via stuffedsafari on pinterest)
13in* *may be standing up, couldnt find confirmation, looks to be longer uncoiled
9/10 another excellent cobra plush. This is more perfect than I ever could have imagined. The material used looks to be textured with different textures on top and bottom. My only complaint with the toy is the hood should be connected a little lower to match the shape of the head. My other complaint is that I can't actually find this anywhere for sale- I think it was sold out but still appeared on the pinterest page for the online store.
Foilkins Cobra by WildRepublic (3)
54in
7/10 I really like the vibe of this guy. Definitely a more flashy variety, not really trying to be realistic with its gimmick of having shiny scales, but it has a cute shape. Could use a bigger hood, maybe. Adorable though.
Cuddlekins cobra by Wildrepublic (4 or 2b?)
12in* *probably longer uncoiled, unclear
7/10 I have no idea if this is real. This snake is present on the wildrepublic amazon page and I could find no other pictures of it. Here is the saga of what I found about it:
One US reviewer posted a photo (2022) of what they purchased and it was clearly the cobra reviewed in WR 2, which does not have the fancier materials. The WR website has the WR 2 snake as being $23 but the amazon listing lists WR 4 as $55. In fact, a UK reviewer on Amazon from 2023 posted that the snake was not shiny and in the photo it looks the same as WR 2. I do hope people aren't buying for $55 from amazon when it is only $22 on their website- assuming everyone is getting WR 2 instead of the above picture. I did check and confirm the prices for plushes are normally the same on amazon and their website. I also went ahead and reported this to amazon, although I have no idea whether they take action on things like this.
Stuffed cobra from Sunny Toy (via stuffedark)
62in
8/10 Now THIS is what I'm looking for when I see a snake with an open mouth. This guy is discontinued so I couldn't find many details but he appears to be a puppet. I love his little fangs and delightful expression. Definitely a shape > pattern and color design, but it works.
Stuffed cobra from Fiesta Toy (via stuffedark)
49in
10/10 I think this snake has excellent vibes and could be my friend. no notes.
Wild Eyes king cobra by Animal Planet
38in (?)
1/10 I despise this snake. Its so ugly. why would you do this to me.
In conclusion
There are way more cobras than anacondas, and I would say they're generally more charming. I think the hood makes the cobra plushes instantly recognizable, but it also seems to be the only thing that will convince designers to make a snake plushes head a reasonable size compared to its body. Most of the hoods do tend to be a bit fin-ish and the nicer ones have the hood taper down the body.
Cobras dont always have their hood up- they do so as a threat display- so I've been ruminating on the techniques one could use to make a fold-out hood without ruining the plushness of the toy. I have not been able to think up a good solution.
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Got any Carrie Kelly headcanons? She is such an underrated Robin
For those of you who are new here, Carrie Kelley is technically the third Robin after Jason. She's had a couple of cameos across different universes (like as Damian's acting teacher), but the majority of her appearances are confined to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns where she is a 13-year-old girl who takes up the Robin mantle herself after an aging Bruce returns to the vigilante scene. Her canon sucks, but since I'm out here butchering the batfam anyway, I might as well revamp her characterization.
In regards to her place in the batfam, I think 13-14 is a good age for her because it helps fill in the gap between Tim/Duke and Damian, plus it adds balance because the rest of the girls skew older and it gives her more room for growth. Also 13 is prime Chaotic Weird Girl age and Carrie would absolutely be one
And I know she was briefly Batgirl in canon but can we also revamp that? There's a Batgirl void that she can totally fill but canon is like unseasoned boiled brussels sprouts. In my mind she's Batgirl but with a better costume, different mindset, and keeps her fun and distinct firecracker slingshot
Every time she goes shopping with Alfred, she comes back with another candlestick. She's up to ten now and they're all sitting in her room, fire hazards waiting to happen
She volunteers to help with the kindergarten and she's really good with kids... when she's not acting like one herself. She comes home after the first day with finger paint all over her face
A carjacker tries to break into the Batmobile and she just walks up to them like "Excuse me that's not yours"
She always keeps the dictionary up on her phone in the unlikely event she needs to prove to someone that contranyms are thing
She knows exactly what certain words mean, but pretends she doesn't and uses them wrong in the family groupchat because she knows Bruce will ask, which forces the other batkids to not only explain what a malewife is, but also correct Carrie by demonstrating how to use it correctly
She remembers every Taylor Swift song by heart and she's not ashamed
"Any pool is a public pool if you have the initiative," she says before selling wristbands for Bruce's pool
She gets the pets their own phones so she and Damian can text them throughout the day
She asks Bruce before taking any money, but the way she frames it is weird. For example, she'll ask him for a hundred bucks to buy some video games because that's the market price only to get them for $20 at a garage sale and spend the rest at on a really expensive burger
She's one of the privileged few to come across a person buying 300 watermelons in real life
Her invitations to hang out are like "Wanna come over? We can watch a movie or clean the Batcave, whatever works"
Damian is the "don't eat meat" type of environmentalist, but Carrie is the "I'll spam you with sad turtle pictures so you'll recycle plastic" type of environmentalist
She stocks up on Teen Spirit deodorant so she can say she smells like Teen Spirit
Her makeup skills are... not good. Jason mistook her for a Joker sidekick
She also snuck into Jason's phone and hid one of his Robin pics in his profile
She clips her nails during Bruce's briefings
Carrie and Duke go to the bookstore and see who can find the most Written By A Male Author book
She drinks water with a dash of olive oil
At galas she wears suit tops with skirts and light-up Sketchers
Carrie also doesn't care too much about gender or pronouns. She has a "she/they" pin on her backpack, but that's only 'cause she found it on a bathroom floor and liked the color
Her favorite nap spot is Bruce's favorite chair. It's a huge plush armchair and she's small enough to pass off as a cushion, so Bruce always has to double-check before sitting down
Carrie can read cues in other relationships, but not her own. After Kon offers to refill Tim's drink she's like "ooh he likes you" but when a kid at school gives her flowers on Valentine's day she's like "I think they were just being friendly"
She's the only Robin not to have dentists ask about broken or missing teeth
At a sleepover, she and a few other kids catfished someone on Hinge using a terrible teacher's picture
Her drawing skills are pretty good (not Damian level though) and one time when Dick was sad she drew him as the Dreamworks crescent moon kid
She's friends with the old lady that shops at Trader Joe's the same time she does every week
She puts all her phone calls on speaker. ALL. OF. THEM
She goes to Canada on a short mission and promises to bring back souvenirs. She brings bagged milk
#carrie kelley#robin#batgirl#batfamily#batfam#batgirls#batkids#batsiblings#batman#batman family#dc comics#headcanon
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Spamton's [[SPECIL]] Template by crossinthedark On Twitter. Link
Transcripts for top left just in case it's hard to read, and I hope y'all can read the rest fine enough:
-Cheeks disappear when eyes go static (Stress or Disassociation) or when sad.
-Eyes go fully black when Angry or Remorseful without pupils [Note this has since changed since the reference's making, and he can sometimes have white pinprick eyes.]
-Laughter makes glasses' colors switch around, the stronger, the faster they go back and forth.
-Eyes behind glasses have no/black color, and are "button/chibi eyes"
Anyways, welp. Might as well finally say it:
So I've had Deltarune brainrot from Spamton for nearly two months, and I fully blame my friend (Who I will keep unamed for now) who introduced him into my head and he took my brain to sell.
So uh. That's where I've been, and I've been working on this Plush!Spam's AU for a bit now. I'll put what I got under the cut, but here's the NEO/Height chart for those curious.
- ALL secret bosses will be plushies, made of different material. (Spamton is more akin to a worn down old plush that used to have fur, and I was planning on Jevil being a sort of Sackboy-esk plush.)
- Like I said above, Spamton used to be a fluffy plush, but much like how Canon!Spamton is not in his prime, Plush!Spam is very worn down and, either lost his fur, or he's EXTREMELY matted. Or some mix of both. Haven't decided yet.
- Plush!Spam has patches all over under his clothes, and just general mismatching stitching, all that he had to sew onto himself. Essentially preforming a skin transplant/emergency surgery on himself. Surprisingly, most of those were NOT gained from Post Big Shot era.
- All the Addisons are plushies as well, but they are the traditional plushies unlike the secret bosses. Like those giant Teddy Bears you'd get at a carnival. Very fluffy, cute, and thusly... Marketable.
- Yeah, this Spamton surprisingly CRAVES being called cute, unlike most interpretations and AUs of him. Because to him, being cute means you're more likely to get a sale. Think to those ads with cute sad puppies and sad kittens to get you to go to an adoption center. Relying on tugging at the heartstrings with something seemingly innocent. Though that's something ALL Addisons do, not just him.
- However unlike the Addisons, to other Darkners, he is VERY touch avoidant. Lightners are OK because they have souls Darkners can read like an open book, (Especially humans, thus Spam's trusting Kris, but Lightner Monsters can be read too) so if you have bad intentions, a Darkner can sense that. Now say you have good ones, then Spamton will have no reason to not trust any physical touch from you. As long as he can tell no harm will come to him from you, he is VERY touch starved and won't be afraid to ask for it. (For a fee, of course, but it's Spamton so that's not surprising.)
- Actually isn't participating in Snowgrave/Weird routes. He just up and left his dumpster open for ""Kris"" to grab the Thorn Ring, due to fragility in being a Plush, and being very aware of just how fragile he is, he's just much more Pacifist then Canon!Spamton is. And he's actually locked himself in the Basement, not caring if the Dark Fountain gets sealed or not. He just wants to survive, man. (So mechanically if this were in game, you WOULD have to actually fight Queen instead of him.)
OK a little less plot thinking, but just some little reactions he would have for the Spamton fans out there. Much more fluffy I promise.
- First off I'm making him AroAce so no romancing him, but you can still fluster him, I promise.
- If he trusts a Darkner (let's say "you" for the sake of perspective) and you offer him to stay with you, free of charge, while hesitant, once Spamton realizes just how serious you are about it... He'll just break down sobbing and clinging. Giving him a warm meal, a nice bed, and gentle care is too much for him. He took it thinking he got away with the best deal of his life, but knowing that "No, it's so much MORE than that" is what makes him practically glued to your side from now on.
- And heaven have mercy if you're a Lightner and want to take him to a Darkner home you have, or find a way to bring him to the Light world? He would simply pass away on the spot. Because he can TELL you're being honest, and he can TELL your intentions are just so pure and kind. And it makes his little Darkner heart fill up so fast a little too quick. Again, he's glued to your side instantly.
#Deltarune SBPlush!AU#deltarune#spamton#spamton g spamton#Plush!Spam#kris deltarune#technically#spamton deltarune#deltarune au
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hermes pochette kelly 8
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hermes pochette kelly 23
Hermes Kelly Pochette Bag Menthe Swift Gold Hardware
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Hey, Kiss Me? (Don't Mind If I Do)
Fandom: Resident Evil 8: Village
Pairing: Daniela Dimitrescu x Reader (Gender Neutral)
Rating: G
Summary: Daniela is used to being the flirty one, blowing kisses and making a pass at anyone who caught her attention. It just never occurred to her that the tables could turn on her.
Notes: [slams fists on the table] LET ME FLIRT WITH THE CUTE VAMPIRE GIRL. If RE8 had a dating sim spin-off in some alternate universe where Capcom REALLY wanted to capitalize on the game's success, one of my runs would definitely involve romancing the youngest Dimitrescu. For anyone else who feels me on this, this is for you too. I also tried writing this in 2nd person POV for a change. Hope it still turned out alright, it's my first time writing this way. Enjoy!
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You had been working for the Duke for quite a while now. He took you in in your time of need and had been made an apprentice of sorts in the art of trading and bargaining.
You've met your fair share of oddities while settled in the village and running errands, including but not limited to: A man who can control metal and electricity on a whim, a talking doll who lives under a waterfall, and the numerous wolf-man hybrids that lurked around the vicinity. They were what most may consider crass company -- at least, that was what the Lady of the castle would say.
Lady Alcina Dimitrescu was a frequent customer and a business partner of the Duke's, helping her in the sale of her vintage "wine" to intrigued buyers. This also meant that the two of you were frequent visitors to the castle on the other side of the village proper -- a vast estate that was entirely too large for just four women to occupy (even if one of those women happened to be nine feet tall).
Miss Bela was always the more polite and civil of Dimitrescu's daughters, offering a simple greeting whenever you would come by. When it was appropriate, she was always at her mother's side and paying attention to how meetings between the older adults would proceed, like a student eager to learn from the best. You figured that, as the oldest sibling, she might take over the business someday. You weren't sure exactly how that would happen, given what you knew of the family, but you really shouldn't prod anyway. At least, not now.
Miss Cassandra was more closed off, so to speak. It always seemed like she would barely acknowledge your presence in the castle, talking only when it was necessary and immediately leaving the room once she was allowed to. However, you would feel a prickling in the back of their neck when she wasn't around, like you were being watched from the background -- prey at the mercy of their predator. But every time you turned around, there would be no one there, not even a sound to indicate escape. A part of you thought you might have been pulled into some unwitting game, wondering what would happen if you did catch the perpetrator in the act. You weren't sure you really wanted to find out.
Then, there was Miss Daniela, whose attention seemed to lie in... other prospects. Like Bela, she offered warm greetings whenever you would stop by the property. Unlike her sisters though, who never really bothered with the Duke's apprentice, she always tried to entertain herself with your company. You had a friendly enough rapport with her that you could relax in her presence as well, so it was nice. You figured it was mostly because they rarely ever got outside company, and since the sisters stay in the castle a lot of the time, she always welcomed you with enthusiasm. And a smile. And a wink. And some passing remark about how nicely you dressed that day and that you must have been trying to impress her.
"I could just eat you right up," she would say with a giggle and a playful growl.
You've never been too sure what to make of her -- she always seemed to have her head in the clouds, only coming back down at the behest of her mother or when her sisters were persistent enough. You also never knew how to respond to her flirting apart from flustered silence, which only seemed to spur her on even more. It was like she was just trying to get a reaction from you, making a game of it. It was far different from the one her older sister seemed to be keen on playing, but a game nonetheless -- how far could she push your buttons and make you implode from embarrassment?
Honestly, it seemed to be working.
You had been well-socialized thanks to your training under the Duke, and of course the man himself was charming and likeable so a part of you liked to think it may have rubbed off as he raised you. But that was when it came to formalities and negotiations -- maybe banter, if you could really push it. You've thought about responding earnestly, but flirting was another ball game all on its own, one that you don't really play on purpose, and you frequently found yourself floundering at the face of it. Especially when that face was as pretty as Daniela's.
It wasn't like you thought she liked you that way or anything -- you genuinely thought she said all those things for fun, to amuse herself with how hot you got or how you would sheepishly shrink in on yourself. But you weren't going to deny that she was cute and that you may have just a small crush on her. Just maybe. Not that you would ever admit that out loud.
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One winter day, the Duke entrusted you with meeting with Lady Dimitrescu on your own. She was informed of his absence beforehand -- something about attending to Lord Heisenberg's business -- and so you were left to take care of updates. In the meantime, you kept yourself busy in the guest area, perusing the dusty books in shelves that definitely needed some cleaning. It seemed like the castle could never have enough help.
As soon as you were left alone, with only your notepad and thoughts to keep you company, you felt the hairs at the back of your neck stand. You slowly looked to the side, eyes trained on a dark corner of the room. The light from the fireplace didn't quite reach that spot, making it quite the hiding place. Was something (or someone) moving from there? Are your eyes playing paranoid tricks on you? Was it Miss Cassandra playing her one-sided game again? Perhaps... you shouldn't interfere then.
You turned your attention back to the book shelf, looking high above you, wanting to take a closer look at the selection. You dragged a stool and a few stacked cushions to the shelves and slipped your shoes off, praying to whoever was out there that Lady Dimitrescu wouldn't find you like this. Oh, the scolding I'd get from Duke about manners -- you'd never hear the end of it. Stepping carefully onto the plush surface -- a few feet from the ground -- and finding your balance, you start to pick something out that had an interesting title.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Y/N," a voice echoed in the room, catching you off guard.
You jumped in surprise and lost your footing, falling backward as the cushions slipped from under you. Oh yeah, this was gonna hurt! But before you could make contact with the hardwood floor, a hand reached out and grabbed you by the waist, catching you in a rather precarious position.
"You could've hurt that cute little ass of yours," the voice cooed. Daniela seemed to have materialized from out of nowhere, wearing a mischievous grin and holding onto you as she practically hovered over you. Oh god, she was so close, you don't know where your body heat ended and hers started.
"Miss Daniela," you greeted, finally finding your voice. "Um, thanks for the save."
She pulled you up to standing on the stool and raised an eyebrow at you, smirking amusedly, "And what exactly were you doing so high up in the shelves? Aren't you supposed to be waiting here like a good little one?"
"I was just... looking at the books," you replied softly, "And falling for you, I suppose," you added as a joke, chuckling as you shook off your nerves from earlier. You were a little surprised she didn't start off with that line honestly, given how easy--
Daniela's smirk dropped at your response, eyes widening as she stiffened. Uh oh... did you say something wrong?
She blinked at you, mouth hanging open slightly as if she was trying to find the words. It looked like she gave up though, just looking away and stepping off the stool. Were you imagining that her cheeks just turned pink?
"Mother's waiting for you at the meeting room," was all she said before quickly making her exit.
It took a while before the wheels in your head started turning again.
----------
The next time you came to the castle with the Duke, it was a warm day in spring. On these occasions, sometimes Lady Dimitrescu would be more open to a different venue of meeting than inside the castle -- "for a change of scenery," as she would say. The two of you met her and her daughters at the main garden at the back of the property, the sun shining generously on all forms of life.
When Daniela spotted you, she seemed almost caught unaware, but she quickly regained composure, throwing a smirk and wink your way -- her usual greeting. You couldn't help but duck down shyly, but nonetheless waved and smiled back.
The older adults took their business elsewhere, leaving you alone with the daughters at the lobby; well, more like a daughter, since Cassandra had already left before you can say another word and Bela had excused herself soon after. It was normal for you to be in the company of the redhead at this point. Not that she seemed to mind.
"Been a while since you've been back here. Betcha missed me, huh?" Daniela said, a charming smile curled on her lips. She stood next to you, seeming intent on leading you on a little walk around. Hey, you'd take any excuse to spend time with her.
You laughed softly, "Quite, Miss Daniela."
"You're still sticking to those formalities, Y/N? Come on, you can drop the 'Miss'." She sidled up closer to you, nudging your side. "You can even skip 'Daniela' altogether and just call me yours."
You unconsciously covered your mouth as you glanced her way -- she was being more straightforward than usual. You don't know if you were just trying to hide the blood rushing to your cheeks or trying to stop yourself from smiling too widely, but seeing the smug look on the other's face, you knew she succeeded yet again in flustering you.
"What's wrong? Did summer come early? You're looking kinda warm," she teased, bending down slightly to your face level. "Then again, you are hot enough for the both of us." Damn, she was too good at this. "You'd give the sun a run for its money, honey."
You took a few moments to collect yourself, standing up straighter and clearing your throat. Your eyes looked up to meet hers, showing a half-smile as you spoke with as smooth of a delivery as you can muster, "I'd always thought you would be the sun's rival, given how easily you brighten up my day."
Daniela nearly tripped when she took another step, only managing to catch herself on a nearby bench.
"Are you--"
"I'm fine! I'm fine, just, uh... stubbed my toe on something. Stupid rock."
There were no rocks on the path you two were walking -- unless one counted the flat rock ground. (It didn't.)
The rest of the day carried on as it normally would -- Daniela distracting you from the uneasy feeling of being watched from a proper walk with her usual demeanor, batting her eyelashes and telling you how she simply must teach you to dance some time. "Maybe then you'll learn to loosen up around me." But in return, you would sometimes reply with your own quips -- "Well I wouldn't be opposed to being closer to you, Miss Daniela." You weren't about to question where this newfound confidence came from; you may as well own it, right?
It was only after that visit, replaying the day in your head like you wanted to remember it for as long as you could, that a realization came to you -- the way her cheeks tinged pink and averted her gaze, how she was rendered speechless whenever you replied in the same way that was usually expected of her...
She's not used to being flirted back to.
Her self-esteem allowed her to accept most straightforward compliments with grace, so flattery did not faze her in the slightest -- but when it came to using disarming words? When charm and wit were used right back at her?
She floundered almost as much as you did.
Suddenly, you weren't just a prop in the game anymore -- you knew how to play it now. You knew uttering such sweet (and occasionally cheesy) phrases could make the youngest Dimitrescu blush harder than a maiden being courted. And by god, did she look adorable when she did.
You kind of understood why she did all that now -- watching someone get flustered and knowing you were the cause of it was fun. It was weirdly thrilling seeing her react like that, but then again you might be confusing that feeling with different kind of fluttering in your chest whenever you were alone with Daniela. Who knows?
One thought lingered at the back of your mind though: How long would it take before one of you broke and asked the other on a real date?
.
.
.
(Cassandra materialized behind Daniela as you bade her farewell for the day. She had been observing the two of you interact for a while, monitoring the redhead's "progress". She knocked her sister out of her faraway thoughts with a smack to the head. "So are you gonna admit you like them yet?"
Daniela seemed almost offended at the insinuation, "I would nev-- I mean how dare-- I don't like-- they're just-- I--"
The brunette only raised an eyebrow.
"They're..." She thought back to you, that cute little smile you wore whenever she tried to flirt with you, and how you suddenly rose to the challenge of using her own tactics against her earlier. It was kind of hot. "Okay, I guess. They're okay. They're fine." Quite fine. "That's all I'm gonna say."
"Suuuure...")
#daniela dimitrescu x reader#daniela dimitrescu#resident evil village#resident evil 8#re8#gn!reader#gender neutral reader#dimitrescu daughters#dimitrescu sisters
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New Ways of Turning Into Stone, Chapter 7
A/N For anyone waiting patiently for this chapter, I apologize. Somewhere in the midst of writing this story, I fell out of love with it, making it very hard to find the inspiration to finish. I’m too stubborn to abandon it, though, so here is the final chapter. The good news is the angst fest is over, for the most part. Slight reference to child trafficking in the past. Thanks to everyone who read and interacted with this story! This final chapter is entitled A Dragonfly in Amber.
The whole story can be found on my A03 page.
Eighteen Months Later
The breeze off the firth was picking up, and Claire wished she’d grabbed a jumper before leaving her flat. She spent a lot of time these days looking back at the million decisions that made up a life, aware of their path as though they were footprints visible to the eye. Where once missteps would have inspired judgement or shame, she could now chart their passage with a certain measure of peace.
A rare free Thursday brought her to a seasonal market in what was otherwise a car park overlooking Edinburgh Castle. With no specific objective in mind, she wandered the stalls of fresh produce and locally made crafts, meandering but purposeful. A jar of raw honey and a half-dozen blueberry scones made their way into her tote bag before she stopped at a store selling beautifully woven woolen goods, thinking that she could perhaps invest in a shawl.
Lifting the various offerings from where they were displayed, something caught her eye. Beneath the many-patterned pile of wool stood a beautiful wooden chest, its heft and patina speaking of its craftsmanship. It had been painted in a rusted umber, the shape of a dragonfly elegantly carved into its solid lid.
“Tis lovely, is it no’?” a soft lilt startled her from her trance.
“Yes, very. Is it for sale?” She had no idea why she’d asked. Her flat was crowded enough as it was and frivolous purchases no longer within her budget.
“Alas, no. Twas an anniversary gift from my man.” Perhaps seeing the disappointment register on her face, the woman added, “I can give ye the card o’ the man who made it, at least. Ye’re no’ the first tae have admired his work.”
Claire’s hands shook slightly as the shopkeeper sought out the card, an eerie sense of premonition settling over her. Sure enough, the familiar names leapt into relief as she accepted the woman’s offering:
Lallybroch Furniture Design
James Fraser, Proprietor
***
The afternoon and evening passed in a blur of obligations and routine. It was only as she settled into the peace of her own bedroom that Claire allowed her thoughts to return to the business card tucked safely into her wallet.
She’d known Jamie was still in the city. While she’d resisted the urge to seek him out a thousand times, she couldn’t stop herself from searching his name on the Internet. A harmless indulgence, she rationalized, and one that assured her that he was well, his business going from strength to strength. Despite the capitol’s tight-knit community, however, their paths had never crossed. Until now.
Was it a sign? Long Ago Claire paid no heed to such foolishness, but that was before a chance encounter spun her life one hundred and eighty degrees, sending her down a brand new path. Now she accepted these memos from the universe with humility. Tomorrow, she would go looking for Jamie Fraser.
***
Jamie heard the jingle of the bells above the door, even over the mechanical whirr of his sander. Unbending and blowing a sweaty curl off his forehead, he admired the intricate scrollwork of the custom hutch that was his latest commission. It still amazed him to watch his visions take shape before his eyes. If life hadn’t slapped him hard across the face, knocking him far off course, he might have spent the rest of his days unaware of the gift that resided between his hands.
“Took ye long enough, Geordie,” he called out to the footsteps approaching from the door. “Where’d ye go fer the varnish, Glasgow?”
There was a pause, and an eerie sense of premonition settled over him. Today was going to be the day.
“It’s not Geordie, it’s me. Claire.” He’d thought of her voice each day for the past eighteen months, and yet he hadn’t been able to summon its exact timbre: sonorous, precise, with a smoky finish like well-aged whisky.
“Claire,” he replied to the universe, summoning her by name before he even turned around.
Sawdust motes danced in a sunbeam descending from a clerestory window, illuminating the mahogany in her curls. She was everything he remembered, and so much more. The nacre of her skin, now dusted with cinnamon freckles. The topaz of her eyes less fierce, more open, and overwhelmingly anxious. The tight line of her jaw was less defined, her once whippet-thin figure filled out into plush curves. Overall the impression was one of softness, of willing vulnerability.
“The door was open,” she explained needlessly, her eyes drinking him in hungrily. He wondered what changes she read on his surface.
“It’s... uhhh...” his voice wobbled painfully, “it’s good tae see ye, Sassenach. How have ye been?”
He hadn’t trusted himself to seek her out since Maggie’s death, understanding that they both needed time to heal. It didn’t stop him from zeroing in on every glimpse of brown curls, nor from reading wedding announcements with an invisible fist gripping his throat. If it was meant to be, he counselled himself, they would find one another when the time was right. And now she was here, standing in his workshop and more lovely than his zealous imaginings.
“Good,” she replied, eyes meeting and then sheering away from his gaze. “Really good. Busy.” She was gripping the strap of her handbag like a parachute cord, and he couldn’t help glancing at her left hand, selfishly relieved to note it was still bare.
“I, ummm, I saw one of your pieces. At the market yesterday. Not for sale, of course. The woman offered me your card, so I thought, you know, that I might... You’re really very talented, Jamie,” she prattled nervously.
He blushed, delighted by her praise. “I thank ye, Claire.” To taste her name in his mouth, so long forbidden, was intoxicating. He would never tire of saying it.
“And yer work? Tis Friday. Are ye taking a well-deserved day off?”
“Oh, no. I’m not practicing anymore, Jamie.”
He froze, horrified. Of all the scenarios he’d played out in his mind, he’d never imagined her anything but a doctor. It was too much a part of who she was. A familiar sense of oppressive responsibility crept over him. If he’d somehow caused this to happen...
“Sassenach, no...” he whispered.
To his utter confusion, she laughed, merry and bright as the bells that had announced her return to his life.
“It’s alright, truly. I, well, a lot has changed since last year,” she explained, a glimmer of something coy transforming her face. His wame sunk into his feet.
“Ye’ve met someone.” A statement of fact. Punishment for wishing for something that wasn’t meant to be.
Her spritely laugh rang out again, increasing his pain. He felt the old, habitual hardening around his heart, and fought to keep his breath steady. No matter how much it hurt, he owed it to Claire to listen to her joy.
“In a manner of speaking. His name is Fergus, and he’s eight years old.”
Startled, he stared into her upturned face, trying to read the truth in her features. A hand, delicate but strong, took his own. He held onto it like a lifeline as she told her unlikely tale.
Shortly after their last meeting, Claire had been walking through Grassmarket when she’d been jostled by a running figure. It was only upon righting herself that she realized she was without her phone. Giving chase, she eventually cornered the thief down a blind alley, only to realize that it was a young boy, unkempt and malnourished.
Rather than turn the pickpocket in, Claire had negotiated an exchange: her phone for a four-course meal and the story of how a boy of his age, with a heavy French accent no less, had come to live on the streets of Edinburgh.
“He was trafficked, Jamie. A group in Paris were keeping him and other orphans in a brothel. When they came to transport them, Fergus escaped. He hid in a lorry, and this is where it brought him. He had no coat, no money, hardly any English, but he’d been surviving on his wits for six weeks before I found him. I can’t bear to think what might have happened to him had we not crossed paths that winter’s day.”
“Christ,” he swore, thinking of his own nephew, and what he wouldn’t give to protect the lad’s innocence.
Claire went on to describe the painstaking process of reporting Fergus, whose real name was Claudel, to the authorities without allowing him to be deported back to France and into the waiting hands of the very people he had escaped.
“There was no formal steps to follow, no real resources I could rely on. I ended up filing for adoption, because it was the only way to keep him safe. In the beginning, he needed all my attention. He had no formal schooling and had to learn English in a hurry. He suffered from terrible nightmares. I transferred all my patients, shut down the office, but I assumed it was only temporary, until he felt more secure and could go to school with other kids his age. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Fergus isn’t the only trafficked child in Scotland. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do whatever I could to protect every one of them. So I quit. I’d made some contacts at ECPAT in London, trying to sort out the mess with Fergus’ immigration paperwork. I called them up and offered my services on a part-time basis. A former pediatrician with experience in grief counselling. They couldn’t accept fast enough. So now, when I’m not busy being Fergus’ mom, I’m the executive director of ECPAT here in Scotland.”
“Christ,” he repeated. “Sassenach, I’m... God, ye’re an amazing woman.”
It was her turn to blush, glancing down to notice that their hands were still clasped, fingers woven together like thirsty roots. They were standing toe to toe, breathing in harmony. Jamie smelled of pine, a sharp sweetness that seemed to cling to his body. She dared a look upwards and found his gaze locked on her mouth. Oceans stormed in the depths of his eyes.
“You’ve got a little...” she reached for his jaw, “...a little something, right here...” Before she could dislodge the fleck of sawdust trapped in his auburn stubble, Jamie’s whole body surged forward, their noses practically bumping.
“Sassenach...” he beseeched.
“Yes?” Wispy, fluttering wings of hope surrounded her.
“I’ve bided as long as I can. May I please, for the love of all tha’s holy, finally kiss ye?”
A tiny nod, a murmured assent, then their lips took up the conversation that had begun so many months before. There, in a dusty workshop at eleven o’clock on a Friday morning, the last obstacle that stood between them came crashing to the ground. In its place came warmth and certainty, a candleflame of cherished possibility.
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Fuchsia-Colored Sunglasses
Summary:
Your life is turned upside down when you’re transported into another reality by the enigmatic and mysterious old woman named Cyan. You find yourself an up-and-coming makeup artist whose latest client is the cocky fuchsia-haired rockstar Yuta Nakamoto. You struggle to find balance as Yuta is your most difficult client yet and you can’t seem to stop losing things in your apartment.
Meanwhile, Yuta is at the top of his game with his record-breaking band that’s about to tour and his perfect celebrity girlfriend. But he can’t shake the feeling that something is missing. When he meets you, however, he finally feels..at home.
In a reality where soulmates so rarely find each other, is it possible that the two of you will see the signs?
Pairing: Rockstar!Yuta x female reader
Genre: Soulmate AU, Fluff, comedy, a little smut, a tiny bit of angst
Word Count: 28.5K
Warnings: profanity, minor character death mention, alcohol mention
(A/N: we are so excited to finally post this for you guys!! It is for a collaborative project (A Colours AU) organized by the wonderful @neo-cult-ure . THANK YOU so much for inviting us to do this!! Please visit her tumblr for a complete list of all of the amazing works included in this project that we all worked so hard on❤️ with that being said, we hope you enjoy!! Thank you for supporting us!!)
[colours masterlist]: Click here to enjoy several amazing journeys :)
——————
It really hasn’t been your day. There was just one problem after the other being thrown at you at work. Books often went missing at the library, but today an entire section was missing romance novels and no one seemed to know where they had gone. So you spent hours collecting them from other sections in the library, placing them on your cart as you moved through each lane. It doesn’t sound like a lot of work but for a library with 16 floors, it was just enough to make your head spin. Your day was long and boring.
And now, you learned that your favorite cafe was fresh out of your usual drink, an iced caramel latte, the perfect drink for a pick me up.
fantastic.
A sigh left your lips as you turned around the corner of the bathroom and walked face first into someone.
smack!
You stumbled back and then felt something wet on your clothes. Great.
“I..I’m so sorry about that.” A lady’s voice caught you off guard as she quickly tried to clean up the situation. She reached forward and grabbed your hands. A bit weirded out by the situation, you tried to pull your hands away but she didn’t let go, pulling you in closer so she could look into your eyes and capture your full attention.
“Dear, don’t be frightened, my name is Cyan and I am so very sorry...” Her eyes had a mysterious glow about them that you couldn’t understand. She seemed...otherworldly.
“Let me make it up to you.” Cyan said. “Here, pick a colour and you’ll meet your soulmate. However, you should be aware that each colour represents a different reality, and you only have one chance to bring them back to this reality.”
“Really?” you asked, clearly suspicious of the entire situation.
“Yes, now which would you choose?” she asked as she held out the tablet for you to pick a colour. You tilted your head to the side before just agreeing.
You typically liked to lay low, keep things normal and safe for your sanity. And love? Soulmates? Those were concepts that you never really thought too hard about. If it comes, it comes but you weren’t going to go out of your way for it.
But today was unlike any other day, everything went wrong, so what if...you did things differently for once? What if you took the chance to experience something...new? You had nothing left to lose, right?
You reached forward to choose.
“Fuchsia.”
^_^
You sat at the kitchen table, your Bluetooth speaker playing your favorite song, “Breeze”. It was by the artist Mountain Man, whose identity was a mystery to the entire world. Your roommate Delilah came in to grab some orange juice from the fridge.
Delilah laughed. “I swear I dream of this song from all the times you play it.”
You replied, “This song is a religious experience. You should be so honored to dream of it.” You took a bite of your Fruity Pebbles.
Delilah joined you at the table as she searched something up on her laptop. “Today’s the bid for the Bulbasaur card I’ve had my eye on. I’m so nervous. I can’t go past eight five dollars so let’s hope my competition is just as cheap as I am.”
You rolled your eyes. “Eighty-five dollars for a trading card? Really?”
Deililah shook her head. “Sixty-five dollars for foundation, y/n? Really?”
You shut your mouth and keep eating your cereal. You and your roommate had your impulses...Well, your passions. Besides, an investment in good foundation only made sense given your profession as a makeup artist.
Delilah scrolled through her phone and frowned. “That’s weird. This looks just like your Hermosa Vida palette.”
That was impossible. You had the only one in existence. Last month, at the cosmetics brand launch for Hermosa Vida, you received a limited edition palette from two of your favorite makeup artists, Sol and Luna, who teamed up for their growing cosmetics empire. They gave you the limited edition trial of the palette before the official palette was released in stores. You were so excited to try it out but misplaced it two weeks ago. You knew you had to clean your room more often.
In fact, you’ve misplaced a lot of things recently: a pair of your favorite My Melody socks, a bracelet from your trip to Jamaica last summer, a pair of your reading glasses, and more. You knew people were bound to lose things but it seemed to happen more often to you. You didn’t think much of it as you were busy applying for your new job.
You stood behind Delilah so you could see the palette on sale for yourself. It was shaped like a clam shell and was rose gold. It even had Sol and Luna’s autographs on the bottom.
Just like yours.
You scanned the description of the product to find the username of the seller: 1026you.
“Wait, I thought I was the only one who owned this palette. It doesn’t make sense. If there was more than one of these palettes in existence, then there would be more on sale. But this one...looks exactly like mine,” you said.
“Maybe it’s a knockoff,” Delilah offered, “You know how people will fabricate anything to get extra cash.”
“The thing is...I lost my palette. It’s almost as if…”
Delilah scoffed. “You don’t think someone broke in and stole it?”
You considered it. “I don’t know, Delilah. I’ve been losing a lot of things lately...I think we should install some cameras in here. Just in case.”
Your roommate nodded. “Fine with me. It’ll make us both feel safer.”
So you and Delilah had cameras installed around the apartment. You hoped your first paycheck with your new gig would come in quickly. You contacted the seller and asked about the palette, asking where they’d bought it and how they had access to it. You asked so you could have some sort of proof that it couldn’t be the same as yours. But it looked exactly like yours. And it bothered you. Unfortunately, there was no response from the seller.
A few days after that, your Siamese cat Totoro disappeared. You weren’t too concerned as Totoro was an outdoor cat and he tended to wander. He would return soon, you thought.
^_^
Meanwhile across your hometown of Los Angeles, international rockstar Nakamoto Yuta stood in his bathroom, dumbfounded to find a portrait of a young woman looking over her shoulder.
Yuta said to himself. “Where the hell did this come from?”
His girlfriend Ashley called from the living room. “What’s that, babe?”
Yuta responded, “Nothing, Ash.” He’d rather not freak out his high-maintenance diva girlfriend.
It was strange how random objects kept popping up in his apartment. He asked Ashley about the palette but she denied it was hers. A bracelet appeared on his nightstand a few weeks ago and Ashley denied again, growing suspicious that Yuta was having someone over. But he didn’t owe any explanations to her.
Yuta always came up short with his security footage. There were glitches with the footage. The objects just...appeared from one frame to the next. This had to be some kind of joke.
Seeing a whole portrait pop up in his bathroom of all places was just part of his daily routine now. Guess I’ve got another thing I have to sell online, he thought.
Then again… He looked carefully at the painting. The woman in the painting was stunning. He wondered what her face looked like in reality. Gorgeous, he was sure of it. The woman wore an oval-shaped ruby necklace. The painting gave him both a sense of comfort and excitement. He couldn’t explain this clearly new but somehow familiar feeling. He decided to hold onto the painting for a while. He could always change his mind.
Ashley let out a blood-curdling scream. “Yuta! Get in here!” She sounded scared for her life. Could it have been the people who managed to break in and leave the painting among all of the other random objects? He ran into the living room to find Ashley standing on his plush couch.
“Is that...a cat?!” Ashley hissed as she looked down at a Siamese cat.
The cat watched her from the ground, swaying his tail back and forth. He simply watched her. When the cat saw Yuta, he walked up to him and rubbed himself against Yuta’s legs as he purred.
Yuta crouched down and pet the cat behind his ears. “Hey there, buddy. How did you get in here?”
“Yuta, you went and bought a cat when you know I’m allergic?” Ashley asked as she sneezed.
Yuta sighed. “I swear to you I have no idea how he got in here.” It was possible he ran in when Yuta opened the sliding glass door to his yard.
“Well...” Ashley sneezed as she grabbed her handbag and stormed out of the multimillion dollar mansion. “You better get rid of that thing if you ever want me to set foot into this house again!”
Ashley slammed the door and Yuta laughed as he sat down on the couch. The cat laid on his lap and pushed his head into Yuta’s hand so that he could pet him.. Yuta brushed his fingers through his fur.
“You know what, I think I’ll keep you.”
^_^
It was your first day of work with the world famous band Skylark. Sky High Entertainment reached out to you when they watched your most popular makeup tutorial. Now, you would be their makeup artist for their future engagements. Your first few weeks would be to assist the band in preparation for their first set of tour dates in Los Angeles for their Heaven on Earth World Tour. You were to meet the group and their team at the Staples Center. You weren’t too familiar with Skylar’s work because you were either fixated on the YouTube MUA community or repeatedly listening to Mountain Man’s music. You arrived early, too excited to start, and the band’s manager Baekhyun Byun told you that you were welcome to watch the group rehearse.
To say that the band was attractive was an understatement. You knew of their names and faces from the occasional Twitter posts. Plus, you had to memorize their names and faces for the job. However, seeing them in person was a whole other experience.
Drummer Johnny Suh’s muscular arms and intensity were reminiscent of Hercules as he twirled one of his drumsticks with ease. Mark Lee was the guitarist, looking like he was about to be cast for the next Spiderman with his sweet and goofy demeanor. He played a random guitar solo with his tongue out to get a reaction out of his cousin Johnny. Dong Sicheng was focused at the keyboard, looking as elegant and regal as a vampire prince. Bassist Jung Jaehyun’s every glance was more seductive than the last as he tuned his bass to perfection.
Last but not least was the frontman with the fuchsia colored mane: Yuta Nakamoto. His walk to the microphone at the center of the stage was unintentionally seductive, considering he was in a black hoodie and sweatpants like the rest of his band. He was at least six feet tall as his long strides made him walk with such grace and elegance. A man that was effortlessly gorgeous was definitely trouble. At this point, your jaw was on the ground. Every man on that stage was a god but Yuta was the frontman for a reason. He was undeniably the cutest of the group. In his all-black attire, he was the emo prince of millions of girl’s dreams: his slender face, his sharp cheekbones, his piercing brown eyes, a smile so bright it could make you go blind, his rockstar piercings which included a navel piercing and caused your thoughts to drift to places that weren’t suitable for the workplace…
From time to time, the band goofed off. Mark made a paper plane from the set list and threw it at Johnny. Jaehyun danced the latest TikTok dance while Sicheng filmed it with his phone. Yuta laughed as he borrowed the keyboard and wrote some notes down in his notebook.
When they got down to business, the boys completely transformed. They channeled angst and heartache when they began rehearsal. You recognized the song as their latest single: “Lost and Found”.
When Yuta sang, goosebumps ran down your back and your stomach twisted. Alarms were ringing in your head but they weren’t out of fear. But out of...excitement? You couldn’t describe this strange sensation.
Yuta transformed into a man who was heartbroken and confused. His voice danced into your ears and hearing it live made the lyrics more meaningful. Every word that left his plump lips lingered in the air. You couldn't get enough and felt your heart squeeze.
Yuta looked out to the audience as he always practiced how he would engage with the crowd. He earned several thumbs up from the staff, as expected. Then he turned to your section and could barely make you out as a silhouette in the darkness.
You saw that he focused on your section as he sang the second verse. Your heart skipped a beat. You’d have to listen to more of Skylark’s music from now on because they were fantastic. And maybe lurk on Yuta’s social media.
After rehearsal ended, Manager Byun introduced you to the rest of the team, including the other makeup artists. He walked you to the dressing room to introduce you to the band. For the first time in years, you were about to freak out like a fangirl.
“Boys, this is y/n. She’s our newest makeup artist. Please, I beg of you, don’t make her run for the hills.” Manager Byun laughed. You hoped he was joking.
The boys greeted you and shook your hand. Johnny was the most outgoing. “Pleasure to meet you, y/n!”
Jaehyun winked at you as he shook your hand. “Hi.”
Winwin gave you a childlike smile. “Thank you for joining us!”
Mark stuttered as he greeted you, “Uh, hi, it’s uh, really nice to meet you.” His cheeks were flushed.
You were overjoyed but knew you had to conceal your excitement. Still, you couldn’t help but hope for Yuta to greet you.
You all turned to Yuta who was busily texting away on his phone in front of his mirror.
Johnny cleared his throat. “Yuta, say hi to y/n.”
Then, you noticed he was wearing his AirPods. Johnny tapped him on the shoulder. Yuta looked up at him. “What? I was on the verge of a breakthrough, and now I won’t get it back. Thanks a lot.” Yuta rolled his eyes and looked back at his phone.
Johnny cleared his throat and you could see his smile twitch from his reflection in the mirror. “Say hi to y/n. She’s our new makeup artist,” Johnny said carefully. He sounded a lot less sweet, then.
Yuta sighed. “Fine.”
He got up from his makeup chair and walked up to you. His sour demeanor quickly shifted to bright and breezy. His megawatt smile appeared as he shook hands with you. “Hi, y/n. Pleasure to meet you.”
It was insincere and you knew it. You didn’t even bother faking a smile. “Pleasure’s all mine.”
It was the smile you’d seen all too often with celebrities and YouTubers whose egos grew faster than their subscriber count. It was the kind of smile they used to please sponsors and fans. A means to an end.
Yuta’s smile faded as quickly as it appeared. He quickly turned away and went back to his chair, put his AirPods in, and returned to his phone. You spoke too soon when you thought Yuta was your favorite member.
Mark whispered, “Don’t take it personally, y/n. Yuta is in his own little world most of the time.”
You weren’t surprised. Chances were one of these boys wasn’t what they seemed. You were disappointed it was Yuta, though.
For the most part, your first day went well. Everyone was warm and welcoming. You shared tips with the other makeup artists. But then, they dropped a bomb.
“You’re assigned to Yuta,” Manager Byun told you as you headed down the elevator. You just came back from a break.
You couldn’t control your initial facial expression.
Manager Byun laughed. “He won’t bite.”
You composed yourself. “Oh, I know…”
He understood. “He’s been working on a lot of projects. Some of which I don’t even know the full details of. So I apologize on his behalf for his rudeness.”
You shook your head. “But Manager Byun-”
He raised his hand. “Please, call me Baekhyun. Manager Byun makes me sound like I’m a father of three.”
You laughed. “Okay. Baekhyun, you don’t have to apologize for him. I get it. He’s a workaholic. I’ll gladly be his makeup artist.” It wasn’t like Yuta insulted you. He just wasn’t what you hoped he would be. Plus, you were there for a job and nothing else. So professionalism was always key.
Baekhyun put his hand on your shoulder. “Thank you, y/n. If he gives you trouble at all, the makeup team will make sure Yuta gets the wrong shade of foundation.”
You and the rest of the makeup team headed back to the dressing room where the boys were sitting in their chairs. They needed to get their makeup done for the filming of their tour diaries entry for this week. Yuta was still glued to technology. This time, he was on his laptop, and he was in the middle of producing a track, it seemed.
You gulped and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, Mr. Naka-” You began.
“Yuta’s fine,” he barked back.
“I have to do your makeup,” you said as you started off with his primer.
“Fine,” he said as he closed his eyes, “Make it quick.”
His tone was even crabbier than this morning. You told yourself to keep it together. You wouldn’t let this diva jeopardize your job. He was a challenge and you would overcome this bastard.
Because Yuta was quiet and as still as a statue, doing his makeup wasn’t a problem. You made sure you were swift but neat. You didn’t want to poke the tiger again. All that was left was his eyeliner. You gave him an elegant winged eyeliner for his left eye. You were halfway done with his right eye when he interrupted.
His voice boomed. “Seriously, what part of ‘quick’ don’t you understand?”
He startled you so much that his liner shot straight up to the middle of his forehead.
You bit back your anger and your tears. You said calmly, “I was almost done, Yuta. If you hadn’t startled me for ten more seconds, I would’ve finished.”
Yuta looked in the mirror, his venomous tone matching the anger in his face. “You clearly lack experience if you let one thing I said get to you. Well? Don’t just stand there. Fix it.”
The rest of the staff and the band stood there, stunned to silence. You swallowed your pride and redid the liner on his right eye. He said nothing when you finished. He left the dressing room first.
You turned to everyone else, feeling humiliated and fearing what everyone would say. “Why is it so quiet?”
“Because you didn’t run for the hills,” Sicheng replied, smiling at you in admiration.
“Huh?” That wasn’t the reaction you’d expected.
Rin, your fellow makeup artist who was working on Jaehyun right beside you, said, “The last makeup artist Lily only lasted a week. Yuta’s been…”
“A stuck up bitch,” Jaehyun finished.
Rin sighed, “His words. Not mine. Before Lily, there was Halle. Halle was Yuta’s makeup artist for three years before she left for another project. Even before Halle left, Yuta was in a mood. No one knows what’s bothering him. He’s not usually-”
“A diva,” Mark added.
Rin applied some setting spray on Jaehyun’s face. “Once again, not my words.”
You worried if you crossed a line by talking back at him like you had. “Was I not supposed to say anything to him when he yelled?”
Everyone laughed. Johnny said, “Are you kidding? We dare you to tell him to stop bitching if he snaps again.”
You thought about it. “I just hope he gets over whatever he’s going through.”
^_^
Days passed and the sixth day of work went just about the same. You were in your element and over the moon with all of the high-end cosmetics at your disposal. Not even your sourpuss of a client could dampen your mood.
During one of your breaks, you sat alone in one of the unoccupied meeting rooms and listened to “Breeze” on your phone as you read some of your emails.
“The breeze made your hair sway. I fell in love that autumn day,” you sang aloud.
Yuta was headed to a meeting with Cartier but at the sound of your voice singing “Breeze”, he froze in his tracks. He pressed his ear against the door of the room you were in. The cracks in your voice were endearing. He smiled to himself.
He peaked through the window and hoped you didn’t notice him. You were seated at the table. Your legs were propped against one of the other swivel chairs. You tapped your fingers against the table. You smiled as you sang. Your smile was lovely. Your eyes were so full of joy and passion as you recited the lyrics, and for the first time, he actually looked at you and took in your features. Your singing voice wasn’t as calm and soothing as your speaking voice, but he still enjoyed hearing you. For the first time in a long time, he felt..something.
Seeing you smile that way made you the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, he realized.
He couldn’t believe how much you loved his song. “Breeze” wasn’t doing as well as he hoped. The company CEO thought about scrapping his anonymous side project all together. He didn’t understand. Had he released the song with Skylark or under his own name would “Breeze” have charted better? It pissed him off. He was so proud of his composition. It was the first time he let himself be so raw and vulnerable. Because he wanted this project to be anonymous, he chose not to tell his bandmates or anyone else, really. The couple of staff members who did know were sworn to secrecy. It killed him that he couldn’t vent to anyone.
When the song ended, you said to yourself, “Oh, let’s just play this on a loop.” You played “Breeze” again and stretched your arms.
Seeing you love the song as much as he did made the dark cloud that loomed over his head fade a little. Perhaps he had been too harsh on you, he thought.
^_^
A few more days pass and you and Yuta seem to be getting closer. He’d actually put his phone down when you did his makeup, watching you as you patted his foundation in. For you, it was strange, but for Yuta he was mesmerized.
“I’m bored..let’s play 20 questions.” Yuta said as you spritzed his face with primer water one day.
“Uhhh..okay.” Your brows furrowed.
“Favorite movie, go.” Yuta asked before closing his eyes.
“Uhhh. Titanic?”
“Ew. Okay favorite group?” He smirked.
“Well..it’s not Skylark..” You huffed.
Yuta took in a sharp breath and held your wrist to stop you. “It’s NOT Skylark? Then who is it, who is worthy?” His eyes were intense, like you hurt him deeply.
“Hmmm...One Direction.” You were just messing with him, but you wanted to see his reaction.
He rolled his eyes and let go, leaning back in his chair and rolling his neck. “You can’t be serious...”
“What? They make good music! And isn't it my turn to ask questions now?”
“Shoot.” Yuta closed his eyes so you could do his eye shadow.
“Hmmm..what’s your favorite color?” You started.
“The color of your eyes...”
You froze for a moment, but then chuckled. “Yuta..seriously?”
Yuta’s eyes opened as he laughed. “I’m serious! They’re beautiful.”
You pouted. “I’m done playing this game if you’re gonna mess with me.”
“Are you going to ruin my eyeliner again because you don’t like my compliment?” He let out in a faux British accent and high pitched tone to mimic the queen. You couldn’t help but laugh and shake your head.
Yuta smiles widely when he hears your angelic laugh, your eyes crinkling and your cheeks becoming so round and full.
What was this new feeling that he had?
^_^
You’d be working with Skylark for a month now and you were enjoying your time with the team. However, it was pouring for the first time in a month in LA. While you would’ve been happy about it in any other circumstance, you were annoyed and on the verge of freaking out. Your second bus was running late to take you to the arena. You decided not to wait for the bus and make a run for it.
Your umbrella was helpful to a certain extent but you were drenched regardless. The rain continued to pour unforgivingly. When you were preparing to cross the street, a black Mercedes pulled up beside you. The passenger window came down and you recognized Yuta.
He was sitting there, looking amazing as usual. Only this time, his long, neon pink hair was thrown into a bun and he modeled a pair of heart-shaped, fuchsia colored sunglasses to match.
The way he held the wheel with one hand made your heart shudder for some reason.
“Get in!” He said.
You hesitated for a second. However, dryer clothes outweighed your pride at this moment. You hopped in, closed your umbrella, and shut the door.
Yuta grabbed your umbrella and put it in the backseat. “You’re soaked. I’m going to turn up the heat on your seat.”
“Thank you,” you mumbled.
Yuta drove you to work. He was surprised he could recognize you through the pouring rain. He had this inexplicable anxiety when he was at the red light before he saw you. He couldn’t explain it. He was doing okay for the most part. His last song for his first self-titled mini album was almost complete. Ashley was a pain but their respective managers were working towards a day when they could announce their breakup. His band was at the top of their game. His new cat was keeping Ashley away.
So what was this feeling that came out of nowhere?
And how did the feeling disappear just as quickly when you looked him in the eyes?
“Thanks for the ride,” you piped up.
Yuta cleared his throat, feeling shy all of a sudden. Very unlike him. “We’re both headed the same way.” That was Yuta’s attempt at sounding cool. He didn’t realize it could make him sound like a tool, you thought.
There was an awkward silence that suffocated you both. The traffic was unbearable so it looked like you would both be late for work.
Yuta blurted, “I don’t think I’ve said this before but...I’m sorry..”
You turned to him as he stared straight ahead. You were shocked that he was apologizing. You figured this man never apologized for anything, especially when he carried on with you at work like he hadn’t snapped at you on your first day. “Are you?”
He sighed as he slowed down. “Yes. I was a jerk and you were just doing your job. I really have no excuse.”
You replied, “Well, as long as you’re aware. Do you promise to keep the sass to a minimum? Or at least until after I’m done with your makeup?”
Yuta nodded. “Yes, I promise.”
You noted how down Yuta looked. Beneath the hostility and sarcasm, there was frustration and sadness. “I forgive you.”
Yuta smiled. “Thank you.”
Another awkward silence followed. And the rain poured down even harder so Yuta drove even slower. He turned up the radio and you both recognized “Breeze”.
You both sat back and listened to the song in silence. Without you realizing, Yuta snuck glances at you as you hummed and bobbed your head to the beat of the song.
“I love this song,” you blurted.
Yuta smirked. “Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?”
“I would give anything to meet Mountain Man. His music is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. No one knows who he is. His identity is top secret,” you sulk.
Yuta beamed with pride that someone could be a fan of his mysterious persona. Without knowing his face or his true identity. It truly made him feel special.
Yuta bit back a laugh. “I know who he is, actually.” He wondered if he would regret telling you this.
You looked at him in shock. “What?”
“I can introduce him to you if you’d like but you have to promise me one thing.” Yuta was elated to see you so thrilled.
“Wait, really?!” You exclaimed as you unconsciously moved closer to him. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”
Yuta shook his head as he finally turned into the arena parking lot. “When we break for lunch, I’ll take you to him. I’ll call him over.”
You gaped. “Oh, you don’t have to. He must be so busy. He doesn’t have time to meet me. I-”
Yuta felt a flash of jealousy over your consideration for someone whose face you didn’t even know (even if it was his other persona). “He won’t mind, I promise. Now promise me one thing when I introduce you.”
“What is it?” You asked cautiously.
Yuta put his car in park. “Promise me you’re free tonight. I need to go over some looks for my concept photos next week. I know it’s after work but I’ll buy dinner.”
Yuta did a full 180 on his personality. You were still recovering from the whiplash. And now he was doing you favors and confiding in you? You were on the fence but if you could meet Mountain Man, surely it would be worth it.
^_^
When it was lunch time, Yuta took you to the conference room. “Take a seat, y/n. Mountain Man just texted me. I’ll bring him in.”
You sat down in your unofficial swivel chair and fought the urge to pick at your nails. You were so nervous. To be in the presence of such talent. To be in the presence of the man who touched your heart with a three minute and fifty five second song. You had no idea what to expect.
Yuta came back quickly. With no one. He looked at you expectantly.
You got up to check if anyone was behind Yuta. “Uh, Yuta?”
“Uh huh?” He asked.
“Where’s Mountain Man?” You frowned.
He threw his arms up. “You’re looking at him.”
You got up from your chair and wrapped your arms around your chest in frustration. “Come on.”
Yuta was shocked at your reaction. “You don’t believe me?”
You shook your head. How can such a high-profile celebrity be an anonymous artist?
Yuta rolled his eyes. “Wow, you’re really making a guy work here, aren’t you?”
“I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t you just release your music with Skylark or under your real name? Why the anonymity?” You asked as you went back to your chair and collected your belongings to leave.
“Wait, don’t go,” Yuta pleaded, “I can prove it.”
He offered his notebook to you with lyrics that dated back two years.
“This is your lyric book?” You asked.
Yuta nodded as you flipped through the pages. “Songs I’ve written for Skylark. Songs I’ve written for my solo mini. And songs I’ve written for Mountain Man.”
You sat down and carefully absorbed all of the contests inside. You went to the first pages of the notebook and found the early drafts of “Breeze”, which dated back to a year ago. And right after those lyrics, there were the lyrics for Skylark’s Grammy-nominated song, “Hope and Flame”.
You looked up at him. “You…”
“Yeah,” he said as he put his hands in his pockets. “If you’re not convinced, I’ll take you to the studio and show you how I’ve used a voice modifier. Plus, you’re looking at lyrics of songs that won’t be released until next year. So if you’re willing to wait until then to see your proof, well…”
Well, he hoped those songs would be released next year. He prayed you would believe him.
You choked. “I...believe you.”
Yuta exclaimed. “Really?”
Yuta was acting very childlike today, you observed. You thought it was kind of cute. He may have dropped one of the biggest secrets in the industry but he was still your moody client.
“I can’t believe…you’re Mountain Man…”
Yuta sat down beside you. “You owe me.”
“After you introduced me to...you?” You laughed in disbelief.
He nodded. “You said you would give anything to meet me.” He was smug as he gave you a knowing look.
You scoffed. “I didn’t think you’d use it against me.”
He replied as he leaned back on the chair. “I’m not. I just thought I might impress you.”
“And why would you want to do that?” You teased.
He leaned closer and shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. I guess I just wanted to.”
You blushed at his proximity and quickly turned away. “There you go again with the teasing.”
Yuta smiled wide. “So what do you want for dinner? Pizza or Chinese?”
^_^
You helped Yuta explore a few looks for his upcoming photoshoot before dinner that night.
You were adding some final touches to his heart-shaped lips. “Your lips are so pretty,” you said without realizing.
Yuta knew to hold still but his eyes opened at hearing you say that. You were so caught up in making up his face that you didn’t realize you were thinking out loud. Yuta chose not to bother you. He owed you that much.
“Okay, I’m done,” you said, “I gave you a more understated look. More neutral tones in your eyeshadow and highlighter. And I chose a brighter shade of pink for your lips. I get more of a romantic vibe from this look,” you said as you looked at his reflection in the makeup mirror.
Yuta looked straight at you. “I love it.” He was impressed with your careful attention to detail and how natural you made his makeup look. Out of all the makeup artists and stylists he’d worked with, you were the most attentive and cooperative. You always surpassed his vision for his look. You asked him for his opinions in case you needed to change anything. Most of the time, though, he was very satisfied with your work on the first go. You were the best makeup artist he’d worked with, he had to admit.
“You don’t want more eyeliner? What were you thinking with your piercings?” You asked.
He shook his head. “It’s perfect, y/n. Every look you showed me is perfect for the shoot. I just need you to be by my side when it starts. No one else touches this face but you.” Yuta explained with no trace of mockery in his voice.
Yuta was so open with you all of a sudden and all you did was breathe. How was that possible? And you felt a little more intimidated now that you knew that Yuta was behind your favorite artist. You remembered that first and foremost you were his makeup artist so you shoved your confused feelings aside. You would panic when you got home.
Blushing and still processing, you said, “Thank.”
“You?” He finished for you.
You blushed even harder. “Yeah.”
He laughed as you tried to compose yourself.
You removed his makeup so his skin could get a break. “What’s next?”
Yuta sighed. “We’re done, y/n. Let’s order something and I’ll drive you home. It’s late.”
You cleaned up your supplies while Yuta ordered pizza. You both liked extra Mozzarella cheese on top.
“So,” you said, “Can I ask you something?” You’ve been dying to ask him questions for hours but you’ve done so well to hold it in. You figured you’d indulge by asking at least one.
“Yeah?” Yuta sat up straight.
“Did you compose all of Mountain Man’s releases?”
He nodded.
“What instruments do you play?” You dared to ask one more question.
“Guitar, piano, drums, violin,” he said as he got up and grabbed his guitar from his case. “Thanks for reminding me. I have a melody stuck in my head, and I want to see if I can make something out of it.”
Yuta tuned his guitar and hummed to himself. He played a few chords.
“Whoa,” you said. “Just like that?”
He chuckled in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You can make something so incredible and unique in an instant?” You asked, clearly in awe.
He shook his head. “I could only get to this point because I practiced every single day in grade school.”
You heard how lonely he sounded, then. “That must have been…”
“A pain in my ass, yeah. I gave up many trips to Chuck E. Cheese just so I could master the piano,” he grumbled.
“And you never gave up on practicing?” You asked, impressed. Had it been you you would’ve given up and found the next hobby.
“My parents pushed me hard from a young age,” he started, “They wanted me to become a world classical musician. Family honor and all.”
“What changed, though? Skylark isn’t exactly classical,” you observed.
Yuta replied, “I didn’t tell my parents but I started a rock band when I was sixteen. Johnny and Jaehyun have been by my side from the very beginning. We rehearsed in Johnny’s garage until we graduated.”
You grinned, just thinking about teenage Yuta rebelling against his family’s wishes. “That’s sweet.”
He laughed. “Yeah, Johnny and Jaehyun claimed they joined to meet girls but I knew they loved music just as much as I did. Johnny’s cousin Mark and Mark’s best friend Sicheng joined us a few months later and we were a force of nature. That was our first band name, by the way.”
You bit back a laugh. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Force of Nature,” Yuta replied, deadpan. “What’s so funny, y/n?”
You laughed, almost falling over in your seat. “That is so cute. You guys thought you were being edgy.”
Yuta grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at you. “I won’t tolerate mockery from the staff.”
You gasped. “I won’t tolerate a DICKtator.” You grabbed another pillow and threw it at him.
You both laughed so hard. Yuta grabbed an eyeliner pencil you forgot to pack up.
“You know, y/n,” Yuta started as he moved closer to you. “You’re alright.” He took your hand and slipped the eyeliner into it.
“You, too, Nakamoto,” you said, “You’re still paying for the pizza, though.”
Time passed as you two talked about your childhoods, your hobbies, and all about Skylark and Mountain Man.
“Man, what I wouldn’t give to go back in time and learn the guitar,” you said as Yuta mindlessly strummed his guitar and produced heavenly melodies.
Yuta innocently offered, “I can teach you.”
You raised your eyebrows. “In exchange for?”
He laughed warmly. “Nothing. Come over here and sit down.” He patted the seat next to him on the couch so you could join him.
You sat down and he placed his acoustic guitar over you. He moved closer to you, moving his arms over you. You could feel his chest against your back. He radiated warmth and your throat almost went dry.
Yuta took your left hand. “Now...you’re going to place your fingers up here. These are called the frets. I already tuned the guitar, okay?” His voice was very close to your ear and for a moment, you held your breath.
He took your right hand and placed it on the body of the guitar. “Let’s try an A chord.” His deep voice lowered even more and you felt your face heat up.
He took your left fingers and adjusted their positions. Never letting go of your hands, he instructed you to strum the guitar.
The chord sounded more beautiful than you’d expected it to be. “Whoa.”
“Nice,” Yuta said, “Then again, I did most of the work.”
You turned your head to him and his face was mere centimeters away from yours. “You are so-”
Yuta moved even closer. “Finish your sentence, y/n. I’m dying to hear what you have to say.”
You retreated. “Irritating.”
Yuta’s phone rang. The pizza arrived and you two fought over the last slice. He was ridiculous, considering he ate four slices to your three. It was only fair you’d eat the last slice. Yuta got creative and used a plastic knife to cut the last slice in half. You accepted but you were determined to get your revenge.
Yuta drove you home. The night was calm, and the traffic was light.
“You live pretty far if you’re walking to the arena for work, y/n,” Yuta said as he pulled up in front of your building.
“I take two buses. Normally, it’s not a problem. It was complicated today because of the rain,” you said.
“Yeah, I thought we were going to get a massive flood,” he said, “It’s very unlike LA.”
You nodded as you took off your seatbelt. “Well, thanks for the ride.”
Yuta smiled and tipped his imaginary hat. “Thank you for your help tonight.” His smile was at its most radiant, then.
^_^
You wake up the next morning thankful for the weekend but a little sad that…Wait a minute.
You didn’t miss Yuta, you told yourself. The boy gave you whiplash and you were only beginning to get to know him. You had time to do some cleaning around the apartment. Maybe you could find a lot of your missing stuff so you could put that eBay account out of your mind.
It was already 2 PM and you couldn’t find the palette, your primary concern. You sighed. You looked around your spotless room and found some solace in the fact that it was clean and organized. Tidying up was its own therapy.
You called your mom and asked her about her day. You went through your jewelry box.
Your mom chattered on, excited like a schoolgirl, “Anyways y/n, Fred wanted to take me to a costume party tonight so I wanted to know...Do you think the black flapper dress would be better than the mod dress?” Fred was her serious boyfriend of three years. You had a feeling that he would propose anytime now and you were happy for them.
That good feeling quickly dissipated. “Oh, no.” Your most prized possession was missing. You knew it was missing because you always kept it in your jewelry box.
“y/n? Honey, are you okay?” Your mom asked over the line.
You couldn’t tell your mom that your grandmother’s ruby necklace was missing. “Yeah, sorry mom, it’s nothing. I got a little dramatic. Ran out of whipped cream for my sundae.” You lied.
You finished your conversation with your mom. You had no choice but to log onto eBay again. You searched 1026you and your suspicions were confirmed.
Your grandmother’s one-of-a-kind family heirloom was for sale. For one hundred dollars. It was a priceless heirloom that was worth at least ten times as much. You clenched your fists. “Son of a bitch.”
You messaged the seller again but knew he would never answer you. He’s ignored your other messages so what made you think he would respond to this one? You read through the site’s terms and conditions and there was no way to contest that the item was yours. You noticed that the item was up for bid and the bid would end in…
Ten minutes.
The current bid was at $100.
You scoffed. “Why the hell do I have to bid on an item that’s mine?”
You swallowed your pride and prayed that no one else would bid higher.
You placed a bid for $101.
Right away, someone else bid higher. $102.
This went on and on until your competition outbid you and won the necklace for $127.
“Son of a bitch!” You cursed again.
You sent 1026you ten consecutive messages telling them that they stole your necklace and begged them to respond as soon as possible. You knew it was hopeless.
^_^
You knocked on Yangyang’s door. He lived a few doors down from you and Delilah. You used to babysit him when you were in high school and college. Yangyang was a child prodigy, having graduated from MIT with a master’s in computer science at age sixteen. His parents still needed you to babysit when he was acing Physics at age ten. He always insisted he didn’t need a babysitter but you two developed a bond. It was to both of your surprise that he became your neighbor. He had a side hustle as a hacker. You hoped he could help you track down 1026you so you can give him a piece of your mind.
He opened the door. “y/n, what’s up?” He smiled wide. He still had that boyish wonder in his eyes.
“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting,” you started.
“Not at all, come in,” he moved to the side so you could walk into his messy apartment. Video games were scattered all over his living room floor. He was in the middle of eating a bowl of ramen.
“Yangyang, I know I’ve been relieved from my babysitting duties for a while now but...ramen is not a proper meal,” you said.
“Shut up.” Yangyang laughed. “I’ll grill some meat later. Don’t worry.”
You laughed as you sat at his kitchen table. He gave you a can of Pepsi, knowing it was your favorite. “I need a favor, actually.”
Yangyang rejoiced. “At long last, you need my help. Never thought the day would come. You never let me help you with precalculus, even though you definitely needed it.”
Ignoring his roast for once, you responded, “Well...I need your hacking expertise. I know that this is going to sound crazy but...someone has been stealing things from my apartment and selling them online.”
Yangyang’s smile faded. “What the hell? So that’s why you installed security cameras at your place.”
“I didn’t get into it because I thought I was crazy but my grandmother’s necklace is missing and it’s one of a kind. And now…” You showed him the item that was sold.
“That’s your necklace,” Yangyang replied in shock. He recognized it from having known you for so long. You wore it on rare occasions like birthday parties. You preferred not to be photographed with it because you wanted to preserve it and keep it secret from strangers and acquaintances. You never knew who you could trust.
“Can you help me track down the seller?”
“y/n, that goes against eBay’s terms and conditions,” he replied.
You sighed. “I know but-”
Yangyang chuckled mischievously. “This should be fun.”
Yangyang worked magic on his computer to track down 1026you’s location. He was in Los Angeles, to your surprise. “Can’t get you the seller’s name but will an address do?”
“It’s perfect,” you said.
^_^
Yuta woke up from a nap on the couch. Totoro was sleeping on his stomach. He chuckled as he pet him. Yuta’s phone rang, indicating a notification. He checked his phone and saw that the ruby necklace he put on sale was sold to the highest bidder at the deadline. He also saw a bunch of messages from one account claiming he stole the necklace and he’d better respond to her.
“Crazy,” Yuta said as he ignored the messages.
^_^
“What do you think I should use for today’s luxurious bath, Totoro? The ‘Cotton Candy’ bath bomb or the ‘Madly In Love’ bath bomb?” Yuta carefully picked Totoro up from his lap and placed him on the cold marble floor before standing up and stretching.
Totoro let out a loud “meow” and walked away from Yuta.
“I completely agree.”
Yuta threw his shirt off and headed to his bathroom, but he jumped once he opened the door. He had completely forgotten about the beautiful portrait that leaned against the counter. He stopped and tilted his head, really taking in the depth of color in the painting. He gazed at the stunning profile of the woman and the necklace she had on. He couldn’t understand how he had this undying urge to remember a memory he never had, to remember the moment he met this strange woman from the portrait.
He shook his head and started to run water for his bath, oblivious to the eyes that watched him through the small opening of the door.
^_^
You watched a shirtless Yuta stare at something for a few seconds. You couldn’t see what it was, but you really didn’t care, for Yuta’s abs were the real star of the show. Your mouth fell open, your heart started to race. Yuta was perfect in every way, and the twinkling piercing in his navel was the cherry on top.
But...wait.
You had to remember why you were here. Yangyang’s research found that this was the address of the person that was selling your precious necklace so you had to work fast. You already got lucky when you found a window in a first floor bedroom that was open.
You were shocked to see that it was Yuta’s house that you would have to break into, but once again, you just had to get your priceless possession.
Was Yuta messing with you? How could he do this and when could he do this? When would he have had time to sneak into your place and steal your necklace? Or was it his girlfriend?
Yuta shook his head before turning it to the side slightly. You jumped out of sight by moving to the side quickly. He interrupted your thoughts, but you had to get moving before he got out of the shower.
You looked around his enormous mansion, heading for what seemed to be his bedroom, for it was the biggest one at the top of the grand staircase.
Surely, there had to be an explanation for how your possession became his possession. Nonetheless, you were pissed that he decided to ignore your message and proceed to sell it. How could he steal something so meaningful to you then sell it? It’s not like he needed the money.
You looked on top of the California King-sized bed and then under it to see if you could just catch a glimpse of the shimmering ruby stone. But you found nothing. You then looked at his black dresser before stopping to gaze at his extensive earring collection. It was incredible.
A case full of hundreds if not thousands of earrings and jewelry stood beside the dresser. Your mouth fell open and your eyes widened. What if he stole jewelry? No-no, you shook your head at the absurd thought. This man had way too much money.
Then you heard him singing in the bathroom beside his bedroom. But his voice grew louder as he exited and entered the hallway to make his way to his room.
“Shit,” you whispered.
Your heart started to race. You're just moments from being caught so you look back to the dresser and spot it.
Your necklace.
It’s next to the small brown bag that it would have been sent in today, but you grabbed it just in the nick of time.
“BABAY!! Why DON’T YOU JUST MEET ME IN THE MIDDLEEE??” Yuta sang in the hallway and thanks to his boastful voice and the large ceilings that allowed for a beautiful echo, you heard him when he was just about to enter. You quickly dropped to the floor and rolled under the bed.
You covered your mouth to muffle your heavy breathing. He was pacing about, walking to and from his closet.
“Nah, don’t like this…” he threw a flannel onto the bed. He went into his closet and grabbed a black T-shirt, the 56th black T-shirt in his collection, to be exact.
“Nice.” Yuta continued to hum while spritzing on some cologne.
Yuta smelled amazing, like vanilla and roses, but you couldn’t help but be worried that you would be late for work if you couldn’t get out of his house right NOW.
“Hey, babe..” You heard a female voice say. It was his girlfriend. “Damn it,” you mouthed. Ashley was known for being one of the most gorgeous celebrities alive today. She had the perfect face with a dazzling smile to match, but rumor had it that she was a complete bitch behind closed doors.
You heard Yuta sigh and you could almost feel his eye roll. He was thinking of how much he hated himself for ever giving her a key to his house.
“What’s up, Ash?” He spoke to her like he was being forced to communicate with an Uber driver.
“Oh, don’t sound so excited to see me…” Ashley responded. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Yuta was fixing his earrings onto his ears when she embraced him. He looked at her through the mirror in front of them and gave a look of annoyance when she tilted her head to lock eyes with him.
“So...where were you yesterday? You missed our dinner date at the Venetian...Do you know how much it cost me to lose that reservation AND call off the paps?”
“I’m sure you can afford it.” Yuta walked away from her and looked at the dresser with a puzzled expression. Something’s missing, he thought.
You watched Yuta’s footsteps as he hesitated for a moment, but then he continued on into his closet.
Your eyes grew. Did Yuta really blow off his date at the most expensive restaurant in the city to be with you? He ditched $1,000 caviar and steak just to eat $12 pizza with you?
“You really like making me beg, don’t you, Mr. Nakamoto?” Her voice lowered as she leaned against the dresser and watched Yuta put his socks on.
“Where were you, daddy?”
Yuta hesitated for a moment. He didn’t like the fact that she thought he had to report his movements to her. She acted like she had to know everything that went on in his life. She was overstepping and Yuta wasn’t about to fall for it.
So he decided to piss her off.
“I was with..the new girl.”
Ashley stood up straight and crossed her arms. You nearly yelped out under the bed and revealed yourself.
“Who’s the ‘new girl’?” Ashley asked and you could just hear the fire in her tone. Even Charizard would be jealous.
“The new makeup artist..she’s sweet, I bought us food and we talked.” Yuta smirked and walked closer to Ashley who didn’t even try to hide her jealousy. Her perfectly plucked brows furrowed.
“I taught her how to play the guitar...she’s lovely, really. We had a great time.” Yuta was definitely twisting the knife and you couldn’t tell if he spoke of you fondly just to piss her off, or if he genuinely meant it. Either way, his words filled your chest with butterflies, and a smile tugged at your lips.
“Yuta...baby, you missed our date at THE Venetian to spend it with some talentless random who probably has a failing Youtube channel?” Ashley pouted. “Let me show you what’s lovely, Mr. Nakamoto.”
Yuta was about to protest, but Ashley held his chin and tilted it down towards her before placing a kiss on his lips.
The sound echoed in the large room and made you roll your eyes. She insulted you without having met you? What a bitch, you thought. No wonder Yuta was miserable.
She then took his hand and led him to the bed, pushing his chest lightly so he’d sit on the soft surface. She dropped to her knees and ran her hands along his thighs.
Oh no...please don’t do what I think you’re about to do. You squeezed your eyes tightly and prayed that Yuta would tell her to wait until later.
Yuta huffed and puffed but indulged her, allowing her to have her way because he just couldn’t be bothered. She unbuckled his belt while looking into his low eyes.
“You’re stressed, baby, that’s why you spent time with a total stranger. But don’t forget you have me.” Ashley licked her lips before taking his pant zipper in between her teeth and dragging it down.
“I can’t wait to taste you, Mr. Nakamoto.” Ashley kissed his pelvis. She was too busy to see Yuta cringe at the name she called him. God, did it feel weird.
“Just...m-make it quick. I have to go.” Yuta licked his lips, letting his head fall back as he closed his eyes in anticipation.
Shit. You mouthed again. You were about to hear the most disturbing sounds of your life and there was nothing you could do, nowhere that you could go. Could you sneak out on the other side without them noticing? Shit shit shit shit.
Ashley sneezed before she could place her mouth on Yuta again.
Yuta looked down in annoyance.
She quickly swiped at her nose then retook her position.
She puckered her lips to lay a kiss on his growing bulge, but she sneezed again.
Several more sneezes followed and Yuta was getting frustrated. He slowly became turned off.
“Damn it, do you still have that ugly cat? I’m suffering here!” She yelled before laying out four back-to-back sneezes.
“So am I.. I gotta go, Ashley.” Yuta rolled his eyes and stood up. He brushed past her, where she still knelt on the floor, and walked towards the dresser.
“Make yourself useful and mail this-” Yuta’s sentence trailed when he didn't see the necklace. The brown envelope was there but the necklace was no longer beside it. “What the hell, I could’ve sworn...”
He looked into the brown bag then onto the floor and the rest of the dresser. Sure enough, the necklace was gone. “So it disappears just as quickly as it appeared? Shit.”
Your brows furrowed. What did he mean by “appeared?”
“Have you seen-?” Yuta was about to ask.
But suddenly, your phone started to vibrate in your back pocket. You quickly reached towards it to silence it so it would no longer make that grinding sound while shaking on the floor.
Luckily, Ashley was still sneezing so it covered up the sound..or so you thought.
“What was that?” Yuta turned and looked about the room for the source of the sound.
Ashley finally stood up and walked towards him. “I’ll just drive with you to work! We can finish what we started...” She gave him a wink before sniffling.
Yuta grimaced and grabbed his keys, brushing past her once again to head out the door.. “Whatever you say, Ash.”
Ashley practically skipped behind him. Finally, the room was empty. You swiftly dragged yourself from under the bed and stood up.
You heard them argue downstairs so you decided that you would climb out from the patio attached to Yuta’s room. Yangyang made sure to deactivate Yuta’s entire security system, including his cameras, so you could enter and leave without detection.
You took a deep breath before jumping from the porch and into the bushes below it. You tried not to scream as loudly as you wanted to. How you didn’t break your legs, you weren’t sure, but you were somehow able to leap back onto your feet and book it for the main road, sliding through the gate while Yuta and his girlfriend waited for the garage door to open so they could drive out.
By the time you got to work, you were covered in sweat, leaves, and dirt. You smelled and looked like you had been camping for at least 23 days in the Appalachian mountains, but it didn’t matter. You finally had your necklace.
“You good, y/n?” Manager Byun gave you a puzzled expression as you hurriedly took your tools out of your kit and placed them on the vanity for Yuta. You were somehow able to get there just minutes before him.
“I’m okay! Had a slightly...difficult time getting here, but I’m ready!” You gave him a smile so forced, you thought your face would be stuck like that forever.
He nodded slowly but still looked confused.
Just then, Yuta entered. His smile was bright and so beautiful. You melted like chocolate in his sunny smile when his eyes were glued to yours as he entered.
But your feelings of admiration soon dissipated when you saw his girlfriend behind him. She held up a compact mirror and was fixing her lipstick as she walked in.
I guess they did finish what they started...
Your smile fell. You didn’t know why you were sad and disappointed. It’s not like your one night with Yuta actually meant anything. He had a girlfriend, and not just any girlfriend. A celebrity girlfriend that was just listed as the person with the second most beautiful face in the world, behind Zendaya of course. Yuta was lucky, there’s no way he’d drop her for you.
You looked away as he walked over. He could feel a shift in your mood immediately. Your eyes were so big and bright when he entered and now you shifted your focus to organizing your makeup and covering a look of sadness that he could clearly see.
Yuta said ‘hi’ to everyone but stepped quickly over to you.
“Hey...y/n...it's nice to see you again.” Yuta gave you a half smile that really tugged at your heartstrings. How could he manage to make you so weak?
“Hey, Yuta.” You gave a short answer, and he could tell you were upset. You weren't nearly as cheerful as you were yesterday. Then..he noticed how disheveled you were.
His face became serious. He touched your arm and it felt like sparks dancing along your skin.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly while the other members and the manager went about their business.
You tried to avoid his magnetic gaze, but couldn't.
Your mouth opened as you looked into his eyes. “I’m-”
“Hi! Nice to meet you, are you the new makeup girl?” Ashley pushed herself in between you and Yuta and obnoxiously smiled in your face to push you further away from Yuta.
“Yes.” You pucker your lips and glance at Yuta who looked beyond annoyed.
“Well, you certainly don’t look like a makeup artist..” Ashley chuckled.
You scoffed. “What?”
“I mean, look at your nails.. Are you sure you want to touch my boyfriend's perfect face when you’ve got an entire ecosystem under your nail bed?” She grabbed your hand without warning and held it up for both you and Yuta to see the dirt that had gotten under your nails when you had jumped off of his patio and held on to the ground for support. You were running late so you didn’t get a chance to go to the restroom to clean up, but of course you would wash your hands before touching his face.
“I-” you started, but she interrupted you once again.
“That’s not very professional of you...”
“Ashley! Stop, don’t you have a photo shoot to get to?” Yuta took your hand from her and lowered it to your side, but he didn’t let it go. He stood beside you and looked onto Ashley with disappointment. Your heart became warm as he squeezed your hand to let you know that he had your back.
Ashley chuckled. “People come and go pretty fast here sweetie..let’s see how long you last.” She rolled her eyes before pushing herself in between the two of you, breaking off your linked hands in the process. How could someone so beautiful also be so ugly?
“I’m so sorry about her.” Yuta turned to you.
You nodded. “She’s right. It's very unprofessional of me to come to work like this.”
Yuta shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, y/n. Things happen..Let me show you where the shower is.”
^_^
Yuta led you to the locker room where the shower was. He handed you a tshirt and sweatpants that he had asked the manager to keep in a locker for him just in case he needed to change after sweating too much.
“Why are you dating someone so...mean?” You asked while you followed Yuta. You didn’t think twice about your question, and really, you had no right to ask him. He was just your client, not your friend.
Yuta chuckled. He turned to you and raised his eyebrows. “I smell some jealousy.”
You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, she’s pretty or whatever, but trust me I am not jealous. I just don’t understand how you could be with someone like that..”
“I’m not a saint either, y/n..we’re perfect for each other..or at least our agencies think so.” Yuta paused. He wondered if he should let you in on yet another secret, but he didn’t notice that his eyes had trailed to your lips, adoring the way they formed a small pout.
You laughed. “You have a point, you weren’t exactly the nicest to me when I first started working for you...”
Yuta grinned when he saw your bright smile and your doe eyes as you laughed again. You were like a breath of fresh air, unlike anyone he’d ever seen. His spirit was instantly drawn to you, for you calmed him. You were just a stranger yet you felt like home.
“I’ll make it up to you...How about I teach you more about the guitar after the shoot?” He stepped closer, anxiously awaiting your approval like a boy that just asked his crush to prom.
You started to blush, his face was so close to yours, you had to look into his eyes.
You took in a sharp breath. “Are you sure your girlfriend will be okay with that? I don’t want you to stand her up again, she’ll probably stab me with an eyeliner pencil.”
“Again?” Yuta’s brows bunched together, but he still gave a teasing smile.
sHIT.
“O-oh i mean, surely you’ve stood her up at some point, right? She’s a total b-”
Yuta burst out into laughter.
You looked at him with worry on your face. “W-what did I do?”
“You’re adorable, but I just can’t take it anymore.” Yuta reached his hand out to the side of your face and gently removed a long vine that was tangled in your hair. He then removed a large, green leaf that stuck out of your disheveled do.
He calmed down. “There we go..much better. Even nature loves your beautiful face.”
Beautiful face.
Your heart began to race for the third time in one day. Too much was happening, you thought you would pass out. Did Yuta really just say that you were beautiful?
He cleared his throat when he realized that the words he was thinking actually came out while the two of you stood awkwardly in the locker room.
“Yuta?”
He smiled, just the sound of you saying his name made him weak for some reason, what was happening to him?
“What?”
“You’re staring..” you chuckled.
“I’m getting inspired.” he gazed at your eyes then your lips as he spoke in a softer tone.
“By what?” You tilted your head.
“By you.”
“Mountain Man, you really have a way with words, I bet you say that to all your groupies.” You rolled your eyes and brushed past him, walking towards the shower.
He spun around and grabbed your hand. Your breath hitched when you turned to look at him, his full lips parted and eyes begging for something.
“I...have to tell you something..”
He looked so serious for once.
“Ashley and I are in a fake relationship. It’s all a publicity stunt that our labels set up. I don’t love her...But I’m telling you because I feel like..I can really talk to you.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised, Yuta.” you gave a small smile. “I’m just your makeup artist, but if you want to talk to me, I don’t see why not. You’ve already told me two major secrets.”
Yuta laughed out at your response, a strand of his beautiful fuchsia hair falling into his forehead, making him look even more handsome than he did before.
He stepped closer.
“Wash up quickly, for me..the shoot starts soon.”
Yuta winked and walked away leaving you a blushing mess.
“Also, remember we have a guitar lesson later.”
For me.
Why did he have to say it like that? Wait, why were you even affected by that? Could your heart calm down when you were around him for more than five seconds?
^_^
You walked into the dressing room in your new comfy outfit and headed straight for your section. The sweatpants Yuta gave you didn’t have pockets, so you had to wear the necklace around your neck. You tucked it under your shirt to make sure that no one would see it on you.
“Wow, I wish I was wearing that instead of leather pants right now...” Johnny pouted when he saw you in Yuta’s Nike sweats.
“You look great! Always remember, beauty is pain,” you gave him a wink and continued to place your tools in order.
“You must be in pain all the time then, y/n.” Yuta exclaimed as he approached his seat.
Everyone in the dressing room let out ‘oooooo’s’ like primary school students.
You blushed but turned away quickly so he wouldn’t see. “Always teasing me, I swear one day you’re gonna pay.”
“Can’t wait for that day.” Yuta relaxed into the chair.
You leaned forward and started to place the concealer under his eyes with a small brush. You took your time and blended carefully, but felt your face become hot when you realized that he was staring at you intensely.
You couldn’t hold it in anymore. You stepped back to laugh and shook your head.
“What’s wrong? Am I making you flustered?” Yuta smirked.
You rolled your eyes then leaned in towards his face. He suddenly sat up straighter, moving forward so that his lips would be just a few centimeters away from yours.
“Stop teasing me. We don’t have time.” You blushed once again and stepped back.
Yuta bit his lips and chuckled. “Oh, so demanding.”
You were doing his eyeliner when you tugged at the collar of the men’s shirt. It was choking you slightly because it was higher than a regular T-shirt. That’s when your necklace popped up and rested on top of the shirt instead of under it.
“Wait...where did you get that?” Yuta leaned back.
“What?” You narrowed your brow, for you didn’t understand why his demeanor became so serious.
“That necklace...”
Shit.
“Did you steal that..from me?”
Then it all clicked for Yuta. You were in his house. You eavesdropped on his and Ashley’s conversation. That’s how you knew that he stood her up the night before. And that’s why you came to work all sweaty and out of breath.
“What are you talking about?” You backed away from him, but he stood up quickly and snatched the necklace from your neck furiously. The sound of the chain breaking frightened you and you became just as furious. This bastard had no idea what he had just done.
“Yuta!”
Everyone turned to you two once your voice rose.
“What the hell are you doing? Give it back!” You demanded.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he examined the necklace, the shape and cut of the ruby stone and the unique gold chain that it hung on.
He compared the necklace to the picture he posted on his eBay account, and sure enough, it was the same necklace.
“You stole this from my house! You stole from me! I thought I could trust you! What are you, some crazy stalker?!”
“Wait, you’re user 1026you! You’re the crazy one! You stole from me so that you can sell MY jewelry online! You also stole my limited edition eyeshadow palette!” Your voices escalated and everyone else in the room became quiet.
“This crazy bitch! Why the hell would I steal from someone like you?” Yuta gave you a look of disgust and looked down on you like you were a poor dog. You really hated his guts now. He towered over you as he yelled, but you weren’t scared. You were just angry that he had the audacity to lie in front of everyone like this.
“I can’t steal something that was already mine!”
“It was never yours! It was in MY house, and I have the proof right here!” He held up his phone as Manager Byun walked over.
“What’s going on here?” The manager was both puzzled and surprised that you were in a yelling match with the member that no one dared to fight.
“This delusional girl that you decided to hire is a stalker! She broke into my house and stole my necklace.”
“YOUR necklace? You’ve really lost your mind! You stole it from me first.” You shouted back.
“Okay, okay everyone calm down. y/n.. Did you break into Yuta’s house?” the manager turned to you.
“No-I mean, yes, but only because he was going to sell it and it’s precious to me. He ignored my messages and blocked me on eBay before I could explain!”
“You broke into my client’s house?” Baekhyun gaped.
“She sure as hell did. Security!! She tricked me and got close to me just so she could steal from me and learn my secrets. How much were you gonna sell this for, huh? But the worst part is that I trusted you like a fool,” Yuta stepped forward as he spewed hateful and untrue words.
Your eyes started to water, you struggled to hold back tears. “Yuta, you know that’s not true. The necklace was never yours! It belonged to my grandmother and means so much to me.”
“Prove it.” Yuta was angry beyond words, he felt betrayed.
You struggled to think of any way to prove that it was yours. The security guards took your arms and placed them behind your back while pulling you away and out of the room.
The only thing that could prove that the necklace was yours would be the painting that your grandmother made of you when you wore the necklace. The painting that you just now realized had also gone missing.
“No! Don’t do this! I’m not a stalker.” You struggled to stay still as the guards dragged you out.
“She’s delusional! How could you hire someone like that? She put me in danger!” Yuta marched off to the bathroom so he could cool down.
“Yuta-wait. y/n...We will be pressing charges, I’m calling the police.” Manager Byun pulled out his phone.
^_^
A few hours passed and the news broke of what happened.
Crazy Stalker poses as Makeup Artist to Break into Yuta Nakamoto’s home!
BREAKING: MUGSHOT OF DELUSIONAL STALKER OF YUTA NAKAMOTO RELEASED
How did she pull off the perfect plan and is Yuta Nakamoto in danger?
You sat on the bench in your cold cell and wiped your eyes. Everything went bad so quickly. Yuta and basically the entire world thought you were a stalker and there was nothing you could do to prove your innocence. Yuta had the audacity to accuse you of stealing something that was never his to begin with.
And now, you could hear his fans chanting hurtful messages.
“She’s a crazy stalker, We will protect Yuta!”
“Yuta, we love you!”
“SHE DOESN’T DESERVE FREEDOM”
You were so confused, but the part that hurt the most was that your most prized possession was gone and probably in the air on some shipping company's airplane being delivered to some oblivious buyer.
What could you possibly do to make everything right at this point?
Yuta, on the other hand, was at home being coddled by his oh so caring girlfriend.
He laid down on his plush, velvet couch and pouted.
“It’s gonna be okay, Yuta. I swear we’ll get the best lawyers. She’ll never see another day outside!” Ashley got up from the couch and paced about.
“I knew I had a bad feeling about her.”
But Yuta disagreed. He never had a bad feeling about you. He thought you were sweet and kind, he thought everything about you was genuine especially when compared to the fakeness that surrounded him in his lifestyle. How could he have been fooled like this?
He told you two major secrets and now he’d probably have to drop the charges in exchange for your silence.
You really got to him because you seemed to be the biggest fan of Mountain Man, you seemed to appreciate his hard work, but now he didn’t think any of your praises were genuine. He couldn’t even go on social media. All the hashtags were ALWAYSHEREFORYUTA, WEWILLPROTECTYUTA, CRAZYSTALKER.
And they just reminded him of how weak he became.
“LOOK! TMZ just got her mugshot! I’m so happy they’re exposing this bitch, I hope they release her address and family information.”
Ashley smirked when she pulled up the picture of your mugshot on Yuta’s phone.
“Ashley...you need to leave...” Yuta sat up on the couch and looked at the floor. He couldn’t take anymore of Ashley’s annoying voice and he really wanted to be alone to relax and decompress after what happened.
“Oh, my poor little meow meow, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” Ashley sat back down on the couch beside him and tried to take his jaw in her hands but he backed away.
“Not now, Ash..I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ashley scoffed and slowly got up from the couch.
“Okay...let me know if you need anything.”
Yuta breathed a sigh of relief once he heard the front door close. He could hear tons of fans outside of his front gate cheering for him when she opened the door and it made him sick. He doesn’t feel proud. Because the truth is, the necklace wasn’t his. It just “appeared.” But here he was defending his possession of it and it didn’t feel right.
Yuta bit his lips then looked down at his phone which was still open with the article that included your mugshot.
He looked away at first, but then looked back down when something caught his eye. He looked more closely at the photo.
Your eyes.
He’d seen them before. Of course he had, but this time..they were different. They reminded him of something, someone.
The color of your cheeks and the depth of your beautiful eyes, the tone of your gorgeous soft skin and the curve of your lips. He had seen it before.
It took him a moment to realize.
The painting.
You were the woman in the painting that found itself in his bathroom. You were the same woman that wore a necklace just like the one he sold.
He looked over the messages you sent him on his seller account. It was like clockwork, every time something appeared in his house and he posted it online, you would message him about it to ask that he return it.
She was telling the truth. Yuta thinks to himself. He could punch himself right now. He was so rude to you for no reason. It was your stuff that kept popping up in his house and he didn’t understand why, but he knew that you were innocent. The painting was huge so it’s not like you placed it there by yourself to mess with him.
He threw on his jean jacket and headed out the door to go to the police station.
He had to fight through the screaming fans outside of the station that were waiting for a chance to attack you, the police officers gathering around him to move him through the hectic crowd.
Once inside, he went to the front desk and immediately told the officer that he wanted to drop all charges against you.
“You’re one lucky girl...” The officer said as she opened the gate of your cell.
“What?” You looked up at her questioningly and stood up from the wooden bench that had made your butt sore.
“He’s here for you..you know, the good looking rocker dude.” She unlocks your handcuffs and walks you out of the cell.
You’re relieved but can’t seem to smile, what’s going on?
Yuta was signing paperwork as you walked up to him.
“Yuta..you asshole.”
“That’s no way to speak to the man that just got your ass out.” Yuta looked up and sighed.
You scoffed. “You’re the one that put me in there! And I’m supposed to thank you?” You pushed past him and headed for the door. You started to walk down the stairs, but you were quickly stopped by the officers that stood out front.
“What the-“ you started when you saw the enormous crowd outside of the station. They were Yuta’s fans and paparazzi. They rapidly snapped so many pictures of you, you had to close your eyes and cover your face, the flashing lights being all too much for you. All you could hear were the thunderous ‘boo’s’ of Yuta’s fans.
Yuta was used to noise and flashing bright lights so he quickly came up behind you and turned you around. He held your head and pressed it onto his chest lightly.
You started to cry when you heard the names everyone was calling you over a simple misunderstanding. How could you be a ‘normal’ person after all this? All you wanted was your necklace and now you were overwhelmed by this new and unwelcoming spotlight.
“Shhh..don’t cry, it’ll be okay..I got you.” Yuta whispered into your ear as he patted your head softly.
You relaxed into him more, enjoying the comfort of his broad chest.
“Put your arms around my neck. Just trust me, okay?” Yuta’s soft tone made you shudder even though you still hated him.
But you did as he instructed.
He then picked up your legs and held you in his arms bridal style. The fans roared even louder but Yuta ignored them. He marched down the stairs towards his car while police blocked them from the two of you. He was able to lay you down on the backseat of his Range Rover before jumping into the front seat and speeding away from the madness.
Once the two of you were somewhat safe and far from the police station and his fans, Yuta exhaled.
He turned to look at you when he got to a red light. You were huddled up with your back facing him while you laid down on the surprisingly comfortable backseat. You had stopped crying, but you were still angry.
“Listen, I’m just as frustrated as you are. But we need to talk about this. What the hell is going on?” Yuta let out.
“I don’t know, maybe we should’ve talked before you had security take me away. Then all of this shit wouldn’t have happened. Oh and frustrated?” You scoffed.
“Did you just spend over 8 hours in a cold prison cell for stealing a necklace that belonged to you in the first place?!”
“You’re the one that broke into my house! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I tried to message you but you insisted on being a jerk to make quick cash off of someone else’s belongings.”
You pulled your phone out of your pocket.
“Have you seen this shit? Your girlfriend just had a press conference and is calling for all makeup brands and agencies to swear to never hire me! I hate you, I can’t believe you put me in jail and essentially, ended my whole career!”
Yuta sighed. “I’m sorry, y/n. I really am, don’t look at social media right now, and your career isn’t over, we’ll get this sorted out.”
“How did you find out the truth anyway?” You asked.
“I recognized you in the painting, you had the necklace on.”
“The painting? Wait, you have that too?” Your eyes widened.
“Yes, and I was stupid to not realize it was you sooner. I—was an idiot, y/n. I hope you can forgive me. As a matter of fact, you can expose me as the Mountain Man if you want, you can expose everything.” Yuta was genuinely sorry for what he put you through. The whole world knew who you were now. You were famous, but not in a good way. Yuta had millions of fans and you were pretty sure you were the second most hated person in the world on twitter right now, behind Donald Trump of course.
“Yuta...I don’t want to get even with you, I want my life back.” You closed your eyes and started to drift off into a deep sleep while he drove.
Yuta cursed himself, he felt a bond being created with you and now he ruined it. And he had to admit that he had started to admire the woman in the painting, the woman he wanted to know even though his soul felt he already knew her. And now, the beautiful woman was right next to him, and yet, so far away.
^_^
When you got back to Yuta’s place, you entered through the garage so no one could see you get out of his car.
Yuta took you to his security room where he could watch footage from all of the cameras inside and outside of his house.
He reached for your hand to guide you through the large mansion, but you didn’t take it this time.
You huffed and rolled your eyes.
“Explain to me why you keep taking my stuff.”
“I don’t take anything. It just..appears.” Yuta walked quickly to the room.
“I'm gonna prove it to you right now.”
Yuta pulls up footage from the night the painting appeared in his bathroom, but every time he fast forwards to the exact moment that the painting appears, the footage cuts out.
“Did you see that? The second that my camera cuts to black is the moment that the painting just magically appears.”
You blink rapidly. “Play it again.”
Yuta replays it and you both watch the unexplainable. Chills run down your spine as you are creeped all the way out.
“I’ll show you the night your necklace popped up in my kitchen.”
It felt like you were watching something from Paranormal Activity and although you were a big fan of horror movies, you sure didn’t like being in one.
The same thing happened. There is a second of footage that is cut out and right after, the footage plays again with the new item in frame. It didn’t make any sense.
Yuta looked at you as you stared at the screen and tried to make sense of what he saw.
You were so beautiful, your long lashes batting slowly, your pursed lips and cute nose. Why was he so drawn to you? The magnetic pull he felt towards you became even stronger now that he knew you were the woman in the painting.
“Where is it now, Yuta?”
“Where’s what?” Yuta was only thinking about your face. For a moment, he forgot what you were even doing there.
“The necklace.” Your doe eyes shifted upwards to his.
Yuta sighed and looked away to the floor. “I—was upset, so I already sent it to the buyer.”
You closed your eyes and let out a slow breath.
“Yuta...we have to get it back, you don’t..you don’t understand.”
“They won’t give it back to me, y/n. They already know that I’m the user that sold it, it’ll be even more valuable now.”
“But it’s priceless to me, Yuta!” You yelled before tears ran down your cheeks.
“y/n..” Yuta stepped forward to hug you, and you let him. His arms held you tightly. “We’ll work this out, I’ll get it back if it means that much to you.”
“My grandmother was a painter, she’s the one that created that painting for me. She was the best..” you sniffled as you rested your head on his chest again.
“She was the one that taught me about creativity, color and believing in your art.. she’s the one I looked up to when I was growing up. I spent most of my time with her when my parents would fight..which was pretty often.”
Yuta smoothed your hair as you spoke.
“But one day, she lit a candle..she forgot to blow it out before falling asleep on her couch and a fire started to spread..”
“y/n..I’m so sorry.”
“The oil paintings allowed for the fire to become huge and made it impossible for her to escape..she died before firefighters could get to her, the only thing that survived the fire was that necklace. She held onto it..for me. She said she would give it to me one day when I was old enough.” You sobbed once more.
“y/n..I promise you I will do everything I can to get it back.”
You sniffled then looked up at Yuta. “Please, Yuta.”
He nodded. “ I promise.”
Just then you felt something walk between your ankles. When you looked down, you were startled to see your cat, Totoro.
“What the hell? Why do you have my cat? I’ve been looking for him everywhere, but he’s old and just kinda does what he wants.” Totoro’s abrupt entrance makes you stop crying.
“What? YOUR cat? He’s in my house, he’s mine now.” Yuta says sternly.
God, why was he so possessive?
You looked back up at him and pushed his chest away, you suddenly remembered the kind of man Yuta was.
“He’s MY cat, you fool. You didn’t even raise him. You probably lured him in here by giving him food!” You picked Totoro up.
You still hated Yuta, however, it was like a weight had been lifted once you told him about the significance of the necklace.
You turned to leave Yuta’s place through the back entrance you entered through.
“Prove it, prove he’s yours, what’s his name?” Yuta looked hurt that you were taking Totoro away from him.
“It’s Totoro, bitch.” You rolled your eyes and continued walking straight-faced with your cat in hand.
Yuta’s eyes grew, he was left speechless.
The two of you finally got to the garage.
You turned to him.
“You owe me a ride home, and after that, I never want to see you again.”
^_^
Yuta drove you back to your apartment, apologizing multiple times. This day he apologized more times than he has ever apologized for anything in his life. It had to be some sort of record.
You were tired because this truly had been one of the longest days of your life. You wanted a warm shower and to hug Totoro to sleep.
Yuta parked his car in front of your building and turned to look at you. “y/n...”
“Thanks for the ride back,” you muttered as you and Totoro walked back to your apartment.
You looked so dejected and devoid of any emotion. This entire misunderstanding did a number on you. And it was his fault. He had to act fast if he was going to make this up to you.
Little did you know that a pair of serpentine eyes watched you from across the parking lot. Ashley laid low in a car she typically wouldn’t be caught dead in and watched her man drive that freak home. That was when she saw that you were carrying that mangy cat in your arms.
“So it was her cat?” She asked herself. She pulled out her phone as she took pictures of you leaving Yuta’s car and pictures of Yuta’s license plate.
Once you were out of sight, Yuta just idled there. For a little too long. It drove Ashley crazy. How could Yuta be so kind to this nobody? After everything you did?
You were inferior to her in every way, Ashley thought. Yuta was a fool for looking at anyone but her. She had to do something so you could be out of the picture forever.
She would be damned if Yuta left her for an unemployed, disgraced nobody. Ashley pitied you because she wasn’t finished with her reign of terror on you. Not by a long shot.
^_^
A few days have passed since your name became the most searched on all social media platforms. You prayed something juicier could distract the public so you could become insignificant again.
A news article came out that Yuta dropped the charges against you and that you were innocent. Unfortunately, the deranged and delusional members of the public (aka the Yutastans) already made up their mind about you. And today, shit hit the fan once again.
Delilah sat with you on the couch as you binge watched Riverdale. It cheered you up to roast the show with your best friend. Things almost seemed like they hadn’t changed.
Delilah checked her phone and nearly choked on her glass of water.
“What is it?” You asked. “Are you okay?”
Delilah set her glass down as she stared at her phone. “That’s our apartment complex. Fuck.”
“Delilah, what’s wrong?” You had a bad feeling.
“y/n, it’s going to be okay. We will get through this,” she began and you motioned for her to hand you her phone.
Delilah reluctantly handed it to you as you read the article on her phone.
Yuta Nakamoto’s Crazy Stalker Is Actually His Side Chick?
That was the headline and your heart plummeted. There were pictures of you holding Totoro as you got out of Yuta’s car when he brought you home.
“What the hell,” you started, “Who took these?” You demanded.
Someone knocked at your door and you shrunk into the couch. Delilah looked at you in concern and she went to answer the door. You both feared who it could be.
She checked the peephole and exhaled. “It’s Yangyang.”
She opened the door and Yangyang ran in. “y/n, are you okay? I saw-“
Shutting the door. Delilah raised her hand up to stop him. “We just saw the article.”
Yangyang cursed. “Someone leaked those photos to the paparazzi. I‘ll help you track down who did this, y/n.”
You sat there in silence. What could you say? What was the point? It was your word against the public who never believed in you. Not only do they think you stole things from Yuta but they now considered you a homewrecker.
And it was only a matter of time before your home address was leaked.
Delilah and Yangyang looked at each other in concern. Delilah deliberated. “She came home with Totoro that day. It was last Thursday. Around...4 PM?”
Yangyang nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. “It’s been a while since I’ve hacked into the complex’s security footage.”
That got a reaction out of you. “You mean you’ve done this before?”
Yangyang smiled wide, happy to see you react to that. “Someone paid me a hefty sum to catch their cheating husband in his shenanigans. I use my powers for good. You know this.”
Delilah scoffed. “You are such a little weirdo.”
He rolled his eyes at the word “little”. He typed away at his keyboard. He chuckled. “Amateurs. They changed one number in their password. Lazy.”
Yangyang navigated through the parking lot security footage. Based off of the angle of which the photo was shot, he was able to pinpoint where the culprit was hiding.
“A 2019 Lexus,” Yangyang said, “License plate ASHL3Y.”
Delilah let out a sarcastic laugh. “Golly gee, whoever could that be...”
You got up from the couch and checked the footage with Yangyang. “I believe it. She hated me even before she met me.”
“She’s the crazy stalker, if you ask me,” Yangyang said.
You sighed. “What will it take for her to leave me alone?”
Your phone rang. It was an unknown number and you chose to ignore it, knowing damn well it was probably a Yutastan who was going to cast some sort of evil spell on you.
Then, immediately you got a text.
Answer the phone. Unless you want an angry mob to break into your apartment tomorrow. -kiss emoji-
^_^
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” Ashley started. “Can I offer you a glass of lemonade? Some Brie and crackers?”
In Ashley’s penthouse suite, you sat with her in the living room. She sat across from you in a leather loveseat while you sat in a massive L-shaped leather sofa.
“What the hell do you want? You want to throw it in my face that you ruined my life and put not only my life in danger but my friends’ and family’s lives in danger, too?” You snapped.
Ashley laughed. Her voice was as irritating as that of any early 2000s socialite. “Don’t be so dramatic. No one knows about your family. Your friends at the complex are safe with some of my best security guards.”
“Gee, thanks,” you said as you rolled your eyes.
“None of this would’ve happened if you knew your place and left my Yuta alone,” she said, “So, how long?” She demanded.
“What?” You asked in confusion.
“How long have you two been screwing around behind my back?” She asked.
It was your turn to bust out laughing. You almost cried. “I helped him with his shoot last Wednesday night. The closest I’ve ever gotten to Yuta was when he gave me one guitar lesson. He drove me home twice. Once from work and the second from when he picked me up from my jail cell. It was the least he could do after selling my stuff and oh...I don’t know...SENDING ME TO JAIL.“
Ashley didn’t believe you. “Right. Well, whatever happened between you two...It ends now. Or else I will keep making your life a living hell and destroy the lives of everyone around you.”
“Ashley, the last thing I want to do is see Yuta. I want to be a makeup artist and go back to the life I had before I met him.” Damn the connection you thought you two had. It would surely fade as quickly as it appeared.
Ashley began, “Which is why I have an opportunity for you.”
You frowned. “What?”
Ashley filed her nails as she spoke to you. “Timothée Chalamet’s new horror film begins production next month in Paris. There is an opening for the makeup team, y/n.”
You coughed. “What are you-“
She interrupted you, “Take the job and your name will be cleared. Your friends and family will be safe. Your dreams of becoming a successful makeup artist will come true...”
You knew she wasn’t finished so you waited for her to continue. She was so melodramatic.
“In return, you never come back to LA and leave Yuta alone forever,” Ashley said.
“I’ll have to come back to the city. You can’t ban me from visiting...That is, if I take the job,” you deliberated.
Ashley scoffed. “If?”
You sighed. “Ashley, LA is my home. It’s a big city.” You figured there had to be a way to compromise.
But you realized you were dealing with an unhinged diva.
Ashley said, “It’s a big city, sure. But as of now, every single person knows you as Yuta’s crazy stalker. It will stay that way if you don’t take this opportunity.”
You kept your mouth shut.
“I think I’m being pretty generous, all things considered,” she said as she flipped her bleached hair behind her shoulder. “You would be stupid to turn this down. Want to stay a jobless pariah? Be my guest.”
Your hands were tied. As much as you despised Ashley for making things so much worse for you, she had the answer to your problems. And since you were done with Yuta, agreeing to never see him again didn’t even feel like a big price to pay. And Timothée Chalamet was a mega Hollywood Star. Participating in his film would surely open doors for you. If Ashley kept her word to clear your name. And Paris? You’ve dreamed of going to Paris for years. Your grandmother told you incredible stories of when she studied abroad and lived there for a few years. It was a chance to be closer to her. The sightseeing and the art were enough to make you giddy.
You refused to let this girl drag your name through the mud and jeopardize your loved ones’ lives because they were associated with you. It wasn’t right. This way, everyone could win.
“Okay, you win,” you said.
“Actually, y/n, we both win,” she said as she clinked her glass of champagne at you and drank from it.
^_^
Ashley’s driver took you back to the apartment. When you unlocked the door to your place, you were shocked to see Yuta seated on the couch with Totoro on his lap.
“What are you doing here?” You asked.
Yuta shrugged. “You break into my house. I figured it’s only fair I break into yours.”
You sighed as you took your shoes off as you sat beside Yuta. Naturally, Totoro left Yuta’s lap to greet you.
He nodded. “Delilah let me in. I had to check up on you.”
Yuta kept in touch with your best friend without your knowledge. You realized that now. You’d have to talk to her about that later.
“Well, that’s nice and all but you have to leave,” you said as you averted your gaze from him.
Yuta ignored you. “Where did you go? I was worried sick.”
“I’m fine. I…went to an interview,” you said. There was no way you’d tell him about your meeting with Ashley. He had the mind to intervene and you didn’t want things to escalate any further.
He stared at you in disbelief. “What? For another job? y/n, I told you that you could come back to work with us.”
You shook your head. “If I so much as go to the same supermarket as you, there will be a bounty for my head.”
He shook his head. “The charges have been dropped, y/n. What happened today was…”
“The second of many hits to my career if we don’t stop this now,” you said.
Yuta replied, “y/n-“
“Which brings me to this…Did you get my necklace back?” You asked. If he said no, then you had the ammunition to kick him out. If he somehow got your necklace back…you would have to get even meaner.
Yuta’s face fell. “No, y/n…I reached out to the buyer and they haven’t responded.” He wondered if the buyer already sold it for more or if the buyer was biding his time to ask Yuta for money. “I traced the buyer’s address but they disappeared without a trace. I am so sorry.”
You sighed. “Okay.” You got up from the sofa and headed for the door. “Then, I guess that’s all that needs to be said.” You opened it and motioned for him to leave.
Yuta got up from the couch. “y/n, please we can fix this. As crazy as this sounds, I think I’m falling-“
You stopped him. “Yuta, we can’t. You need to go. You can’t get caught in this complex again. For your safety. And if you care at all about mine.”
Yuta froze. “I will do everything I can to clear your name. Please give me time.”
You couldn’t respond to his sweet voice. You had to resist. As much as you denied it, you felt something for Yuta. From the moment you heard his song “Breeze”, you connected with him before you even met him. His hard work, his talent, his sense of humor, his admiration of your work, his way with words with you before everything went to shit, even the way Totoro gravitated towards him. There was something special about him. Given other circumstances, you would’ve considered exploring a friendship with him. But even that was out of the question. “Goodbye, Yuta.”
He slowly walked out the door and looked back at you. His captivating brown eyes trying to pull you in again but this time, they were full of hurt and longing.
You shut the door, not waiting for him to walk away.
^_^
A couple of days have passed as Yuta reached out to multiple media outlets to clear your name. He admitted that he accidentally sold your necklace. Unfortunately, he couldn’t explain exactly how he’d come into possession of your necklace. So he said the best thing he could come up with: a family friend bought it at a garage sale and thought he might like to have it. Yuta started the account 1026you to sell the items he found around his home in order to raise funds for the LA LGBT Center. Aside from his regular donations from his earnings, Yuta thought he could sell your stuff to make some extra cash for the organization. Had he known that these random items belonged to you he wouldn’t have done that. Which begged the question:
How is it that you lived all the way across town and your stuff just magically appeared in his house? And why?
It seemed like some kind of divine intervention, if anyone asked him. For you two were connected and he only wanted to grow closer to you.
Except now he couldn’t. He failed to get your necklace. You were still blacklisted no matter what he said to multiple companies. He was thankful that you were still able to get an interview like you told him. He wondered if that company hired you. He hoped you were doing well.
Rehearsals for Skylark’s LA shows were still underway. Lily was rehired and Yuta apologized to her for being so rude. The dressing room wasn’t as lighthearted as it’d been when you were around. It was a short time that you were there but he missed you so much.
With Yuta’s heartache, he used music as an outlet. He thought about the night he first taught you how to play the guitar. There was one melody that lingered in his mind every day since. Now he took his time to work the song out of his mind. It was a song that you inspired him to write and he knew it was his best work. He hoped he could play it for you soon.
Yuta missed Totoro’s presence in his home. He didn’t realize how lonely he was until he lost you and your cat. Ashley popped in every day, insisting she stay over. So he begged his sister Suzuka to let him babysit her cat Thorn. Yuta claimed it was out of his hands to babysit Thorn so Ashley stayed less frequently.
Yuta drank a cup of green tea at his kitchen island. He had the day off before his solo press conference. His management wanted him to promote his album but he would also take the opportunity to clear your name.
He pleaded with his agency to let him cut ties with Ashley but Ashley’s agency wouldn’t budge. If Yuta broke up with Ashley, then Ashley’s agency would cut ties with Sky High Entertainment.
He hoped to convince Ashley to cut ties with him today. It was almost as if she was avoiding the conversation as the minute she came in, she ran into the bathroom to take a bubble bath.
“Yuta! Can you be a doll and rub this shower gel on my back?” She asked suggestively.
Yuta knew she was trying to get him in bed so he wouldn’t be able to think straight. These days Ashley seemed more repulsive than usual. Yuta was getting tired.
“No!” Yuta yelled outside the door. “When you finish up, meet me in the living room.”
She didn’t respond right away. She lowered her voice. “Okay…”
Another hour went by and Yuta still waited in the living room. Ashley was avoiding him. He was fed up and he went to look for her. Surely, she’d be out of the bath now. She couldn’t afford to let her skin prune for that long.
He overheard her laughing in his bedroom. “I gotta tell you, Melissa. You should’ve seen the look on her face when I picked her up from that ghetto apartment complex.”
Melissa laughed over the phone. Yuta recognized those nails on a chalkboard from whenever his band had a fan meeting. Melissa Lee, his fanclub president. Yuta frowned and tiptoed as quietly as he could.
Ashley continued, “All I had to do was offer her a job in Paris. Frankly, I’m being way too nice for my own good.”
Melissa replied, “Well, at least you got her out of Yuta’s perfectly shampooed hair.”
“That I did. So when are you going to post the YutAsh tribute video to your website?” Ashley asked as she fell onto Yuta’s bed.
Paris? What the hell did Ashley do?
He remembered how you were unaccounted for that day he went to see you. She said you had an interview. It was interesting how this interview fell on the exact same day those photos of you leaving his car were leaked. Who followed you two that day?
Of course, it was Ashley. Yuta realized how stupid he’d been. She’d basically conspired against you right under his nose. And he was furious.
But he had to be strategic. There was only one way he wanted to take Ashley down. And it would be in the way that hurt most.
^_^
Yuta’s press conference was at The Grove. Hundreds of fans were lined up from the night before. The media was in a frenzy. Your members and team were also in attendance so this was the talk of the town.
The announcer called you in. “Ladies and gentleman: Yuta Nakamoto.”
Yuta, in a gray custom-made business suit, radiated elegance and lethality, which many of his fans said was his unique charm.
Yuta got up to the podium and adjusted the microphone as he spoke into it. “Hello, I’m here to announce the release date of my first solo mini album.”
The crowd roared while the cameras flashed. There was a lot of talking from the journalists in the front.
He smirked. He was ready to give them something to talk about.
“The album comes out July 15th. Ashley and I have been fake dating and I’m here to say that it’s over.”
The crowd was in an uproar. The press yelled out questions. Yuta’s team was full of mixed reactions. His bandmates cheered and laughed. Baekhyun looked panicked. The company executives looked paler than they’ve ever been.
Ashley, who couldn’t have been more obvious as she gossiped with Melissa, almost fell over in her Jimmy Choos.
Yuta laughed. “I’ll take a few questions.” He pointed to a representative from Teen Scene Weekly.
“Yuta, is your breakup with Ashley because of y/n?” They asked.
Yuta sighed. “First off, Ashley and I dated to strengthen our respective companies. We were friends. We had a good time. For a while now, I’ve wanted to cut ties with her but out of respect for my company, I held on a little longer…However, after I politely asked for a breakup, I was denied. Now tell me…do you think that’s fair? After everything Skylark has given to the company? That we get used this way? I’m fed up with it.”
Yuta knew he only had a minute at most before he was pulled off the stage. Ashley yelled out, “Yuta, please stop!”
He continued, “Which brings me to y/n. She never did anything wrong. As I have gone on record to say twenty times in the past week, she never stole from me. She lost her necklace along with other possessions. Friends and family got these possessions for me from garage sales. That’s all I know. y/n is innocent. I made a huge mistake by having her arrested. She is an excellent makeup artist. One of the best in the business. I should know because I’ve been in this industry for seven years now. So if you’ve blacklisted her, then the joke’s on you. Because she has more talent than most of your employed artists ever hope to have. Lastly, to answer your question…y/n is not the other woman. She never was. I started falling for her but I never acted on it. Until now.”
The crowd was in a frenzy. A lot of the fans were crying and it made Yuta wonder if he had any true fans at all. If they cared so much about who he dated, then they didn’t see him as anything else other than their property.
Skylark’s security guards went to pull Yuta off the stage but he walked out on his own with his hands up in surrender. The guards escorted him to his car.
Yuta got into the driver’s seat and nearly screamed at seeing Ashley in the passenger seat.
“What the fuck?” He demanded.
“I had extra copies of your car keys made,” she said like she knit him a pair of mittens.
“Get out,” Yuta said with clenched teeth.
“You ruined me, Mr. Nakamoto. How are you going to make it up to me?” She asked. Her eyeliner ran down her cheeks. Her critically acclaimed face made her look like the wicked witch from Snow White.
Yuta laughed humorlessly. “I don’t owe you anything, Ash. You ruined y/n’s life and pushed her away from me. You knew I never loved you so why? Why keep this charade up?”
“We need each other We are perfect together. With your music and your bone structure and my beauty and me being a triple threat, we would be unstoppable. We can only help each other. Why can’t you see that?” She traced her fingers over his chest.
“I’ve heard enough. Please leave before I call security,” Yuta said in a low voice.
“Security?” Ashley scoffed. “Fuck off. No one calls security on me.”
Yuta rolled his eyes, already having dialed Tom, one of the security guards. “Yeah, Yuta?” He asked.
“Come back. Ashley broke into my car,” Yuta said quickly.
Ashley grabbed his phone. “Yuta! What have you done?”
Yuta sighed. “What I should’ve done a long time ago.”
He unlocked the door as the guards came running over to pull Ashley out of the car. She put up a good fight but the guards successful got her out.
She yelled out, “Well, you’re too late! Her flight to Paris leaves in a couple of hours.”
Thankful that Ashley always had a big mouth, Yuta backed away from the scene and raced to the airport.
^_^
You were on the plane, happy to have the row to yourself. You had to find some joy somehow. It wasn’t like you were being exiled from your hometown.
Totoro stayed with your mom. Once the shoot finished, you would get him back so you can relocate from LA. It still hurt to leave everyone.
Yangyang and Delilah agreed to move in together so he could save on rent and she wouldn’t have to pay for the apartment by herself. But you had a feeling there was something they weren’t telling you. You couldn’t wait for updates from both of them.
In a matter of eleven hours, you would be at the Charles de Gaulle airport, ready to embark on a new chapter in your life. You put your earbuds in and put your music on shuffle. The first song from the shuffle was ironically “Your Type” by Carly Rae Jepsen. It was a song about unrequited love and you were tempted to skip. Instead, you chose to wallow.
As much as you suppressed it, a part of you held onto thoughts of Yuta. Losing your possessions and finding them in Yuta’s place. You were both confused. Part of you wondered if there was something paranormal about it all. Maybe paranormal wasn’t the right word. Maybe…something magical?
Even so, too much damage had been done for you two to return to the friendship you had for a such a short but sweet time. And Ashley drove an even larger wedge between you two by threatening you. As much as Yuta frustrated you with everything else, you were even more frustrated that he was still with her. If it was fake, why did he keep it up? Didn’t he want to be with someone he loved?
Well, it wasn’t your problem. He was a big boy. He should be able to handle problems like this since he talked such a big game all the time.
So irritating, you thought, but also irritatingly cute.
Unbeknownst to you, there was a commotion on the plane.
“Sir, your seat is in 5A. Come back here!” A flight attendant yelled.
“y/n!” Yuta yelled as he ran down the aisle looking for you. He wore a large beanie and sunglasses so no one could recognize him.
The passengers looked alarmed at the disguised man yelling frantically. Yuta realized screaming wouldn’t help his case so he scoped out for you.
And then he saw you.
Your face was made up but you still looked like you lost many hours of sleep the past few nights. But still, you were the most stunning creature he’d ever laid his eyes on. Your eyelashes brushed against your cheeks as you slept. Your lips slightly parted and Yuta bit his lip.
The flight attendant caught up to him. “Sir-“
Yuta raised his finger and nodded towards you.
The flight attendant calmed down. “You’re assigned to 5A. Why are you all the way back here?”
“Can I switch with whoever is supposed to sit here?” He asked.
The attendant frowned. “Why would you want to-“
“Please,” Yuta pleaded, “Sitting towards the front freaks me out.”
The attendant sighed. “Well, sir, you’re the last one on the plane so that seat appears to be available. Go ahead.”
Yuta smiled genuinely. “Thank you.”
The attendant was stunned and she had a feeling she recognized him. She shrugged it off and resumed her duties to get everyone situated on the plane.
Yuta exhaled in relief as he sat beside you. You looked so cute curled up in your chair but also very uncomfortable. He was tempted to offer you his shoulder but that would ruin the surprise.
Half an hour went by and you turned to your right to see the seat had been occupied by someone in glasses and a beanie. So much for having the row to yourself, you thought.
The stranger beside you said, “Morning, sleepyhead.”
You frowned as you opened your eyes more. “Hi…?”
But when you sat up, you saw his piercings and the curve of his lips. “Yuta?” You whisper-yelled.
He flashed his perfect set of teeth at you as he lowered his glasses. “Hey.”
You laughed in disbelief. “What are you-“
Yuta shrugged casually. “I felt like a trip to Paris.”
“Right…Who told you?” You asked. You dropped your defenses. For now.
“Surprisingly, it was Ashley. She may be a schemer but she’s never been the sharpest tool in the shed.”
You looked at him, noticing how disheveled he looked. He was soaked in sweat. He must have ran through the airport to catch this flight.
“Why are you so sweaty?” You asked.
“I ran,” Yuta said as he realized he must have looked as gross as he felt. And taking off his beanie was almost out of the question since his fuchsia hair dye made him stick out like a sore thumb.
You felt for him so you pulled some wipes from your bag and gave them to him. “That beanie looks uncomfortable so take this.” You handed him a cap instead. It was a Dodgers cap.
“Thanks,” Yuta said as he swapped the beanie for his hat and cleaned himself up.
“Well, good night again,” you said as you turned to the window and shut your eyes.
“I’m sorry, what?” He asked. He mistook your acts for kindness for wanting to talk to him.
“We’re done here, aren’t we?” You asked. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“y/n, I…You can’t move to Paris,” he started.
“I accepted the position, Yuta. I can’t go back from an obligation.” You turned away from him and stared out the window. The attendants were giving their airplane safety spiel. You know you were about to ascend. “Unless you have a schedule in Paris, then you should leave. Before you’re stuck on this flight.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be, y/n,” he said softly.
His voice sent shivers down your spine but you pushed your feelings down. You couldn’t let him get to you. “You hurt me.” You let it out. Maybe if you kept this up, he would leave you alone.
Yuta sighed. “I know and I’m so sorry.”
Upon hearing him apologize, you perked up but you chose to keep your back turned.
Yuta went on to say, “I screwed up. Getting you arrested, fired, and hated by everyone. I screwed up even more by selling your grandma’s necklace. And I hate that I couldn’t get it back. More than anything. I know what Ashley did to you. It was wrong of her. She had no right. I finally broke up with her. In front of everyone.”
You turned to him, worried about the repercussions of the break up. “By everyone, you don’t mean…”
“At my press conference…”
You put a hand to your mouth in shock. “Ashley must be furious.” What did this mean for you now? What if Ashley retracted the offer and then you were truly left without a job or a home?
Yuta chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about that witch.”
You shook your head. “If you broke up with her, then she’s on the warpath.”
Yuta replied, “She’ll find another big name to terrorize soon enough. I’m close to contract termination anyway.”
You gaped. “What?”
“At the conference, I told everyone that Ashley and I were a fake couple. I broke up with her and then…I told everyone how I felt about you. I really like you, y/n,” He turned bashful, putting his hands in pant pockets.
“Yuta, are you crazy?”
He didn’t expect that response.
“How could you jeopardize your career for me? You barely even know me. Sure, we shared pizza and…we had a moment when you taught me guitar…But that’s not enough reason to put everything on the line.”
“y/n, you don’t understand. I feel like we really know each other. I can’t explain it,” he said, “Why do you think it is that your stuff kept popping up at my place? There’s some sort of cosmic connection between us. That’s not something we can ignore.”
He thought the same way you had about the things you lost and later found. But you were scared. Ashley made you a human target and you knew you could end this stress by leaving. You didn’t want to jeopardize anyone you loved.
You didn’t even want to jeopardize Yuta. Especially since he just risked his entire career for you.
“Yuta, we can’t. Being with me will ruin your career,” you said. The plane started moving across the tarmac.
“y/n…”
Now you two were stuck on the plane. You weren’t planning to budge and you prayed that when you landed in Paris that Yuta would catch the next flight back to LA.
Hours passed. You were so exhausted that you nearly fell asleep the entire plane ride.
Apparently, so was Yuta. You woke up finding yourself leaning against his shoulder and his neck was nuzzled against the top of your head. He still smelled like roses and vanilla, even after working up a sweat to get onto the plane. He was a fool, you thought to yourself.
But you were an even bigger fool because you didn’t remove yourself from him.
The pilot announced overhead, “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Paris. Bienvenue à Paris.”
You realized you’d been awake too long and hadn’t moved away quickly. You felt Yuta move so you pretended to have just woken up from the announcement. You quickly pulled away from him. Yuta rubbed his neck and watched you.
You left the plane with Yuta trailing behind you. You picked up your bags at baggage claim. Yuta grabbed one of your bags.
“Yuta, it’s fine. I have this,” you said as you pointed to the luggage cart.
Yuta relented and helped you put your bags on the cart.
He followed you to the arrivals section where drivers had their posters with the names of people they were picking up. You saw your name and identified yourself with the driver. The driver helped you with your luggage.
“Bye, Yuta,” you said quickly, not about to linger. You turned away when he took your hand.
“y/n, please…” He begged.
“Take care, okay?” You said as you pulled your hand away and caught up with your driver.
Heartbroken but unrelenting, Yuta was about to follow you when someone pulled his hat off.
“Oh my God, it’s Yuta! C’est Yuta. Skylark!” A girl yelled.
Yuta ran for cover, the gears shifting in his head for his next move with you.
^_^
It’s a few days later that you finally get to explore Paris. You haven’t heard a word from the fuchsia-haired boy, but you were trying to get over him anyway so you didn’t mind.
You had to realize that at the end of the day, he had his devoted army of fans and you..only had yourself. He didn’t need you, so surely he’d forget about you soon enough. You two had only known each other for a short time, regardless of it feeling like an eternity.
You breathe a sigh of relief when you get to the Eiffel Tower. It’s kinda cold, but the dreamy sunset draws in.
When you felt a sudden gust of wind, you closed your eyes and remembered Yuta’s warm chest on your back, the way his long fingers comforted and guided yours on the stiff strings of the guitar. His breath dancing along your ear while you shivered and felt goosebumps expose themselves.
The echoing bass in his voice that hit your heart..and other places too.
The sun was slowly retreating from the sky, but it was still bright..as bright as his smile, you missed it, even when he only showed it during his sarcastic, asshole moments.
His lips so full and soft, even the brush you used over them had a difficult time coloring to perfect something that didn’t need perfecting.
Ashley was one lucky girl. It was only a matter of time until she and Yuta got back together.
You looked to the ground and sighed. Why did you have to think of him? Even when one of the most beautiful pieces of art towered over you.
You couldn’t shake the feeling that you were missing something so great in your life now. The connection you felt with him hit you like a train and there was nothing that could compare to it. It was so strong, it could probably compete with the earth’s gravitational pull to your body.
“Yuta..I hate you, I really do.” You whispered to yourself as you clutched your long jacket around your body. You tried to convince yourself that this was true so that you’d finally be at peace. Key word: tried.
In the front of the Eiffel Tower was a board that read the rules, opening times etc.
“Le Jules Vernes Restaurant..’closed tonight for a special event..damn it.” You had planned on treating yourself to a meal at the top of the Eiffel Tower so you could take in the view as long as some fresh air. But lucky for you, it was closed for that evening.
You licked your lips and sighed.
Would you ever have things go your way?
You were about to walk away when you heard a speaker being plugged in. The feedback was obnoxiously painful and loud, and got everyone’s attention. You all turned to see the source.
A guitar riff played soon after and you heard a chorus of whispers from people on the lawn.
“Oh my God..OH MY GOD ITS YUTA NAKAMOTO FROM SKYLARK!” A girl screams as she runs past you with another girl in hand, just barely holding on.
Shit.
You squint your eyes to look at the person that a crowd begins to form around and sure enough, it is your nemesis with the pink hair. He’s smiling widely and saying ‘hi’ to everyone as his bodyguards put their arms out to stop anyone from getting too close. His guitar is in his hands and his microphone has already been set up.
“Time to go back to the hotel.”
You turn and start to brush past all the people running to see Yuta perform.
“Yuta?! What is he doing here?”
“Holy shit! Yuta is about to perform for us!”
“Yuta from Skylark? Aren’t they about to go on tour?”
You overhear some of the comments and the last thing you want is for them to realize who you are, the infamous “crazy stalker,” so you duck and push through.
You don’t feel his eyes peering the crowd and eventually locking into your body as you walk away. His smile fades and he realizes he has to act quickly.
He strums out one chord on the guitar and the girls go into a frenzy.
“This song..is for someone that just entered my life. It’s only been a few weeks, but she’s changed it for the better. She knows me more than anyone else does and I honestly don’t know how I lived without her before.”
Yuta speaks into the microphone, making the growing crowd of listeners go silent.
You slow your pace but still don’t turn around. There’s no way he could be talking about you.
“Who is he talking about? Didn’t he just break up with Ashley?” You hear a few girls whisper.
“She doesn’t know it yet, but I don’t plan on living without her anymore..she makes my head spin, she makes me forget the words to songs that I’ve sung everyday for the past 3 years, she gives me the WORST case of butterflies...she truly is a nuisance, but I need her. y/n..”
You stop in your tracks and stare at the grass below your planted feet.
“Please don’t go..” Yuta’s eyes are wide, he just needs you to turn around and look at him, to give him a second chance.
The people turn to follow his line of vision, eventually seeing your body standing alone and far away.
“Oh my god it’s her.” They whisper.
You start to walk again when you hear the whispering yet overwhelming gossip. You’re just so tired of all of the attention you’ve been getting. Yuta was trying to make some grand statement to get you back, but he didn’t realize that this was the opposite of what you wanted.
“She’s like the rain on summer days when the garden needs some nurturing...” Yuta strums his guitar and sings.
“She’s like a constellation of stars, oh she’s beautiful, and very gorgeous to me.”
You’re still walking but he continues.
“But I don’t even know her name, I only see her in a frame, yet her face is stuck in my mind..she’s the girl in the portrait, the girl with the necklace..the girl with my heart, but the girl I don’t know..I could give her the world, but it’s not like she needs it from me. She’s a work of art, she’s the only thing I see.”
You stop again, this time turning around to finally face him.
“No one knows me like you do, yes, you see the right through..and I know you won’t forgive me, I just hope you won’t forget me..because I know I’ll be thinking of you, yes you, the girl in the portrait.”
Your eyes start to tear up. The Mountain Man, the singer you so adored had written a song about you. And the melody was just as charming as his other songs. Were you that important to him that he created this song for you?
You stood there frozen as ice and stunned, with a thousand eyes on you.
“That was The Girl In the Portrait, I wrote it for y/n, because, well, it’s a funny story actually.” Yuta said as he put his guitar down and stood up. The crowd chuckled and clapped but people were still focused on you and waiting for your reaction.
This was one level above a public proposal and you didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Please..” Yuta said quietly.
You cursed silently. Your heart felt weak and you couldn’t just turn away like your conscious told you to. Your heart told you to forgive him and start over.
Yuta went all the way to Paris for you, he wrote a song for you and ditched his first tour date. He did it all for you. If that didn’t show his sincerity towards you, you weren’t sure what would.
‘I Hate You’ you mouthed before smiling.
Yuta ran towards you abruptly, making his bodyguards scurry behind him to push his fans away from him, they struggled to keep up as he dashed like Bolt towards you.
You braced yourself for impact from the 6-foot something man about to collide into you.
Yuta’s teeth showed brightly as he held out his arms and wrapped them around you. Wrinkles formed at the sides of his eyes.
He’s so filled with excitement, he lifts you three feet about the grace and bends backward.
“Yuta!” You laugh out at the sudden move, but he chuckles and brings you back down.
You breathed in his amazing scent before closing your eyes and adoring his warmth. You felt so at ease in his arms, everything faded away. The cries as well as cheers from his fans soon faded into the background. You rested your head in his chest and exhaled.
You lifted your limp arms that were once at your side and wrapped them around him while he rubbed your back. Having you in his arms tonight made it feel like Christmas Day. He never wanted it to end. Even with all the people staring and all the phones recording, he didn’t want this moment to end. He prayed that you would stay in his arms forever, for you were the only thing that made him feel comfortable and happy. You did for him what music could no longer do.
“y/n...”
“Mhmm?” you hummed, your eyes still closed while you enjoyed his embrace.
“I want to kiss you..”
Your neck nearly snapped when you looked up at him.
“What?” Your eyes widened.
“But not here..up there..will you let me?”
Yuta smirked and tilted his head towards the tower.
“Nice try, user 1026you, the restaurant is closed tonight.”
“For a special event, I know...that’s why it’ll just be me and you.” Yuta chuckled when your brows furrowed.
“Yuta..”
“I’d give you the world if you let me.” Yuta grew serious as he searched your eyes and swallowed hard. He ignored the fact that his bodyguards were having an increasingly difficult time with holding back his fans.
The two of you were surrounded by complete madness, but you felt alone..lost in each other’s eyes.
Your mouth was open slightly, you couldn’t believe that he actually booked the entire restaurant just for the two of you.
“So..You gonna let me give you a night in Paris to remember?”
You laughed and Yuta felt his chest weaken by the sight of your smile.
“You owe me big time..”
Yuta’s teeth twinkled. “We gotta run, ready?”
He took your hand and the two of you hustled to the entrance of the Eiffel Tower.
His fans ran after you two while you laughed and held onto each other tightly.
Everything happened in slow motion, the two of you moved like runaway lovers, chaos surrounded you but it didn’t matter, for you had each other. You looked over to see Yuta’s goofy smile.
The tour guide at the entrance was able to quickly let you in and close the door behind you to stop anyone else from following.
You found the elevator and got on.
Once at the top, you let go of Yuta’s hand to walk around and see the magnificent view. A million tiny lights decorated the streets of Paris. It was darker outside now, but you could still see the large crowd that surrounded the tower start to dissipate.
They looked like ants below you, slowly dispersing from the ants nest to get more food.
You were so stunned by the view, you didn’t notice that Yuta was watching you, your eyes gazing in amazement, your hair blowing softly in the wind and your bright smile that made even the moon seem bleak.
“y/n..” he called your name. There was something he wanted to see.
You turned to look at him over your shoulder.
“Yeah?”
And there it was. The pose from the portrait. You glancing over your shoulder so intensely. Your eyes large with wonder, your lips full and slightly parted, your hair shining in the moonlight. You are beautiful, Yuta can’t describe it, but he knows he is happy to be able to see an artwork come to life.
“Yuta?” You turned to him full and walked over. “What’s wrong? You’re staring again” you giggled.
“I’m happy.” Yuta smiles and looks down at you.
“Well, we’re in Paris at the Eiffel Tower! Of course you’re happy.” You chuckled and turned to look out at the city from a different angle, but Yuta took your hand in his and spun you around.
You tripped and fell onto his chest before looking up into his eyes.
“No...I’m happy because I’m with you.”
He whispered and your body felt weak. Luckily, he was holding you up so you could balance yourself.
He held you close and looked onto your lips which were just a few inches from yours. His breath slowed to match yours, you look into his lips and swallow hard.
“Y-Yuta.”
He leaned forward, placing a small kiss on your lips. Your eyes closed, his kiss made you feel like fireworks had been set off right there in your chest. It was magical even though it only lasted for a second.
Yuta was nervous, he wasn’t sure if you were ready. You held his head in your hands and looked into his eyes.
You then kissed him hard while tilting your head to the side. Yuta finally relaxes in your hands and kisses you back, opening his mouth so that he could lick your top lip.
His lips were fluffy and felt exactly like how you imagined them to feel. Silky, smooth. Even as he pressed harder, you couldn’t help but feel fragile like you’d collapse at any moment, your legs threatening to give out at any moment.
Soon, your tongues found each other and playfully danced while you struggled to keep your breathing stable.
Time slows down once again as you kiss for what feels to be days.
Yuta draws small circles and lines on your back as he pushes your body into his more. He wants more, so much more. He wants to feel you everywhere, and he can’t get enough of your touch, the way your dainty fingers play with the hair on the nape of his neck.
But you have to pull away to breathe.
“Wow..you could’ve gone on for days, couldn’t you?” You try to catch your breath as you look up at him.
Yuta smirks. “I’m a singer, it’s called breath control.”
You rolled your eyes. “It’S cALleD BrEATh coNtRoL.” You mocked him.
The two of you laughed. Yuta took your hand to guide you to a table that had been set for the two of you.
It was weird being so high above the rest of the world. But you liked it. It was just you and Yuta. Nothing else. There was no Ashley, no fans, and no drama.
Yuta rubbed his reddened lips with two fingers.
“Let’s hurry up and eat..I want to finish what you started.”
“What I started? Sir, I recall you being the one that started that kiss!”
“Nah you gave me those eyes..” Yuta was teasing you again.
You rolled your eyes and sat back in your chair.
When you finished eating, you looked into the city again and felt an internal peace. There was something so comforting about being away from the madness. Yeah, your life wasn’t what it was two months ago, but you sure as hell felt all the madness was worth it.
Getting Yuta was worth it.
You leaned forward, placing your jaw on your hands.
“What are you thinking about?
Yuta watched your eyes searching the city again. The moonlight and single candle lit on the table brought out your smooth skin even more, as well as the outline of your nose and lips. He could watch you all night.
“I like the view,” you answered softly.
“You do?” Yuta’s brows raised.
“Yes..” you nodded.
“You’re my best view..” Yuta smiled widely.
You blushed. “Ehh.. I don’t know about that line.”
“Okay how about this one?
“I wish you didn’t have a name..so I could call you mine?” Yuta leaned forward to match your pose and place his head on his hands.
“Oh no..it’s getting worse.” You held your face in your hands, feeling the heat in your cheeks rise. You’re both a little tipsy from the alcohol you had at dinner.
“Are you from Paris? Because Ei-FELL for you..” he smirked and took your hands in yours so he could see you blush.
You laughed and melted into your seat. “Oh God, Yuta make it stop.”
“Okay, okay I’ll stop..but before we leave, I have something to give you.”
You sat up straight and gave a puzzled look.
“I’m sorry again about your grandmother’s necklace. I tried..I even called up your hacker friend YangYang for help, but he couldn’t find it either..I’m so sorry. I know I can never make up for that.”
Your face straightened and you blinked slowly as the reality settled in that you would never see your grandmother’s necklace again.
“But..I did get you this..I hope her memory can still live on through this..”
Yuta reaches into his pocket and hands a small box. When you open it you find a gold necklace with a shining stone surrounded by small pearls as the pendant . The resemblance between it and your missing necklace is strikingly similar. Your mouth falls open.
“My grandmother’s necklace was the only one of its kind...how..how in the world did you find this?”
You looked closely to see that the one difference was the stone in the center.
“I searched online and went to a few antique stores and met this strange lady..what was her name again? Was it Celeste or Cerulean? Hmm..wait! It was Cyan! Yeah I showed her a picture and she found it in her store for me.”
“Yuta..that’s amazing.”
And that’s when you realized what the color of the center stone was. It’s not purple, nor red. Not pink, nor magenta..no it’s..fuchsia.
Yuta was your soulmate..that’s why your things were disappearing. The universe was pushing you to him. You were destined to meet and fall in love. How could you not realize it sooner? That’s why you felt this undeniable pull towards him.
“What’s wrong?” Yuta grows concerned when he sees your eyes start to tear up.
“Nothing..nothing..it’s perfect, Yuta.” You decided not to tell Yuta because you couldn’t really explain it. Things were finally falling into place and you just wanted to spend time with him, for you didn’t know if you’d have the chance to be with him again..in this universe..or in another one.
“Let’s go home.” Yuta kneeled down and wiped your tears with his finger.
————
Yuta helps you out of the limo once you get to your luxurious hotel. He had the driver take you to a back entrance so his fans wouldn’t see the two of you.
“Thank you.” You let go of his hand and are about to start walking but Yuta grabs your waist and throws you over his shoulder. You yelp out in surprise. Your ass is in the air as you dangle over him.
“Ahh!! Yuta!”
“Shhh we came through the back for a reason.” Yuta chuckles then gives your ass a hard smack with his hand.
“Ahh! Damn it, Yuta!”
You lay out a string of curse words as Yuta gets into the elevator. He only smiles while strangers stare and wonder what in the world is going on.
When you get to the room, Yuta flips you from his shoulder and onto the bed. You plop down and feel your body bounce back up from the plush mattress.
“I swear to-“ you start but Yuta leans down over you, attacking your lips as soon as you open them to make some snarky comment.
He liked hearing you talk back to him, but he liked kissing you even more.
You lick his bottom lip, then kiss his lips again, enjoying the way both of your lips grow wet from each other.
He was just as playful with his tongue, letting it place kitten licks on the soft surface of your lips, he kissed softly, teasingly. It was almost ticklish. You felt your chest rumble.
You closed your eyes and traced your hands up Yuta’s back, pressing him into you more.
The bitter taste of alcohol stayed on your lips and your head felt light, you both felt like you were getting drunk all over again.
Yuta presses into you more, running his hands along your sides before holding your face as he guides the passionate kiss.
You pushed your body upwards and grinded onto Yuta, feeling his member poke through his jeans. You placed a finger into his belt loop, pulling him downwards. You then wrapped your legs around his waist and crossed them over his back to bring his body closer to yours even more.
Yuta took the hint and pushed into you slowly, grinding his covered member against your covered, but increasingly wet entrance.
You moaned into his mouth when you felt him press onto your weak spot teasingly. You trembled under him, hands shaking as they clawed at his back lightly.
It felt like a bouquet of flowers were slowly opening up in Yuta’s chest. You were the most beautiful melody, the graceful echo of godly chords being played in a church organ, you were the angelic singing heard all the way from heaven. That’s what you felt like to Yuta. And he had to write about you, he had a hundred songs already in mind to write about you.
He prayed that you wouldn’t stop kissing him this time, that you wouldn’t have to pull away to breathe.
He didn’t know that you felt the same way, that he felt like a day at Disney that you didn’t want to end. He felt like a birthday surprise happening over and over and over. He was the glass of water after a long run. He made you feel euphoric just from an embrace like this. With the two of you finally being alone together, it was like the stars had collided to create something so beautiful, extraordinary and new.
But still, you were scared. Now that you found your soulmate, would he disappear? What if this was your last night in this universe? You couldn’t remember anything about your life before, but you knew that you were somewhere else before all of this.
And could something this good last? Were you really away from all of your troubles?
You were deep in your thoughts and without realizing, you kissed Yuta so hard, you accidentally bit his bottom lip.
Yuta pulled away. “Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?” He rubbed the blood from his lip, eyes growing wide.
“N-no, Yuta..I’m sorry. It’s just..” you swallowed hard then licked your lips.
“What if..this is it? What if we won’t be together after tonight?”
You played with the collar of his shirt to distract yourself.
Yuta tilted his head then placed his hands on either side of your head to hold himself up.
“y/n..I don’t plan on letting you go..ever. You make me feel..” Yuta didn’t know how to describe it either.
“Amazing.” But that wasn’t enough, it was much more than that. So much more. No word in the entire dictionary could suffice for the feeling he had.
“And if the universe allows..It won’t be the last night. It’ll just be the first of many.” He gave you a wink. “What do you say? Let’s give it a try?”
You nodded and licked your lips.
“And uh..how far do you want to go because I..” Yuta looked down at your linked bodies.
You blushed when you realized what he was looking at. It was the outline of his member sticking out in his jeans and aiming towards the apex of your legs.
You thought about the chances of this being your first and last night together, and knew you wanted to experience it with Yuta. If just kissing him made you euphoric, how would making love feel?
You nodded. “I want you to make love to me Yuta, love me like it’s the last time.” You rubbed his flexed biceps and he grew weak. The combination of your gentle touch and doe eyes while those sweet words left your mouth made him feel like he’d lost all feeling in his legs.
“It won’t be the last time, but it will probably be the best time since we’re in the city of romance. Don’t expect too much from me when we do this again, okay?”
You nodded, giggling as you held his belt again. He glanced down at your hands as they fiddled around.
He chuckled then looked back up at you. “Is your name Paris, because I think my Eiffel Tower belongs in you?”
“Yuta!! I swear to G-“ you started again, but he quickly placed his mouth on yours, taking the air as it left and circling your top lip with the tip of his tongue.
You both ran out of patience, taking each other’s lips in between your teeth. You shimmy out of your jacket and Yuta tosses it to the side. You tug the hem of his black t-shirt and help him take it off over his head, his hair becoming rustled in the process but it gives him a cute, messy look. You can’t help but laugh.
Yuta smirks and rubs his hands up and down your thighs while gazing into your eyes, pressing into the soft squishy skin to massage them.
You bite your swollen lips, knowing that he’s watching your chest rise up and down under him.
“I could stare at you all night.” He whispers.
“I know..but I want you to make love to me first.” You say as you start to unbutton your blouse.
Yuta watches your fingers play with the buttons, allowing for several inches of your skin to be revealed each time. He licks his lips but waits for you to finish and reveal yourself to him, gripping the crook of your knees while he waits.
“Yuta..” you breathlessly call out his name before biting your lips. Your voice makes him dizzy, he wants to hear you say his name over and over again like a broken record, because you just sound so..heavenly. No song could compare.
He leans forward, placing his hands on yours and gripping the bow separated fabric. And it’s like he’s opening his curtains to see a bright, sunny day after a scary thunderstorm.
He opens it slowly, staring at the small space between your breasts that he wants to decorate so badly.
You stare at his neck and then his abs, all the places you want to kiss passionately while listening to his low groans.
Yuta takes the sleeves of the shirt down your arms, his fingertips lightly touching your skin but still leaving an intense rush flowing through your veins.
You lock eyes as he tosses it to the side with the jacket.
He lowers his head to your chest and breathes over it, leaving a steamy breath over your nipple. You shiver under him and let out a moan.
“Yuta..” You arch your back, desperate to feel him on you. Having him inches away from your skin just isn’t enough, especially when he’s shirtless and daunts his stunning body over yours.
But Yuta doesn’t respond. He licks your nipple and looks up to see you tremble once again. He can feel the response from your body under him even though he’s not touching you.
“Please..” you put your hand onto his back and rub it softly to push him along.
He kisses in between your breasts, then sucks hard, biting the skin to leave a mark.
You cry out his name again, this time, your fingers going through his thick hair as he moves on to suck your nipple.
He presses his tongue firmly and flat against it, then pleases a sloppy kiss onto it.
He massages your other breast while his mouth continues to work on the first, sucking hard so he can hear you say his name once again. He circles around the areola with the tip of his tongue at a pace so slow, you start to go insane. He then flicks the tender tip with his tongue as you throw your head back and moan.
You push your body upwards but Yuta pulls away. As expected, he teases you, wanting to draw this moment out for as long as possible.
“Yuta..please touch me.”
He looks into your large eyes as you beg, but then he looks down to your breasts and isn’t satisfied so he pays attention to the other breast, switching between gentle and firm sucking. Your moaning gets louder and louder, and you’re happy that Yuta paid for the suite that takes up one floor.
His large hand cups your breast, his fingers pressing into the skin and pumping it slowly.
His plush lips kiss everywhere, lighting fires of feeling across your sensitive skin.
Yuta then starts to grind down into you. Your opening is still covered by the rough fabric of your jeans, but aching nonetheless. The sudden contact made you jolt upwards. You’re so wet and needy, you’re sure you’re soaking through your jeans at this point.
Yuta quickly drags your jeans down your legs, you start to kick them off and let it fall to the floor.
“You’re so wet, baby.” Yuta stares at your soaked panties and smiles.
He retakes his position, placing his hands on either side of your head again, and sucking on your nipple.
This time he sucks harder, humming as he grinds down into you to hear you whimper loudly. The vibrations allow for a tingling sensation to echo through your skin, you feel lightheaded, your jaw locking, and your vision fading.
“Yuta!”
You say before releasing. Your grip on his hair tightens as he continues to suck on your skin while you cum. You moan loudly and breathe heavily..you slowly start to come back to Earth.
“Oh, you’re loud..but I like that.” Yuta gives you a wink then runs his fingers over your underwear.
“I didn’t even touch you and you came.” He says smoothly.
You jerk at the feel of his fingers parting your folds to collect your essence.
“You cocky bastard.” You say breathlessly.
Yuta only smirks as he walks around the bed and to a wall beside it.
“I forgot to show you this..” he presses a button and looks up at the ceiling.
You kneel on the bed and move to the center of it.
The white covering separates from the center, opening up to reveal a window.
Your eyes widen and your mouth falls open when you see the beautiful night sky, dazzled by twinkling stars. And even though it is late at night, you can still see traces of sapphire blue and small, faint lines of indigo.
There’s nothing like it. You can see why Van Gogh painted Starry Night.
“So we’re gonna fuck in front of the stars?” You ask bluntly, gaining a loud chuckle from Yuta.
“I promised to give you the best night you’ve ever had so..yes.” His eyes squinted when he laughs again.
“Yuta..this is..”
“Amazing? Legendary? Extraordinary? Yeah I know” he put his hands on his hips as he watched you gaze.
You roll your eyes and turn to him. “Come here..”
You head over to the edge of the bed and get on your knees. Yuta walks over to you, watching your hands unhook his belt and tug his jeans down.
You lean back and fall into the center of the bed while waiting for him to kick off his jeans and get on the bed.
Yuta nearly trips and falls as he struggles to take his jeans off while watching you. You start to take your panties down your legs but Yuta stops you.
“No! I wanna unwrap the present.”
“Ugh, you’re so weird.” You hold your face in your hands again.
“Look at me, sweetheart.” Yuta grabs your ankle and squeezes hard.
“Oh!” You yelp out at the pain and look down at him, watching as he crawls over your slowly on the plush bed.
He takes the waistband of your panty in between his fingers and slowly drags it down while looking into your eyes. Your heart starts to race again. He’s so close to your wet and needy entrance, but you feel the sharp, icy slap of cold air once you’re exposed.
“Beautiful..” Yuta adores your naked body below him.
He traces his fingers on the surface surrounding your folds, just pressing shy of them to make you writhe.
“Yuta..please.”
He rubs two fingers along your folds painfully slow, using the side of his long fingers to part them.
Yuta retreats his fingers and puts them into his mouth.
“So good.” He breathlessly lets out. He teases your entrance again, his spit and your essence now mixing as he presses nearly perfect circles into your core.
You can feel the knot in your stomach start to build again. Your mouth falls open as you moan.
You arch your back and hold onto the sheets with a grip so tight, you felt your knuckles become white. You look up at the stars and think to yourself how beautiful it is out there. You feel your spirit start to ascend while Yuta plays with your clit.
Your legs start to shake and threaten to close completely as you grow more and more sensitive to his touch.
Yuta uses his other hand to pump then align himself with your opening.
His length glistens with pre cum, the tip red and veins pumping fiery blood through it.
He’s more than ready now and you can’t wait to take him.
“Open up for me.”
You don’t hesitate to spread your legs further apart so your hips align with his.
He leans down and holds himself over you with both hands, looking into your eyes before kissing you enthusiastically, tugging your lip between his teeth so you can call out his name again.
He pushes into you slowly while you kiss.
Yuta drinks in your moan and groans when he feels your silky walls surround him.
He lets go of your lips and buries himself into the crook of your neck. He breathes deeply, pushing into you again.
“So tight, fuck.” He whispers.
You take a deep breath and look at the stars above you to stop yourself from coming already.
He starts to thrust into you again, but you let out a quiet whimper.
“Shit..I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Yuta. K-keep going.”
You rub his back to push him along.
He begins to rub your clit, your mouth falling open into a silent cry.
He pushes all of himself into you then pulls out, groaning once again when he buries himself back inside.
He grinds against your silky walls while holding you close and rubbing small circles into you.
Your heated bodies comfort each other as they are finally connected, working towards the same goal.
Yuta smells like a combination of amber and musk, but feels like a soft blanket during winter, his muscular arms holding your body still while also hugging you in the most passionate embrace you’ve ever experienced during sex.
His heart beat matches yours, his breath attaches itself to your neck. His throaty moans begin to get louder and louder.
Your fingers run through his hair while you whimper.
You’re so close.
Yuta moves faster, harder, pushing into you so hard, the bed starts to move.
He lifts himself from your chest and looks down at you. Your saddened by the coldness you feel between your bodies now but Yuta is so beautiful. His magenta hair now wavy, some strands sticking to his forehead, leftover eyeliner smudging and bringing out the depth of his eyes.
He grabs your ankles, completely enclosing his fists around them before placing them into his shoulders.
He grinds into your entire body at a different angle now, the pressure on your g-spot increasing significantly. “That’s feels good, Yuta..oh my G-“
You start to clench around him, making him groan and push into you harder.
“y/n..” he whispers while looking into your eyes. “You’re beautiful..in every way.”
His surprisingly sweet words make you smile.
You gaze at the stars, but your vision starts to blur. You can’t think of anything but Yuta, the feeling is so amazing, you can’t describe it. To be filled up by him, to be completely enraptured by him, there is nothing like it. The knocking of the headboard against the hotel wall and the sounds of skin on skin brings you to the edge.
You grip the sheets tightly as your eyes close.
They roll into the back of your head and your back arches. The euphoric feeling takes over and you swear your spirit leaves your body for an entire minute.
Yuta fucks you through your high but pulls out and releases onto your belly soon after, experiencing the same overwhelming feeling in his spirit too.
He collapses onto the bed beside you and looks up at the stars, taking your hand into his and squeezing it gently.
You look over at each other and laugh, it’s as if you were both thinking the same thing. How did you climax so hard?
Several minutes pass and you’re about to get up to get a towel but Yuta holds your hand.
“I’ll get it, just relax, baby.”
He comes back with a wet washcloth and gently cleans you up.
“I love you..” he says quietly.
“Yuta..it’s a bit early for that.”
He nods while cleaning up the strings on your belly. “I know..but I can’t shake this feeling. I think you’re the one..I think you’re my..soulmate.”
You’re stunned to hear Yuta speaking like this. If he realized you were soulmates, what would happen now?
“I mean, I don’t know if you believe in that kind of thing, but..”
“I agree, Yuta..I think you’re my soulmate, which is why I’m scared to lose you..good things never last.” You say quietly and avoid his eyes.
“Don’t say that, we’ll be okay..I know we’ll be okay. Just trust me, okay?”
Yuta crawled over you and gave your forehead a light peck.
You made love again then cuddled all night, but when morning came..so did reality.
————
You jump up at your desk, startled by a harsh gust of wind against your back.
What just happened? Where are you? Where is he?
You look around you and see towering wooden shelves filled with books.
How did you end up here?
“y/n? You okay?” You hear a young voice call to you.
You turn to see Charlotte, the 13-year old volunteer at the library.
The Library
Shit. You’re back.
You hold your head in your hands and wail.
Charlotte rushes over to you, hugging you tightly while shushing you.
“Y/n! Y/n! Be quiet! We’re in a library, you can’t be loud like this!”
You sniffle. “I know! But it was so good! I was so happy there!”
“What? Are you talking about your dream?”
That’s all it was..a sweet dream, an imaginative universe you only had a quick taste of...nothing was real now. How on Earth would you find him? You were back to reality.
Totoro walked across the desk and meowed.
You looked at him and pouted.
You knew who you were..a boring librarian that owned a cat named Totoro..but who was Yuta in this universe?
How would you find him?
“y/n?” Charlotte called out to you. “Do you want to go home?”
Several weeks passed and you slowly started to assimilate back into your old life. You googled his name but found nothing, he was nowhere to be found.
You just had to accept that it was a dream, a dream followed by the nightmare of reality.
You hoped that you would find your soulmate again, but you knew the chance was little to none. So you did what you did before. Work, eat, spend time with your best friend and roommate Delilah, sleep, then wake up to do it all over again.
Love didn’t have a place in your life, could you even come to accept a loved other than Yuta? Damn him for giving you a night in Paris to remember.
———
“The true crime section is in row 13.” You pointed to a large sign hanging from above reading “TRUE CRIME NOVELS.” You wondered how anyone could miss it, then again old people were usually the ones that needed the most help when they came to your library.
You turned back around to your returned-book cart that you were taking books from to stack the shelves with. But you noticed that it was now empty.
You were 75% sure that you didn’t put away ALL of the books before turning to help the senior citizen, yet all of them were gone.
All..except for one that had fallen to the floor. It was open when you picked it up. When you looked at the page that it was open to, you realized that it was a book of poems.
The poem it was opened to read:
She’s like the rain on summer days when the garden needs some nurturing...
She’s like a constellation of stars, oh she’s beautiful, and very gorgeous to me.
But I don’t even know her name, I only see her in a frame, yet her face is stuck in my mind
You squint your eyes, where have you seen this before?
she’s the girl in the portrait
the girl with the necklace
the girl with my heart
but the girl I don’t know
I could give her the world, but it’s not like she needs it from me
She’s a work of art, she’s the only thing I see
The girl with the necklace..
That’s it! It’s Yuta’s song! He wrote this, he’s out there somewhere. Perfect! Now you could track down the author and find him-
But wait.
You looked down to see the author’s name.
The One in the Middle
“Shit. It’s just like him to not put his real name on his work.”
You opened your laptop and immediately went to google.
“Who is the author named ‘The One in the Middle’?” You said as you typed.
Nothing. Nobody knew who he was. Many asked about his other poems, but there were no answers, only fan groups that praised the mysterious writer. ‘No one knows who he is but that adds to his ‘sexiness’ that’s what their Facebook post stated.
And none of his works were posted or published electronically, so you couldn’t ask someone to track his IP address like you did the first time.
You sigh and hold your head in your hands. “Damn it Yuta, why do you make things so difficult?”
It was comforting to know he’s out there somewhere, but you couldn’t help but lose hope. Was the universe messing with you?
———
A few weeks pass again and Delilah decides to drag you to the opening of a new art gallery downtown. Normally, she’d take her boyfriend with her, but he had basketball practice tonight.
“Thank you for coming with me, y/n! You know my professor, always making us look at other works for “inspiration” I mean, why can’t I just look at works online?” Delilah spoke as you two walked around. She was a musical theatre student, but had to visit an art gallery at least once a week to pass her art appreciation class.
She didn’t see the point in it, but you always had a connection to art that you couldn’t explain. No one in your family was a visual artist. Unlike in your “dream,” your grandmother wasn’t a painter and passed away before you could even meet her.
Nonetheless, color and technique was something you grew to appreciate.
There were about 50 people in the gallery, all high class looking. You felt underdressed in your black turtleneck, black jeans and jean jacket. That’s one thing that you did miss, wearing color all the time like you did in your dream. Now, you were back to wearing black. It was like a metaphor for how you felt. Your colorful and intense world has turned to black.
The only thing that stood out from your outfit was your necklace.
“I’m going to the restroom, I'll be right back!” Delilah skips away.
You nod then walk around a wall in the middle of the room. When you turn the corner, you see..yourself.
It’s the painting from your dream..the one of you slightly turned around. Your necklace is still in it too except..
You step closer and see that it’s different. The stone isn’t ruby anymore, no..
“It’s fuchsia..” you whisper. You glance down to see that the author’s name is The One with Many Friends.
“It’s funny because I was thinking it was more magenta, but you’re right..it really is fuchsia. You’ve got good eyes.”
You slowly turn when you recognize the voice.
Time starts to slow down. You can’t believe your eyes. It feels as though the world has stopped moving and it’s just the two of you once again after so much time.
It was Yuta.
Yuta smiles brightly when you look up at him, he recognizes you right away as you make the same pose you have in the painting.
“Yuta..” the name barely leaves your lips.
“It’s you..y/n.” He walks towards you, pace increasing with each step before taking you in his arms as all of his memories flood his brain. He had seen your face every night in his dreams but he couldn’t remember who you were. He painted you in an effort to figure out who you were, but it didn’t help.
Now finally, he got his answer.
Everything that was missing found its rightful place.
“I read your poem, but you used a pseudonym..again! I thought I would never find you.” You cry into his shoulder while holding onto him tightly.
Yuta smiles and caresses your hair.
“I told you...just trust me, we’ll be okay.”
#yuta#nakamoto yuta#yuta au#yuta ff#yuta fanfic#nct smut#yuta smut#nct yuta#nct soulmate au#nct 127 yuta#nct 127#nct#nct fluff#yuta oneshot#yuta scenario#yuta imagine#yuta nakamoto#yuta fluff#yuta angst#nct angst#nct 127 angst#nct 127 romance#nct romance#yuta blurb#nct boyfriend#nct yuta smut#nct 127 yuta smut#yuta romance#nct 127 fanfic#nct 127 fluff
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Club Takamagahara (End) - Dating Game
Woo Doggy! This has been fun to write and I mean FUN. Having no real holds barred and getting really silly was a lot easier than I expected and I had a great time with this arc.
One of the biggest complaints in the mobile game fandom is the Main Story offers no love interest for the MC and it trails off at this part as the MC is reduced to a go-fer for every NPC’s sidequest. Well I say NO MORE, you will be quite literally the center of everyone’s attention from here on out.
Cars lined up around the entire block of the street and women were lined up along the sidewalk for their tickets. From 8 to 10 p.m., the busiest time of the night was when the stage was filled with shows by the performers, from ancient erotic dramas like Cleopatra and Marc Antony to Chu Zihang's swordplay; off stage, the guests were already drunk. The guests who came late were often groups of girlfriends who had eaten dinner elsewhere and came to join the singing and dancing party in Takamagahara, the performers had to go over and greet them, there was a shortage of manpower everywhere. Both the escorts and waiters were running to work, Whale was roaring outside the dressing room backstage, like the circus troupe master.
The message of the Romanceable MC Contest had caught fire and boosted to epic proportions. Princess Night was in full swing and featured all the top names in Male Escort business. Even before they got out of the cars, the women were screaming and taking pictures having lined up for hours.
The white Cadillac Escalade stretch limousine rolled like an anaconda and reflected the millions of electric lights of the Tokyo night. It took up half the block, but there was space left for cars like this, reserved for the VIPs of the Takamagahara elite. No one could park there on pain of towing and a hefty fine.
A man in a hooded cloak pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. His bright green eyes scanned the crowd waiting outside. He crossed his legs one over the other and leaned back. “What percentage of the fans out there are mine?”
“From the ticket sales it seems that you are about 30% of the crowd today, Master Inoue.” The driver, a veteran and son of drivers, had been there for him since he first made it big hosting the Bliss Hall. This driver was so skilled at avoiding paparazzi that he put him under a lifetime contract. Now he was much older, but his driving was still as sharp as ever.
The man in the back seat was barely visible, dressed in all black and keeping the lights down so that it looked just like an empty limo. He huffed with a slight smirk. He crossed his arms and looked down. “Wow. And I’m supposed to have competition?”
“You are the top male escort in Tokyo, Master Inoue,” rumbled the driver again.
That sharp green eye flicked up to the rear view mirror. “Second… to the top. If you would, sir. But apparently Ruri Kazama isn’t competing.”
Ruri Kazama. The name was so legendary among the escorts of Japan that they scarcely dared to utter it. Although he rarely appeared outside private showings, the man reigned supreme as the king of the male escort business.
“He’s unlikely he would have been able to respond on short notice, Master Inoue…”
“No one skips the Takamagahara…” He looked back outside, pushing back the thick velvet curtain slightly.
“You’ve skipped it by 3 hours sir.”
“I”m only here to see one woman. There’s no need to see any others or stay here too long. I come here, win her little heart, and leave with my prize money.”
“You’re really not going to entertain your fans, sir?”
He grinned, his radiant and white smile shining in the dark of the limo. “There’s value in scarcity. If I popped up in full all the time, there’d be no chase. And as you know very well, my most excellent driver… It's all about the chase! If you would, please?”
The driver put the truck in park and stepped out in his sharp suit and driver’s hat. He pulled the handle on the pearly side door and opened it.
Shining black cowboy boots covered in sparkling rhinestones stepped down from the limo. He moved as smooth and graceful as a dancer in skin tight leather pants. His black leather jacket was open to reveal his bare chest and sculpted abs. His hair, bleached white streamed from a black cowboy hat decorated with shark’s teeth.
His appearance sparked immediate mayhem, screams, and mad panting. Dozens of hands reached out desperately, stretching their fingers towards him as though they were pulled by an extremely powerful magnet. They were all screaming, “Diamond!”
Master Inoue - or to his fans, Diamond - stood still as a statue, hat tipped over his eyes, listening to their desperate pleas with his eyes closed.
It seemed arrogant, but for him, it was always like this. From the time he was a child, people couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. When they caught sight of his brilliant green eyes they were drawn to him before he even knew the difference between boys and girls. Sitting in the stroller, all he had to do was smile and the women would come and coo and smile and ask, please, can I hold him. Please!
“Please! Hold me, Diamond! Never let me go!”
Diamond lifted his head toward the voice. It was a woman in her thirties, tears in her eyes, begging with the desperation of a leper before Christ. If he just wanted to, he could heal her broken heart. He walked casually towards her and saw her eyes get bigger and bigger and then he took her delicate hand in his and gently kissed it.
The woman, struck with a Pentacostal frenzy, trembled and fell to her knees sobbing in desperation, clutching her hand and rocking back and forth. She would probably never wash that hand again.
The little favor revved the up crowd even more and the bouncers hurried to line up and make a barrier. That kiss was all he would grant. He turned and walked through the velvet rope staffed with burly workers with black masks over their eyes. They opened the doors to Takamagahara and he stepped inside. Immediately, two more workers turned to lead him to the VIP area.
“So who’s the lucky lady tonight?” Deep down, he was quite excited. His clients were usually 35 and older. For thousands of dollars, he would have dinner at a fancy restaurant, followed by drinks in some VIP Lounge. Or he would be asked to clean the house naked. Or pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. There was the common misconception that his clients were old or undateable. But that wasn’t his experience at all.
People who had $5,000 to spend on a naked butler could have anyone they wanted.
And they wanted him.
This challenge was new for him. The club picked his woman and they would be paying his escort fee.
His only task would be to ‘Love her.’ If she felt that then she would give him tickets. Whoever got the most tickets was the winner. When she picked his ‘route’.
---------------------------
It wasn’t that you got a private party, MC. This was a show. You were on the floor with everyone else. Rather than sticking to the edge of the crowd you got your table in the shape of a figure 8 in the middle of a raised platform filled with fish swimming about and surrounded by plush red couches in the shape of women’s lips. And already, the bottles were open.
You’re wearing another dress, not a cheongsam this time. It was a light green satin tube dress that hugged your figure and barely covered anything. Your hair was long and down your shoulders and your make up again was light. For such a simple look, you had spent hours in the spa that day while they made sure your hair was softer than it ever had been. You smelled like lilac and roses.
A man with short blond hair cropped above his ears, blue eyes and a black shirt so tight it conformed to every muscle in his body yelled above the music. “Where are you from?”
“Uh… Russia!”
“Russia! Woooow! Are you some sort of Oil Baron?”
“Yeah!” You yell figuring nothing you said mattered. They wouldn't remember anything anyway would they?
He flicks his wrist and produces an unopened rose stem, seemingly from thin air and offers it to you. “To me you’re worth more than all the oil in the world. I hope we get to know each other well, MC.”
Below the shirt, He wore pale form fitting jeans that hugged his considerable muscle just like Caesar’s outfit did. But his shoes were casual sneakers without ornamentation.
You accept the rose he offers you, feeling a bit shy.
Another man in a golden blouse that is made of fabric so sheer you could see the belly button piercing underneath, pulls out a cigarette and lights it up. He puffs out a perfect ring of smoke between his thin lips. “That would be Oil Baroness, Calypso…” He says. “She must have more pull than just money to bring us all to the same table.” His voice was deep and carried through the noise. He pulled another drag and sipped his liquor. But he was looking at you with calculating dark eyes.
A silver coin goes spinning on the table. A man in fiery red hair tied back in a ponytail, puffy red coat and a long chain over his bare chest lifts his chin at you. His eyes are as silver as that coin. “Heads or Tails, MC?”
“What am I betting on?” You ask.
His smile spreads further. “I just said heads or tails.”
“Hey, go easy, she’s new!” The man in the skintight black shirt returns with a bottle of vodka and pours it into a glass.
The redhead slaps his hand over the coin. It’s painted with an elaborate henna tattoo, elaborate, like stained glass. “You’re not going to win by going easy…”
The smell of the vodka is the mix of rubbing alcohol and gasoline. Light a match and it might produce a plume of flame! You lean away, repulsed, but the man next to you brazenly pours himself a glass and downs it. Sighing roughly like he might breathe fire, he grins. “That’s the good stuff! But you must drink it every day right?”
“Yeah!” You take cautious sips but the burn builds and builds until it overwhelms you and forces you to stop and cough into your arm.
Caesar, Mingfei and Chu Zihang were nowhere to be found. It was clear this club was over occupancy and over staffed so there was no rescuing you. All the waiters were running around. From somewhere in the hall, glass breaks.
A finger taps your shoulder. You’re met by a bright green gaze in a pale face.
You flinch as a crown is laid on your head.
“Your Majesty…” The man bows to you.
“Your Majesty!” They all echo with bows and kittenish smiles. For years, you’d never considered trying to date anyone. You lived like you were preparing for war. Then the war came and never let up. Now, you’re surrounded by men who could honestly be called the handsomest in Tokyo who were placing their hands on their broad chests and bowing their heads in fealty.
Off stage, the women on the floor whooped with delight.
Cowboy hat tipped over one eye, shirtless in his jacket, with a bare hairless chest, the man who gave you the jeweled tiara leaned over the couch. Every muscle stood out in carefully carved relief and your eyes followed them down to where they disappeared below his waist. The elastic band of his boxers peek up from the pants. You’d seen naked people before. But they were all familiar, people you knew and were fine with. This is the first time encountering the bare chest of a complete stranger and he’s so close you can smell his sweat. “Wow…” He says quietly, in a low purr next to your ear.
“I’m sorry?”
“You are… beautiful.” His eyes roamed about your body with a lopsided smile, his eyebrows raising. “I have to say I am caught by surprise.”
If your face gets any hotter it might catch fire.
He vaults over the couch, plops next to you and leans in, filling your vision. He gives a quick wink. “I’m yours for the night.”
“Diamond is always this forward but the truth is, he’s the most inexperienced of all of us.”
Diamond shoots the yellow shirt a glare. “I’m experienced in everything she would possibly want, Armani.”
“Yes, but we must go gently, gently…” The black shirt lightly rustles your hair. “We don't want to scare her off.”
“I’m here to do what she wants me to do…” Diamond waves the other men away before addressing you again. “Well, what’s your name?”
You tell him.
“Beautiful… let me guess? Russian?” His hand crept over to envelope yours in a steady grip. His fingers were so much larger than yours and soft like they were bathed in milk every day. There were no calluses. When Mingfei or Caesar touched you, there were roughened, thick patches of skin from hours of practice at the shooting ranges. His nails were even, shining and unbroken.
He raises your hand to his lips and gives it a small kiss. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. You can call me, Diamond.”
“Okay, Diamond.” You glance up at his eyes. He follows your gaze down when it falls again, trying to hold it as much as possible to the point where he leans over and tilts his head to do so. Every time you look up, those eyes are there, to catch that glance, like a serpent hypnotizing his prey.
He holds your drink out to you and you accept it with thanks.
“Are you cold? I noticed you’re keeping your feet tucked under.”
“Yes, it’s… a little cold.”
He shrugged off his jacket and laid it over your shoulders. It was very warm and you realized that the smell of the cologne he was wearing surrounded you like a thick heavy fog. You could now see his body in all its glory. You belatedly realize that the observation of your being cold was just an excuse for him to remove one of the few pieces of clothing he had!
His shoulders.. The way his neck curved into them and then down to his back. You’d seen shoulders like his before but for some reason, in seeing someone new, made your eye rest on it that much longer, on the way the muscle hugged his bone . The cold in the room made his nipples stand out and...
“Anything else I can do to make you more comfortable, Your Highness?” He stayed turned to you. The way his abs wrinkled. That little valley on his side that disappeared when it met the leather pants. You were naturally observant. Everything you saw was getting laser etched into your mind. In an effort to stop it, you return to his eyes but even that wasn’t safe. He was so close, you could notice small flecks of blue and gold that enhanced the color.
“Your eyes are really pretty.” You say this, but it doesn’t sound right even in your own ears. It wasn’t really his eyes you wanted to say something about.
He gives an easy relaxed smile, his eyebrows lift once. “Your eyes are prettier.”
“No they’re not.”
“I think I’m gonna barf. Let a pro show you how it’s done.” The redhead plants one arm between you and Diamond and ignores his furious glare.
His lips were really pink, almost cherry red, but you don’t see any sign of gaudy lipstick that Caesar wore. Everything about this man was gorgeous, even the light smatter of freckles on his nose. And everything about him was natural, save his hair color. The breath from his nose tickles your lips. He’s not backing away, he only tilts his head a bit.
You start to imagine what it might be like to kiss him. He draws a bit closer… closer. You close your eyes and wait. Wait… nothing.
“Can I?” He asks, quietly pleading.
“Uh...huh?” You press the words out from a stomach that was already squeezed tight like a fist.
“Good. I’ll keep that in mind for later.” The redhead pulls back and sashays back to this spot on the couch, giving Diamond a sharp snap of his fingers, just inches on his face. “Get on my level.”
“Alright, Alright, point taken.” Diamond pours himself some vodka.
The man in the yellow blouse, Armani, tilts his glass a bit. “Popularity is just a sign of good marketing and ubiquity. None of us can doubt your social media prowess, Diamond, but this is much higher class.”
He’s then staring at you with a half-lidded gaze. “Perhaps the baroness should accustom herself to someone who has dined with high officials. The ones with real power.”
“Okay…” You whisper, you’re completely captivated, unable to move.
“But that’s boring.” The Redhead sighs. “She needs to have more anticipation and suspense!”
“Your name is Chance because whether or not you’re any good is a complete crapshoot.” Armani sips his whiskey.
“But you could hit the jackpot.” He winks at you. “I’m one in a million.”
A loud popping sound made you suddenly duck but he held you close. Confetti and glitter rained from the ceiling and cascaded over your skin. You look at your arm and watch the play of the disco lights on the sparkle.
“It’s time to give out Star-Heart Tickets! Who is the Ikemen who’s won this round?!” Whale is still emceeing this event and apparently was watching you. A waiter comes by with a basket full of stars with hearts in the middle.
You look at face after glorious handsome face. They were all leaning forward, smiling, waiting. Off stage people were yelling. Bets were being taken. “Diamond! Diamond!”
“PIck Armani he’s the best!”
“You’ll love Calypso!”
“Go with Chance!!”
“I don’t know…” You say, your voice weak. You look at your glass but it seems like the level has hardly moved even though you already feel dizzy.
“No one!” Whale shouts loudly.
There must be a microphone because you’re not sure how he’s hearing what you’re saying. A gasp ripples through the crowd surrounding you and they fall to a confused silence. All the men sitting around you sit up straight, their faces each registering different levels of surprise and consternation. Save Chance, who whooped loud. “Yeah! Now this is what I’ve been waiting for! Let the games begin!” He pumped his fist.
Chance makes a mighty leap on the table and stands in front of you, all six feet of masculine bravado. “Let me give it to you straight. It’s true, I’m not always everyone’s cup of tea, I go buck wild sometimes.” He sweeps his arms across the table at the other men. “But if girls just fall into your lap at the first sight, how do you know how to compete? Ya don’t!”
Armani stares up at Chance and slowly sets his whiskey down. The others also suddenly changed their demeanor, grave determination and desire in their eyes.
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i’ve been on my lonely // himikiyo week day 5
Himikiyo Week Day 5: Skirt + Lipstick
“This kind of meddling is rather unlike you,” Kirumi remarked that evening. “Setting them up on a date?"
After seeing Korekiyo and Himiko dance around each other for so long, Rantaro takes things into his own hands.
Read on AO3, DRA, or under the cut.
It was that time of year again. The season of parties, reunions, and all manner of other Danganronpa events. They existed all year long for those who wished to embrace their celebrity status, of course, but even the disinterested among them were dragged into the lead up to a new season. Season 53 was one of the biggest hits in a generation.
Without really meaning to, Rantaro had fallen into the role of the group’s big brother figure. Ironic, considering his utter failure at it in his fictional backstory. He liked helping his friends though, found more fulfillment in that than working on his own problems. He didn’t get much time to bond with anyone during the killing game, but he’d more than made up for it.
At the moment, he was in the hotel room of one Yumeno Himiko. One of the most resentful of the fame bestowed on all of them, she always required a little extra encouragement in the days before big events. That...wasn’t always because of Team Danganronpa though.
“It’s okay to feel anxious about seeing them,” Rantaro said, summoning every bit of patient encouragement in his possession. “Or even to be looking forward to it. Other people’s grudges don’t need to affect what you do, you know.”
“It’s not like that!” she exclaimed, sounding downright panicked. The blush spreading across her face told a different story, along with the soft-looking plushie she was absentmindedly hugging. Even at a glance, the long, dark hair and green uniform were unmistakable. It was the official Shinguuji Korekiyo plush from the DR53 line. It had been one of the lower sellers, compared to others like Ouma or Saihara who were sold out for months. Himiko’s copy was clearly well-loved though, if she even went to the effort of bringing it along to a hotel.
“Are you sure?” He raised an eyebrow, letting his gaze drop to the plushie to tell her he noticed it.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Himiko argued back stubbornly. “It’s just something soft to hug. Theirs was on sale. It’s not like I kiss its forehead and tuck it into bed or something.”
“Mhm.” She definitely did exactly that. “Well, if you don’t care at all about seeing Shinguuji, I guess there’s no need to talk about it anymore, right?”
“Right. No need.”
“On another topic then, I know a good restaurant nearby. We could head over there for dinner tonight if you don’t have plans with anyone else.”
“Sure.” She perked up some then, plushie still securely in her arms. “That’d be good.”
“Then shall we meet in the park at 7:00?”
---
After leaving Himiko’s hotel room, Rantaro didn’t return to his own. No, he had another friend to pay a visit to.
“Amami-kun, what brings you here? I don’t recall making plans with anyone.” Korekiyo tilted their head in curiosity, hand coming up to cover their unmasked face. It seemed a subconscious gesture, a lingering instinct to keep from being seen. Himiko would surely know more about that than Rantaro though. He’d caught her looking at photos and tabloid articles about them more than once.
“Oh, no, we didn’t have any plans,” he said, chuckling softly. “I apologize for catching you off-guard, Shinguuji-san. In fact, I came here to find out if you’d be interested in making some.”
“Making plans with you? Ah, well, it’s kind of you to offer, but...”
“Hoping for someone else?” he asked. Just as predicted, Korekiyo’s eyes widened, a clear sign of someone whose true feelings had been discovered.
“I wouldn’t dream of being so rude,” they demurred. “It isn’t as though I have people lining up to spend time with me these days, yes? I should accept invitations as they come.”
“If you’re sure. I happen to know Himiko’s room number if you’d prefer to ask her.”
“I...it’s not like that. Even if I did wish to invite Yumeno-san out, she wants nothing to do with me. The same is true of most of our group.”
“Then do you want to grab dinner tonight? I know a great place nearby. We could meet in the park at 7:00?”
“That...would be acceptable. Thank you, Amami-kun.”
---
“This kind of meddling is rather unlike you,” Kirumi remarked that evening. “Setting them up on a date? That seems more like something Kaede might do.”
“Maybe I’m learning from her,” Rantaro said with a laugh. “It’s about time those two sort out their differences. They can claim to be at odds all they want, but they’re the only people who really believe they’re enemies. Well, maybe Chabashira-san too, but that’s more wishful thinking than anything else.”
“Here’s hoping it works out.” Offering him a mischievous grin from over the rim of her teacup, she added, “I owe Ouma-kun some money if they don’t get together by the end of the year, and it’s already fall.”
“I don’t think you have to worry.”
---
Where the hell was Rantaro? Himiko had arrived at the park right on time, but there was no sign of him anywhere. It wasn’t like him to be late or stand people up — not without a serious reason to do so. The park was relatively small, so it didn’t seem likely that she could have simply missed him.
Just as she was debating whether she should try to text him and ask where he was, she caught sight of someone out of the corner of her eye. Even before she turned her head to look though, she could tell that it wasn’t him. This figure was taller and didn’t radiate his relaxed confidence in the least.
Korekiyo? An unmasked Korekiyo at that. She still wasn’t used to them being more lax about face coverings these days.
“Oh, um, Shinguuji. What a coincidence seeing you here.” Her voice sounded forced and awkward even to herself. She wished the ground would just swallow her up and save her from needing to interact with them, but no amount of wishing would make that dream come true. The world seemed dead set on reminding her of her (unfortunate, tragic, hopeless) crush at every possible opportunity.
“There are no accidents in this world,” they replied, sounding ominous as usual. “And in any case, it shouldn’t be that surprising, yes? Seeing someone at a park mere moments from the hotel where you’re both staying isn’t a terribly unlikely thing to occur.”
“Well, yeah, I guess so. It doesn’t really matter, I was just making conversation or something.” Her voice trailed off more and more until it was barely a half-whispered mutter, any semblance of confidence stomped out by embarrassment. “Anyway, uh, I’m actually supposed to be meeting Rantaro here to go to dinner together. Have you seen him?”
“You’re supposed to be meeting with Amami-kun?”
“Is there something weird about that?” It was a defensive question, one that slipped out before she was able to stop herself. Surely Rantaro never let any of her secrets slip, right? There was no way Korekiyo could know what kinds of things she said about them to Rantaro.
“As a matter of fact, yes, there is something weird. I’m supposed to be meeting him for dinner too.”
“What?”
Instinctively, she glanced around looking for cameras or anything else that might hint at this being some kind of staged interaction. She wouldn’t put it past some of the entertainment industry to spring something like that on her unannounced. However, there was nothing, nor did she really think Korekiyo would play along with something like that. Of their group, they were one of the most resentful about what they’d been through. Understandably so.
“I was asked to meet him here at 7:00,” they said, briefly pulling out their phone to confirm the time again. “It seems Amami-kun may have double booked himself.”
“Why would he do that?” Himiko wondered aloud. “It isn’t like him to be so careless.”
“Ah, you two are close then? I did notice that you’re on a first name basis.” Kiyo gave her a placid look, fixing their already perfect hair. God, they really were unfairly pretty. So much so that she felt a pang of jealousy at the realization that anyone could look over and see exactly what she was seeing right now.
“No, not really.” They were wearing black lipstick instead of their usual red, and the striking green of their eyeshadow made their amber color even brighter than usual. “We’re friends, but I don’t know if I’d say we’re close. It’s pretty casual.”
“I see. I am not close to him either. In fact, I was rather surprised by his invitation today. If he decided to back out, it wouldn’t be much of a shock. I’m much less convinced he would do something like that to you though.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why are we so different?” Their outfit was gorgeous too, almost all black but no less intriguing for the lack of variety. Her eyes couldn’t help but trace the lines of their slightly too long sleeves (impressive, given how lanky they were) and flowy skirt.
“You know exactly why. I don’t think I need to give you a refresher course on that, Yumeno-san.”
She just sighed, not sure what she was meant to say in response to that.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter what you think about it. Likely or not, he’s standing both of us up.”
“Unless...” The word was spoken so softly that Himiko wasn’t sure she was meant to hear it. Did they have some other idea about what could be going on?
Clearing their throat briefly, Kiyo continued. “If Amami-kun does turn out to be a no show...I suppose we could still go to the restaurant he chose. Together. If that’s something you’d be interested in.”
“Yeah.” She smiled softly, thinking of the Kiyo plushie snuggled up safe and sound in her hotel room. Could...this have been Rantaro’s plan all along? She still had her doubts about whether Kiyo returned her feelings, but they were asking her to dinner. “We could do that.”
---
By the time they’d been seated in a cozy, dimly lit corner, it was abundantly clear that the restaurant was a romantic one, meant to cater to couples on dates. If it hadn’t already been obvious that the whole situation was some sort of set up on Rantaro’s part, that would have cemented it. He wanted them to go on a date.
She was afraid of getting her hopes up.
“Seems like a nice place,” she remarked, fiddling with the edge of her menu. Aside from the quiet background noise of other patrons talking and soft music, the quiet at their table was deafening. Not much conversation happened on the walk over either, mainly small talk about their day to day lives and those of their fellow alumni.
“Yes, it does,” Kiyo echoed. “Not the sort of establishment I would have pegged Amami-kun as frequenting.” She wondered if they were nervous or if she was just imagining the signs of tension. The stiff slope of their shoulders, the tenuous edge to their voice...
“Yeah, maybe not his type of place. Does that mean it’s yours?”
“It could be. There’s beauty in things like this, even if I’ve grown somewhat disillusioned with humanity as a whole.”
“And...is anything else here your type?” The instant the words escaped her mouth, she felt mortified. A moment’s bravery had been enough to say something like that? It was all she could do not to slink down in shame, face hot as she took a sip of water. “Um, never mind actually, that was a silly question.”
“No, I don’t believe it was. There is something else here that’s my type, believe it or not.” The mood lighting made it difficult to tell for sure, despite the lack of their usual mask, but it seemed like they could have been blushing.
“Really? And are you going to tell me what?”
“I wonder,” they said, lips curving into a smile. “Do you have any suspicions?”
“I might. If I’m right about why Rantaro planned all this out, then that doesn’t leave too many options.” She was far from an expert at the art of flirtation, but she suspected the same might be true of them. As suave as they often managed to seem in the past, it was a facade, part of the character Team Danganronpa created for them. Or perhaps not even that. Even for the ‘ideal’ Korekiyo, the one that only ever existed on paper, that confidence wasn’t so genuine. Not to the extent of really being able to open up and be vulnerable.
It wasn’t the time to make herself sad thinking of what they had to go through. If they saw any accidental hints of pity in her eyes, it could ruin everything. All she could do was try her best at chasing after what she really wanted.
“Care to share your deductions, then?” Was it intentional, the way their hand was sliding closer to her along the table? They’d never been one to take the prospect of physical contact lightly.
“I’m no detective,” she said, needing to suppress a shiver when their fingertips just barely grazed her own. Their nail polish was black too, matching their lipstick. No rings of the sort Rantaro still tended to wear, but she had a feeling they’d suit them. Any kind of jewelry would be lucky to adorn them.
“I don’t believe you need to be. In fact, I’d say the answer is quite obvious.”
Himiko chuckled. Their fingers were tangling together in earnest now, unmistakable as anything but what it was — holding hands.
“I know everyone kind of pushes us to keep up certain appearances. The media, the fans...even our friends, whether they mean to or not. They expect things,” she said softly. It was why it didn’t take her long after the end of the killing game to figure out that she shouldn’t talk about Kiyo too much, or with anyone who couldn’t keep a secret. The others found her interest strange, even repulsive. They were supposed to be enemies, forced into that box largely by people who didn’t have anyone’s best interests at heart.
“Yes, they do,” Kiyo agreed. Rather than launching into a long, anthropology-tinted lecture as they might have been prone to doing in the past, they seemed content to simply listen and reflect on what she had to say, allowing her to talk and draw conclusions on her own.
“Not many people would be happy about the idea of us getting closer, but...” She glanced down at the table, at how nicely their hands fit together. There in the corner, none of the other people in the restaurant had noticed who they were. Danganronpa fans were everywhere, but that didn’t mean it was impossible to steal moments of peace.
“But you’re tired of organizing your life around what other people think, yes? And Amami-kun for one, though I can’t claim to know him on a very deep level, seems supportive. I would go as far as saying enthusiastic. I can’t recall anyone else attempting to pry about my romantic life.” They paused, then clarified, “Not with benign intentions, that is.”
“So you’d be interested in it too? Getting to know each other better instead of always acting like we’re still enemies?”
“I never considered you my enemy in the first place, Yumeno-san. I would be honored to be given that chance.”
There was no doubt those words were genuine. For someone who slipped so easily into the role of villain, Kiyo was remarkably free of malice towards...anyone, really, save for some Team Danganronpa higher ups.
“Then I guess we could even call this a date.”
Still clasping her hand, they lifted it just enough to brush a kiss over the back of it, leaving a barely noticeable smudge behind.
“That we could.”
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How can I get my money back from a binary options scam?
A binary option is similar to a normal (“vanilla”) option, where you pay a premium for the option to buy or sell an instrument at a fixed price (the exercise price – see box below for a detailed explanation). Profits or losses on vanilla options can be small or large, depending on the difference between the “exercise” price and the price of the underlying asset.
Unlike normal options, however, binary options do not fluctuate in value. Either the option is “in the money” on expiry – in which case it pays out – or it isn’t, in which case it expires worthless. Because of this binary nature, many shysters see an opportunity in selling binary options that are highly unlikely to end up in the money. They get to collect the hefty premiums, but never have to pay out.
Don’t be suckered by wild success stories
The media is part of the problem. Journalists, particularly those working at online content mills, are so desperate for content that might “go viral” and garner lots of hits that they’re quite willing to run a story with a click-bait headline without doing much (if any) background research. Take the recent tale of a 16-year-old “self-taught currency trader”, who apparently turned £150 into £60,000 in less than a year. This dubious success story was widely shared on social media without many questions being asked. Yet if we take those returns and calculate them on an annual basis, this 16-year-old’s return for the year would be 39,900%. That would literally make him the best trader of all time. So how did a 16-year-old school kid learn how to outsmart the best minds and machines on the planet, just by watching YouTube videos? As nobody asked him, sadly we’ll never know.
There was also the very recent example of Giovani , a 20-year-old medical student in Plymouth who claimed to be making six figures a month from foreign exchange trading. One major newspaper reported this month that more than 1,000 investors were sucked in by Singh’s Instagram account, which showed him posing in designer clothes with expensive cars at plush holiday resorts. Those who signed up for his services found that their trading accounts were emptied on Christmas Eve and the FCA has added him to its warning list of unauthorised traders (after the fact, unfortunately). But what the paper doesn’t mention in this particular piece is that Singh’s “success” was first reported on its own website in breathless, no-questions-asked fashion, in November, just a month before it all went horribly wrong.
This aggravates me because, as a genuine trader, I work hard to make profits and I know what it takes. I also don’t like to see people being conned. So I want to unpack this story for you, so that you don’t end up falling for one of these scams or something similar.
How does the binary-options scam work?
There is a reason why so many gentlemen (it’s usually men) in their early 20s now apparently own private jets, luxury cars and slick watches. It just may not be because they’ve cracked the financial markets as they claim. As Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s business partner, puts it: “Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome”. There are many reputable financial-trading firms and brokerages out there. However, many – ones that I would describe as “bucket shops” – are not so reputable. Spread-betting firms typically make their money on the spread (the gap between the buying price and the selling price) and the commission paid by their clients. So their business model does not benefit from losing traders.
However, many brokers know that a losing trader can be very profitable – for them. If you know that 90% of traders will lose all of their money within six months, what do you do? Simply take the other side of the trade. When Johnny Punter buys, the broker sells. And when Johnny Punter wishes to cover his losses, the broker buys and collects the profit.
Unprofitable traders are so profitable for many a bucket shop that they will pay handsome introduction fees for new traders. Therein lies the incentive. It doesn’t matter if you’re actually making any money from your trading – if you can get even a £20 incentive for every trader who signs up with the minimum deposit of a few hundred pounds, then you only need to sign up 1,000 people a month to make £20,000. And the reality is that these brokers aren’t offering just £20 for new clients – they’re offering hundreds. I know they do, because I’ve been offered it.
The Pied Pipers of foreign exchange
If you’re not a successful trader, the next best thing is to fake it. A quick Google search reveals that you can rent a Lamborghini Huracan for four days at a price of £2,500. This is fairly steep – but you can rent a Lamborghini Gallardo for two days for £1,590. Two days is more than enough for a wannabe forex guru to take hundreds of snaps in different outfits, parking in fancy residential estates that they don’t live in and overall giving the impression over several months that they really do own a six-figure supercar. And of course, there are plenty of places to hunt down a cheap, out-of-season stay at a luxurious five-star hotel, where they can do exactly the same. Then they just pop it all on social media and wait for eager punters to line up to sign up with their “exclusive broker”.
Many brokers offer demo accounts, in which case the “guru” can just repeatedly put on ten trades in a row, come out with winners, then screenshot it and post it on Instagram. If even that is too difficult a task, then it’s a simple matter to fake the picture instead using image manipulation software and post that. With “evidence” of their success sorted out, the trader then promotes their wares with promises of “signals” that have 90% success rates, alongside key phrases such as “no risk” and “guaranteed profit”. Most informed investors realize that if a magic money-making machine did exist it would be owned by a private hedge fund, never to see the light of day. So anyone who actually believes that a 20-year-old student could pull this off is ideal bait – inexperienced, naive and potentially desperate.
The scam also succeeds because of how victims feel when they finally realize they’ve been suckered. Most don’t tell anyone because they feel foolish and want to save face. But also, they know (or rapidly learn) that there is very little the police can do. The banning of the sale of binary options was a step in the right direction. But now the traders of Instagram simply give away their “signals” to trade these options for free. And many bucket-shop brokers are overseas – often they’re not even doing anything illegal in the country in which they operate (although equally often the traders in question will imply that the bucket shop is a reputable UK-based and regulated institution, or lie flat out).
There are even operators who will manipulate the punter’s account in order to make them believe they are winning and then call on them to deposit more money. Then, when the client finally wishes to withdraw, the company goes cold and refers them to the small print, in which it says that the client must trade through an impossible amount of money just to be allowed to withdraw. Other brokers allow the affiliate to widen the spread to maximize their own commission and increase losses for their clients. We look at ways to avoid being scammed in the box below, but in short, as always – if it looks too good to be true, it is.
Can I trust Binary option scam reviews?
Is there a scam behind "Forex Binary Options" trading?
How do I go about recovering money from a Forex scam?
What is the best way to get my money back from an internet scam?
How can I recover my funds on binary options?
How can I get back my lost money from a scammer?
Alienmanhackers.xyz assists individuals and corporates around the world. They are able to use tools which are available in both UK and foreign jurisdictions to secure the best outcome for clients. With the help of a friend was able to recover the sum of 42,000GBP which was stolen under the pretense of investment.
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The Takedown | Part Four
Pairing: Mob!Tom Holland x Detective Reader
Summary: NYC has a new drug lord determined to wipe out any and all competition in order to grow his empire. You're going undercover to stop him.
Warnings: Swearing, mentions of prostitution and drugs. Violence and gun use.
Notes: This is a such a slow burn story and I'm enjoying writing it so much. Please let me know if I've missed any warnings!
Catch up here:
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Part Four - 1,959 Words
I didn’t bother turning away when he scanned the bar. I was already easy to single out being the only non-working woman in the room without trying to avoid eye contact. Not when every other person was gawking. I’d dressed simply in a black dress and low heeled pumps. It was enough to look like I belonged there as a patron but not too over the top to attract attention away from the girls. Now as his eyes lingered on me I wished I’d stuck with my usual street wear. Their dark appraisal sent a shiver through me. I refused to break under his stare, meeting it with a cursory glance of my own to take in more details about him.
In the dim light his shirt was stark white, top three buttons undone in a relaxed way. It belied the predatory gleam in his eye as his gaze finally moved onto the three Zoey had motioned over. They slunk to the table, all doing the rounds to chat with the men. The youngest, Melissa, made a bee line for Holland’s lap. He eased back into the seat, letting her perch on one of his thighs. He made no move to touch her, unlike his companions. I prayed that she would take that as a sign and move on but she didn’t.
She tried her best to persuade Holland into one of the private rooms, her hands roaming over his chest she batted her eyelashes with a coy smile. Ignoring her he scoured the room with a guarded stare. I focused on my drink as his attention drifted over the bar. I could feel his heavy gaze linger on me again, sending goose bumps along my arms as my stomach lurched. I locked eyes with Zoey, nodding to get her to bring me a refill for my water. She laid down a new napkin, fluttering it for a second so I could see the handwriting hidden inside.
Don’t get involved unless necessary.
Scrunching the napkin between my fingers I used it to wipe down my section of the bar before putting it in my empty glass. She was right, again. None of them knew he was the kingpin in this. They didn’t know where their supply was coming from only that they were getting something back from the sale, and that was enough for them. Stepping in now would mean I’d out myself as knowing who Holland was. I could lie and say I’d made the connection based on the fact Arnold was here, but it was tenuous at best. I bit the inside of my cheek and forced myself to stay seated. I had to let this play out and deal with the fallout after. The main priority was keeping the girls safe, I reminded myself.
My stomach dipped as a small yelp resounded from the VIP suite. Holland had Melissa. He held her tightly by the wrist forcing her fingers to relax on the bag she was holding. His face twisted in disdain as he stood, shoving her off his lap onto the plush carpet. She whimpered, fingers massaging her wrist.
“Who the fuck is using whores to sell?” he demanded. Everyone in the booth stilled. One or two paled as they caught up on the situation. Rounding on one of the older men he threw the bag at him. “This is your area, Richards. Care to explain?”
Melissa saw her chance while he was occupied and teetered towards the stairs. Hand flying out Holland grabbed her by the back of the neck. “Not so fast. I’m not done with you.” He moved to pull her back into the centre of the group as she struggled. Several of the men had stood, including the one he’d named as Richards. Most were unsure what to do with their hands as they watched their boss turn on them once again.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he warned.
“It ain’t got nothing to do with me. I sell the way you want, my men do too.” Richards held his hand up in surrender.
“You mean to tell me this has been happening under your nose?” Paling further, Richards took a reflexive step back. “T-t-that’s not what I meant at all, Boss.”
Holland yanked Melissa around to face his men, his hand moving to hold her throat.
“Which of these men are you selling for?” he snarled into her ear. From behind I couldn’t see her face, only hear the whimpers as his hand tightened on her windpipe.
“Please let me go, I don’t know anything” she begged.
“Tell me who.”
“I don’t know! She’s never told us where it comes from!” Melissa cried. My heart stilled. Disbelief and anger mixed on Zoey’s face before she shot me a loaded look. That was it the line into her investigation had been crossed. I was on my own.
Steeling myself I rose from my stool. Several eyes flickered my way as I moved towards the suite, including Arnold’s.
“You!” he raged, getting to his feet before realising that if I was involved then he was also implicated. His clenched fists shook as he struggled to think of a way out, to stop what would inevitably happen once Holland found out.
“Sir, I want to let you know that she’s disobeyed all orders I’ve given. I had no idea she was stupid enough to go rogue. I’ll personally deal with her.” Arnold made to leave. Holland tipped his head at the man hidden behind the curtain and they grabbed a hold of Arnold as he reached the stairs.
“Is that her?” Holland asked Melissa, dragging her to the edge of the suite so she could see me in the dim light. She froze as her eyes landed on me, waiting for a sign of what she should say. I worked my way around the room until I was a few feet away from them. His eyes never left me. Crossing my arms I leaned back against the nearest table.
“She works for me,” I confirmed.
His fingers flexed on Melissa’s throat as his gaze narrowed. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Ask Sam. We’re well acquainted.” I baited him, hoping he’d turn on Arnold, which he did. Arnold cursed as Holland’s unyielding stare pinned him to the spot.
“She’s nothing but a lowlife street dealer, she’s worthless,” he spat.
“I wouldn’t say worthless. Not when I currently sell to 30% of your market.” Playing blasé was riling them both up better than I’d hoped. Holland finally let go of Melissa, letting her drop to the floor, and rounded on Arnold, his face a mask of fury.
“Boss, Sir, that’s only true because she cost me four other dealers. It’s not the way she makes it sound.”
“I don’t care how it sounds. I care about how it looks. You’ve let someone into my business, let them take over not only a large portion of your sales but also encroach on a fellow man’s territory to sell, and you’re telling me you just sat back and let it happen.”
“I’m not- That’s not-” Arnold stammered. Holland instructed the one guarding Arnold to take him outside. His struggling increased. He knew that as soon as he was outside, out of sight from witnesses, anything could happen to him.
Holland stalked to my table and stood before me, an inscrutable expression on his face.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but this isn’t how I run my business.” This close my brain struggled to match the correct level of fear as I took in his fresh face and unruly curls. He truly was about the same age as me. It gave me a misplaced boost of courage.
“You need to reassess your business strategy.” His hands caught my upper arms. Anger rolled off him in waves but there was a light flush to his face that worried me more. Anger would simmer away. Humiliation wouldn’t.
“You’re coming outside” he growled. He dragged me up the entrance stairs and shoved me out into the night. The temperature had rapidly cooled down from the previous afternoon’s heatwave and the wind whipping through the alley felt icy against my skin.
Arnold was on his knees facing away from the road, the guard behind him holding a gun to his head. I should have been surprised that he would authorise this in such a public place but none of his other bodies had been hidden. It didn’t make sense to sneak about now. Not when this would be a show of his power, and show that not even his own men were safe in this war.
He clamped a hand down on my shoulder and steered me to stand before Arnold.
“You either fall in line, or you can join him.” His fingers dug into my skin and I fought the urge to shake him off. I refused to take my eyes off Arnold. I wouldn’t, couldn’t, show any weakness.
In the deathly silence of the space a gun cocked. But it wasn’t the one his guard was holding. Instinct kicking in, I threw myself back against the door, Hollands hands ripping away from me as I dove. A shot rang out. The guard jerked. Face clouding with confusion it wasn’t until blood started blossoming through his shirt that he sagged to his knees. Using the melee Arnold fled, sprinting to the mouth of the alley. I watched as he ran. Shots rang out, continually hitting the guard until he finally slumped over. None had been aimed at Arnold as he made his escape.
Holland was still out in the open, a determined set to his jaw as he tried to track the position of the shooter. It was then I realised whoever was firing had to get through the guard to get a clear shot at Holland. My stomach turned as bile rose. I knew what I had to do, but my body fought the very idea.
With a curse I launched away from the wall. Getting between Holland and the direction of fire I shoved him back into the cover of a dumpster on the opposite wall. I stumbled as a bullet whizzed past where he’d been standing seconds before. The hot sticky feeling of blood running down my arm let me know I’d been hit long before the white hot sting of pain. Diving into the cover I crouched beside him.
“Stay down” I warned. Taking a chance I peered out from our hiding spot. A shot hit the end of the dumpster and I flinched back into Holland’s chest. His hands caught my sides, pulling me deeper into the cover and tighter against him. Warmth radiated from his body as my adrenaline started to ebb, giving way to the chill of shock. Then I felt it. The hard length of a gun barrel pushing into my back. He was armed. Twisting I dipped my fingers into his suit jacket until I had a hold of his gun. He froze when he realised what I was doing.
“You should listen to your own advice.” His voice was smooth, soothing almost as his hot breath tickled my neck. It took me a second to realise why. His accent had changed. He wasn’t from Brooklyn. I didn’t have time to piece things together. I needed to get us both out of the alley alive first. I focused on the heavy weight of the gun in my hand and checked the ammo cartridge was full.
Whoever was firing wasn’t on the street otherwise they’d have moved closer to get their target. They had to be firing from higher ground. A steading breath and I was ready.
------
Taglist:
@spideylovin
@lukesbabylon
Part Five now up!
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Like They Do in Vegas, 1/5 (Vanique) - Mac
AN: This fic came about from a series of prompts I did on my blog and is entirely Ortega’s fault. I blame her, and this is also dedicated to her because Vanique is a god tier ship and I needed to contribute in some way.
As always, Meggie is a lovely person and I thank her endlessly for betaing this.
And to you at home I hope you enjoy!
BGM Challenge Notes: Vanessa and Monique’s friends show up in Chapter 4! And I’m working on a playlist for this AU that I’ll link next chapter!
Summary: Vanessa is a Casino Girl just trying to get by. Monique is a mysterious rich stranger. They meet in the city of sin. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 1: Go Big or Go Home
Vanessa arrived exactly twenty minutes before she was scheduled to clock in.
She threw her purse into the row of lockers and headed for the back of the small employee lounge. She passed the clock-in computer, the whiteboard on the wall, the flyers for various shows around town, and walked all the way to the last dressing room, after noticing the other two were already occupied. Vanessa smiled instinctively at the sound of Vixen’s voice raised above the sound of someone else playing music. She was yelling to whoever was in the adjacent dressing room, recounting a story of the night’s events.
Vanessa got dressed quickly, slipping out of her plain black jeans and sweater combination and into her sparkly silver dress that caught and reflected beams of light in a way that she had been told was mesmerizing. Vanessa never really noticed before she started working here, the dress most likely having been picked off a sales rack back home. It didn’t matter where it came from now.
What mattered now was that Vanessa’s hair was a mess.
Aquaria told her so and tried to sound exasperated when she did. It only ended up coming out fondly. Vanessa gave her a winning smile and batted her lashes too for good measure before the younger girl rolled her eyes and motioned to the chair beside her. Aquaria went to town on curling the particularly unruly strands, but there wasn’t time for much else; they both knew another round of patrons was due to hit any minute now.
Everyone that worked in Vegas knew the waves.
11 p.m. brought the moms and the bachelorette parties.
11:30 p.m. brought older couples and divorcees.
12 a.m. brought the guys with girlfriends.
12:30 a.m. brought the guys without girlfriends.
1 a.m. brought the wealthy singles, and the wealthy not-so-singles.
1:30 a.m. brought in the drunk people.
2 a.m. was what girls like Vanessa liked to call ‘closing time.’ Seal the deal or your ass was out on the curb for the night.
Luckily, Vanessa had an apartment, unlike some of the other casino girls. And the 300 square feet could be roomy—if she closed her eyes.
Vanessa made do.
Aquaria shooed her away from the chair at 12:55, giving Vanessa ample time to squeeze every last detail from Vixen, who was more than happy to recount yet another story about a creepy man trying to get her to join his brothel.
Offers like that were strangely common in this line of work. Well, maybe they weren’t so strange.
Most people thought they were sex workers anyway. Prostitutes or strippers, whores hired to seduce the male patrons and run them dry. Some of the other girls saw it that way. But as far as Vanessa was concerned, she was a glorified waitress. Her job was to facilitate the purchase of alcohol. The more people drank, the prettier she looked; the more they bet, the more they lost or won, the more money the casinos made.
In a lot of ways, it was a dream job. Vanessa got paid to look pretty and talk. Two things she was naturally gifted at.
Out on the main floor of the casino, Vanessa began her usual route around the space. She spent a good few minutes just drawing eyes, pulling focus from the card games, slot machines, and general greed. She walked slowly, careful to tilt her head down, flutter her eyelashes when patrons were close enough to see the eye makeup she had hurriedly done on the bus.
Vanessa was good at her job. She found a mark within five minutes.
Older guy. Late fifties. Nicely dressed. Seemingly ordinary. But what Vanessa instantly noticed was his watch. Rolex, one of the older ones. That’s ultimately how Vanessa picked all her marks. Her daddy used to say ‘what a man wears on his wrist he wears with pride.’ There was something more about shoes and hiding, but Vanessa never remembered that part.
She was fine with the Rolex, but she had really been hoping to find a Patek tonight.
Rolexes only started at $5,000.
But Vanessa made do.
She waltzed over to the roulette wheel, making sure to smile warmly at the employee behind the table. She gracefully rested her hands on the edge of the table as the casino employee gave a nearly imperceptible nod toward Mr. Rolex. Vanessa winked at him in thanks.
“You know I always go for 32,” Vanessa said to the group of men who had just started to take notice of her presence. She honed her sights on Mr. Rolex to see his reaction.
He practically preened under the attention. Vanessa rolled her eyes internally.
This was getting too easy.
Mr. Rolex eventually pulled up another seat and sent Vanessa to the bar three times before turning to ask her name.
If she were anywhere else, doing any other job, Vanessa might have been offended.
She only batted her eyes and giggled animatedly. “Vanjie,” she lied.
Mr. Rolex took that as his cue to lean in closer and press a whiskery kiss to Vanessa’s neck. She did her best not to freeze up under the attention and to just go with it.
It was then while pretending she was anywhere else, that Vanessa noticed a woman at the opposite end of the casino. She was sitting alone in one of the plush chairs that made up the lounge. It was noticeable because she was alone and fucking gorgeous. Long flowing dark hair and the tightest red dress Vanessa had ever seen that fell off her curves like water.
Vanessa was intrigued instantly. No woman that looked like that was alone in Vegas for no reason.
She convinced Mr. Rolex and his new buddies that they needed more gin and made her way quickly over to the bar, allowing herself the immense pleasure of ogling the strange woman from afar.
For all her smooth grace and easy confidence, Vanessa was rendered nearly incoherent when it came to women. Men were easy. You leaned over the table and their monkey brains took over. Women on the other hand… Women were a different species.
Vanessa tried to squeeze information from the bartender. He knew nothing, only that she ordered a martini and had been sitting alone all night.
Vanessa couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to her. So she did something stupid. Something stupid and silly that she would beat herself up over later: she ordered the mystery woman a martini. Vanessa went back over to Mr. Rolex and his friends, placed the drinks in front of them, and then made up an excuse about ‘being right back’ and having to ‘take care of something.’
Mr. Rolex and his friends were too engrossed in their game to care and Vanessa slipped away without any fuss.
As she headed back over to the bar, Vanessa noticed the woman was gone from her spot in the lounge. Vanessa’s heart sank in her chest and she was tempted to throw the whole night out as a waste when she noticed the woman perched at the bar looking directly at her.
“So you’re the cute thing that ordered me a drink,” the woman said by way of a greeting. “This one,” she nodded her head at the bartender, “was tellin’ me you don’t do that for many people. Should I be honored?”
“You tell me,” Vanessa shot back, surprising even herself with her quick wit.
The woman chuckled in response, throwing her head back and causing a commotion with her joy. Something inside Vanessa ached to be that free.
The woman motioned to the barstool next to her and Vanessa took it without another thought.
“You play much?” Vanessa asked, motioning to the various gambling methods.
“Betting?” the woman asked. “Not usually. I get sucked in, and you know what they say.”
“Hmm?”
“Greed is a sin.”
Vanessa laughed. “Oh baby, you in the city of sin.”
“Monique,” the woman corrected.
“What?”
“Not ‘baby.’ Monique.”
Vanessa smiled, and the woman, Monique, smiled back.
She raised up her hand to take a sip of her drink and Vanessa nearly choked at the sight of a Mille RM 51-02 draped elegantly over Monique’s wrist.
She had never seen a Mille in person before, having only ever heard stories of the watches that started at $30,000 and could go up to two million.
The vortex of gold and silver embedded in the watch face drew Vanessa’s eyes and she couldn’t help the smile overtaking her face. “Well, you know what they say, Monique?”
The corner of Monique’s mouth quirked up and she shook her head no.
Vanessa smirked. “Go big or go home.”
…
Vanessa smiled into her drink as Monique threw her head back in a laugh.
The sound reverberated off the glass in her hand, and Vanessa was sure that the joy in Monique’s voice had more to do with the warmth in her stomach than the alcohol.
“So what is it that you do, Vanjie?” Monique asked, her voice alight with humor and warmth.
“You ain’t never met a casino girl before?”
Monique shook her head no.
“I look pretty and get drinks,” Vanessa chuckled. “Speakin’ of,” Vanessa trailed off, looking to the side door where she could clearly make out her boss, Ms. Visage, glaring at her. “I’d love to keep talkin’ but—”
“How ‘bout I play some games?” Monique offered. “That should get her off your back, yeah?”
And now Vanessa was sure the alcohol couldn’t be the cause of the warmth because her whole body lit up under the knowledge that Monique wanted to spend more time with her.
“Thought you didn’t gamble,” Vanessa teased. “Somethin’ about it bein’ a sin…”
“I think if the Lord were in my place, he’d understand.”
They made the rounds: slot machines, poker, and Vanessa’s favorite, Blackjack.
The Blackjack tables were set apart from the rest of the casino, some architect really letting loose with the layout of the section. The ceiling was arched, and the tables were long surrounded by plush seating rather than the stiff angled chairs that lined the other tables.
Vanessa assumed her favorite position, perching herself on the arm of the chair while leaning into Monique’s presence, allowing her easy access to duck down and huskily whisper words of encouragement. All the while keeping their skin from touching.
It was an old move. One she had learned her first week working here. The girls called it the Blackjack Bag. You made it so you were constantly leaning down to whisper directly in your target’s ear; this gave you the excuse to flaunt your cleavage while also getting a target riled up by the sound of your voice.
The Blackjack tables are where you bagged targets, hence, the title.
Monique seemed to be no different in that respect. No matter how hard she tried to hide her flush, each time Vanessa leaned down to compliment her, her hands tightened on her cards.
She was doing well. She had gotten a face card nearly every hand, and she knew when to fold and when to go for it. Vanessa was impressed. She told her as much.
“Beginner’s luck really does exist,” Vanessa teased.
Monique pulled her head back to look Vanessa up and down, taking her time to really take the younger woman in. “I’ll show you luck,” she said as she moved her massive pile of chips to the middle.
“All in.”
The men at the table squawked in a mixture of shock and protest. Monique just made a vague hand motion to keep playing.
Vanessa’s jaw was on the floor.
Monique only had a three and a queen. Statistically, at least one of the other players had to have higher cards than that.
The house went around, the men to her left and right got another card, but Monique stayed calm, and denied it.
It was then that Vanessa realized what Monique was doing.
She was using Vanessa as a lie detector almost, signaling to the other players what cards she had. Vanessa kept her expression neutral, and did a damn good job of it too because the other players all looked at her surprised.
As expected, they all folded, and Monique took back her mound of chips and the additional bets.
She looked up at Vanessa with a self-satisfied smirk, never breaking eye contact as she flipped her cards over.
The table erupted.
Two can play your games, she had said without opening her mouth.
Vanessa just smirked.
At one point, after Monique bested some business suit out of his measly twenty grand, the man approached Vanessa and attempted to make a move, running his hands harshly up and down her sides. Vanessa rejected him but pointed him in the direction of one of her fellow employees.
He didn’t seem to get the hint until Monique looked up from her cards and wrapped an arm possessively around Vanessa’s middle.
“I think,” she practically spit, “my girl told you to get lost.”
The suit looked at them with a raised eyebrow but didn’t dare say anything more. Vanessa felt white heat in her gut at the feeling of Monique’s arm around her, and she had to take a second to compose herself.
Vanessa turned back to the game and was surprised to find Monique’s eyes searching her own. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked, genuinely concerned.
“Yeah,” Vanessa tried to brush it off, “but you know, it’s Vegas.”
“And that makes it okay?”
Vanessa shook her head lightly. “Nah, but what can ya do?”
Monique looked at her hard, calculating. She didn’t say anything, but turned back to her game, placing her cards on the table before attempting to stand up
“I fold.”
Vanessa looked at her shocked. “You were winning, wha—”
Monique stood in front of her, eyes wide, asking permission, seeing if this was real. The vulnerability in her expression nearly made Vanessa take a step back.
“You wanna get out of here?” Monique asked, expression unassuming and open. “You can say no. I—”
Vanessa stopped Monique with a hand to her face. The first skin to skin contact. “Do I look like I wanna say no?”
#rpdr fanfiction#vanessa vanjie mateo#monique heart#vanique#casino girl au#lesbian au#fluff#angst#developing relationship#gambling#fic challenge#black girl magic fic#like they do in vegas#mac#diversity fic#s10
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#66 and, because i need to force my love for her onto everyone, either vanessa x monique or monet x monique pls 👀💖
VANIQUE???!!!!???!?!? (sp?) Okay, I’m in love with them and your mind, wow, what a great ship. TBH this lowkey really spiraled out of control and this drabble is actually 1.5k words so I’m sorry about that, but also I couldn’t stop myself so like... there’s that.
“Go big or go home.”
Vanessa arrived exactly twenty minutes before she was scheduled to clock in.
She threw her purse into the row of lockers and headed for the back of the small employee lounge. She passed the clock-in computer, the whiteboard on the wall, the flyers for various shows around town, and walked all the way to the last dressing room, after noticing the other two were already occupied. Vanessa smiled instinctively at the sound of Violet’s voice raised above the sound of someone else playing music. She was yelling to whoever was in the adjacent dressing room, recounting a story of the night’s events.
Vanessa got dressed quickly, slipping out of her plain black jean and sweater combination and into her sparkly silver dress that caught and reflected beams of light in a way that she had been told was mesmerizing. Vanessa never really noticed before she started working here, the dress most likely having been picked off a sales rack back home. It didn’t matter where it came from now.
What mattered now was that Vanessa's hair was a mess.
Aquaria told her so and tried to sound exasperated when she did. It only ended up coming out fond. Vanessa gave her a winning smile and batted her lashes too for good measure before the younger girl rolled her eyes and motioned to the chair beside her. Aquaria went to town on curling the particularly unruly strands, but there wasn’t time for much else, as they both knew another round of patrons was due to hit any minute now.
Everyone that worked in Vegas knew the waves.
11pm was the moms and the bachelorette parties.
11:30 is older couples and divorcees.
12am brought the guys with girlfriends.
12:30am brought the guys without girlfriends.
1am was the wealthy singles, and the wealthy not so singles.
1:30 brought in the hammered people.
2am was what girls like Vanessa liked to call ‘closing time.’ Seal the deal or your ass is out on the curb for the night.
Luckily, Vanessa had an apartment, unlike some of the other casino girls. And the 300 square feet could be roomy - if she closed her eyes.
Vanessa made do.
Aquaria shooed her away from the chair at around 12:55, giving Vanessa ample time to squeeze every last detail from Violet, who was more than happy to recount yet another story about a creepy man trying to get her to join his brothel.
Offers like that were strangely common in this line of work. Well, maybe they weren’t so strange.
Most people thought they were sex workers anyway. Prostitutes or strippers, whores hired to seduce the male patrons and run them dry. Some of the other girls saw it that way. As far as Vanessa was concerned, she was a glorified waitress. Her job was to facilitate the purchase of alcohol. The more people drank, the prettier she looked, the more they bet, the more they lost or won, the more money the casinos made.
In a lot of ways, it was a dream job. Vanessa got paid to look pretty and talk. Two things she was naturally gifted at.
Out on the main floor of the casino, Vanessa began her usual route around the floor. She spent a good few minutes just drawing eyes, pulling focus from the card games and slot machines, and general greed. She walked slowly, careful to tilt her head down, flutter her eyelashes when patrons were close enough to see the pretty eye makeup she had hurriedly done on the bus.
Vanessa was good at her job. She found a mark within five minutes.
Older guy. Late fifties. Nicely dressed. Seemingly ordinary. But what Vanessa instantly noticed was his watch. Rolex, one of the older ones. That’s ultimately how Vanessa picked all her marks. Her daddy used to say ‘what a man wears on his wrist he wears with pride.’ There was something more about shoes and hiding, but Vanessa never remembered that part.
She was fine with the Rolex, but she had really been hoping to find a Patek tonight.
Rolex’s only started at $5,000 but Vanessa made do.
She waltzed over to the roulette wheel, making sure to smile warmly at the employee behind the table. She gracefully rested her hands on the edge of the table as the casino employee gave a nearly imperceptible nod toward Mr. Rolex. Vanessa winked at him in thanks.
“You know I always go for 32,” Vanessa said to the group of men who had just started to take notice of her presence. She honed her sights on Mr. Rolex to see his reaction.
He practically preened under the attention. Vanessa rolled her eyes internally.
This was getting too easy.
Mr. Rolex eventually pulled up another seat and sent Vanessa to the bar three times before turning to ask her name.
If she were anywhere else, doing any other job, Vanessa might have been offended.
She only batted her eyes and giggled animatedly. “Vanjie,” She lied.
Mr. Rolex took that as his cue to lean in closer and press a whiskery kiss to Vanessa’s neck. She did her best not to freeze up under the attention and to just go with it.
It was then, while pretending she was anywhere else, that Vanessa noticed a woman at the opposite end of the casino. She was sitting alone in one of the plush chairs that made up the lounge. It was noticeable because she was alone and fucking gorgeous. Long flowing dark hair and the tightest red dress Vanessa had ever seen that fell off her curves like water.
Vanessa was intrigued instantly. No woman that looked like that was alone in Vegas for no reason.
She convinced Mr. Rolex and his new buddies that they needed more gin and made her way quickly over to the bar, allowing herself the immense pleasure of ogling the strange woman from afar.
For all her smooth grace and easy confidence, Vanessa was rendered nearly incoherent when it came to women. Men were easy. You leaned over the table and their monkey brains took over. Women on the other hand... women were a different species.
Vanessa tried to squeeze information from the bartender. He knew nothing, only that she ordered a martini and had been sitting alone all night.
Vanessa couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to her. So she did something stupid. Something stupid and silly and she would beat herself up about it later, but she ordered the mystery woman a martini. Vanessa went back over to Mr. Rolex and his friends, placed the drinks in front of them, and then made up an excuse about ‘being right back’ and having to ‘take care of something.’
Mr. Rolex and his friends were too engrossed in their game to care and Vanessa slipped away without any fuss.
As she headed back over to the bar, Vanessa noticed the woman was gone from her spot in the lounge. Vanessa’s heart sank in her chest and she was tempted to throw the whole night out as a waste when she noticed the woman perched at the bar looking directly at her.
“So you’re the cute thing that ordered me a drink,” The woman said by way of a greeting. “This one,” she nodded her head at the bartender, “was tellin me you don’t do that for many people. Should I be honored?”
“You tell me,” Vanessa shot back, surprising even herself with her quick wit.
The woman chuckled in response, throwing her head back and causing a commotion with her joy. Something inside Vanessa ached to be that free.
The woman motioned to the barstool next to her and Vanessa took it without another thought.
“You play much?” Vanessa asked, motioning to the various gambling methods.
“Betting?” The woman asked. “Not usually. I get sucked in, and you know what they say.”
“Hmm?”
“Greed is a sin.”
Vanessa laughed. “Oh baby, you in the city of sin.”
“Monique,” The woman corrected.
“What?”
“Not baby, Monique.”
Vanessa smiled, and the woman, Monique, smiled back.
She raised up her hand to take a sip of her drink and Vanessa nearly choked at the sight of a Mille RM 51-02 draped elegantly over Monique’s wrist.
She had never seen a Mille in person before, having only ever heard stories of the watches that started at $30,000 dollars and could go up to 2 million.
The vortex of gold and silver embedded in the watch face drew Vanessa’s eyes and she couldn’t help the smile overtaking her face. “Well, you know what they say, Monique?”
The corner of Monique’s mouth quirked up and she shook her head no.
Vanessa smirked. “Go big or go home.”
#VANIQUE#love them#vanessa vanjie mateo#monique heart#Casino Girl AU#prompts#thanks for the prompt#drabble#i'm sorry this is so long#vanessa is a watch gay
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Before you read most of this, go check out the other full videos of Rizmo on my Instagram. It helps to see these in action, and with sound.(don’t worry, I don’t talk!) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GdAwNglFb/?igshid=10iftw61w09cd here’s a handy dandy link for ya!
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So. This is kinda my official review of Rizmo I guess. I got a lot to say about this little dude.
I suggest watching these with sound on btw, while I don’t talk it helps with what I’m about to explain.
Let me start this off with, I do not intend to throw Rizmo away, or break him. Ever. I treat him with just as much care as I treat my furby’s. I wouldn’t of bought Rizmo if I wasn’t at least interested in him visually and wanted him for that. I do like Rizmo visually and a little tiny bit interaction wise. I don’t hate him. Keep this in mind.
Now, onto the ups and downs.
I can at least say that he does do as the box suggests. Sings, evolves, etc etc. I think the biggest downfall about Rizmo as a whole is that other then the basic knowledge I had no way to know what I was in for. Hardly anyone has reviewed this toy that ISNT a child. Only one good video is what I could find with adults in it. And that’s it. So going into getting him I didn’t know how interactive he was or what he felt like or anything.
You get him, he’s a ball, with two little light up eyes. Over tune he grows a tail, and after that he evolves into what you see here. This whole function of evolving works amazingly well, the problem is that I don’t see a kid actually maintaining interest long enough. To evolve Rizmo you need to play minigames and sing(or talk in my case) to him. Which comes down to either rolling him around a lot for the mini game, or singing(or talking loudly) into his face. This took me about a hour and a half(or around that mark)to grind through. And that was me nonstop trying to evolve him. Most kids don’t have the patience for this, especially since the only true interaction you get from the toy is the minigames and singing and such. It’s bare bones basic. The only ‘interaction’ mechanically you get is he reacts to being bounced around. Nothing else. No tummy sensors, to head sensors.
And I will directly begin to compare him to Furby’s. Two generations in fact. The 1998 lines, and the 2005 lines. Both of these toys can interact in a multitude of ways. And learn over time. It’s a pet simulator to be honest and it keeps the kids interested cause it feels like they actually are interacting with you, as a person. Not just being there ready to be interacted with. Additionally it’s a small peeve but Rizmo hardly moves. His ears and tail are static. His front paws(hands?)are just fabric. And the only pieces that move are his feet, and his jaw. I friendly basic movements compared to something such as say, a 2016 furby. Who wiggles around at such break neck speeds sometimes they get unbalanced and tip over. Even something like the older 1998 furby’s are incredibly expressive, just with eyes, ears, and beak. And a slight shifting movement you can get a ton more expression. They don’t feel static. For the price of 40$, this is just... incredibly basic. Furby’s of the 1998 era were 20$ back then and very pricey, and still are today and are worth their money more.
As a extra extra side note, most people complained and still do, that original 1998 furby’s are LOUD. While I can agree some are incredibly loud, they have nothing on Rizmo. The sweet silence of my house once I turned him off was deafening almost, because he was so loud. He was loud enough to a point that when I turned one of my 1998 furby’s on, they thought he was loud. He was the same volume to them as someone raising their voice, or clapping loudly. I feel sorry for the parents who have to hear this toy.
Onto my biggest beef. This toy is fragile. Incredibly fragile. I do not know how a child won’t break this toy, even by accident. He is made of what sounds and feels like the most thin plastic ever on the side. 80% of this toy is hollow on the inside. Not a lick of stuffing seen, which makes sense for the evolving mechanics. But they chose the nose incredibly thin fur type that in a year, if your kid loves this toy will be probably losing its fur over time. Because of this thin fur you can feel the skeleton inside completely. His eyes are stationed inside the painfully hollow skull that you can feel around in through his incredibly empty mouth. I could actually unpop his eyes with no effort from the small holes in his skeleton inside. His torso has two plastic ‘rib cages’ i guess you’d call them, that expand when he evolves the first time. Once in this finally form you can feel that these are hollow shells almost that you can latch your fingers into with his loose fur. The fur is so lose intact he tends to have a bump or buckle on the top of his head in the back because it’s design to be taught to the skull when curled up. He has a light on his tummy in this form they I’m afraid I might jab since it’s precariously empty feeling as well. His paws(hands?) aren’t even stuffed and are empty tubes of fabric. His ears have a snap back hinge that I’m 100% certain a child will break. Same as his tail which also has a snap back hinge. Additionally, his whole mechanical end of things seems to have the mechanics, whole even turned off, to curl back up?? I am unsure if this is even purposeful or not. But I can see that getting jammed easily by a kid forcefully doing that. You can see me do this with both his feet, and his jaw(his ribs can also do this)and I’m hardly putting any effort into doing so.
Nothing in my mind makes me think this toy is good for children. The mechanics are easily boring, and the toy itself is fragile as heck feeling. Any kid who likes to cuddle toys won’t be happy with this. Unlike a furby who are solid, yes. But they have thick fur that makes them feel a lot more plush. And they can handle two decades worth of use and damage and still work, to this day. There’s something to be said when a toy form 2019 is more fragile and breakable then a toy in 1998 who has survived two decades of their life being played with and left in antics and yet somehow still work, and aren’t broken most of the time.
My verdict? Way until Rizmo goes on sale even more. It’s not worth 40$. And if you want one like me because it makes you think of a furby almost, wait also. It will go on sale, and when it drops down it’ll be more worth it. They already are. Amazon has the pink Rizmo right now for 30$. And the other colors for a little more.
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