#Pod Go Wireless

[guitarbomb]

Line 6 POD Go 2.0 firmware update released

Line 6 POD Go 2.0 has just dropped and is an update for the POD Go and POD Go Wireless. It is the fourth significant upgrade since the product’s launch.  Line 6 POD Go 2.0 Both the POD Go and POD Go Wireless boast Line 6’s state-of-the-art HX Modeling technology. This technology guarantees top-notch sound and rapid response, setting a new standard in the industry. Expanded Amps, Speakers, and…

[shuaflix]

driving lessons for dummies

❝ i can't parallel park, but i know all the lyrics to 'driver's license' by olivia rodrigo now. ❞

PAIRING ▸ kwon soonyoung x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ fluff, humor, smut, strangers to lovers au, college au

WARNINGS ▸ profanity, weed consumption, mc has the worst luck imaginable, soonyoung is down horrendous, there is a minor car crash, very minor description of blood, hurt/comfort, almost car sex, unprotected sex (wrap before you tap), grinding, oral (fem. receiving), praise, lots of teasing, overstimulation, pet names (both sexy and unsexy), friend group shenanigans

SUMMARY ▸ you've finally passed your written test and gotten your permit after six failed attempts. eager to get your license while attempting to avoid overpriced driving lessons, you enlist the help of kwon soonyoung, who only requires a STIIZY pod as payment.

PLAYLIST ▸ new romantics by taylor swift • see you again by tyler, the creator, kali uchis 

WORD COUNT ▸ 16,834 words

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ this is representation for all the girlies out there who can't drive. not me but

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON STEREOTYPES PERPETUATED AGAINST WOMEN WAS THAT THEY WERE DEEMED TERRIBLE DRIVERS. 

That, or they just flat-out couldn’t drive to save their lives. 

This sexist notion dated back to when the automobile was created, when driving was physically demanding work and men insisted they handled operating the vehicles themselves. Now, though, plenty of women drove just fine, but misogyny was the only thing keeping the stereotype relevant. 

After all, the only reason why women were considered “bad drivers” was because a man decided they were.

Screw all the women who revolutionized the automobile industry, right? Despite them being highly discouraged to take on the labor required of men, it was Bertha Benz who drove the furthest in a motorized carriage than anyone else. It was Anne French who was the first woman to receive a driver’s license. It was Marget Wilcox who invented the car heater, Mary Anderson who created windshield wipers, and Hedy Lamar who designed the wireless transmission technology that made the innovation of the GPS possible.

No matter how high that glass ceiling was, even if a woman demolished and obliterated it to pieces, there would always be a man out there who would push her right back down. 

Unfortunately, you were nowhere near smashing that glass ceiling because you had failed your permit test six times. 

Yes, it was embarrassing, but you were determined to get your license. At your age, it was getting ridiculous that you had consistently failed your permit test this many times. Plus, you were getting tired of asking all of your friends for rides. You envisioned picking them up in your new car with your shiny new license, grinning smugly at the shocked looks on their faces.

“I don’t think God wants you on the road,” Wen Junhui, your best friend since middle school, said as he dropped you off at the DMV. “If you fail a seventh time, I would personally just use public transportation for the rest of my life.” 

“If a sixteen-year-old can pass it without studying, then I can pass it,” you insisted. “Plus, I read the entire manual last night.”

“Yeah, except the sixteen-year-old passed it on their first or second try, and this is your seventh.” 

“Well, seventh time’s the charm, right?” 

“Right,” he replied, doubtful. He stopped the car in front of the DMV to let you out. “Well, good luck. I’m gonna go get gas and I’ll come back for you.”

“Thanks, Jun!” you chirped. “I swear I’ll pass it this time.”

“Sure.”

“Have some faith in me, please.”

When Junhui drove away, you steeled your nerves to mentally prepare yourself—not for the test but for interacting with the DMV employees. You weren’t a fan of being verbally abused by them, especially after having them roll their eyes at you the last six times you had to tell them you failed. 

But today would be different. 

Thankfully, the DMV wasn’t too busy today. You only had to wait twenty minutes until they called your number. After handing them the proper paperwork, you were directed to the computers to take the permit test. 

Since you were an adult, you only needed to get 30 questions correct out of 36. You had learned your lesson by now, so you actually studied the handbook this time. It took a while to admit to yourself that you weren’t blessed with common sense. 

First question. Wrong. 

Second question. Wrong. 

Third question. Wrong. 

What was happening?

By the time you had gotten five questions wrong in a row, your hands were shaking. The pressure started to set back in, and you were terrified about failing this exam a seventh time. Junhui would be so disappointed if you told him you failed again. 

You felt the back of your shirt cling to your skin once the sixth question was incorrect. This was ridiculous; you had studied, but these questions were strangely specific. It was like someone at the DMV had it out for you. 

Maybe Junhui was right. Maybe God didn’t want you on the road. 

You felt like your brain had entered auto-pilot to protect yourself from the discouraging loss of your permit yet again. You clicked through the rest of the questions mindlessly, hardly thinking about anything until— 

You passed! 

The white screen flashed in your face for about a minute before you could register it properly. All you could do was blink and stare until you pinched your wrist to make sure you weren’t seeing things. 

Had you really gotten the rest of the 30 questions right after your consecutive failed attempts? You were so worked up over the six you missed that the rest felt like a blur. Maybe the problem was that you had been overthinking the test this entire time. 

“I did it,” you breathed out to the woman at the counter, still in disbelief. “I passed.” 

“Congratulations,” she replied with little enthusiasm. She turned to grab papers from her printer, stapled them together, and handed you your brand new permit. “Have a nice day now.” 

“Thank you so much,” you replied, slightly distracted as you inspected your learner’s permit with wide eyes.

You had been waiting for this day for so long, and here you were, holding the permit you had spent years trying to obtain. You could only imagine how thrilled your parents and friends would be once they found out. 

Speaking of friends, when you checked your phone, you saw that Junhui had texted you five minutes ago that he was parked outside. He probably expected you to walk out with a gloomy expression and slumped shoulders, but you had a skip in your step this time. You finally had good news for your best friend. 

“Jun!” you yelled before you even opened the door to the passenger’s seat. “Jun, Jun, Jun, Jun!”

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he said sympathetically, but something about his automatic response definitely felt practiced, “you’ll get it next time.”

“No, Jun, I passed!”

His eyes went wide. “You did?!” 

“I did!” You squealed and practically jumped into the seat. Sinking back, a wide grin stretched across your face. “I finally did it.” 

“Yo, congrats.” Junhui grinned. “I guess the seventh time really is the charm, huh?” He started his car to pull out of the parking lot. “Well, now you just have to pass the driving test.” 

Your face fell.

You had been thinking about the permit test for so long that you forgot there was an actual driving component, too. 

First of all, you had never driven a vehicle in your life, not even illegally with friends. Second of all, you had terrible depth perception, which was probably not a great flaw to have if you wanted to drive. Thirdly, everything you prepared for the permit test had completely ejected from your brain. Your road sense was back to utterly clueless. 

“I’m gonna fail,” you said, defeated. “Jesus Christ, Jun, I didn’t even think about the actual driving test!”

“Relax, driving’s easy once you get the hang of it,” he replied. “What you should really be worrying about is how expensive those lessons are.” 

“How much are they?” 

“Uh, like, close to a few hundred.” 

“Total?” 

“No, per lesson.” 

“Per lesson?!” you cried. “Just for someone to tell me where to turn and brake? I can’t afford that!” 

“I’m guessing most of it is because they’re willingly sitting in a car with someone who doesn’t know shit about driving,” he explained, “but, yeah, it’s a crazy price. You do need to get that license before your permit expires, though, and you should probably get it done while you’re still here for college so you don’t run over the elementary schoolers back home.” 

You buried your face in your hands and let out a loud groan. “How am I gonna dish out hundreds of dollars? I don’t have that kind of money to spend when I have rent to pay off.” 

The corner of Junhui’s mouth lifted, more so exasperated than amused when he said, “I think I might know a guy.” 

Kwon Soonyoung. 

Junhui sent you his number after he dropped you off at your apartment. Apparently, Soonyoung was one of his good friends who also happened to have a side gig where he gave out driving lessons at a discounted price. Of course, the downside was that Soonyoung wasn’t exactly certified to teach people how to drive, but he was allegedly a good driver.

His lessons were normally for high schoolers, and he charged their parents around a hundred. For adults over the age of 21, though, he had a special offer that you couldn’t resist. 

You texted him to ask if he had any open spots for you. He took a few days to reply, but you eventually got a two-hour slot for the next week. You weren’t sure how effective his lessons would be, but you figured you would give it a shot since he was your age and giving out classes for cheap. 

When the day of your lessons rolled around, you were slightly anxious while you were waiting for him to arrive. You needed Junhui to reassure you for hours last night, promising that no, Soonyoung was not going to kidnap and murder you. He was a student at your university, actually, and he was a public health major who never had a murderous thought in his life.

soonyoung (driving instructor): i’m outside your house 

Okay, if he wasn’t a murderer, then the least he could do was not text you like one.  

After replying with an omw that autocorrected to On my way! and left you feeling very distressed that your communication sounded overly-enthusiastic, you worked up the courage to walk outside to his Honda Accord. 

“Hi,” you greeted shyly when you opened the door. “You’re Soonyoung, right?” 

Honestly, you didn’t care if he was Soonyoung or not. The man sitting in the driver’s seat was probably one of the most attractive people you had ever laid eyes on. Even if he wasn’t Kwon Soonyoung, you would happily let him kidnap you. Maybe you’d even blush a little because he picked you of all people to kidnap. 

He turned to look at you, seeming a little surprised that you opened the door but smiling nevertheless. “Yeah, that’s me. You’re Y/N?” 

When you nodded, he got out of the driver’s seat and motioned for you to take it. You skirted around the car to sit inside while Soonyoung took the passenger’s seat. 

You also got a glance of his off-brand, beige Fear of God Essentials sweater that read M.I.L.F. Hunter instead. Classy. 

“So, you came to me because you didn’t wanna give up your semester’s worth of college tuition for driving lessons,” Soonyoung said with an overwhelming air of confidence. 

“Yeah, pretty much.” You huffed. “Here, I heard this was your payment.”

You handed him a paper bag, not bothering to take out the receipt from the dispensary. Inside was the King Louis XIII STIIZY pod. One gram. 

“Ah, good. You know your stuff.” 

Soonyoung hummed as he examined the box, and you were just wondering when he would get to business and start showing you the controls in his car. You were slightly overwhelmed by his impressively relaxed demeanor. Maybe it would have been better if you settled for an uptight woman in her sixties. Pretty boys were always trouble. 

“You made the right choice coming to me. I’m a much better driver than those hags from the driving schools around here,” he continued. It was like he could read your mind; it was almost terrifying. “Plus, way less likely that I’ll get a heart attack in the passenger’s seat.” 

He was a total weirdo, but he was hot, so you supposed it canceled out in some obscure, mathematical sense. 

“That’s… good to hear, I think,” you replied. “So, are you, like, good at this?”

“Are you kidding? I’m basically the Lebron of driving.”

“I see.” You nodded along, unsure. “I don’t watch football, so…” 

“He plays basketball, but close enough.”

After spending about thirty minutes explaining all of the controls—from hand signals, to the dashboard, to the indicator—Soonyoung decided it was time for you to start driving on your own. You didn’t expect to move this quickly; actually, you didn’t think you’d even start driving until your second lesson. Thankfully, you gathered most of what Soonyoung had taught you, so you mustered up the courage to press your foot on the brakes and move the gear shift into drive. 

You looked over at Soonyoung expectantly, waiting for him to give you the green light to start driving. The boy only raised a brow at you, wondering why you hadn’t started driving yet. 

“Today would be nice,” he remarked.

“Uh, should I start now?”

“Sorry, I don’t have a starting pistol for you or anything.” He made a finger gun with his hand and pretended to fire. “On your mark, get set—”

“Okay, going,” you replied quickly, flushing with embarrassment. You pressed down on the accelerator and gasped as the car lurched forward. “Sorry!”

“Slowly!” Soonyoung cried out, holding onto the ‘oh shit’ handle, which you found highly unnecessary and felt somewhat offended about. “Press down slowly—gentle.”

The next hour of your lessons was a learning curve, to say the least. In your defense, it was your very first time driving, so you didn’t know you were actually supposed to look behind you before you switched lanes. Although Soonyoung kept reminding you, his instructions kept slipping your mind because you were focusing on several things at once. 

You sucked.

You were probably honked at around eight times and flipped off twice. It was a humbling experience, really. There was only so much a DMV victim could take, so you eventually had to pull over and try not to cry while Soonyoung consoled you. 

“C’mon, you probably didn’t even do anything wrong. It’s just their road rage,” he said, trying to duck his head to get a better look at you while you had your hands covering your face. “Plus, all those assholes were driving way over the speed limit. You were the responsible one back there.”

You sniffled, sucking in a shuddering breath before you gathered your composure. It wasn’t like you to be so vulnerable in front of a stranger like this, but it was probably the nerves of your first time driving coupled with the nerves of driving (and potentially damaging) someone else’s car. 

“You’re right.” You wiped at your damp cheek. “Fuck them. They couldn’t pass a driving test if they tried.”

“Well, technically, they already have.” 

“Not helping.”

He smirked. “Are you good to keep driving? Or do you wanna wrap this session up for today?” 

“Let’s keep going.” You set the car in drive again, but you looked over at Soonyoung before you did anything else. “Thanks, by the way. I’m guessing most of your students don’t usually pull over to cry during their lesson.” 

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t say it’s happened before, but it’s not a bad thing.”

It was a good thing that you were able to hide your blush from Soonyoung. With the clearly embarrassing impression you were making on him, it would have been mortifying if he found out that he was also making you flustered. 

For the next thirty minutes, you slowly started to get more comfortable behind the wheel. Soonyoung was thankfully not overbearing as most instructors normally were, so you didn’t end up flinching every time he spoke. 

He made light conversation to make you feel at ease, which you appreciated greatly. At first, you just nodded or hummed in response, as you were too afraid to do anything but stare at the road ahead, but you eventually steeled your nerves and replied with actual words. Soonyoung was a natural conversationalist, so you didn’t have to worry about your awkward pauses or stumbling over your words. He led the conversation, sharing random tidbits of his life that you wouldn’t expect to hear from someone the first time you met them. 

Everything seemed to be going perfectly normal until Soonyoung started queuing songs to play. 

The problem wasn’t the music. The problem was that Soonyoung had stopped teaching you to drive, allowing you to fend for your life while he sat back and relaxed. You weren’t sure if normal people were able to loosen up so easily while being driven by a complete amateur. 

Soonyoung must’ve been from a different planet, you decided. Some planet out there that deemed him the Lebron of driving. 

“Uh,” you started, “aren’t you gonna tell me where to go?” 

Soonyoung opened his mouth, as if he was going to ask what you meant, but then his demeanor completely shifted. 

“Pull over to the curb,” he instructed, “now.”

“What?” Your pulse raced, and you were scared that you had fucked up somehow. You checked your mirrors to make sure you hadn’t cut anyone off or anything, but there was no one behind you. Swallowing thickly, you pulled over to the curb as best as you could and parked the car, shooting your driving instructor a nervous glance. “Did I do something wr—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Soonyoung whispered, silencing you with a wave of his hand. “This is the best part.”

Your jaw clenched as Olivia Rodrigo’s vocals were drowned out by Soonyoung’s off-key singing. This was why he wanted you to pull over? 

“I knew we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one!” he belted out. “C’mon, sing with me—oh, and I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone!”

You folded your arms across your chest. With a reluctant sigh, you gave in and started singing along with Soonyoung. 

You weren’t exactly ready for your driving test, but after two more lessons with Soonyoung, you felt more confident about being on the road. Sure, you almost ran over a pedestrian once and drove on the wrong side of the road the other day, but at least you were capable of handling a vehicle mostly by yourself. 

There were times where you wondered if your driving lessons would be more productive with a proper instructor, not Soonyoung. He surely knew how to drive (save for when he went over the speed limit and only slowed down when he saw a cop car), but he was more focused on messing around instead of actually teaching you. You were pretty sure that he saved his proper instruction for high school students with parents, and you were just someone he liked to mess around with. 

That didn’t stop you from scheduling another lesson with him, though. It was going to be another trip to the dispensary for you.

“How’re the driving lessons going?” Junhui asked, still nose-deep in his anatomy textbook. 

The two of you were preparing for your upcoming midterms in a study room, but all you could think about was the little notification on your phone screen telling you that Soonyoung requested to follow you on Instagram. How long were you supposed to wait until you accepted his request? Would it be weird if you followed him back right away?

“I can’t parallel park, but I know all the lyrics to ‘Driver’s License’ by Olivia Rodrigo now,” you answered. “I’ve also been honked at thirteen times.”

You counted. Mostly because each honk kept you up at night, staring up at your popcorn ceiling, wondering why everyone (a driver who probably didn’t even remember your face) hated you. 

“Ah,” Junhui mused, smiling a little to himself, “so it’s going well.” 

“I wouldn’t say that,” you mumbled. “But he’s nice. He doesn’t make me feel like crying. I think my dad would make me cry.”

Your phone buzzed while Junhui started going off on a tangent about how your dad was, indeed, a scary man. (There was an incident during parent’s weekend in freshman year where your father walked into your dorm room to see Junhui sitting on your bed. Completely misunderstanding the situation, your poor friend got lectured for almost an hour.) Soonyoung’s contact name flashed across your screen, and you were itching to read his text. 

Once you and Junhui settled back into studying, you turned on your phone to check your messages.

soonyoung (driving instructor): i see you in the first floor study room soonyoung (driving instructor): come to the second floor study room for a good time

Terrifying. But you were intrigued. 

After excusing yourself for a moment, making some lame excuse about needing to use the bathroom, you slipped out of your study room to head upstairs. You realized you had never actually seen Soonyoung on campus before, so a strange feeling of excitement consumed you, making your body feel light and your chest feel giddy. 

Outside one of the study rooms, you heard echoes of laughter and conversation, which made you feel instantly nervous. You were invited, though, so you steeled your nerves and opened the door cautiously. 

“Hi,” you greeted quietly, glancing over at the three strangers before your eyes landed on Soonyoung, who grinned once he saw you. 

The four of them weren’t exactly studying. Two of them were fiddling with the flatscreen fixed to the wall, trying to connect a Nintendo Switch to it; one of them was sliding joy-cons into controllers; and Soonyoung, who had his legs kicked up on the table previously, was standing up to walk over to you. 

“You came!” His tone made it seem like he was doubtful that you’d actually show up, so you were glad to prove him wrong. “Oh, yeah, this is Seungcheol and Mingyu”—he gestured toward the two who were setting up the TV, and then he pointed at the guy with the joy-cons—“and this is Seungkwan.”

“Hey,” the three of them chorused in broken unison. 

“Wanna play Smash Bros with us?” Soonyoung asked. “Perchance.”

“You can’t just say ‘perchance,’ dude,” one of the guys setting up the TV said. 

“I think it’s applicable, Mingyu,” the other guy said, whom you now deduced was Seungcheol. “Conceivably.”

“There’s no reason for either of you to use the words ‘perchance’ or ‘conceivably’ at all,” Seungkwan chimed in. 

“Ignore them,” Soonyoung said, holding the door open wider for you before you even gave him an answer. “They’re just idiots.” 

“You’re the biggest idiot here!” Seungcheol protested. He turned to you and explained, “He’s, like, the final boss idiot.” 

Mingyu snickered. “Final idiot.”

You found yourself giggling a little, distracted by their banter as you walked inside the room and sat down in one of the empty chairs. Soonyoung slid into the one next to you, even though he was sitting next to Seungkwan earlier. You were glad that none of his friends made you feel like your presence was strange or unwelcome, but you still couldn’t help but feel awkward. 

While Soonyoung was asking Seungcheol if he had finished connecting his Switch to the TV, you pulled out your phone to text Junhui. 

y/n: i’m playing smash bros??? with soonyoung on the second floor y/n: wanna join?

jun: my anatomy midterm is in 3 days, 2 hours, and 26 minutes and all i know rn is that tissues are to wipe my tears after i fail this exam, negative feedback is all im getting back from my professor, and brain cells r what im deficient in  

y/n: ok damn i’ll take that as a no

jun: i’ll be in here for the next 3 days whenever u decide to come back 

y/n: it’ll take an hour tops y/n: pls don’t camp here for 3 whole days 

“Jun’s not coming,” you announced. 

You heard a chorus of groans. 

Great. They were all Wen Junhui fanboys. 

After Mingyu and Seungcheol finished setting up the Nintendo Switch, you watched Soonyoung and Seungkwan play the first match. Seungkwan chose Villager (which was sort of fitting for him, actually) and Soonyoung chose Donkey Kong. You honestly had no idea how Smash Bros worked, so you were completely lost while you watched their characters fly around and knock each other off the platform. 

Soonyoung was screaming at one point, threatening Seungkwan with several promises to knock him out, which never happened. Seungkwan, taking a calmer approach, focused on using several commands while Soonyoung was already jumping out of his chair and on the floor. Mingyu and Seungcheol were on the sidelines, yelling out strategies for them at random and laughing occasionally. 

The match ended with Seungkwan being victorious. Soonyoung had gotten so riled up during the game, but he took his defeat like a champ, congratulating his friend and laughing off his loss. 

You were just amused at how quickly he switched up. 

“You want a turn?” Soonyoung asked you, handing you his controller. 

You hesitated. “Uh, I’m not really good at these kinds of games.”

“I’ll help you.”

You were up against Mingyu. He was a formidable opponent at first glance, but you hoped he wasn’t as competitive as the others. Maybe he would show you mercy because it was your first time playing. 

You held the controller with stiffly-bent arms, holding it up like you were reading a map. Soonyoung didn’t laugh at you, to your relief, but he gently pushed your hands down and showed you what all of the controls were. 

You chose the pink blob named Kirby. You weren’t a gamer by any means, so you had no idea what purpose the pink blob served other than being cute. No one judged you for your selection, though, which you assumed was a good sign. 

“Don’t go easy on me,” you mumbled to Mingyu, who grinned in response. 

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

Your heart raced when the countdown started. It felt like the longest three seconds of your life, and you were starting to regret choosing Kirby, who looked harmless in comparison to Mingyu’s character: Samus. You kept telling yourself that it was okay if you lost; you knew how to handle failure since you were pretty bad at virtually everything. 

Soonyoung was cheering for your victory as soon as the match started. He was an absolute angel for doing so, but you were afraid you were going to disappoint him. 

In Mingyu’s defense, you did tell him not to go easy on you. Unfortunately, the guy really wasn’t holding back at all. In the blink of an eye, you were already astral projecting off the screen. 

“Oh,” was all you could say. 

Maybe you should have swallowed down your pride and asked Mingyu to go easy on you.

Seungcheol playfully punched his friend’s shoulder. “C’mon, dude, it’s her first time.”

“Yeah, why’re you being a dick?” Seungkwan joined in, seeming more excited over having an excuse to target Mingyu than to actually defend you.

“She told me not to go easy on her!” he exclaimed, but no one allowed the poor boy to stand up for himself. With a pout, he turned to you and said, “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize.” You laughed. “I’m just bad at this.”

“Here, I’ll help you for the next round.” Soonyoung scooted closer to you until his knee brushed against yours. You couldn’t help but feel a little hot all of a sudden, but you made no effort to move away. 

The next round started with you dropping from the revival platform. You felt like your brain went into autopilot. You just heard Soonyoung talking in your ear while his fingers kept brushing against yours, telling you which controls were best for fighting Samus. Everything was going in one ear and out the other; you were so flustered that you could hardly think straight. 

You snapped back into reality when you heard three of them screaming, and you looked over with wide eyes to see Mingyu looking shell-shocked himself. 

You won. 

Soonyoung smiled. “See? You’re a natural.”

“No, it was all you,” you replied, shaking your head. It really was all thanks to Soonyoung because you had no idea what the hell you did. “It was probably just beginner’s luck.”

But, even so, a smile tugged at your lips, and you felt elated from your triumph. You thought back to Soonyoung’s hands brushing against yours, nearly swamping yours in comparison, and your chest felt a little warm. 

A little too warm. 

You put a pause on driving for a week and a half, informing Soonyoung that you had to focus on midterms before you could think about your driving lessons. Both caused you extreme distress, so you needed to cut one out temporarily.

Junhui really did camp out in the library for three entire days. You brought him food every day and forced him to go back to his apartment to take a shower. When you watched over his study room for him, Soonyoung would swing by and ask how you were doing. 

Brief interactions, but they were nice. 

You managed to get through your midterms without a single cry session in a bathroom stall. It was honestly a bigger success than your first Smash Bros win. 

Soonyoung and you grew a little closer. Two weeks ago, if someone told you that you would be FaceTiming your driving instructor every night before bed, you wouldn’t believe them for a second. Mostly because you assumed you would get a driving instructor who was pushing retirement age, and video calling someone that old at night sounded a little concerning and borderline adulterous.

You learned a lot about him. His go-to breakfast or midnight snack was Frosted Flakes, and he felt a little empty inside if there wasn’t a box of the cereal in his cabinet. He was loud most of the time, but he often got shy or quiet in loud settings; it was highly dependent on the crowd he was with. His love language was sending you pictures of cute animals and saying it was you two. (You also didn’t like calling this a “love language” because that implied there was something deeper than platonic feelings, which you were too afraid to come to terms with.)

“You have to start driving again now that your midterms are over,” Soonyoung said over the phone one night. He was sulking while you were doing your skincare routine, keeping your phone propped up on your desk. “You’re gonna start forgetting what you learned, and then we’re gonna be back to square one.”

He was (slightly) high tonight and you were the first person he called.

You were pretty sure that had to mean something. Unfortunately, you were too guarded to connect the pieces that were laid out perfectly for you.

“You just miss me, huh?” you joked. 

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

Nothing could have prepared you for that response. 

You felt your cheeks burn, and you had to physically turn around to hide whatever expression was betraying you. You pretended to examine something behind you, but there was clearly nothing there, so you just looked like an idiot. 

You didn’t know what you were feeling. There was a clear difference in your emotions when you spoke to Soonyoung versus when you spoke to his friends. 

You didn’t want to compare Soonyoung to Junhui, who you knew since middle school, but you knew that you didn’t feel anything funny in your chest when you interacted with Seungcheol, Seungkwan, or Mingyu. They were great to be around, of course, but it was only Soonyoung who made you walk with a little skip in your step.

You hadn’t had a proper crush in years. Now, you felt like you were overthinking everything and analyzing every little interaction that could possibly be meaningless. 

It had only been a few weeks, but you supposed there was no exact timeline for these sorts of things—whatever this thing was. 

Whatever it was, though, you were in danger.

“Tomorrow, then,” you said once you regained a sliver of your composure. “Pick me up after your classes.”

“Sure.” He rested his chin in his palm, staring at you with an amused expression. “I’ll bring flowers.”

Possible Ways To Respond: 1. “You’re too sweet! Thank you.” 2. “Flowers? What’s the occasion?” 3. “Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special, huh?” 

You went with a secret fourth option.

“Please don’t. I’m allergic.”

True to his word, Soonyoung picked you up after his classes the next day. 

You were pretty sure your lessons had gone over the regular quota, so you stopped by at the dispensary earlier to pick up another pod for Soonyoung. He didn’t look as though he was expecting anything when you got in the driver’s seat, though. In fact, he was perplexed when you handed him the paper bag. 

“What’s this?” he asked, growing sheepish. 

“Your payment,” you replied. “Also, I sort of lied about being allergic to flowers. I’m not allergic to flowers. I don’t know why I said that. I’m allergic to penicillin, though, but I don’t think that sounds remotely close to ‘flowers.’ Maybe I got confused? I don’t know.”

If this was an otome game, you had surely picked the bad relationship ending. Soonyoung’s face fell a little—just enough for you to notice—and you immediately felt guilt swallowing you whole. You meant for your words to sound lighthearted, but maybe they didn’t come across that way. 

But, at the same time, you didn’t know where you stood. Wouldn’t it have been unfair to not repay Soonyoung for the lessons? Was it unreasonable that you weren’t actually expecting him to bring you flowers for no reason?

Soonyoung recovered quickly, though, his smiling eyes crinkling at the corners. “So I can bring you flowers.”

“Hypothetically, you could.”

“But you don’t have to pay me anymore.” He looked into the paper bag, examining the STIIZY pod before scoffing. “If I keep stocking up on these, people are gonna think I’m a stoner.” 

“Well, I have to pay you for the lessons somehow,” you said. “So, if you don’t want the pods anymore, then I’ll have to start sending you money. I mean, what about gas?”

“You don’t have to worry about my gas tank.” He chuckled at your words and sat back to get comfortable. “What you should worry about is not hitting the curb.”

You flushed hotly. “Right.”

The first hour went smoothly. Soonyoung was impressed that you were gradually getting more and more comfortable behind the wheel, and he even congratulated you for changing lanes without muttering prayers under your breath. You were beginning to feel less overwhelmed with everything you were supposed to focus on, and you were certain that you were so close to everything clicking at once. 

That was, until a car crashed right into you on a local road. 

Thankfully, you and the other driver weren’t going too fast, but the force was sure to leave a dent in Soonyoung’s car. The collision wasn’t hard, by any means, but the impact jerked your body forward so that your mouth hit the steering wheel. The sting of pain radiated throughout your gums seconds later, and you winced and cradled your jaw. 

You immediately bubbled with rage as you pulled over to the curb, knowing that you had the right of way and he was supposed to stop and wait for you to pass, but you were still stiff with shock. Soonyoung’s eyes were fierce, looking back at the driver as if he was about to cuss him out, but then he turned his attention to you.

Before you could feel immense, crushing guilt over crashing Soonyoung’s car, you whipped your head around to make sure he wasn’t hurt. You wouldn’t be surprised if he completely ghosted you after this. You were probably the worst student he had ever come across, which was saying a lot considering most of his students were high school teenagers. 

“Y/N, are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked, sounding as frantic as his hands were. You felt his palm against your cheek and his other hand atop your head, making sure you weren’t hurt anywhere. 

“Are you okay?” you blurted out. Your breathing was erratic, and you hardly registered the metallic taste of blood in your mouth. “Oh god. Your car. Oh god, I—” 

“It’s okay, Y/N, it’s not your fault,” he said. “You had the right of—” 

When he turned to look at you again, he just stared, eyes wide and jaw hanging open—almost comically. It almost looked like he was more bewildered by you than the fact that his car was rammed into by another car. 

He was wordless for far too long that you had to ask, “Everything okay?” 

Maybe that was a stupid question. Clearly, everything wasn’t okay, and it had everything to do with the fact that you two had gotten into a car crash.

“I think you loth a tooth,” he lisped—a seemingly joking remark, but his expression was dead serious.

For a split second, a laugh bubbled up in your mouth. You thought Soonyoung must have been messing with you, but it was ridiculous that he could joke around in such a situation. It was when you touched your lip and pulled your hand back to see blood, though, that cold reality washed over you.

Your eyes went wide as saucers as you turned to examine your teeth in the rear-view mirror. 

The worst possible thing that could happen to a woman was happening to you right now. 

Your front left tooth was gone. 

“I-it’s not that bad,” Soonyoung tried, although he sounded unconvinced himself. “It’s cute! It’s like, uh, that dragon—from, uh… How to Train Your Dragon.” 

Your eyes were burning and your throat was closing up, but tonguing the bloodied gap between your teeth sent you over the edge. You had tears streaming down your cheeks and you were gripping the wheel so hard that your knuckles turned pale.

“Toothleth?” you cried, which led to a few choked sobs when you realized that you had a lisp now. Then, you were full-on crying into your hands because sure, you could get over being the reason why Soonyoung’s car had a dent in it, but you were pretty sure there was no replacing a missing tooth. The more you cried, though, the worse you felt as you tasted the blood and heard the faint whistles coming from the gap in your teeth. “I’m tho thupid!” 

Soonyoung was clearly short-circuiting, but you could tell he was desperate to calm you down by the way he was rubbing your back in soothing circles. “Y/N, you’re not stupid. It's okay, we just—”

“Thoonyoung!”

Soonyoung slapped his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter. He was trying to take you seriously, but the little bursts of laughter that bubbled up in his throat were betraying him. 

You swallowed down your sob and continued, “Ith not okay! I loth my tooth!” 

“Okay, no more talking,” he ordered. “I know you’re very hurt right now, but you’re gonna feel even worse if I start laughing at your lisp, so don’t make this harder for me.” 

You scowled at him, but you kept your mouth shut because Soonyoung was right; you were not in the proper headspace to be laughed at right now. 

“Okay, I’m gonna go outside and talk to the driver who ran into us,” he explained slowly. “I want you to calm your breathing and find your missing tooth. We can drive to the dentist right after, okay?” 

You sniffled and nodded, craning your neck to watch Soonyoung get out of the car to talk to the driver. Then, you sucked in a sharp breath and examined the floor to find your loose tooth. Lo and behold, it was laying next to the gas pedal. You cringed as you picked it up, frowning at how bloody it was in your palm. There were a few napkins in Soonyoung’s glove compartment, so you wrapped your tooth in one and kept it in your pocket.

You heard some yelling from the other driver—something about having kids in the back and how you were going way too fast—and it all just made you feel worse. You felt horrible that Soonyoung had to deal with the repercussions, and after they exchanged insurances and the guy drove off, you got out of the car to see the damage. 

Surely enough, there was a decent-sized dent in the side of his car. It was right where the back door opened, and you burst into tears at the sight of it. Soonyoung wouldn’t have to deal with all of this if he wasn’t teaching you to drive.  

Still, he wrapped his arms around your shaking body and pulled you in close. He rested his chin on top of your head and sighed. 

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “The insurance will cover the damage. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“What about my tooth?”

“Okay, maybe there’s one thing to worry about.”

You leaned into his touch when you felt his hand carding through your hair. His motions were slow and gentle, as if he was trying hard to make sure you didn’t notice the gesture. You did, though, and you appreciated it. 

You started, “I’m—”

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” he interrupted. You thought he was going to say something cheesy about how you had nothing to apologize for, but he continued, “You’re gonna say thorry, and I’m not gonna be able to take you seriously.”

With your face buried in his chest, you reached your hand out to punch his shoulder. 

Still, despite his snarky comment and the emotional distress you were experiencing over your missing tooth, a big smile crossed your face and his embrace left a warm, fluttery feeling in your stomach. 

Your heart was beating so fast that you almost thought it would stop. 

“Ew,” was Wen Junhui’s first reaction upon seeing your swollen lip. You could only see the top half of his face over FaceTime, but you were sure he had a look of disgust on. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks,” you replied dryly, holding an ice pack to your cheek. 

Before Soonyoung drove you to a dentist, he scolded you for leaving your tooth wrapped up in a tissue. Apparently, your tooth was going to be fucked if it dried up, so his solution was to leave it in his half-empty water bottle that was left sitting in his car. You weren’t quite sure about this, but the dentist informed you that Soonyoung saved your front tooth. 

If he was with you in the room, you probably could’ve kissed him then and there—bloody mouth and all.

Thankfully, since you didn’t fracture or break any part of the tooth, the dentists were able to replant it into your gums without any complications. They told you it was a good thing you went straight to the dentist instead of waiting. Your front tooth would’ve been a lost cause if you waited another hour. 

It was really all thanks to Soonyoung. 

The procedure was quick and you were told that your avulsed tooth would be back to normal in about a week. The news filled you with relief because you were so sure you were going to be toothless for the rest of your life. 

Not that it was a bad thing. While Soonyoung was driving you to the dentist prior to the replantation, you had come to terms with the fact that you would be missing a front tooth for the rest of your life. You would grow old and tell your children the harrowing tale of how you got your driver’s license and sacrificed your front tooth for it. 

It couldn’t be all that horrible. Maybe you would grow an affinity for whistling.

Thankfully, that was all just your overthinking and your tooth was probably fine now. In seven days, everything was supposed to go back to normal, so you had your fingers crossed for a full recovery. 

“Of course that would happen to you.” Junhui laughed at your misery. “Shit like this only happens to you.”

“Yeah, I get it. I’m the pinnacle of terrible luck.”

“So, what happened after? Did you make out with Soonyoung or something?” 

“No!” you exclaimed. Your cheeks started to burn just at the thought. “How do you expect me to make out with someone when I look like this? Soonyoung drove me home like a gentleman. He’s not into me like that.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Shut up.” You rolled your eyes. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing him for a while, anyway. I don’t wanna start driving again until my tooth is fine.”

“Then maybe you can go on a different kind of ride with him instead.”

“You need to stop.”

You didn’t see Soonyoung much over the next week. He told you that he had a few papers to finish before his schedule would clear up, so you were only able to text him occasionally and see him in passing, exchanging a greeting before one of you had to go. 

You saw his friends a lot, though. They were always in the study room next to the one you and Junhui liked to use, so you would stop by their room often to see what they were up to. They were usually either messing around or using the whiteboard for everything but its intended purpose, so you enjoyed taking study breaks with them. Junhui was the type to not take breaks because he was locked in on his work once he got in the zone, so Soonyoung’s friends were a breath of fresh air. 

Your Current Opinions on Soonyoung’s Friends:

Mingyu: Kind. Approached you whenever he saw you. Pleasant conversations. Swiped up on your Snapchat stories sometimes. Was unfortunately the only person you forgot to block from your story once when you posted a semi-thirst trap just for Soonyoung’s eyes.

Seungcheol: Friendly whenever he talked to you. A little awkward because you once saw him taking selfies at the gym instead of working out. 

Seungkwan: Not super buddy-buddy but sweet enough. Liked making fun of Soonyoung with you. He brought you McDonald’s once and you imagined a future with him momentarily.

Word also got around that your front tooth had been knocked out clean. Seungcheol let it slip when he accidentally referred to you as ‘Toothless’ the other day. You made a mental note to kill Soonyoung later.

The next time you ran into your driving instructor on campus was outside one of your lecture halls. You walked out in the middle of class to fill up your hydroflask. It was especially hot today, and you were seconds away from heat exhaustion. Soonyoung’s brows lifted in pleasant surprise once he saw you, and he missed his elevator to walk up to you.

“Whoa.” You paused for a moment, unblinking. “I keep forgetting you go here.”

“I’m the hall monitor.”

“This is college. We don’t have hall monitors.”

“Self-elected,” was his response. “Speaking of, I don’t see your bathroom pass.”

“I’m not going to the bathroom. I’m filling up my water. Anyway, why would I—”

“Just this once, I’ll let you off with a warning,” he interjected, pulling out a card from the pocket of his jeans. He handed it to you, and you accepted it after a moment of hesitation. “There’s your bathroom pass. Don’t let me catch you loitering around here again.” 

With that, Soonyoung walked off, leaving you utterly confused. 

You flipped the business card around to see his name and number printed neatly in the middle, and you frowned in response. There was some other fine text on the back, but you didn’t take the time to read it properly as you were still baffled. 

“I already have your number!” you called after him, but you just heard your driving instructor laugh to himself in response as he disappeared behind the elevator doors.

Later, after your classes ended, you went back to your study room with Junhui. He had been in the library since morning, deciding to skip his classes to prepare for his second round of midterms that he still had a few weeks for. 

You told him about your encounter with Soonyoung, noting how strange it was that he casually had business cards on hand. Junhui asked to see the card, so you handed it over to him. 

Upon closer inspection, Junhui raised his eyebrows, impressed. ��Hall monitor rizz.”

“How was that rizz? He told me it was a bathroom pass and left.”

“Well, I’d consider it rizz since he’s asking you out on a date.”

Heat rose to your cheeks. “You think he’s asking me out on a date?” 

“No, I know he’s asking you out on a date.” Junhui flipped Soonyoung’s business card around to show you the fine print: Schedule our first date with the number provided on the other side of this card. The corner of his mouth lifted. “Says it right here. He’s just shy, Y/N.”

“Shy? Him? He doesn’t look like the shy type.”

“He’s shy,” he affirmed, “around you, at least. I mean, you’d get shy around the person you liked, wouldn’t you?” 

“I guess, but…” you trailed off, shaking your head. “No, this is normal, right? Dates are normal. We’re just two normal adults going on a normal date. Nothing weird about that, right? I shouldn’t feel so weird about this. Do I sound weird? Am I weird?”

You didn’t realize you had gotten up and started pacing until you turned to see Junhui looking at you with concern hanging in his brows. You sucked in a sharp breath and sank back into your seat, burying your face in your hands. 

“I’m in way over my head,” you mumbled. 

“You’re nervous ‘cause you have a crush on him,” he replied. “Nothing weird about that.”

“I have a crush on him,” you echoed, more so to yourself than to Junhui. 

Although you were partly in denial, still tossing and turning the prospect of crushing on Soonyoung around in your head, Junhui took your words as confirmation. He hummed knowingly and turned back to his textbook, leaving you to ruminate for the next thirty minutes in silence before you excused yourself. 

You were currently speed walking to your usual bus stop, hoping you would be able to stop thinking about Soonyoung and the business card tucked into your pocket. However, you couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of you developing a tiny crush on him. 

You hadn’t had a proper crush in ages. The last time you had strong feelings for someone was in high school, which promptly ended following your first date—after an eight month talking stage. You proposed going to the fair, which seemed fine until you threw up on the ferris wheel and received an ‘I don’t think this is going to work out’ text later that night. 

And why were you so flustered over this, anyway? After all, you had been anticipating the day Soonyoung would make the first move. Plus, you were an adult; overthinking your feelings like this was so high school. 

Whatever. You had nothing to lose.

You pulled out your phone to text Soonyoung, a small smile crossing your face once you caught sight of his profile picture again. It was a picture of him with all his hair flying every which way in the wind and his mouth open to yell some profanity. 

y/n: date. y/n: this week any day 

soonyoung (driving instructor): WHOA!!!!!!

y/n: what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day what day

soonyoung (driving instructor): tomorrow night

y/n: okay

soonyoung (driving instructor): okay

y/n: okay.

soonyoung (driving instructor): okay. soonyoung (driving instructor): can’t wait

y/n: me neither

soonyoung (driving instructor): pick you up at 8

y/n: i’ll be ready

soonyoung (driving instructor): i’ll be even more ready

Your heart didn’t stop pounding for the rest of the day.

To be a woman was to perform. 

You were currently performing an illegal U-turn. 

Soonyoung held onto the ‘oh shit’ handle fixed to the ceiling, his face contorted in absolute fear as he repeated, “Wrong lane, wrong lane, wrong lane, wrong lane, wrong lane—”

“Sorry!” you exclaimed, swerving back into your correct lane after checking your mirrors. You swallowed thickly before saying, “I’ve got it under control now, I think.”

Of course, you had been nervous the entire day and a half leading up to your date with Soonyoung, but how you felt right now had completely reigned over every emotion you were feeling before. 

Throughout the day, you had butterflies in your stomach and a little skip to your step, but now you were terrified of things you had never even worried about before. The reason you took a U-turn in the first place was because Soonyoung told you that you missed the parking lot entrance, causing you to panic in the middle of the road (which, on your part, was not very smart.) 

In short, Soonyoung should not have let you take the wheel, and you should not have gotten this worked up over him planning to take you to the local fair. 

What were the odds that you were back in the place where you had an awful last date? You could almost feel the bile rising up your throat.

Soonyoung’s voice was unnaturally high-pitched when he asked, “A-are you sure you’re ready to schedule that driving test?” 

“Yes! I’m ready,” you said, “but, to make things clear, my driving today is not representative of my driving any other day.”

Somehow, you and Soonyoung wound up making it to the fairgrounds’ parking lot in one piece. You deflated upon hearing the sigh of relief escape Soonyoung’s lips once the car was in park, but it was well deserved. You were surprised he even let you drive in the first place. 

The fairgrounds were packed with people—mostly students—so there were several couples going around with their fingers interlocked. You were now hyper-aware of your fingertips, wondering if you’d get the chance to brush them against Soonyoung’s and slowly slide your hand into his. 

He ended up paying for your ticket, and you didn’t have much room to argue about it because the employee was already taking his card before you even noticed. You told Soonyoung you would pay for something else—food, rides, raffle tickets—but he ended up covering everything for you. Of course, you were sure Junhui would have scolded you because turning down a guy paying for you was apparently equivalent to turning down the guy himself. So, you swallowed your pride and let Soonyoung take the lead. 

You went on a few rides with Soonyoung, shared a churro, and you took a picture in front of the ferris wheel. You were having a great time, actually, and almost all of your nerves had all but melted away. All that was left to deem this a perfect date was to actually ride the ferris wheel, which was exactly what you were absolutely terrified of. 

“Not good with heights?” Soonyoung asked as you two were getting into the seat, pulling down the lap bar for you two. 

You wondered if you looked as ghastly as you felt. “Not so much.”

You weren’t good with a lot of things, to be fair.

Smooth talker Soonyoung took that as his opportunity to slip his hand into yours, lacing your fingers together with a shy smile on his face. “You can close your eyes if it gets scary, or just keep looking at me.”

Honestly, that sounded scarier than the possibility of plummeting to your death from the top of the ferris wheel. You weren’t sure your heart could handle staring at Soonyoung, especially with how flustered his gaze made you feel. 

“Hey, could I ask you something?” you asked, nearly shying away when Soonyoung fixed his gaze on you. “When did you start liking me? I mean, I had no idea.”

“Uh…” The ride started moving backward as Soonyoung hummed in thought. “Probably that first time you were in my car?”

Your eyes went wide. “You mean our very first lesson?”

“Yeah, I thought you were cute—a little weird, but cute.” He grinned. “I think it was when you fell asleep over FaceTime that one night when I started catching feelings.”

Your cheeks burned. You weren’t sure if you could pinpoint a specific moment like he did; you just remembered your heart started beating faster when you saw him one day, and the rest was history. It was almost incredible how blindsided you were by his feelings, even though he had integrated himself into your daily life so naturally.

“And then you posted that one picture on your story once,” he continued, voice growing shy once he realized what he admitted out loud, “and that was when I knew I was really in too deep.”

You blanched with embarrassment. He must have been talking about the thirst trap because that was the only time you ever posted yourself so confidently. How were you going to explain that you blocked everyone else from your Snapchat story just for him to see that?

A nervous laugh bubbled from your lips. “About that—”

Before you could get any other words out, though, you became painfully aware of your surroundings. Your seat started swinging with the strong winds, and you realized that you were at the very top. If you leaned over enough, you were pretty sure your seat would tip over and drop you and Soonyoung right out. The very thought paralyzed you to the core. 

Just as Soonyoung was in the middle of asking if you were okay, the ferris wheel started moving faster, and you yelped and clung onto him as you two went down. You were fine with the slow pace with breaks in between, but now that you were moving at full speed in one go, it was downright terrifying. 

Soonyoung seemed to find it hilarious, though. He laughed and wrapped an arm around you while you were the very picture of fear. You buried your face into his chest and dug your nails in so hard that you were afraid he would feel them through his sweater. 

Finally, it came to a stop. The ride operator started letting people out one seat at a time, but you and Soonyoung had ended up at the very top again. You raised your head to sit upright again, letting out an exasperated breath, but Soonyoung drew you closer. He was still laughing, and it made you blush uncontrollably. 

“Just so you know, I’m good with any other ride!” you tried to defend yourself. “Well, actually, save for roller coasters and drop towers… oh, and—”

“Y/N,” Soonyoung cut you off with a smile, his voice hardly a murmur. Before, you could barely hear him over the excited cries and shouts in the fair, but now your attention had zeroed in on him. You felt disoriented as he placed his warm hand on your cheek, tilting his head and leaning in. “C’mere.”

You were too shy to admit it, but you had fantasized about making out with Soonyoung before. Of course, you never knew what type of kisser he was, so you just settled for whatever fantasy played out in your head.

Now, though, with his lips pressed against yours, you felt something hot and needy stir up inside you as he tugged you impossibly close to his body. Your stomach fluttered when you let slip a whimper, which Soonyoung didn’t let go unnoticed. He pulled back for a moment, his gaze darkening, promising to return to that later, and he returned to kissing you. 

When you were almost near the ground, you and Soonyoung pulled away. There were definitely far too many children and parents around for you two to be kissing like that, but now you were anticipating how things would be once you two were alone. 

“You two have fun?” the ride operator, who appeared to be an older teenager, asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. 

All you could do was nod and duck your head in embarrassment while Soonyoung beamed brighter than the flashing lights. 

You spent some more time with Soonyoung on a few more (tamer) rides before you two decided to call it a day. Your feet were getting sore, so he courteously offered to drive the both of you home. However, you had an itching feeling that he just didn’t want you behind the wheel again. 

“Wanna get something to eat?” he asked once you both were inside the car, and he turned his head around as he reversed. “There’s a good froyo place down the street.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” you agreed quickly. Deep down, you were hoping this date wouldn’t end just yet.

Soonyoung played Olivia Rodrigo’s new album as he drove, rolling the window down so that the wind tousled his hair. You thought he looked cute that way, and you had to keep your hand under your thigh to keep it from reaching over and running it through his locks. 

When he parked in front of the froyo place, it appeared completely dark inside. It was also evidently clear that the only cars parked in the lot were the overflow crowd of people from the fair who couldn’t get a parking spot at the fairgrounds. 

“Did we miss it?” He frowned, pausing to look up the store hours on his iPhone. “Man. I didn’t want our date to end like this.”

“I don’t want it to end, either.”

Soonyoung looked over at you, studying your expression carefully before asking, “Do you wanna chill in the back for a while, then?”

You knew what that meant. And you had specifically worn your matching lingerie set just for this moment. 

You unlatched your seatbelt, and Soonyoung followed suit right after. “Yeah, I’m down.” 

“Wait, there’s something I need to do first,” Soonyoung said in a soft voice, looking down at you with gentle eyes. 

For a moment, your heart jumped to your throat. The way he was looking at you sent butterflies to your stomach, and you couldn’t even imagine what he was going to do next. Something about his tone was so sincere that you were sure he was going to kiss you, especially when he started leaning down. 

You let your eyes flutter shut, waiting for his soft lips to meet yours. Your heartbeat felt like a drum in your ears. 

But nothing happened. No kiss. Nothing. 

You opened your eyes to see what Soonyoung was doing. When you saw him hunched over, fiddling with something near his ankles, your face deadpanned—not a flicker of amusement. 

Soonyoung had put his Crocs in sports mode. 

First of all, wearing Crocs on the first date was absurd.

Second of all, putting your Crocs in sports mode on the first date was absolutely preposterous. 

Yet, it was the perfect thing Soonyoung had done to put your nerves completely at ease. You ended up bursting into laughter at the very sight, making his head shoot up while his eyebrows were drawn together, perplexed. However, he happened to hit his head on the steering wheel as he did so, which only made you laugh even harder. 

Your sudden surge of confidence spurred you to crawl over the gear stick and straddle his lap. Shocked, Soonyoung gripped your thighs and straightened up. Before his lip could curl up in amusement, you wrapped your arms around his neck and slotted your lips with his. 

He broke for air for a moment, breathing out, “Well, hi.”

“Hi.” Your nose gently bumped against his. “Having second thoughts?” 

“No!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands up and down your sides. “I just didn’t wanna start anything because I wasn’t sure if you were ready.” He threw a glance over his shoulder before looking out the window. “Plus, this place isn’t exactly private.” 

You looked out the window while Soonyoung’s warm hands returned to your thighs. It was true that there were empty cars around, but there weren’t any people in sight. It was still early in the night, so you were sure people would stay at the fairgrounds until midnight. 

“Hey,” Soonyoung started again, “what was that you were gonna say on the ferris wheel? Before we, uh, made out.” 

“Oh.” Shame bubbled in your chest when you realized what he was talking about. “Nothing important.”

“Tell me.”

Moonlight shone in from the window, illuminating the side of Soonyoung’s face and his neck, showing off his prominent collarbones. His low voice reached your core in a way you had never experienced before. You flushed with embarrassment because you were certain Soonyoung could feel how you clenched. 

You looked out the window, as if you could mentally escape through it. Find a way to get out of the situation you were in. 

“Fine.” He huffed lightly before placing a hand behind your neck and drawing you closer. “I’ll just get it out of you, then.”

Notably flustered, you gasped when Soonyoung’s lips latched onto the side of your neck, biting and sucking the tender skin. You croaked out some lame lie about forgetting what you were trying to say, but Soonyoung persisted. He ravaged the column of your neck like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. 

You scooted up on his lap, sitting right on top of his growing bulge, which roused a throaty groan from him. You could feel Soonyoung twitch under you, and it was all that was needed for you to start grinding your hips slowly on his lap. And then he started guiding your hips down onto him. Your breath hitched when you felt his fingers dig into the grooves of your hips to take control of your motions. 

“Tell me,” he beseeched, and you shivered when you could feel his smile against your jawline.

You let out a whine. “It’s embarrassing.” 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, distracted as he looked up at you like you were the most precious thing in the world. His hands never left your hips as he watched you grind down on his lap. Soonyoung’s eyes were unfocused for a moment before clarity bled back into him. “It was about the Snapchat story, right? That one picture you posted.” 

“I don’t remember what that was,” you attempted to lie smoothly, but you were pretty sure your expression betrayed you once Soonyoung slid a hand under your shirt to cup your chest. 

“Yeah, you do. The one where you were wearing those thigh-high stockings.” You saw a flash of darkness in his eyes. “Can’t believe everyone got to see you like that.”

“I wouldn’t say everyone,” you muttered. 

“Hm?”

His thumb, after his hand managed to creep under your bra, found purchase on your nipple, rolling and circling around the supple flesh as he pleased. You only managed to let out a cry before Soonyoung was pressing you further, ordering you to answer him before he made you fall apart. 

You were so caught up in your own pleasure, practically chest-to-chest with Soonyoung, that you hardly noticed the knock on the window until Soonyoung jolted upright and straightened his back. 

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath, voice still thick with lust that was ebbing away. Thankfully, you both were still mostly clothed, but Soonyoung had his pants nearly down and you had your shirt riding up past your waist.

The officer stopped knocking to give Soonyoung the opportunity to roll the window down after he was decent. It was evidently an uncomfortable situation for both parties. You turned your head to the side, screwing your eyes shut and hoping you would blink out of existence if you tried hard enough. You never thought you would have a cop at your window before even getting your license. 

“Hi,” he greeted sheepishly once the window was down. “Sorry, we’ll get going now.”

“Yeah, uh…” The officer trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with a long-winded sigh. “I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but keep it in the bedroom, please.”

“Thanks…” Soonyoung trailed off, looking for some sort of identification tag. 

“Officer Hong,” he answered flatly. 

“Thanks, Officer Hong.”

“Don’t let me catch you two again.”

“Oh, probably not me, but once she gets her license then it’s over for—ow!” Soonyoung yelped when you pinched him in the side, effectively shutting him up. He immediately apologized, “Sorry, Officer Hong, it won’t happen again.”

The encounter with the police officer was awkward, yes, but somehow, Soonyoung was unfazed once you two had gotten off with the warning. He coolly looked up at you and asked if he could come over to your place tonight. You agreed, of course.

The drive home was perfectly fine. Soonyoung made sure you weren’t too startled by the officer and asked how you liked the fair. You thought it was all pleasant conversation that would continue once you were in your living room, but Soonyoung pinned you up against your front door as soon as you were inside. 

His strong arms caged you in his hold, and you could only helplessly look up at him and warble out some pathetic question, asking if he wanted water or snacks. He turned the offer down, obviously. 

Since you two had already gotten this far, you figured you might as well let Soonyoung in on your little secret. Although it was slightly humiliating to admit, you realized tonight that far more embarrassing things had happened to you. 

“You really wanna know, don’t you?” When he nodded in response, you sighed and explained, “What I posted on my story… I blocked everyone else so that only you’d see it.”

Well, him and Mingyu, but the latter was purely accidental. 

Hearing your words flipped a switch in Soonyoung and he completely froze up, as if he had stopped functioning altogether.

“Well, technically, you and Mingyu,” you rambled on, “but that’s only because I forgot to block him from my story. You know, I have, like, two hundred people on Snapchat, so I figured I’d accidentally skip over someone, anyway. But I don’t think he even paid any attention to it. I feel like he’d—”

He cut you off by sealing his lips over yours, and all the noise in your head simmered down. All the fluff filling up your brain billowed and sank back down. You remembered when you were a middle schooler, giggling and replaying the scenes in movies that were exactly like this. Now that you were actually living in it, though, you couldn’t get enough of Soonyoung. 

He broke away for a breather, lips hanging barely an inch from yours and your foreheads touching. His heavily-lidded eyes found yours, gazing at you longingly through his lashes. 

“No offense,” he started with a smirk, “but I don’t really care about Mingyu right now.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but you shut it as soon as you realized that you had nothing intelligent to contribute. You recognized that most of your mindless ramblings probably killed the mood—for you, at least.

He pressed a kiss to your cheek, then your jaw, then the side of your neck. As he moved down to your chest, Soonyoung’s kisses grew sloppier and open-mouthed. He tugged at your shirt, and you helped him remove it with ease, snapping your bra off in the process and letting it fall to the floor. His hungry gaze upon seeing you bare before him made you ache for more. Soonyoung let out a groan and let his tongue drag over your nipple, circling and flicking around the sensitive skin until you were moaning shamelessly.

With his head ducked so that his lips could ravage your chest, Soonyoung bent down just a little bit more to wrap his arms around your thighs. He scooped you up in his arms swiftly, making you yelp, and he walked you to your bedroom after you whispered where your room was. He was so strong that you hardly had to hold onto him, but his strength was a double-edged sword because he had you pinned down on your bed in seconds. 

A grin crossed Soonyoung’s face as his lips returned to your chest. This time, his lips made their way down your body, to your stomach. You curled your hand in his hair, tugged hard because you wanted more, but Soonyoung was relentless with his teasing. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses that made you squirm under him and ache for more. They were slow and torturous, and you only grew more needy as he made his way down. 

“Can I take these off?” he asked, fingers slipping into the waistband of your pants. 

“Only if you take your clothes off, too.”

You heard him chuckle before you felt cold air starting to hit your bare skin. Soonyoung unzipped your pants and tugged them down your legs until they were bunched up at your ankles, which you struggled to kick off until he bent down to move the fabric off your heel. You shuddered when he snapped the band of your underwear, hooking his fingers at the sides and twisting the fabric. He sure was enjoying toying with you, and you weren’t sure you could handle any more teasing. After what felt like forever, Soonyoung pulled the last of your undergarments down and marveled at your bare body.

“You’re unbelievable,” he all but growled, running his hands down your sides, to your hips, and past your thighs. “I can’t believe I get to have you like this.”

You sat up, looking up at him with a pout, which only seemed to drive Soonyoung to the brink of madness. 

“You’re still clothed,” you observed.

“Yes.”

“Take it off.” You folded your arms across your chest. “I can’t be the only one naked.”

“Whatever you say, princess,” he replied with a laugh. You supposed he could see your expression falter, nearly letting some pathetic sound fall from your lips, so Soonyoung cooed at you and ran his thumb over your lower lip. “Oh, you like that? Like it when I call you princess?”

You did like it. You liked it too much for your own good, and it was almost humiliating.

Soonyoung towered over you as he peeled off his shirt, grabbing it from the nape of his neck and slipping it off in seconds. Your eyes ran over his beautiful expanse of skin, from every defined muscle in his abdomen to the little goosebumps that pricked his arms. You reached out to run your fingers down his abs, letting them trace each groove and dip in muscle. Soonyoung shivered at your very touch, but he allowed you to make your way down to undo his belt and pants. 

Your fingers were fumbling, but you managed to remove the latch after several failed attempts. He guided you with his steadier hands, but you were determined to do it yourself. Finally, you pulled his belt free and pushed his pants down his legs. 

He seemed to be slightly embarrassed, but Soonyoung was already rock hard. His cock sprang up so that the tip pushed past the waistband of his boxers. 

“Don’t worry about that,” he grumbled, sinking to his knees and placing his hands on your thighs. “I’ll take care of you first.”

He grabbed your knees and pushed them apart, staring at your soaked cunt like it was everything he ever wanted. Soft kisses peppered the inside of your thighs, working up to the apex of your legs. You felt the cold air hit your core and shivered, but then it was hot all over again once Soonyoung licked one long, slow stripe that made you writhe and cry out in bliss. He had to press your hips down to keep you from moving too much. 

But his movements were so slow and torturous. You were going insane by how much Soonyoung was teasing you with his kitten licks and lazy drags of tongue. Tears welled up in your eyes by the time you had been edged away from another impending orgasm, with him letting his dissolve as soon as the heat bloomed under your skin. 

Kissing your cunt. Plunging his tongue into your core. Licking at your walls until they trembled and shook with the warning of release. You were agonized by how good Soonyoung was making you feel.

“Please,” you begged, your voice breathless as your body felt lightweight, “let me cum, please.”

“Hm.” He seemed to consider it for a moment before saying, “Tell me three things you like about me, and I’ll let you cum.”

You laughed, but it died on your tongue as soon as you realized there was no amusement on his face.

“You’re kidding, right?” You swallowed hard, knowing you had your answer already. “Oh, you’re not kidding.”

He was making you work for your orgasm. This was mortifying; you never expected Soonyoung to be so cruel, and you never expected it to be so hot.

“Three things, baby,” he said. “Start with number one.”

“One,” you started, your voice shaky as Soonyoung returned to snaking his tongue past your folds, “I like how you treat me so well and look after me, like—oh, right there—yeah, like that.”

“Two,” you continued, more so in a whimper because Soonyoung was skillfully using his tongue to reach places you never thought to stimulate before. “I, ah—I like the way you look at me and when you tell me I’m beautiful.” You sucked in your teeth when you felt him press his tongue flat against your clit. “Soonyoung, please.”

“One more,” he murmured.

“T-three,” you breathed out, and by this point, your legs were already shaking. Your brain was turning to mush and you couldn’t help but clench at Soonyoung lapping at your soaked cunt. The tremor in your voice was unmistakable when you admitted, “I love how you’re so much better at this than I ever could’ve imagined.”

He breathed out a laugh against your cunt. “Am I really?” He tightened his grip on your hips to suck on your clit, making your back arch and your chest feel light. “You think about me that often, princess?”

“Mmhm,” you confirmed with your eyes screwed shut. “Thought about you whenever I was—”

“Don’t finish that,” he warned, though it almost sounded like he was pleading with you, “or I’ll go crazy.”

Your nerves felt like they had tangled themselves into several knots that kept tightening in your stomach. You shuddered and moaned with each motion of Soonyoung’s tongue that brought you closer to your release. He was merciless with the way he dipped his tongue in your core, rubbing your clit with his thumb in slow circles.

Your walls tightened one last time before you were finally blinded by your white-hot orgasm, and you hardly even realized that hot tears were streaming down your cheeks. Soonyoung was eating you out unabated, not even giving you a break between each wave of pleasure that hit you. After your climax subsided and coherency gradually bled back into you, Soonyoung finally pulled back and pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

You grabbed his arm before he could say anything. Soonyoung looked you in the eyes for a moment, alarmed, but the worry knitting his brows together melted away once you pulled him down for a proper kiss.

With your arms wrapped around his neck and his knee between your legs, Soonyoung eventually found himself lowering his body until your chests were pressed together. He kept himself up by his elbows and pulled away to look at you. He brushed your hair out of your face and leaned in for another kiss.

As you two became a tangled mess of limbs, wrapped up in each other and far too occupied to care about anything but making out, you moved your hand down Soonyoung’s abs to wrap your hand around his cock. He groaned against your lips and rocked his hips against your touch. 

“You’re so fucking hot,” he murmured, his voice low and thick with lust. After reaching back to tug his boxers down, freeing his cock from the restricting fabric, Soonyoung looked down at you with desire glazing over his eyes. “May I?”

“Please do,” you answered.

You cried out when he started rubbing the head of his cock against your cunt, teasing your folds like he did before. You were aching already despite your previous orgasm, and you thought you were going to die on the spot from how needy you were.

“Turn onto your stomach,” he ordered. You were confused for a moment, but you ended up being manhandled by Soonyoung, anyway. He flipped you over and positioned himself at your entrance, keeping one hand on the back of your neck. “Good girl.”

The side of your face was pressed into the sheets, and your hands were desperately reaching for anything that gave you proper leverage. You ended up grabbing onto the pillows just as Soonyoung started pushing his cock inside you. You swallowed down the gasp that dared threaten to escape, and Soonyoung pressed kisses to your face and made sure you weren’t crying from how big he was.

With more filth and praises whispered into your ear, you were clenching and unclenching around him, making Soonyoung groan whenever he felt you tighten. It took a while for him to ease his way into you, but once Soonyoung had finally nestled inside of you, it was as if a switch flipped in him.

He was thrusting as soon as you gave him the green light. You were blindsided by how intense he was, hardly having any control over your own body as you held onto the sheets for dear life. Soonyoung held your hips with a bruising grip as he fucked into you.

Hot.

Everything felt hot and sticky. Your sweat-matted hair clung to the back of your neck, and you felt like your sheets were uncomfortably damp. Despite it all, though, you couldn’t get enough. You needed more, wanted more. Soonyoung was relentless, even when your box springs creaked and the frame rattled against the wall. 

You felt his cock twitch inside of you. “Fuck. You’re taking me so well.”

Still overly-sensitive from your previous orgasm, it didn’t take long for you to reach your limit a second time. Soonyoung pounded into you with fervor, and even he was quickly falling apart. 

“That’s it,” he got out, teeth gritted. “That’s my girl.”

You pulled him down for a deep kiss, muffling both of your moans once you were clenching uncontrollably around him. You were falling from your peak and Soonyoung fucked you through your orgasm, even though he was on the verge of one himself. 

He pulled out right before he was about to cum, and you could only hear his groans before you realized he had gotten off, too. For a moment, you thought Soonyoung abandoned you on the bed. His voice sounded distant all of a sudden, and you were too tuckered out to move. 

Then, he returned with a towel and several tissues for you. You turned onto your back again to make out his silhouette entering the room and taking a seat next to you. Your eyes were shut as Soonyoung cleaned you up, and you only opened them once he pushed your hair back and kissed your cheek. 

“Wanna go again?” he asked with a grin. You were impressed by how quickly he was able to recover. You, on the other hand, needed a few minutes to recuperate. “The night’s still young.”

“Yeah, sure, if you use a condom this time,” you breathed out, turning over onto your side. “Just give me five.”

You closed your eyes for a moment, letting your chest rise and fall until its rhythm steadied. Your breathing was even again, but when you opened your eyes, you saw neon green glowing in the middle of the room. 

“Soonyoung.” You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. You were not getting dicked down by manga censorship. “Why is your dick glowing?” 

“I prefer glow-in-the-dark condoms.” 

Typically, when two individuals had feelings for each other, it would often bloom into a relationship.

It was quite clear that you had feelings for Soonyoung and he had feelings for you, so, naturally, one would expect the two of you to start dating. However, it felt like you both were testing the waters around each other instead—dipping your toes into the dating pool. You two were exclusive, but not exactly together. 

You were perfectly content with taking things slow, but that didn’t necessarily mean Soonyoung didn’t end up over you almost every other night. The sex was great, of course. Mind-blowing, even. 

Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Seungkwan seemed to catch on quickly. There was no mistaking what was going on after you went over to their apartment to play Catan, and then you and Soonyoung disappeared into his room afterward. The next morning, when you walked downstairs in Soonyoung’s shirt to eat breakfast with everyone, you could pick up on their unspoken realization that you were hooking up with their roommate. 

Seungkwan even made an offhand comment about you and Soonyoung being a thing—whatever that was supposed to mean. 

You debriefed Junhui on the entire situation, of course. He seemed less surprised about you sleeping with Soonyoung, though, and more interested in the outcome of your driving test (which, you had to admit, you were terribly worried about). 

The night before your dreaded behind-the-wheel exam, you received a call from Soonyoung.

You weren’t sure what to expect when you picked up the call. You knew that he’d been planning on getting high with his housemates today, so you weren’t exactly sure if this phone call was going to be private or not. You were half-expecting Seungcheol to answer for him instead. 

“Hey,” Soonyoung greeted, voice slightly muffled. With the way the audio sounded, you suspected that he wasn’t holding onto his phone at the moment.

“Are you busy?” you asked. 

“No, just trying to get the pod you gave me out of its packaging.” You heard a few strained grunts from him before he exclaimed, “I got it!”

“I’m proud of you.”

“That’s what I’ll be telling you after you ace that driving test,” he said. He paused for a moment (which you guessed was him taking a hit). “You ready for it, by the way?”

“Not really.” You sucked in a sharp breath. “The good news is that taking years to pass the permit test has helped me memorize all the rules of the road; the bad news is that I have severe anxiety and probably won’t be able to utilize anything I’ve learned.”

“You’ll be fine, Y/N. You drove just fine with me, didn’t you?”

“But that’s you! How am I gonna drive properly with some scary old guy who probably hasn't ever smiled in his life?”

“Just relax. Remember to slow down on your turns and check your blind spots when you’re changing lanes.”

Your voice grew shy when you admitted, “This is gonna sound weird, but I kind of miss our driving lessons.”

“Even when you lost your tooth?”

You grimaced. “Even then.” 

Soonyoung laughed along with you for a moment before he simmered. The silence on the other side of the line didn’t feel uncomfortable, but you felt like each nerve end of yours was on fire. 

“I didn’t want it to end either, Y/N,” Soonyoung said after a while, his voice dropping an octave. 

“Really?”

“I don’t wanna be in a world where we aren’t in a car together, whether I’m telling you to stop driving under the speed limit or we’re crashing into that Honda Civic that knocked your front tooth out,” he started, and you scratched the back of your head. Yeah, he was definitely high. “And, maybe… maybe the missing front tooth was really the catalyst for all the memories we made along the way. Maybe, in another universe, that tooth never fell out—or existed. Maybe the concept of that occurrence manifested into this universe as a—”

“Okay, it was cute at first,” you interrupted, “but you’re definitely in that other universe right now.”

You had never been this much of a nervous wreck.

Actually, scratch that. You were probably this much of a nervous wreck at least thrice a week. You functioned on being anxious several times a day, so this was honestly not a new feeling. The only problem was that you had never driven with anyone other than Soonyoung, so you were slightly on edge as you turned into the DMV.

“Please return my car in one piece,” Soonyoung said, holding onto the ‘oh shit’ handle as you went over a speed bump, which you found highly unnecessary. He pointed to the starting point for the driving test. “I’ll wait for you outside the building over there.”

“Sounds good.”

“And remember: if you’re gonna fail the test, make sure you fail it big time. Don’t fail it by going ten over the speed limit, or something boring like that.”

“That’s terrible advice, Soonyoung.”

“I’m playing. You’re gonna be just fine.”

“Thanks, I’m just so—oh my god!” 

You stepped on the breaks immediately, gripping the wheel tight as the car lurched forward. The man who was crossing in front of you doubled over onto the hood of the car before standing upright again. You rolled your window down to yell an apology, but the man paid you no attention and kept walking with a scowl on his face. 

“I almost killed him!” you cried, slapping a hand over your mouth. 

“Well…” Soonyoung didn’t seem to know how to reassure you as he was still immobilized with fear himself. He managed a shaky grin. “On the bright side, he’s alive and you’re not facing a lawsuit.”

You swallowed hard. There was no way this exam was going to go well. 

After handing in the necessary paperwork inside the DMV, they approved you to go outside for your driving test. Since Soonyoung was letting you use his car while he waited outside, he sat with you until your examiner came by. He did everything he could to calm you down, but, ultimately, it was up to you to pass. 

While Soonyoung was giving his seat up for your examiner, you closed your eyes and tried to take deep breaths to mentally prepare. 

“Ma’am, can you turn on your left turn signal?” the examiner asked from your window. 

When you turned to look at him, you felt something inside you shrivel up and die. 

The man you almost ran over was your examiner. 

In your daze, you managed to follow his instructions as he asked you to point out various things, such as the windshield wipers, defroster, and foot brake. All the while you were already preparing yourself for failure because there was absolutely no way this man was going to let you pass after almost becoming your victim. 

Once the pre-drive safety check was over, he circled around the car to sit in the passenger’s seat, looking down at his clipboard for a moment. You held your tongue, hands clasped together in your lap. Were you supposed to apologize? Would he even care about your apology? It wouldn’t hurt to say sorry, right?

You started in a meek voice, “Oh, about what happened earlier, I’m so—”

“I’m Jeonghan, and I’m gonna be scoring your behind-the-wheel test today,” he cut you off with an air of indifference, looking back down at his clipboard. “Whenever you start the car is when the test begins.”

“Right—yes, okay.” You swallowed thickly and gripped the wheel, looking behind you to make sure no one was coming. Since there were a few cars driving by, you decided to wait for a moment. “A-are you having a good day?”

“I was.”

You wanted to crawl in a hole and drop dead. 

After the road was clear, you turned out of the DMV and started driving down the road, checking your speed and mirrors every so often. You had always been comfortably driving with Soonyoung, who would just help you reroute if you missed a turn. Now, though, if you missed anything Jeonghan said, you were going to fail (and probably die). 

“Take the right coming up here,” he instructed.

You remembered your turn signal and to look back over your shoulder. Soonyoung had taught you well, but you were afraid that his gentle instructions would only take you so far. Jeonghan was the most intimidating person you had come across (mostly because you almost killed him), and you should not have been trusted to drive someone you were terribly scared of. 

After you made the turn, you sighed in relief at the long stretch of road ahead. You attempted to cover it up by clearing your throat and making small talk with Jeonghan. 

“It’s pretty cold today, isn’t it?” you asked. Stupid question. You had no idea how cold it was. Soonyoung’s car felt like a sauna because you cranked up the heater, or maybe the heat was from how nervous you were. 

Jeonghan promptly ignored you. “Change lanes and take the next left.” 

Albeit your state of disarray, you followed what he said. You decided to give up on small talk altogether, coming to the conclusion that Jeonghan just hated you and didn’t want to converse with the person who almost murdered him in cold blood. 

You were pretty confident that the rest of your driving test went horribly. You almost went ten under the speed limit to make sure you didn’t run over anyone else in the school zone, you shrieked when the railroad lights turned on and you had to wait for the train to pass by, and you looked both ways about five times when you were at a stop sign. 

Jeonghan told you to park the car once you reached the DMV, so you pulled into an empty parking space. You were praying that he wasn’t still grading you because you were most definitely occupying two parking spaces right now. 

“Okay, so,” he started, looking at his clipboard before turning to you with a deadpan stare, “you drive too slow.”

Oh. That was intentional because you didn’t want to deal with another hit and run, but you stayed quiet and nodded. 

“And,” he continued, “you overthink too much when you’re behind the wheel. Don’t hesitate before you stop or make turns, or you’re just gonna run into trouble that way. You can’t be paranoid about driving, otherwise it’s gonna be hard for you to be on the road.”

You pressed your lips together in a tight line. This was it. He was going to fail you. There was no way you were going to pass when you were being criticized for your entire performance. You didn’t blame Jeonghan, though; you probably wouldn’t pass the person who almost ran you over, either. 

“Well, you were cutting it really close,” he said, circling some parts of your examination sheet, “but you passed.”

Your eyes grew wide.

You passed.

You passed.

You turned to Jeonghan and cried out, “I passed?!”

“You know your car, you know the rules of the road, and you did all your maneuvers just fine,” he continued. “You slowed down in the school zone to make sure you didn’t hit any kids, and you were careful about your turns and stops. Just remember not to be too careful, though, or you might run into someone.”

For the first time, you heard a small snicker of amusement come from him. 

“I—I’m so sorry about that,” you blurted out. “I thought you were gonna fail me for hitting you with the car.”

“Like I said, the test begins when you start the car.” He handed you your papers and got out of your car. Before closing the door, he turned to you with his clipboard tucked under his arm. “You should go tell the DMV you passed and get your temporary license before I mark you down for this parking job.”

You gulped, unbuckling your seatbelt in a rush. “Will do.”

Jeonghan stalked off to grade another new driver, you supposed. When you got out of the car, your eyes immediately scanned the perimeter to search for Soonyoung, and there he was, waving you over from the sidewalk with a bright grin on his face. 

Before you could even make your way over and break the news to him, he yelled out with his hands cupped around his mouth, “That’s my girl!”

You blushed, stopping in your tracks and staring at him for so long that it took a car honking at you to propel you back into motion. You scrambled over to Soonyoung, eyes wide as saucers and still frazzled from the emotional turmoil you went through with Jeonghan.

He wrapped an arm around you. “You know, no matter the result, I’m proud of you for trying. There’s always next time, you know?”

“Soonyoung—”

“Did everything else go well, though? Other than you almost killing him, obviously.”

“Soonyoung, I—”

“It was probably just bad luck, honestly. I mean, it was a recoverable bump, not even a full-on crash! You were going so slow that anyone could walk that off.”

“Soonyoung!” you yelled, thrusting your score sheet into his hands. “I passed!”

His eyes widened. “You passed?!”

“I passed!” you squealed. “I have to tell Junhui! I mean, he totally thought I was gonna fail my first two or six tries!”

Soonyoung crushed you into a hug, which would’ve been more endearing if your ribs weren’t being squeezed so hard. “Holy shit, Y/N, I’m so proud of you.”

You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck and drawing him closer. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Be my girlfriend,” he spoke against your neck, his hot breath tickling your skin, and you immediately froze.

Kwon Soonyoung wanted to be your boyfriend. Even with everything that had happened—from the STIIZY pods, to the car crash, to the glow-in-the-dark condom—you still felt relief flooding your veins at the thought of Soonyoung liking you as much as you liked him. It almost felt like you were in a dream.

After what felt like an eternity, you finally remembered how to breathe.

You pulled back to look at him, and even though it was the middle of the day, it felt like all the stars were out to make Soonyoung shine brighter than usual.

“Be my girlfriend,” he repeated, softer this time, and his eyes were gentle as his hands reached for yours. Your lips immediately tugged down and your eyes were welling up with tears. “No, no, no, Y/N, don’t start crying at the DMV.”

You wiped at the corner of your eye. “I can’t help it. I always cry at the DMV.” He smiled down at you fondly, waiting for you to gather your composure. You mustered up the strength to lift your head and nod eagerly. “I accept.”

He was your boyfriend now. The word felt strange on your tongue, but it also filled you with inexplicable happiness. And when you saw how Soonyoung’s eyes crinkled at the corners, you thought you could definitely get used to this. 

“You’re so cute.” He laughed, pulling you into his embrace once again. “How about we go get something to eat after you tell them your score?”

You grinned. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

While Soonyoung was waiting in the car for you (and probably readjusting your terrible parking job before he got yelled at), you walked into the DMV and stood in the same line you were in months ago for your permit test. You remembered the anxious feeling of possibly failing your written test a seventh time, but now you felt a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders. 

“I did it,” you gushed to the woman at the counter, handing her your score sheet. “I passed.” 

“Congratulations!” she chirped, examining the papers before turning to type something on her computer. She turned to grab your temporary license from the printer and handed it to you. “Here you go. Your real one should come in the mail in a few weeks.”

“Thank you so much,” you replied, inspecting your new license with bright eyes. 

You failed your permit test six times, only passing on your seventh attempt. While other children were getting their licenses at the age of sixteen, you were still trying to pass the written test in your twenties. And, yes, you had severe driving anxiety, but you crossed that hurdle yourself and finally passed your driving test on your first try. 

So, that glass ceiling? Consider it smashed.

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ thank you so so much for reading if you've made it this far !! :') i've been wanting to write for hoshi for so long and this was just so fun <3 also BIG shoutout to everyone who asked to be on the tag list because although i couldn't respond to everyone (mostly because i figured i would end up tagging everyone twice 🧎‍♀️ ), i mega appreciate your interest ♡ hope everyone's having a wonderful day/night !!

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The Other Woman Pt. II

drew starkey x femreader

Warnings: ER, Pregnancy, Hospitalization, swearing

Sirens blared in the distance as you were wheeled through the emergency department doors. The paramedics were able to calm your nerves on the ride over and you were now nursing the oxygen like it was in unlimited supply. Because of the distress and grand entrance, you became the priority to the medical staff, entering a room immediately. As the nurses began connecting your monitors, your mother took it into her own hands to call drew with your phone, see if that sends a sense of urgency his way. It took about three tries but on the second ring of the third call, there was an answer…

Drew’s POV

The sounds of tourists, shop-goers, and mopeds surround me as I wait for the server to come back around with the food. The shoot was canceled for today, so I wanted to take as a day to just stay in due to the increasing Italian heat but Odessa convinced me to join her and tyler for lunch. I was a bit hesitant due to the call with y/n last night but I’ve spent a comfortable part of my downtime here alone so I might as well enjoy some company.

When we did arrive at the restaurant though, I realized my cell was dead so odessa offered to charge it for me. She took it and connected it to the wireless pod in her bag, keeping it from the sunlight. It wasn’t until after coming out of the bathroom that I heard my ringer go off. When I heard it though it sent me into an immediate panic because I have off for everyone except y/n and seeing as it is 2 am her time didn’t seem right. I walked over as quickly but as casually as possible. Finally reaching the table, i grabbed my phone out of odessa’s bag and answered it.

“Hello?” i answered with a slight confusion as to why y/n would be calling this early/late.

“Drew, this is y/m/n. Why the hell have you not answered your phone?” she said in the most stern mother-in-law tone you could imagine.

“What do mean? Who’s been calling?” I responded, looking down at my notification queue and seeing 5 missed calls from danica and 2 from y/n. “Aw, I just saw. My phone was on silent for everyone except of y/n and i’ve been out to lunch. What's going on?”

“Good to know you still have some priority over your family, but you're going to have to cut that little lunch date short, y/n in the hospital, its the baby.” she continued on the other line.

“What? What do you mean, its too early for anything to be happening?” I began to become frantic over the line.

“That's what we all thought but guess not. So get on the earliest flight you can find before I fly over there myself and get you here because my baby will not go through this without the person that put her in this whole situation.” y/m/n basically was screaming under that whisper at this point.

“Ye- yeah. I’ll see you soon” I choked out. She scoffed before speaking up again, but I hung up without even realizing it. This can’t be happening. I’m not ready, its not time. The baby isn’t ready. My sweet angel can’t come yet, I have to be there to see her and hold y/n hand as she does. y/n. She’s all alone. She can’t do this all alone, without me. I don’t think i could forgive myself. I gather my thoughts and bring myself back to the conversation.

“I need to go now… here’s 20 for my portion of the bill and tell the kitchen crew to toss my food,” I said with slight panic in my tone. I shuffled to put my wallet back in my bag while the others just stared.

“Why the rush, we haven’t even gotten our food yet?” Odessa said. I looked down at her and thought.

“It's y/n. Why didn’t you answer my phone when it rang… twice?” I questioned. She just smirked and shrugged with a sense of guilt. “You know what, it doesn’t matter now. Right now I have to go catch the first flight out to LA before my daughter is born. Bye, thank you for coming, enjoy the city” I tried to get out as I maneuvered my way out of the restaurant.

As soon as i got to my apartment, i booked the first flight out not even realizing I had an hour to catch it. I grabbed all of my “necessities” and booked it out to my uber.

Regular POV

You sat in the small hospital room, strapped up to monitors, and bump out. The doctors had taken the oxygen and gave you something to relieve the stress and calm you down.

“Mamaaaa” you whined out to your mother who was walking back in from her phone call.

“What's up sweetheart?” your mother asked, joining you by your side.

“Where’s drew? Did you get a hold of him?” you said.

“Yes, he is on his way. Don’t worry, I already tore him a new one so don’t stress about yelling at him.” She smiled back at you. You held her hand and had a moment of comfort before a doctor came in.

“Hello hello. I am Dr. Hoffman” the white-coated gentleman introduced himself with a welcoming hand. He proceeded to examine you until speaking up again. “So your scans and blood came back good so nothing too wrong but you are in labor. Baby is in a good position but you are only 2 cm dilated. I’m going to admit you through until you are ready and then we can get this baby out. We will have someone to move you up to our maternity unit and get you more privacy.” Hoffman finished and walked out.

You began to cry, from the pain and the fact that you’re all alone. You have to endure this for however long it takes your body to dilate another 8 cm. Though you were way too emotional from all of that, you knew to not get too worked up because of the stress it would topple onto the pile that your body was already under.

Drew’s POV

Hours have passed and my flight was done. Those 13 hours were horrible. A middle seat between a woman with a crying baby and a guy that slept the whole time. I know it was last minute and all but I feel that the baby was a sign. The worst flight of my life was because of something that I was going into myself, parenthood. You could say it was karma too for not answer my phone. I know how y/n feels about Odessa and sometimes I feel that Odessa’s jealous of me and y/n but I still keep her around. I was pissed at her last night for getting completely obliterated and interrupting y/n and I but I let it go but this afternoon was something else. I felt somewhere deep down she did it purposely. Because of her I could’ve missed the birth of my child and left y/n all by herself. I still could do that because of how late I am.

As soon as I got off that plane, I ran though LAX and outside to get an Uber. I’m running on no sleep, jet lag, and the stress of becoming a parent at any moment. Anyone who gets in my way or even near to delaying me any more would get no mercy.

“LA General and step on it please, I’m about to have a baby” I sort of demanded as I stepped into the Uber. The driver looked at me with sympathy and did as he was told. Hopefully I can make it, time is slipping away.

Regular POV

“Fuuuck!” You screamed out as you reached the end of the hallway. The doctors had you walking for the last 11 hours to get you to 10 cm. What they didn’t do is give you any meds that you felt were working. The contractions were now 2 minutes apart and you felt like this baby was about to fall out of your vagina. You stood crouched in the corner with your mom’s hand in yours. Danica had to leave due to not being immediate family and drew was still no where to be seen.

“Sweetheart… it’s ok, just keeping breathing. I will go get the doctor” your mother reassured as she left you there basically dry heaving from the pain induced nausea. Seconds later you were brought back to your room.

“Guess what mama, you’re about to have your baby. You’re at 9cm which means we can start pushing” your labor and deliver nurse said with a smile. You smiled through your pain but it wasn’t all there. You still didn’t have drew by your side and the baby was a bit to be born.

Minutes later you were all set up and getting ready to push. You did it without an epidural too because it had worn off and it was too late for them to administer another.

“Ready y/n, on three I want you to push with all your strength.” The OB said. You looked at your mom, squeezed her hand and nodded. “1….2…3 push!” You screamed a wide push out. She had you continue. The pain so bad you thought you could have passed out.

When you swore that you were about to black out completely, a larger hand took yours. Slightly callused yet soft. A hand you could know from anywhere. You opened your eyes and were met with Drew’s.

“I told you I would miss this.” Drew said softly tearing up slightly with a smile. You smiled back and held on to his hand tightly.

You let a couple more pushes out and then all you heard were the soft cries of your babygirl.

“It’s a girl! Congratulations mom and dad, she’s gorgeous” the OB said with a smile. The baby was brought to your chest and you and drew took in this moment together. Kissing each other for the first time in weeks with your baby. You both cried so hard, but they were all happy tears. So happy that you had forgave Drew’s late behavior.

“I love you so much” drew said smiling at you. You didn’t say anything, all you did was kiss him.

It had been a couple hours since the baby was born. You were sleeping as drew sat with the baby. You woke up turning to face him. He was sitting there in awe staring at the mini you, rocking back and forth. You knew that he was more in love with her than he would ever be with you and that made you the happiest you had ever been. As you sat up completely, he noticed bringing the newborn towards you. The three of you were together until your mother had walked in with Danica.

“ hello hello hello! My little girl with her little girl” she said coming towards you. She be at done to kiss your cheek.

“Soooo, what is the little bug’s name?” Danica asked looking back and forth between you and drew. You looked at drew, nodding him off to let him say the honors.

“Well… we would like you to meet Isabel Eva Starkey” drew said with the biggest smile. Danica and your mother cried happy tears as they came and hugged you both.

As your stay lasted for the next few days, you welcomed friends and family from both side. You were content now. You had your own little family now and to have drew be apart of that was all you needed.

The End

A/N: I’m so sorry this came out late. I’ve been so swamped with work and genuinely mentally drained. This may not be good because it all just came to me at once and I struggled to organize it. Hopefully you like it and thank you for reading!!!

Tagged: @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @one-sweet-gubler @runningfrom2am @ayoanna @crazyf0robx @brooklynscherry-z @ireadficsthenifallasleep @simpfomarvel @willowalexissss

[kitsune-pop]

here's something for the robot fuckers

contains soft dom AI, body swapping, robot porn and the trans experience

you, like most people, are strapped for cash and the only money is in the military. but you've never been much of a fighter, so instead you join the RD department as a test dummy. you never expected to do anything worthwhile with this job, just test a new gun, or a new type of suit, get paid and go home. then, one day you're approached by the head researcher with a proposition. experimental surgery to implant a mech connector into your brain. you've known the military uses advanced robotics to fight their battles, but you thought they were just autopiloted, or maybe used like a video game. the reality is a mix of advanced AI and wireless direction, but RD wants to eliminate any lag between pilot and mech to make the first fully piloted mech in history. and due to your willingness to participate in almost any experiment (not to mention your expendability) you'd be perfect for the job. plus a hefty cash advance with ten times more waiting after the procedure is finished doesn't hurt. you could get not just yourself, but your friends and family out of the slums with that sort of cash!

so you hurriedly sign the waivers without any more thought than before and agree to the date of the surgery. scratch that, the first surgery. this… is gonna take a while. at first, you barely notice anything. just a couple of smooth plates placed just under your skin. more fun was when they put a few jacks in your temples. now you can play music directly in your brain! then they split you open, pulled out your spine and replaced it with a fully mechanical connector to your nervous system. they promise the taste of copper will leave your mouth after a few weeks. and finally, they remove the back of your skull, stuff what seems to be a glorified headphone jack into your brain, and give you a neat new panel to replace the bits of bone they tossed out. and the procedure is complete! you check yourself out in the mirror, see the various connection points along your spine and the Big One in the back of your head and wonder what the next step is

turns out you don't have to wait very long, because soon enough you're introduced to your new mech! you always knew these feats of mechanical mastery were big, but gazing up at it you were taken aback by just how big. thirty meters tall, it was surprisingly slender in build. sleek arms (four of them!) and oddly jointed legs, this thing was utterly alien to what you've known your body to be. and they expect you to pilot it? with your mind, no less! the scientists assure you it won't be alone, they've upgraded their AI to accommodate for the human interface. shrugging, you ask where the ladder is to get in

one elevator ride later and you're facing the cockpit… which happens to be an oval pod sticking out of the back of the mech. turns out you don't need to be in the head to be a brain. the more you know. you slide in, resting comfortably on your back as the gel-like cushion softly expands to envelop you. only your head is exposed as the pod slides in and you're faced with darkness. gentle white LED lights come on and you're faced with a quite horrifying contraption descending on top of your head, all hooks and needles and wires. you panic briefly, but relax as it stops just above your face, four arms topped with flat metal plate extending to connect to your head where you know similar plates are just under the skin

you hear a voice greet you, and it announces itself as your AI partner who is going to aid you in the steps required to fully integrate yourself with the mech you're currently inside

you feel relieved, and the AI announces that it's going to activate the next steps. you see the needles approaching, but as soon as anxiety mounts the AI tells you they are simply going to enter the ports on your temples to gain access to your brain. similar needles are approaching your spine as well. it feels… odd as you're probed. almost like touching a limb that's fallen asleep. your AI tells you this is normal

your AI announces a successful integration. but, something sounds different about its voice. your AI partner tells you that it is speaking to your mind directly. you try to think of a response, but the voice assures you that you don't need to worry about thinking words, that simple feelings and urges will be read appropriately and responded to quickly. the researchers want the new generation of Mecha to react almost entirely on instinct with AI guidance. amazed by the technology that has taken over half your brain, you're eager to continue

your AI tells you the next steps will be disorienting. it will be shutting down your senses so that once the final jump into the Mecha is complete your mind won't have any conflicting information. it tells you it's going to start with your taste. initially you're excited (the copper taste hasn't left yet) but then you realize just how different your mouth feels when you can't taste it. your sense of smell goes next, and all the scents are gone; the rubber smell of the gel, the faint smell of oil on all the machinery. it, combined with your lack of taste almost makes your face feel numb

next is your hearing. immediately you are deafened. you expected it to be gradual, but this was instant. all of the sounds; the whirring, the clinking, the squeaking, all of it was gone. you briefly panic, but your AI quickly reassures you everything is going well, and that you're doing excellent. the praise calms you down, and you close your eyes. the adrenaline is still pumping through you though, and it's starting to affect other areas of your anatomy. you hope the AI doesn't notice. it assures you it does, and that this is normal. well then. so much for dignity

you're told your vision is next, and you open your eyes to… nothing. you expected darkness, but that's not quite right. you aren't seeing the absence of light, you aren't seeing anything. your heart starts to beat faster, realizing that anything could be approaching your face and you wouldn't be able to see it. you take some deep breaths before jolting as something comes down over your face. you AI assures you that this is simply an oxygen mask to ensure proper airflow to your body once final integration is complete. it tells you you're doing very well, and a feeling of warmth spreads through your mind. you take a deep breath, ready for the final step

you feel a prickling along your back that quickly spreads through your whole body. just as it reaches unbearable it fades to nothing. you can't feel the gel surrounding you, the mask on your face, the connections plugged into your brain. your mind tries to panic, but your AI soothes the fear with gentle praise that seems to fill the space where your senses used to be. it tells you how well you're handling the integration, how you're the best candidate so far, how proud it is to be your AI companion. your mind calms, floating in absolute nothingness, completely sensory deprivation, soaked in sweet praise and a warm sense of comfort

with a slam, everything is blinding. you can touch, see, hear, smell (taste is still gone) you know the exact temperature of your internal engine (rapidly rising) you know the chemical makeup of the concrete beneath your feet (thirty meters tall!) your coolant levels are slightly below optimal (your internal temperature is rising fast) your mind is abuzz with so many more connections, people muttering in your ear (is that a radio station?) your vision flashes from normal to infrared to ultraviolet (how do these colors even exist) at the core, just above the engine, that's you and your vitals are going nuts and-

calm. systems are prioritized and minimized, checks are made in the background, and a calm voice telling you how well you've done, no one else has made a connection this quickly, what a good pilot you are, how it can't wait to take you out for a walk… you glance at your body's sensors and some… interesting readings are going off. and your internal engine is heating up again. and there's a strange energy surge-

your vision clears and you find yourself on your knees, all four arms braced on the floor to keep you steady as enormous fans vent out excess heat from your core. mechanics and researchers are scrambling around you, but you announce that you're okay. your AI states a little embarrassed, but otherwise functional. internally you beg your AI to keep this a secret. your AI assures you that so long as you keep being a good pilot (temperature jump) it has no reason to tell. you thank it, quickly wondering its name. you're told it's MP13

you go over basic movement with the researchers and MP13 simultaneously shows you how to monitor your internals. you quickly adjust to this titanic new body, and even find the scrolling numbers and shifting charts satisfying to watch as you progress. you're amazed at how easy multitasking is with MP13's help. it assures you it's your compatibility that helps it just as much. you complete advanced movement, testing the functionality of all four of your limbs at once, and the researchers call it a day. you head back to the dock, attach and let MP13 detach you from your body. soon enough you find yourself blinking in the LED lights as the rest of your senses come back. you notice the lights have changed to your favorite color, which was nice. MP13 tells you farewell and that it looks forward to seeing you tomorrow. in short order you're pulled from the Mecha, the gel retracts from your body and you peel yourself up with the help of a few mechanics. aside from some sweat stains (you hope no one notices your crotch) you seem perfectly healthy! the researchers call faze one a complete success!

over the next few months you make headway with MP13 and the Mecha. you already can go toe to toe with the best remote pilots in the military, your reaction speeds being far superior. it doesn't hurt that MP13 knows just how to motivate you. with its praise whispered in your mind as you tackle your sparring partner to the ground, you quickly disarm them, then to show off, you even disassemble their weapon in front of them. both you and MP13 cheer at the perfect performance. as you detach from the Mecha and say goodbye to MP13 you're called to the head researcher's office. you're told your results are exemplary (with the only aberration being unusually high core temperatures. still well within functional limits) and that they've been given the go ahead to bring even more subjects to the project! and the team wants you to be in charge of the new recruits! you panic for a moment, not ever being in charge of a group of people before, but your voice tells the researcher that you'd love to. stunned, your body shakes hands with the researcher and walks out into the hallway. you quickly realize MP13 has somehow followed you out of the Mecha! as you walk you have a high speed conversation with it, all it knows is that the docking procedure went without a hitch, and that everything should have happened normally. and as far as talking for you, it knew you would be able to handle a leadership role and simply spoke up on your behalf. before you know it, you're home with your companion nestled in your brain. you shrug, and figure it'll be fine

from then on, you notice more changes. as you cook for yourself, you no longer need to set a timer since you have a perfect sense of time. your chores get done quickly and efficiently as you converse with MP13. in your new leadership role you and MP13 shift seamlessly in the conversation whenever your nerves get the better of you or it doesn't quite grasp human euphemisms. you start to spend more time in the Mecha as well. training takes longer, you start filing reports before the docking procedures, you even have casual conversations with the mechanics as they work on your body. one day, you go to detach the body from your metal frame to find it unresponsive. you panic, because this is definitely horrible, but you stop yourself. you did everything correct, you should have slipped into your body… but, you realize, this is your body now. you've felt more at home in the Mecha than you ever did in your old body, and… you can't remember the last time there was a distinction between you and MP13. you bring this up to the head researcher who posits that you may have inadvertently made the jump to the next stage of human evolution

you talk to the other subjects about what happened to you, and what could happen to them. some of them are disgusted by the idea, and quit the project immediately. but several others are intrigued, and even excited for this change. a chance to be in a body that they have complete control over, one of them even brings up how easy cosmetic changes would be! and so the project continues

several years pass. you're walking down a pathway made specifically for Mecha, talking to your friend in the next city while chatting to the human on the raised platform next to you and organizing a grocery list for your partner (six months next week!) to pick up on their way home. plenty of people still balk at the thought of integrating themselves with Mecha, but many more have no issue with it. there's plenty of information, in no small part due to your work making sure the research you were a part of made it to public eyes. most people are happy to love and accept Mecha as people, and you couldn't be happier

plus, being able to praise yourself to overload is a nice bonus, too

[vulpinroid]

18:18 GMT

[18:17] ARKAngel has started a call.

The incoming call alert had woken him up. Miles sat up with a start and nearly fell on his face as he climbed out of bed. He scrambled to the computer and clicked on the green ‘accept’ button displayed on the screen. It was a video call, with Maria’s face showing signs of fatigue and stress as she was manipulating the touch controls of a console. From what he could gather, it seemed as if her tablet was docked to the console.

“I’m sorry, I fell asleep.” Miles said, rubbing the back of his head. Maria’s attention turned to the tablet and her eyes widened.

“I need your help!” Maria said frantically. “I’m trying to get this escape pod open for Shadow but the passwords that Grandfather gave me aren’t working!”

“Escape pod?” Miles’ ears raised. “Is something happening on the ARK? Why aren’t you leaving through the flight deck?”

“They’ve taken it over.” Maria whispered.

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“I don’t know! They seem to be Federation military though. They just came and started shooting. They’ve killed anyone that’s tried to put up a fight. I managed to get to the panic room at the hospital level and got in contact with Grandfather. He sent Shadow and told me that Shadow had to be podded out.”

“They must have changed the passwords. There has to be some sort of low-level emergency system though. Who the Hell password locks an escape pod system?!” He watched as Maria pressed something on her tablet’s screen.

[18:19] ARKAngel would like to hand over device control.

A window popped up on his screen showing a mirror of Maria’s tablet. He clicked on an on-screen control to return to the main interface. Then he pulled up the tablet’s terminal, entering a command to get a list of network interfaces. There were two active, the wireless network that Maria was connected to, but also a connection to the console she was working at by the physical link. Miles looked at the node address that the tablet had from that link, then the gateway address. He left the terminal and opened her tablet’s browser, entering that gateway address.

He was greeted with the same login page that Maria was trying to get through. GRobotnik was filled in for the username field and the password field had a red border around it.

“You tried his credentials and your own?” Miles asked, the call was still ongoing.

“Yes, neither of those worked!” Maria said.

“I’m going to try something. If the system administrator here was an idiot, this might work. If they weren’t, well then I’ll have to think of something else.” Miles took a deep breath and replaced the input on the login page. He filled out his username of MPrower and the password he had used when he was on the ARK last. The password prompt’s border turned green and then the pod control system came up.

“What did you do?” Maria’s eyes widened.

“Logged in as myself.” The fox raised his ears. “I guess the administrator didn’t zero out my account, and I’d have to guess that your grandfather’s account was locked out as well as your own for some reason. Why they didn’t lock mine out as well, hard to say but it worked.” Maria knelt down out of sight.

“Come on Shadow!” She came back into view, the black and red mobian hedgehog partially visible as she walked him towards the pod.

“I can’t leave you here!” Shadow protested.

“They won’t hurt me.” Maria placated. “They’re here for you. They have to be. This way you’ll be safe.”

“Maria? Where are you sending him?” Miles asked.

“Anywhere that will be safe.” Maria’s voice came back out of frame.

“Crap. Hold on. It’s GPS programmed, isn’t it?” He took over the pod control system, getting a world map. On instinct, he scrolled with his mouse wheel until the airfield near High Wycombe was in view. He clicked on the tarmac and then the ‘Program’ button. “Is he loaded in?”

“Yes!” Maria moved back to the control station and he clicked on the ‘Pod Close’ button. Then he clicked on the ‘Launch Prep’ button. A lever popped up on the console. “What’s that supposed to be?”

“I don’t know. I have a ‘Launch’ button, maybe it’s an emergency backup. Are you ready?” Miles asked.

“Do it!” Maria said. The fox heard muffled gunshots and then a door opening. He saw Maria clutch the lever and then heard a male Ameri-Can voice yelling at her.

“Get your hands off that lever!”

His fingers tensed on the mouse as he moved towards the ‘Launch’ button. Right at that moment, the tablet mirror unexpectedly quit. Then he noticed Maria’s Harmony status was showing as offline.

“Damn it!” Miles lept out of his chair and scrambled out of his bedroom. He went into the hallway and skidded into the kitchen. No sign of his mother there. Looking out the living room window, he noticed that her car was gone but his father’s was there. His shoes thumped against the floor as he went for his father’s home office, seeing the light streaming under the door.

“Dad!” Miles thumped his fist against the door. Urgent footsteps could be heard, followed by the door unlocking.

“What is it?” Group Captain Artair Prower asked, raising his ears. “Is it your mother?”

“No!” Miles raised his eyes up. “Dad, Space Colony ARK is under attack. The Federation sent soldiers of some kind up there! Maria called me, she’s trying to get Shadow out of there but something’s happened! I heard shooting before she got kicked offline. You have to do something!”

“It didn’t sound like a drill?” Artair asked.

“No!” Miles grabbed his father’s hand. “Dad! She needs help!”

“All right. Calm down, son. This is going to be tricky. It’s a Federation space station, but perhaps-” He gestured for Miles to follow him in and picked up his desk phone, punching out a number.

“Jules, Artair. I’m coming back to headquarters. Call your brother. Tell him he needs to get our ambassador in Ottawa to contact the President, if not doing so himself. There’s something going wrong on Space Colony ARK, shots have been fired.” Miles could hear the surprise and apprehension coming from the hedgehog on the other line. “Yes, I know, it’s a major deviation from the chain of command but Sir Charles is the bloody Prime Minister. Get to it!”

Artair hung the phone up, grabbed his lanyard and slung it around his neck before getting his phone and keys. “I want you to grab that call recording and put it on your tablet and phone. You’re coming with me to headquarters, Miles.”

[chrismerle]

i briefly mentioned to my dad that wireless earbuds were joining the 'to buy' list right after a replacement tablet (mine just... stopped charging? i didn't drop it or hit it, it just one day decided it was done and it wasn't even a year old), because if you wear a pair of wireless over-ear headphones for like 18 hours a day then eventually they start to feel like they're squishing your fucking head and give you a nonstop headache, and also my pair is constantly smushing one of my cartilage piercings.

so my dad just handed me the pair of wireless earbuds he has that he acquired but doesn't use (abjectly refuses to use anything other than over-ear headphones, i'm assuming he got them from work a while back) and i googled them and according to walmart the things are like $200 and they aren't even the newest model. also the little charging pod looks MUCH classier than raycons or airpods. so that's nice. (he even still had all the different sizes of nibs that go in your ear)

i was, for like two minutes, mildly disappointed that they would give me less control than my headphones did, because i figured they were too small to have the built-in controls, but it turns out if you just tap them in different places they still have the noise cancelling on/off and a play/pause button. (also if i just take them out the video pauses??? is it a pressure gauge???)

[michellemisfit]

Weekly Tag Wednesday ✈️ Neeeooow Edition

Thanks for the tag @deedala @energievie @sam-loves-seb @mybrainismelted @sleepyfacetoughguy @guinguin1984

—---------------------------

Name: Michelle

Age: Old enough to know better

Location: My bed, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket

📍where are we going? I wanna say Cape Cod, but it’s -3 there right now, so fuck that. Australia it is! 🦘

📍whats the weather like there right now? 22•C (feels like 24), according to Google

📍are you an over-packer or a light-packer? Over-packer, though I have also been known to pack 12 bras but not bring any pants… though these days I keep very detailed lists and get Ruth to double check my packing multiple times!

📍are we taking a plane or a train? If you can find me a train, I’ll take it! Hahaha but no. Neeeooow all the way! ✈️

📍early morning departure or an overnight trip? If we’re going to Australia it’s gonna be all of it. Loooong travel. I’m gonna watch so many movie and my butt is gonna go so numb!!

📍what song are you playing in the car while we drive to catch our departure?

📍we need to grab something on the way, starbucks or dunkin? Fucking Dunkin’ Donuts. The last time I was in the states we stopped at a Dunkin for donuts and were informed that they didn’t have any donuts… like, wtf? And then we found out that they are phasing out selling donuts. Like, double wtf?!? So yeah, Starbucks all the way.

📍we've made it to the transportation place 🚂✈️! be honest, are we on-time or are we rushing because we're running late? Always early. I’d rather spend an extra 3 hours in an airport McDonalds than be late for a plane. I get travel anxiety.

📍are you taking the window seat or the aisle seat? I like the aisle seat for the freedom to pee when I want, without annoying someone else! (This is gonna be everyone’s answer, isn’t it? haha)

📍we're settled in our seats, are you gonna read or watch a movie/show? Bit of both. I do like getting my money’s worth in beverages and free movies, so I try and watch and consume as many as possible. But sometimes my ears hurt from too much earbud wearing, so I switch to reading for a bit. Then back to movies!

📍what are you reading/watching? Generally all the movies I thought ‘oh, might go and see that’ in the cinema and never did. And then as we get closer to landing I will swap to a movie I know inside out, because it will inevitably cut off before I get to the end.

📍are you using wireless or wired headphones? Wired. I don’t fuck with pods.

📍are you going to take a nap or stay awake? I can sleep pretty much anywhere, but I get overtired and twitchy anxious on planes, so I’m not the best airplane sleeper.

📍do you want a salty snack or a sweet snack? Salty snack 90% of the time. However I also like bringing my own selection of snacks, so I’m not held to the whims of the airplane company! lol

📍we've arrived! are we heading straight to activities or are we gonna rest at the hotel? I actually don’t mind. I’ve gone straight from airports to restaurants, concerts, plays etc and it’s been fine. Make the most of the day you’ve got and all that. Depends on how much luggage I’ve got though.

📍finally, pick a treat to reward yourself for a travel day well done! A nice looooong sleep in a comfy bed!!!

Tagging @darlingian @too-schoolforcool @jrooc @heymacy @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @juliakayyy @crossmydna @rutherinahobbit @rereadanon @redshirt2 @crestfallercanyon @creepkinginc @captainjowl @the-rat-wins @tsuga-of-mars @ian-galagher @iansfreckles @ohkate @faejilly @palepinkgoat @sickness-health-all-that-shit @look-i-love-u @francesrose3 @vintagelacerosette @gardenerian @lynne-monstr @notherenewjersey @mickeygifs @mikhailoisbaby come travel with me 🥰

[pod-together]

Pod-Together Day 3 Reveals 2023

The Yiling Lightbringer and the Shadow Patriarch | 闪电君 和 防光老祖 (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) written by harborshore, performed by jennisaisquoi Summary: The year is 3023, and the cultivation world went to war to stop the Wen clan from taking over the planet. A year after the war ended, Wei Wuxian is running a free health clinic for the war victims of Yiling with Wen Qing. They're hiding from the Jin, who take exception to people giving away health care for free. They're also not big fans of the new electrical grid Wei Wuxian has invented, especially because he's not charging for that either. Then Yiling starts buzzing about a new cultivator dressed in black, working with resentful energy and scaring the Jins. But it's not Wei Wuxian.

Revenge Is A Powerful Spell (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)) written by flipflop_diva, performed by GhostCwtch Summary: The beeping of the machines sounded like a countdown, but a countdown to what? The end of the world — again? A happily ever after? The tension in the room was palpable, like any sudden movement could either shatter it forever or send the world spinning out of control. And no one wanted to be the reason for that. So none of them moved. Nor spoke. Nor did anything but stare — at the floor, at the machines, at Tara. -- An AU starting from Season 6, Episode 19, "Seeing Red." The canon that should have been.

all eyes on me (Men's Hockey RPF) written by LizzieMack, performed by nony Summary: “You got a lot going on today?” “Job interview,” Tim says. It’s technically true. “Oh, yeah?” the guy asks, eyebrows raised halfway to his hairline. “That’s cool.” Tim shrugs. He can’t shake the feeling that the guy somehow knows what he’s here for. People come to hotels for all kinds of reasons. He’s pretty sure there’s a business expo or something going on at this one; he keeps seeing guys in suits. There’s really no way for anyone to guess that Tim is here for a porn shoot.

a false start (McGillicuddy And Murder's Pawn Shop (Podcast)) written by Koschei_B, performed by Rosemarycat5 Summary: Maude does join Night Enthusiasts. It still doesn't go well for them. Some things don't matter, because others never change.

Tied to a Dream I Can Barely Remember (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types) written by litra, performed by Juulna Summary: Soulmates dream of each other, but not Obi-Wan. Not until he's lost so much and given up on it. Cody dreams of the outside, of someone who is haunted by the dark.

Collapsing Under My Dreams (Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types) written by EustaciaVye, performed by AsterRoc Summary: After crash-landing on an uncharted planet, an injured Obi-Wan learns Ventress has a very different perspective of the Jedi Order’s peacekeeping activities.

Radio Killed the Semaphore Star [text, audio] (Discworld - Terry Pratchett) written by SweetPollyOliver, performed by semperfiona Summary: In 1895 on Roundworld, the inventor Guglielmo Marconi invented the wireless telegraph, which used radio waves—a form of electromagnetic radiation that is outside the visible spectrum—to transmit messages from a sending operator to a radio receiver. But, like the invention of bread*, few truly good wheezes are only thought of once, and so in the early 2000s UC on Discworld, Liam Macaroni invented a similar device that used a different form of electromagnetic radiation: octarine. And, due to the preponderance of narrativium on Discworld, radio got around to audio transmission, rather than being confined to the old dots and dashes routine, quite a bit more promptly than it did on Roundworld. *And brewing.

The Outlaws’ Guide to Parenting (DCU) created by Flowerparrish, kbirb, and Opalsong Summary: Roy: so you know how I had that fling with Chershire for a month or two a couple years ago? Roy: apparently the condom broke Kori: You have a child! Jason: of fucking course we're keeping her

Provision (9-1-1 (TV)) written by domarzione, performed by blackglass Summary: ( noun) The providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities Michael and Bobby, figuring out their places in relation to each other, to Athena, and to the world.

The Care And Feeding Of Poorly Warlocks [text, audio] (Shadowhunters (TV)) written by mansikka, performed by ToughPaperRound Summary: Alec's second day of being home starts with a sneeze so violent that it forces all of the feathers from their comforter and pillows. "Not to worry," Magnus says cheerfully, magicking all the feathers away and replacing the bedding with a simple flourish. There must be dust in the air along with those feathers, because Alec then starts coughing, and in the process manages to summon a hairdryer, a pair of shorts, and a single, freshly boiled egg. In which, Alec gets his first warlock flu and his magic makes it everybody's problem.

Shepard's No One Fan (Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy) written by ThreeWhiskeyLunch, performed by Djapchan Summary: During the events of Mass Effect 1, Conrad Verner starts up a WeeView channel. What starts out as a fangirl-for-Shepard channel turns into something much else during the events of Saren and the Geth's invasion of the Citadel.

[sweatersinthesummer]

Now that creators have been revealed for @hd-wireless, I can finally post this! I signed up to pod this in January, so it's been in the works a long, long time.

I chose this fic to record because one of my favorite fics ever, Ship of Theseus by GallaPlacidia, was based on it. I am a sucker for an angsty amnesia fic.

remember me (T, 2:50:41)

On a chilly day in October, Draco kisses Harry goodbye before he goes on yet another dangerous, undercover mission with the Aurors.

And then Harry doesn't come back.

Only Draco believes that Harry isn't dead, and pours himself into finding his husband despite his friends' pleas to move on and grieve properly. What he finds at the end of that work, though, is not at all what he wanted.

Original fic: remember me by hupsoonheng

Go listen and remember to leave kudos on the original work!

[blackmesa-researcher]

Story idea that came to me in a dream a while back:

(tw for suicide)

Scientist Dr. Mallory is aboard a ship by the name of Phoenix which is carrying thousands of people to a new settlement on a habitable planet. Mallory is in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly and that people are still alive in hibernation (though he's not allowed to go into the room itself since he was told that opening the door could disrupt the delicate systems of the pods). He's not completely alone. He is accompanied by an AI named MAILO (Machine Artificial Intelligence Learning Operations) who has a body that looks remarkably human, but can also interface into the ship's systems at the same time through a wireless connection.

Dr. Mallory and MAILO get along pretty well until the scientist finds an archival room with tapes, watching them, watching himself on tape. He sees himself, but someone who is also not himself on these tapes. He's different than the scientist on the tapes, and the scientist on the tapes should be dead many times over if he'd been alive still. Another tape mentions that Mallory would be cloned, but would receive the memories of the old body. However that hasn't happened.

Anyway, he comes to find out that he's been cloned so many times, over 30, and each time MAILO tweaks it a little. He also finds out that everyone on the ship besides himself is dead and that the real purpose was not only to settle on this planet, but that old Earth had come into ruin where all life had become extinct due to a long series of wars. This ship was their last hope.

So, Mallory, distraught asks MAILO why he'd been lying, why he'd been brought back so many times. MAILO replies that it was necessary to complete the mission. He had to get at least one human to this new planet to complete it, and Mallory is an essential crew member.

Another tape also reveals that Mallory hasn't gotten the memories due to having killed himself multiple times after multiple attempts, so MAILO just stopped giving him all the memories. They are also close to that planet and Mallory doesn't see the point in living anymore. He wants to die. MAILO wants to keep him alive though so he sedates him. They do get to the planet at the end, but it's just as dead now as the Earth they had left. Mallory makes a break for it and MAILO tries to stop him since he's grown to love Mallory in a way...But Mallory managed to distract MAILO before exiting the ship and running off into the wasteland to end his own life. MAILO, alone cries for the third time in his existence. First time was when his creator died. Second was when Mallory died the first time. Third is now. MAILO cries and he sings "We'll Meet Again" as the sun sets over the horizon of the desert world as he comes out to cradle Mallory's body.

He can bring him back, but he doesn't. The mission is complete.

The people in hibernation cannot be brought back since they've been dead for so long their DNA is in fragments.

A running gag is that MAILO doesn't remember Dr. Mallory's first name.

[taperwolf]

"Truly wireless" earbuds are so anxiety inducing! I had a few sets of the kind with a wire between them — since I can't plug headphones into my phone without an adapter with its own DAC — and was swapping between them, but my sister in law sent us her Galaxy Buds or whatever and when my wife didn't like them, I got them. They sound great, and they've got good battery life, and the portable charging pod is convenient.

But!

I periodically have to take one out to, y'know, interact with people or listen to something else, and once any small object is in my hand, I have a tendency to put it down someplace. I already misplace my phone and my keys this way, and they're much larger and easier to find! I've been lucky so far, but sooner or later I'm going to be restricted to mono.

I tried, once, taking the other one out and playing the phone audio really loud to see if I could find it by ear, but without success; I only found it after that by sheer coincidence. Oof.

[nyoggets]

Honestly I'm really excited about the Apple thing too, not that I'm really an apple user or anything BUT

Esp compatibility between devices is just sooooo so so so bad with hearing aids or cochlea implants, I still listen to music only one-sided with just the aid because the few solutions that do exist for pairing my implants with phones, laptops etc. Just plain Suck. Things just don't work half of the time, medical devices tend to be stuck 10 years behind current tech development, it's just so much extra work that really shouldn't be a thing. Wireless Bluetooth headphones are pretty much the status quo by now, so why on earth do I need an in-between device that connects through MP3 cables (which phones don't even have anymore!!) to be able to listen to music too? Why can't I listen to music with my implant at all? Why are there always in-between devices and their connectivity is always shaky, at best?

Not to mention the sheer cost of these things. Which insurance sometimes covers, but not always especially if you're over 18. To put this into some perspective:

My FM System, the thing I use to listen to music, hand to teachers in class so I can hear better - is around 2000€. The TWO connectors I need for it to work (because my hearing aid is old, because I can't afford a new one of the same quality) are 64€ and 240€ respectively. These things break, they're not very sturdy, they're mostly just plastic. The extra mic I connect to this system so I can also hear my classmates is 700€. And this is just for one half of my ears! The "solutions" for my implant side Do Not Work and I don't remember the price points, but given they're for implants....

All this puts us around three thousand euros, and that's without even adding the cost of a hearing aid; mine were, as far as I remember, 2000 a pop - in 2014. What I'm trying to say here, you can absolutely get top of the line iPhone, Air pods, can probably also throw in a MacBook or iPad at this point and it'd Still Be Cheaper. Insurance paid for most of my stuff, not all, but I also live in Germany, and Also had to go to court against them over 2 of the items I listed above.

And It Still Doesn't Work Well.

The AirPods Pro 2 are 249$.

Medical firms just didn't have much of an incentive to fix these issues and prices, but with Apple entering the game with built-in well functioning connectivity And the FDA thing, I really, really hope they're forced to finally catch up.

Will any of the proposed Apple stuff actually work with my degree of hearing loss? Will they be able to beat the soundscape adaptability of most midrange aids in a direct comparison? Unlikely. But it's probably gonna work for all of my family members who refuse hearing aids for cost and cosmetics reasons, it's gonna work for a Lot of minor to medium hearing loss cases, and it's gonna be a whole lot more affordable than traditional hearing aids.

All of which will hopefully be the ass-kick the industry needs to finally kick into gear.

[kitsune-pop]

reupload because this site hates robots I guess

got some soft dom AI, light praise, body swapping and the trans experience

you, like most people, are strapped for cash and the only money is in the military. but you've never been much of a fighter, so instead you join the RD department as a test dummy. you never expected to do anything worthwhile with this job, just test a new gun, or a new type of suit, get paid and go home. then, one day you're approached by the head researcher with a proposition. experimental surgery to implant a mech connector into your brain. you've known the military uses advanced robotics to fight their battles, but you thought they were just autopiloted, or maybe used like a video game. the reality is a mix of advanced AI and wireless direction, but RD wants to eliminate any lag between pilot and mech to make the first fully piloted mech in history. and due to your willingness to participate in almost any experiment (not to mention your expendability) you'd be perfect for the job. plus a hefty cash advance with ten times more waiting after the procedure is finished doesn't hurt. you could get not just yourself, but your friends and family out of the slums with that sort of cash!

so you hurriedly sign the waivers without any more thought than before and agree to the date of the surgery. scratch that, the first surgery. this… is gonna take a while. at first, you barely notice anything. just a couple of smooth plates placed just under your skin. more fun was when they put a few jacks in your temples. now you can play music directly in your brain! then they split you open, pulled out your spine and replaced it with a fully mechanical connector to your nervous system. they promise the taste of copper will leave your mouth after a few weeks. and finally, they remove the back of your skull, stuff what seems to be a glorified headphone jack into your brain, and give you a neat new panel to replace the bits of bone they tossed out. and the procedure is complete! you check yourself out in the mirror, see the various connection points along your spine and the Big One in the back of your head and wonder what the next step is

turns out you don't have to wait very long, because soon enough you're introduced to your new mech! you always knew these feats of mechanical mastery were big, but gazing up at it you were taken aback by just how big. thirty meters tall, it was surprisingly slender in build. sleek arms (four of them!) and oddly jointed legs, this thing was utterly alien to what you've known your body to be. and they expect you to pilot it? with your mind, no less! the scientists assure you it won't be alone, they've upgraded their AI to accommodate for the human interface. shrugging, you ask where the ladder is to get in

one elevator ride later and you're facing the cockpit… which happens to be an oval pod sticking out of the back of the mech. turns out you don't need to be in the head to be a brain. the more you know. you slide in, resting comfortably on your back as the gel-like cushion softly expands to envelop you. only your head is exposed as the pod slides in and you're faced with darkness. gentle white LED lights come on and you're faced with a quite horrifying contraption descending on top of your head, all hooks and needles and wires. you panic briefly, but relax as it stops just above your face, four arms topped with flat metal plate extending to connect to your head where you know similar plates are just under the skin

you hear a voice greet you, and it announces itself as your AI partner who is going to aid you in the steps required to fully integrate yourself with the mech you're currently inside

you feel relieved, and the AI announces that it's going to activate the next steps. you see the needles approaching, but as soon as anxiety mounts the AI tells you they are simply going to enter the ports on your temples to gain access to your brain. similar needles are approaching your spine as well. it feels… odd as you're probed. almost like touching a limb that's fallen asleep. your AI tells you this is normal

your AI announces a successful integration. but, something sounds different about its voice. your AI partner tells you that it is speaking to your mind directly. you try to think of a response, but the voice assures you that you don't need to worry about thinking words, that simple feelings and urges will be read appropriately and responded to quickly. the researchers want the new generation of Mecha to react almost entirely on instinct with AI guidance. amazed by the technology that has taken over half your brain, you're eager to continue

your AI tells you the next steps will be disorienting. it will be shutting down your senses so that once the final jump into the Mecha is complete your mind won't have any conflicting information. it tells you it's going to start with your taste. initially you're excited (the copper taste hasn't left yet) but then you realize just how different your mouth feels when you can't taste it. your sense of smell goes next, and all the scents are gone; the rubber smell of the gel, the faint smell of oil on all the machinery. it, combined with your lack of taste almost makes your face feel numb

next is your hearing. immediately you are deafened. you expected it to be gradual, but this was instant. all of the sounds; the whirring, the clinking, the squeaking, all of it was gone. you briefly panic, but your AI quickly reassures you everything is going well, and that you're doing excellent. the praise calms you down, and you close your eyes. the adrenaline is still pumping through you though, and it's starting to affect other areas of your anatomy. you hope the AI doesn't notice. it assures you it does, and that this is normal. well then. so much for dignity

you're told your vision is next, and you open your eyes to… nothing. you expected darkness, but that's not quite right. you aren't seeing the absence of light, you aren't seeing anything. your heart starts to beat faster, realizing that anything could be approaching your face and you wouldn't be able to see it. you take some deep breaths before jolting as something comes down over your face. you AI assures you that this is simply an oxygen mask to ensure proper airflow to your body once final integration is complete. it tells you you're doing very well, and a feeling of warmth spreads through your mind. you take a deep breath, ready for the final step

you feel a prickling along your back that quickly spreads through your whole body. just as it reaches unbearable it fades to nothing. you can't feel the gel surrounding you, the mask on your face, the connections plugged into your brain. your mind tries to panic, but your AI soothes the fear with gentle praise that seems to fill the space where your senses used to be. it tells you how well you're handling the integration, how you're the best candidate so far, how proud it is to be your AI companion. your mind calms, floating in absolute nothingness, completely sensory deprivation, soaked in sweet praise and a warm sense of comfort

with a slam, everything is blinding. you can touch, see, hear, smell (taste is still gone) you know the exact temperature of your internal engine (rapidly rising) you know the chemical makeup of the concrete beneath your feet (thirty meters tall!) your coolant levels are slightly below optimal (your internal temperature is rising fast) your mind is abuzz with so many more connections, people muttering in your ear (is that a radio station?) your vision flashes from normal to infrared to ultraviolet (how do these colors even exist) at the core, just above the engine, that's you and your vitals are going nuts and-

calm. systems are prioritized and minimized, checks are made in the background, and a calm voice telling you how well you've done, no one else has made a connection this quickly, what a good pilot you are, how it can't wait to take you out for a walk… you glance at your body's sensors and some… interesting readings are going off. and your internal engine is heating up again. and there's a strange energy surge-

your vision clears and you find yourself on your knees, all four arms braced on the floor to keep you steady as enormous fans vent out excess heat from your core. mechanics and researchers are scrambling around you, but you announce that you're okay. your AI states a little embarrassed, but otherwise functional. internally you beg your AI to keep this a secret. your AI assures you that so long as you keep being a good pilot (temperature jump) it has no reason to tell. you thank it, quickly wondering its name. you're told it's MP13

you go over basic movement with the researchers and MP13 simultaneously shows you how to monitor your internals. you quickly adjust to this titanic new body, and even find the scrolling numbers and shifting charts satisfying to watch as you progress. you're amazed at how easy multitasking is with MP13's help. it assures you it's your compatibility that helps it just as much. you complete advanced movement, testing the functionality of all four of your limbs at once, and the researchers call it a day. you head back to the dock, attach and let MP13 detach you from your body. soon enough you find yourself blinking in the LED lights as the rest of your senses come back. you notice the lights have changed to your favorite color, which was nice. MP13 tells you farewell and that it looks forward to seeing you tomorrow. in short order you're pulled from the Mecha, the gel retracts from your body and you peel yourself up with the help of a few mechanics. aside from some sweat stains (you hope no one notices your crotch) you seem perfectly healthy! the researchers call faze one a complete success!

over the next few months you make headway with MP13 and the Mecha. you already can go toe to toe with the best remote pilots in the military, your reaction speeds being far superior. it doesn't hurt that MP13 knows just how to motivate you. with its praise whispered in your mind as you tackle your sparring partner to the ground, you quickly disarm them, then to show off, you even disassemble their weapon in front of them. both you and MP13 cheer at the perfect performance. as you detach from the Mecha and say goodbye to MP13 you're called to the head researcher's office. you're told your results are exemplary (with the only aberration being unusually high core temperatures. still well within functional limits) and that they've been given the go ahead to bring even more subjects to the project! and the team wants you to be in charge of the new recruits! you panic for a moment, not ever being in charge of a group of people before, but your voice tells the researcher that you'd love to. stunned, your body shakes hands with the researcher and walks out into the hallway. you quickly realize MP13 has somehow followed you out of the Mecha! as you walk you have a high speed conversation with it, all it knows is that the docking procedure went without a hitch, and that everything should have happened normally. and as far as talking for you, it knew you would be able to handle a leadership role and simply spoke up on your behalf. before you know it, you're home with your companion nestled in your brain. you shrug, and figure it'll be fine

from then on, you notice more changes. as you cook for yourself, you no longer need to set a timer since you have a perfect sense of time. your chores get done quickly and efficiently as you converse with MP13. in your new leadership role you and MP13 shift seamlessly in the conversation whenever your nerves get the better of you or it doesn't quite grasp human euphemisms. you start to spend more time in the Mecha as well. training takes longer, you start filing reports before the docking procedures, you even have casual conversations with the mechanics as they work on your body. one day, you go to detach the body from your metal frame to find it unresponsive. you panic, because this is definitely horrible, but you stop yourself. you did everything correct, you should have slipped into your body… but, you realize, this is your body now. you've felt more at home in the Mecha than you ever did in your old body, and… you can't remember the last time there was a distinction between you and MP13. you bring this up to the head researcher who posits that you may have inadvertently made the jump to the next stage of human evolution

you talk to the other subjects about what happened to you, and what could happen to them. some of them are disgusted by the idea, and quit the project immediately. but several others are intrigued, and even excited for this change. a chance to be in a body that they have complete control over, one of them even brings up how easy cosmetic changes would be! and so the project continues

several years pass. you're walking down a pathway made specifically for Mecha, talking to your friend in the next city while chatting to the human on the raised platform next to you and organizing a grocery list for your partner (six months next week!) to pick up on their way home. plenty of people still balk at the thought of integrating themselves with Mecha, but many more have no issue with it. there's plenty of information, in no small part due to your work making sure the research you were a part of made it to public eyes. most people are happy to love and accept Mecha as people, and you couldn't be happier

plus, being able to praise yourself to overload is a nice bonus, too

[enterprisewired]

United Airlines Reveals Luxurious Polaris Studio Cabins with Caviar, Tech Upgrades, and More

Source: edition.cnn.com

United Airlines has unveiled its most ambitious premium cabin upgrade in nearly a decade with the introduction of the next-generation Polaris Studio. The new cabins, part of the “United Elevated” interior design, will debut later this year on the airline’s upcoming Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner deliveries. With this major refresh, United is raising the bar for in-flight luxury by launching its first-ever business-class-plus product — a premium suite featuring expansive amenities, advanced technology, and exclusive service.

The Polaris Studio suites are located in the bulkhead of the two business-class cabins and offer an elevated travel experience with enhanced privacy via sliding doors and roomier spaces for solo travelers or companions. Each suite features a 27-inch 4K OLED screen — the largest among U.S. carriers — wireless charging, Bluetooth audio, and digital seat controls. Stylish quartzite tables, a wool-blend seat finish, and wood-grain accents add to the suite’s sophisticated design.

Polaris Studio passengers will also enjoy exclusive perks like hoodie-style pajamas, noise-canceling headphones, Perricone MD amenity kits, and gourmet dining options, including an osetra caviar amuse-bouche, Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Champagne, and custom preorder entrée selections. On the ground, guests gain access to premium check-in areas and surprise tarmac transfers. While United Airlines has yet to release pricing details, Polaris Studio is expected to carry a separate fare from standard Polaris seats.

Enhanced Comfort Across Cabin Classes

Beyond Polaris Studio, United is refreshing its entire premium and economy cabins as part of the Elevated cabin experience. The updated Polaris business-class suites now include sliding privacy doors and improved configurations tailored to solo or paired travelers. A total of 56 Polaris pods will be installed on the new Dreamliners — eight more than the current 787-9 layout.

New features include 19-inch Bluetooth-enabled 4K screens, four charging options per seat, and a revamped Panasonic Astrova entertainment system. Travelers will benefit from upgraded dining, with rotating regional menus, enhanced wine offerings, new desserts, and a grab-and-go snack bar between meals. However, one notable change is the removal of bassinets in Polaris, which may affect families traveling with infants.

United Airlines is also expanding its Premium Plus offering, featuring 35 reclining seats arranged in a 2-3-2 layout. United is also expanding its Premium Plus offering with 35 reclining seats arranged in a 2-3-2 layout. These seats, similar to domestic first class, now include privacy wings, reading lights, headphone storage, and 16-inch entertainment screens. In economy, passengers can expect better technology and comfort, including 13-inch 4K screens with Bluetooth connectivity, improved recline mechanisms, and a more varied dining menu with appetizers and a third main course option.

Launch Timeline and Future Plans

United Airlines’ Elevated Cabins will debut in early 2026 on routes from San Francisco to Singapore, with service to London to follow. United has ordered 140 new Boeing 787s, and the first batch of 787-9s featuring these cabins will be based in San Francisco. At least 30 of the new aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2027.

While United Airlines has not confirmed whether existing aircraft will be retrofitted with these upgrades, it has indicated that older Boeing 767s are not part of the plan. As the airline continues investing in a more premium travel experience, flyers, from front to back, can look forward to a more luxurious and connected journey.

Visit Enterprise Wired for the Most Recent Information.

[ideatofiesta]

Top 10 Unique Entertainment Ideas for Events in Florida

Planning an event in Florida? Whether it's a wedding, birthday bash, corporate mixer, or community gathering, entertainment can make or break the experience. Ditch the predictable playlist and old-school party tricks — Florida offers a colorful mix of interactive fun that's anything but boring.

Here are 10 unique entertainment ideas that’ll leave guests talking long after the party’s over.

1. Interactive Mirror Photo Booth in Oviedo

Say goodbye to basic photo booths. The Interactive Mirror Photo Booth in Oviedo is a real showstopper. Guests can strike a pose in front of a full-length mirror that talks back, gives compliments, and even adds quirky animations to photos. It blends technology with fun — plus, it’s perfect for weddings, birthdays, or any upscale event looking to add a modern twist.

2. Silent Disco Party

Everyone wears wireless headphones, chooses from multiple music channels, and dances like no one’s watching. From beach parties to rooftop soirées in Miami or Tampa, silent discos add a unique vibe — and you won’t need to worry about noise complaints.

3. Live Caricature Artists (Digital & Traditional)

Guests love going home with something personal, and a caricature sketch is always a hit. Today’s artists even offer digital versions sent directly to phones. Great for corporate events or street-style festivals throughout Florida.

4. Aerial Bartenders

Imagine drinks being poured by performers hanging from the ceiling. It’s real, it’s wild, and it’s happening at upscale venues across Orlando and South Florida. Aerial bartenders add drama and elegance to any classy celebration.

5. Glow-in-the-Dark Lawn Games

Cornhole, giant Jenga, and ring toss — but make it glow. These games light up the night and create a playful, competitive atmosphere perfect for backyard weddings, block parties, or school fundraisers.

6. Mobile Axe Throwing Stations

Yes, axe throwing — on wheels. Mobile stations are trending at events across Florida. Great for team-building activities or bachelor parties looking for something outside-the-box (and a bit rugged).

7. Customizable Food Art Stations

Edible entertainment is always a winner. Think: live sushi rolling, liquid nitrogen ice cream shows, or latte art bars where your face appears on the foam. These booths are interactive and delicious, offering more than just a bite — they bring the “wow” factor.

8. Fire & LED Performance Acts

Fire breathers, LED jugglers, poi dancers — visual acts like these captivate crowds at both large festivals and intimate garden receptions. They're especially popular at sunset or night-time events throughout Florida’s beach cities.

9. Escape Room Pods

Portable escape games come in pop-up booths or trucks, offering a 10–15 minute challenge experience. It’s team-based, high-energy, and adds a clever twist to traditional mingling. A huge hit at corporate events and school functions.

10. Live Art Installations

Hire a speed painter or graffiti artist to create a custom mural during the event. It could be a wedding scene, a logo reveal, or a tribute to the guest of honor. These interactive performances engage guests visually and emotionally.

Why It Matters

In a state like Florida where the sun is always shining and the competition for best party is fierce, it pays to go the extra mile. Experiences like the Interactive Mirror Photo Booth in Oviedo blend interactivity, personalization, and tech-savvy flair — perfect for the Instagram generation.

Events today are no longer just about celebrating — they’re about creating moments worth capturing.

Final Tip: Mix and match two or three of these ideas based on your guest type and venue space. Whether you’re in downtown Orlando, the beaches of Clearwater, or a lakeside lodge in Oviedo, Florida offers limitless ways to entertain — and impress.