#Senior Programme Officer

[hotzimbabwejobs]

Senior Programme Officer - Trade Opportunity at SADC - February 2025

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is seeking a qualified and experienced individual for the position of Senior Programme Officer – Trade. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to regional integration and development within Southern Africa. About SADC: SADC is a regional economic community committed to fostering socio-economic, political, and security cooperation…

[fourmoony]

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐓: Chapter Three.

After breaking your ankle in the wake of a break up, you're determined to get through your senior year without any interference from James Potter. That is, until his loyalty to loose cannon Sirius Black lands him straight in your lap. Or, rather, your kiddie-skate group.

CW: language, abandonment, falling, mentions of broken bone and reconstructive metal work, cheating.

ITN Masterlist

You –

The ice is smooth, freshly pressed by the Zamboni. You should be nervous. Usually, you’d be nervous. But you’re tired. Exhausted, actually. If Pince knew how much you want to turn boot and skate off the other side of the ice, she’d probably have an aneurism. This is it: your chance to become a National Champion. The gateway to worlds, to the Olympics. And all you can think about is the gaping hole in your chest, the knot your stomach has wound its way into. The sound of James’ truck door slamming an echo in the back of your head.

The crowd is silent, and your programme music starts. Four minutes. You only need to make it four minutes. Four minutes until you can walk away and spend the summer wallowing. Four minutes that hang over you like a heavy weight.

You know this routine like the back of your hand. You’ve practiced it so much you could do it in your sleep. Spins, jumps, twists. Every one of them brings a different memory. James picking you up off of your ass, frustrated and angry, sending you back to try again with encouraging words and an even more encouraging kiss. He’d cheer when you landed and buy you chocolate cake on the way home.

The music is loud and overwhelming. It grates on your skin. Images of James, of your happiest moments, of everything you lost – they spin and jump along with you. Heavy as the rain that soaked you on the twenty-minute walk back to your apartment that night. It hurts too much, burns too hot.

Pince likes to say that careers can end in a split second. You know well that they can. All it takes is a bad jump, a distraction. You’ve seen it happen. Countless young athletes losing their careers over one bad move. One fracture, one broken bone, one chip on the ice. One second and it’s all gone.

One second and you’re on the ice.

One second and the resounding crack of bone slices through the crowd.

One second and the lights have gone up.

One second and your entire life leading up to this moment flashes before your eyes.

One second and the world stops.

One second before the shattered sob leaves your throat and it all goes black.

Your ankle clicks and crunches when you roll it. It’s uncomfortable, but not sore – and as much as you hate to admit it, Pomfrey is right; that’s progress. Your toe touches the ground, your calf burns, your ankle hits a breaking point. With a wince, you straighten it, repeat the motion. The stretch room off the back of the rink is empty this early in the morning. The hockey team doesn’t come in for practice for another two hours, the ice is fresh, and as soon as the feeling comes back to the ball of your ankle, you’re going to make use of the free time.

With a breath, you pull your leg up, run the edge of your nail along the skin of your scar. There’s no feeling against the skin, there. It comes and goes, the numbness. Your doctor’s say it’s a side effect of the surgery, the damage to the nerve endings, the pins, the screws. Your finger trails a pattern up your leg, back down, over the ragged ridges of the marred skin. It’s starting to feel normal, the ways you need to live your life. Stretches every day, physical rehabilitation, being barely able to wear heels, mobility, and flexibility issues. Lily likes to joke that you’re a walking-talking-live version of the Met Office. The change in weather is, admittedly, easier to assume with the metal work in your ankle.

It’s been hard – rehabilitating. It’s been sore and scary, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Remus talks, often, about the limitations that his condition puts on his career. It’s nice, in a twisted sort of way, to have someone who knows your pain. In comparison, your pain is a nick on Remus’ radar. His pain is chronic, his bones brittle and damaged. His career will be short lived – but, you know without a doubt that his time in the NHL will be legendary, regardless.

The feeling comes back slowly, to the slow rhythm of your finger tracing up and down. You stand, after a while, and reach for your skate bag. You don’t bother with shoes, socked feet padding against the rubber flooring all the way down to the team box. To your surprise, the ice is populated when you get to the plastic door into the benched area. Sirius and Remus are skating laps around the ice, passing a puck back and forth. They don’t have their kit on, just joggers and their team sweatshirts. James is in the same attire, socked feet kicked up on the bottle shelf beneath the boards. His hands are stuffed in his pockets, hood over his hair. Stray, dark strands of chocolate brown curling out the sides. He looks tired. Exhausted, even.

His eyes follow Remus and Sirius around the rink, ever the dutiful, attentive captain. You know there’s millions of play ideas running through his head, critiques on players that aren’t even in James’ eyesight. It’s astounding, though you hate to admit it, how good of a leader James is.

“You’re all here early.” You say, setting your skate bag beside James on the metal bench.

Your ex startles, eyes wide behind his glasses when he looks over. It’s odd, to think over the Summer he’s somehow forgotten to remember your schedule. He used to know it off by heart. You skate every Saturday morning before the hockey team starts their practice. Realisation crosses his features, like the ghost of a past life passing through his eyes. “Shit, I’ll pull them off. Sorry.” James apologises, pulling his feet from the shelf and sitting forward like he’s getting ready to call Sirius and Remus in.

“No, it’s fine. I’m cool as long as they are.” You take a seat, unzipping your skate bag.

James nods, swallows. The silence is thick, almost suffocating. There’s no flirty conversation, no teasing, no kind words of encouragement. Things have changed. As much as James promised they wouldn’t – they have. It has a lot to do with how things ended, you suppose. As long as you were together, you’d always thought it’d be your careers, the distance, that split you up. Your ex-boyfriend places his feet on the rubber mats below the bench, bounces his legs. “They’ll stay out of your way, just watch out for stray pucks.”

“Got it. You okay?” You ask as you sit down to tie your skates. “You look exhausted.”

James’ hazel eyes follow Sirius and Remus around the rink. You don’t think they’ve noticed your presence, yet. Content in their own world. “Yeah. All good.”

It’s a lie. You both know it. But you’re not the person James is going to talk to about that, anymore. You don’t have a response for him, so you take your skate guards off and leave him to stew in the box. The air is cold against your face, a pleasant feeling. Sirius and Remus have scratched the ice a little with their skates and sticks, but it’ll be fine. They hear your blades scratching the closer you get, turn to you as you approach.

“Hey, I just want to run my routine a couple times before tomorrow. I’ll try stay out of your way.” You tell them.

Sirius’ eyes flick to James almost protectively, like he’s checking his captain, his best friend, is aware of your presence. Since you and James broke up, you haven’t heard much from Sirius. It’s not that he’s picking sides – though, you wouldn’t blame him for picking James. What they have is unique. They’re bonded. But it hurts a little. Stings, because there was a time where Sirius was one of your best friends. You’d all been close. It feels now, like Lily and Remus are the only ones who make an effort.

“You have practice tonight, your ankle going to be okay?” Remus asks, pushing the puck back and forth absentmindedly.

“How’s your knee?” You deflect.

Remus bites back a grin and scoffs good naturedly, but Sirius’ eyes fly down to Remus’ knee as though he’ll be able to see through layers of clothes and skin, right down to the muscle. He looks almost panicked. Then, he looks back up, icy blues lit with a fire you’ve never been on the receiving end of. “He’s fine.”

“Relax, Sirius. I know he is.” Your eyes burn, a little, “I’ll try stay out of your way.”

Remus mutters something to Sirius – likely chastising him. You’re on the other side of the rink, pretending not to care, so you don’t hear it.

They stay out of your way for the majority of your ice time. Only one stray puck gets in your way, and James calls out in a panic when you almost land on it. Instead, you miss a jump and shout a shaky thanks as you clamber back to your feet on the ice. He stays firmly in the box – making you wonder why he even bothered to come to the ice this morning, at all. Not that it’s any of your business. Remus and Sirius run drills on one half of the ice whilst you weave in and around them. It’s not until you’re on your last run through that your foot goes numb. It’s quick, instant. You land on your ankle, there’s no feeling there, your leg buckles.

You hit the ice with a nasty amount of noise. Skates scraping and clashing, a whoosh of pained air. Your hip hurts, a searing pain that you already know will need to be iced. It takes a minute to gather your surroundings, turning until you’re sitting up. “Jesus,” You mutter, angry. It feels like this will never end – the numbness, the frustration, falling. It’s been months of your ankle going numb mid practice. Months of falling on your ass. “Fuck!”

Remus is at your side in an instant, Sirius close behind him. “Okay, up. Up, C’mon.”

You know you can’t get up, but you refuse to admit why. No one knows. Not even Pomfrey, not even Pince. You can’t run the risk of needing a surgery to fix the nerve endings. Can’t risk having to sit this season out. “Remus, give me a minute.”

“No, the longer you sit there, the less likely you’re going to go again. Up. Now.” Your best friend holds his hand out.

He’s just trying to help. But there’s anger simmering in your chest. Hot and raw and you want to lash out. For the first time, you think you understand why Remus is the way he is. So, you look at him, really, truly look at him and you think he understands. James crouches in front of you, eyes brimming with concern. You hate how much relief the sight of him brings you. Remus turns and drags Sirius off. They go back to their own corner of the ice. Your eyes well with tears.

“What’s goin’ on?” James asks.

His hands rest on the skate covering your bad ankle. You can’t feel them. The thought panics you because what if? What if one day, the feeling never comes back and it’s too late? James notices the fear in your eyes, his finger reaches up to press into your calf and you flinch. A look of understanding passes across his features, brows scrunching and dipping in the middle. “No one knows?”

“No one can know.”

James looks like he disagrees, but he nods. “I’ll bare your weight to get you up. Feet flat or Remus will notice, but weight bare on your good ankle.”

He doesn’t have to do this. He shouldn’t care. It’s not his role, anymore. But you nod, regardless. Even if the idea of him helping you lights a furious rage inside of you because how dare he act like he gives a shit now? You need to get off the ice, though. So you give him both of your hands, left blade flat on the ice as he pulls you up. Your hip screams at you, but you ignore it in favour of James’ socked feet. He’s run out onto the ice without shoes on.

“You’re going to get frost-bite.” You murmur, eyes flicking up to find his already on you.

He looks sad. Nostalgic, maybe. “Worth it.”

Your heart cracks open in your chest as you let James lead you off of the ice, all the while praying he doesn’t go full James and snitch on you to Pince, thinking he’s doing you some sort of favour. You have it under control. You’re dealing with it.

Maybe just not as well as you’d originally thought.

Regulus –

Barty is lying, rather annoyingly, half on Regulus’ legs and half on the bed. But he won’t ask Barty to move. As much as a distraction he’s made himself, Regulus finds he quite enjoys the idea that Barty wants to be this close to him. The sketch book on his lap stares up at him tauntingly. There’s half-finished scribbles of planets and stars; none of which Regulus has the energy to perfect. He does, however, have a strong notion to draw the way Barty’s body is curling around his legs. Regulus isn’t sure how to feel about that, so he ignores it; because if he thinks too much about it, he’ll start to push Barty away.

He’s aware that this isn’t going to last. Just like he’s aware that after his thesis paper is published, he’ll be returning to Grimmauld Place. Taking over Black Industries is probably at the bottom of the list of things Regulus wants to do with his life. But the thing about Barty Crouch is that he’s persuasive. He’s irresistible, as Regulus has come to realise. It’s more than just his regal looking cheek bones and sinful smile, his toned body, and tattoos that make Regulus more inspired to draw than he ever has; if only to one day see one of his drawings on Barty’s pale skin – it’s also his carefree attitude, his rebellious nature, and the big, bold, ‘fuck you’ middle finger he holds up to the world that makes Regulus want to get wrapped up in him and never get free.

He wishes he could keep Barty, but he can’t. So, he won’t draw him. For now, he’ll enjoy his rebellious streak brought about by the sarcastic, smart mouth, piece of shit guy he met in the art supply store in the spring and worry about the calendar counting down his return to Grimmauld place later.

Admitting defeat, Regulus places his sketchbook and pencil on his bedside table. Barty stirs at the movement, head straining to look at Regulus with a devious grin. He threads his fingers through the soft strands of Barty’s inky black hair and smiles softly. It’s obvious his smile isn’t believable, because Barty huffs, pushes himself up until he’s straddling Regulus’ hips. He’s not in the mood for whatever Barty is about to initiate, but Barty seems to notice that because his eyes soften. “What’s on your mind?”

Regulus studies Barty. He really is very beautiful. He’d be easy to draw. The itch is there. But he can’t. So, he won’t. “I was thinking that I can’t focus when you’re lounging over me like a stray cat.” It’s obvious in his voice that it’s a lie. But the good thing about Barty is that he doesn’t push Regulus to talk when he clearly doesn’t want to.

“We both know that you’re the cat, in this relationship, Regulus. You’re all claws and uptight attitude.” The boy on top of Regulus quips, a smile that tells Regulus he’s rather pleased with himself.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not all claws.” Because Regulus knows he’s uptight.

Barty grins. It’s charming and knowing, practically dripping with sin. He reaches for the neckline of his t-shirt; acts like he’s going to pull it upward. “Should we look at my back?”

Regulus holds the hem around Barty’s waist and tugs, scowling. “No, let’s not.”

Barty laughs, collapsing on top of Regulus. He enjoys the weight, presses his fingers into his shoulder blades because he knows he likes rough touches. Gentle touches make him jumpy. He listens to Barty laugh for a while, enjoys the sound of it vibrating against the skin of his neck. He stares at the ceiling and wonders if he should tell Barty that one of the reasons he’s struggling to draw is probably because his estranged brother has cropped his ugly head up.

Barty is good with advice. Mainly because the majority of his advice is to get high and ignore all of your problems. His mother would pitch a fit if she knew all the shit Regulus was getting up to, these days. She calls once a week, always short and curt. It’s more of a call to make sure Regulus is behaving, than to check in on how he’s actually doing. He’s not sure what he’s going to tell her when she asks who his student assistant ended up being. If she knew, she’d likely pull him out of university all together and ban him from leaving the house ever again. Not that he had any choice in who it was.

“Sirius is my student assistant.” He breathes out, the admittance bringing a hollow ache to his chest.

He doesn’t talk much about Sirius. Mainly because it hurts, leaves a bitter taste in his mouth that as much as he tried, nothing was ever good enough for his older brother. Not enough to make him stay. And Regulus knows that expecting Sirius to stay was unfair – maybe it’s more to do with the idea that he left him there. Scared, alone. Baring the crown that Sirius found too heavy. Barty lifts his head until his eyes meet Regulus’. Reading, trying to gage how he should treat this. He’s not sure if he wants Barty to get him high and help him say fuck you to his problems, or if he wants him to offer to kick the shit out of Sirius.

“Okay. Go on.” Barty urges, fingers tracing Regulus’ collar bones.

The feeling grounds him as he huffs and closes his eyes. Thinking. Trying to sort through his emotions because, really, he’s not sure how he feels about it.

“He said I’m just like our father. I was a dick to him.”

Barty smiles sadly. “You were surprised to see him.”

“I knew I’d see him, eventually. I mean, I’ve done a good job of avoiding him. But I thought, maybe naively, when I came to Hogwarts that maybe there’d be a chance he’d want to explain. But he didn’t. He just looked at me with pure hatred and stormed off into the stacks.” It sounds childish, the way Regulus’ voice takes on a petulant whine.

But Barty nods, like he understands. He doesn’t. He doesn’t have siblings, but he does have an uncomfortable family situation. So, he’s sympathetic, at least. “Maybe he’s scared to apologise because he thinks you won’t hear him.” Barty offers.

“Maybe. Or maybe he’s just an asshole.”

The other boy scoffs amusedly, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, maybe.”

“You think he’d want me to be a part of his life? If I could forgive him.” Regulus asks, hating how insecure he sounds.

Barty presses his lips to Regulus’. It’s soft, caring. Rare, for them. “I dunno Sirius. I’ve never met him. But I do know that anyone who doesn’t want a part of you in their life is a fucking idiot. And you don’t need another idiot in your life. You already have me.”

He likes that answer, so he kisses Barty until they’re both a mess of tangled limbs and swollen lips. Until it turns out that there’s other ways to forget his problems. And all of them suddenly have a lot to do with Barty Crouch.

James –

He’s pacing. He knows he’s pacing, and he knows that his footsteps are clunking against the wooden floorboards, and that Remus will likely lose his mind if he continues. But James can’t stop. It’s how he thinks, how he processes. Years of thinking on his feet, of having to have a mind as sharp as a tack, having to move whilst processing a hundred different outcomes. The only outcome he can think of right now is you hating him even more than you already do when he inevitably goes to Pince and tells her that your ankle isn’t properly healed.

He did the necessary reading to conclude that prolonged numbness is definitely not a normal side effect of having a reconstructive surgery. A temporary side effect, yes. But it’s been months since your surgery. That’s not a good sign, according to a very reliable source (if you count Reddit as a reliable source; James isn’t sure if he does). And he knows he’s catastrophising. He’s prone to it. But he’s worried. And wouldn’t he rather you hate him that little bit more and eventually be able to get back on the ice next year (after another surgery, Reddit had confirmed) than risk it all now and never skate again? James doesn’t feel qualified to make that decision. He hasn’t been a captain long, and even then, it’s not like he’s in charge of people’s livelihoods. He wouldn’t have taken the job if that was the case.

James knows how much Nationals means for you – it’s the gateway to the World Championships, to the Olympics. He cost you that last year, and he hates himself for it. Is he really willing to do that to you again? He’s not sure. So, he paces. He loses count of how many times he picks up his phone and almost hits the green call button next to your name. He’s not even sure you’d answer, even less sure of what he’d say to you if, by some miracle, you answered. ‘I think you should miss out on Nationals again, this year, have another risky surgery and hope for the best. Okay, bye!’ doesn’t exactly seem like a good plan to him.

Remus is the embodiment of exhaustion when he pushes James’ bedroom door open and leans against the frame like a parent ready to chastise their hyper-active child. James cringes. Remus needs all the rest he can get. Between hospital appointments, hockey, and his classes, he never stops. “Sorry. I’ll try be quieter.” His voice comes out rushed and anxious, an alarm bell sounding off to alert Remus of his worry.

The taller boy tilts his head and studies James. Sometimes, he loves how perceptive Remus can be. It helps offence, and it generally means that he’s a better friend. But now, he shifts awkwardly because for the second time in the space of a year, he’s keeping a secret from his best friend. He hates lying to Remus. But your words play on a loop in his head. No one can know. You’d been so scared. Terrified, even, at the idea of everything you’ve worked for over the summer being ripped away from you. Call James selfish, but he doesn’t particularly want to be the one to do it. Even though he knows he should because it will be better in the long run.

“Or” Remus suggests, “You could stop pacing and tell me what’s going on with Y/N.”

James opens his mouth. Subsequently closes it because he doesn’t know what to say. He won’t betray your trust. He hates lying to Remus. But he knows, ultimately, if he really doesn’t want to talk about it, his best friend won’t push him.

He feels himself shrug, his best attempt at feigning nonchalance. “Don’t know what you mean.”

Remus’ honey eyes read like a book. He knows James is lying, scrutinising him whilst simultaneously trying to figure out why he’s lying for you. As far as Remus knows he’s on bad terms with you. And technically, that’s true. But James would give anything to fix that. He just hasn’t figured out how, yet.

“You know,” Remus pushes off the door frame, ever the one for imparting wisdom in the most dramatic of ways and pushes his hands into his pockets. “If I didn’t know well enough, I’d say you’re trying to decide her future for her. I can tell you right now, that won’t end well. Whatever it is she’s hiding, I’ve been there. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one she has to do on her own.

“Don’t make her hate you any more than she does now, James. I’m still rooting for you.”

“You know?” James asks, throat dry.

“About the numbness or you cheating on her?” Remus asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer before he leaves James standing, alone, in the middle of his room with a sinking feeling that he’s let everyone down.

He’s not sure how Remus knows. Maybe you told him even though you’d told James you weren’t going to tell anyone.

An amicable breakup, you’d suggested. It’ll save us both the embarrassment.

He hates himself. Hates himself for all of the things he wishes he’d sat you down and forced you to listen to over the summer. Hates that he didn’t fight for you more. There’s so much you don’t know. So much you don’t want to hear. So much James wishes he’d done differently. Starting with how he wishes he’d run out onto the ice, consequences be damned, the minute he saw you land on your ankle, the minute he heard you sobbing in pain. He wishes he hadn’t walked away, feeling sorry for himself that he’d ripped Nationals from you. That, despite how hard he’d tried, he’d still failed you.

And he hates even more that he even considered doing it for a second time.

James sits on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, and he decides there and then that he’s not going to tell Pince. But he is, even if you fight him every step of the way, going to find a way to fix this for you. You’ll have a chance at Nationals if it’s the last thing James does.

And it starts with a call to Euphemia Potter.

[reztaezm]

𝙳𝙴𝙱𝚄𝙶¿

・・・・・・・・・・

𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚘 𝚡 𝙾𝙲 (𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛)

𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜: smut; oral (m - receiving), riding, late night office sex, unprotected sex (not encouraging, pls use protection), implied hand fetish, implied vein fetish, implied size difference / size kink, humor, lots of profanity and dirty jokes

𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: Jeong Yunho, the helpful I.T. professor, and Y/n, the hot senior programmer

𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜: 6.6k (filler plot??)

۶ৎ

A sigh — it is all Y/n was able to muster in response to the repeated queries of her officemates.

Before she was asked again, she spoke for the first time in twelve hours to cut them off. “No. It still keeps crashing.”

San was lucky they were best friends, because Y/n would’ve pushed him off his chair just for almost letting out a laugh.

“It’s not funny.” Y/n sighs yet again for probably the hundredth instance that day, and San knew, which was what made him finally burst.

Y/n’s been playing hunchback for weeks, ever since she had started programming her video game. It's only a demo project. She hasn't actually come up with a polished plot for the game, which was unfortunate since she only had about two months left till the proposal due.

“I mean, honestly, your game’s the shit.” Y/n had her face buried in her hands when she heard San say that, and she wouldn't lift his head even as she answered.

“You mean, is shit.” her tired and muffled mutter made San shake his head, though still at the verge of laughter.

“Come on, dude. You always tell me that real success takes the longest, to trust the process,” she finally looks at San as he speaks, though not without another sigh falling from her lips. “You’re being a bad example right now, you know that? It's like you being that cool senior I met on my first day in the company is a complete scam.”

Y/n stood up from his chair after long hours of being stuck on it, and it showed from the way she stretched her limbs and arched his back with the quiet snapping of her back. “It is.”

This time, she laughed, but it was weak. San could hear her loss of sleep in the sound. “Whatever. That's just a phase.” San found himself shaking his head once more, chuckling at his friend who looked like she consumed coffee as a water substitute.

Y/n decides to ignore San — who was carefully skimming through her progress — for a moment to give the restroom a visit. It was a solo restroom, even though it's in an office with six people, it wasn't hard to figure why there’d often be an angry knocker outside. Y/n stops to look at herself in the mirror. And just like what she'd expect, her under eyes had darkened, even sunk a little bit. Her lips were slightly chapped, and well, long story short, she's anemic. Her hues were dead all over, even her clothes look like she's just got out of a funeral.

She ties her hair to a sad, lazy ponytail, then opens the faucet, letting the water run over her palms. She splashed on her face for a quick rinse, and an implicit attempt of a wake-up call. Because maybe it was time for her to take a break. At this point, her hands have tremors even when at rest, and she wasn't sure if she had gone past her daily caffeine intake or if she was actually developing a chronic illness. No matter the cause, her mentality opposed the needs of her body, for even with the tiny rants San and her other colleagues would hear from her, she never actually gave up. Like San had said, it was just a phase, it's a silly statement, but it's true.

“I’ve gone through this before. I can do it again.”

After having wiped her face down with her hand towel, she exits the restroom. She appeared to be quite disheveled, with some strands of her hair sticking to the sides of her face and the rest a sloppily tied mess behind her head. She proceeds to her desk with leisurely motions, claiming her seat once more with a yawn, stretching her arms back slightly past her head.

“It’s DoorDash hour,” she mumbles when she happens to read the time on her desk clock. “Can any of you vouch for my coffee, my PayPal is out of serv-”

She was cut off when an unfamiliar hand had set itself on her desk right in front of her. She looks up — and her first thought was San probably wasn’t done meddling with her scripting, but then, she’d freeze in shock.

Or maybe surprise? Am I in one of those k-dramas where some hot fictional guy comes to life? Who the fuck is this fine asset and why is he staring at my computer-

“Looks like you mistyped a code here, miss.”

And what the fuck is that voice… “Excuse me?”

Y/n had zero clue as to who this man was, or why he was standing there — from her observation — looking like a complete meal. It seems like DoorDash hour came earlier for her.

The mystery man chuckles, and as embarrassing it is for her to admit, his voice was stimulating her hormones more than she’d hope. She felt somewhat violated. “Well…”

The low pur in is utterance was enough for her to make a mental note to check out cheap therapy sessions online. And perhaps she had almost gone completely insane when she felt his arms on either side of her. He could feel the warmth of his figure leaning over hers as she sat there with a slight shiver, and at a loss for words.

The sounds of him typing on her keyboard, and the clicking as he maneuvered the mouse, were blocked off by her ears. It was as if his breathing was a song blasting right into her ears, and she was the only one who could hear it.

“Oh, Yunho. You’re here.”

If only Y/n could turn to greet San, and ask him why he’d let this unbelievably attractive man in their office without giving her any sort of warning, not even a text.

“Hey, how’s it been?” Finally, she was able to breathe because this tall stature of a man walked off to greet his old friend, initiating a handshake.

“Been well, nothing crazy.” Their conversation becomes drowned out in the background as she salvages the time to compose herself before the two took notice of her.

“By the way, that's Y/n. She's the hot senior I was talking about.”

Y/n’s eyes widened at San’s mention of her name, and his jarring description of her. She spins her chair around, finally facing the two men, finally facing him again.

San couldn't help but snicker seeing the baffled expression on Y/n’s face, the target subsequent of his prank. “What?”

Y/n sighs at San’s clownery, knowing exactly why he was giggling like a little boy again. “You didn't tell me someone was coming.”

And with that, San smirks. “Don't worry, he's not hostile at all.”

The two men would share a chuckle which would've irritated her, but honestly, she wasn't hearing San.

“Care to introduce yourself?” She held confidence in her tone as she questioned the other guy, and as she waited for his answer, she’d bring herself to meet his eyes for the first time.

“I’m Jeong Yunho. I’m also a senior programmer.”

It might've been a mistake. The guy looked so tidy and proper. His shirt was ironed, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Not only that, he also wore black pleated pants that showed off his height well. She didn't even want to stand because she was sure he’d somehow mistaken her for a chair.

She nods and hums in response to his introduction, as if she was interviewing him for a job application. “And why are you here?”

San couldn't hold back from snorting at her current demeanor which was very unlike her daily work attitude.

Yunho catches her shooting a glare towards San, and he couldn't help but smile a little. “San called me. He said you need help with your game’s script.”

Y/n’s brows furrowed. “What?” Then she looks at San, questioning him without a word, because she sure as hell does not remember asking him for assistance.

San only shrugs, again, playing dumb.

“You’ve been working on it for a long time now, correct?” Her head snaps back at Yunho when he asks the question.

To which she answers, “Yes.” with a nod, though she didn't quite catch why he’d ask.

Yunho would then approach her desk, bringing himself closer to her, close enough for her to smell his perfume… “It's due pretty soon, don’t you think?”

The tip of his finger was pointing and pressed against the marked date of her game demo’s deadline, and he was looking down at her. She could've sworn she could already feel his breath on her face. She only nods in response to his question, swallowing the salivation that had amassed in her mouth as her brain processed their proximity.

“You should’ve been at least done with the intro. Do you have a tutorial before the actual game?” She was forced to look away from his face out of sheer embarrassment, but she was at least seventy percent sure that he didn't notice.

“Yeah. The intro runs smoothly, but I can't seem to get this part of the script to work.” She then leans closer to her computer monitor and navigates the said part of the programming with the scroll of her mouse to show it to him.

He hums upon inspecting her work, and then she freezes again. His hand grabbed for the mouse, all while she was still holding it. His hand moved the mouse, moving her hand along with it, being engulfed by his absurdly larger one. She’d be lying if she said she was paying attention to what he was doing to her script, but she tried, she really did.

“I can help you with getting this done. My schedule is flexible for two months, including now.” Yunho leans back a bit to look at her, then gives her a smile.

She couldn't help but think that he's doing all of this on purpose. “Wait,”

He hits her with a “Hmm?” and the slight raise of his eyebrows.

She clears her throat, trying to ignore the fact that everything he did was attractive to her. "How much?”

The few seconds of him as he thought about her question was accompanied by a soft hum with his lips formed into a slight pout. “I don't really have a price in mind right now. But we can negotiate it after we finish your game.”

Negotiate?... After we finish the game? “I mean, you don't have to help me full-time, you know. We could just work through messages-”

“Yeah, but that could make things complicated at some instances.” He casually cuts her off, even shrugging as he straightens up his stance. “Your work can be more precise, and maybe we can avoid bugs, fix the existing ones.”

He then leans sidewards against her desk, using his arm to support his weight. That's when she saw it — the fine lines on his hands. With how close he was, she could see the patterns drawn by his veins. She couldn't help but imagine those hands flexed and its veins protruding as he carried her — a long sigh leaves her mouth, but after hearing his subtle chuckle, she realizes that he was still waiting for her to respond to his offer.

“Yes.”

Yunho raised a brow, finding this response rather interesting.

“Yes?”

Y/n had to rewind her own reply in her mind to figure out what she'd said wrong, or what she couldn't say. “Ah, I meant sure. I can work with that.” She then gives him a smile, thanking her guardian angels in her mind for keeping her from stuttering or stumbling on her own words.

Way later that night, she remained in the office, now left empty and lit by nothing but her computer monitor, and the lights of the hallway outside seeping through the glass panels of the office doors. She leans back against her chair, staring at the blank IDE on her computer monitor. It wasn't really completely blank. She just had this empty space below what she had already done. She yawns, and almost closes her eyes — almost, because her phone began vibrating against her desk and produced a loud blaring to her ears in the quiet confinement of the almost-empty quarter.

She picks up her phone and reads the notification on her lockscreen. Then suddenly, she was wide awake.

jeong yunho (LINE) : hey, heard you're still in the office?

She was slightly confused by the structure of his text. It wasn't constructed like a question, yet it had a question mark, still, she didn't have it in her to ignore him and pretend she's busy when she's currently stuck with her work.

y/n y/l/n: yeah i am

jeong yunho: why?

She was surprised with his reply time, it was almost instant.

y/n y/l/n: i have something to finish

jeong yunho: why didn't you tell me?

i’m omw

What the fuck. She was stunned, and a part of her thought that he must be kidding, and if not then he was out of his mind.

And the conclusion? He’s out of his mind.

Whilst Y/n restlessly tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair, she hears the shifting hinges of the door, indicating someone's entrance. Despite her double-guessing, he actually came. Not that she's surprised anymore since he did message her beforehand. It's the fact that he insisted that bewildered her. She didn't need him — well, at least not yet. But he could've chosen to leave her alone and rest for himself, especially since it was already past 11pm.

“I didn't think you'd actually come.” She couldn't help but express her thoughts once he was seated beside her.

Yunho gives her a chuckle for that, and replies with a question, “Why not?”

Whether it was a real question or not, she answers him anyway. “Because it's late. You had work too, didn't you?”

He sighs softly and shrugs. He sure does shrug a lot. “Eh, I just sat in the computer lab all day. Also monitored some newbies, but it was light work.” he replies as he moves his chair, and himself, closer to Y/n.

“Monitored newbies?” She grew curious of what he did, she didn't really have much background on him yet, apart from the fact that he's an excellent programmer who earned a master's degree. “What's your job anyways?”

“I’m an I.T. professor.”

Her eyes grew wider at this newfound information. He seemed so young, and too… fine to be a college professor.

Unfortunately, he notices her reaction and chuckles. She'd paid to hear him chuckle over and over again, but she couldn't quite figure out what it meant, cause he might as well be making fun of her in his mind.

“I’m new. I got hired by my university just a year ago.” her mouth forms a small ‘o’ from that follow up info and nods to express her understanding.

She didn't have anything else to say, but she thought he did. So with a brave heart, she turns her head to look at him, only to be met with that overwhelming gaze of his that she's seeing for the first time. He had also moved a little closer, and it made the whole moment feel more intense — for her at least.

“So… how long have you been working for this company?”

She was thankful he had asked that question, or else she would've been stuck staring at him. “Uhh… five, it's been… five years.”

Their eyes were still set on each other, but she didn't really know where this was headed, or what it meant for him. Because for her, the tension is undeniable. And maybe, just maybe, it was fairly sexual. She could feel some heat rising on her cheeks the more she looked at him, and his form was shaped by the grey sweatshirt he had on — the sleeves were rolled up again. It's like he's purposely showing off his arms for her to fantasize about. The fact that his eyes were on her too did nothing but drive the biological reactions of her body, in layman's terms, she was turned on.

He hums in response to her answer and would briefly shift his eyes from hers, down to her lips, then lower. She thought she was starting to hallucinate because of how horny she could be, because from her perspective, it seemed as though he was checking her out.

She then thought that maybe, the tension wasn't one sided after all. “Five years… doesn't sound like a lot, but I’m sure you’ve got… loads of experience, right?”

Y/n wasn't fond of alcohol, but his tone, his voice, it all began to sound like smooth whiskey, and she was slowly getting drunk off of it. “Right.”

Yunho chuckles again, but this time, the sound was drawn deep from his chest. He was looking at her as if she was the only thing visible to him, and that everything else was an empty void.

“You know, when San first mentioned you, I thought you'd be a middle-aged woman, or close to that.” As he spoke to her, his hand would move to the armrest of her chair, resting beside her hand, though not quite touching it. “But then again, you could be, huh?”

Y/n would make a sound, somewhere close to a laugh, though her brows were adorably knitted closely. “I'm in my mid twenties.” Yunho smirks at that, most likely because she was speaking in a much softer tone now, which contrasted the first voice he heard from her.

“I can see that.”

Internal and hysterical screaming. Her mind and body were reacting in such irrational ways, not only from the way he was speaking to her, but with how she was able to confirm that he was indeed checking her out.

“San only referred to you as the ‘hot senior’ in your office... but I don't think he meant it as a joke.” He said this, all while spending almost a minute staring on her lips. “All the proof I need is right in front of me.”

She was stuck, yet again — unlike being stuck with her game’s programming, she actually had a plan of actions in mind, in fact, there might be too much to them. None of them would fall under the typical human response, but was she really gonna play dumb and act like she isn't being ogled by the man only inches apart from her?

Her eyes wandered down to his arms again, and his hand was right next to hers. She knew how skilled those fingers are with handling computers. What more if he was handling her. She slowly brought her gaze up, looking over his body, even fully covered, she saw how fit and healthy he was, particularly on the area of his pecs. Shit.

Knowing that he was pretty much undressing her with his eyes, she was possessed with sudden boldness, speaking with more nerve on a provocative note. “Yeah? And what makes you say that?”

Maybe she sounded too bold for her physical condition, because she was quite sure she’d looked gaunt after continuous shifts, only taking ten-minute naps max, and having a staring contest with her computer monitor to the point that she’s taken in the eyes of a drug addict.

But maybe, in some way she couldn’t see, she radiates allure, particular to Yuhno. “I don’t know,” He chuckles a little at himself. “Maybe I have a thing for burnout.”

Then he lifts his hand from the armrest, pointing a finger and using it to move a stray strand of hair that went over her eyes, and tucks it behind her ear. The whole time, Y/n thought about where else his fingers would wander and stop. There was no stopping for the tips of his fingers brushed against her cheeks as he moved down his hand. He moved his hand as if he was taking his time to feel the texture of her skin, and despite the feather-light contact, it became her sensory’s hyperfixation.

“Or maybe I just have a thing for you.”

Y/n’s lips slowly curved up into a slight smile, impossible for Yunho to miss given how close he’s gotten. And he’s slowly moving closer, and closer. His movements were subtle, but she could feel it — the heat rose the closer he got. Her hands moved by themselves, one of them holding onto the wrist of his hand that now held her face. Resisting was no longer in consideration for her, leading her to give in to her temptations, tracing the veins and the muscles of his forearm and feeling it with the pads of her fingers.

Yunho had gotten close enough for the tip of his nose to lightly press against the side of her face, right next to her ear, smelling the faint fragrance of her perfume and the natural scent of her body mixed with a bit of sweat and the reeks of the office environment. He couldn’t help but breathe her in.

“You really thought I wouldn’t notice?” He murmurs right into her ear, the same time his sly hand moved in between her back and the backrest of her chair, slowly settling his palm against the curvature of her waist.

She’d gulp, and nervously so. However, her lust would soon overshadow any other emotion she had brewing in her.

“What?” — Yunho found her feigned cluelessness a tad amusing, yet adorable.

If anything, it’s only egging him on. “Where do you want my hands?” He’d elicit a soft gasp from her once his other hand moved to her thigh and began to rub it over her jeans, moving it up slowly, then down again, but not reaching her knee. His lips gently grazed against her skin as he moved them below her ear, placing a soft kiss there and whispering to her, “Tell me…”

“Tell me what you want…” His hand began to caress and lightly squeeze on her thigh, even moving his hand higher and closer to her crotch, but never actually making contact with it to tease her. “Who knows?… I might just give it to you.”

Her breathing grew heavier, and irregular. But so was Yunho’s as he continued to gently stamp his lips against her skin, creating a trail down her jaw. 

“You really wanna know?” Y/n surprises herself since she was already finding it difficult to breathe normally for her to speak.

Yunho moves his head back, but just enough to see her face. “Why else would I ask, babe?”

You asked for this. Y/n knew exactly what she wanted, and she was ready to blame him for what she was about to tell him.

“I want to suck you off.”

Yunho almost choked on his own saliva. It wasn’t the answer he was anticipating at all — not that he was complaining since his dick throbbed in his pants from hearing that. 

“Are you sure?” 

Y/n doesn’t think twice about nodding and confirming her desire,and getting on her knees in front of him. 

“Shit.” Yunho mutters under his breath upon the sight of her on her knees, looking up at him like a hungry little kitten. He used his eyes to trace the curves along the sides of her body, and the curve that shaped her breasts.

She then sat up and brought her hands on his knees, slowly moving them up his thighs as she leaned closer to the growing erection in his pants. But just as she’s grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants, he stops her by grabbing her wrists. She looks up, averting her eyes from the bulge that was dearing to poke through the fabric of his pants.

Yunho breathed in for a moment, brushing his thumbs against the back of her hands as he held them and spoke. “Are you sure-sure that you’re down for this?”

She found it funny that he’d stop her to ask again, that’s why she chuckled a little. The only thing stopping her from entirely engulfing his cock is his sweatpants, and boxers — or briefs. Her eagerness was painfully obvious by then.

“Why else would I be on my knees?” — there was a slight hitch in Yunho’s breath when he realized she was teasing him, imitating the way he had spoken to her earlier. 

And so, he’d lose his grip on her wrists, letting her tug down what was restraining his wood. His cock darts out, and Y/n catches it before it hits his stomach. She was so tempted to just gobble him up, but as her eyes scanned the size of him, she was swallowing her spit. Even the veins on his cock protruded. 

Yunho caught the way her thighs become magnetized to one another as she held his dick. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped him when her hand stroked up his length, and instinctively, his hand made a handle out of her hair. She stared up at him, surprised how much of an effect that one move had on him. She, of course, did the only rational thing and stuck out her tongue, leaning forward to have a taste of him.

The moment her delicate tongue made contact with his tip, his fingers would become more entangled with the strands of her hair whilst his other hand lifted his sweatshirt high enough to expose his toned stomach. Then her lips parted wider, wrapping around the head, and slowly enveloping his cock she lowered her head — and fuck. He’s been accustomed to his hand for a while now, and the heat of her mouth was driving only made his dick harder than it already was, if that was even possible. Whichever way the sensations he was feeling were to be described, one thing was clear in his mind — he was receiving the best head of his life.

He didn’t even ask her to, nor have thought about it, but her tongue moved with precision, she was expert with swirling her tongue around the head of his cock just as she was with typing down codes. He’d find himself tugging rather harshly on her hair when she sped up the bobbing of her head. That, paired with the sounds of slurping and plopping, and his view of his dick disappearing into her mouth repeatedly had him losing the point of breathing. He’s got his head thrown back, fighting to keep his eyes open to see how she devours his dick and drives him to the brink of insanity.

“How are you so good at this?” His words came out in labored breaths, still crudely holding onto her hair. 

She hears him, but doesn’t pause one bit. She only ends up doing more. She’d begun to suck harder, and the second time her skilled and warm mouth constricted around his cock, he almost blew his cum into her throat. And she felt it. She felt his cock twitching against the walls of her oral cavity.

“F-Fuck-slow down for a s-” — The fuck not. Why would she when she’s so close to fulfilling the little fantasy she’s had ever since he came into the office in those sweats.

He kept twitching in her mouth, and her hair was bound in a twisted and tangled mess in his hand, the other nearly breaking the armrest of the chair he sat on with how tightly he’s been holding onto it the whole time. His hand moves by itself and pushes her head down, the same time his hips snapped up, and he would end up shoving his cock’s head deeper into her throat as his cum erupts into it. 

The fluid coats the enclosure of her mouth as she pulls herself off — and with a mass of struggle. She wasn’t able to swallow everything like she’d hope, but she was nearly choking. She thought his cum would drip out of her nose because there seemed to be so much of it.

She used the ends of her sleeves to wipe around her lips that were glossed with her spit and his cum, and Yunho watched her as she did so. He was amazed by her talent, for a lack of a better word.

“Do you usually blow guys in your office?” She nearly chokes, again, not only on his cum, but with her own spit as well.

“Are you serious?” The ends of her brows were nearly touching as she questioned his words.

“Hey, hey — I’m just trying to say I’ve never gotten it this good.” A breathy chuckle sounds from his mouth, and he uses his hand to brush his hair back. “Until you, of course.”

Y/n’s head tilts to the side as their eyes meet, one smirk mirroring the other. “The last time I gave someone head was in highschool.”

Yunho found it hard to believe and somewhat amusing. If he had known her then and he knew she sucked that well, then he would’ve had her to himself up until now.

“So, what? You took a degree in blowjobs?” He receives a rather weak blow against his knee from what he had said, but he only chuckles. 

“A master’s.” And she played along anyways.

The room was filled with soft laughter, before the two would end up locking eyes like their pair had magnets drawn to the pair of the other. It was oddly sweet and warm in Y/n’s chest, as she could see how the lines of his eyes softened along with his gaze. But that was until she’d look down.

“Would you mind hopping on the table? Or are you in for a ride?”

Of course. They weren’t done. Thankfully he’d asked, because then, she was suddenly reminded of the pool in between her legs. 

Instead of giving him an answer, she’d undo her pants. And before taking a step forward, Yunho had already reached for her hand, carefully pulling her closer with a stupid, sly grin on his face. His eyes were locked on the damp part of her panties. He could see the imprint of her clit, and the slit over her panties from how the fabric stuck to her because of how wet she was. He could also smell the scent of her slick, from which he felt his cock twitch in response.

She didn’t know it, but even back when his cock was still settled in her mouth, he had already been thinking of how he’d get back to her, and how her pussy would be. He was almost certain she’d milk his cock so well. He would have had her bent over her desk, but she was already on top of him and this, of course, was nothing for him to complain about. She lowers a bit of her weight, causing his tip to rub against her clothed clit. 

He needed to feel it, before anything else. And so his hand reached down in between their bodies, fingers immediately making contact with the wet patch on her panties, rubbing circles on her clit twice. She thought right about his hands and those lengthy fingers. They knew exactly what to do with her. She held onto his shoulders tightly when she felt the fabric over her hole being pushed to the side. The tip of his finger dipped, making some of her fluids drip down to his palm. Then he pushed it in. He feels her gummy flesh surround and hug his finger, but before he delved deeper, he adds another. For a moment he watches how her cunt took his fingers, then looks up to see her sweet little face — teeth sunk into her bottom lip and eyelids heavy as he slowly pumped his digits in and out of her tight little hole.

“Are they as good as you imagined they would feel?” His voice was quiet and thick, breath hot against her face as he whispered to her. “You’re strangling my fingers, babe… hope you don’t…  suffocate my cock.”

She was slowly going mental the more he drilled her fingers into, having found her thoughts emptied of any rational once and replaced with every lustful word he speaks to her. He had been holding her stable with his other hand that resides just above her ass holding her up.

“Tell me you want my cock baby…’’ There was a pleading in his tone, gravelly yet almost desperate, murmuring as his fingers seeked deeper into her.

“Y-Yun… Yunho…” 

Her short and faint whispers of his name had his hips bucking up without his full consciousness. “Say my name again and ask for it… ask for my cock, baby.”

It was difficult for her to even construct a reply because of her soft gasps turning into quiet moans.

“Yunho… can I have your c-cock? Please… fuck… fuck me…”

The thing was all for show, to tease her and himself, stalling their climax a little bit more, because he knew this wouldn’t be the typical sex for him.

He quickly withdraws his fingers from her to which she’d whimper from, but then his hands grasped her hips and lifted her so that she was positioned right above his erect dick. Her hands clenched on his sweatshirt that he would swiftly take off and throw some place on the floor. Her hands roamed his body like a map, feeling his bare skin, and the firmness of his muscles that were only in her imagination almost an hour ago. To make it even, he sneaks his hands into her shirt, and underneath the cups of her bra, finding her breasts.

“Can you take this off?” He asks her as he fondled her mounts, thumbs toying with her stiff nipples.

She could only nod whilst she kept her lip bitten down with the sounds of her whimpering. She slowly pulled the clothing up and over her head, leaving it to fall on the ground. But while she does so, Yunho’s hands move elsewhere — to her waist, holding her stable as he shifts his hips, driving his tip into her opening. He looks up to watch her face as he moves his hips again, then holds hers to guide her down to meet him.

There was a slight tremble in his body as he bottoms out. Her cunt swallowed his cock whole and enveloped it tightly, so much so that he couldn’t help but throw his head back. 

“So fucking good… Y/n…” He kept his thrusts slow at first, guiding her movements until she was moving on her own.

Their pace gradually quickened, and he’d take a peek down, watching how her pussy took him.

“You’re taking my cock so well,” “Your cock feels so good…” — the two had spoken at the same time, which he found to be comical, but under pornographic means.

“Yeah?” He smirks and fucks harder into her, but then his smirk would fade upon realizing how close he actually was to cuming.

But it could only be perfect timing, because you were already clenching around him, as close to finishing just as he was. And as if it was meant to be, they were looking into each other’s eyes as he continued driving his cock into her, until he felt it threatening to seep out. He pulls himself out of her by lifting her up and settling her on his lap just as she came. His cum spurted onto her stomach and dripped down in between them.

The two pants in chorus, foreheads pressed together as they kept their gazes bound to each other. 

“The script…” Yunho chuckles at the first words she’d utter after taking her fill of his dick, as if she didn't do just that. 

“It can wait.” 

“I can't.” She was about to hop off of him, but he kept her in place. “Another round can wait-”

She was shut off by his lips, moving against her in a gentle glide, and she reciprocated, because who the hell wouldn't?

The kiss, however, was quite light-hearted, and thank heavens because she thinks she wouldn't be able to take him without a mental check-up. 

When the kiss was broken, Yunho moved the chair they were on closer to her computer.

“Yunho, maybe you’d want to put your shirt on at least?” Y/n was caught off guard by a wee bit because of his suddenness. 

“Why? You're not enjoying the view anymore?” He receives a hit on his chest for that, and he’d only cackle his ass off. “Now let's see that bug you were talking about.”

Yunho scrolls through the source code to scan for the error, and Y/n just rests herself against him, staring at his face shone over by the high luminance of the computer monitor.

“It's a mandel. I need to rewrite everything.” Her mumbling caught his full attention. And he’d smile. 

He brings his face closer to hers, letting the tips of their noses touch as he teased her. “Maybe for you. But if I end up fixing it without redoing the script, you owe me one.” She giggled quietly, and continued to stare at him, which he’d eventually call her out for. “I don't get what's so funny, miss.”

She went silent for about a minute, and Yunho thought he had to speak again until she beat him to it. “You know, besides that bug, I’ve been thinking about…” She pauses, but before Yunho tries to speak again, she finishes her thought. “You. The whole day ever since you arrived.”

She watches his reaction, which would just be a silly grin from him. 

“And yes, I fantasized quite a lot. You were in the way of me trying to figure out how to fix that bug-”

“Oh, so it's my fault?”

“Yes!”

They both paused for a few seconds, before eventually laughing at how the situation turned into sheer ridiculousness. 

“What can I say, I'm irresistible.”

“Oh, shut up.”

The two would rest from the jokes and the light bickering, and Yunho would continue to operate the IDE, checking and editing what was needed to be of her script. The silence became their comfort as time progressed, and both bodies basked in it, serving as the only warmth in the air-conditioned office — considering that they were both still half-naked. 

Though, curiosity always beats the cat. He feels the warmth, becoming a heat low in his stomach. Maybe it was unusual, or maybe it was because Y/n still lies almost completely bare on top of him.

“So… did we do everything you fantasized about?” His voice was once again in a raspy whisper as he spoke, moving his hand along her thigh, and-

She snores. 

He immediately stops in his tracks and looks over her slumbering form. He knew she was tired from work. And he figured that them fucking was going over her limits. He continued the work he had initially come for, and upon finding the bug they were previously debating on, he chuckles. She was right. 

It was a shame. He sounded too confident for his own good, but at the same time, she admitted to being distracted, not exactly refuting his claims against her classification of the bug. It would take a lot of time to configure, more work and less breaks. But he's here now, with his little boss lady resting on top of her. This seemed to be her first actual break in a while as he's observed from her manner of snoring and heavy-like-a-corpse body laying on him. If this was how she preferred to have her breaks after all, then who was he to deny her of it. 

He definitely doesn't mind giving her head in return for her next break. 

part 1 (??)

[taesancore]

—HEY ANGEL

kim donghyun x f!reader

📜 .ᐟ part one of the bnd as one direction songs series!

📜 .ᐟ synopsis: in which you were oh so curious about your sunbae, kim donghyun

wc: 2k, lowercase intended

“seriously, just go talk to him if you find him cute!” hanni replied as you continued to stare at him. kim donghyun. your senior and the main RJ for your school’s daily radio show. it wasn’t just the fact that you found him cute—scratch that, angelic. it was the fact that he was quite literally a walking talking enigma of some sort.

his mind was a one of a kind, you had thought when you first heard his deep voice talk about through the poem you wrote. you had sat up with a start in the middle of the break period as he continued to read out the poem you had submitted out of boredom (mayhaps to also spread your winter blues to everyone else for fun).

“wow, this person must really hate winters, they’ve described the sadness in how all the plants tend to die due to the cold” he had mused. back then you didn’t have an inkling of who he was. but his words, they weren’t even anything wise or profound. his simple take on your depressing poem had you wondering, just how was he so positive?

“i don’t know…on the bright side of it, i think winters can symbolise a time of rebirth and rest don’t you think? the flowers grow back looking much healthier and prettier after winters, in the spring. everything has a bright side to it right? even the most harshest of winters have beauty in them”

you had crept up to the broadcasting room as he was just beginning to conclude the show for that day. your curiosity had gotten the best of you, dying to know who had read your poem and turned it into a warm ray of hope amid the cruel winter. hearing the shuffling behind the door, you quickly hid behind the wall near the broadcasting room as the door opened and—

oh. oh wow. he was beautiful. was it his large doe eyes? or the slender shape of his nose? or the way his rosy pink lips had a natural quirk to them even when he wasn’t smiling? you weren’t sure what about him was beautiful. but at the same time everything about him was simply angelic, to put it straight. you were lucky he didn’t catch you gawking at him while he was bowing politely to the people who greeted him, as he walked away.

you learnt that he was kim donghyun, the one who was in charge of the break programme along with your senior han dongmin. the two of them hosted it under their RJ names leehan and taesan. their show consisted of them played rock or metal songs that dongmin often enjoyed dissecting musically while donghyun read out different letters, thoughts or writings that students sent.

“it’s not that hanni” you sighed, finally taking your eyes off him as you faced your friend. “…..i want to talk to him” you finished poorly.

“then do it!!” she said exasperatedly.

“how do i explain it to you?! i wanna know him as a person you know? he always somehow makes my poems seem like a ray of sunshine in someone’s cloudy life, and he sees things so positively all the time? i wanna be him and see life though his eyes once”

hanni was left gaping at you after you finished your speech.

“wow you’re in love”

“oh shut up i’m not”

the next day you had prepared another poem for the week, yet another pessimistic one. at this point you weren’t sure why you were writing these sad poems (maybe it was to just hear donghyun read them and state his opinion) but you loved the thrill of being an anonymous listener of gongfourz programme.

tiptoeing near the box where the letters were submitted near the broadcasting office, you barely had time to turn around and walk away after dropping your poem in the box, before you bumped into a sturdy chest.

“careful there” came a familiar voice from above you as you steadied yourself. you held back an embarrassing gasp as kim donghyun’s curious eyes met yours.

fuck, they were probably home to a thousand galaxies weren’t they? you didn’t realise you were staring until he chuckled softly, snapping you out of your reverie.

“i’ll get going then” he smiled, brushing past you into the broadcasting room, leaving you standing there still staring in his direction.

“what if he saw me put my poem in his box?? hanni i’m doomed!” you were currently wailing at your best friend who was calmly sipping her coffee. it was a free period for you as your teacher wasn’t present, giving you enough time to mentally prepare yourself for leehan and taesan’s broadcast. and it also gave you time to cry about your first encounter with him…which wasn’t exactly the best.

“relax y/n, so what if he does?” she questioned.

yeah…so what if he does? you wondered for a minute.

“i don’t know…it’s not like i like him anyways, you’re right” you said to yourself as hanni snorted.

“you don’t like him? sure honey” she snickered as you scowled.

“don’t even try lying to yourself here, you get so excited before his broadcast starts, look at him every time he enters the lunch hall hell you even eat your food at a snail’s pace to leave the hall at the same time as him” she finished befit you could defend yourself, smirking at your dumbfounded reaction to her speech.

“how do i prove it to you?” you mustered weakly.

really though, you didn’t like him…you just liked his brain. god it even sounded stupid in your head but that was the truth! his way with words really did render you speechless at times and dare you say made it flutter too— no. no it didn’t.

“talk to him then” came hanni’s reply. well.

“that you know i can’t!” you whined. “oh the radio’s starting! quick!” you ushered hanni into your regular seats in the classroom as the last remnants of one of taesan’s favourite song faded, the guitar riff still ringing in your ears.

“now let’s see, the first letter! kim donghyun sunbae you’re a greek god— why thank you” he exclaimed politely as taesan burst out laughing.

“you sure you didn’t send that?” hanni elbowed you slyly as you shot her an annoyed look.

“haha very funny.”

“next up, oh my little poetess sent another poem!” my poetess. you loved the little nickname he gave you, it never failed to bring a warm feeling inside you.

“hmm, looks like you’ve had quite the experience with some people on earth, considering how you’ve written that hell is up here itself” his mellow voice floated through the speaker in the classroom as you attentively listened.

“however, maybe hell isn’t the only thing that’s up here? i have a feeling that there are angels in disguise on the earth you know”

“are you referring to yourself?” taesan joked as leehan’s chuckles came from the speaker.

“maybe, but i’m referring to my poetess as well, i’m not gonna lie i’m very curious about you” he replied as hanni let out an excited gasp.

“oh my god?! he wants you so bad” she giggled at you who was still jaw-dropped at his words.

“oh don’t be silly, he doesn’t even know me!”

“are you really flirting with one of our anonymous writers han?” taesan’s amused question made leehan chuckle again.

“if you see it that way then sure. i however do think my poetess is one of the angels in disguise you know…sometimes i wish i could see the world from her view as she makes even the most heartbreaking things seem ethereally beautiful”.

the entire classroom was silent, taking in the senior’s words. you were sure some of your classmates who were his fangirl were glaring daggers at the speaker, probably cussing out ‘his poetess’ in their minds. you? oh you were a blushing mess, you were sure you had no feelings for your senior but now? you suddenly weren’t so sure anymore.

“hanni” you said in a small voice.

“i think i’m gonna talk to donghyun sunbae”.

the next day you had prepared another poem, one that you had penned during the early hours of the morning due to the lack of sleep. you couldn’t help it, you had to do something about the weird feelings you were starting to feel for him, he was a senior for gods sake!! your poem was quite simple this time, talking about how the heart tends to make stupid decisions by catching feelings, ignoring the advice of the head (totally not inspired by your current mood).

upon reaching the broadcasting room before class started, you patted your coat pocket to reach out for the envelope….which you didn’t find.

oh no. oh no no this can’t be.

you frantically pulled out all your pockets, searching the floor beneath you if you accidentally dropped it anywhere until-

“looking for this?” came a low voice from behind you as you whipped your head around.

your worst nightmare had come true for there was kim donghyun, with your envelope in his hand. he smiled at you, a smile that told you that he knew everything already.

“sunbae! good morning!” you bowed down hastily, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze of your own.

be confident. stay calm. stay cool.

“it’s nice to finally meet you my little poetess” he greeted you, walking closer as he handed the envelope to you.

“w-what are you talking about?” you shuffled away from him, stuffing the envelope back in your jacket while still maintaining the eye contact.

“no need to pretend now, i saw you earlier you know?” he said amusedly.

“…fine it’s me” you gave in, looking everywhere but at him now. his smile widened slightly as he tilted his head.

“aren’t you my junior? the one who stares at me during lunch?”

you felt your face burn at his words as you glared at him, yet you couldn’t find a suitable reply because…you did stare at him.

he laughed a soft laugh, and you may have melted inside because hearing it in real life and not through the rusty old speaker in your class felt so heavenly.

“it’s not like that..” you finally managed as he quirked an eyebrow.

his feet moved forward, while yours moved back.

“…i’m curious about you too, sunbae” you finished as you found your back thud against the door of the broadcasting room.

his eyes glimmered with an amused glint, drawing you deeper into their endlessness as you struggled to acknowledge the barely there distance between you two.

“and what do you find curious about me?” he mused, lips tilting upwards into his signature little smirk. or smile. hell you weren’t sure at this point because all you could think about was his warm scent floating around you.

“your…brain” you mumbled, not breaking eye contact this time.

his brain. really. god you sounded like a loser there, so much for confidence.

he laughed, a beautiful sound that bounced off the walls. you stared, ears blushing red as he threw his head back. that smile oh wow.

“you’re quite the funny one” he giggled once he calmed down, still smiling widely.

“no im being for real! you always turn my gloomy poems into something happy! just how do you manage to do that?? and the nickname, my poetess? it keeps replaying in my head everywhere, god you’re everywhere at this point it’s making me crazy!” you burst out, breathing heavily as you felt a weight lift itself off from your chest.

shit. what had you done. your eyes widened as you watched donghyun’s expression go from amused to flabbergasted to something undecipherable…almost soft?

“okay my poetess, how about this? you can satisfy your curiosity by getting to know my brain better hmm?” he said, smiling at you as you furrowed your brows.

“what do you mean—how?”

“meet me after today’s broadcast? it’s a date y/n” he grinned, eyes disappearing into little half moons as he finally stepped away from you.

you were left staring at him for the second time this week as he sauntered away into the broadcasting room, the door shutting behind him with a soft sound, not louder than the booming of your heart though.

hmm. you decided that you liked— no scratch that, really liked the sound of your name when he said it.

a/n: man im pretty sure i used the word broadcast more than 50 times in this LMAO but let’s be fr, don’t we all love leehan’s brain :3

[guzhufuren]

South Korea 🇰🇷 A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

Full list here.

1. Love for Love's Sake inside of a video game; high school setting; healing

At the age of 29 Tae Myungha finds himself transported into a fictional video game, and now 19 years old, he meets Cha Yeowoon, who is in the darkest moment of his life. And a translucent window appears where he receives a mission — to make Cha Yeowoon happy.

iQIYI (better subtitles) or GagaOOLala

2. Semantic Error enemies to lovers; university setting

A serious programmer and a rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.

Viki

3. Love Tractor farm setting; farmer/city musician

Sunyeol, a city man with zero ability to survive in the countryside, comes to his grandfather's rural home. In front of him appears Yechan, a passionate and kind young farmer. While learning about rural life and assisting with farming tasks, Sunyeol gradually finds himself drawn to Yechan's warm and straightforward nature, while Yechan helplessly falls for Sunyeol.

iQIYI

4. Our Dating Sim high school friends to lovers; office setting

After 7 years, Lee Wan meets his first love, Shin Kitae, in a gaming company. When they were best friends in high school, Lee Wan was in love with Kitae. But he ran away and disappeared after confessing his feelings to Kitae after graduation. When the two of them begin working on a new dating simulation game and get more immersed in the project, old feelings are rekindled.

Viki or GagaOOLala

5. She Makes My Heart Flutter wlw; bar setting; niece and aunt dynamic

The extroverted Gang Seol is hired by her aunt Jung at her only-women bar. Even though they are both lesbians, they seem to be worlds apart and have very different love stories.

YouTube

6. The New Employee office setting; boss/intern

Excited to be interning at a successful advertising company, Seunghyun’s enthusiasm is curbed almost immediately when he meets his incredibly handsome, yet unbelievably cold boss on the first day of work. 

Viki

7. Light On Me love triangle; high school setting

One day Tae Kyung, a high school loner, starts questioning his own judgment about human relationships and gets advise from a teacher to join the school's student council. He meets the Vice President of the council, Shin Woo, who is somewhat cold toward him. However, he also meets the super-attractive President of the council: Da On, who appears to take an instant shine to him. The beginnings of a romance appear to be in the cards for Da On and Tae Kyung, but Shin Woo does not seem to approve.

Viki

8. The Eighth Sense university setting; trauma; surfing

Ji Hyun, a new student from a peaceful rural town, struggles to adjust to the bustling city life of Seoul. He meets a senior student Jae Won, who has just completed military service. Ji Hyun joins Jae Won’s surfing club and they begin to develop feelings for each other.

Viki

9. Sing My Crush best friends to lovers; musicians

Baram learned from the painful failure of his first love that he should be cautious with his feelings. During his high school days, he met Hantae in a disastrous first encounter. But then the two strike up an unlikely and close friendship in the aftermath. Baram becomes a part of a band, while Hantae is his manager. Years later, will Baram be able to keep his crush on Hantae a secret any longer?

iQIYI

10. Love Class 2 university setting; love class; TA/student; best friends to lovers

Love story of 3 couples: - Cheerful and optimistic Lee Hyun starts following cold and aloof tutor Kim An around like a puppy. - Joo Hyuk is an older student who has a thing for his university's teaching assistant Sung Min. - Student Min Woo is stuck in a confusing romantic situation: he has a secret crush on his best friend Ma Roo.

Viki or GagaOOLala

11. Bon Appetit neighbours; secret crush; food

Doohoon, a dedicated marketing manager, finds his life monotonous, filled with nothing but work. However, his new neighbor, chef Yoonsoo, seems dedicated to transforming Dohoon's lonely days around.

iQIYI

12. Unintentional Love Story rural setting; pottery; slow burn; secret agenda

Ceramic artist Yoon Taejoon disappears from society, while Ji Wonyoung is an employee who was dismissed from a large company. Ji Wonyoung is intent on winning over the heart of Yoon Taejoon in order to get his job back as Wonyoung is the company chairman's favorite artist.

iQIYI

13. Choco Milk Shake animals turned to humans; roommates

One day, two handsome strangers enter Jung Woo's house and claim they are Choco and Milk, the reincarnation of his childhood pets, a dog and a cat. The arrival of the two embarks on a new beginning and the quest to discover love.

YouTube

14. Tinted With You hinted at polyamorous trio; period drama; time travel

A high school student gets magically transported to the feudal period. Confused by his surroundings, he encounters a banished prince and his devoted bodyguard. The three characters live together and fall in love.

Viki

15. Blueming coming of age; university setting

Cha Siwon, a college freshman majoring in film studies, does a lot to maintain his image because of his past life of unpopularity. He meets Hyeong Dawoon, a classmate of his with perfect looks, good grades, and everything at his fingertips. Siwon’s feelings of wariness for his classmate soon change into something else.

iQIYI

16. All the Liquors chef/foodie; food

Han Jiyu is an employee on the marketing team of a liquor company. Park Kihoon is a skillful chef and an owner of a famous restaurant. When Jiyu is asked to contact Kihoon’s restaurant in search of potential collaboration, he runs up against a few walls—namely, Kihoon’s flat-out refusal to sell any alcoholic drinks in his restaurant. But Jiyu is not ready to just give up.

Viki or GagaOOLala

17. Mr. Heart sports; university setting

Jin Won is a university freshman who has a talent for running marathons. Sang Ha maintains a smile despite his difficult environment. A romance drama about the love and friendship between a rising marathon star and his new pacemaker.

Viki

18. Cherry Blossoms After Winter secret crush; high school setting

Ever since his parents passed away, Haebom has been living in Taesung’s house. And now, being a 12th grader, he enters the same class as Taesung, which makes the whole situation way more awkward. Living together 24/7, Taesung and Haebom's relationship is bound to change.

Viki

19. Jun & Jun office setting; childhood friends; boss/intern

Lee Jun becomes an intern at a cosmetics firm. Here he is reunited with his childhood best friend – a highly talented (but also highly flirtatious!) general manager named Choi Jun.

Viki

20. Kissable Lips vampire/human; university setting; unhappy ending

A campus romance between Jun Ho, a vampire who is walking the path of extinction, and Min Hyun, a human with pure blood.

Viki

21.  You Make Me Dance dancing; loan shark/debtee

The story of Song Shi On who is an aspiring contemporary dancer with a broken heart because he is not receiving love from his family and of Jin HongSeok, once a keen pianist, who has given up on his dreams to pursue a lucrative but unfulfilling career of a loan shark. But spending time with Shi On changes his perspective on life, and the duo forms a close bond.

Viki

22.  To My Star celebrity/chef

Actor Kang Seo Joon was once one of South Korea's biggest and most popular stars, but after he's rocked by a public scandal he goes into hiding. In his hideout, he gets acquainted with his new roommate, a young chef who leads a modest, unassuming life. Despite having wildly different personalities, the two begin on a relationship.

Viki (S1) & Viki (S2)

23. A Breeze of Love high school friends to lovers; sports; insomnia; university setting

Do Hyun, the captain of the basketball team, is preparing for the championship. The team manager brings Dong Wook, Do Hyun's first love, to fill in for an injured teammate. Dong Wook has insomnia and can only sleep well when he is with Do Hyun.

iQIYI

24. Bump Up Business real idols as the show’s actors; idol romance; music

Eden is about to make his idol debut. His agency pairs him with an experienced idol Jihoon who used to have a scandalous past. Eden is told by the company that their music duo will be doing a Business Gay Performance – they will have a fake romance to attract fans. For the sake of his dream, Eden agrees. What kind of feelings will develop between the two of them? Featuring the members of a real kpop boyband OnlyOneOf.

GagaOOLala

---

You can watch some shows for free on the streaming websites by setting VPN to South Korea. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality), Dramacool or get files from MkvDrama. Enjoy!  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[tsalala]

Naming tigers is common practice not just in Panna but in tiger reserves across India. Some are named for specific physical features; others earn their monikers based on behavioural traits and sighting patterns.

One of the most popular tigers, known as Machli worldwide, was officially T-16 of the Ranthambore National Park. The 19-year-old became the poster child for the government’s tiger conservation programme.

[…] When Machli passed away, it wasn’t just the forest officials who mourned—visitors and residents from nearby villages did too. She was given a respectful funeral: her body covered in flowers and carried by forest officials to be buried.*

“She had been sick for a while before she died, but she had shown grit and survived [illnesses] before. We thought she would fight this illness too, but she didn’t,” said Sudharshan Sharma, who was the divisional forest officer at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve at the time. He added that her passing felt like a personal loss for the forest staff.

This might sound like a heartwarming relationship between a tigress and her guardians, but it’s for this very reason that government and wildlife experts advise against naming wild animals.

In fact, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) prohibits the practice of naming tigers.

Officially, tigers in India are assigned a unique code—a combination of letters and numbers. The letter corresponds to the reserve where the tiger is located, followed by their number in the sequence of birth or identification.

[…] “The tiger conservation project, or any wildlife conservation project, needs to be carried out scientifically and objectively. When you start attributing human-like qualities to wild animals, conservation decisions can become biased,” said a senior official from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

He acknowledged that Machli once became an ambassador for India’s tiger conservation efforts, but said that now that the tiger population has remained stable for the past few years, it’s a good time to move away from the practice.

Despite strict instructions to local forest officials to avoid naming the inhabitants of their reserves, the practice continues. For officials and local residents, it is just an easier way to identify the tigers and build an aura around them—something that helps attract tourists.

*This is incorrect. Machli was cremated to avoid bounty hunters stealing her body parts.

[zahri-melitor]

I think the problem with a lot of the collected Fanon Tim traits (specifically using the ones in this poll) is that not all of them come from the same place.

There’s a set that is basically the ‘incorrect quotes’ version of Tim – random imported traits assigned to ‘the nerdy/computer one’: this is where Coffee addict Tim, Tim always resisting sleep, Shy/anxious Tim come from. The reason they grate is not only because they’re contradicted in the text, but because they’re just stereotypes for ‘the one who is good with computers’ without stopping to look if any of them actually apply to THIS character. Tim instead likes Zesti, can sleep anywhere, and is a gregarious networker, facts that show up with relative frequency in his actual stories. If you’re using any of this set it’s a pretty clear flag to comics readers that you haven’t actually read Tim’s comics.

Then there’s the ‘hung up on a particular plot point’ traits: CEO Tim and Damian seriously hurting Tim apropos of nothing are from very specific points in the text. Tim WAS cited as the CEO in a few issues during the take over, not just chief shareholder, and he does take on a senior role in the company where he’s able to implement programmes he is interested in (see Neon Knights, which started during his Robin run, but got more backing in Red Robin). Damian DOES attack Tim with very little impetus from Tim on several occasions over the first few years of their relationship, and while there is understandable reasons for why it happens on Damian’s end in terms of his upbringing, Tim definitely ended up with the short end of the stick where he couldn’t have known he was setting Damian off. Both of these traits overlook continued growth from the characters, but you know? There are reasons you might want to dig into existing storylines. The issue is more ‘assuming this is a long term standard part of Tim’s default state’ – rather like Police Officer Dick Grayson forever popping up despite being a very specific time in his story.

There’s the ‘canon divergence AU’ set. Abused by his parents Tim, Dick sending Tim to Arkham, Tim the mass murderer, Tim was Jason’s Robin – all of these are taking a point in canon and misreading it/twisting it. All of the list have the potential to create an interesting story…if they were actually treated as a canon divergence AU and the writer considered how such a situation could have occurred and how that would have changed all the characters, rather than being an excuse for whump without changing characterisation/scenarios.

So when people arc up and complain about Fanon Tim, it's always worth looking at what the issue is. Sets 2 and 3 are perfectly able to make compelling stories - if you take ONE of them, and you actually play out the changes you've just introduced. The real issue is people assuming a grab bag of this list IS ordinary canon for Tim.

[beardedmrbean]

Iran has ordered military personnel to leave Yemen, abandoning its Houthi allies as the US escalates an air strike campaign against the rebel group.

A senior Iranian official said the move aimed to avoid direct confrontation with the US if an Iranian soldier was killed.

The official said Iran was also scaling back its strategy of supporting a network of regional proxies to focus on the direct threats from the US instead.

Tehran’s primary concern, the source said, was “Trump and how to deal with him”.

“Every meeting is dominated by discussions about him, and none of the regional groups we previously supported are being discussed,” the source said.

There have been near-daily attacks on the Houthis from the US since group chat messages from senior Trump officials discussing the strikes were leaked to the media last month.

The strikes, which Donald Trump described as “unbelievably successful”, have destroyed important military targets and killed commanders.

A Pentagon spokesman said more warplanes would be sent to the region but did not provide specific details.

However the US’s 124th Fighter Wing announced late last month it was sending “multiple” A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft and 300 airmen to the Middle East.

A Russian military expert in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, is also believed to be advising the Houthis on how to carry out their attacks while preventing them from targeting Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom has bombarded Houthi forces in Yemen since intervening in its civil war in 2015, and has hosted high-level talks between the US and Russia over a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.

The Houthi rebels have said they have been attacking US warships in the Red Sea, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, which has been leading efforts to strike the rebel group.

No ships have been hit yet, but the US Navy said the Houthi fire was the heaviest its sailors have faced since World War II.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, currently in Asia, is also on its way to the Middle East to support Truman.

The regime source in Iran said: “The view here is that the Houthis will not be able to survive and are living their final months or even days, so there is no point in keeping them on our list.

“They were part of a chain that relied on Nasrallah [the former secretary-general of Hezbollah] and Assad, and keeping only one part of that chain for the future makes no sense.”

Mr Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Iran to come to the table and discuss limiting its nuclear programme. Last week Mr Trump moved stealth B-2 bombers to the US-UK Diego Garcia military base in the Chagos Islands.

The US position on Iran and the Middle East has radically shifted since Mr Trump came into power.

Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the Chatham House International Affairs Think Tank, said the increase in US strikes on Yemen was the Trump administration’s attempt to distance itself from the previous administration.

Joe Biden removed the Houthis’ designation as a terror organisation in 2021 – a decision Mr Trump reversed in January.

“Trump is trying to prove that he is more effective at ending and solving conflicts than the Biden administration was,” said Ms Vakil.

“[The strikes are] connected to the maximum pressure campaign that he has endorsed and he wants to simultaneously send a message to Iran and to the axis of resistance that his administration is going to take a bolder approach to destabilising regional activities.”

Mahmoud Shehrah, a former Yemeni diplomat and current associate fellow at the Chatham House, said the US had a “defensive strategy” against the Houthis during Joe Biden’s time in office.

From Amman, Jordan’s capital city, Mr Shehrah told The Telegraph: “The previous miscalculation about the Houthis in the US had made Trump carry heavier strikes against them now and [the US] have started to target individuals and key actors of them.”

He said weapons the Houthis possess are more sophisticated, which makes them more powerful than other non-state actors in Iran’s proxy groups across the Middle East.

Mr Shehrah added: “After the collapse of Hezbollah and Assad’s regime, the Houthis are now on the front line and they have been conducting very intensive attacks – they are escalating and taking adventure because it makes their political life longer in Yemen, according to their own calculation.”

“They get missiles and drones from Iran and rebrand them with Houthi names because they don’t want to show they have links with Iran because of domestic propaganda.”

Israel’s successes against Hamas and Hezbollah, key nodes in Iran’s network of proxies, have created an opportunity to weaken the Islamic regime’s influence.

Analysts also believe Iran’s failed missile strikes on Israel last year have damaged Iran’s ability to present a credible deterrence against external attacks, and also weakened the morale of its allies.

Israel’s military has destroyed much of Hamas’ infrastructure in Gaza, and inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran also failed to protect Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president and a key ally, against a rapid rebel offensive that overthrew the dictator in December.

With Hezbollah’s influence diminished, the Houthis have tried to take its place in leading the fight against Israel.

Since the Hamas-led Oct 7 attacks on Israel in 2023, the Houthis have improved their tactics and missile capabilities and built a strong public image.

They control Sanaa, print money, collect taxes, divert aid, smuggle drugs, sell weapons to terror groups in Africa and disrupt international shipping routes in the Red Sea.

They also have a geographic advantage. Yemen’s mountainous terrain, similar to Afghanistan, helps them hide stockpiles of missiles and drones in caves and underground.

Mr Shehrah said: “They are not experienced like Hezbollah but are more aggressive and more dangerous at the same time – Abdul Malik al-Houthi has an ambition of leading the axis of resistance.

“Yemeni streets are full of anger – the Houthis are not paying salaries and have absolute taxation with zero representation so the social base for the Houthis is not very strong, that’s why they rely on the Gaza war.”

[odinsblog]

The world-leading unit helping to rescue Ukrainian children stolen by Russia has been axed amid Elon Musk’s slashing of US government spending, The i Paper can reveal.

Thousands of children have been removed from Ukraine and taken to Russia during the conflict, in a campaign of “unlawful deportation”.

The US government has been funding a specialist team based at Yale University, who have used open source technology to trace the lost children and help repatriate them.

But this team, which has already helped to locate hundreds of children, has now had its funding paused, amid tech tycoon Musk’s chainsaw slashing of the federal budget via the so-called department of government efficiency (Doge).

Donald Trump ally Peter Marocco has been leading on cuts to US foreign aid and development programmes, reportedly visiting offices alongside members of Doge. While Musk has not personally been overseeing individual funding freezes he has been setting the strategy and tone for deep government spending cuts in Washington.

There have been more than 19,500 reports of “unlawful deportation and forced transfer of children”, with campaigners claiming Russia is taking the children to erase Ukrainian culture and indoctrinate the younger generation into a pro-Russia mindset. Mykola Kuleba, founder of the charity Save Ukraine, previously said: “Russia is stealing our future.”

Around 1,240 children have so far been repatriated, according to Bring Kids Back UA, an initiative launched by Volodymyr Zelensky to rescue all children from deportation and occupation.

Fate of the stolen children now

When the search team gathers evidence, it passes the lead to Ukrainian authorities to attempt to bring back the children. The i Paper has confirmed that Yale Humanitarian Research Lab’s data has been used to reunite some families.

The decision to cut funding could now harm Ukraine’s capabilities to reunite more children with their families.

A report from the Yale team, published in December, said: “Russia’s program [sic] of coerced adoption and fostering of children from Ukraine has been intentionally and directly authorized [sic] by Putin and senior officials of the Russian Federation.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, of the deportation of children, which is a war crime.

(continue reading)

[coochiequeens]

Ladies, please speak up about this. And how Begum TV is still around to offer programs for women

Taliban Suspend Women's Radio Station In Afghanistan

The Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended for "multiple violations", in the latest search by the government of local media outlets in Afghanistan.

Agence France-Presse

World News

Feb 05, 2025 07:08 am IST

Published OnFeb 05, 2025 07:08 am IST

Many radio stations in Afghanistan have ceased broadcasting women's voices.

Kabul:

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities raided well-known women's radio station Radio Begum on Tuesday, arresting two employees, the broadcaster said, calling for the speedy release of its staff.

The Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended for "multiple violations", in the latest search by the government of local media outlets in Afghanistan.

"Officers from the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) assisted by representatives of the Ministry of Information and Culture raided today Begum's compound in Kabul," a statement from the radio station said.

The broadcaster said Taliban authorities searched the office, seizing computers, hard drives and phones, and detaining two male employees "who do not hold any senior management position".

It said it would not provide further comment, fearing for the security of the detained employees, and asked that the authorities "take care of our colleagues and release them as soon as possible".

The Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended, in a statement on social media site X.

"Besides multiple violations, it was providing materials and programmes to a TV station based abroad," it said.

"Due to the violation of the broadcasting policy and improper use of the license (from the ministry), the radio station was suspended today so that the related documents can be carefully evaluated and the final decision can be taken," it added.

Radio Begum said it has never been involved in any political activity and was "committed to serving the Afghan people and more specifically the Afghan women".

- Media shuttered -

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), posting on X, demanded "the ban be lifted immediately".

The freedom of information watchdog says the Taliban authorities closed at least 12 media outlets in 2024.

Radio Begum was founded on March 8, International Women's Day, 2021, five months before the Taliban swept to power, ousting the US-backed government and implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The Taliban authorities have imposed broad restrictions on women, squeezing them out of public life with rules the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid".

Women have been barred from secondary school and university as well as squeezed from certain types of work.

The few women who still appear on TV channels are covered except for their eyes and hands. Many radio stations have ceased broadcasting women's voices.

Radio Begum station staff have broadcast programming for women, by women, including educational shows, book readings and call-in counselling.

In 2024, Radio Begum's Swiss-Afghan founder Hamida Aman also launched a satellite television station, Begum TV, broadcasting educational programmes from Paris to help Afghan girls and women continue their education.

Thousands of videos covering the Afghan national curriculum have also been uploaded on a sister website, available for free.

The suspension of Radio Begum is the latest such action against local media in Afghanistan.

In December last year, Taliban authorities shut down Afghan station Arezo TV and detained seven employees.

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) accused the channel of betraying Islamic values and being supported by media based outside the country, which have been heavily restricted and criticised by the Taliban authorities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

[unsolicited-opinions]

Large Gaza food convoy violently looted, UNRWA says

By Reuters

November 18, 2024 11:57 AM UTC

GENEVA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Nov. 16 after crossing into Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks, an UNRWA aid official told Reuters on Monday.

The convoy carrying food provided by U.N. agencies UNRWA and the World Food Programme was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Kerem Shalom crossing, Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer told Reuters.

"This incident highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza," she said.

Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Friederike Heine

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/large-gaza-food-convoy-violently-looted-unrwa-says-2024-11-18/

Says Hen Mazzig:

It doesn’t matter how much aid enters Gaza if Hamas prevents it from being distributed.

Maybe Haviv Rettig Gur is right, and Hamas wants things in Gaza to be much worse.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

The American appeasement of Iran has left many people mystified. They should have been paying more attention.

Twelve days before the October 7 pogrom, Jay Solomon reported on the Semafor site that Ariane Tabatabai, chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, was part of an “Iran Experts Initiative” created by senior Iranian foreign ministry officials to bolster Tehran’s position on global security issues, particularly its nuclear programme. 

In other words, Tabatabai was an agent of influence for Iran, at the heart of the US government and with the highest level of security clearance.

Semafor and the Iranian opposition group Iran International had obtained a large cache of Iranian government correspondence and emails. These revealed that in 2021 Robert Malley, who was the point man on Iran under both the Obama and Biden administrations until he was removed in June 2023 following a still unexplained “mishandling of classified materials,” had infiltrated Tabatabai into the US State Department to assist him in his negotiations with Iran. 

The day Solomon’s article appeared, 31 US Senators wrote to the Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, to express their concern. They wrote: “We find it unconscionable that a senior department official would continue to hold a sensitive position despite her alleged participation in an Iranian government information operation”.  

They noted that in March 2021, shortly after Tabatabai was appointed senior adviser to the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, Iranian dissidents had reported her long history of echoing the Iranian regime’s talking points.

Indeed, that month Adam Kredo reported in the Washington Free Beacon on these dissidents’ shock at Tabatabai’s appointment. They claimed she had parroted the regime’s position in multiple public appearances, and that her father was part of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s inner circle.

In April 2021, several House members requested a review of Tabatabai’s security clearance. In response, the Biden administration dismissed these claims as “smears and slander”.

Even more astonishingly, Tabatabai runs the office overseeing hostage negotiations. Three weeks after the October 7 pogrom, a reporter asked the White House spokesman, John Kirby, whether it was appropriate for Tabatabai to be in such a position given the claims made against her.  Kirby stalled. Tabatabai is still there. 

Online, several commentators (including myself) wrote about this. The mainstream media studiously ignored it.

In the past few days, they’ve ignored another vital revelation. 

[mariacallous]

In the lead-up to Inauguration Day, all six of the United States’ largest banks backed away from a United Nations–sponsored climate initiative amid attacks from conservative lawmakers and regulators.

Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo left the Net Zero Banking Alliance between December and January in what was perceived to be a concession to right-wing criticism of so-called ESG—decisionmaking driven by environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations. Nineteen Republican attorneys general had issued “civil investigative demands” to those banks in 2022, demanding that they turn over information about their ESG practices. They argued that the alliance was beholden to “the woke climate agenda” and that it violated antitrust laws.

While the banks’ exodus from the alliance certainly looks like a setback for the banking sector’s climate progress, environmental advocates say it is a reminder that voluntary initiatives have never been sufficient to drive the sector’s decarbonization.

“There are other levers that we can use to hold banks accountable,” said Allison Fajans-Turner, a senior energy finance campaigner at the nonprofit Rainforest Action Network, which publishes an annual report on how much money banks commit to fossil fuel projects. In light of the Trump administration’s pro-oil-and-gas agenda, she said that over the next four years, activists and policymakers will have to keep the pressure on and, critically, push for stricter legislation at the state and international levels.

“It is quite clear that major US banks will not police themselves,” she added.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance, or NZBA, launched in 2021 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and has about 140 members after the six American banks—and four Canadian ones—exited. The alliance asks member banks to commit to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across their operations and “lending and investment portfolios” by 2050, and to set intermediary emission-reduction targets for 2030 and every five years thereafter. It also asks banks to disclose their annual emissions and sets some recommendations to limit the application of carbon offsets toward banks’ climate goals.

However, much like the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, the NZBA relies on voluntary participation and compliance, and does not have any enforcement authority. It’s been criticized for not asking enough from its members, which are allowed to participate even if they continue underwriting the expansion of oil and gas infrastructure. UN proposals that would tighten its requirements—particularly around financing of fossil fuels—faced strong opposition from recently departed banks like JP Morgan and Bank of America.

Even some of the NZBA banks themselves have acknowledged the alliance’s limitations in the face of government inaction. In 2023, Amalgamated Bank’s chief sustainability officer, Ivan Frishberg, told the business publication Responsible Investor that NZBA signatories were “being left alone at the altar” as governments around the world failed to legislate a transition away from fossil fuels. GLS Bank, based in Germany, quit the alliance that same year in protest of other NZBA members’ support for fossil fuel projects in Africa.

Wells Fargo declined to comment on the rationale behind its departure from the NZBA. Goldman Sachs said it had made “significant progress” on its net-zero goals but did not explain why it left the alliance. The other four recently departed banks did not respond to inquiries from Grist.

Unlike voluntary initiatives, governments have the authority to ensure that banks live up to their stated climate promises and to push them to do more. At an event in New York City last November—notably, even before the NZBA shake-up—the former deputy secretary to the US Treasury, Sarah Bloom Raskin, suggested that states should take on this role.

States “have a unique opportunity to lead,” she said, noting the incoming presidential administration’s hostility to climate action. At the time, California had already passed two laws requiring large businesses, including banks, to report their greenhouse gas emissions annually and disclose their climate-related financial risks biannually. Those laws recently survived a legal challenge from the US Chamber of Commerce, and New York state lawmakers introduced similar bills in January. A Democratic state representative in Illinois introduced a disclosure bill last month.

Danielle Fugere, president and chief counsel for the shareholder advocacy nonprofit As You Sow, said disclosure is a prerequisite for holding banks to their climate goals. ”We want to understand what it is they’re doing,” she said. Laws like California’s bring to light the financial instability wrought by fossil-fuel-driven climate change and—in theory, at least—discourage financing that would exacerbate it.

Of course, merely requiring that banks disclose their emissions and climate-related risks isn’t likely to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. According to a landmark 2021 report from the International Energy Agency, no new oil, gas, and coal infrastructure can be built if the world is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s why Patrick McCully, a senior energy transition analyst for the French nonprofit Reclaim Finance, which advocates for a more sustainable banking sector, said legislators should be “pushing the banks to reduce their financing of fossil fuels.”

“These companies are acting against the interests of humanity, and we need to stop them,” he told Grist.

Fajans-Turner, however, said a policy of this nature would be difficult to write into law and would likely face legal challenges even in the most progressive states, where natural gas bans on new construction have been beaten back by industry groups.

Ann Lipton, a business law professor at Tulane University, said a better way for policymakers to limit new fossil fuel projects is to look beyond the banking sector. For instance, lawmakers could require insurance companies to factor in climate-related financial risks when designing their policies—which could make it harder for fossil fuel projects to get coverage. “We would love banks to stop financing risky activities, but at the end of the day, the job of a bank is to finance things that are predictably profitable,” she said. “It’s the job of the rest of society to make that [thing] not profitable.”

Another strategy is to require that banks publish a clear decarbonization plan, which can, in theory, be a sort of back door to blocking new fossil fuel investments. “Implicit in having a target is that the bank is taking some kind of action to ensure that it meets that target,” Fugere said. If a plan mentions “net-zero” by a certain date, then to be credible it must involve some sort of scaling back of fossil fuel financing. If it claims to align with a pathway to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C, then it must not enable the expansion of fossil fuels.

In the US, investors like As You Sow have pressured several big banks into voluntarily offering more information about their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but requests for greater detail were rebuffed last year. (At least one bank, Wells Fargo, has done an about-face, recently dropping its net-zero target altogether.)

Legislation to require detailed decarbonization plans has seen more success on the international stage. The European Union, for instance, is beginning to use two corporate sustainability directives approved by its parliament to require financial institutions to adopt a “transition plan for climate change mitigation.” The laws require institutions to make their “best efforts” to ensure that their plans are compatible with a pathway toward achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C.

McCully said these regulations are promising but noted growing opposition to them from right-wing governments in Europe. “We need to defeat that pushback to make sure that legislation is going to be able to survive,” he said.

Even as they push for stronger government oversight of the banking industry, organizations like the Rainforest Action Network and Reclaim Finance say they plan to continue drawing connections between the financing of fossil fuel projects and the harm these projects may cause to communities—whether directly, because of the risk of oil spills and explosions, or indirectly because of accelerating climate change. Mass demonstrations and research publications like Rainforest Action Network’s annual report can theoretically increase the public’s appetite for state, national, and international regulation.

“It’s hard to be optimistic,” said Quentin Aubineau, a policy analyst at the nonprofit BankTrack, which does research and advocacy around banks’ role in the climate crisis and human rights violations. “But we have a lot of people working on the ground, doing a lot of research, and putting a lot of effort together to try to make a change. I think we will get there, even if it’s not the best environment to work in at the moment.”

[reasonandempathy]

They've formed a wall-to-wall union with workers across divisions.

The workers at Bethesda Game Studios have joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and they say they're the first Microsoft video game studio to form a wall-to-wall union. A total of 241 workers have either signed an authorization card or have indicated that they wanted to join a union through an online portal. The "wall-to-wall" nature of their organization means the CWA will be representing workers across job descriptions and divisions — and not just one type — including artists, engineers, programmers and designers. Bethesda is the developer behind Starfield and the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games. Microsoft has already recognized the union, so workers at the studio's Maryland office have officially joined CWA Locals 2108, while those in its Texas office have become members of CWA Locals 6215. "We are so excited to announce our union at Bethesda Game Studio and join the movement sweeping across the video game industry," Mandi Parker, Bethesda Senior System Designer, said. "It is clear that every worker can benefit from bringing democracy into the workplace and securing a protected voice on the job. We’re thrilled to get down to brass tacks and win a fair contract, proving that our unity is a source of real power to positively shape our working conditions, our lives, and the company as a whole." Bethesda's workers join the growing number of unionized personnel in video games. In January 2023, quality assurance workers at ZeniMax Studios, the parent company of Bethesda, banded together to form what was then the largest union in the industry with 300 members. It lost the distinction as the largest union in video games when 600 quality assurance workers at Activision, which is also owned by Microsoft, joined the CWA this year.

Another amazing pro-union win. I'm so happy.

[24worldnewsnet]

At least 30 US military planes have been moved from bases in America to Europe over the past three days, flight tracking data reviewed by BBC Verify has shown.The planes in question are all US military tanker aircraft used to re-fuel fighter jets and bombers. According to Flightradar24, at least seven of these - all KC-135s - stopped off in US airbases in Spain, Scotland and England.The flights come as Israel and Iran continue to exchange strikes, after Israel launched an operation on Friday that it said was to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme.It is unclear whether the US movements are directly connected to the conflict, but one expert told BBC Verify that the tanker aircraft flights were "highly unusual".Justin Bronk, a senior analyst with the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) think tank, said that the deployments were "highly suggestive" that the US was putting in place contingency plans to "support intensive combat operations" in the region in the coming weeks.The seven jets tracked by BBC Verify have since travelled on and according to flight tracking data could be seen flying east of Sicily as of Tuesday afternoon. Six had no stated destination - one landed on the Greek island of Crete.But the former head of Irish Defence Forces, Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, said that the movements could be part of a broader policy of "strategic ambiguity" that could be attempting to influence Iran to make concessions in talks over its nuclear programme.Israel initially launched an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure on Friday, just a day after President Donald Trump's deadline to Iran to strike a deal on suspending its nuclear programme expired.The jet movements come amid reports that the US has also moved an aircraft carrier - the USS Nimitz, from the South China Sea towards the Middle East. The Reuters news agency reported that a planned event involving the ship in Vietnam was cancelled after what the US embassy in Hanoi called an "emergent operational requirement".MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking website, showed that the USS Nimitz's last location was in the Malacca Strait heading towards Singapore early on Tuesday. The Nimitz carries a contingent of fighter jets and is escorted by several guided missile destroyers.The US has also moved F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets to bases in the Middle East, three defence officials told Reuters on Tuesday. The tanker planes moved to Europe over the past several days can be used to re-fuel these jets.Earlier on Tuesday, Vice-President JD Vance suggested that the US could intervene to support Israel's campaign, writing on social media that Trump "may decide he needs to take further action" to end Iran's nuclear programme.Tehran is believed to run two principal underground enrichment sites. Natanz has already been hit by Israel, and Fordo is buried deep within a mountain complex near the city of Qom.To penetrate the facility, the US would likely have to use GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) munitions, two senior Western military officers told BBC Verify. MOPs are huge, 30,000lb (13,600kg) bombs also known as "bunker busters".The bomb is the only conventional weapon of its kind that is thought to be capable of breaching up to 200ft (60m) of concrete. Only the B-2 stealth bomber can carry the munitions.Recently, the US has had a squadron of B-2 bombers at its base on the island of Diego Garcia. While the island is some 2,400 miles from Iran's southern coastline, their location on Diego Garcia would put them well within striking of range of Iran."You would be able to maintain a sustained operation from [Diego Garcia] far more efficiently," Air Marshall Greg Bagwell - a former RAF deputy operations chief - told BBC Verify. "You could literally have them round the clock operating."Satellite images first showed B-2 bombers had been stationed on Diego Garcia at the end of March, but the most recent imagery from the island no longer shows the bombers present.Vice-Admiral Mellet said he would expect to see the bombers on the island