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venushasvixens · 3 years

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Ch. 9 Home? - Life is but a Dream (Spike Spiegel x Reader)

[A/N] I promise I’m going to get to requests. Enjoy the chapter!

WARNING: implied child abuse? (Nothing happens but it can still be uncomfy)

The soft creak of the second story window was the only sound in your shared bedroom. Having been sent upstairs and denied a meal for the millionth time this week, you were desperate for anything to eat. It wasn’t like the orphanage was barely surviving, but honestly you think the caretaker had something out for you. Always picking on you, calling you names, and finding any excuse to punish you. All around known as the caretaker’s personal punching bag.

“Now I can see why you were dropped off here.” She would say, before taking the plate of food from in front of you and dumping it into the trash.

With your lips sealed shut, you trudged up the stairs, sad little eyes tearing up. Any back talk would result in something far worse. The wilts on your back still stung days after your punishment, an example and demonstration of the cruelness of life.

Like a rabid animal, you were willing to receive any kind of punishment just to quiet the pain in your stomach. Grateful for the bushes located underneath your second story window, you swung your legs over the ledge, preparing to jump. With a small humph, you landed softly on your feet. Leaves and small branches pricked at your thighs as you wobbled out of the bushes. You gripped the small pouch of coins in your pocket, running your fingers over the opening of the bag.

A childish dream that a few coins were your ticket to everywhere and anywhere. The city you lived in was labeled as UN-1889, which was far into its development to retain its old name. Unofficially called “Yun” by the locals, it also held the record of absolutely nothing exciting or entertaining. Crime was moderate, chain restaurants and shopping centers were the place of excitement and that was it. Vowing to leave and never come back, you made sure to keep that promise by collecting and stashing away any money you could get your hands on. In the end, the most you had in your possession was enough to buy half a ticket, and you were ready to blow it all off in a matter of minutes on something that will only last seconds.

You spotted the bright, blue neon lights of the only local diner in the area. Parents looking to adopt will do nothing but rave about this place. Hearing just how good the food sounded compared to the gruel you were forced to eat every day, it made your mouth water and your stomach do flips. Jogging up to the entrance, you quickly opened the door to the diner. Air condition hit your dirty, sweaty face, cooling you down instantly. Much to your surprise, there was not one patron in the diner. Leaning against the counter was a middle aged woman with her hair pulled back tightly in a bun. She stared at the TV in the corner, sighing deeply. As the door closed, your presence was made known.

One look was all it took for her to know everything about you.

“Oh great, another one.” She mumbled from where she stood. “What do you want?”

“Food. I’m hungry.” You replied annoyingly.

“Have any money?” She asked, standing up straight.

You dug into your pocket, grabbed the bag of coins and held it out to the waitress. Snatching it out of your hand, she emptied the contents onto the counter. Shifting through the coins lazily, she huffed.

“Kid, this isn’t even enough for a plate.” She poured the coins back into the bag, tossing it back at you. “Door’s over there.”

Too tired and weak to fight, you slumped your way out, disappointed and embarrassed.

“Hey wait!” You heard someone shouting. You turned around, seeing another woman popping out from the kitchen. Her soft, platinum blond curls bounced as she walked out to stop you from leaving. Ringlets of silver hung from her ears and wrists, clanking softly as she motioned you to come closer. “Are you from the orphanage down the street?”

You nodded vigorously.

“I know how she treats those babies over there. You come on over and get yourself something to eat.” She said, tapping on the counter.

“I don’t have enough for-“ you started. She waved her hand, her signal for no ands, if, or buts. As you pranced over, you heard the waitress groan.

“Lou, you can’t be serious.” She muttered.

Lou held her hand up. “I don’t like seeing children go hungry. It’s not right.”

“Pick whatever you like.” She smiled, handing over a menu to you. Everything looked so delicious and tempting. You only see people like this on TV. It seems so fake, portraying kindness in a sickening, sweet way. It was enough to hurt your teeth.

You watched in adoration as Lou passed you a basket of warm rolls, butter shimmering off the golden buns. Forget manners. You gobbled down the bread in minutes, hiccuping softly. You weren’t focused on trying to quiet your hiccups down, just to fill your empty stomach.

“My goodness, slow down.” Lou chuckled, placing a cup of water next to you. “What’s your name, baby?”

“It’s (Y/N).” You replied, mouth still full of bread.

“(Y/N). Now is that your actual name or was it given to you by that devil woman?”

“It’s my actual name. They tried to change it, but decided to keep it.” You said, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

Lou handed you a few napkins. “I swear that lady does not like anything or anyone. An all around horrible person.”

You nodded sadly, trying to dissipate the knowledge that you were probably going to receive the harshest punishment you have ever had in your short life when you came back “home”. As your stomach was dropping at the thought of your imminent demise, Lou slid your plate of food in front of you. Eating a basket of rolls wasn’t enough at all. This food looked better than anything you consumed at the orphanage.

While Lou and the waitress babbled and bickered, the static and switch of the TV in the corner was the only noise in the room. Eventually the waitress decided to settle on the local news. Expansion of some parts of the city, a deadly crash near the asteroid belt, and so on and so on. Suddenly, the screen flashed with the words BREAKING NEWS splayed on the screen.

The news reporter quickly tapped through her data pad, smiled and addressed the viewers.

“Good evening, we bring to you some breaking news. The criminal Kedo, who was wanted on both planets Earth and Ganymede for the murders of multiple people, has been caught right here in UN-1889.”

The reporter then drone on about his crimes, and how he left his trail. You chewed slowly, hanging onto every word. Crime was at a middle to low level, but you have never seen something as large as this.

“It has been reported by BIG SHOT, a new TV program broadcasted specially for bounty hunters in the solar system, that Kedo’s bounty had jumped from 500,000 woolong to over a million woolong.” Your eyes widened. To a small child, one million woolong was a whole lot more than what it actually was. You were probably never going to see that sort of money in your lifetime. All the possibilities of having that much money ran through your head. The first was getting the hell out of this city.

“We are informed that the courageous bounty hunter, or huntress, known as Lady Jo, caught Kedo red-handed in hiding right here in UN-1889.” The reporter stated.

The screen switched to live coverage at the police station, cameras flashing and reporters clamoring to get a closer look at the infamous criminal who was now being led into the building in handcuffs. His hair disheveled, eyes scanning his surroundings like crazy, fitting a perfect description of a crazed murderer. The cameras shifted their attention to Jo, standing proudly with her hand resting on her holster.

Intrigue and fascination filled you. You couldn’t help but watch in awe of her. Her auburn hair was curly and volumized, laying softly on her shoulders, eyes a striking green that shone like emeralds in the harsh lights of the TV crews. The waitress scoffed at her outfit, which consisted of a revealing button up white shirt, tucked into black leather pants, with a matching jacket. She was truly a sight to see.

“Can you believe that? She’s not a cowgirl, she’s a goddamn model.” She said.

Lou snorted. “You know, I used to have an outfit just like that.”

You smiled back, finishing your plate. Not wanting to take your eyes off the TV, the silverware clattered loudly onto the plate.

“I’ll tell you what, there is absolutely no honor in being a bounty hunter. They’re rude, selfish, and I hate every last one of them. Especially Lady what’s-her-name right here.” The waitress nagged, taking your empty plate.

“They can do a way better job than actual law enforcement.” Lou retorted.

You didn’t pay attention to their conversation. If there wasn’t any honor I’m your choice, so be it. Your new bottom line was set into place. One million woolong was going to be a possibility for you, one way or another.

Jet sat at the navigation console on the bridge, pressing buttons at a lightning fast speed. On his right side was the computer TV, playing some late night television as background noise. Faye stood near the windows, smoking a cigarette and looking out into the nighttime sky. There was something that must have been discussed.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Jet sighed and got up. “I went ahead and placed our coordinates for our next bounty back on Mars. Should only be a week.”

“Dinner was a little off, don’t you think?” Faye said, ignoring Jet.

Jet’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying something about my cooking?”

“What? No. I meant with-“

“With Spike and (Y/N)? Then yes, there is something off with them. I’ve noticed it since we got back home the other day.” Jet said.

“So much more talkative, that’s for damn sure. Couldn’t keep up with it.” Faye replied as she descended the steps to the navigation console.

“The big baby wasn’t all too happy about her staying with us. So I wonder why he’s acting all buddy buddy with her.”

Faye chuckled, a sly upturn of the mouth growing on her face. “Hmm, sounds like someone is jealous.”

Looking up from the console, Jet scoffed. “I’m more than happy that I’m not playing therapist anymore. Everyday it was, “did you see the way she did this” or “did you see the way how she did that”. At that point, I should’ve started charging Spike.”

Faye had given some deep thought since dinner. The outline was in plain sight. A touch on the back. A squeeze on the shoulder. A tap on the thigh. It thrilled Faye to be the only one to know of the growing tension between Spike and (Y/N), to be the one to hold a secret without being told of it. But in the midst of the excitement, there was another feeling circling, weaving it way into her head. Jealousy.

It hurts to see couples walking by, hand in hand, romantically flaunting each other openly. Bothering Faye for a second, she knew she didn’t have to go home with them. But now that it was only a few feet from her, it was going to be a problem.

If the game doesn’t go as planned, someone has to interfere to ensure a win. And Faye did not like losing.

The computer TV turned to static as Jet flipped through the channels, trying to find the right program to end the night on. Settling on tonight’s showing of Big Shot, he leaned against the console, pondering about dinner. A conversation consisting of 100 words and more between Spike and (Y/N) was non-existent for the time that she had been staying on the Bebop. One afternoon alone, and suddenly they’re two peas in a pod.

We’ll just see how it goes, Jet thought.

A big red WARNING sign displayed on the screen, waking Jet and Faye right up.

“Folks, it seems we have an important message to relay to all bounty hunters in the solar system from the ISSP.”Punch said, his playful, exaggerated facade never faltering.

“Go ahead, we are all dying to know!” Judy replied, apparently cheerful about a serious topic at hand.

“Bounty hunters, look out! A mysterious criminal is on the loose, and his target is not the innocent civilians of the solar systems, but our esteemed, hard working hunters.”

“What makes him so bad, anyway?” Judy questioned.

“I’m glad you asked! Some of our amigos already know what we are talking about. There have been multiple reported incidents of hunting vessels being set ablaze with the intent of murder all across the system. The ISSP believes that this individual is ONLY targeting bounty hunters, and no one else.”

“Mysterious you say? Well goodness, looks like there’s no bounty for them yet!”

“Right you are. Until we get a face and a name, no dinero can be placed for the bounty. So be aware, and be safe out there, buckeroos!” Punch finished, smiling alongside Judy. Knowing they were playing a character, it was off putting by the serious news given.

Jet and Faye looked at each other in silence, eyes wide and full of questions.

Happy hunting, amigos.

#fanfiction #faye valentine #90s anime #cowboy bebop #jet black #spike spiegel x reader #spike spiegel headcanons #spike spiegel #see you space cowboy #radio free mars #you’re going to carry that weight

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svtgg · 3 years

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Nix's Relationship with Maknae Line (Seventeen 15th Member)

Nix is the 15th member of Seventeen. She is a 96liner and the main dancer of the female subunit Quartz. Here is a basic description of her relationships with the members. This post includes 97, 98, 99, and 00liners.

Seokmin: He is so precious to Nix. His contagious smile and work ethic are things she loves about him. Dk likes how cool and level headed Nix is. Dk has also proclaimed himself Nix’s biggest fan (him and Seungkwan argue over this) so he always goes out of his way to hype her up and encourages her to be more vocal when she has ideas. In fact, Dk often acts as a sort of spokesman. If Nix is feeling socially drained or simply not in a social mood, Dk will talk for her. They've done this since predebut, so they’ve gotten to the point where Nix barely has to tell him what she’s thinking.

Mingyu: Mingyu brings out a childish energy out of Nix. She knows that they can banter without hurting each other's feelings and she feels comfortable doing this with him fairly often. It is very much like a cat-dog relationship where one always wants to play and the other just wants to lay in the sun. They bond over being overlooked visuals that are iften in dumb/untrue scandals. Trust each other so much. Once Mingyu asked Nix to lend her some money as a prank and she immediately sent it to him, no questions asked.

Edyth: An iconic duo. Have a running gag on GoSe where they stand together and silently judge the rest of the members. Since Edyth is pretty naive, Nix thinks that she should be honest with her all of the time in order to prevent her from getting hurt or taken advantage of, and Edyth knows this, so she is no longer hurt when this happens. Edyth helps Nix to loosen up and take breaks. To have fun in the things that they are doing.

Minghao: They are incredibly similar. The sass, the quietness, the impeccable fashion sense. They go shopping together and use each other as models. They post tiktoks and instagram stories together quite often. Minghao knows exactly what it is like to not be able to return back home for many, many years, so he always makes an effort to buy/make Japanese foods, as well as participate in Japanese traditions with Nix so that she feels less homesick.

Seungkwan: Seungkwan and Nix are more similar than one may think, so they do get along very well. Seungkwan is simply more extroverted, so if you ever want Nix to be more involved/vocal on a certain project, simply pair her up with Seungkwan and he will get the job done. Nix lets him speak casually with her and he really milked this when Seventeen first started appearing on variety shows. Speaking of variety shows, Nix often expresses her gratitude and support for Seungkwan's individual appearances. He is one of the only members she's regularly soft for on main.

Vernon: Nix finds herself always looking out for vernon. She empathises with him about their introvertedness and often are alone together. They will be in the same room for multiple hours and not talk to each other at all, doing completely different things, simply basking in each other's presence. There is a familiarity between them, a feeling of home and peace when they are together. Their energies match, so in the TTT’s when Vernon disappears, so did Nix. And when he’s hyped, Nix is running around with him too.

Dino: Nix is incredibly fond of Dino. She wishes she could have enjoyed her childhood as much as he seemed to enjoy his and she works hard to preserve that child-like energy he has within him. Nix has never gotten mad at Dino, never raised her voice at him, so whenever other members bring up how she's gotten angry with them, Dino finds it hard to believe. Dino is much more calm when it is only him and Nix. They have had many philosophical conversations after drinking at a random bar together at 3 am.

Yun: Very much big-little sister dynamic. Yun spends her spare time trying to annoy her and Nix spends her time trying to ignore her. Nix is protective of Yun, but doesn’t like taking care of her. She prefers to provide her with the resources she needs to get stuff done,, this is her way of making sure that she becomes a responsible adult and learns to take care of herself. They clash quite often since Nix is blunt while Yun can be pretty sensitive, but they always make up quickly… so quickly that it shocks the rest of the members.

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animeniacss · 4 years

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6 Years - Hoseok x Reader - Chapter 10 - The Second Victim

Synopsis: 6 years. That’s all it can take to take another look at someone and see that they have completely changed. You were once an eager 20-year-old, with your dreams all in view, and Jung Hoseok at your side to view them with you. However, after a break up the end of your junior year of college, everything seemed different. Now, you’re a recently divorced single mother of two, and your life is nowhere near what you thought it would be. However, after reuniting with Jung Hoseok, you may just be able to capture a little bit of that exciting youth you once knew so long ago.

Feat. BTS Members, Nayeon (TWICE), and Yuna (itzy)

Genre: Romance, SingleMother!AU, Past Relationship, Drama, Some Depictions of Violence/Domestic Abuse

Length: approx. 4.5k words

Chapter 10 - The Second Victim

Hyo Bin was sick with the flu for the next three days, causing you to have to miss work to take care of her. You were hoping she would be better before going to her father's. The last thing you wanted was to hear him complain if he got sick, though you would only consider it karma for his idiocy. So, you spent day and night with Hyo Bin, calming her down, sleeping with her, trying your best to feed her either food or medicine, whatever she would take in without a fuss. Min Ja was worried and tried to do her best to help, like giving Hyo Bin her favorite doll whenever she was crying for it, and she even told Taehyung what happened when he called to check up on your guys. She was actually doing that now, sitting in the living room while you tried soothing a fussy Hyo Bin in the kitchen.

“Mommy is with Hyo Bin now.” Min Ja said.

“Yeah?” Taehyung hummed. “Is she still really sick?”

“Mommy said she’s getting a bit better. But I think she’s lying.” Taehyung chuckled a bit.

“Well I hope she’s telling the truth. You want Hyo Bin to get better soon, right?”

“Yeah.” She admitted. “She’s crying a lot every night and Mommy has to uhm…. Mommy has to sit with her all night.”

“Well ask if Mommy wants me to come over.” Min Ja turned to you, seeing you rub Hyo Bin’s back as she began to finally soothe and fall asleep.

“Mommy-.” Min Ja looked over to you.

“Tell Uncle Tae I’m not letting him get sick!” You said, frowning. That was the fifth time you had said to him over the past few days.

“Mommy said no.” Min Ja repeated and heard Taehyung let out a chuckle.

“Well don’t tell Mommy, but I’ll try and come over in a few days when I have a free day.” He said. Min Ja nodded as if he could see her nonverbal response. “Alright, I need to go. Tell Mommy and Hyo Bin goodbye, okay?”

“Okay, bye-bye Uncle Tae.” She said, before hanging up the phone. She got off the couch, heading towards you and setting the phone on the counter. She saw Hyo Bin was asleep. “Is she really better, Mommy?”

“Almost.” You responded. “The last of the flu is coming out of her now. Her fever will be broken soon and she can come back to daycare.”

“Miss. Yun Yun misses her.” Min Ja added.

“I know she does, sweetie.” You said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to play with you too much.” Min Ja offered a slight, almost sad nod at the realization that it had been a good three days since you had done much of anything other than holding your sobbing and hacking toddler. “Mommy must look like a crazy lady, huh?” Min Ja giggled a bit, nodding. Since you hadn’t slept or given yourself time to really take care of yourself, you looked like a gremlin, lurking deep in the swamp of runny noses and throw up. Your eyes were baggy from lack of sleep, your hair was up in a messy bun, strands falling out with every movement, and you had put on an old pair of clothes that you planned to burn once Hyo Bin felt better.

Hyo Bin, when she got sick, was a clingy child, and this was the worse she had ever been. That meant that once her condition got worse, she wasn’t letting go of you until the illness left her for good. That meant you couldn’t really shower, only wash your face and change your clothes as Hyo Bin’s desperate sobs rang throughout the apartment. You knew this probably was not the best solution for you or her, but you couldn’t help it. Your baby was sick. Glancing down, you saw Hyo Bin was fast asleep, finally. Letting out a sigh of relief, you glanced at Min Ja. “How about I put Hyo Bin to bed, and I and you relax a little, hm?” Min Ja nodded, a smile forming on her face as she followed you to the bedroom. Laying Hyo Bin in bed was easier than you thought it would be, she only fussed a bit, but didn’t wake up. “Okay…” you sighed, turning to Min Ja. “Let me get ready. What do you want to do?”

“I wanna do your make up!” Min Ja said happily. “Yuna showed me how!” You felt dread wash over you at the idea of letting your four-year-old touch your make up. However, you were too drained to really deny her request. Once you had put on a different pair of clothes, putting the throw-up and tear crusted old ones in the wash almost immediately, you plopped yourself on the living room floor, makeup at your side, and an eager little girl standing on front of you. “Just be careful. I’ll tell you what to use.” Min Ja nodded and immediately got to work on your face.

Those few moments with Min Ja, her talking to you about different things while she poked and prodded at your face with different brushes, and color your face with different bright colors as if you were her favorite coloring book, were extremely relaxing for the both of you. It was nice just getting time to spend with her. Unfortunately for you, your head was pounding, and you felt that your chest was tight. In fact, your entire body felt as if an elephant was sitting on top of it. Maybe it was just all of the sleepless nights finally hitting you, but you knew that in a few hours the girls would be with their father, and you could finally sleep. Trying to distract yourself from the aches and pains coursing through your body, you attempted to talk to Min Ja about something. ANYTHING.

“You start school soon.” You pointed out.

“Mhm. Daddy said today he was going to take me to buy new clothes!” She beamed. You smiled a bit, nodding. “I think your face is all done, Mommy.” She said. You sighed, reaching over to take out your phone to take a look at your finished face. Turning the camera on yourself, you saw you had blue eye shadow not only on your eyes but also snaking down your cheeks and trying to blend into the bright pink that found itself there. Foundation was spread all over your face, but it wasn’t blended so it was patchy in certain places. Your lips were painted using both your nude and bright orange lipstick, both of which you bought on impulse at one of your many shopping trips with Nayeon. Squiggles and spirals decorated your cheeks, and immediately you busted out into laughter. Min Ja immediately laughed with you. “You look so silly!” She squealed.

“I know, I know.” You said. “Let’s take a picture.” Min Ja squeezed herself into the frame, and you quickly snapped a few photos of you both continuing to cackle. “That’s perfect.” Without hesitation, you had found your new wallpaper. “Alright, I need to take all of this off before I get acne.” Min Ja giggled as she watched you head into the bathroom. “Also, I really don’t want Daddy to see me like this.” That made Min Ja laugh even harder.

“No, leave it! Leeeeeave it, Mommy!” She begged, grabbing your arm. A smile graced your lips, but you ended up washing your face anyway, much to your daughter’s dismay. “Awww…”

There really was not much to do before Weong-Bin came to get the girls. Allowing Hyo Bin to nap was a good idea, and after taking her temperature, you were glad to see that her fever was starting to drop, and would most likely break the next night. After giving Min Ja a light snack before dinner and cleaning Hyo Bin up, you felt kind of grateful that you were about to have the house to yourself for the night. Oh, the sleep you were about to catch up on, it made you a bit anxious just thinking about it! Time passed, and you checked the clock every so often. Weong-Bin had said he was on his way right after work, and if Weong-Bin was one thing in this world, it was punctual. He arrived only five minutes after he normally did when he came straight from work, and the ring of the doorbell made your heartbeat quickly. You didn’t want him to see you so disheveled, but at the same time, there was absolutely no way you were getting dolled up for Weong-Bin. Getting yourself up, you headed to the door and allowed Weong-Bin to come inside. The first thing you saw him do was scan you over.

“The hell happened to you?” he asked as he stepped into the apartment and slid off his shoes. You huffed a piece of hair out of your face.

“I’ve been running on three hours of sleep for three days taking care of a sick toddler and you know that.” Weong-Bin smiled a bit, and you quickly turned from him as you headed back towards the kitchen. “I packed her medicine, and her fever is going down so it should break. If it doesn’t, call me and I’ll make her an appointment for the doctor again. But the flu seems to be almost out of her system entirely.” You saw Weong-Bin walk over and kiss Min Ja hello, before picking up his youngest daughter from her high chair.

“Awwww my poor princess is sick, huh?” he asked, kissing her forehead. “Yeah, you’re still warm.” He sighed. “Alright, Min Ja can you get your stuff and Hyo Bin’s stuff ready to go?” He asked, rubbing Hyo Bin’s back as she tightly hugged him.

“Kay!” Min Ja hopped up and headed inside. When she was gone, Weong-Bin turned to you.

“You need anything before I go?” he asked as he watched you begin to remove any plates from the dishwasher. You sighed as you closed the machine, not really wanting him to stay any longer than he had to, even though a hand would help.

“No, I’ll be okay.” You assured. “I just need to rest and I’ll be fine. I took some medicine so hopefully, that kicks anything in my body out before it really comes in.” Weong-Bin watched you start putting dishes away in their respective cabinets until Min Ja came rushing back in with both bags in hand.

“I’m ready!” She beamed. Weong-Bin smiled as he led them to the door. You walked over as well, kneeling down to hug Min Ja tight. “Bye, Mommy.” She said.

“Bye, honey.” You said happily. “Be good for Daddy and help take care of Hyo Bin, she’s almost all better.” Min Ja nodded, smiling as you stood up to kiss Hyo Bin’s hair and say goodbye. She whined a bit, trying to reach out to you, but you managed to soothe her enough to calm her down for Weong-Bin. “Okay, keep me updated please.” You begged. Weong-Bin scoffed.

“Yeah, because I was already in the loop from all the texts you sent me, right?” he asked sarcastically. You frowned looking down at the floor.

“Sorry.” You said. “I was just busy…you know, with the sick kid?” He frowned.

“I still would’ve liked to know more than I was told.” He pointed out. When he saw that you didn’t look up from the floor, he sighed. “I’ll call you.” He said, before leading the girls out. You closed the door, letting out a deep sigh as you headed to the bedroom. You didn’t even bother changing clothes, you just collapsed on the bed that felt so foreign to you, and almost immediately felt your entire body begin to throb. You groaned, resting your head into a pillow as you tried to pray for the medicine you took to hit you and send you into a peaceful slumber. It took some time of pounding headaches and body aches, feeling as if you were going to wake up with all of your limbs missing, but eventually, you managed to fall asleep.

The The next morning, light streamed into your room and began to stir you awake. You groaned, the medicine wearing off at some point throughout the night, because not only were the aches back, but they were amplified. You groaned, and as your senses, all began coming back to you, so did some more horribly painful feelings. Your throat felt as though you had never given it any liquid in your entire life, you could barely open your eyes because your head was pounding and the light was not helping. Your nose was clogged and combined with the dry throat; you were finding it very hard to breathe. Every attempt was meant with a cough that only worsened the pain.

“Oh no…fuck…” you choked out, hearing the raspy tone in your voice. Shakily, you forced yourself up and out of bed, hoping that these feelings were only from exhaustion and nothing else. However, almost immediately, you saw two sets of curtains in front of you and your head felt light, dizziness sending you back onto your bed. “Noooooo…. God, please, don’t do this to me.” You begged to yourself, feeling your eyes prick with tears. As you tried to find the strength to wake up, you felt a gurgling in your stomach. “Oh…oh God…” attempting to rub it didn’t help, and suddenly you felt a burning sensation in your throat. Almost immediately, you covered your mouth as you began to cough violently into your hand, forcing yourself out of your seat. Dizziness overtook you again, but you tried to push through it as you raced into the bathroom. Flinging the toilet open, you crouched down. It felt as if any food you had eaten in your life, no matter how big or small, was coming out of your mouth right now. It was so painful, and your throat was burning. You were throwing up without moving for about 5 minutes, mixtures of coughing and sobbing coming throughout the apartment. “FUCK!” It was the first thing that left your mouth when you finally caught your breath enough to speak coherent words. “Ow….” A whimper escaped your dry lips, and you flushed the toilet before shakily getting yourself on your feet. “Okay, I think that’s it for now. I didn’t even realize I ate that much recently.”

You had to drag yourself to your room again to grab your phone. Sinking onto the bed, you covered yourself with your blanket, wrapping yourself up as if it was a hot dog bun. Skimming through your phone, you saw Taehyung’s number show up. Dread washed over you at the idea of getting your little brother anywhere near your contaminated house, he was the only one who had a key other than your parents, and they were older and more susceptible to sicknesses. Letting out another deep cough, you called his number.

“Hello?” he asked, his deep voice indicating he had just woken up.

“Tae…” you choked out.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, alertness ringing through his voice at the sound of your meek tone.

“I….” you coughed. “I can’t move from my bed anymore….and I need to throw up.” You gagged a bit, just barely reaching the end table garbage and pulling it to the side of your bed to catch some more bile and vomit. “Oww….”

“I’ll be right there. Just stay in bed.” You groaned as you heard him hang up. Grabbing the blanket, you tried to get yourself as warm as you could while you waited. Coughs and sneezes left your throat multiple times more, until sleep finally overtook you once again. Thank goodness.

Taehyung hopped on the first train to the house, his nerves growing every time he was sent to your voice mail. The first thing he did was call his agent and say he couldn’t make the shoot, to push it back because you were sick and he had to go take care of you. It took some arguing, but Taehyung had no intention of going back on his choice, hanging upon his angry agent before he could be yelled at anymore. When he arrived, he called out to you upon entering the apartment. There was no answer, so he entered your room to see that you were just starting to wake up at the sound of his arrival.

“Hey.” He smiled, walking over to your bed. “How do you feel?”

“Please don’t get to close…” you choked out. “I don’t want you to get sick too.” Taehyung chuckled a bit.

“Too bad, I’m taking care of you.” He said, reaching out to feel your forehead. “Oh my God!” His eyes widened. “You’re burning up! When did this start?”

“I’ve…been on autopilot since Hyo Bin got sick. It started hitting me a bit yesterday, but with the girls gone it must have finally hit me once I got to relax.” You groaned. “I woke up this way about 30 minutes ago.” Taehyung sighed as he watched you cover your mouth to let out a deep cough. “Ugh…”

“Okay. I’ll get you some water and blankets. Is there anyone else I can call to come help you out?”

“Why would you call anyone else?” you asked, forcing yourself to sit up as you saw Taehyung head to your closet. He turned to you and smiled.

“I was thinking you would say Hoseok-Hyung.” He said, watching your face go red. He laughed a bit. “Are you blushing or are you sick? I can’t tell.” He teased.

“You’re a menace of a little brother, you know.” You huffed, laying back in bed as Taehyung walked to you. He covered you in a few more blankets, each one making you sigh in relief. “If you want to call him you can. I might need someone to go pick up the girls and…well, I don’t really want to be home alone.” You said. Taehyung smiled a bit.

“I can call him.” He pointed out. “I’ll get you some stuff in case you get sick again. I’ll be right back.” Watching him turn on his heel, he rushed out of the room. Groaning, you fell back on your bed.

“I guess I need to call work again.” You mumbled, grabbing your phone and dialing Jungkook’s phone number.

After Taehyung got everything set up for you, and you got the OK from work, Taehyung got Hoseok on the phone. You heard them talking outside for a few minutes, Taehyung letting out a few humored laughs at whatever it was Hoseok was saying. You heard Taehyung talk about how stubborn you were in asking for help, and now this was your karma. What a little brat, he and Jungkook would be such good friends. When you saw him walk back in, he offered a smile.

“Hoseok-Hyung said he can come by today and help out once he finishes his dance lesson.”

“Okay.” You muttered, the newly placed mask catching your newest cough. “Sorry to make you call out of work.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” He smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t want to do this shoot anyway.” A playful grin crossed his lips and you chuckled a bit. “I’ll be inside. Is there anything you need?”

“I just want to sleep.” You groaned. “Thanks, Tae.” The two of you shared a smile as you watched him leave the room. When he was gone, you heard the faint sound of him turning on the TV and hooking up one of the many video game consoles he kept here for his longer visits. Knowing he was occupied and at peace helped you fall back asleep for the third time.

----

“Hello?” Hoseok hummed, knocking on the door. He had finished his early lessons and there was a gap between those and the night ones of about 3 hours. So, he made sure to drop by. It took a moment, but Taehyung answered the door and greeted him. “Hey. How is she?” He asked as he stepped in.

“She’s been asleep for the past few hours. She said it all hit her this morning.” He walked back into the living room and Hoseok saw the TV had a paused video game on it. “I’ve just been killing time until she wakes up and the girls need to get picked up.” Hoseok sighed. “I hope this isn’t interrupting your day.”

“Oh no, it’s fine.” He said, offering Taehyung a smile. He could tell the kid was nervous about his sister’s wellbeing. “I don’t mind helping out a bit.” Taehyung nodded, a boxy grin forming on his face. As both of them took a few minutes to catch up, they heard the sounds of you stirring in your room. “She must be up.” He said. Both boys headed towards your room, walking in to see you sitting up in bed.

“Mmm…” you groaned, your hair messy and all in your face as you practically rose from the dead. Taehyung walked over, gently laying you back down on the bed.

“You shouldn’t be up. You need to rest.” He said quickly as he struggled to lie you back down.

“No, no, I’m okay.” You said quickly. Hoseok was seen as the end of your bed, a kind smile on his face. “Hey…”

“How do you feel?”

“About as good as I look.” You hummed. Hoseok chuckled.

“Aww you always look wonderful.” He teased, motioning to the dead expression on your pale face. A chuckle escaped your lips as Hoseok chuckled. “Did sleeping help at all?”

“A little bit. But I’ll probably be out of commission for a few days until this leaves my body.” Another smile formed on your lips, but this one was a sad one. “Unfortunately, that means we have to put our dinner plans on hold…Sorry.” Hoseok scoffed.

“Don’t be sorry.” He said. “When you get better, we can make plans. The restaurant will still be there in a few days, I’m sure.” You nodded, Taehyung finally being able to lie you down. “I’ll stay with Taehyung for a little while until the girls come home, okay?”

“Okay. I hope I’m not being a bother.”

“Not at all.” He said. “I just want to help you get better quickly. So does your brother.” You nodded, covering your face with your hands, the mix of cold and burning mixing through every skin-on-skin contact you had with yourself. “Do you think you can eat anything? I can make your soup.”

“Okay…” you hummed, eyes falling towards the clock. “It’s almost time to get the girls…Will one of you go get them?”

“I will.” Taehyung said. “Because I can’t cook. It’s a fair trade.” Hoseok chuckled as Taehyung offered a kind smile. “So just rest up okay?”

“Okay…” You said softly. You stared up at the ceiling as you heard the sound of the boys heading out of the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You were silent as you heard Hoseok and Taehyung chatting out in the other room, the contents of their conversation to fuzzy for you to make out. But after a few minutes, you did hear the door to the apartment close, and the sound of rustling from the kitchen echo through the apartment.

A groan escaped your lips. You were too tired to move, but at the same time, you didn’t want to sleep. You had been sleeping on and off since you woke up, and you just couldn’t sleep anymore! It took a few minutes, but you eventually peeled yourself off of the bed, groaning at how much you were sweating despite how cold you were. Grabbing one of the blankets that Taehyung had thrown over you, you wrapped it around your body and shuffled your way down the hall and into the bedroom. It was nice to be up no matter how hard it was to move. Glancing around the living room and kitchen, you saw Hoseok digging through your cabinets. When he heard the shuffling of your feet, he looked in your direction and frowned.

“What are you doing up?” he asked, walking over to you. “Go back to sleep.”

“I can’t keep laying down.” You said, gripping the blanket tightly around your shoulders. “What are you making?”

“The best remedy for a cold is soup, so I’m making some.” He smiled. You smiled as you watched him return to the stove, where there were a pot and a can of soup waiting for him to begin preparing it into something edible. As you watched him, you shuffled to your fridge and opened it. Peering in you pulled out bottled water and a can of Sprite. Turning to Hoseok, he saw the green can in your hand and his eyes lit up as you handed it to him. “I saw those! I wanted to take one but I didn’t know if they were for the girls or something.”

“Trust me, they’re for you.” You hummed softly. “So, drink as many as you want.” The man took the green can into his grasp, wasting no time popping the tab off and taking a sip. He hummed, a grin forming on his face. “I could never understand why you love Sprite so much when there are so many other drinks in the world to have.” Just as quickly as the smile formed on his face, a pout followed it.

“You’ve never understood the superiority that is Sprite, and it’s always made me question our relationship.” He teased, turning his head back to the soup as he saw a glimpse of your smile. He took another sip and set the can down as he continued to work. “Now, go lie down and I’ll bring you the soup when it’s done.” You pouted, resting against the door frame as you watched him continue to cook. When Hoseok realized you had not left the room yet, he glanced up at you. “Hm? Not going to move, I see.” He teased.

“I…” a cough escaped your lips and you covered it with your mouth, before quickly pulling your mask up from your chin and back over your mouth. “I don’t want to be inside by myself, that’s all.” You admitted. “I’ve spent the past three days with Hyo Bina attached at my hip and she hasn’t been that way now that she’s getting older. It’s a weird way to say that I kind of feel lonely in there….” Hoseok smiled a bit.

“Fine then you can stand there until I finish this but after you eat it you have to stay inside and sleep more. You need to rest.” He motioned to your water bottle. “Drink a lot of water too. You know how this goes.” A smile graced your lips as you opened your water bottle, moving your mask to allow you to take a sip. You saw Hoseok standing by the stove, stirring away as he hummed a tune to himself, in a state of bliss as he made your soup. You felt butterflies in your stomach at the thought of this occurring more frequently. After bringing your attention to that feeling in your stomach, you gagged.

…. Nope, never mind. That was vomit.

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letswritebangtan · 5 years

Text

Jungkook x Reader [set you up]

A night like this was a night to remember. A night where everything was fine. Things were okay, the calmness of the weather brought a soothing touch to the gathering that night. People talked around you, and you listened to their mumbling conversations mindlessly as you looked into the dark. The blackness followed through and through because no matter how far you looked it was a dark and dense route forward.

The clinking of bottles, the small fits of laughter and quiet giggles, it was just the kind of evening where nothing was amiss.

“I heard you just started part timing” your best friend piped next to you.

With a slow turn of your head towards him you cracked a small smile, “Yeah you know the coffee shop near campus.”

“It’s bound to be filled with our lecturers and students. Do they ever recognize you?”

“I mean it’s not a huge deal. Sometimes they just nod in acknowledgement or they ask me about the course I’m doing. How come you never stop by?” you teased by poking at his shoulder.

“I mean don’t I get to see enough of your stupid face every day?” he teased back.

“Taehyung!” you exclaimed.

He let out his usual cheeky laughter and slung an arm around your shoulder. “I’m joking, y/n, you should know better.”

“So tell me then, why don’t you show up there?”

“It’s because Yun doesn’t like coffee.” he shrugs.

“What a sweet boyfriend...” you cooed. “If only you were that sweet to your bestie.”

Taehyung raised his eyebrows in question, “I’m an amazing best friend and you know it.”

“Not really no.” you pursed your lips comically.

Taehyung rolled his eyes and then sat up in his plastic chair making it squeak slightly.

“Actually, maybe I haven’t been such a great friend lately.”

Your eyes widened slightly, and then your eyebrows knit in confusion.

“Tae, I was just kidding-”

“I haven’t set you up with anyone yet.”

There it was again. You’ve been best friends with Taehyung since elementary school, and ever since you rejected his confession in 2nd grade, for some reason he’s been trying to set you up with all the guy friends he could possibly have. You wanted a best friend, not a wingman. However he was pretty good at being both.

“Seriously? Tae, you of all people should know I don’t need a boyfriend right now.”

“Well why not? No offense, y/n, but I can’t exactly make out with Yun when you’re third wheeling.”

You huffed and crossed your arms. Taehyung was right, you did third wheel with them a lot and you did feel bad about it but honestly you didn’t have anyone you knew well enough to hang out with.

“I know tons of guys now! Our campus has a lot of potential mates.” he said grinning.

“Potential mates? What am I? An elephant?” you laughed. “Don’t say it like that.”

Taehyung chuckled, “You know what I mean. So what do you say?”

“I don’t know, Tae. Relationships are complicated, why do you think I’m stuck with you? It’s because I have no idea how to form relationships with anyone else. You were the only person who liked being around my dumb ass.”

It’s true, you don’t know what you would have done without Taehyung by your side. He was your only true friend throughout your years of school together. Through Taehyung you met some of his other great friends like Namjoon and Hoseok, both of which were total sweethearts. But the two of them moved to different cities for University, so you couldn’t really fly all the way to America to hang out with your friends every single time.

You did have your share of friends throughout high school and college but none of them shared a bond with you like the one you and Taehyung had. It’s still surprising how he’s let you hang onto him for so long, and how he’s not tired of you yet.

“y/n, you’re freaking amazing okay? Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend, and to have you as their girlfriend, that person would have had the luck of finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.” Taehyung said seriously.

“Maybe the pot of gold part is a little far fetched.” you giggled.

“What I’m saying is, relationships form naturally and you shouldn’t force it. If you like the person and they like you it’s a win win. If not just wave them goodbye and move on. Pleasee, y/n, I already know the perfect guy for you. He’s at the top of my list.”

“You have a list?” you scoffed.

“Yes and I put a lot of thought and effort into it so you should maybe let me give it a shot.”

You sighed, “Alright fine, who’s this ‘perfect guy’?”

“Wait and see.” Taehyung smirked.

_________________________________________

The sound of your fingers drumming against the table was only making you more anxious. Taehyung refused to tell you who this guy was and you only hoped that things wouldn’t be awkward. You didn’t even know his name for god’s sake. What were you supposed to say to him when you meet? Just “Hi”? It would sound like you weren’t trying. Or maybe you could introduce yourself? But wouldn’t that be too formal considering that the two of you were students?

Whatever, like Taehyung said, if it works, it works. You exhaled and checked the time on your phone. This guy was five minutes late but it was no big deal, he was probably on his way. Looking around you, there weren’t many people at the cafeteria. Just students minding their own business, heads buried in their textbooks and craning their necks to focus on laptop screens. The longer you waited, the longer it made you feel like you didn’t want to do this.

Soon, the place was getting a little crowded since it was around lunchtime. You had no idea why Taehyung would set you up on a date in a god damn cafeteria but it’s not like you cared enough to want to go someplace more romantic or anything. The guy was twenty minutes late now and it started to get on your nerves. Countless number of people have been eyeing the spot in which your bag sat comfortably. You really didn’t want to seem rude by hogging all the space but you had a date and he couldn’t exactly sit on the floor next to you.

Another twenty minutes passed and you decided that this wasn’t happening. As you unlocked your phone to text Taehyung you saw from the corner of your eye someone standing in front of you. You looked up immediately and you were met with the kindest pair of doe eyes. He smiled awkwardly, yet it was cute. His index finger tapped nervously on the tray of food he was holding and his bag slung on one shoulder was on the verge of slipping off onto the seat in front of you.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to bother you but is this seat taken?” he asked politely.

“U-Uh, no it’s um, no it’s not.” you stammered. You got up and fumbled with your stuff on the opposite seat, moving it to your side.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hog the place it’s just I was expecting someone but he didn’t show up so.” you explained. “Yeah, I was just about to leave anyway so you can have the table.”

You saw his eyes widen as he set the tray down on the table.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but you don’t need to leave we can share the table if you’d like.” he insisted.

You shook your head and smiled softly, “It’s alright.”

He sent you a shy smile back and stood while you gathered your things.

“Um, could I ask you something?” he said suddenly.

You looked at him surprised and nodded. “Sure.”

“Would you happen to know someone called Taehyung?” he asked.

You relaxed slightly and let out a small laugh. “Yeah, he’s my best friend. How do you know him?”

The really cute guy in front of you looked excited to hear your answer.

“We’re in the same art class. He talks about you a lot, and I’ve seen you on his lock screen. You must be y/n, then.”

“I am.” you replied, feeling touched that Taehyung mentioned you a lot.

“Oh, shit I’m sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Jungkook.” he said extending his arm towards you.

You smiled and shook his hand lightly. His hands were big and soft as they enveloped yours nicely.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Jungkook.” you said.

“The pleasure’s mine.” he said so formally, you almost let out a chuckle.

You could see clearly the embarrassment through his features. He was so adorable you just wanted to kiss him. Wait what?

“I-I should go.” you said snapping back into reality.

Jungkook nodded and handed you your bottle that was on the table as you shrugged on your bag.

“Thanks.” you said and he let out another sweet smile you began to adore.

“I’ll see you around.” he said waving you off.

____________________________________________

You had just gotten stood up. So why does it feel like you have butterflies in your stomach? The moment you stepped foot into your dorm, Taehyung bombarded you with questions.

“So did you like him?”

“What about his number, did you get his number?”

“Did you think he was hot? I tried to get someone with that kind of hair because I know that’s what you like.”

“Holy shit, wait, did you kiss? Hold hands? Flirt?”

“Dammit woman, why aren’t you saying anything?”

You chucked a pillow at Taehyung’s direction to which he exclaimed in protest.

“The stupid ‘perfect guy’ you sent didn’t even show up.” you said.

You saw his expression fall, and in a second he was next to you and pulling you to his chest so tight you couldn’t breathe.

“Oh shit, y/n, I’m so sorry I had no idea. But why the hell would he do that? What an asshole, god, I’m gonna kick his ass the next time I see him. Don’t think too much about it, y/n, he’s an insensitive prick and he’s missing out. Just remember that you’re beautiful and smart and kind and you’re the whole freaking package okay? I’ll make sure I find a guy who makes you see that.”

“Tae-” you gasped.

“Yes, I know those were very touching words but there’s no need to get sentimental-”

“You idiot you’re crushing me.”

“Oh, oops.” he mumbled as he released you from his grasp.

You heaved and lay back against the sofa while Taehyung looked at you in concern.

“y/n, I really am sorry, I didn’t mean for it to turn out this way.”

“It’s okay, Tae. You were just trying to help. I’m not too shaken up about it anyway.” you shrugged.

“Really?” he questioned. “How long did he make you wait for?”

“Nearly an hour.” you replied casually.

“He’s in for it.” Taehyung grumbled.

Taehyung noticed you weren’t yourself, you were distracted by something as you kept playing with a strand of hair and staring straight ahead of you.

“y/n, you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

“Who’s Jungkook?” you asked suddenly.

Taehyung frowned in confusion at the sudden change of topic.

“Jungkook? Like Jeon Jungkook?” he repeated.

“His last name’s Jeon?” you inquired.

“What-but why? I mean how did you-” Taehyung stuttered trying to figure out why you were asking about one of his good friends.

“Jeon Jungkook, tell me more about him.” you said facing Taehyung now.

“Well he’s in my art class and we’re pretty good friends. He’s the same age as me, which means he’s a year older than you. He’s studying performing arts and music. He’s on the track and field team. He’s pretty much an all rounder. He sings for the choir as well. And he- y/n why the hell are your eyes sparkling?”

You frowned, “They’re not.”

“Do you have a crush on Jeon Jungkook?” Taehyung smirked.

“I don’t!” you refused.

“Then what are you asking about him for?”

“Well I met him today and I was just curious that’s all.”

“Oh you did?” Taehyung asked surprised.

“Yeah, I was about to leave the cafeteria when he approached me. He asked if I knew you, and apparently you talk about me a lot.” you smirked.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I love you, so? Is that a problem?”

“Aww,” you cooed and gave him a hug. Taehyung sighed and patted your back lightly, “Don’t get used to it.” he mumbled.

“I just thought that he’s cute.” you said softly.

“You wouldn’t be the first though, y/n. He’s got a long waiting list filled with all kinds of girls around campus.” Taehyung said.

You frowned and sighed, “Yeah well, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“But lucky for you, he’s good friends with your best friend. So I could totally paint the perfect picture of you for him.” he said proudly.

“You’d really do that?” you asked.

“This is the first guy you’ve liked in years. And he’s a great guy too! I totally approve.” Taehyung nodded.

“Okay, dad.” you mocked.

“Ooh, I could let him know you have a daddy kink.” he mused.

“No!”

___________________________________________________

“Over here!” you heard a familiar voice yell.

Customers sent glares at the direction of your best friend for being obnoxiously loud and you giggled as you walked over to the table. Taehyung and Jungkook were sitting together and they looked at you as you sat down. Taehyung had purposely nudged you hard to sit next to Jungkook almost making you fall over but Jungkook’s hands instinctively caught yours.

“Careful.” Jungkook warned softly, the two of you staring at each other with red cheeks.

Taehyung only smirked, enjoying the situation. You sat next to Jungkook while shooting a glare at your best friend.

“So how was your day, y/n?” Taehyung asked as a conversation starter.

“Pretty good, I had classes only in the afternoon so I woke up a little later.” you replied.

“Yeah, y/n sleeps like a log. I literally have to whack her with a pillow to get her to get up in the morning.” Taehyung teased.

Jungkook laughed softly next to you, and at this moment you wished your best friend would disappear.

“I’m a heavy sleeper too. My roommate had to flip my mattress over to get me out of bed.” Jungkook said making you and Taehyung laugh.

Jungkook’s shoulders were so broad, that when you sat next to him, his sides were brushing against yours the entire time.

“I’ll go get us drinks. Are you guys getting your usuals?” Taehyung asked standing up.

You nodded along with Jungkook, and as soon as Taehyung disappeared you regretted wishing that earlier. The situation was pretty tense, sexually tense.

“It’s crazy how he knows us so well.” Jungkook said to break the ice.

“Yeah, he’s always been a people person.” you replied smiling.

“I heard you guys go way back.” Jungkook asked as he shifted his body to face you. You could make out his defined chest from underneath his black shirt. You pulled your gaze away from there as quickly as you could to his face. Bigger mistake. All you could do was focus on his lips, how kissable they looked.

“Y-yeah, elementary school.” you said quickly looking away. The table was your friend as you shifted your gaze there.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. You’re lucky you came into University with such a close friend. When I first started out here, I was clueless. I literally had no one to turn to. Taehyung was the only one who offered to help.”

“Really? I’m pretty sure someone would have offered to help you.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, “I sat through an entire class on Advanced Functions, because I was too much of a pussy to tell the teacher I was in the wrong class.”

That made you laugh heartily, and Jungkook smiled fondly at your reaction.

“You could have just walked out you know.” you said still laughing.

“I didn’t wanna be rude. Plus the teacher complimented my outfit.” he said laughing along with you.

“She complimented your outfit? Wow, even the teachers are crushing on you.”

“What?” Jungkook asked cringing slightly.

“Well literally everyone likes you, I couldn’t believe why you found it tough around here.”

“You think everyone likes me?” he asked surprised.

“You’re good looking, smart, polite, and you do sports. What’s not to like?”

You said that all too soon. The moment you ended your sentence you were too afraid to look at Jungkook’s face.

“You think I’m good looking?” he asked, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

“I said other things too.” you mumbled.

Jungkook chuckled, turning his gaze away from you to the table.

“Thanks, I-I um....I think you’re-”

“Drinks!” Taehyung chimed in before Jungkook could finish his sentence.

Jungkook sighed and tilted his head to the side in a quick move and returned to it’s original position, a habit of his that you’ve noticed.

“Here you go.” Jungkook said handing you your latte and then reaching out for his overly-sweet looking frappucino.

“Never took you for the kind of guy who digs sugar, Jeon.” Taehyung said.

Jungkook shrugged and took a sip. “I need the calories. Plus it tastes so freaking good, wanna try?” Jungkook offered to Taehyung.

“Sure why not.” Taehyung said as he took the cup and had a sip.

You saw Taehyung’s eyes light up like christmas tree lights, and you weren’t sure if it was because of the wonderful taste or the sugar rush.

“It’s good!” he said.

Jungkook smiled, “Told ya.”

And then the moment after that was awkward as hell. Jungkook didn’t know if it was too much to offer you his drink, considering that he (and Taehyung) but he drank from it. He would love to share a drink with you, considering he has a big fat crush towards you but he didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.

“Would you uh...you wanna...? I-I mean do you wanna sip a try? I mean-fuck.” he stuttered.

That made you and Taehyung laugh out loud. It also made you find Jungkook then times cuter.

“Would you wanna try a sip?” Jungkook said finally, his cheeks pink.

“If you don’t mind, yeah.” you answered shyly.

He smiled and held the drink towards you. You held the cup, but Jungkook didn’t let go. Instead he pushed the drink closer to your face and held the cup for you as you took a drink. Taehyung was having a parade on the inside because he was so happy that the two of you were getting along and he melted at how cute you guys were.

“Oh you’re right, it is good. But wayyy to sweet for me.” you said as Jungkook retracted his hand.

“I don’t think anything could be sweeter than you, though.” Jungkook said so softly, yet you and Taehyung heard it.

You froze, not knowing how to react. You felt a tingling sensation rush through your veins and your heart swelling.

“I’m gonna go make a call.” Taehyung cleared his throat and excused himself.

When Taehyung left, Jungkook had a look of guilt on his face.

“I-I didn’t mean to make things awkward.” he said apologetically.

“You didn’t.” you reassured. “And I think flirty Jungkook is cute.” you laughed.

He smiled, “Cute, huh? I’ll take it.”

______________________________________________

The keys clattered against one another as you shoved the master key into your apartment door. It was really hot outside and all you wanted was some cold air. Shutting the door with a thud, you walked to your room to get changed into some comfy clothes. Taehyung wasn’t home yet because he was out with his girlfriend Yun on a date. So without closing your room door, you slipped your shirt off and began rummaging through your closet. When you turned around to place the clothes onto your bed, you met with a figure standing at your door.

You shrieked and immediately grabbed a shirt to cover your upper half. Let’s just thank the heavens you still had pants on.

“Jungkook?!” you exclaimed.

“S-Sorry, sorry! Taehyung gave me keys and asked me to let myself in because I needed to use his laptop and I didn’t know-”

“J-Just close the door!” you huffed.

He nodded and immediately shut the door. You sighed in relief and quickly changed into a t-shirt and sweats before opening the door again. Jungkook was on the couch talking to himself softly, and stopped to look at you when you emerged from the room.

“Hey, listen I’m really sorry-” he started.

“It’s okay, I should have closed the door anyway.” you said embarrassed.

“I didn’t mean to stare.” he said sheepishly.

“You stared?” you asked in disbelief.

“I-I mean, it was only for a little bit. I-I couldn’t take my eyes off you- wait no! I mean it was rude of me to stare but I couldn’t help- I’m really bad at this.” he huffed.

You giggled, “It’s...fine.”

“Just so you know, I don’t do this often.” he clarified.

“I would be afraid if you did, Jeon.” you teased.

He smiled and patted the space next to him. “I got some snacks and dvds. I was planning to do some work but I’m lazy right now.”

He had a pillow over his lap, and you didn’t want to believe that it was what you thought it was but, at the same time you were ecstatic to know that Jeon Jungkook had a boner because of you.

Lazy, huh? More like he didn’t wanna get up because you’d spot something obvious.

“Oh, cool. What do you wanna watch?” you asked.

“Well, I have Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3-”

You giggled, “Big Tony fan I see.”

He smiled proudly, “Of course. Tony’s the best.”

“My favourite Avenger is Spiderman.” you said.

“Is it because-”

“Tom Holland, yes.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes playfully, “Literally every girl I know is head over heels for that guy.”

“He’s cute!” you defended.

“Spiderman is not cute, he’s cool.” Jungkook retorted.

“He’s both.” you finalised.

Jungkook pursed his lips and then sighed, “Fine. But he is cooler than he is cute.”

“No way!” you exclaimed making Jungkook laugh.

“You know y/n, I really like you.” he said suddenly, his eyes looking into yours.

You were taken by surprise at that. “I really like you too.” you replied smiling.

“You do?” he said breathlessly.

“Yeah,” you said shyly.

“Great because uh...I need your help.” he mumbled, slowly removing the pillow from over his lap.

Your eyes widened at the sight, making your cheeks flush. Jungkook was also blushing and waiting for your response.

“So what do you say-mmph-” you cut him off by pressing your lips onto his.

His hands circled your waist and his lips moved slowly but passionately against yours. The wet sounds formed by the pressing of your lips made you squirm. Jungkook slowly pushed you back onto the sofa, letting his tongue take dominance over yours. You moaned softly when his hips applied pressure onto yours. You bucked your hips up, making Jungkook let out a strangled groan. He pulled away, breathing heavily.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this.” he whispered.

“Then what are you waiting for.” you whined.

He smirked and then leaned forward to press hot kisses onto your neck. From then on, he had his way with you.

_____________________________________________

“He drove me today.” you said, and Yun looked at you with dreamy eyes.

“He’s perfect, y/n. Taehyung makes me walk 10 miles everyday saying that I need some vitamin D.” she complained.

“Hey, it’s good for you!” Taehyung defended.

“He made me cycle once, and it was raining. Can you believe that?” Yun whispered to you.

“Wow, great going, Tae. You know, Yun, I heard our senior Park Jimin is single.” you joked.

“He is pretty hot.” Yun agreed.

“Are you kidding me? I am not losing you to stupid that stupid Park guy. Yuuuun, come on.” Taehyung whined.

“He has a pretty cool car too, he’d drive you any day.” you added.

“Oh my~” Yun gasped as she played along.

“y/n, get out of here! Stop giving her ideas.” Taehyung grumbled.

Taehyung’s sulky face got you and Yun laughing hard.

“What’s so funny?” you heard a familiar voice say.

Jungkook wrapped an arm around your waist and leaned down to give you a kiss on your lips.

“Hi Kook” you smiled.

“Hey, baby.” he replied smiling back.

“Dammit, Tae! Why can’t we be cute like that?” Yun huffed.

“Of course we can! Watch.” Taehyung said and pulled Yun into his arms.

“Hey baby.” he said with his sexy, made-up accent.

“Ew okay, gross. y/n, where can I find Jimin?” Yun joked.

Everyone laughed except Taehyung. “Baaaaaaaaabe” he groaned.

“Oh shut up, Tae. Of course I love you, you goof.” Yun giggled.

“So when are we gonna tell him?” Jungkook whispered into your ear.

You blushed and smacked his chest lightly. “Like, never.” you said.

“Why baby? Are we not going to let him know we had amazing sex on his favourite couch?” Jungkook teased.

“Jungkook!” you gasped. “Cut it out.”

“So what did you guys do yesterday?” Taehyung asked you and Jungkook.

Jungkook only smirked and you had to clap a hand over his mouth. He poked out his tongue to lick your hands and you cringed, wiping it on him.

“Don’t be disgusted, y/n. We all know my tongue has been in places far more-”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

_______________________________________________ end

This was a bit rushed but, overall I hope you guys liked it!

Like and reblog pretty please <3

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rainycl0udss · 4 years

Text

Chapter 3;

The morning after party

//When can I say "I love you"?//

Written Chapter!

Word count; 1780

Moons POV

I lay peacefully in my bed, sleeping.

That was untill I heard one of the most annoying sounds of all time.

My alarm.

Don't get me wrong, I love the song Euphoria but I wish I didn't have to wake up right now.

I turn my head to the noice and pick up my phone so I can turn of the sound of my alarm playing.

I check my phone on social media and I check my mails aswell.

I look at the time, it's 8:35 am.

Way to early for my liking but I don't really have a choice. I've got plenty of things to do today. I'll probably have to go grocery shopping too. I don't think Mimi is going to be in the right state of mind to do it today.

With a sigh I get out of my bed and walk to the kitchen.

Just like I had suspected, nobody else is awake yet. They're probably going to be sleeping till noon.

I walk to the fridge and take out some banana milk, cheese and eggs. I'll probably make an omelette with some cheese, drink some banana milk and call it breakfast.

After preparing my meal and eating it it's already 09:48 am.

That's not as late as I thought it would be.

I have to be in the studio around noon, so I've got plenty of time to get ready.

I clean my dishes and decide I'll take a shower to clean myself. Something that is definitely needed because my hair smells like liquor.

I walk back to my bedroom and grab a black jeans and a grey hoodie. I also take some fresh underwear and head to the bathroom.

There is one positive about waking up before everyone else and that is,

The bathroom is not occupied.

I undress, step in the shower and start washing my hair.

I'm not really a morning person, I like to sleep in and I probably would never leave my bed if that was an option. Sadly it's not. I'm also normally not a person who showers in the morning. Normally I shower before I go to sleep. I like it better that way. That way my hair can dry naturally at night and I'll feel fresh in the morning. Obviously I had no time for a shower yesterday night. I was way to tired to do anything else but sleep.

I'm curious if the others remember anything about last night. I have a feeling Mimi probably doesn't. She never does.

Jae, that's debatable. She normally remembers everything, but she normally isn't that drunk so I guess we shall see.

For some reason Yun will probably remember everything, even tho that girl can get so drunk she almost dies, she'll always remember everything. It's kinda scary really.

Jae and Mimi, mostly Mimi, complain that she doesn't remember anything and that Yun should be happy she could remember.

Yun always responds with "It's more of a curse then a blessing, sometimes I wish I didn't remember."

I think I understand what she means, in that perspective I'm the same as Yun.

I can drink as much as I want, I'll remember everything. But I don't drink much so it's never a problem.

Ones I'm done showering I change in my clothes and head back to my room.

My hair is still wet so I decide to wear a beanie.

I look at the clock and see it's 10:27 am.

There is still no sign that my friends are waking up anytime soon.

I put on my boots and take my jacket. I take my keys and my bag and leave for the car.

I guess it's time for me to go grocery shopping.

Ones in the grocery I buy whatever I think we'll be needing. I'm normally not the one to do it, but it needs to be done.

Ones I'm back home I see that Jae is awake.

"Good morning." I say while unpacking the groceries.

"Hey Moon. Do you know where the painkillers are?" Jae asks me in a quiet voice.

She's definitely hungover.

"I think in the cabinet next to instant noodles." I exclam while still unpacking.

I hear her open the cabinet and take a painkiller.

"I found them, thanks." She says after taking a painkiller.

"You seem pretty hungover Jae." I state to her.

"I AM pretty hungover. This fucking sucks." She huffes.

"You shouldn't have drunk as much as you did. Then you wouldn't be in this position." I claim.

"Shut up will you. I know I shouldn't have but you know how it goes..." She argues back.

Honestly, I don't know. I'm pretty good at holding my liquor so it's never really been a problem for me.

"Whatever floats your boat Jae." I chuckle.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked me while she goes to sit down.

I look at the clock and see it's 11:36 am.

"About three hours now. I'm guessing you just woke up." I reply.

"Why the fuck would you wake up that early?" Jae exclames

"Because unlike some people I actually have things to do today and wanted to get it done." I articulate.

Jae just rolls with her eyes.

"I made y'all some breakfast btw, it's more like brunch right now but whatever. It's in the fridge." I announce to Jae.

I get up from the table to walk to my room but I get interrupted by Jae.

"You made us breakfast? That's a first." She interjects.

"It's not a first you bitch, I always make y'all breakfast when you're hungover." I remark.

Without waiting for her to respond I walk to my room.

I grab my bag and put all my work in it.

I walk back to the kitchen to see Jae eat the food I made for her.

She's watching her kdrama while eating.

I go to the cabinet and grab a pot of instant noodles and a banana milk out the fridge. I put them both in my bag and walk to the front door of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" I hear Jae ask me before I could leave.

"To the studio." I answer without looking up.

"It's not even school today." She nags.

"That doesn't mean I can't work for school. Besides, now I'm behind on schedule because of yesterday." I persist.

"Are you leaving already?" I hear a different voice say.

I turn around and look at both Yun and Jae.

"I have to get my work done guys." I sigh.

It's not like it's fun for me to leave them alone all the time. They're my friends and I care about them. But I also care about my future.

"Can't you go to the studio around 1 pm?"

Yun begs me.

I take a deep breath.

I guess I can do that.

I sigh but place my bag on the floor and walk back to the table and sit down.

"I'll stay till 12:30 pm alright." I confirm.

Yun smiles at me.

"Good to hear." She smiles.

"So how are you?" I ask after a short silence.

"I'm oke. I guess." She mumbles while stuffing her face with bacon.

"I honestly don't remember much." Jae confesses.

I'm not surprised about that.

"I fucking wish I didn't remember anything. It was so embarrassing." Yun grumbles.

"I only remember that Mimi started puking and that you were grinding against some guy." Jae laughs.

"Euw, Don't remind me of Mimi puking. You know I hate puke." She recalls disgusted.

"Who was the guy?" I hint in a joking matter.

"Just some guy I made out with, he wasn't my soulmate." She whines.

I just shake my head an laugh a little.

This is typical behavior for her. Same goes for Mimi. Always going around and have one night stands with random guys from clubs. The only rule we have is to not go to his home. Luckily that didn't happen yesterday.

"I really hoped I would have found my soulmate." Jae whimpers.

"Same here, I'll probably just die alone." Yun dramatically states.

"I actually enjoyed myself for and hour are so." I suddenly confess to them.

The both turn their heads to me at the same time and just stare at me.

"Can you both stop staring at me please, it's unsettling." I accuse.

"You enjoyed yourself? At a party? Do I even know you?" Yun jokes while she punches my arm.

"Then what did you do? Because I didn't see you dance even ones." Jae questions.

"I talked to a someone. Her name was Areum. She was very nice. She also helped me find Soo-Yun." I inform them.

"I'm glad you actually enjoyed yourself. Maybe you'll come with us again." Yun smiles at me.

She trying to hint me to go with them again. Oh hell nah.

"I don't think so, but good try." I laugh and pet her on the shoulder.

"But I'm leaving now." I inform them.

I get up and walk to the front door.

"Don't come home to late!" Jae yells.

I pick my bag from the ground and open the door.

"I won't, tell Mi-Hi that her food is in the fridge!" I yell before I close the door.

I decided that I'll go on foot. The studio isn't so far from our apartment it's only a 20 minute walk. I plug in my headphones and start blasting Dimple from BTS.

God I love that song.

Ones I get to the studio I start looking for my ID to show them I have promision to use the studio.

When I look in my wallet for my ID I found an familiar looking card.

It's the card that Ari unnie gave me.

I put it in my pocket and walk in the building.

I show them my ID and walk to my studio.

I poof myself in my seat and pull the card out of my pocket.

Coffee shop Blooming.

It look aesthetically pleasing.

I'll definitely go there this week. I would really like to talk to Ari unnie again. She was very nice.

I put it back in the pocket of my jeans and start to work on my final project of this semester.

I have alot to catching up to do. Definitely now that I'm leaving in a few weeks to Busan for Hanas birthday.

I can't afford to waist time.

I sigh one last time before I take of my headphones and plug them in my computer. I'm in work mode ones again.

This is going to be a long day.

<<Previous// //Next>>

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soupcosmics · 6 years

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Kutsara

I recently moved to an old apartment not far from the university I'm in. I was a fresh grad when I first came here and moved to this city. Boarding houses and dormitories were full since I was late trying to look for one. So rather than taking a two-hour trip from my house to school every day, which involves riding a bus and two jeepneys on a single trip, my parents decided to let me rent an apartment of my own. They told me I was old enough and I should start being independent, so I did.

The apartment I'm in isn't fancy. Like I said it's pretty old. The whole complex was probably built sometime in the 70's or 80's and it sits in the heart of the bustling city of Manila. Everything I need from shopping malls to a variety of stores are all in just a walking distance. But this place looks more like an old hotel rather than an apartment.

My unit is just like any other units in the whole apartment. It includes 3 rooms; a small bedroom, bathroom, and both the living room and the kitchen are only separated by a kitchen counter so it counts as one room. Once you get inside my unit you'll be greeted by a small sofa and a wooden coffee table on your left, which is the living room. Just a few feet further beside it is an old kitchen table and a desk table. Look right and you'll see the kitchen, on it's both sides are the bedroom and bathroom. Whoever designed this place sure didn't think much about its practicality. But I don't have much choice since the rent is the cheapest around town I've seen so far.

Cold cemented floors. Partially lit hallways. Quiet neighbors whom I'm not sure if I actually have any, but sometimes I hear noises over the other side of my bedroom wall. Sounds pretty scary but I eventually got used to it. I did saw some of my neighbors physically. And they look human to me.

A woman in her 60's owns the whole place. She's friendly, though very superstitious. Once I offered to help her clean up but she told me that I shouldn't sweep during the night because I'd sweep away wealth, or at least that's how she told me it goes. The reason why she didn't bother hiring anyone to clean up the place is because most don't respect her superstition, or are peeking on other tenants. Creepy. I wouldn't want anyone sneaking in my unit especially since I'm out most time of the day. But perhaps the creepiest thing she ever told me were stories about the whole place being haunted. I'm not much of a believer in things like ghosts but I do keep an open mind. And would be interested to actually see one.

One night I was working on my thesis and waiting for my instant noodles in the microwave. The usual food for a college student on a budget. A meal suitable for any time of the day, or night. After it was done cooking I immediately took it out of the microwave with my bare hands, shaking from starvation. Put it on top of the desk beside my laptop. I took the lid off and for a second looked at it as the steam emerged from the cup. I grabbed a spoon from my kitchen and took a scoop.

"Ay puta!" I said as the hot water burned my lips and made me drop the spoon on the floor. It reminded me of what the old woman said. If I dropped a spoon or fork, it means that a visitor is coming. In this situation, it's going to be a girl since it's a spoon. (I wonder if utensils can be used to predict the gender of a baby while still inside a pregnant woman's womb.) I immediately looked at my door. 30 seconds have passed. 1 minute. 1 more minute. And yet another minute. "Asa ka namang may babaeng pupunta rito." I whispered to myself as I continue to work on my thesis.

It's 3 AM and I'm exhausted beyond sleep when suddenly there's a knock on my door. I stared at it for a few seconds. I thought it was just my imagination but I heard a knock again. And another continuous knocking. I grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and went to defensive position, holding the pan high above my head and ready to swing. Afraid, I opened the door and to my surprise, there's a girl. A real, actual girl standing in front of me. I hid the pan behind me and asked the girl. "Bakit? A-ano kailangan mo?" Nervously I stuttered. "Kuya, pwede po bang magstay muna ako sa inyo? Nawala ko kasi yung susi ko and si lola tulog na kaya hindi ko mabuksan yung pinto ng unit ko." She answered with her hands pressed against each other, slightly begging. Luh ano gagawin ko? It's a girl. And a complete stranger. I've been here for months but I've never seen her before around here. She stood there looking at me with her shiny hazelnut eyes, while fingers fiddle with her long, black hair. "Ah sige sige pasok ka muna, malamig pa naman dyan sa labas." I answered mindlessly. Yung kutsara?

I let her in my apartment. She took her shoes off and placed it beside the door. Visibly shivering, I offered her a blanket and a cup of coffee. "Thank you." then cheerily smiled at me. I haven't had anyone stay over here so it's kinda awkward. But she's my neighbor, and this is a good first impression if I want to impress her somehow. "You can stay here sa sofa for the night." I told her as I sat beside her, setting up a pillow I got from my bedroom. "Kuya salamat ah." She smiled again and placed her head on my shoulder then wrapped her arms around me. "N-no probs." I said with an anxious tone. Gawin ko na lang bukas yung thesis ko. I let myself fall asleep beside the girl who just knocked on my door.

Next morning I woke up late because my alarm didn't went off. The girl who was sleeping beside me is nowhere to be found. But my laptop and other stuff aren't missing so I didn't bother. I rushed taking a shower and getting suited up for school. On my way out I saw the old woman at the entrance. There was no time to talk so I just greeted her with a smile and went off.

Lunch time at school and I have an hour to waste. I decided to spend it with my friends. I went to the canteen and they were already there, waiting for me. A short guy with a dark skin tone waved at me. His name is Chris. Beside him is Rachelle, the long-haired girl with an attitude. And on the opposite side of the table is Alex, my weeb artist friend.

I gave Chris a high five as I sit down between Alex and Rachelle. But Rachelle went up to buy something so I moved beside Chris. "Pre you won't believe what happened kagabi!" I excitedly told him. "Ano?" He looked at me with enthusiasm, waiting for an answer. "May babaeng pumunta sa apartment ko pre tapos dun natulog." I told him. But he only raised his eyebrows. "Ano ginawa mo? Or ano ginawa niyo rather." He then gave me the look. The suspicious look your friend gives you when he thinks you've done something stupid and wants to make fun of it. "W-wala naman." Suddenly, Alex perks up away from her tablet, waiting for a follow up answer. "Natulog lang siya beside me. Ayun lang." Alex looked down again at her tablet, looking uninterested. Chris on the other hand spoke up. "Well, you shouldn't take advantage of girls kaya tama 'yang ginawa mo." "Luh nagsalita." Alex whispered while adjusting her glasses. Rachelle came back and we continued to chat about other school related topics.

The day went on as usual. Classes were dismissed and we went home. I managed to get home before rain started pouring. I overheard the news in the TV at the lobby that the rain will continue to pour and may get worse tomorrow. With that, I shrugged and went up to my apartment. I prepped my dinner and started working on my thesis until it was finally finished. Throughout the night the thought of the girl kept bothering me. I kept thinking about her. I didn't even got a chance to ask her name. I need proof to show Chris I'm telling the truth. So I went to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon and intentionally dropped it. I sat on the sofa to wait for her to knock. Minutes and hours have passed, I decided to take a break and nap.

I woke up at 3 AM after hearing someone knocking on my door. It's her. It's definitely her. So I rushed to the door to open it. And it was her. The same girl last night. Except right now she's all wet, probably because of the rain. It's already rainy season anyway. "Kuya pwede patuyo muna ako? And yung susi ko..." She begged. I nodded before she could finish and I let her in. I gave her a towel to dry up and a cup of coffee again to warm her up. "Sorry sa abala ah. Natutulog ka na ba kanina?" I was. But for her I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night. "Hindi naman. By the way, a-ano pangalan mo?" She looked up to me from the sofa and answered. "Jessica." I'll remember that. "Okay. Mukhang basang basa ka ah. Gusto mo ba magpalit ng damit?" For a second she hesitated. "Sige po." I went to my bedroom and opened the closet, looking for clothes that would suit her. And I ended up picking a plain gray shirt and shorts. I gave it to here and pointed at the bathroom for her to change. But after taking the clothes from my hands, she turned around and started to undress. Revealing her pink underwear. Flustered. I felt like my nose was about to bleed so I turned around and waited. "Medyo malaki pero okay lang." She said. I turned back again to her. She looks cute wearing an oversized shirt. "Woah." I muttered under my breath. She giggled and gave me a smile before sitting on the sofa again. I sat beside her.

"Ano yun?" She pointed at a shiny metallic object on the floor. Immediately I realized it was the spoon I dropped earlier so I took it back to the kitchen. Suddenly, she was standing right behind me. "Salamat kuya ah." She hugged me from behind and went to sit down the sofa again. I grabbed a couple of snacks from my mini fridge and approached her. Bored with nothing to do. I turned the TV on just in time a movie was starting. She grabbed my left arm, dragged me down to sit on the sofa and hugged it, laying her head on my shoulder. I started feeding her with chips I took earlier. We both silently watched until she fell asleep. I tried to get my phone from the table but every time I try to move she keeps nudging me and dragging me down. As much as I want to take a picture, I just decided to enjoy the moment until I finally went to sleep beside her.

My alarm went off just in time. Only had five hours of sleep but at least I have enough time to prepare for school. Once again, before I knew it the girl was gone. Nothing went missing too so I started getting ready and all suited up for school. By the entrance the old lady stood again, looking out the gate. I didn't want to bother her so I went straight outside until I heard her voice. "Mag-ingat ka iho." She smiled. I looked back at her and smiled too. And off to school I went.

The whole day went on without much happening. Classes dismissed. Skies that were clear and bright now turned to an overcast. Dark clouds threatening people to go home early. On my way out the campus I saw my friends waiting. I gave them a wave goodbye and continued my way home. Streets were bustling with people walking mindlessly to their destination. Major roads were clogged with traffic. The sight of garbage along the sidewalk makes me sick. Luckily I made my way to the apartment before the downpour despite the winds already blowing hard.

Rain continuously knocked on my window. The lights would flicker every time a thunder roared. But it didn't stop me from getting a spoon and dropping it on the floor again. As the spoon fell, thunder cracked and the lights went off. Instinctively, I went to the kitchen and lit a candle. And so an orange flame lights up the room. Later I heard a knock on my door. It's her again. I rushed up to my door to open it. Just to be greeted by the sight of her. Looking down, and crying with her hands wiping her tears. Her wet hair runs down covering her face. And she was wearing an odd, white dress that seems to be wet and slightly torn apart. Her skin looked more pale than before, covered with bruises and scars. "Anong nangyari sa'yo?" I nervously asked. She didn't say anything. She didn't respond. She kept wiping her eyes, crying and shaking. I grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Anong nangya-" Before I could finish that question. Her head slowly perked up to me. Revealing her dark, empty eyes. It was deep but all black and lifeless. She smiled with a hint of blood on her lips and cheeks. Her mouth opened wider and wider, more than any normal human can until it stretches too much the skin starts to tear and her jaw unhinge from her mouth. Her bloody jaw hangs lowly from her head. She started to cackle, then afterwards laugh. Her high pitch voice pierced through my ears. Despite this I kept staring at her, holding both of her wrist up. I could only tremble in fear while I face her. This creature who was just a girl night before, now half dead-looking straight from a horror movie. I held my breath as she shrieked until the candle went off.

I stepped back in the darkness and away from my door until I felt the kitchen counter beside me. Now that my hands are free, I reached for my phone in my pocket and turned it's flashlight on. Lighting the room to see if she's beside me. But she was still there, standing outside my already open door.

"Don't you miss me?" She whispered, but it was clear enough to be heard in the whole room since the rain has stopped. Her head tilted. Jaw loose from her mouth with blood dripping out of it. Tears started running down her cheeks. Dark red tears. And her skin rotting so much that you could see flesh from within. Blood runs down her arms.

I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. Knowing if I do anything, it will be the end of me. But I can't just stand here and look at it in silence. I could hear water dripping from the faucet in the bathroom. I could hear her every breath. I could hear my heart pounding fast. I looked at my bedroom door and without a doubt ran as fast as I could. I didn't look back but I did hear her screeching. Before I knew it I was in my room, with my door locked and phone in my hand.

There's no way out of here but through that door. And behind that door is something I don't want to be in a room with. Windows are sealed with metal bars from the outside. Even if I could managed to break the bars, there's no way I'm going to jump off the third floor.

Suddenly, she was pounding on my door. The lock would easily break and in a few seconds she'll get in. The space below my bed is too small for me to hide in. The closet is the only place I could hide in. I grabbed the crucifix above my bed and ran off and hid inside an old, wooden closet. I was never the religious but I clutched the crucifix close to me, on my chest. Reciting prayers I was never used to saying. Lord help me. I repeatedly beg as I heard the door swing open. This isn't what I pictured having a girl in my apartment. Oh God am I really this unlucky? Did I just summon a demon? The old woman is right. This place is haunted. I should've stayed somewhere else, in a different apartment. Or my parents' house. I never should've dropped that damn spoon!

I kept myself quiet despite trembling in fear. Minutes of waiting felt like hours, like years, trapped in the closet. Until I have gathered enough courage to peek outside the closet. I reached my phone out with the flashlight on. Nothing. It's gone. She's gone. And left the door open. It's my chance to- The closet door violently swings open as a hand grabbed me from behind. It covered my mouth and dragged me towards it. Back inside the closet. It dragged me with force more than I could hold back. Until I'm inside the closet again. I could feel her breathing on my neck as I fade into the darkness.

I woke up in the emergency room of a hospital, inside a room with curtains for walls. In here a nurse was monitoring my heart rate through a machine. "Doc, gising na po yung pasyente." Said the nurse. "Ah mabuti naman, tawagin mo na yung kasama niya." The voice of the doctor came from the other side of the curtain. I have no idea of what happened. I tried to speak but no voice came out of my mouth. I couldn't move either. As the nurse left, a familiar woman came in. My eyes widened. Heart started pounding again in fear when I realized it's her. The girl from last night.

"Huwag kang mag-alala." she said as she closed the curtains behind her. "Akong bahala sa'yo." She sat beside the bed, opened my hand, gave me a spoon and made me drop it. "Oops..."

"May bisita ka."

#novice #writing #shortstory

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calyco · 8 months

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LUCKYDOLL Yun Lai Food Shop

#luckydoll #yun lai food shop #bjd #dollblr #png #transparent #calyco ups

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alanaartdream · 1 year

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Some doll drawings

One a cat boy doll idea that will not leave my brain apparently atm

And some drawings inspired by the Yun Lai food shop Tanghulu bjd doll and penny’s box natural wonderland timber wolf girl bjd doll

#Yun Lai food shop bjd #penny’s box dolls #cat boy #cat boy doll #bjdoll #bjd dolls #my drawings #tanghulu #penny’s box natural wonderland #Yun Lai food shop doll #my artwork #alanaartdream #penny’s box bjd #my art #my sketches

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shirlleycoyle · 3 years

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The Race to Patent Psychedelics Is Just Getting Started

The author and podcast host Tim Ferriss has done his share of heavy lifting when it comes to supporting and promoting research on psychedelic drugs. He’s invested millions of his own, and also organized half the $17 million in commitments it took to start up the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research.

While his efforts highlight the reality that psychedelic therapy, like any other medical treatment, requires significant amounts of money for research, Ferriss recently tweeted his apprehension about a side effect of the growing money-generating psychedelic market.

"I am very concerned by the patent land grab warming up in the for-profit psychedelic world,” he wrote, asking publicly if there was any coalition of pro-bono lawyers who could intervene “when companies attempt to secure broad patents that could hinder scientific research, reasonable competition…and so on?”

Patent announcements are hard to miss in the psychedelic field these days. Most recently, as Troy Farah wrote in Future Human, the biotech startup CaaMTech was granted a patent for the combination of cannabis and psilocybin. A patent application from mental health company Compass Pathways garnered attention for including claims on very basic elements of psychedelic psychotherapy—from holding hands to using soft furniture.

A patent gives an individual or company ownership over an invention, and then prevents others from using their invention without licensing it. The patent office looks at scientific literature and prior patents to determine if an invention should be granted a patent, but the amount of psychedelic knowledge might not be reflected in these resources since psychedelics have been illegal and operating underground.

In many respects, the for-profit psychedelic field is behaving the same as other biotech companies have before—they’re taking notice of potentially beneficial compounds and research, and trying to patent “novel” uses to build profitable patent libraries. The issue that's arising is partly a philosophical one: The experiences that many people have taking psychedelics directly contradict this shift towards ownership, profit, and exclusion. More practically, as researchers continue to show promising results from academic trials on a myriad of mental health disorders, there’s valid concern about psychedelics becoming price gouged or monopolized through intellectual property (IP).

There's notable disagreement about how to move forward from the field's major players. Rick Doblin, the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), responded to Ferriss' tweet to say that MAPS “has recently engaged patent attorneys to assist in strengthening our anti-patent strategy for uses of MDMA, and to prepare easily accessible information for patent examiners so patents will not be issued in the first place.”

Doblin also wrote that MAPS will not seek to patent any uses of MDMA for clinical use, “and will actively challenge patents on MDMA-assisted therapy that seek to privatize information already in the public domain that don’t represent actual innovations.” Similarly, the non-profit Usona Institute has taken an "open science" approach by not filing for patents.

Christian Angermayer, the psychedelic investor who helped fund Compass Pathways and co-founded the company ATAI Life Sciences, took another view, responding to Ferriss: “Tim I am [a] HUGE fan of your work, but on this topic you are incredibly misguided.” He went on to say that while Ferris has donated a “few million” dollars to the psychedelic research space, “It’s a drop in the ocean relative to what’s needed.”

Angermayer also recently said in an interview that he believes that biotech will be one of the best performing asset classes of the next 20 years. “What tech was the last two decades, the next two decades will be biotech," he said. "50% of my entire portfolio is in biotech.”

Patent applications are secret for 18 months, and what we've seen is likely only the tip of the psychedelic patent iceberg. Psilocybin Alpha, a publication geared towards investors in psychedelic medicine, has a Psilocybin Patent Tracker, an MDMA Patent Tracker, and a DMT Patent Tracker, so that anyone can keep as up to date as possible on what’s being filed.

To get a sense of what's out there right now, Motherboard took a look at several pending and granted patents that include psychedelics, to show how diverse these applications can be. Psychedelic compounds appear in patent applications for Phillip Morris e-cigarettes, periodontal disease, hair loss, weight loss, and the treatment of food allergies.

What’s crucial to understanding some of these applications is that they are not all primarily psychedelic patent applications; they’re patent applications for other inventions that happen to include different psychedelics as an optional or potential part of that invention. Remember: With patent applications, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be granted, and if they are, they could be heavily amended beforehand. Still, what we can see from the wide scope of these applications is that psychedelics are increasingly popping up, and that the "patent land grab" is reaching much farther than just mental health.

Phillip Morris and “DMT vape pens”

After Graham Pechenik, a patent and IP lawyer, tweeted that cigarette and tobacco company Phillip Morris' patent grants and applications have the largest number of disclosing uses for N,N-DMT & 5-MeO-DMT (different formulations of DMT), he said it caused quite a buzz.

Screen shot from patent application.

But there’s some nuance here to unpack: The Phillip Morris patents aren’t really patents for “DMT vape pens.” They are patents or applications on various types of e-cigarettes and mechanisms within the e-cigarettes. DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are included in a list of "medicaments" that could be used in those e-cigarettes.

That said, if DMT were legalized, Phillip Morris could have grounds to prevent anyone else from putting DMT in Philip Morris devices specifically. “Phillip Morris is definitely not patenting a DMT vape pen, specifically,” Pechenik said. “But, it at least shows that they're aware that this is a compound that could be used.”

DMT vape pens don’t currently have any research behind them: It's unknown whether they are safe, for one, or if they have any other benefits or uses.

“In essence, I think they’re looking ahead, and want to make sure nobody would be able to say that they’re not infringing because DMT wasn’t in Philip Morris’ patents," Pechenik said. "And [they] want to stake out the space so that others don’t file their own patents specific to DMT vapes."

Psychedelics for food allergies

In 2018, alternative medicine proponent and doctor Andrew Weil told Joe Rogan that his cat allergy disappeared after he took LSD. He told CBS journalist Ed Bradley the same anecdote in 2001: “I took LSD. I was in a wonderful outdoor setting. I felt terrific and, in the midst of this, a cat came up to me and crawled into my lap. I did not have an allergic reaction to it and I never did since.”

He continued to tell Bradley that he thought food allergies were “learned.” ”That gave me the idea that [taking LSD] would be a great way to teach people to unlearn allergies," he said. (In the same interview he said he wasn’t comfortable being called a shaman or a medical holy man, but that “wizard” was OK.)

Food allergies are incredibly complex. There’s no current research on psychedelics for food allergies; the most promising food allergy treatment is oral immunotherapy, which exposes you to tiny amounts of the food you’re allergic to in order to become desensitized to it. Another innovative approach still being researched attempts to utilize compounds made by gut bacteria.

But there is one public patent application making claims on psychedelics' ability to treat food allergies. The patent application even makes claims around severe allergic reactions: “Food allergy conditions may, after exposure to an allergen, cause an anaphylactic condition in a subject. Accordingly, the methods of the present disclosure may, in some instances, treat, including prevent or lessen the severity of, anaphylaxis in a subject following exposure to an antigen.”

The food allergy application was filed by the investment firm Palo Alto Investors. Joon Yun, the president and managing partner, described the group on his website as a “team of practicing physicians run one of the biggest healthcare investment shops in the country. We make long-term investments for high-net-worth and institutional investors based on original, deep, fundamental research. We don’t rent stocks. We own them.”

How can a patent application be filed for something that has yet to be proven? Pechenik said that the U.S. has pretty liberal laws around providing evidence for your patent claims. All that is required in an application is a description of your invention so that someone could make and use it. Then, a patent application can include something called a “prophetic example,” which can be found in this food allergy application. Their “example,” shown below, is not actually an experiment that took place.

Screen shot from patent application.

“Basically it’s a prophecy, quite literally, where you just lay out what a research program may look like, and then just prophesize what the results you hope to achieve are,” Pechenik said. He's worked on cases where a prophetic example was enough to get a patent granted.

When writing prophetic claims, applicants have to avoid using the past tense. “Doing so, and making people think it’s been done, can actually be inequitable conduct that can render a patent unenforceable,” Pechenik said.

Patent examiners can push back, and try to limit patent claims to be more specific, or gather more evidence. In the most recent back and forth on this patent application, the examiners wrote that the application claims could only include claims on "treating food allergy by LSD,” whereas the original filed application claims included all psychedelics.

The application’s amended claims, filed on February 16, 2021, now only include LSD. “This helps the examiner save time, and forces an applicant to pay multiple fees where there’s more than ‘a single invention’ in an application,” Pechenik said. “What will happen now, most likely, is the applicant will file one or more continuation applications to next ask for claims to psilocin or other agents.”

David Casimir, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property who has a Ph.D. in biochemistry, thinks that this patent won't be issued if it’s examined thoroughly—but he can’t say for certain. “Maybe it would,” he said. “But then what that would be is essentially a very challengeable patent if it is issued as broadly as it's written right now.”

There could be another barrier to this patent application called “anticipation by inherency.” This means that even if you discover something “new,” if it’s been happening "inherently" in the past, you can’t get a patent on it. That means if LSD really does treat food allergies (again—there’s no evidence yet that it does) thousands or more people would have already received this benefit.

“This would have happened in the past, even if it’s not in the public literature,” Casimir said. “If the patent office can find evidence to see that someone in the past took a psychedelic drug and had a food allergy, then they should be unpatentable unless they can prove that there's a specific mechanism that's being treated here.”

Psychedelics for weight loss

On March 2, NeonMind Biosciences announced in a press release that it filed four provisional patent applications involving the potential use of psilocybin as a treatment for weight loss. “NeonMind’s proprietary preclinical data shows promise that both low and high dose psilocybin may reduce weight gain and that the reduction in weight gain can occur in a short period of time,” the release said.

NeonMind’s pending patent applications include a wide variety of psychedelic compounds, including psilocybin, DMT, and LSD, for treatments including weight loss, obesity, reduction of food cravings, and decreasing food intake.

This isn’t the first psychedelic patent application we’ve seen for weight loss. In 2019, The Yield Growth Corp. announced that its subsidiary Flourish Mushroom Labs filed a provisional patent application for the use of psychedelic mushroom compounds for weight loss.

Pechenik said that generally, whoever files a patent application first has priority, but there are many different ways a later patent could differentiate itself from an earlier one—whether it be specific formulation, dose, or patient population. Either way, it looks there will be various attempts to apply psychedelics to different components of weight loss.

An LSD disrupter

Usually, when a person takes LSD, they commit to an experience of at least six to 12 hours. What if you could stop it early? That’s what the psychedelic company MindMed is trying to patent with its application for an “LSD neutralizer,” a compound called ketanserin.

LSD is serotonergic, meaning that it binds to serotonin receptors—specifically, one called the 5-HT2A receptor. Ketanserin has the opposite effect on the receptor. One study has previously found that if people took ketanserin before taking LSD, it prevented the most intense effects of the psychedelic. MindMed is investigating whether or not ketanserin could be used after a person has already taken LSD in order to shorten or end the trip.

In February, MindMed announced that it was beginning a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, in collaboration with the University Hospital Basel, on ketanserin. “This study will support the patent application that was filed last year (preserving all worldwide rights) for a neutralizer technology intended to shorten and stop the effects of an LSD trip during a therapy session,” according to their press release.

As Psilocybin Alpha noted, ketanserin was discovered by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which was owned by J&J, in 1980. “Whether this application of ketanserin will be effective, patentable, and profitable is yet to be seen,” Psilocybin Alpha wrote.

A personalized psychedelics scent bubble

This ethereal patent application is for a device that creates and maintains a “personalized bubble of scent" around a person. While the scent bubble could be used for perfume, the application writes that other liquids could also be dispensed, including psychedelic medicines like LSD and psilocybin. Also on the list of potential ingredients for a personal bubble: human pheromones, insect repellant, anti-cellulite liquid, and vitamin-enhanced liquid.

Image from patent application.

Psychedelics for hair loss and periodontal disease

Like the Phillip Morris patents, these applications are not directly for the treatment of hair or tooth loss with psychedelics, but include psychedelics within the language of the patent application.

The periodontal application is primarily for a way to categorize patients with periodontal disease, and how to treat each patient accordingly. The hair loss patent application is about treating traction alopecia with compounds that have a specific kind of biological interaction with the scalp—and it includes DMT as one potential compound.

This is something that we'll start to see more and more of, according to Casimir—psychedelics being folded into applications. “You tend to see this anytime someone has a successful product with something in the nutraceutical space,” he said. “You see a pile-on effect shortly thereafter—where everyone either speculates wildly and files patents on it, or collects some data to demonstrate it. I would expect as this topic gets more and more popular, which is not taking very long to happen, just about anything you could ever think of will be tried. And if it works, it'll be in the patent application. And sometimes even if it doesn't, it'll be in a patent application.”

Outside of concerns about cost, access, and monopoly, some feel that some of the latest patent applications contradict the focuses of academic psychedelic research. As Psymposia senior writer Russell Hausfeld tweeted, “Funny. One of the biggest issues people are hoping psychedelics will help with is addiction. Meanwhile, Philip Morris is patenting DMT pens.” The multiple pending patent applications for weight loss are filed at the same time that Johns Hopkins is conducting research on the use of psychedelics for anorexia nervosa.

In a recent article in Double Blind, lawyer Nicole Howell, who litigates in the cannabis market, argued that there are important lessons psychedelics can learn from marijunana. “In cannabis, we’ve seen an unhealthy relationship with profit and investment that has created consolidation of the market, perverse incentives, and is slowly driving the lovers and believers out of the game only to be replaced by traditional business fundamentals of 'scale'” 'ROI' and ‘exit strategies,’” she wrote.

Psychedelic researcher Matt Baggott suggested one intriguing path forward: “We should also create the equivalent of creative commons psychedelic pharmacotherapy licenses. This would give rise to a coalition of organizations sharing IP that could outcompete the monopolists.”

These patent growing pains will only increase in the coming years. And the culture around psychedelics particularly sets the field up for an ethical clash with how businesses normally go about profiting and making money from compounds. Howell wrote that “with psychedelics as our guide and teacher, we can and must challenge the false idol of cash as the prize and replace it with the notion that capital is the servant, catalyst, and partner to the ultimate reality that psychedelics reveal: We are one. This is the veil that is lifted when we tune in. This is the Great Perspective Shift psychedelics can offer.”

We've rarely seen this kind of language deployed when discussing pharmaceutical IP. Clearly psychedelics and patent law represent a confrontation of differing values that may take awhile to figure out how to co-exist.

Follow Shayla Love on Twitter.

The Race to Patent Psychedelics Is Just Getting Started syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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automaticpostinfluencer · 4 years

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Trump team outlines plan to send payments to Americans

This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.

Global cases: More than 201,000

Global deaths: At least 8,007

US cases: At least 6,496

US deaths: At least 114

All data above is provided by Johns Hopkins University.

12:57 pm: Oil plummets 18% in 3rd worst day on record, sinks to more than 18-year low

Oil plummeted 18% to a more than 18-year low on Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sap demand for crude and as rising worries about a global recession lead to fears of longer-term demand destruction.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 18%, or $4.83, to $22.12 per barrel, its lowest level in more than 18 years. WTI is on pace for its third-worst day on record.

International benchmark Brent crude shed 11.6%, or $3.33, to trade at $25.40, its lowest level since 2003. —Pippa Stevens

12:51 pm: Trump administration wants to send $500 billion in payments to Americans in two rounds

The administration’s proposed stimulus package to combat economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will include two rounds of direct payments to taxpayers totaling $500 billion, according to a document obtained by NBC.

The White House hopes to send out its first round of checks on April 6, and the second on May 18. It will base payments on income level and family size, according to the document.

Beyond direct payments, the government is looking to set aside $50 billion for the ailing airline industry, as well as $150 billion for “other distressed sectors.” It was not immediately clear which industries would be covered, but the tourism and hotel industries are among those that have also asked the government for relief. —Lauren Hirsch

12:42 pm: Dow tumbles 1,500 points to session lows as Wall Street’s unprecedented volatility continues

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday as the markets remained highly volatile with the government response to the coronavirus fallout still unfolding. A violent reversal in Treasury yields in response to a potential $1 trillion stimulus package helped to unnerve investors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,547 points, or more than 7%. The S&P 500 fell 6.4% while the Nasdaq Composite slid 5.3%. —Yun Li, Fred Imbert

12:36 pm: The coronavirus crisis could inflict record-setting damage on the US jobs market

The first wave of bad economic news directly related to the coronavirus crisis is likely to come from the jobs market, and that could be delivered sooner rather than later.

Virtually all of the economic data releases out now cover periods before the COVID-19 spread began to zero in on the U.S. Some of those reports have hinted at a slowdown heading into the worst of the virus period, but the extent of the damage has been hard to gauge.

That will change over the next week or so when the Labor Department releases the tallies for weekly jobless claims. —Jeff Cox

12:28 pm: Mnuchin says taxpayers must file by April 15, can delay payments for 90 days

The Treasury Department won’t extend the tax filing deadline for 2019 returns, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on CNBC.

While the Treasury is giving taxpayers a 90-day reprieve on paying amounts owed from last year, you are still required to get your 2019 income tax return submitted by April 15, Mnuchin said on a phone call with CNBC’s Jim Cramer Wednesday morning. —Darla Mercado

12:22 pm: What the 1918 influenza pandemic can teach governments about coronavirus

From the closing of borders to mandatory quarantines, governments around the world are taking drastic steps to try to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Past outbreaks provide a blueprint for governments navigating the challenges of COVID-19, which has spread to more than 200,000 people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday.

Pandemics such as the 1918 influenza offer one key takeaway: Clear communication from the federal government is key. —Elizabeth Schulze

12:18 pm: Amazon sellers brace for layoffs and worse after coronavirus-related products get priority

Amazon sellers are expecting the worst after the company said this week it will prioritize shipments of household staples, medical supplies and other coronavirus-related product over everything else.

In addition to household staples and medical supplies, Amazon told sellers it’s prioritizing categories such as baby products, health and household, beauty and personal care, grocery, industrial and scientific and pet supplies.

Amazon’s decision will help serve shoppers who need to buy toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and other coronavirus-related items, but it threatens to put third-party sellers who don’t offer those products in a major bind for at least the next few weeks. Many small retailers rely on Amazon to sell their products online, and the hit to sales has caused some to furlough or lay off employees to soften the blow. —Annie Palmer

11:59 am: Restaurant industry asks for $145 billion government recovery fund

The National Restaurant Association is asking the federal government for financial relief for the industry as it forecasts sales declines of $225 billion over the next three months.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Major Leader Mitch McConnell, the lobbying group asked for a $145 billion recovery fund from the Treasury Department for the restaurant and food-service industry. Other proposals included federally backed business interruption insurance, tax measures and disaster unemployment insurance. —Amelia Lucas

11:48 am: Gov. Cuomo says he won’t approve coronavirus ‘shelter-in-place’ order for New York City after mayor tells residents to prepare

A man with a mask pushes a cart with a sign reading corpse cartte at Times Square in Manhattan on March 17, 2020 in New York City.

Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday he won’t approve a “shelter-in-place” order for New York City, a day after Mayor Bill de Blasio told residents to prepare for one.

“That is not going to happen — shelter in place, for New York City,” Cuomo said on The Daily podcast by The New York Times. “For any city or county to take an emergency action, the state has to approve it. And I wouldn’t approve ‘shelter in place.'” —Will Feuer

11:39 am: Mnuchin vows to prevent 20% unemployment in coronavirus response

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Wednesday the U.S. will not have 20% unemployment — a figure he reportedly warned Republican senators about in a private briefing — if they follow the Trump administration’s coronavirus plan.

“I’ve seen that number in the press,” Mnuchin told CNBC’s Jim Cramer in a television interview. “I didn’t in any way say I think we’re going to have that.” —Kevin Breuninger

11:31 am: America’s malls are asking the government for help as retailers, restaurants shut stores

The International Council of Shopping Centers, which represents America’s malls and shopping center owners such as Simon Property Group and Kimco, has sent a letter to the Trump administration seeking aid. The request comes as retail and restaurant store closures are mounting.

“These closures are placing an insurmountable strain on our members, and we believe federal government action is urgently needed,” ICSC CEO Tom McGee said. —Lauren Thomas

11:24 am: Sell-off on Wall Street accelerates, Dow now down 1,400 points

A man wearing a mask walks by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 17, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.

Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images

Stocks tumbled Wednesday as the markets remained highly volatile with the government response to the coronavirus fallout still unfolding. A violent reversal in Treasury yields in response to a potential $1 trillion stimulus package unnerved investors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,400 points, or more than 6.5%. The S&P 500 fell 6.1% while the Nasdaq Composite slid nearly 5%. —Yun Li, Fred Imbert

11:20 am: Honda, BMW close plants in US and Europe

Honda North America and BMW are closing plants throughout the U.S. and Europe this week due to an anticipated decline in demand for cars related to the global coronavirus outbreak. Honda said it will be closing four U.S.-based plants for six days starting Monday due to an anticipated decline in market demand.

Approximately 27,600 Honda associates in North America will be affected by this temporary suspension of production, but the company said it will continue full pay for all its associates. In Europe, BMW announced it has started to shutter its dealerships and plants, which will close by the end of this week. The interruption to the plants is scheduled to run until mid-April, the company said. —Noah Higgins-Dunn

11:15 am: Coronavirus will infect half the global population, EIU predicts

The new coronavirus will infect half of the global population and have a fatality rate of up to 3%, analysts said Wednesday.

“We assume that the virus will infect around 50% of the world population; 20% of the cases will be severe, and 1-3% will result in deaths,” analysts from the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a note.

As a result of the pandemic, the EIU predicted global growth would stand at just 1% for 2020 — down from its outlook of 2.3% before the outbreak began. It would mark the lowest rate in global gross domestic product growth since the global financial crisis, analysts noted. —Chloe Taylor

11:01 am: Coronavirus lives for hours in air particles and days on surfaces, new US study shows

A microscopic view of novel coronavirus.

Ffikretow | Getty Images

The new coronavirus can survive for several hours in air particles and last days on surfaces, according to a new federally funded study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UCLA and Princeton University examined how long COVID-19 survives in the air as well as on copper, cardboard, plastic and stainless steel and then compared it with SARS, the coronavirus that emerged in late 2002 and killed nearly 800 people.

They found that COVID-19 was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, and up to 24 hours on cardboard. The new coronavirus can also last up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, the scientists concluded, adding the amount of the virus left on those surfaces decreases over time. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

10:55 am: Volunteer threatened with lawsuit after 3-D printing an $11,000 valve for $1

In Italy, a good Samaritan could be facing legal action for providing a hospital with special valves needed for breathing equipment that keeps coronavirus patients alive, according to a report from Techdirt.

Cristian Fracassi used a 3D printer to make the valves after the original manufacturer could not provide them due to overwhelming demand. Fracassi had to design the valves himself after the manufacturer refused to provide the 3D files, and he ultimately donated more than 100 valves to the hospital, each one costing him around $1 to make.

The regular listing price of the valve is about $11,000, and the manufacturer has threatened to sue Fracassi for patent infringement, leaving him fearful of sharing the 3D file with other hospitals that need the valve. —Hannah Miller

10:43 am: With Europe now the coronavirus epicenter, fears rise over a break up of the euro zone

The euro zone, in which 19 countries share the same currency, has struggled to grow since the sovereign debt crisis of 2011.

At the time, highly ndebted nations, such as Spain, Portugal and Greece, could not get financing from financial markets and asked for external help to support their economies.

Their financial difficulties raised concerns for the bloc’s future: analysts warned it was ill-equipped to deal with financial shocks and may not survive. Almost a decade later, the same debate is back on the table, with the euro area struggling to come together to combat the coronavirus crisis. —Silvia Amaro

10:35 am: Lawmakers scramble to move on the White House’s push for a $1 trillion stimulus package

The White House and Congress are scrambling to hash out the details of a massive stimulus package to help a U.S. economy increasingly damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

There had been hope on Capitol Hill that Congress could pass a deal this week, as President Donald Trump seeks a measure with over $1 trillion in spending.

But the -GOP-controlled Senate has yet to pass a second relief bill already passed by the Democratic-led House, creating uncertainty about stimulus. —Lauren Hirsch

10:29 am: Sen. Marco Rubio wants to offer small businesses money so they can keep paying employees

Marco Rubio

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

The Florida Republican told CNBC he wants to use a network of lenders for an existing program to help small businesses and employees.

“We are trying to figure out the most effective way to get cash into the hands of small businesses so that they can maintain payroll for at least a six-week period,” he said.

Rubio is sponsoring Senate legislation to match Trump’s call for $50 billion in loans from the Small Business Administration. —Matthew J. Belvedere

10:15 am: Russia deploying disinformation to sow panic in West, EU document says

Russian media have deployed a “significant disinformation campaign” against the West to worsen the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow distrust, according to a European Union document seen by Reuters.

The Kremlin denied the allegations on Wednesday, saying they were unfounded and lacked common sense.

The EU document said the Russian campaign, pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, uses contradictory, confusing and malicious reports to make it harder for the EU to communicate its response to the pandemic. —Reuters

10:11 am: Coronavirus lockdown now? This guy explained quarantine strategies with a bucket of water and it’s gone viral

A home-made movie showing a man in his backyard using a bucket of water to explain the British government’s strategy for tackling the coronavirus has gone viral. Robert Isaacs, a podiatrist, posted a video of himself filling up a plastic bottle to help explain how the U.K.’s National Health Service could be overwhelmed if coronavirus cases in the country peak.

In the video, he fills a large bucket with water, which he says represents the British population. He then gradually pours this into the plastic bottle, which represents the NHS.

“There’s been a few people talking about the government strategy on COVID and wondering why we’re not shutting everything down now. Italy has done it, everyone else has done it. Why are we not doing it? Well, it is counter-intuitive, so it is sort of worth unwrapping, but it does make a certain amount of sense,” he says.

10:03 am: White House seeks $45.8 billion to cover ‘unanticipated’ coronavirus costs for government

The Trump administration requested an additional $45.8 billion from Congress to cover “unanticipated” costs incurred by government agencies responding to the novel coronavirus crisis.

That request is separate from existing funding requests that could total more than $1 trillion as officials at every level of government work to contain the coronavirus.

Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought said in a letter to the Senate that the additional money will be used “to address ongoing preparedness and response efforts.” —Kevin Breuninger

9:59 am: Trump says US will close the border with Canada to nonessential traffic due to coronavirus

US President Donald Trump (L) talks with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the plenary session of the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019.

Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images

President Donald Trump said the United States will temporarily close its border with Canada to nonessential traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

Trump’s move came a day after the European Union agreed to close its external borders to noncitizens, and two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced similar restrictions on his country’s borders. —Dan Mangan

9:50 am: Investor Bill Ackman advises Trump to shut down the country, saying stock market ‘will soar’

Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman called on the president to close the nation’s borders and offer Americans a one-month tax holiday “Spring Break.”

“The moment you send everyone home for Spring Break and close the borders, the infection rate will plummet, the stock market will soar, and the clouds will lift,” Ackman wrote.

The investor warned that further delays to such a shutdown would continue to have disastrous costs to human life and pressed Trump to “please send everyone home now.” —Thomas Franck

9:42 am: Japanese flu drug could be effective in treating coronavirus, report says

This photo taken on February 20, 2020 shows doctors looking at a lung CT image at a hospital in Yunmeng county, Xiaogan city, in China’s central Hubei province.

STR | AFP | Getty Images

Chinese medical authorities have claimed a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appears to be effective for those infected with the coronavirus, Japan’s state broadcaster NHK reported.

Zhang Xinmin, director of China’s National Center for Biotechnology Development, said the favipiravir drug had produced positive outcomes during clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzen. The report on Tuesday said 340 patients had taken part in the clinical trials.

“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in treatment,” Zhang told reporters. —Sam Meredith

9:38 am: Scotland says schools will close from Friday

Scotland will close its schools from Friday and people should not assume they will open again until the end of the summer term, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

Wales also said schools could close on Friday. —Reuters

9:35 am: Cannes Lions advertising festival postponed until October

Delegates wait in line at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Cannes, France, June 2019

Cannes Lions

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the ad industry’s major awards festival and conference held in France each summer, is postponing its June conference due to the coronavirus, organizers announced Wednesday.

The festival is now scheduled for Oct. 26-30. Conference organizers said earlier that passes, sponsorship arrangements, and bookings will roll over and remain valid. —Megan Graham

9:30 am: Dow plunges 1,300 points as a stretch of unprecedented volatility continues

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday as the markets remained highly volatile with the government response to the coronavirus fallout still unfolding.

Wall Street has been on an unprecedented roller-coaster ride amid the coronavirus turmoil, with the S&P 500 swinging 4% or more in either direction for seven consecutive sessions. This tops the previous record of six days from November 1929, according to LPL Financial. The S&P 500 is 25% off its record high through Tuesday’s close. —Fred Imbert, Yun Li

9:22 am: Total US reported cases at 6,496, with the most in NY at 1,708

9:18 am: Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen are urging the Fed to go beyond authority and buy corporate bonds

Former Federal Reserve chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen recommend that the central bank continue trying to shore up the economy against the coronavirus threat, even suggesting that it go beyond the powers it currently enjoys.

In a Financial Times essay, the two say the Fed should look for more authority that would give it the power to purchase corporate bonds on top of the Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities it already plans to buy. —Jeff Cox

9:11 am: What America can learn from China’s use of robots and telemedicine

As countries around the world grapple with COVID-19, front line medical workers are deploying robots, telemedicine, and other technologies to help contain the pandemic. China and Spain have used drones to monitor people during lockdown campaigns, while South Korea has deployed them to help disinfect areas in Daegu, an epidemic hotspot.

Antwork, a group company of Japanese industrial drone maker Terra Drone, flew medical samples and quarantine materials in China’s Xinchang in February during the height of the epidemic.

Earlier this month, a field hospital staffed by robots opened in the Hongshan Sports Center in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began. Dubbed the Smart Field Hospital, the facility is a project involving Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, China Mobile, and CloudMinds, a maker of cloud robotics systems based in China and the U.S. The Smart Field Hospital is a trial aimed at relieving exhausted health-care workers even as the outbreak in China slowed in recent weeks. —Tim Hornyak

8:06 am: Medicare and Medicaid administrator explains Trump order to expand telemedicine

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said the Trump administration’s move to expand telemedicine is critical for all American seniors, even those who are experiencing health issues unrelated to the coronavirus. “They don’t have to travel. They don’t have to sit in a waiting room,” she said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” For seniors who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it also allows them to communicate with their doctors without the risk of spreading it to others. “It is a game changer,” she said. —Kevin Stankiewicz

8:00 am: Mayo Clinic CEO assures ‘there’s a significant supply of ventilators’

Mayo Clinic CEO Gianrico Farrugia said Wednesday the U.S. could have enough ventilators to treat critical COVID-19 patients if Americans take social distancing seriously enough. “There’s a significant supply of ventilators. They may not always be in the right place,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” While it’s impossible to predict how many the U.S. will need, Farrugia said the “less cases we have in the United States, the less ventilators we’re going to need, and if we can space that over time then I do think we’ll have enough ventilators.” —Kevin Stankiewicz

7:42 am: Worldwide cases top 200,000

COVID-19 cases surpassed 200,000 worldwide as the new coronavirus continues to spread outside of China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.

The total number of cases now stands at 201,436 as of 7:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, according to data compiled by John Hopkins. It counted 8,008 deaths and 82,071 recovered cases.—Will Feuer

7:24 am: Absolut Vodka-owner Pernod Ricard to help make hand sanitizer

French premium alcohol company Pernod Ricard, whose products include Absolut Vodka, is offering its services to fulfill worldwide demand for hand sanitizer. In the U.S., the company will convert manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, West Virginia and Texas to make the gel. It is taking similar measures in Spain, Ireland, and Sweden and plans to do so in the United Kingdom. In France, the premium liquor-maker is donating 70,000 liters of alcohol to Labratoire Cooper, a major supplier of hand sanitizer. —Lauren Hirsch

7:19 am: Stock futures drop amid unprecedented volatility

Stock futures pointed to big losses in premarket trading as the markets remained highly volatile with the government response to the coronavirus fallout still unfolding. A violent reversal in Treasury yields in response to a potential $1 trillion stimulus package helped to unnerve investors.

Around 6:42 a.m. ET, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicated a more than 1,000-point loss at the open. —Fred Imbert, Yun Li

7:14 am: Mnuchin warns of 20% US unemployment

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, delivers remarks on the coronavirus relief package after the Senate Republican Policy luncheon in Russell Building on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Tom Williams | CQ Roll Call | Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned Republican senators that the country’s unemployment rate could hit 20% if they failed to act on a proposed coronavirus rescue package, a person familiar with the closed-door meeting said.

Mnuchin met with senators to persuade them to pass a $1 trillion stimulus package that would send cash to Americans within two weeks, and backstop airlines and other companies. A Treasury official said Mnuchin was not providing a forecast but trying to illustrate the potential risks of inaction. —Reuters

6:54 am: Ikea to temporarily close stores in Europe and North America

Swedish home retailer Ikea is to temporarily close stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, the U.S. and Canada. Stores in Denmark are already temporarily closed, Reuters reported. U.K. and Ireland stores remain open, for now. — Holly Ellyatt

6:48 am: Iran’s death toll from coronavirus jumps to 1,135

Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 1,135 with 147 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry official told state TV, Reuters reported. The total number of infected people across the country has reached 17,361.

“Unfortunately there were 1,192 cases of infected people in the past 24 hours. … Please follow the guidelines and stay at home,” Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said. —Holly Ellyatt

6:09 am: Toyota to stop output at more plants in Europe

A 2020 Toyota Highlander goes down the line at the automaker’s plant in southern Indiana.

Toyota

Toyota said it planned to stop output at more vehicles plants in Europe. In a statement, the Japanese automaker said it had stopped operations at plants in the U.K. and Poland from Wednesday, and those at its Czech site would be halted Thursday. Operations at its French site are already suspended. Operations at its Turkey site would be suspended from Saturday but U.S. plants have not been affected so far, the company said. —Holly Ellyatt

6:02 am: Celebrities are ‘touring’ social media amid cancellations

5:30 am: EU will close external borders for 30 days

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