🟢I start this collection with Shintaro, who has charm to spare. Don't expect grand gestures, social posts, public displays of attention.
Expect, however, to be loved, and very much so. 🟢
A hug,
Vesper ❇
-> Valentine's Masterlist 💕
💣PPS: I apologize in advance for any grammatical and/or spelling mistakes, English is not my first language (bear with me!).
➿Genre: fluff, slice of life, one shot.
all images are from the movie 'Une femme mariée ' -> (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)
Shintaro Midorima doesn't act like other boyfriends.
He doesn't giggle at your every joke, he doesn't bother to get on your best friend's good side, he doesn't seek everyone's approval by losing himself in pointless flirting in public.
Sometimes he seems so cold towards you, that your classmates almost take it for granted that your relationship is over.
Yet Shintaro would do anything to know you're happy, no matter how uncomfortable it makes him, or how far he exceeds his tolerance threshold.
That's why he wrote you that note, tucked between the pages of your notebooks, where he gives you a date in an unusual place, the town swimming pool.
"Don't be late darling, mind you!"
You read that postscript with a smile, because you imagine his serious expression as he affixes those austere but tender words on the fine paper card.
Shintaro, who has the most beautiful and greenest eyes you have ever seen, with which he never lets you out of his sight, sends you the first and the last text message of the day. Your Shin-chan, who always happens to have your favourite sweets with him, who always knows when you need a break or an excuse to take a break and get a drink from the faculty vending machines.
Small, discreet, intimate, exclusive gestures. An oasis of peace amidst the noise of loud vocals, kisses and outings to fashionable clubs shared on social networking sites by every couple in your circle of friends.
You don't need any of that, you know it right from the first time his long hands stroked down your back to keep you close to him.
His embrace, your favourite place in the whole universe.
His smile, so rare for others but so familiar to you, never missing from his lips when you are together.
That is the first detail you notice as you approach him at the swimming centre. His hand takes yours and brings it to his lips, a gesture that makes your heart skip a beat each time.
He touches your face with his hand, bringing you close to repeat the same gesture on your cheek, on your temple, observing you with tenderness and dedication as if he were contemplating a priceless work of art.
"Come with me" his voice is serene and deep, his fingers clasp yours. In the movement towards the roof of the building you perceive the good scent of his cologne, the one you chose for him and that never fails on each of your dates.
You follow him, enchanted by his elegant figure, his steady gait, reassured by his hand gripping yours tightly, his face often turned to you to gauge your state.
"Ready?" he asks you and you think your heart is about to explode when you see his expression so sweet and yet so impatient.
You nod, letting his long arms encircle you.
Beyond the heavy metal door of the terrace, you are greeted by the most incredible sky you have ever seen: strokes of red, yellow, pink chase each other among the rare clouds, breaking the greyness of the city.
You feel your boyfriend's arms tighten on your womb, his breath is serene, his lips resting against your hair.
"We said no presents, Shin-chan" you take him back lovingly abandoning yourself against him "I’ll never be able to reciprocate something like that!" you conclude, turning around, looking at his smiling face, closing your eyes when his hands cup your face.
"Every moment spent with you is a gift to me, I'll have to give you many more surprises before I'm even" he tells you, looking into your eyes, making you blush.
Shintaro smiles and you think you have never loved someone so much.
You raise your head towards him and when your lips meet, you know he feels the same way.
🔅Grab your drinks (and sunscreen too), it's time to start to look at those new hunks on the block! 🌡🌡
🎊 Today, to celebrate our beloved Shintaro's birthday, I thought it would be a good idea to put him through his hectic medical life.
Will you be able to get his attention?
Will the planets be well aligned according to Oha-Asa's horoscope?
More than that, where's the cake? 🎂
💚 Happy birthday Shintaro! 💚
Who's gonna be next? (hint: a Gemini King💛)
💋PS: If any of you amazing authors would like to contribute with original work to this series, that would be a dream for me. Please send me the link and tag me so I won't miss any stories, and use the #knbhousewarming , as the platform sometimes gets crazy.
💣PPS: I apologize in advance for any grammatical and/or spelling mistakes, English is not my first language (bear with me!).
➿Genre: fluff, slice of life, one shot.
🏡 Housewarming Masterlist🏡
Boston, Massachusetts,
Saturday 18:45 ET
A clear October evening.
That you were the best in the firm was a given, just as it was a given that the profiles of the most demanding, fussy and obnoxious clients were punctually assigned to you because you had never failed to find them the perfect home.
It certainly wouldn't have been him who had brought down your self-esteem, nor the entire office's trust in you. If only your client had at least deigned to answer emails or phone calls, maybe things would not have dragged on so long, making your boss impatient.
You were really wasting too much time on the whims of the doctor.
You had scanned the entire city looking for a space that could meet his absurd standards, you had had to mark the builder down to get the keys to that flat that had just been finished, you had begged, threatened, seduced him until, moved to pity, he had granted you a preview for a week but that monster client of yours, had systematically postponed your appointment, as if nothing had happened, claiming one work engagement after another.
"I can't predict the flow in the emergency room, there are priorities in life " he had commented in his monotone voice with his characteristic snottiness.
What a nerve, what a nuisance, what a boor.
He was always looking down on you, and not just because he was incredibly tall and athletic, but just for the sake of giving you unsolicited life lessons. You could see how much he enjoyed rejecting your every proposal. You already knew that a flat would not be to his taste as soon as he moved his long, elegant fingers from his glasses and his incredible green eyes sought yours.
"Too small"
"Too big"
"Badly exposed"
"Noisy"
" Too far away from the workplace"
Diagnosis.
With him, houses turn into a heap of irredeemable defects, as if your efforts were worthless, as if he was too smart for you, too much in general. He didn't even spare a glance at you. Not even when, to provoke him, you had worn your infallible suit you were able to grasp his attention.
And now this too.
"I won't go into detail, but we have to reschedule, I've been called away on an urgent matter" he tells you, not even listening to your remarks.
The perfect house tomorrow will be for sale, and you not only risk making the worst impression in your whole life by not having concluded the sale despite the preview, but he will remain like an indelible stain on your white shirt of infallibility.
"I have found the solution that meets all your demands and I intend to show it to you tonight. Call me at any time, I will pick you up straight away from the hospital" you propose, in a peremptory tone.
"It will be late, certainly after nine o'clock " he replies annoyed.
"I will also bring you dinner if you need it, but we have to see that house tonight, doctor !" you cut it short, waiting for him to finish giving instructions to his colleagues and pay attention to you.
"As you like, call you back " he snorts and hangs up.
What a big boor.
A few blocks away, Dr. Midorima's day was about to take the worst possible direction. An accident on the motorway had brought traffic to its knees, ambulances came and went and unfortunately for some innocent drivers, nothing could be done. After his last phone call with the police, he put down the receiver of the doctor's office telephone, and told himself that his day had been hard enough. He was actually looking for the strength to contact you, the furious girl from the real estate agency, to stand you up again but the mere thought of it made him feel guilty. He was tired of living in a hotel room, and he was tired of coming across as an obnoxious and icy man, especially with you, who had tried so hard to comply with his every request.
What a bizarre person fate had made him meet. He remembered that you were of the sign of Scorpio, just like his great friend Takao, and perhaps that was why he found you just as annoying. He had never met a woman like you : as sweet in appearance as determined in reality. He had been fooled by your large, bright eyes, your polite manners even when your patience was tested, your spontaneous smile when a detail of the house you had selected for him, met his taste.
No, he could not disappoint your expectations this time either.
He pulled his mobile phone out of his coat pocket and was pleased to discover that your proposal from a few hours earlier, was still valid. He changed quickly, buttoned his long dark blue coat, put on his leather gloves and a cashmere scarf, and was ready to leave. When he arrived in front of the hospital park, he was surprised to see you at the wheel of your car with a big smile on your lips. It was now past ten o'clock, the evening was cold and clear, but there didn't seem to be any snow yet. The ideal evening not to be alone with your thoughts, not to think about the past with melancholy.
A little human warmth after a devastating day, was all he needed.
"Dr. Midorima, I'm sure I won't let you down this time!" she said as you buckle your seatbelt, making you laugh.
"I'm not here to give you a grade, I'm here to find a place to stay in" you had told her sounding overly arrogant, but she seemed so happy that you were there, that she hadn't paid any attention and started listing the many benefits of her discovery.
It was a journey that lasted about ten minutes, mostly spent talking about trivialities, your hands clinging to the steering wheel as if it were the last lifeboat on the Titanic, your attention at its best trying to avoid even the slightest smear that might compromise the opinion that this demanding man had surely formed of you.
You had never felt this way before, you had never met such a picky, charming client and the fact that you had spent the last two hours fantasising about all sorts of romance with him in the hospital car park, had probably not helped your peace of mind. It had taken you a while to admit it, but as soon as you had put the handsome doctor next to you, instead of in the middle of every available flat in the area, everything had become clear. Hence that strange feeling now that you were standing side by side in the large lift of the elegant apartment complex, heading for flat 505.
You are so flustered that your fingers seem to get knotted so that ,to avoid dropping your dinner on the floor in an attempt to pass the takeaway flap from one hand to the other, you drop the builder's large set of keys on the floor.
"Let me help you " he offers, reassuring you with a brief smile before asking you which key was the correct one for the heavy metal security door. As he opens the door and gives way to you, you can't help but think that this work appointment might seem like a romantic date to strangers. You thank him and are about to turn on the light, when you feel his fingers stop yours on the switch, probably struck by the same sight that immediately catches your attention. In the industrial loft, all red brick and steel, the view of the city is breathtaking. The large living room window focuses the gaze to the sea of lights from both the city and the harbour , creating a unique, almost dreamy atmosphere.
The large space of the kitchen remains in semi-darkness, revealing the light parquet floor, the shiny steel surfaces and the large workbench where you put down the envelope from 'Legal Seafoods', from which you picked up what will be your dinner, but which he does not seem to care about.
You smile as you see his tall, elegant figure standing out like a shadow as he observes the landscape, his coat swaying slightly, his shoulders broad, his long arms along his sides, like a romantic pirate saying goodbye to his homeland before an adventure, but also like a child watching the Christmas lights for the first time.
"What an amazing sight " he smiles at you, a smile so spontaneous, warm and grateful that you can't help but blush vividly.
"That's why I wanted you to see it" you agree, thanking the dimness that allows you not to reveal that moment of weakness of yours.
"Shall we turn on the lights?" he asks you and you nod, pretending you care to show him the features of the house. After all that is a business appointment, that ends to the client's great satisfaction in the canonical hour you usually reserve for visits.
You feel sad, because when he tells you to arrange the papers, you know your daydream is coming to an end.
Or maybe not.
"What did you bring me for dinner?" he suddenly asks you, noticing the takeaway box on the kitchen table.
" Lobster roll, the Boston way to say 'Welcome in town' !" you inform him proudly, reaching over to hand him a carefully packed wrapper, which he looks at in your hands, but does not accept.
"Don't you like lobster?" you ask with a hint of concern, because things have gone far too smoothly at that point.
"Lobster is fine, but let's get it right " he tells you as he passes you to turn off the lights again. You don't object when, having retrieved your dinner, his hand takes yours and guides you towards the large window. He asks you to hold the bag in your hands, and with an effortless movement he takes off his coat, which ends up on the floor to serve as a blanket for your improvised picnic. He holds out his arm and seats you, then sits down next to you, dividing his attention between you and the view.
"Thank you for finding me a place where I can feel at home, I will always owe you one " he tells you in such a sweet tone that you feel your heart skipping a beat.
"It was my pleasure, Dr. Midorima " you smile at him, moving your hand and involuntarily touching his.
"Shintaro, please call me Shintaro " he reveals to you, bringing his fingers between yours.
"You'll have to invite me to dinner to clear your debt, then, Shintaro" you disclose smoothly, observing his handsome face once more. Green orb staring lovely at your lips, his silky hair pulled behind his ears, his soft lips curved up in such a tender smile.
"You already know where I'm gonna live, feel free to come over anytime !" he invites you, dissolving your contact with a light kiss on your knuckles.
Your mind told you that you were wasting too much time on the whims of doctor Midorima , but your heart...
Your heart had only seen Shintaro from day one, even behind that cold and indifferent surface.
After all, you were the girl who never failed to find the perfect home to perfect strangers, how can you go wrong with yours ?
