#YES JAVA HAS BIG CITIES

[miumiumandoodz]

not a NA sounding white creator making their island name JAVA and making it a jungle island shfgdjhfgd 💀

[cosmerelists]

What Autocorrect Does to Cosmere Character Names

@cosmereplay suggested this list about how characters' names autocorrect in my phone--a great idea! However...I write so many lists on my phone that my phone has learned pretty much everyone's name. If I legitimately mistype "Kaladin," the phone will just correct it to "Kaladin." It knows.

So instead...I went into my phone messaging app and looked at what was suggested as I typed the character's name. I also hopped into Microsoft and looked at their suggested spelling corrections. This did produce some...interesting results. 

So here are my phone/computer suggestions for Cosmere names!

1. Kaladin

Phone suggestion: malady

Computer suggestion: paladin

This is so real. Kaladin feels that he himself is a malady while everyone else sees him as a (sometimes literal) knight in shining armor. 

2. Zellion

Phone suggestion: zero

Computer suggestion: zillion 

Ah yes. The age-old question. Is Zellion nothing...or is he everything? Zellion asks himself this question daily.

3. Shallan

Phone suggestion: shall and

Computer suggestion: shall an

If there is one thing both devices know for sure, it's that "Shallan" isn't a word. It's two words. And is there any better representation of Shallan, she who sees herself as multiple people in one? 

4. Leshwi

Phone suggestion: lesbian

Computer suggestion: lechwe

My phone believes Leshwi to be a lesbian. My computer believes her to be the noble antelope, galloping over the plains of Africa (apparently that is what a "lechwe" is). I'm not sure I totally buy either of those headcanons, but I can appreciate them both.

5. Adolin 

Phone suggestion: advil

Computer suggestions: adjoin, adoring, or addling

Yes, yes, I can see it. Adolin truly is a type of pain relief. He brings people together. He adores his wife and his friends. And I guess he...is confusing sometimes? 

6. Dalinar

Phone suggestion: Salina

Computer suggestion: decliner

My phone is trying to find a lovely name for if Dalinar turns out to be trans, while my computer is like "Man he says no to everything." 

7. Navani

Phone suggestion: navigate, java

Computer suggestion: nagana

Once again, my phone takes the positive track: Navani is an explorer! A computer programmer! Maybe the embodiment of coffee! My computer, meanwhile, has identified her as (looks up word)...some sort of parasitic disease that infects animals? Who wrote this? Moash?

8. Renarin

Phone suggestion: Renaissance, remarkable

Computer suggestion: remain

Okay, I'm noticing a definite pattern here. My phone (correctly) sees Renarin as a remarkable Renaissance man! My computer is like, "Well, he sure is there." 

9. Raboniel 

Phone suggestion: rabies

Computer suggestion: baronial

The positivity/negativity polarity has switched! Now my phone thinks Raboniel is a disease with a 100% fatality rate whereas my computer believes her to be "grand, impressive, opulent."

I think Navani would be like, "Both fit."

10. Rlain 

Phone suggestion: flair, email

Computer suggestion: rain

Okay...I think these all sort of work. Rlain definitely has flair. He is the bridger of minds, just like, uh, email? And singers do go into storms to transform, so rain is a fair association too. 

11. Hesina

Phone suggestion: Jedi; hesitate; he's in; he's insane; he's inside

I don't think I even need to go to the computer for this one. It's already a, uh, lovely (?) poem. Well, less lovely and more terrifying...who is the "he" who is terrorizing Hesina?? Luckily, she's a Jedi, so she'll definitely be able to handle it.

12. Vivenna

Phone suggestion: video, vice

Computer suggestion: Vienna

I feel that Vivenna herself would be unhappy with these suggestions. She does not see herself as a person of vice nor is she a big city person. And I feel like original flavor Vivenna wouldn't be a huge fan of videos either. 

13. Zahel

Phone suggestion: Zach

Computer suggestion: hazel

Something about Zahel autocorrecting to Zach cracks me up. "Yup, that's just ol' Zach over there. Zach with his sword. Ardent Zach." 

I'm pretty neutral on "hazel." It has a "z" I guess.

14. Susebron 

Phone suggestion: dude, dude right, dude rocks

Once again, no computer is needed here. The phone has already produced such a lovely poem. And unlike the Hesina one, it's not a horror show! It's like someone is commenting on Susebron himself. "Dude! Dude, right? Dude rocks!"

15. Steris

Phone suggestion: stern, sterile, sterilization

Computer suggestion: steric

I mean...yeah. Steris can be stern. She can seem sterile. She would definitely be a fan of sterilization of, like, equipment after experiments. "Steric" apparently means "relating to the arrangement of atoms" which, uh, sure?

16. Kelsier

Phone suggestion: keep, keeping

Computer suggestion: Kelsie

My phone seems Kelsier as a survivor--someone who keeps on keeping on!

My computer is now the one headcanoning a character as trans.

15. Sadeas

Phone suggestion: safe, safety

Computer suggestion: sides, saddens

I think that, uh, Adolin would have some words to say about my phone's suggestions here. Sadeas as "safe safety"??

But Dalinar might agree with the computer. Sadeas did pick sides. It was indeed sad.

18. Moash 

Phone suggestion: Moana

Computer suggestion: mash, mosh, moat

Yes, yes, the computer is definitely on to something here (he smashes, he's in a pit, he makes himself an island...)

But can we appreciate that my phone just thinks he's a Disney princess? Tumblr's with you, phone.

[themurphyzone]

Pinky Unleashed Ch 15

AN: Welcome to the beginning of the Africa arc! Yes I know the title isn't that creative but it's a song title so I can use it.

AO3 Link

Ch 15: Africa

“Satellite reports have confirmed the entire continent of Europe has shifted back onto the Earth’s mantle. Scientists continue to theorize on the cause…” 

“A volcano erupted on the island of Java at approximately 10 pm local time. Evacuation efforts have been compromised due to the strange monsters…” 

“THE TIME OF RECKONING IS FINALLY UPON US! FALL DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND REPENT!” 

Brain punched the off button, regretting his decision to listen to the radio while piloting the Hurricane. There were only so many news reports about the apocalypse he could handle before driving himself to the brink of insanity. He needed to either listen to the white noise from the engine or put together a personal playlist of songs that had nothing to do with the world ending.

There wasn’t anything interesting outside to look at either. The navigation system’s screen displayed that they were somewhere over the Sahara Desert, an enormous, desolate wasteland even before Dark Gaia ripped the planet apart. No city lights below them, nothing to indicate any sign of civilization anywhere close to them. 

The Hurricane was suspended in an endless void of darkness, the only obstacle preventing their motley trio from plummeting into the barren landscape of sand and stone below. 

Brain checked the fuel gauge. He’d expended more fuel and strained the Hurricane more than he wanted during their hasty escape from Dark Gaia’s minions in Rome. 

It’s logical to watch our fuel, he told himself, even when he glanced at the gauge again thirty seconds later after his last check, feeling somewhat paranoid that he didn’t do it properly the first time around. We absolutely don’t need to crash in the Sahara Desert at night, with no supplies to survive in an extreme climate and far away from any human settlement. 

He wasn’t proud of his complete dependence on Pinky when those poorly informed animal activists cast them into the jungle. They barely survived that incident, only made worse by Snowball’s involvement. 

He never thought he’d voluntarily go back to the wilderness, but he didn’t have a choice. They had to find the isolated Temple hidden within the rainforest, no matter what dangers they’d have to face. 

Even though they were able to start with some supplies this time around, Brain still didn’t feel prepared. Supplies could be lost after all. 

We could end up as a predator’s snack, fall into a river and drown, or wander aimlessly and never find the Temple. And if we can’t find safe shelter at night, especially one where Pinky can fit, we’ll be vulnerable to monster attacks.

There weren’t a lot of options for natural light under thick foliage. They’d be relying on Chip’s necklace and flashlights to ward off any monsters. 

And Pinky's strength, if we aren't able to run away first. 

So many horrific scenarios and outcomes ran through his mind, making it difficult to focus on piloting the plane. 

It wasn't only their ability to put the world back together he was uncertain about. 

He had no idea what to do about Pinky either. 

His companion was entirely too quiet when he should be chatty and too somber when there should've been a stupid, silly grin on his face now that his new friend was traveling with them. 

Where was the mischief? The noise? Why wasn't Pinky sticking his big red nose into things he shouldn't be getting into and teaching Chip to do the same? 

His gaze fell upon the tiny plastic world that hung from its chain on the windshield. The world was suspended against a starless, pitch-black void, alone and wandering without any of its celestial companions at its side. 

Still hanging on though. My world isn't broken just yet, Snowball. But…for how long? 

The thought wormed its way inside his mind and remained there even though he tried to dismiss it. 

Pinky was still himself, aside from his worrying lack of energy at times. But he wasn't going on mindless rampages unless there was an active threat. 

That had to count for something. 

He still tried to eat things that weren't edible. He still never pondered what Brain pondered, and he still talked nonsense when he could. 

Pinky was still stupid and ridiculous and sweet at times but mostly stupid and ridiculous. 

What was he doing now? It was entirely too quiet back there, especially while he had a new friend to influence. And a quiet Pinky worried him more than an energetic Pinky. 

With a sigh, Brain activated the autopilot and emergency system. 

Sitting here wasn’t doing him any favors. He needed to get up and move around, do something other than staring at dials and numbers all night. 

He also needed to check on Pinky…but mostly he needed to stretch his legs. 

The Hurricane could fly itself for a while, provided the journey was uneventful. Its navigation system was flawless. But if there was mechanical trouble or they were attacked, then Brain would have to be prepared to take back control. 

Brain jumped off the chair, somewhat clumsily since he’d been sitting down for so long. Nobody was around to notice though. 

Which was a relief. After all, he did have an image to cultivate as the future ruler of the world. 

As he entered the back of the plane, he wished that he’d brought a flashlight with him. He didn’t feel secure without one. Only the lights close to the cockpit were on, while the farthest walls enveloped in shadows. 

And something was moving back there.  

His fur stood on end. 

Did they truly shake off the monsters during takeoff? There was a slim chance one had gotten past their defenses, waiting to strike when they least expected it. Their options of escape were limited in the air. 

Pinky didn’t come running to greet him as he normally would’ve done. Chip didn’t come to offer him chocolate or prattle about something new he discovered. 

This is stupid, he told himself.

Children feared monsters in the dark, not future emperors of the world. 

But he couldn't control how fast and shallow his breathing became, nor the dread that set in when he heard someone breathing back there. 

He crept closer, wondering when exactly he became an idiotic horror movie character who moved towards the danger instead of away from it. 

The blankets laid out in front of him muffled his approach, and he was fully prepared to duck under the covers in case the monster noticed him. 

Then Brain's foot hit something smooth instead of fabric, and he jumped, instinctively hiding under the folds of the blanket. He clapped his hand over his mouth, worried that his stifled gasp had alerted the monster to his presence. 

He curled into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible, hardly daring to breathe. 

He covered his ears so he didn't have to listen to the monster try to worm its way inside his head, coaxing him to give up his goal and submit to Dark Gaia. 

But he couldn't block out all the noise. 

"Did you hear something, Pinky?" a voice called out. 

It was Chip. But his tone was strange. He didn't sound like he was afraid for his life. 

Still, Brain tried not to make a sound. For all he knew, Dark Gaia minions had the ability to mimic voices and were trying to lull him into a false sense of security. 

A soft, almost melodic whine accompanied Chip's voice. 

Brain's chest tightened at the noise. 

That was Pinky's voice. No creature who wholeheartedly belonged to Dark Gaia could ever sound so sad and concerned, nor could they ever replicate that melody so perfectly. 

Are you there, Brain? 

He didn't need words to understand what Pinky was asking. It was difficult to rationalize, but some part of him just knew. 

He felt the ground vibrate beneath him, and though he tensed at first, nothing tried to rip his covers away or snatch him up. If anything, the pawsteps felt more hesitant and cautious instead of terrifying.

Then the pawsteps ceased. 

But Brain knew Pinky was close by, though he was keeping his distance, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. 

He didn’t hear any sounds that indicated the presence of a threat. 

It’s safe. It’s just us. 

Brain mentally counted to three and slowly peeked out from behind the covers, though he was prepared to retreat if he needed to. 

Pinky was sitting several feet away, and though his tailtip began to wave the moment he saw Brain, his head was bowed low, blue eyes haunted by something Brain couldn’t see. Chip hovered above Pinky’s head, his camera held to his chest. 

Confused by Pinky’s expression, Brain threw the covers off. Whatever was bothering him, Brain needed to get to the bottom of it now or Pinky would never be able to focus on their mission once they made landfall in the Congo. 

"Don't hide in the shadows like that, Pinky," Brain scolded. "It's not good for you." 

Nor did he want to confuse Pinky with a monster because he couldn't clearly see his friend, though he kept that thought to himself. 

But Pinky's eyes were fixed on a point behind Brain, his ears drooping and his posture hunched. Confused by Pinky’s fear when there was no immediate danger on board, Brain turned around to see what he was so afraid of. 

It’s just a harmless fear that can be overcome with a pep talk, Brain tried to reason, although deep down, he knew that it wasn’t a fear that would go away on its own. Just like when he was afraid of the cleaning cart because it made so much noise.

There was a photo lying facedown on the blankets. Cautiously, Brain turned it over. As he touched its smooth surface, he realized this must’ve been what he stepped on earlier. He felt rather foolish for being frightened of something so harmless. 

Except…it wasn’t the harmless image Brain had believed it to be. 

In his hands, Pinky was just a dark outline with a threatening aura, blank white eyes glaring viciously and his gleaming fangs bared at the camera lens.

Out of context, it was the image of a monster from a nightmare. There was nothing else in the frame to explain why Pinky was in such a dangerous state. 

To an outsider, Pinky would look vicious and terrifying. Only Brain knew the truth. 

Nobody would ever realize that Pinky only lost control when something was threatening his friends. If the world saw this image, they’d believe Pinky was truly what this image portrayed him to be. 

They couldn’t hear Pinky’s whimpers nor see him wilt like a dehydrated flower whenever he was reminded of his transformation. They couldn’t see how afraid he was in the hours leading up to sunset, nor just how much of his heart he still had despite Dark Gaia’s influence. 

This photo of Pinky wasn’t reflective of the Pinky standing before him now. 

Brain ripped the photo apart, making sure the pieces could never be assembled to hurt Pinky again. 

Chip’s camera was the only item on the ship that was able to produce such an awful photo. Why he’d taken the photo at all was a mystery to Brain, but he didn’t care about figuring out why. 

“Chip, get rid of that camera now,” Brain demanded.  

Confused, Chip’s fingers only tightened around the camera. “But the professor bought this for me….” he protested. 

That didn’t mean anything to Brain. Professor Pickle didn’t understand the power of modern technology, and how a single leaked image could ruin somebody’s reputation for life if it ever got out. 

If a single photo of a transformed Pinky got out, it could lead to people ruthlessly hunting him down, and that was the last thing they needed. And Snowball was sure to take advantage of people’s distrust as well. 

The only solution was to destroy the camera. 

Chip dropped to the ground, ears back as he hesitantly held the camera out. Brain felt an odd pang of guilt for quashing Chip's interest in photography, yet it was necessary to prevent any hunters from pursuing Pinky. But before Brain could take the device, Pinky's paw came down between them. 

"What the-Pinky!" Brain protested. 

Pinky growled sharply at him, positioning his body so that Brain would have to go through him before he could get to Chip's camera. 

He didn't seem to notice a confused Chip hanging onto his hind leg, nervously peeking out during their argument. 

"I don't want our mission to be jeopardized by bounty hunters coming for your pelt!" Brain snapped. 

Pinky's nostrils flared, a displeased puff coming out of his nose. 

Brain wanted nothing more than to tear that stupid camera to pieces and mail it to a scrapyard. Chip's new hobby was nothing but trouble, causing Pinky's distress twice since they got back to the plane. And as an indirect consequence, Brain was forced to shift priorities to dealing with whatever troubled Pinky. 

But Pinky wouldn't allow him to rip the camera from Chip's hands. Even though Pinky had the physical strength to tear apart the camera himself, he was too forgiving for such an action. 

Pinky didn't budge an inch. He could be irritatingly obstinate when he wanted to be, and not even Brain could change his mind once it was set on something. 

It was a losing battle from the start. 

Brain crossed his arms. He refused to admit his defeat out loud. 

"I'm laying out several ground rules for your photography habit, Chip," Brain sighed. 

For the first time since they'd taken off, Pinky and Chip relaxed. Pinky's tail swished, his ears perking up again. 

Maybe I should've given in sooner if I'd known Pinky would react this way. 

It was a strange thought, one that he'd rather not dwell on. 

"You're really letting me keep my camera?" Chip asked, wings flapping in excitement. He finally stopped hiding behind Pinky. 

"As long as it doesn't become a distraction," Brain said. "And you will refrain from taking pictures of Pinky at night. We don't need the wrong person getting their hands on those images." 

And I won't have to devote a large portion of my attention to figuring out why Pinky's upset. 

Chip tilted his head. "What exactly would the wrong person do if they found my photos?" 

Chip didn't understand the nastier parts of this world. Brain wasn't sure if it was a side effect of his amnesia or if he genuinely had no experience with humanity. 

Brain looked away, feeling Pinky's worried gaze on him. 

"...they'd hunt him down. Try to take him away," Brain quietly said. "They'd lock him in a secure facility and experiment on him if they don't try to shoot him on sight first." 

Pinky whined, his large paws twitching in discomfort. 

Brain didn't want to scare Pinky more than necessary. But Pinky and Chip needed to know the consequences. 

"It's easy to trace where a photo was taken with modern technology," Brain continued. "And they'd believe Pinky is exactly how he appears in the photo." 

They don't know he snacks on lint balls like potato chips or that he can't count to three but has somehow memorized who's dating who at any given time in that mind numbing soap opera The Old and the Tireless. They'll never see how irritating he really is…and they'll never know how he once sacrificed his soul for me. How he'll do anything to make somebody he cares about happy. 

Chip's wings fluttered indignantly. "But Pinky only acts like that because we're being attacked! He's just trying to protect us! And he's super nice the rest of the time!" 

Pinky whined in confusion, surprised by Chip's bold words. 

"Well, it's true!" Chip declared emphatically. "I'd never be able to get my memories back if I was by myself! I still can't remember much, but because of you, I know that my necklace can open the Gaia Temples!" 

Brain still didn't know how Chip had acquired an artifact with an ability to open the Temples, or how he was able to read and translate the ancient engravings at all. 

That mystery would have to wait until they landed. 

"But more importantly, I'd still be alone and I'd never know the wonders of chocolate if I hadn't met you! So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm really happy we met!" Chip grinned.

Though Pinky was surprised at Chip’s heartfelt declaration, he gave him a tiny smile. 

"At least you have your priorities straight," Brain said, and neither of his traveling companions noticed the sarcasm in his voice. “But you finally understand my point.”  

Chip nodded. “They don’t understand Pinky like we do.” 

Brain didn’t understand Pinky at all sometimes, but he simply nodded at Chip in agreement. But before he could move onto another important matter, he stumbled as a wave of dizziness overtook him. His vision suddenly became obstructed, and Chip sounded like he was trying to speak underwater while there were at least four or five Pinkys surrounding him. 

Are we being attacked again? Brain tried not to panic, unsure why his senses were suddenly failing. Can Dark Gaia cause vision failure? 

There was no end to Dark Gaia’s arsenal of nightmare-inducing powers. 

All five Pinkys suddenly disappeared from his line of sight as he lost his balance and fell on his bottom. Just when Brain wondered where they’d gone, a single Pinky returned with a package clutched in his large paw. The package crunched in Pinky’s large paw as he set it down in front of Brain. 

The package contained cheese crackers, mostly whole except for several Pinky had accidentally crushed in the back. 

Suddenly, Brain’s stomach rumbled, and he wondered if this was how a dog felt in Pavlov’s experiments when their mouth watered at the promise of food. 

“I can’t eat now, Pinky, though I appreciate the offer. I came back here to prepare you two on what to expect in the near future-” Brain began, though he hadn’t eaten since they left Rome and his stomach was beginning to pay the price.  

But Pinky clamped his hands against his ears and turned his back on Brain. 

I’m not listening to any plan of yours until you eat. Troz!

Even when Pinky couldn’t talk, he was still finding a way to sass him!

Chip quickly copied Pinky’s posture and clamped his ears too, though it took him a moment to remember that he needed to show his back to Brain.

“You don’t need to copy him!” Brain snapped. That was just excessive! 

“Did you hear something, Pinky? Cause I didn’t!” Chip hummed. Pinky shook his head, a ridiculous grin on his face. 

Annoyed by how much he preferred Pinky’s stupid smile to his pitiful frown and their patronizing tones, Brain quickly found two small pillows hidden in the mass of blankets that were suitable for throwing. 

But they wouldn't have any effect if Pinky and Chip were facing away from him. 

Brain quietly moved the pillows into throwing position, making sure that Pinky and Chip would regret not keeping an eye on him. They'd both have to learn to watch their backs. 

Then he quickly crushed part of a cracker in one hand, including part of the plastic covering. 

The unsuspecting morons turned around, never realizing that Brain tricked them. 

Brain aimed for Pinky's nose first. It was large and red with a white shine in the middle, the quintessential target. The pillow hit its mark, and Pinky went cross-eyed trying to see what hit him. 

Given Pinky's large size, Brain expected that the pillow wouldn't have much effect beyond temporarily confusing him. But Pinky always excelled as a decoy. 

The real target was too busy laughing at Pinky's cross-eyed expression to notice the pillow hurtling toward him. Chip didn't even have time to comically express surprise before he was knocked out of the air and onto his stomach, his eyes swirling dizzily with the pillow on his back like a turtle's shell. 

"Heehee look at all the yummy stars…I wanna eat 'em all up…" Chip mumbled, giggling to nobody in particular. 

With his need for retribution satisfied, Brain sat down to eat the cheese crackers, figuring it wouldn't hurt to humor Pinky. 

The Hurricane's emergency alert hadn't gone off yet. Though Brain didn't want to be complacent in case a life-threatening situation occurred, he knew that he needed to procure the energy needed to deal with an emergency situation now rather than regret it later. 

As Brain snacked on the crackers, Pinky pushed a box of trash that once contained food and other items to the wall. 

Before Brain could question Pinky on whatever idiotic thing he was planning to do, Chip flew in with a roll of tape in his hands. Pinky reached into the box and pulled out an empty candy wrapper, carefully holding it steady while Chip taped it to the wall. 

Pinky carefully moved his fingers around the wrapper to avoid touching Chip. 

That candy wrapper wasn't the only item taped to the wall, Brain realized with horror. There were plenty more that were certainly never meant to be hanging on someone's wall, plane or otherwise. 

"Just because you have the Ultimate Decorator achievement in Sam's City doesn't mean you're an expert with interior decor in real life," Brain complained. He was starting to regret giving Pinky all the creative freedom he wanted. 

"Pinky-" Brain said, fully intending to inform Pinky and Chip that they needed to take their trash off the walls. 

"I'll find you some stickers or items that are actually meant for decor once we get back to civilization," was what came out of his mouth instead, for some unfathomable reason. 

Pinky made a hopeful noise. 

Brain groaned, dreading the idea of a little girl's cartoon characters decorating the Hurricane. 

"Yes, even the glittery My Tiny Zebra stickers…" 

Pinky yipped with excitement. 

The things I do to prove he's the furthest thing from Dark Gaia spawn in the world…. 

He tried to focus on procuring enough energy for the journey ahead rather than the impending future of overly cutesy technicolor zebras decorating the Hurricane. 

He hadn't realized how famished he was until he'd started eating. His last meal had been a bowl of spaghetti from the university cafeteria right before he started maintenance on the plane, but that was hours ago. 

Pinky always made sure Brain didn't skip meals when he became too fixated on a project. And he could be ridiculously stubborn about it too. Even in this unfamiliar and dangerous world, it was a trait he hadn't lost. 

Perhaps it was pathetic that he was constantly looking for indicators that Pinky's personality remained the same at night. That he wasn't convinced by sight and actions alone of Pinky's mysterious ability to resist Dark Gaia's influence. 

Maybe a simple mind provided natural immunity or resistance? But if that were true, humans wouldn't be so easily affected. 

It was difficult to reconcile that Pinky, a fool who was ecstatic at the promise of My Tiny Zebra stickers and became way too invested in the domestic lives of his Sam's City characters, was the same Pinky who'd been protecting him from monsters while struggling to keep Dark Gaia at bay within his own body all this time. 

It would only make Dark Gaia more determined to claim Pinky entirely. 

I can't allow that to happen. Pinky serves me and nobody else, not even a primordial, planet-destroying entity. 

Brain crushed the last cracker in his hand. He'd reached the end of the package, amd there were only crumbs left. Now that his hunger was satisfied, he could finally focus on the next step of their journey. 

"Pinky! Chip!" Brain called. "Get over here so I can debrief you on what to expect once we land!" 

Brain had learned from experience that the wilderness could be brutal and unforgiving, even without the combined threats of Snowball and Dark Gaia. There were many natural hazards for even the most experienced adventurers, and plenty of animals that would love to dine on two mice and a flying chihuahua. 

Last time he and Pinky were trapped in the jungle, Brain had been completely unprepared for the lack of technology, the harsh terrain, and overabundance of animals trying to eat him. He'd been forced to rely on Pinky and his inexplicable knowledge of wilderness survival. 

Brain didn't want to be hopelessly dependent on Pinky like that ever again. 

Brain needed to be the leader of the group, strong, confident, and fearless as he marched into the unknown with his followers right behind him. There was no room for weakness. He couldn't falter for a second. 

If anything, Chip was the rookie at jungle survival. They'd have to make sure he didn't mistake some strange plant for chocolate or run afoul of any predators seeking lunch. 

He felt a little better, knowing that he wasn't the beginner at wilderness survival anymore. Even if he didn't have Pinky's proficiency, he still knew enough to get by. 

And Brain had several hours to prepare and adjust his plan accordingly, unlike last time. 

Pinky immediately dropped the cookie wrapper he was trying to hang and padded over to Brain. He sat down on his haunches, ears perked towards the smaller mouse. He was ready and eager to listen, and Brain appreciated that. 

If only Chip would learn to do the same. He was still buried headfirst in one of the boxes containing food. 

Brain impatiently stood up, ready to yank Chip out tail first if he didn't comply in the next five seconds, but Pinky beat him to the punch. 

Pinky's tail lashed in a rare show of impatience as he picked up the entire box and brought it over to where Brain was waiting. Chip yelped when Pinky set the box somewhat roughly on the floor, legs flailing briefly before his head finally popped out. Predictably, there was chocolate smudged across his mouth. 

“Glad you’ve finally found the time to join us,” Brain said sarcastically.

“Huh? Oh, of course!” Chip exclaimed. He pulled the rest of his body out of the box and sprawled out on top of its contents. “What are we doing exactly?” 

Brain sighed. He wasn’t sure if he could put up with his companions’ stupidity through six more continents. 

“We need to be prepared for what’s to come,” Brain said. “Rome and the Congo Rainforest are drastically different environments from each other, and there are plenty of dangers in a rainforest under normal circumstances.” 

Chip shivered. “Wh-what kind of dangers?”

“You could fall off a cliff or into a rushing river,” Brain replied. “Malaria. Losing your way and never returning alive. Plenty of animals who would devour you like a chocolate bar. Not to mention…quicksand.” 

Pinky shrugged, as if being tied to a pole as sand filled his lungs wasn’t a horrible fate at all. 

Brain had saved Pinky just in time, but it was one of the closest calls they’ve ever had. He wasn’t keen on a repeat of that experience. 

Chip's eyes widened with fright. "I don't wanna become a chocolate bar! They're tasty and all, but I'm the one who's supposed to be eating them!" 

Then he understood the metaphor. Good. 

They needed Chip's ability to open the Gaia Temples, and he couldn't do that if he was being digested in some predator's stomach. 

Pinky made a sympathetic noise, but Chip just glanced at him blankly, unable to discern his vocalizations. 

Brain sighed. "He says he'll weave a hat for you once he finds the right plants. Somehow, that's supposed to help you feel braver." 

Chip blinked. "Um, if you think that'll help…." 

Like Brain, he wasn't seeing the correlation between wearing an accessory and bravery. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Pinky knows what he's doing when it comes to surviving in the jungle," Brain said. "You'll survive…even if there are no stores where you can easily buy chocolate." 

Upon hearing that bit of concerning news, Chip dramatically fainted. 

"Pinky, you'll be our lookout for this expedition," Brain continued, ignoring Chip's antics. "Keep an eye out for any danger or natural supplies we might come across. And you'll be responsible for keeping this one out of trouble. We'll need him to open the Gaia Temple, preferably in one piece." 

Pinky nodded.

Brain took several crumpled wrappers that fell from the box and arranged them into a pattern. "I'll be in charge of navigation. I'm the only one here who knows how to read a compass anyway." 

Pinky shrugged as if not being able to read a compass wasn't a big deal. Chip, who'd recovered from his fainting spell, just looked confused as he tried to catch up to the plan he missed. 

"It's likely we'll have to venture far from our landing site to locate the Gaia Temple," Brain said. He pointed to a large wrapper to stand in for the Hurricane, then to three smaller wrappers that represented their group. "The last Temple was sealed in a catacomb and well-hidden from anyone not actively searching for it. We can assume the African Temple will be similar. So keep an eye out for any unusual markings, or for something that doesn't look like it would belong in a rainforest." 

Brain hoped this Gaia Temple wasn't located underground again. He'd had enough of caverns and labyrinths to last a lifetime. 

Chip fluttered his wings. "Okay, I can definitely look for unusual markings. But how am I supposed to know what does or doesn't belong in a rainforest? I barely know what a rainforest looks like!" 

Pinky tapped the green soccer-themed blanket with one large paw before bounding over to a heap of blankets that hadn't been spread out yet. Carefully, he nipped a rainbow patterned blanket and dislodged it from the rest of the pile. 

Chip tilted his head, trying to understand Pinky's explanation. "So a rainforest is green and…colorful?" 

"His explanation is just as simple as he is," Brain sighed, though Pinky was approximately thirty percent correct. "But that should be easy enough to remember for you. And rare as it is, Pinky is onto something." 

Pinky proudly puffed out his chest. 

Brain rolled his eyes. "Don't let that stick in your fluff-filled head, Pinky. I'm only saying that rainforests are naturally green and vibrant. It's not a guarantee, but surroundings and objects less colorful and more eroded from time might indicate a Gaia Temple. And since the last Temple was well-hidden from the outside world, it’s likely this structure will be the same.” 

The Temple would be naturally secluded from humans with a dense rainforest surrounding it. Who knew how long they’d be wandering through an untamed jungle? Even if they brought supplies from the plane, they could easily run out or lose them. And if someone needed medical attention, they’d lose a lot of ground.  

Then there was Dark Gaia. Its minions would be lurking around at night in search of hapless victims. 

In the jungle, there would hardly be any sunlight to touch the ground, nor were there any artificial light sources except for the flashlights they were bringing along for their venture. 

Anything could happen down there. No contingencies in the world could prepare them for every possibility. 

I can’t fail this objective. We have to get to the Gaia Temple. I’m the leader of this motley group. I need to be able to get us there! 

Pinky and Chip watched him expectantly as they waited for more details about his plan.

But Brain barely had one beyond wandering in the rainforest while trying not to be eaten, injured, or killed, and hope they stumble upon the Temple through dumb luck or divine intervention. 

I can’t tell them my plan only consists of trying not to die. They’re depending on me. I can’t show weakness in front of them.   

“Um, Brain? Is something wrong?” Chip asked, exchanging a concerned look with Pinky. “You’re still telling us the plan….” 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Brain insisted, cursing himself for being too obvious about his lack of a coherent plan. 

Pinky remained quiet, but he gave Brain a look that hinted he knew exactly what Brain was thinking. 

Brain quickly stood up and marched towards the doors of the cockpit. He’d left the navigation controls alone for too long already, nor did he want Pinky reading his mind and learning that the so-called plan was actually a jumbled heap of bullet points with no semblance of order.

The world was chaotic enough. 

And Brain needed to keep as much control over their current situation as possible. 

o-o-o-o-o 

Blank white eyes gazed down at him, unseeing and indifferent to the small mouse trapped in front of him. 

Brain’s limbs were trapped by a thick black sludge, forcing him to his hands and knees. The sludge threatened to pull him in so he’d never see the light of day again, and he struggled to keep himself from slipping any further. If he faltered for a second, he’d drown. 

There was nothing to grab onto, nothing he could use to pull himself out. Nothing but an empty void surrounded them.  

“Pinky…help…please…” 

Brain tried to reach for Pinky, but he lost his balance on three limbs and fell face-first into the sludge. He gagged, a foul taste entering his mouth. 

But Pinky didn’t rush to his aid, didn’t move or give any kind of indication that he’d heard Brain. 

Maybe this creature wasn’t Pinky at all, and Brain was just seeing the one he needed to see the most. Maybe it was a monster who’d come to watch Brain suffer for its amusement. 

Before Brain could completely give up his hope for rescue, those blank white eyes changed to a radiant sky blue, the only splash of color within this void. 

“Pinky!” Brain cried, relieved that his struggles weren’t in vain after all. He was finally saved! He and Pinky could flee this hellscape together! 

Though Pinky’s dark fur rendered him nearly invisible, Brain saw the outline of a large paw reaching for him. 

Brain raised one sludge-covered hand, trembling as he tried to move towards Pinky, towards freedom. 

But his hand only grasped empty air. Pinky’s paw disappeared. Those sky blue eyes, the only comforting light in this lonely place, vanished. 

And Pinky was gone. 

Swept away in Dark Gaia’s clutches like the rest of the world.  

Abominations and monsters laughed in Brain’s face, mocking him for ever believing he could escape their Master. There was nothing anyone could do, no point in trying to save the world. 

Everything they’d accomplished was for naught. It was all hopeless, a futile battle Brain could never hope to win. 

And Brain was falling…falling…

Brain’s eyes flew open as he abruptly sat up, panicking when his surroundings changed yet again. 

It was brighter than he was expecting. And his body was only against the dry fabric of a chair, not disgusting black sludge. The engine rumbled beneath his feet, the buttons on the control panel lighting up and flashing different colors.

Brain slumped in his seat with a heavy sigh. 

“Only a nightmare,” he whispered to himself, running his hands down his face repeatedly so he’d be awake and alert to pilot the Hurricane. 

He didn’t remember falling asleep. Maybe he closed his eyes for a moment, but that was all. Regardless, it was a lapse in judgment and anything could’ve happened while he was asleep and not prepared for it. 

They could’ve run out of fuel, flown off-course, or Pinky could’ve mistaken a panel of wiring for floss and knocked out one of the backup systems if he wasn’t stopped and reprimanded in time.

Worried about a possible malfunction, Brain quickly set up a diagnostics check on every system in the plane, his fingers drumming anxiously against his leg as he waited for the final result. 

The fuel tank was half-full, so refueling could wait until they landed. The damage check returned with minor damage to the tail, but it wasn’t particularly urgent. There wasn’t anything that needed Brain’s immediate attention, so he turned to the GPS and tapped the screen to affirm their position. 

The plane icon was positioned over a map of Africa. Brain zoomed in, and to his surprise, they were over the southern part of the Central African Republic, and rapidly approaching the border of the Congo. 

Curious, he glanced out the window. They’d placed the Saharan desert behind them, and now they were over a tropical rainforest that stretched out as far as the eye could see. 

The Gaia Temple could be hidden anywhere in this biome! We’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack!  

Part of him had hoped the Gaia Temple would've stretched towards the sky so he could land the plane a short distance away, face the Temple's challenges while they were well-rested, claim the gem, restore Africa, and leave for the next Temple immediately. 

But life never let him take the most efficient course of action. 

A sudden knock on the door startled Brain, and he gripped the chair tightly, wishing he had some sort of bludgeon to defend himself with. He really needed to start keeping one under the cushion for easy access. 

Perhaps a bow and arrow or stun gun would work better if I want to protect myself from injury. A bludgeon would be too close range.

Brain hastily climbed off his seat and searched for a loose object to use as a makeshift weapon. Anything would do. He couldn't afford to be picky right now. 

"Knock, knock!" a voice called from behind the door. 

Brain froze as he dug out a small screwdriver from one of the panels. 

"W-who's there?" Brain called out fearfully, pointing the sharp end of the screwdriver at the door. His hands were shaking and they couldn't stop. 

"Pinky!" 

"Pinky?" Brain repeated. 

It was just a very good mimicry of Pinky's voice. It had to be. 

Until Brain caught a glimpse of the blue sky outside the Hurricane's windows. He could even see the clouds floating below the plane. 

It was daylight. 

Dark Gaia was inactive. Pinky was a normal mouse again…if one applied a very loose definition of normal. 

But he could speak, even if ninety-eight percent of everything that came out of his mouth was total nonsense. 

"Braaaaaiin, you're supposed to say Pinky who!" Pinky sounded completely exasperated with him. "I know you're super science-y and serious and cranky, but I thought you knew how a knock knock joke worked! Do I need to read stuff out of Jokes for Dummies again?" 

Of course. Brain should've known Pinky's unique brand of inanity couldn't be replicated even if a mimicry perfectly matched his pitch and cadence. 

Brain hid the screwdriver in a panel and forcefully smoothed out his fur so he'd look more presentable and less like he'd woken up from a nightmare. 

"That won't be necessary, Pinky," Brain replied. "You have permission to enter, as long as you don't push any buttons." 

There was an invisible button that Pinky was likely to push even when he wasn't actively trying to, but Brain could withstand that annoyance for a while. 

He tried not to dwell on how much he needed that particular annoyance right now. 

Brain opened the door, and Pinky was waiting for him with several protein bars in his arms and a small water bottle with a green silly straw next to him. 

"I brought breakfast," Pinky said, grinning like the fool he was. 

It was like the events of last night never happened. 

Like he hadn't spent a significant amount of time hiding in the shadows, too afraid of himself to do anything but hide away and hope nobody noticed him. 

At least, that's how it would appear to the outside observer. 

There was no narf, Pinky's tail was dragging along the ground and not swishing all over the place, and his fur didn't appear as glossy as it normally did. 

"Protein bars?" Brain said, taking note of the breakfast Pinky had brought with him. 

He didn't comment on Pinky's appearance. That wasn't important right now. 

"To keep your energy up," Pinky said. "We don't know when we'll be coming across anything to eat down there. So we'd better load up as much as we can now!"

Brain didn't protest. Some food in his stomach would probably help him be less paranoid about invisible attackers. 

“Do we have any coffee?” Brain asked as he ripped open one of the chocolate protein bars. Chip’s enthusiasm for chocolate must’ve been rubbing off him. 

He’d used up his entire supply of coffee during his solo flight to Rome. Caffeine was the only barrier from his nightmares of the world being torn apart and losing Pinky. 

Pinky frowned, pointing to the water bottle and silly straw he’d brought with him. “Er…no, we don’t have any. We have hot chocolate packets with marshmallows though…” he said, sensing Brain���s disappointment. “But you should really be drinking more water since we’ve got a looooong walk ahead of us.” 

Brain sighed. “Did Chip bring back any food that doesn’t contain chocolate?”

He was getting burned out on chocolate, though Pinky and Chip could eat it all day long without problems. But Brain’s palate was much more refined and sophisticated, and he didn’t want to be eating his fill in cheap candy bars. 

“Well, he brought those crackers you ate last night. There’s some cream cheese in the fridge,” Pinky suggested. “And onion bagels too.”

Brain quickly finished his protein bar. “Now you’re talking,” he said, about to brush past Pinky in search of that promised cream cheese. But Pinky cleared his throat, and Brain paused briefly to drink some water before he ran to the fridge. 

It was quieter than he was expecting in the back of the plane, but he assumed that was because Pinky’s partner in mischief was currently nestled under a blanket with only the tip of one ear poking out. 

Pinky walked over to a trio of backpacks he’d set up by the wall. “Chip’s a super deep sleeper. I was trying to wake him up earlier to see if he wanted the fudge or the s’more flavored protein bars in his pack, but he must be having a good time in dreamland.”

All three backpacks appeared full. There were even small canteens attached to the sides, likely already full of water. With the exception of a few navigation tools and the Earth Gem that Brain kept in the cockpit, their supplies were all ready to go. 

Pinky must’ve been packing for the trip since he’d transformed back. 

“I put plenty of protein bars and trail mix in our bags,” Pinky admitted. “Plus extra water, flashlights with spare batteries, bug spray, a small cooking pot, camping gear, and a first aid kit!” 

Well, at least they were more prepared than last time. It was a start.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Pinky,” Brain admitted. “We won’t have to waste time once we land.” 

Pinky rocked back and forth on his toes, soaking up the praise. “Well, I wanted some rope in case one of us falls down a cliff or something, cause that’s always what happens in movies, but we don’t really have any material for that. But if we find some vines or tough plants, I could definitely weave one for us to use!” 

Brain would leave that task to Pinky, as long as he didn't slow their trek down for every strange and exotic plant they came across. 

For now, he had his eyes on the cream cheese. 

Brain was about to pull on the rope tied to the door of the mini-fridge when he noticed the door didn't fit quite right. It was partially open along the top with strange grooves lining the sides. 

Despite his misgivings, Brain tugged on the rope. He didn't really care about the physical state of the fridge as long as he got his cream cheese. 

He barely had enough time to roll out of the falling door's way. He was fortunate that the only object that hit him was a small magnet of the Roman Colosseum. 

"Brain!" Pinky shouted with worry. His face was paler than a ghost's, and there was an oddly guilty look in his eyes. 

Like he knew exactly what caused the malfunction. 

"I'm fine, Pinky," Brain quickly assured him before Pinky had a nervous breakdown. It was already difficult enough to calm him down at night. Brain didn't need Pinky freaking out during the day too. 

Especially when his wilderness survival skillset would be needed. 

Pinky scuffed his feet against the ground, avoiding eye contact with Brain. 

"However, you won't be, depending on your explanation on how the fridge got into this sorry state," Brain said, crossing his arms as he waited for Pinky to start explaining. 

The interior of the fridge was even worse than the outside. The shelves were lined haphazardly, open containers dripped everywhere, and the lights had been knocked out of place. 

Pinky gulped, ears drooping as he placed his hands behind his back. 

"Um…I was really, really hungry?" he said. 

Brain raised an eyebrow, not satisfied at all with that response. 

"And that warrants breaking the mini-fridge?" Brain snapped. Pinky had only created extra work for him since he was the only one with the mechanical skills to fix it. 

"P-poit…" Pinky anxiously rubbed his arm. 

Brain wanted to bop him like usual, but some part of him couldn't bring himself to do so while Pinky was already upset with himself. He believed Pinky hadn't broken the fridge on purpose, but couldn't he tell Brain had more urgent matters to attend to than fixing things he broke? 

With a sigh, Brain turned towards the fridge instead. 

"Pray there's something left for me to salvage," he said over his shoulder. 

I'm letting him off the hook far too easily…

There wasn't much left. Pinky and Chip's ravenous appetites had demolished the limited amount of food and juice boxes they'd packed from Rome. 

Haven't those imbeciles ever heard of rationing? 

They wouldn't be able to replenish their cheese supply for a long time. Even enormous corporate grocery stores couldn't expand all the way to the isolated Congo Rainforest. 

Brain climbed up to the second shelf, slipping on a puddle of apple juice and nearly tumbling to the shelf below, but he caught himself in time and hauled himself up. 

He shivered from the chilly temperature of the fridge, but he was willing to bear it since he was craving cream cheese more than anything else. 

But all the cream cheese tubs he found were either ripped apart, empty, or squashed. And Brain wasn't desperate enough to lick the cream cheese off a tub that Pinky already stuck his muzzle in. 

Yet. 

Then he spotted a small gray tub in the back, wedged between the shelf and wall. 

"Yes!" Brain shouted, running over to claim his prize, an unopened tub of cream cheese that had survived Pinky and Chip's feast. It must've gotten wedged while they'd been helping themselves. 

Brain smiled like a fool as he quickly freed it from its confines. It took a rather unusual amount of self-control for him to not rip open the lid right here and eat it with his bare hands. 

But before he could exit the fridge in search of a bagel to spread the cream cheese on, there was a deafening explosion that rocked the entire plane.

Brain heard screams, but whether they were his own, Pinky's, or Chip's, he couldn't tell for certain. 

He lost his footing as the world tumbled around him. The emergency alarm blared, a constant wail of imminent danger that Brain couldn't shut off until he reached the cockpit. 

His fall was mercifully short, albeit painful.

What's going on out there? I only stepped away for a moment!

The Hurricane's engines were flawless! There was no way they could've suffered a sudden mechanical failure!

There was only a dim flicker from the fridge light, and to Brain's horror, he found himself trapped under the fridge. 

Brain threw himself at the wall, grunting when pain only flared in his shoulder and did nothing to free him from the darkness and the chill. He shivered as he glanced over his shoulder, the plane shuddering violently and causing him to slip again.

He wasn’t afraid of the dark. That was just a silly, childish fear. Yet his breathing hastened, and if he could see properly, he would have seen misty clouds form in front of his face. 

Something’s back there. 

He couldn’t dismiss the paranoid notion that something was observing him, that there was a pair of slitted eyes behind him, that a clawed hand would snatch him and there was no hope of escape…

His voice wouldn’t work. He couldn’t call for Pinky. Nobody was coming to save him. 

Brain banged the wall with one shaky hand. But he only heard the emergency alarm, only felt the Hurricane sputter and groan. 

He fell to his knees, his hand weakly scratching the wall. 

Just when he was about to give up all hope of escape, the fridge shuddered around him, and a sliver of light flooded in. 

Brain shielded his eyes, confused by the light’s sudden appearance until he saw a pair of pink feet and a long, skinny tail. 

“Brain!” 

Though Pinky’s voice was strained, it pushed Brain’s fears to the back of his mind. 

“Oof, this fridge is heavy, Pinky! How are you doing that?” 

Brain heard Chip panting, though he couldn’t see him. 

“Just keep holding it from up there, Chip! Hold on, I’ve…gah, I’ve almost got it!” 

Suddenly, Pinky’s entire body came into view. Brain could only stare in shock at Pinky, who stood on his tiptoes with his arms above his head, head ducked as he lifted the fridge with a Herculean burst of strength. 

Brain wondered if Pinky’s body was experiencing a sudden rush of adrenaline or if Dark Gaia had a passive effect on his physical strength during the daytime. Even if it was only a fraction of what Pinky could do in his nightly form, lifting an entire fridge was no normal feat for a mouse. 

“Come on, Brain!” Pinky urged him as he struggled to hold the fridge up. “You’re the only one who can figure out what’s wrong with the plane!" 

Pinky was right. This was no time for hesitation!

Brain hastily crawled out from under the fridge, nearly stumbling when the plane lurched once again. He gave Pinky a grateful nod once he was completely free, and despite the severity of the situation, Pinky returned the gesture with a smile. 

"Come to the front, both of you!" Brain shouted, raising his voice to be heard over the blaring emergency alarm. 

Why did he make that siren so aggravating to listen to? He'd have to lower the volume once he had the opportunity so it didn't drown everything out. 

Pinky immediately dropped the fridge and hurried after Brain. 

“Ow! Hey, wait for me!” Chip yelped, beating his wings as fast as he could to keep up.  

Their surroundings were bathed with red flashes of light as they rushed into the cockpit. The buttons on the control panel were flashing wildly, many of the dials pulling to the caution or danger zones of what they measured. 

Brain quickly climbed onto the pilot’s chair, flipping a panel next to the wheel and inputting a code onto the small keypad. 

“Zero-nine-zero-three-nine-three…come on, come on…yes!” Brain shouted in triumph when the manual override finally took effect. He feared the autopilot system wouldn’t disable so easily in this attack. “I’ve disengaged autopilot and successfully re-established manual control!” 

Chip shrieked and clung to the headrest of the chair as the explosions continued. “No idea what you’re talking about, but if that’s a good thing, I’ll take it!” 

Now that he was in control of the plane, Brain could move onto determining the identity of their attacker. Unfortunately, the sky was filled with smoke, decreasing their visibility by an enormous margin. Forced to rely on the radar, Brain only caught a glimpse of a small object hurtling straight towards them on the radar screen before a round, white object crashed into the windshield and bounced off. 

Brain flinched at the sudden appearance of the mysterious object, and his moment of distraction almost proved fatal when he jerked the handlebars too far. His stomach plummeted alongside the Hurricane as they lost five thousand feet in altitude within seconds. With his companions’ screams in his ears, Brain scrambled to flip switches, push buttons, and pull up on the handlebars until the Hurricane finally leveled out. 

The metal creaked and groaned around them, the drastic fall only putting further strain on the framework. 

The controls hadn’t given out on Brain yet, but they only had so much time left before systems started failing. 

Now that they were no longer in the smoke cloud, the skies were clear except for a few small clouds. But it still wasn’t clear what attacked them, nor did anyone know what bounced off the windshield. 

Though Brain tried to divide his attention between the radar, controls, and their surroundings outside, he found that it was practically impossible to switch focus under these circumstances. Adjusting the controls to compensate for the Hurricane���s damage caused him to unwittingly move the wheel, resulting in the plane sliding left and right, and in one instance, taking a particularly steep nosedive upwards. And when he tried to focus on locating the attacker, he missed the complete shutdown of the left wing engine. 

Frantically, he pushed buttons and toggled the switches to try and bring it back online, but his inputs only resulted in error messages. 

Chip’s shriek was the only warning Brain had before something enormous and white flew right in front of the Hurricane, and their slight tilt as a consequence of losing the left engine was the only reason they didn’t have a full-on frontal collision. 

Before Brain could correct their position, something heavy slammed into the Hurricane’s left wing, causing the entire plane to tilt onto its right side. 

Unable to grab the chair in time, Brain was thrown into the wall alongside Chip, whose face was white as a sheet. He couldn’t lift his limbs from the wall, and he was reminded strongly of a centrifugal force experiment he’d been forced to suffer through. 

Gravity pressed down on every molecule of his body, and a horrible vision of the window breaking at this altitude and sucking them out flashed through his mind. 

Although Chip had wings, he was too panicked to attempt flying. 

Pinky clung to the handlebars controlling the plane, shifting his weight to the left and rebalancing the plane. 

"Ugh…" Chip groaned, flopping down on the floor once he was unstuck from the wall. A green tint spread across his face. "I can't take much more of this…" 

Hopefully Chip didn't vomit on the controls. Dealing with his regurgitated breakfast was the last thing Brain needed. 

Now that the plane was balanced, Brain was able to climb back onto the pilot's seat. But when he tried to reclaim the wheel from Pinky, the taller mouse just shook his head and pointed to the radar. 

“Don’t worry, Brain!” Pinky assured him, and Brain’s worry only increased from there. "I've played Pilot Whale Simulator before! I can fly this plane while you do your smartypants stuff!" 

“What?” Brain yelled in complete disbelief. He knew Pinky had some difficulty discerning between reality and fiction, but this was ridiculous! "Your absurd video game has no basis in reality, Pinky!" 

But Pinky only shrugged off his concern. "Well, everyone knows whales can't pilot planes cause they only have flippers, but…NARF, HOLD ON!" 

Pinky jerked the wheel to the left again, and this time, they were able to make a wide, sweeping turn to evade the attacker. 

With their new distance, they were able to glimpse their foe for the first time. Instead of zipping around to confuse them like it had before, the rippling white mass distanced itself from the Hurricane. 

It looked like a plane. Except it didn’t move like a plane at all. 

No airplane was that maneuverable or agile. 

Nor were they made up of individual, mechanical units that broke off the wings and reattached to the nose, reforming into a long, sharp spear that was pointing directly at the most damaged area of the Hurricane-

"It's aiming for the left wing!" Brain shouted. With the engine and part of the paneling knocked out, it was their most vulnerable spot. The Hurricane wouldn’t be able to take another hit in its current state. 

One more hit and they would plummet to certain doom if they didn't burn alive first.

Nowhere’s safe. We can be attacked in the day or night, air or land, anywhere at any time. 

The panic Brain had kept at bay returned with a vengeance. Why didn’t he prepare the Hurricane with more defensive measures? He’d prioritized speed so much that he only shielded the Hurricane from natural causes for wear and damage. 

Their lack of offensive and defensive capabilities would bring their journey to a fiery end. 

Before Brain could cover his eyes so he didn’t have to watch the attacking airplane run them through its spear-like nose, he noticed Pinky was watching the plane with a deadly calm. For once, his blue eyes were focused and determined.  

Brain didn’t have a chance to ask Pinky what he was planning, because whatever thought was running through his sponge-soaked head right now was surely a bad idea. 

“Sh-shouldn’t we try to get away if they’re just going to sit there?” Chip stammered. 

But Brain knew they’d never be able to escape. 

“We can’t outfly that thing,” Brain said, nervously tapping at the radar screen like it would miraculously help in this situation. “The Hurricane’s taken too much damage.” 

“But we can’t fight it either!” Chip insisted, yanking on his ears in worry. “This isn’t like battling Dark Gaia monsters! At least Pinky could punch those into mist!”

The enemy’s thrusters were activating, a red blaze illuminating the back of the plane. 

This is it. Once it moves, we’re finished. 

But Pinky merely watched the plane, a strange air of confidence around him as his fingers tightened around the wheel. 

The enemy hurtled towards them, its spear aimed for the opening in the Hurricane’s left wing.

Pinky shoved the handles forward, and Brain's internal organs scrambled themselves while the plane pitched downwards and tilted sideways at the same time.

The airplane passed above them, the speartip only hitting empty air. Now that they were in close range, Brain saw that all the individual units of the airplane had the Microsponge logo printed on their sides. 

And with a sinking heart, Brain added another complication to their plan. 

Snowball. 

He had to be the reason Microsponge products were here in the heart of the jungle, so far from civilization. 

But their current circumstances didn't allow Brain to dwell on what Snowball's agenda could be, or if he was even here at all. 

Pinky forcefully twisted the handles to the opposite side, and the Hurricane's wingtip struck the underside of the Microsponge airplane.

The Hurricane shuddered violently as it slowed down due to the impact, the sharp wing cutting through the individual Microbots and severing their connections like a knife through butter. 

"Brain, give us a little more speed!" Pinky shouted, the handles shaking in his grasp while he forcibly maintained that position. 

Despite his shock at Pinky's reckless and foolish action of purposely instigating a midair collision, Brain had just enough presence of mind to divert all power to the right engine and force a burst of speed from the overworked thrusters. 

The Hurricane shot forward, completely disemboweling the Microsponge plane from nose to tail, resulting in countless explosions. 

I hope it doesn't char the metal…

Chip leapt into the air in celebration. "We showed that bad plane a thing or two!" he cheered. "I was terrified out of my mind, but that was seriously cool, Pinky! Where did you learn all those neat tricks anyway?" 

Pinky grinned widely, and for once, he actually looked like himself instead of a despondent, exhausted mouse. 

"That's how you beat the final boss of Pilot Whale Simulator!" Pinky exclaimed. "The belly is its weak spot, so you have to angle yourself just right to slice through!" 

"Whoa…" Chip said, awestruck by Pinky's skill. 

"Alright, break it off, you two. It's too soon to celebrate. Pinky's little stunt only ensured that we can't stay in the air anymore," Brain declared after conducting a quick damage report on the internal systems. He pointed out the long line of code on the digital report. "See all that? Left engine at zero percent. Right engine operating at sixty-seven percent efficiency. Wear on the tail. Exposed wires on the left wing. Compromised structural integrity on the back and underside of the left wing. Our next objective should be minimizing further damage and finding a place to land. Deploying the landing gear…now." 

A switch lit up. 

At least the landing gear worked like it was supposed to. 

With Pinky distracted, Brain seized this opportunity to reclaim control over the Hurricane. 

He wasn't pleased that Pinky had damaged the plane with his unorthodox method of attack, but he couldn't deny that it was effective. 

The Microsponge airplane was no more. The individual Microbots that didn't explode during Pinky's attack were too damaged to be any threat. 

"You…certainly had some interesting tricks up your sleeve, Pinky," Brain admitted. 

Pinky glanced at his bare arms in confusion. “But I don’t have any sleeves on right now, Brain.” 

Brain couldn’t bring himself to bop Pinky for that remark. Not when their conversation was finally normal again. Nevertheless, Brain was the pilot for this flight and that meant Pinky and Chip had to get out of the captain’s chair. 

"Cease your tomfoolery and get into the co-pilot's chair. That goes for you too, Chip. Keep track of our surroundings outside." 

"Right-o! Brain that, Roger! Narf!" Pinky laughed, hitting himself in the forehead with his own salute before he finally climbed into his own seat. 

Chip copied Pinky’s salute, yelping when he also struck himself in the forehead. “Wait, who’s Roger?” he asked, zipping over to Pinky for an explanation. 

Pinky’s tail wagged, a surprising amount of energy radiating from him in spite of everything he’d been through. “It’s just something pilots say when they wanna sound cool! Oh, Brain! Brain! Look at how big and winding that river is! Egad, I’ve never seen anything like it before!” 

There was a river right behind the lab back home. Surely Pinky couldn’t have forgotten that. 

Still, the riverbank was clear of obstructing vegetation and covered a fairly large area. It would also give them a trail to follow through the rainforest once they landed. 

It was no runway, but it would have to do.  

"Then let's prepare for descent."

End AN: The Old and the Tireless is a play on The Young and the Restless. Idk I needed a soap opera name to parody and I have no idea what that show is about lol. 

No cream cheese or coffee for Brain. 

The little code Brain inputs, zero nine zero three nine three, is the debut date of Win Big, the episode where our favorite mice first take over our hearts! 

Brain has really developed a fear of the dark, but he won’t admit it because he’s trying to hold everything together as the brains (get it?) of the operation. There’s no way this and pretending he knows what’s he’s doing is gonna bite him. 

The joke with Pinky learning how to fly a plane from a video game was originally a meta joke about Pinky flying the Air Force One and Brain not remembering since it's an alternate timeline from Freakazoid. But the joke got a little meander-y so I cut it. 

So Microsponge is more involved now…hmm, wonder what they could be up to…

[vijaysethupati]

Is Full Stack Development Worth It in 2025? Let’s Break It Down

The demand for skilled developers continues to rise as we approach 2025, but many aspiring tech professionals are asking: "Is full stack development worth it in 2025?" With so many coding paths and niche roles available, this question is more relevant than ever. Let’s break it down with real-world trends, salary expectations, career opportunities, and educational pathways to help you decide.

What is Full Stack Development?

A full stack developer is someone proficient in both frontend (user interface) and backend (server-side logic) development. This means working with a wide range of technologies, from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on the frontend to Node.js, Python, Java, or PHP on the backend. Databases, APIs, version control systems like Git, and deployment platforms also form key components of a full stack developer’s toolkit.

Why Full Stack is Still Relevant in 2025

As software becomes more complex and cross-functional teams become the norm, companies are increasingly looking for professionals who can see the big picture. Here’s why full stack development is more important than ever:

 High Demand Across Industries

Full stack developers are not restricted to tech companies. Industries such as finance, healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics are constantly on the hunt for full stack talent.

 Versatile Skill Set

A full stack developer can contribute to multiple areas of a project, reducing the need to hire separate frontend and backend developers—making them extremely valuable.

 Startups and SMEs Love Full Stack

Smaller companies especially favor full stack developers, as they can handle multiple tasks, making the development process quicker and more efficient.

Career Growth and Salary in 2025

By 2025, the global IT industry is projected to grow by over 8%, according to multiple reports. This growth directly translates into lucrative job opportunities for full stack professionals.

Entry-level full stack developers in India can expect salaries starting at ₹4.5 – ₹6 LPA.

Mid-level professionals with 3–5 years of experience earn ₹10 – ₹15 LPA.

In tech hubs like Pune and Bangalore, these numbers can go even higher due to concentrated demand and competitive ecosystems.

Is It Job-Oriented? Yes — If You Learn Smart

The real value of full stack development lies in its job-oriented nature. However, not every course or bootcamp will get you there. That’s why choosing a job-oriented full stack development course is critical.

Key Features to Look for:

Industry-recognized certification

Hands-on project training

Placement support

Focus on real-world tools and frameworks like React, Express.js, MongoDB, etc.

Bonus: A course that includes or complements an advanced Java certification in Pune or other tech cities will give you an extra edge.

Comparing with Specialized Roles

Many students wonder if they should specialize—perhaps only in frontend (UI/UX) or backend (server-side architecture). While specialization has its perks, full stack development offers a broad entry point and allows for deeper specialization later.

Think of full stack as learning the entire map before choosing the path.

Benefits of Learning Full Stack in 2025

If you’re on the fence, here’s a quick list of reasons why 2025 is actually the best time to learn full stack development:

🔹 Fast Entry into IT Industry

You don’t need a 4-year degree. You can start with a 6-month job-oriented full stackdevelopment course and land your first job.

🔹 Freelancing & Remote Work Opportunities

Freelancers with full stack skills can build entire applications themselves, making them highly sought after in the gig economy.

🔹 Start Your Own Projects

Want to build a startup or launch a product? A full stack skill set enables you to go from idea to deployment without relying heavily on others.

🔹 Continuous Learning Curve

Full stack development never becomes stale. There's always a new tool, language, or framework to explore.

Role of Certification in Enhancing Career Prospects

In a city like Pune, known as a tech education hub, more students are choosing programs that include advanced Java certification Pune modules within full stack curriculums. Java remains a critical backend language for enterprise-level applications and enhances your resume significantly.

Employers appreciate certifications that prove you're not just learning—you’re mastering the stack.

Conclusion: Is Full Stack Development Worth It in 2025?

Absolutely. The flexibility, career potential, and demand for full stack developers are not just surviving but thriving in 2025. With the right job-oriented full stack development course, especially one that includes certifications like advanced Java, you're setting yourself up for long-term success in tech.

 Quick Takeaways

Full stack developers continue to be highly employable across sectors.

Demand is fueled by digital transformation in every industry.

A strong educational path, like a full stack development course with advanced Javacertification in Pune, gives you a competitive advantage.

Ideal for both job seekers and entrepreneurs.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or upskilling, full stack development in 2025 is a smart investment—if you commit to the right training and stay updated with modern tools and practices.

[wavyinformatic]

Why PHP Still Rules in Web Development: Career Scope & Benefits

In today’s digital world, web development is one of the most in-demand skills. Whether you’re building a personal blog or a professional business website, coding languages play a big role. One such powerful and widely used language is PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor). Even after so many years, PHP still rules in web development, and many top companies continue to use it for their websites and web applications.

At Wavy Informatics, we believe in teaching technologies that offer real career growth. That’s why our PHP Training in Panchkula and complete Web Development Training are designed to make you job-ready in a short time.

Let’s understand why PHP continues to shine in the world of web development and how it can benefit your career.

What is PHP and Why is it Popular?

PHP is an open-source server-side scripting language. It is mainly used to create dynamic web pages that interact with databases. It has been around since 1995 and still powers more than 75% of websites on the internet, including Facebook, WordPress, and Wikipedia.

But the question is — why is PHP still so popular?

Here’s why:

Easy to learn: PHP has a simple syntax, making it easy for beginners to understand.

Large community: There is huge support online, with thousands of tutorials and forums.

Free & Open-source: No licensing cost means developers and companies can use it freely.

High compatibility: PHP works smoothly with all major databases and operating systems.

Career Scope in PHP Development

PHP is not just easy to learn, but also opens up many career opportunities.

Here are some roles you can target after PHP training:

PHP Developer

Full Stack Web Developer

Backend Developer

WordPress Developer

Laravel Developer

At Wavy Informatics, our PHP Training in Panchkula is perfect for those who want to enter the IT field with practical skills and real-world projects.

Benefits of Learning PHP for Your Career

If you’re still wondering whether to learn PHP or not, take a look at these major benefits:

1. High Demand in Small & Mid-Size Companies

Most startups and mid-level companies prefer PHP due to its low cost and flexibility. This creates a large number of job opportunities.

2. Freelancing & Remote Work

Many freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr have hundreds of PHP-based projects. So, PHP also gives you the freedom to work from anywhere.

3. Quick Learning Curve

Compared to other languages like Java or Python, PHP can be learned quickly. You can start working on live projects in just a few weeks.

4. Strong Frameworks Support

Frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony, etc., make PHP development faster and more secure.

5. Better Salary Packages

Good PHP developers with experience and framework knowledge can earn competitive salaries, especially in cities like Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula.

Why Choose Wavy Informatics for PHP & Web Development Training?

We at Wavy Informatics focus on building careers, not just teaching. Our Web Development Training covers everything — HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, and of course, PHP with frameworks like Laravel.

Here’s what makes our training special:

100% practical classes

Live projects & assignments

Internship opportunity

Certificate + job placement support

 Expert trainers from the industry

Our PHP Training in Panchkula is perfect for students, freshers, and working professionals looking to switch careers or upskill.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is PHP still worth learning in 2025?

Yes! PHP is still widely used across industries, especially for CMS like WordPress and custom web apps. It’s beginner-friendly and has great career scope.

Q2. How long does it take to learn PHP?

With dedicated effort, you can learn PHP basics in 30-45 days. Our course at Wavy Informatics includes hands-on practice, which helps you become job-ready faster.

Q3. What are the job opportunities after PHP training?

You can work as a PHP Developer, Backend Developer, WordPress Expert, or even start your freelance journey.

Q4. Do I need to know coding before joining this training?

No prior coding knowledge is needed. Our Web Development Training is designed for absolute beginners and covers all fundamentals step-by-step.

Q5. Will I get a certificate after training?

Yes. After successful completion of the training and project, you will receive a certificate from Wavy Informatics, which can help in job applications.

Final Thoughts

PHP has been around for decades and is still going strong. It offers great flexibility, large community support, and excellent career options. Whether you’re a student, a fresher, or someone looking to start a new journey in tech, PHP is a smart choice.

At Wavy Informatics, we are proud to provide the best PHP Training in Panchkula with real-time projects and industry-relevant content. Our Web Development Training prepares you for real-world challenges and sets you on the path to a successful tech career.

Ready to start your journey?Enroll in our PHP course today and unlock your web development career with Wavy Informatics.

Also Read:– Transform Your Career in Just 3 Months – Start Learning with Wavy Informatics

[autoini]

Exciting New Hyundai Cars Coming to Indonesia by End of 2024

The automotive market in Indonesia is very competitive. In the midst of events, PT Hyundai Motors Indonesia is gearing up for a big attack with its line-ups that will hit the roads. As 2024 is about to end, HMID is preparing for some new model launches before the year concludes. This was quite evident in the recently held 2024 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, GIIAS, in Surabaya. Teasers for the same were provided by Fransiscus Soerjopranoto, Operating Chief of HMID, suggesting a lineup that is rather disparate to say the least: hybrids, ICE vehicles, and EVs.

Line-up in Existence and Expectations

Hyundai has launched five new models in 2024 alone, each targeted at the variable consumer demands and preferences. These include the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Batik Edition, Creta Alpha, Palisade XRT, All-New Kona Electric, and the Ioniq 5 N. With the year almost finishing, Hyundai Indonesia prepares to add three more models. Refusing to confirm specific models, Soerjopranoto has made many believe that the releases might involve the Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe, and Venue.

Soerjopranoto had given hints about these new arrivals at the auto show, but he never detailed them. He said that most of the new models remained under consideration, thereby raising expectation from automotive enthusiasts and would-be buyers. "As I said, many of the models that we will bring in are still under study. Yes, just wait," he teased. "Don't worry, we are still bringing new products. There will be some in the near future."

GIIAS Surabaya 2024: Highlights

At the 2024 GIIAS Surabaya, Hyundai stole the show with their astonishing line-up of new models and-most importantly-electric vehicles. Some of the key launches were the All-New Hyundai Kona Electric and the Ioniq 5 N. These models have garnered significant momentum in Jakarta and its environs, while their new availability throughout Indonesia marks an important milestone for Hyundai in their quest to improve their standing in the EV market.

All-New Hyundai Kona Electric: A New Milestone in Local Production

The presence of the All-New Hyundai Kona Electric is recorded in the history of Indonesian automotive. It became the forerunner of electric cars in Indonesia with domestically produced batteries. This is indeed an important achievement and the fruit of cooperation with PT HLI Green Power, which began producing batteries on July 3, 2024. The Kona Electric has an aerodynamic shape and an extensive interior; it can travel more than 600 km with just one full charge. It also defines the new benchmark of performance, comfort, and efficiency in the electric SUV class.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: Electric Revolution in High Performance

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is yet another giant leap for Indonesia's first high-performance electric vehicle. It enters the Indonesian market with the introduction of the Hyundai N Brand through a combination of advanced technology with high-performance engineering. The Ioniq 5 N comes with driving control functions and responsiveness, including N Grin Boost, N Launch Control, N Drift Optimizer, and N Race. Produksi lokal Cikarang, West Java, the Ioniq 5 N is a very important evolution in the electric vehicle portfolio of Hyundai.

Hyundai's Commitment to the Indonesian EV Ecosystem

Hyundai's involvement in GIIAS Surabaya 2024 is a stronger commitment by the brand to reinforce its leading position in Indonesia's EV market segment. "We realize that Hyundai's participation in the GIIAS Surabaya event this year is to further solidify its leading position in the EV ecosystem of Indonesia. We are therefore happy to introduce the All-New Hyundai Kona Electric and Ioniq 5 N to the people of Surabaya after these models received extraordinary enthusiasm in Jakarta and around the city," said Soerjopranoto.

Price and Availability

Hyundai Motor Indonesia has distributed both the All-New Kona Electric and Ioniq 5 N to all parts of Indonesia. Orders for both cars have been officially opened through Hyundai's authorized dealership network. In Surabaya, the All-New Kona Electric was priced from IDR 503 million. Meanwhile, the Ioniq 5 N is expected to be around IDR 1.3 billion. Here are the variants and their prices on the road in Surabaya:

All-New Hyundai Kona Electric:

Signature Long Range: Rp 594.8 million

    Signature Standard Range: Rp 579.8 million

    Prime Long Range: Rp 564.8 million

    Prime Standard Range: Rp 519.8 million

    Style Standard Range: Rp 503.7 million

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N:

    Ioniq 5 N: Rp 1.3 billion (estimation)

Conclusion

Going into the second half of 2024, Hyundai's strategic focus is clearly on further expanding its line-up of vehicles in order to respond to more diversified Indonesian consumers. Moreover, several new exciting models are under development with a strong emphasis on electric vehicles.

For more updated information about the automotive market, the latest cars & bikes, Please visit our website https://www.autoini.com

[asispsyche]

About to finish my first year of university and want to commemorate it

Here are my takeaways:

Living on campus is incredible. Getting away from my family has been great for me and I've got my dorm back for next fall. I'm going to start working this summer in hopes of being able to get an apartment or something in the city for next summer instead of going home

I've learned so much about romantic relationships! Not from being in one! From witnessing my roommate's. Excellent example of what not to do.

I am not opposed to having a guy for a roommate. But 3 people in one room is not a good arrangement. Yes I mean the boyfriend

I. Love. The. City. Part of the reason I chose my uni was bc it's in a city. When I first visited, we walked around some and I loved that you could do that. You could just walk everywhere because everything was so close together. Also I don't have a driver's license. I grew up in a normal suburban area where it was all houses and then businesses were just far enough apart that you had to drive to get anywhere. There were crosswalks, but they weren't safe. Here, I can use a crosswalk and have complete faith that the cars will stop.

Public transportation!!! Buses are awesome!

I think I have ADHD. I've known it was possible for a while, but it's really starting to make stuff difficult. Spring semester has not gone great. Had to drop one class and I'm honestly expecting a D in another. I need to start looking into a diagnosis.

To go with that, I've changed my major to undecided. I went in as Computer Science bc I took CS courses in HS and I was pretty good, so I figured that would be my thing. It is not. I did those courses for 3 years and every time they'd say we we're going to learn new stuff this year and then we never did. Counting my first semester of uni, I've learned the basics of java 4 times. Then second semester rolled around and I realized I did not want to do this for the rest of my life

Started a studio art minor. First course was art history, which I thought was going to be boring but I ended up enjoying it so much that I'm thinking about making it my new major

Took a course in scifi movies. Probably the best 8am I'll ever take. Would absolutely do again

Archeology course!!! Another strong contender for my new major

Morning courses really aren't too bad when they're a 10 min walk from my dorm

Ugh textbooks expensive

Signed up for summer courses

Laundry is relaxing. It helps that the machines in my building are free

Study rooms are great. Big windows are high on my hierarchy of needs

Dining halls 10/10

I don't like when the buses are crowded so I've started walking everywhere most of the time and it's great

Pretty buildings

Nice trails

Cool crystal shop in the city

I don't recommend getting sick during finals season. Especially in December. Laundry rooms are lovely when you suddenly become cold blooded like a lizard

Wish I'd joined the sailing club. Had fun at the interest meetings but didn't work with my schedule

What I took Fall 23:

Anthropology (tombs)

English

Comp. Sci pt. 1 and lab

What I took Spring 24:

Art History (Renaissance to Present)

Spanish pt. 1

Discrete Mathematics (it is math without numbers) (I miss multivariable calculus) (this is the one I dropped)

Comp. Sci pt. 2 (regret, but it was necessary)

What I'm doing this summer:

American History

Spanish pt. 2

What I'm doing next fall:

Color Theory

Jewelry Making

Astronomy (lab at night!)

Spanish pt. 3

[ghostgothgeek]

Map of Amity Park

So I did a bunch of research and traced over the map the GIW had in DCMH and extended it to try and build a map of Amity Park. I also paid close attention to locations and places named in canon. I am by no means an artist, map maker, photoshop pro, or civil engineer; I just wanted a general reference map for the phandom to use. 

Here is where I place Amity Park. We know AP isn’t in Michigan or Wisconsin, but is most likely a day drive away from Madison (Bitter Reunions). AP is a decent sized city of itself, so I can see it being an outskirt of a large city like Chicago. Lancer mentions the Northwestern Testing, and Northwestern University is in Evanston, IL, which is why I placed it where it is.

LIST OF PLACES (in great detail): 

Every city needs it’s basic services: energy supply, water supply, sewage, and trash/recycling. These of course are located more on the edge of the city, as they need a large amount of space and are typically isolated.

I placed a local airport in the city as well. Typically you would fly out of one of Chicago’s airports anyway, but private planes (Vlad, Mansons, etc.) can take off and land here. 

University of Amity Park is located at the north side of the city, and is home to a Nasty Burger location, an LGBT Center, and is probably near a gas station. The blocks surrounding the campus are more student housing. 

Near the University, we have the Science Center, Axion Labs, a Mental Institute, and the Museum, as a lot of research from the University would go into those places. 

In the more isolated areas, we have the Penitentiary, the abandoned North Mercy Hospital, and the GIW Headquarters. 

The Zoo is located on the north side of the park and is also close to the University for research purposes.

The Observatory is also located in a more isolated area, so you can actually see the stars without a bunch of light pollution.

Going into the center of town, where most things are actually located:

A community college, which is near the internet cafe where Danny and Tucker play games, a gas station, a liquor store, a thrift shop, a Planned Parenthood, Java Jive (the coffee shop), a tech store, and a gym. 

We also have a shoe store, the hunting goods store and Guitar Palace that Skulker and Ember take over in Reign Storm, the U-Ship Box Store the Box Ghost takes over, a barber and a hardware store.

There is a hair salon, tanning salon, and nail salon, where Paulina frequents. There is also Elmer’s Pharmacy, a dentist office, a law office, the TV repair store, butcher shop, and pet store (which we see next to each other in an episode), a toy store, and a vet office.

Government buildings include City Hall, a public library, a court house, a DMV, a bus station (for all mass transit in the city), a community center (likely where town halls are located and other smaller events; Ida plays bingo here every week), and a retirement home. 

There is also the post office, Amity Park Fire Department, a bank, the 24K Jewelry shop, a nearby ice cream shop, and another Nasty Burger location (this is the one right by Casper High that the trio usually hangs at). Also an animal shelter, a grocery store, and a pizza joint.

Education: there is a preschool and daycare, the elementary school, a playground/park, the middle school (yes, a Beetlejuice reference), and Casper High. Casper High campus also has the track, a fieldhouse, and the football field. 

Moving towards Amity Park Mall:

Bucky’s Music Mega Store, an apartment complex, Amity Park Police Department, a bookstore, doctor clinic, gas station, a Denny’s (where Phight Club happens), Material Grill restaurant, the mini golf course and bowling alley, Freddy Fazbear’s (which is actually a horror video game, but here it’s a kids pizza place like Chuck E. Cheese), a furniture store, a party supply store, and the movie theater (which is Marmel’s Multiplex 22, Amity Park Multiplex, and Googolplex Cinemas...it seems that they go to the same movie theater throughout the series and the names just change, or these could also be other movie theaters in the area (like near the college campus). I just picked Multiplex 22 cause it sounded very mall-y).

Along the interstate, there’s a pawn shop, a publishing house (which somehow prints all 5 of Amity Park’s newspapers), a homeless shelter, the diner, Safe House Motel, a laundromat, the 89¢ Store (a nod to Fanning the Flames), and the car dealership.

Also near the mall is Amity Arena, which hosts concerts, sports events, and other large entertainment events. There is a hotel near both the arena and the hospital (the one that isn’t abandoned and haunted). Towards the outskirts of the hospital, there’s a trailer park; north a few blocks is the TV station, where News 4 is headquartered. There’s also a construction site near Amity Arena, but that kinda went out the window when Undergrowth hit. 

On the other side of town, we have:

A-Mart, a convenience store. I named it like this because it can be like an offshoot of KMart, but A for Amity! 

Floody Waters, right off the interstate.

North of Floody Waters, East of Casper High, we have the main residences: the Foley household and only a couple blocks away is Fenton Works. 

There’s also another gas station and the Amity Park Radio Station nearby. There’s also a private school near ultra posh Polter Heights, but the A-Listers attend Casper High because the private school doesn’t have a football or cheerleading team.

Moving into Polter Heights and the surrounding area:

The Polter Heights Golf Course and Country Club are exclusive to those in the neighborhood, as well as their private neighborhood pool; members only. 

The Mayor’s Mansion (eventually Vlad’s) is located in here too.

All of the A-Listers’ houses are of course in this neighborhood, as well as Val’s previous residence and the Fenton’s temporary mansion from Living Large (which is of course right next door to Vlad, but with some distance, because the rich are always socially distancing with their big houses).

Polter Heights is adjacent to a bunch of farmland (this is the midwest, we like cows and stuff), and there is a church close by as well.

Just outside Polter Heights is the Manson Mansion (with Sam’s greenhouse). Lucky for Sam, the Skulk and Lurk Books and an occult shop are just down the street. The Manson residence is also near a funeral home and graveyard (how did Sam get so lucky? Oh, because I love her), a synagogue, Mario’s restaurant, and a dry cleaners. 

We get more spacious as we get away from the center of town! 

Along the shore of Lake Eerie, there are the docks which are home to many warehouses, including the mattress factory.

Also along the shoreline, there is a pier which doubles as an amusement park (think kinda like Navy Pier in Chicago in comparison) and alongside the pier is the public beach area. 

Camp Skull and Crossbones is located on the other side of Lake Eerie, and the fishing area is more on the north side of the lake. Lake Eerie is not one of the Great Lakes, it’s just its own thing in Amity Park. 

Back towards the park, we have event grounds space, which is where Circus Gothica is located, as well as the Meet Swap and flea market. Basically whatever rotating event hits town, it comes right here. Just next door is a theatre (for music, opera, Broadway, etc.). There is also the third and final Nasty Burger location in AP.

This is all surrounding the actual park Amity Park, which has a pond, a big fountain, and also hosts that really big hill that overlooks City Hall.

On the south side, across the bridge and over the interstate is Elmerton, where Val currently is resided. 

All the other blocks are filled with more office buildings, apartment complexes, houses, and businesses, but all of the main places are already listed and placed. 

Finally, yes, I did name some places for myself and my friends because they’re great and they deserve it. These include Steph’s (mine) Occult Shoppe, Nick’s Liquor Emporium (@ecto-american), Lexx R Us Toystore (@lexosaurus and appropriately named after the Lexxpocalypse), Laz’s Law Offices LLC (@kinglazrus), Dee’s Dentistry (@qlinq-qhost​), Lily’s Looks Thrift Store (@dannyphantomisameme​), Ceci’s Funeral Home (@ceciliaspen​), Vic’s Amusement Park (@babypop-phantom​), and Reverie Books (@wastefulreverie​). 

[kpopfanfictrash]

Pride and Fidget Spinners (M)

Author: @kpopfanfictrash , as part of the You’ll Never Shop Alone (YNSA) collaboration with @underthejoon and @suga-kookiemonster

Creative Content Contributor: @underthejoon, for this amazing banner

Rating: 18+

Warnings: oral (female receiving), dirty talk, big dick (it’s seokjin, duh), everyone in this fic is a brat, seokjin talks about fair lending

Genre: Rom-Com / Smut / Enemies to Lovers

Word Count: 18,623

Summary:   Seokjin has always prided himself on being the top mall kiosk salesman. His turf, the spot nearest to the fountain, is due to him being the undisputed best in the game. At least, until you arrive and throw his world into chaos.

[ cross-posted to Wattpad here ]

I GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT I GET UP AGAIN 

YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN

I GET KNO –

SLAP. Seokjin’s hand finds the buzzer, tuning off his alarm to burrow further under the covers. Sunlight streams through the open windows, pricking the back of his eyelids but Seokjin refuses to look. He can sleep for five more minutes. Five more minutes will not kill him.

Somewhere else in his apartment, a bedroom door slams. Wincing, Seokjin pulls his comforter higher. His roommate, Min Yoongi, spends most of his time annoyed with the world – but especially in the morning, and especially before having coffee. Loud banging continues, along with the sound of facial products hitting the sink. Groaning out loud, Seokjin pulls a pillow over his face.

Unfortunately, he is now awake and unable to slip back into his dream. It was a good one, too. Something about Iron Man and that hot barista at the mall Taehyung is crushing on. Squinting into his pillow, Seokjin abruptly sits up and tosses this on the floor.

“Fuck!” he yelps, throwing up a hand.

Every day, Seokjin somehow forgets to close his blinds before sleeping. Groping his way into the bathroom, Seokjin ruffles a hand through mussed morning hair. Turning on both taps in his shower, he waits for the water to warm and stares at himself in the mirror.

Clapping both hands to his face, Seokjin drags down the side of his cheeks. Getting older is weird.

Before he can get too hung up on this fact, Seokjin steps into the tub. “I GET KNOCKED DOWN,” he sings, lathering himself with soap. “BUT I GET UP AGAIN!”

Once out of the shower, dried and with a towel wrapped around his waist, Seokjin wanders into his closet. The sight dims his spirits a bit, seeing rows and rows of neatly pressed suits. Seokjin stares them each down in turn, knowing blinking is a weakness.

Reaching past them, he sighs.

The one at the front is navy, pin-striped and stares at him mockingly. Seokjin remembers wearing that one on his first day of work, nearly three years ago. He remembers how proud his parents were of him when he called them on his way home.

Seokjin’s heart sinks at the memory. That first phone call overlaps with another, less pleasant one. The one after his company decided to move their programming center out of his city. Seokjin was not one of the engineers selected to go. He was – rather unceremoniously – let go.

Let go. Seokjin snorts at the memory. Let go is such a nicer way to say fired. Fired has the ring of burnt smoke to it; it stinks of crumbling foundations and all hell breaking loose. If a company wants to yank one’s livelihood out from under them, Seokjin at least feels they should have the decency to call it what it is. Let go.

Shaking his head, Seokjin pushes past the suit to grab a white button-down. It has been nearly six months since that second call. Four months since his severance ran out and Seokjin realized he needed a job. Three months and three weeks since he began working at the Fidget Funk – even thinking the name makes Seokjin wince.

If someone had told him three years ago that he, Kim Seokjin, with his fancy degree and multiple years of experience, would ever be working a glorified mall job, Seokjin would have laughed in their face. He would have asked what they were smoking and if he could share – and yet. Here he is.

Frowning at himself in the mirror, Seokjin zips up his pants. Perhaps the worst part is that Seokjin was not upset when he was ‘let go.’ He was not actually disappointed by the firing, which disappointed his parents even more. When Bob and Karen from HR sat him down in that tiny, white room and handed him a tiny, white packet, Seokjin could not stop grinning.

His colleagues thought he had been kept when he left the room. That is how much Seokjin hated that company. His pure joy at finally leaving was enough to make up for the sucky way it happened.

Honestly, Seokjin was not surprised when he was fired. His entire last year he worked there, Seokjin spent most of his free time designing apps on his phone. No wonder they let him go, come to think of it. He was hardly their employee of the year.

Grabbing both wallet and keys, Seokjin shoves these into his pockets. Stepping into the hall, he glances at Yoongi’s room. “Yoongi!” he calls. No answer. “Hey! Min Yoongi!”

Continued silence, apart from the harsh thud of bass.

Leaning a shoulder against the wall, Seokjin tries again. “MIN YOONGI!”

The door at the end of the hall opens, hitting the wall. “What?” With a yawn, Yoongi drags a hand through his hair. Bleached blond strands fall about his face. “You said 10:00 AM. It’s 10:01.”

“Right.” Seokjin looks at him pointedly. “But I need to have the kiosk set up by 10:30, or else Bertha gets pissed.”

Yoongi walks past him and frowns. “Who’s Bertha? I don’t remember you working with anyone named Bertha.”

“I don’t.” Seokjin shrugs. Today is one of the rare days their work schedules lined up and – amazingly enough – Yoongi agreed to carpool. “Bertha is the name of my fidget spinner display. She’s temperamental.”

Yoongi groans, shutting the door. “Dude, you need to get a hobby.”

“I do have a hobby!”

“Then, get a girlfriend,” says Yoongi, sliding his keys from the lock. “You have way too much free time on your hands.”

“Do not,” Seokjin mutters, shoving both hands in his pockets as they walk to his car. “I’m working on loads of stuff.”

“Oh, really?” Yoongi flips his phone. “Which amazing app is it today? Let me guess. The one which meows every time a cat comes near? Or, the one which ranks all the apps in your phone from most to least used? Or, maybe –”

“Hey!” Cutting him off, Seokjin pulls open his car door. “You left out Alliterate! The handy app which suggests words which start with the same letter as yours – for casual alliteration.”

Yoongi stares over the roof of his car. “Dude, who would buy that?”

“English majors. Dramatic teenagers writing letters in the eighteenth century.”

“Seokjin.” Yoongi slides into the passenger seat. “You don’t give a fuck about any of these ideas, and therein lies your problem.”

“Oh, really?” Seokjin sticks his keys into the ignition. The car is sweltering, baking from having been left in the sun all morning. “Unlike you and your SoundCloud rapping?”

“Exactly unlike me and my SoundCloud rapping.” Grinning, Yoongi buckles his seatbelt and looks over at Seokjin. “Speaking of which – I have a new track to play.”

“No.”

Turning on the engine, Seokjin winces when a red warning light appears. He apparently needs an oil change soon but – with what money?

“Yes.” Yoongi reaches out, already hooking up his phone. “Just these two hooks, okay? Tell me which one you like more.”

Twelve minutes later, Seokjin pulls into his unofficial parking spot at the mall. “Will you look at that?” he says, turning off the engine. “We’re here! Time to go sell those fidgets!”

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi pushes open the door. Shoving his white Auntie Anne’s visor further up on his head, he glances around. “You’ll be sorry,” he says, slamming the door. “You’ll all be sorry!” Yoongi yells at the empty parking lot.

Patting him once on the back, Seokjin walks inside. “You know that I like your music.” Seokjin shivers when they both hit the AC. “More than like it, in fact. You’re too good and you know it – your head is inflated, and I have to take you down a peg.”

Yoongi scoffs. “Yeah, because all this pretzel rolling is inflating my ego. I’m basically Kanye, pre-Kim. Or Kanye, post-Kim. Say what you will about the guy, he’s remarkably consistent about how good he thinks he is.”

Snorting, Seokjin quiets when they pass by Kay Jewelers. Both men swerve to avoid eye contact, since they never know when what’s-her-name will be working. Seokjin makes a face. He always forgets her name, but the Kay Jewelers girl is usually after the dick of someone in the mall. Both he and Yoongi have been on the receiving end of that hunt before.

“Alright.” Coming to a stop at his kiosk, Seokjin lowers his gym bag to the ground. “Here is where I bid thee adieu.”

Yoongi continues walking. “Bye.”

“BYE, BEST FRIEND!” Seokjin yells, waving as Yoongi crosses the food court.

Several heads turn, and Seokjin continues waving until his roommate is gone. Grinning, Seokjin returns to his kiosk. Unlocking the metal grating, he pulls this up to reveal a brightly colored display. The morning routine is standard. Inventory, balancing the register, ensuring all displays are functional. Each time he passes the front, Seokjin sees his name on the register.

The kiosk’s top salesman, three months in a row.

It might seem like a silly thing to be proud of, but Seokjin is at a point in his life where everything has gone wrong. Everything he does seems to become a failure and even though he hates this job and hates these fidget spinners (okay, that’s harsh – no one hates fidget spinners), at least he can succeed at this one, small thing.

Selling shit to people they absolutely do not need.

Leaning against the counter, Seokjin crosses an ankle to wait. The mall opens on weekdays at 11:00 AM, prompt. Some places are open earlier – like Java Joe’s, the coffee shop, and maybe the gym – but Seokjin’s kiosk is standard mall hours. Rubbing his eyes, Seokjin glances longingly in the direction of Java Joe’s, but there are only five minutes until the mall opens. He needs to remain where he is.

Pulling his phone from his jacket, he shoots off a quick text.

Seokjin: yo [10:55 AM]

It takes a moment for Namjoon to respond.

Namjoon: what do you want? [10:56 AM]

Seokjin: nothing!!! [10:56 AM]

Namjoon: … [10:56 AM]

Seokjin: ok fine [10:56 AM]

Seokjin: I’ll come clean [10:56 AM]

Seokjin: are you doing the morning shift at T-Mobile [10:56 AM]

Namjoon: …. Yes [10:57 AM]

Namjoon: why? [10:57 AM]

Seokjin: do u think… on ur next break… u could bring me some coffee?? [10:57 AM]

Namjoon: get it yourself [10:58 AM]

Seokjin: pleaseeee Joon?? I never ask you for anything! [10:58 AM]

Seokjin: Chad called in sick, so I’m here all alone : ( [10:58 AM]

Namjoon: sigh. Fine – can you hang on until 1? [10:58 AM]

Seokjin: : ( [10:58 AM]

Namjoon: ur the worst but fine, I’ll try to get away sooner [10:59 AM]

Seokjin: THANKS JOON [10:59 AM]

Seokjin: grande iced Americano, no milk [10:59 AM]

Namjoon: u wouldn’t treat Yoongi like this [10:59 AM]

Seokjin snorts, shoving his phone in his pocket. He absolutely would treat Yoongi like this – problem is, Yoongi rarely responds. He usually spends his work breaks engrossed in his music. If anything, Seokjin is the one who brings coffee to him.

The first two hours pass by at a glacial pace. Seokjin regularly looks at his watch, wondering why the day is moving so slowly. True, it is a weekday but there is usually steady traffic. Stay at home parents and high school kids with nothing better to do than spend their summers at the mall, drinking Orange Julius’ next to the fountain.

It took Seokjin two months to convince his boss to put in for this spot. Next to the fountain is prime mall real estate, since you need to pass by it in order to reach anywhere else. Which is why it is strange that Seokjin has had zero customers.

He is still frowning when Namjoon appears at his workplace, iced coffee in hand. Namjoon wears his T-Mobile manager uniform, complete with a badge which declares his name and title. Kim Namjoon, Assistant Manager.

“Two?” Seokjin fake gasps, holding out a hand. “All for me?”

“Nope.” Namjoon only gives one to him. “One is for me.” 

“Rude.” Seokjin sniffs, turning to survey the mall.

“What is? The fact that I brought you coffee?”

“Sure.”

Namjoon laughs. “What’s up with you today? You seem super distracted.”

Squinting at the fountain, Seokjin shakes his head. “I don’t know. Things have been so quiet today. Is there something going on? A deal at Woodbury mall, or something?”

“Hm.” Namjoon’s brow furrows. “Not that I know of, I – oh, wait.” He straightens, glancing across the food court. “When I was walking over here, I did see a new kiosk. Maybe they’re taking some of your customers?”

“A new kiosk?” Seokjin looks up in alarm. “Where?”

“There.” Namjoon points behind a browning, potted plant.

Seokjin peers in the direction Namjoon is pointing. In his line of vision stands a brand-spanking-new kiosk. The sides are all pristine, gleaming and white, with the kind of bright-colored accents designed to draw people in. Neat boxes of toys line the shelves, almost as pretty as Seokjin’s own display.

Groaning, Seokjin sinks to his kiosk. “Drones?” He glances at Namjoon. “How are fidget spinners supposed to compete with fucking drones?”

“Dunno.” Namjoon takes a sip of his coffee. “I first saw them this morning, but they’re getting pretty good business. Nearly tripped over their salesgirl on my way here. She’s cute,” he adds, glancing at Seokjin.

Seokjin glowers. “Cuter than me?”

“Maybe.” Namjoon shrugs.

“Impossible.” Seokjin glares in the direction of the kiosk. On one side, he can barely make out the shape of a worker and based on what he sees, Seokjin begrudgingly thinks Namjoon might be right. You could be cute.

Namjoon drains the rest of his cup. “Well. Gotta go,” he says cheerfully, clapping Seokjin on the back. “Breaks don’t last forever. Hope the rest of your day picks up.”

“Thanks,” Seokjin mutters. “Hope so, too.”

Namjoon leaves, returning the same way he came towards the T-Mobile store. Seokjin continues to glance at the competing kiosk, staring with envy at its remote-controlled helicopters.

Up until now, the competitive landscape at the mall has been easy. There is a guy on the second floor selling Proactive but other than that, Seokjin has never had real competition. Until now, it would seem.

Rather than be turned off by this fact, Seokjin tilts his head. The only reason he lasted as long as he did at his prior company is because of how competitive he is. Even if Seokjin does not care about the product, he still works tirelessly to be called number one. He should stop by and check out the competition – just to be certain there is no real risk.

Seokjin’s phone buzzes, revealing a text from his boss. Lisa will be here at 5:00 PM, meaning Seokjin only must hold out a few hours before he can see the new kiosk.

Only a few more hours until he knows what he is up against.

Lisa’s arrival at five means Seokjin is afforded a half-hour break. He uses this to grab food, bothering Yoongi at Auntie Anne’s before moving on. Dinnertime at the mall is typically crowded and Yoongi tends to throw mustard if Seokjin overstays his welcome.

Not wanting to ruin his button-down, Seokjin wanders in the direction of your kiosk. He eyes this as he approaches, finding the reality of the situation to be worse than he feared. The drones you stock are cool and what is more – they are all beautifully displayed. The stand might even rival Bertha.

Crossing both arms over his chest, Seokjin examines the kiosk. The products are neat, all of them aligned in carefully placed rows. The fingers on his right hand twitch, really wanting to touch the remote- controlled helicopters, but before he can move –

“Can I help you?” you ask, bright and cheerful. Seokjin flinches, gaze darting to you.

Fuck – seeing you up close, Seokjin’s jaw nearly hits the ground. You are gorgeous. There is no other word for it. The smile you give is infections; it makes him want to smile back. More than that – Seokjin finds himself wanting to be the reason for that smile, but no! Straightening his spine, Seokjin reminds himself that you are the competition.

Looking at you, his scowl deepens.

Your own smile falters. “Did you want me to take that one out?” you ask, pointing at the drone. “Show you how it works?”

Seokjin shrugs, as though he could not care less. “I’m not here to buy, actually.”

Now, it is your turn to look confused. “I – uh, okay.” You squint. “Then, why are you here?”

Seokjin realizes how creepy he sounds. In your eyes, he has wandered over, stared at your merchandise for a prolonged period of time and then announced he was not here to buy. A grade-A creep rivaled only by that one flasher who lurks in female footwear.

“Uh…” Backtracking, Seokjin jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I work at that kiosk, actually. I’m Seokjin.”

Unimpressed, you glance in this direction. “Y/N. And – uh, okay?”

“I stopped by to say hello. And to see what you’re selling.”

As he speaks, you read the name of his kiosk. Your upper lip twitches as slowly, you return to looking at him. Seokjin is unnerved by your smile. For some reason, he has the sinking suspicion he is the butt of your joke.

“Oh,” you say, tone entirely different. “That kiosk. Brandi mentioned you.”

“Brandi?”

“My boss.” You wave towards the middle-aged woman on the other side of the kiosk. Seokjin thinks he has seen her around before. “She said you’ve been selling pretty well the past couple of months. Great job.”

Seokjin tries not to seem smug – there is an undercurrent to your tone which screams subterfuge. “I mean, yeah,” he says carefully. “Things are going pretty well for us.”

“Strange, then.”

“What is?”

“Strange that we’re doing so much better than you.”

Someone could scrape Seokjin’s jaw off the dirty, child-scuffed floor. You smirk at him, tapping two fingers against the pretty, floral sleeve of your tunic. If Seokjin did not know better, he would think you were flirting with him.

Except you just fucking insulted him.

“I…” Shaking his head, Seokjin’s voice is strangled. “Mall traffic has been slow this morning. No big deal. I guess once you’ve been around longer, you’ll know that.”

“Hm.” You purse your lips. “I don’t know – things have been pretty crazy for us today. We already ran out of a product. Wild, right?”

Seokjin’s mouth dries, his ears starting to buzz – all evidence of his pure hatred of you. Obviously. It could not be anything else.

“You ran… out of something? Already?”

Seokjin’s voice squeaks on the last word, making him cringe.

“Not bad, huh? Although, I guess once we’ve ‘been around longer,’” you mock with a grin, “we’ll get more lulls. Must be nice.”

In the face of his clear disbelief, you have the nerve to wink.

Seokjin begins to see red. “Yeah,” he croaks, recovering himself. “Beginner’s luck is nice, too.”

Your smile disappears. “How long is your break? I don’t think my kiosk could afford to have me gone for so long.”

Not looking away, Seokjin shoves the rest of his pretzel in his mouth. Chewing exaggeratedly, he watches you wince. “Sorry,” he mumbles around cinnamon-sugar bread. “Thanks for the reminder. I do need to be getting back. Can’t have my kiosk without its top salesman.”

Nose wrinkled; you continue to stare. “If that’s your idea of finesse, I think they can manage without you.”

“Please.” Seokjin gives you a pointed look. “I’m literally dripping with finesse.”

Your lips twitch, suppressing the gesture. Seokjin is impressed by your stoicism, since he knows he is a good-looking guy. That much is a non-debatable fact. Even if it were not, he can see by the way your gaze lingers, that you like what you see. And still – when your gaze returns to his face, your expression is artfully composed.

Fuck, Seokjin realizes. You really are going to be competition.

“Is that all?” Blithely, you turn. “Did you just stop by to see how much better we’re doing?”

Seokjin scowls at your arguably perfect behind. “I came to see how much product you have left, yeah.”

Glancing over your shoulder, you grin. “Why? Worried we’ll sell out before you can buy?”

“No.” Undercutting his conviction, Seokjin glances again at the helicopter. “I’ve got my hands full, thanks.”

“Ri-ght.” You draw out the word. “Then, you should probably get back to the, uh – Fidget Funk.”

Seokjin’s ears turn red with embarrassment. “I will,” he blurts, spinning around on his heel. “You have fun at the Drone Dome – fuck,” he mutters, coming to a stop. “That’s actually such a cool name.”

Without waiting for a response, he stalks away. All the way across the food court, your laughter rings out behind him. Upon reaching his kiosk, Seokjin glances over his shoulder. You are not paying attention to him, already engaged with another customer and Seokjin’s stomach slowly sinks.

He might be in trouble – and in more ways than one.

Seokjin arrives the next day ready for battle.

Before, he was unprepared – caught off guard by your wily ways, but no longer! He is Kim Seokjin, crusader of goals and defender of the kiosk. The fact that Seokjin does not care about fidget spinners does not matter. They are his unfortunate chosen weapon and so, he will die upon this metaphorical sword.

Leaning against his kiosk, Seokjin spins a toy in one hand. Smiling and nodding at everyone who passes, he tries not to seem creepy or make eye contact for too long. This is the number one rule of kiosk sales – be deliberate, but approachable.

Most kiosk salespeople fail here, never ascending past the first stage of selling. They leer at shoppers, approaching women with earbuds in, or spraying perfume without asking. Not Seokjin. Seokjin is the very image of class, one ankle crossed over the other.

Seated at the food court is a large group of collegiate girls. At least, Seokjin assumes this based off one girl’s University sweatshirt. They sit clustered around Starbucks drinks (a slap in the face to Java Joe’s!), giggling every so often and glancing at Seokjin. Despite knowing they see him, Seokjin pretends not to care. Every so often, he pushes a hand through his hair and angles himself in the light.

Eventually, he knows one will come over and when they do, Seokjin will whip out the charm. A shadow steps into his path, blocking the sunlight.

Seokjin frowns. “Get out of the way,” he says, bored. “I almost have a sale.”

Arms crossed; you glance over a shoulder. The group of girls glare at you, clearly perturbed at having their view interrupted.

Snorting, you return to Seokjin. “Oh, please. So, what – you’re a pedophile, in addition to creep?”

Jerking upright, Seokjin scowls. “I am not a pedophile. I’m just trying to make a sale.”

“Of what kind?” you ask pleasantly.

“Fidget spinners.”

“Hm. Could’ve fooled me.”

Shrugging, you take a long sip of your coffee. Seokjin tries not to linger on the way your lips wrap around the straw.

I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he says stiffly. “Now, move. You’re blocking my light.”

“Whatever,” you yawn, leaving. As you enter the food court, you give Seokjin an excellent view of your backside walking away. “We’ll still beat your sales target today, anyways!” you call back.

Glaring at your retreating head, Seokjin holds out for as long as he can before dropping his gaze to your ass. Waggling fingers over your shoulder, you disappear behind the potted plant. The college girls resume looking at him but now, Seokjin finds he does not care.

Really, he should be thanking you. As soon as you are gone, three of the girls wander up to his kiosk. Seokjin sells five fidget spinners in one hour, thanks to the jealousy your presence provoked. Rather than be pleased by this fact though, Seokjin becomes even more agitated. He does not like feeling in your debt.

The next time your shifts overlap, determined to get even, Seokjin switches tactics. He parks on the opposite end of the mall, necessitating he should walk by your kiosk. Yoongi complains about this, but Seokjin merely ignores him.

Slowing as he passes your kiosk, Seokjin waits for you to look up.

Both elbows leaned to the counter, you scroll casually through your phone. When your gaze flicks up, taking him in – you blink.

“Oh, come on,” you groan.

Waving to Yoongi, Seokjin veers in your direction. “Oh, hey!” He stops at your display, nonchalantly stretching his arms overhead. “Having a good morning?”

Gaze darting to his pants and back up, you almost seem flustered. “I – how tight are those jeans?”

Seokjin’s grin widens. “What, these old things?”

Turning around, Seokjin checks out his own ass, as though surprised by its appearance. He is rather proud of his legs, actually. There is a reason Seokjin spends so much time in the gym with Jungkook. His newly bought skinny jeans show off his best assets. Not to mention how satisfying it is to see you rendered speechless.

Your gaze returns to his, smoldering. “There’s a tag still in the pocket, genius.”

“Oh.” Grandly, Seokjin plucks this off – fuck, that just cost him an entire week of spending allowance. “Well, there you go. Wouldn’t want to distract from the view.”

Jaw clenched, you seem as though you want to say more, but hold yourself back. “Great.”

Seokjin smirks. “Isn’t it?”

Whirling around, you pretend to be busy but Seokjin can tell your register has already been counted.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your kiosk?” You glower, glancing over your shoulder. “I’d hate to waste any more of your time standing here.”

Seokjin’s grin broadens. “You’re right,” he agrees. “That’d be a shame. See you around, Y/N!”

Happily, he turns and walks back the food court. With each step his grin widens, imagining you watching him leave. The rest of his day is spent in lazy self-satisfaction.

As it turns out, Seokjin should have been warier. Your silence was not acceptance of defeat, but a determined self-call to arms. The very next day, Seokjin walks past your kiosk and nearly spills his drink down his shirt.

You stand off to the side, bent to display a generous amount of cleavage. Seokjin’s jaw drops, unable to look away. He realizes how inappropriate he is being when you look up and see him.

“Seokjin!” Straightening, you wave.

The action makes your breasts bounce, causing Seokjin’s pants to feel tighter.

Yoongi snorts at his side. “Good luck, man,” he says, patting Seokjin once on the back before walking away.

Seokjin is left alone, facing the wiles of his enemy.

“Hey,” you say, raising both brows. “Seokjin? Are you okay?”

Forcing himself to move, Seokjin walks robotically forward. He does not allow himself to look below your collarbone – fuck, you must be wearing a push-up bra. There is no other way a single day could cause such a dramatic transformation.

Unable to help himself, Seokjin sneaks another peek.

When he looks up, you are smirking at him. “See something you like?”

The tips of Seokjin’s ears turn crimson. “I – what?”

“The merchandise,” you say sweetly, waving a hand. “We just got in a few new toys over the weekend.”

Seokjin has no response to this, having momentarily forgotten what words are.

Your lips twitch. “Is something wrong, Seokjin?”

Seeing the teasing look in your eyes, Seokjin fumes. “Nothing’s wrong,” he says, jaw snapping shut. “I’ll just be on my way, then. Lots of… fidgets to spin.”

Turning around, he dramatically walks off.

He cannot help but feel oddly unsettled, throat burning in a way which does not make sense. Anger, he tells himself. The emotion is merely annoyance. It is completely natural he would hate his competitor. Natural, for him to think about what their lips would look like shut up by his.

It takes two weeks for Seokjin to enact the next phase of his plan. Which is – dramatic entertainment. Basically, phase two involves Seokjin researching fidget spinner hand tricks for hours at a time on YouTube. It reaches to the point where Seokjin is in near hibernation. Jungkook sends him texts every so often, asking when he will return to the gym, but Seokjin is a man on a mission and cannot be stopped.

He starts off slowly, learning the simple fidget spinner hand transfer. Next is the hand twist, rated Difficulty Level Two by the most known YouTube star. From there, learning the around the back is easy. This maneuver is more complex – it involves Seokjin physically throwing the fidget spinner over his shoulder to catch in the other hand.

Once Seokjin can control two fidget spinners at once, he deems himself ready.

Phase two goes into action on a busy Saturday afternoon. Seokjin hijacks the Fidget Funk’s speakers, hooking up his iPhone to the horror of his co-worker, Lisa.

“Oh, no,” she groans. “Please tell me you aren’t doing what I think you’re doing.”

“Are you thinking I’m doing a fidget spinner trick show?” Seokjin adjusts the sweatband on his forehead. “Alright, then. I won’t tell you.”

“God, how embarrassing.” Lisa slumps low in her chair. “Well, at least do it before Chad gets here.”

“Noted. What song should I use?” Seokjin flips through his playlist. “Hero by Enrique Iglesias? Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo? The Cha Cha Slide?”

Lisa stares in disbelief. “What vibe are you going for, exactly?”

“None of those?” Seokjin frowns. “What about All Star by Smash Mouth?”

“How about Cotton Eyed Joe?” Lisa offers. “That seems more fitting with all of… this.”

Ignoring her sarcasm, Seokjin selects a song to press play. The first notes of Everybody by Backstreet Boys plays through the speakers. Lisa groans and slumps even lower.

At first, no one notices Seokjin at all. People sidestep him, focused solely on getting to the food court but then, Seokjin executes a perfect shoulder throw. A kid stops to watch. His mom stops too, trying to drag her kid forward but failing in her mission.

“Hey!” Seokjin beams, switching the spinner from one hand to the other. “Want to see more?”

The boy nods and before long, Seokjin has managed to gather a small crowd. Over the ooh’s and ahs of children, Seokjin converses with their moms.

“Fidget spinners are proven to help concentration in both kids and adults,” Seokjin says with a hand twist. “One of my friends was telling me a story the other day. He and this AVP at his office are both tactile people and remember better while doing something with their hands. So, they end up having this entire meeting while playing with fidget spinners from her office.”

The moms all laugh, moving forward to let their kids pick out a toy. By the time the day ends, Seokjin has beaten all previous sales records. He has also managed to capture the attention of most people in the mall – including you.

And Namjoon, who stops by before closing.

“Dude,” Namjoon laughs, leaning one arm to his kiosk. “Why are you being so extra lately? It’s just a temp job. Who cares?”

“I care, Namjoon.” Seokjin bristles. “Is it so wrong to want to do well at my work? To want to improve the sales of my peers. Frankly, Namjoon, I’m insulted you would –”

“Hey, Kim!” you yell, passing by. “Heard you’re trying to break into show business!”

Seokjin abruptly stops talking. “Trying?” he calls back. “I’m already there. Were you able to catch a performance?”

Rolling your eyes, you walk backwards. “Of course, I did! The whole fucking mall saw you, Seokjin. Your music was so loud, people physically moved in the food court.”

Seokjin’s grin widens. “What’d you think?”

“I think you should stick to sales.” Shaking your head, you try not to smile. “Anyways, just wait until you see what we’re doing this weekend. It’ll make your lame tricks look like nothing!”

“Can’t wait!” Seokjin cups both hands over his mouth. “I love to watch lofty dreams come crashing down!”

Shaking your head, you turn around and disappear into the mall. Once you are gone, Seokjin returns to Namjoon.

“What?” he blinks, seeing his friend’s smug expression.

Namjoon’s smile widens. “Oh, nothing.”

“What?”

Namjoon merely laughs, grabbing his smoothie and turning away. “Good luck with that, man!”

Seokjin stares after, not understanding but deciding it is not worth his while. Namjoon always thinks he knows so much – granted, he usually does, but that is not the point. The point is Seokjin does not and so, he should not worry about it now.

The next day is busy, which means Seokjin barely has time to consider the performance you mentioned. He is again covering for Lisa, who failed to show up. Chad and Seokjin are the only ones covering the kiosk, which Seokjin despises because Chad is his least favorite co-worker. Lisa may be flaky, but at least her presence is tolerable. Chad is always going off on tangents about who wronged him on Twitter that day, and why.

Chad is also terrible at customer service – no surprise – which means Seokjin must handle all returns and exchanges. A tedious task in itself, let alone with Chad’s monotonous voice in his ears. In fact, the morning is so busy, Seokjin barely remembers to eat, let alone visit you.

It is the sound of cheers over the food court which make him look up.

Midway through a transaction, Seokjin pauses to glance at your kiosk. You and your Manager – Brandi – stand before it, navigating two competing drones in the air. It seems several people are betting on which drone will win.

Rolling his eyes, Seokjin returns to his customer. Smiling blandly, he hands the woman her money and ignores the wild cheers growing steadily behind him. It makes Seokjin’s teeth grind, realizing you might be drawing a bigger crowd than he did.

Unable to stop himself, he peers over his shoulder. Seokjin’s eyes widen. Above the food court, a helicopter loops circles around a remote-controlled plane. They no longer seem to be racing, dive- bombing the crowd and swooping up at the last second. Kids squeal in excitement, running around underneath.

Seokjin scowls, slamming shut the register. His mind revolts at the knowledge that your show is better than his – also, there is the maddening fact that Seokjin wants a drone for himself. Huffing under his breath, Seokjin turns away.

Before he can tell Chad he is going on break, a scream pierces the crowd.

“MOVE!” Seokjin hears your voice above the rest. “KIDS, MOVE!”

Seokjin whirls around, spotting the helicopter spinning out of control. Kids duck from its path, their hands held overhead as the helicopter sputters, dips and sputters again. Steam curls from its top, clearly not responding to the remote you hold in one hand.

Worse than that, the drone is headed in their direction.

“Chad, move!” Seokjin yells, diving out of the way.

Chad looks up just in time to see the helicopter crash into their kiosk.

Fidget spinners fly every which way. From his spot on the floor, several hit Seokjin in the back of his legs – he winces, curling into himself. Chad’s sputtering continues above as the slow whir of helicopter blades begins to wind down.

Seokjin hesitantly looks up. The kiosk above him is chaos. Nothing seems to be broken, but his carefully placed display – Bertha! – is entirely out of whack. Brightly colored boxes lie on the floor, shelving hanging precariously off the sides of the kiosk.

You dash into view, skidding to a stop inches away from his nose. “I’m so sorry!” you cry, a useless remote held in one hand. “I don’t know what happened, I swear.”

Your gaze darts to Seokjin’s, still lying prostrate on the floor.

He slowly pushes himself to stand, staring in shock at the disastrous kiosk. Seokjin expects to feel angry. He should feel pissed, since all his hard work was erased and now, he will have to spend several hours cleaning it up, but – nothing.

Well, that is not entirely true.

Seokjin wishes he could wipe that look of distress from your face. “It’s alright,” he says, still looking at you.

Surprise flickers over your expression.

Chad steps out from behind the kiosk. “Oh… my… god,” he says, eyes wide.

“I’m really sorry,” you repeat, face twisted in agony.

Before you can continue, your manager appears. “Go back to the kiosk, Y/N,” she says, sighing. “There are a bunch of customers to take care of. I’ll handle this.”

It appears you wish to say more, but a stern look from Brandi is silencing. Giving Seokjin an apologetic look, you turn on your heel to walk across the food court.

Brandi waits until you are out of earshot before looking at Seokjin. “I’m sorry about the disruption,” she offers.

Seokjin tears his gaze away. “It’s okay.”

“What?!” Chad stomps out to point a finger at Brandi. “It is not okay! You and your dumb drones wrecked our display!”

Brandi looks at his finger, unimpressed. She glances at Seokjin. “You can throw that helicopter away. If anything of yours has been damaged, let me know. We’ll pay for it – just send me an itemized receipt by the end of the day, okay?”

Seokjin nods, a bit thrown by the interaction. “Yeah, alright. Sounds good.”

Brandi looks at him thankfully, turning around to return to her kiosk. Once she is gone, Chad whirls on Seokjin.

“Man, what the fuck?”

Bending, Seokjin picks up a lone fidget spinner. “What do you mean, what the fuck?”

“They should’ve…” Chad trails off, shaking his head. “Done more. I don’t know. They should’ve cleaned up the whole area, or something!”

Seokjin snorts, replacing the toy on the counter. “Relax,” he says. “It’s not like anything is seriously damaged. We just need to re-stock the display and besides, they don’t know how to do that. It’ll be faster if we do it.”

“Even so,” Chad mutters. He begins cleaning up, casting an angry glance in the direction of the Drone Dome. “They should still fucking pay.”

“They will, if anything’s broken,” Seokjin says simply.

He then tunes Chad out, putting himself to work. Re-stocking Bertha takes a while but, in the end, Seokjin is happier with its order. He keeps thinking you will stop by after your shift, but you do not. Perhaps you are too embarrassed to do so, or maybe Brandi warned you not to go near them again.

Whatever the reason, Seokjin cannot leave before closing. When he finally passes kiosk on his way to the gym, everything is closed, and you are nowhere in sight.

Seokjin lingers a moment before he moves on.

SLAM.

Seokjin drops his barbells, the sound echoing through the gym in a satisfying way. Several women on the elliptical look up in annoyance.

“Sorry!” Seokjin calls, wiping sweat from his neck.

Although the women continue to glare, they return to their workout. Jungkook snickers into the sleeve of his t-shirt, biceps bulging beneath the tight fit of his clothes. Pulling a power bar from his pocket, Jungkook waves at the weights Seokjin discarded.

“Give me ten more.”

Seokjin glares. “Go choke.”

“Can’t.” Unwrapping his snack, Jungkook takes a large bite. “Told my current hook-up that was just for her.”

“Gross.” Seokjin groans, bending to grab the weights. “I didn’t need to know that.”

Jungkook grins, displaying chocolate and teeth. “Ten more,” he repeats.

Despite several muttered curse words under his breath, Seokjin obeys. Dropping the weights again on the floor – in direct defiance of the no weight-dropping sign – Seokjin grabs his knees with both hands.

“Alright,” he huffs, squinting at Jungkook. “I don’t care anymore if I’m in shape. I care more about snacks. Snacks and alcohol.”

“I’m choosing to ignore that.” Jungkook takes another bite. “I’m using one of my free guest passes on you, so you better be worth it.”

Rolling his eyes, Seokjin takes a long swig from his water bottle. Despite this, he still follows Jungkook as they walk to the treadmills. Jungkook is right, he is doing Seokjin a favor by letting him work out for free. Truth be told, Seokjin hated Jungkook when he first began at the mall. Jungkook was young, good- looking and got tons of attention – male and female, alike.

He was the competition.

Over time though, this distrust dissolved and somehow, Jungkook is now one of Seokjin’s closest friends. When he is not annoying the hell out of him, that is.

Throwing his wrapper in the trash, Jungkook wipes both palms on his pants. “So.” Stepping onto a treadmill, he turns the speed to three. “How’s it going with drone girl?”

Seokjin follows suit. “She knocked over my display today.”

“Like, on purpose?”

“Nah.” Seokjin shakes his head. “On accident. She was doing a demo and one of the helicopter drones broke. Crashed into my kiosk.”

“Oh.” Jungkook’s brow furrows. “Still – annoying. Increase your speed.”

Seokjin obeys. “Eh,” he huffs, beginning to jog. “I don’t think it was on purpose. But still, she’s just so frustrating.”

“What’s frustrating? Increase your speed again to four.”

“I don’t know,” Seokjin says, following suit. “She’s frustrating. She has this way of looking at me, you know?”

“Looking at you in like, a creepy way?”

“No…” Seokjin’s feet pound the treadmill. “She’s a tease.”

“Sounds hot.”

“She keeps messing with me.”

“You keep messing with her.”

“She made fun of my fidget spinners!”

Jungkook bursts into laughter. To add insult to injury, he barely seems winded at all by their run and Seokjin is panting.

“Dude. Fidget spinners suck. I’ve heard you say that on multiple occasions.”

“Sure, but she doesn’t have to say that!”

“Whatever, bro.” Jungkook grins. “Sounds to me like you want to fuck her.”

Seokjin is so startled, he nearly trips on the treadmill. “I do not.”

“No judgement here! Do it once, get it out of your system.”

“I don’t want to fuck her, Jungkook.” Seokjin glares in his direction. “She hates me. And I hate her!”

“O-h,” Jungkook says knowingly. “So, you’re in love with her. I get it. Increase your speed to five.”

Seokjin obeys, face turning beet-red. “Jungkook,” he growls. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Make me.”

Reaching out, Seokjin turns the speed on Jungkook’s treadmill to eight.

“Hey!” Jungkook yelps, breaking into a sprint. He manages to keep up, pushing a hand through his hair. When Seokjin rolls his eyes, Jungkook grins. “Nailed it.”

Seokjin returns to his machine. “Besides, you’re one to talk,” he mutters. “Aren’t you in love with the juice girl, or something?”

On reflex, Jungkook glances over his shoulder. Seokjin can tell by his lovesick expression he is right. Juice girl only started working recently at the gym and from what Seokjin can tell, Jungkook is entirely smitten. He has never been subtle about the women he likes, but with juice girl, Jungkook seems to have met his match.

She is completely immune to his charms. Seokjin cannot help but feel sympathy for the guy. Or – at least, he does until Jungkook returns to him with a grin.

“So.” He wriggles his eyebrows. “How hot is kiosk girl, anyways?”

“No.” Seokjin reaches out to increase Jungkook’s incline. “You’re not going to fuck my mortal enemy.”

“Well, if you’re not going to.”

“Think about juice girl!” Seokjin yells – entirely unintentional, but he is running out of breath.

Jungkook retaliates by upping his speed. By the end of their sprint, Seokjin feels like collapsing. He steps off his treadmill with wobbly legs, feeling as though he has just run a marathon. Not that Seokjin would ever run a marathon, of course, but he can imagine. Jungkook follows suit, hopping down from his machine.

“Good workout.” Jungkook wipes his forehead with a towel. “Wanna come over and hang? Hoseok from Foot Locker is gonna come, too.”

Seokjin nods, taking a sip from his water bottle. “Yeah, okay.” He glances again at the door, but your kiosk is too far to see. “Sounds good to me.”

As they walk towards the locker rooms, Jungkook chatters aimlessly but Seokjin cannot stop thinking about you. While he showers and changes, Jungkook’s words replay in his mind. The idea of Seokjin having a crush on you is insane. The two of you have barely exchanged one nice word since you met.

Still. Snapping a towel free from his neck, Seokjin continues to wonder. He does think about you an awful lot. Usually, he is thinking of new ways to annoy you, but that is more than he thinks about anyone else. Chad, for instance – or Lisa.

Frowning, Seokjin slams shut his locker. He cannot ignore the initial attraction he had for you. If you had not been his competition, Seokjin would have probably asked you out.

The moment he thinks this, he freezes. Maybe this is why you annoy him so much – Seokjin is attracted to you and can do nothing about it.

Under any other set of circumstances, this fact would be enlightening but things being what they are though, nothing has changed. You still hate him. Seokjin still finds you his competition.

Staring at his locker, Seokjin’s lips twist.

“Seokjin!” Jungkook yells from the door. “You coming, or what?”

Jerking himself free from his thoughts, Seokjin picks up his bag. “Coming!” he yells, pushing you from his mind.

Seokjin has the next two days off work. He uses this mainly to work on his apps, pouring time and energy into working the kinks from his latest round of updates. In between each stroke of his keyboard, he is thinking of you.

Seokjin hates Jungkook a little, for pointing out the obvious fact that he likes you. Before that, Seokjin took his fixation with you at face value. He did not like you; he was just annoyed by you. Now, though.

He cannot help but wonder.

Exhaling loudly, Seokjin slumps against his kiosk. His manager is off once again – honestly, that dude never works – and Seokjin is stuck working with Chad. Absently, Seokjin twirls a spinner around his finger.

“You okay, man?” Chad breaks the silence.

Shaking his head, Seokjin stares into space. “Oh, yeah. Just a bit preoccupied, that’s all.”

“With what?”

Seokjin shrugs, not feeling like talking.

Chad is one of the few people capable of getting under his skin without saying a word. It is something about the way Chad stands – chest puffed, gaze lazy, as though the world owes him something. He always wears a backwards cap, even inside and Seokjin suspects a receding hairline to be the cause. Whatever the reason, Chad always has a chip on his shoulder.

He seems to be compensating for something. Although what he could be compensating for, as a white male in today’s economy, Seokjin has no idea.

“Hey.” Voice lowering, Chad nods towards the food court. “I know something which might cheer you up.”

Seokjin straightens when he realizes Chad is staring at you. Anything which cheers Chad up could only have the opposite effect upon Seokjin.

“What?” Seokjin asks, suspicious.

Chad leans in. “You know the bitch who ruined our display a few days ago?”

Seokjin’s jaw tightens, hearing you called a bitch. “What about it?”

“Ha.” Chad laughs, not hearing the clear warning in Seokjin’s tone. “Don’t worry about paying her back. I got this.”

Alarm bells go off in Seokjin’s mind. “What do you mean by, ‘I got this?’”

“Let’s just say it’s taken care of.”

“No.” Seokjin drops his phone, standing up from his chair. “Let’s say more. What the fuck did you do, Chad?”

Chad blinks at him in surprise. “Whoa – chill, dude. What’re you pissed about?”

Seokjin pauses, uncertain. It is not as though he knows you, not really. But still – Seokjin remembers how sincere you looked that day, apologizing for the display. You did not mean to injure their kiosk; he knows that much.

“Chad…” Seokjin mutters in warning.

He does not get further before screams erupt from the food court. Seokjin’s head whips sideways, spotting the source of the commotion. Once again, a drone is loose in the mall. Like two days prior, a rogue helicopter flies over the food court. It seems out of control, dive-bombing people at random and sending them running.

Seokjin’s mouth drop. Before he can move, the drone careens towards the ground. A girl stands alone next to the frozen yogurt place, holding her cone and staring at it in terror. Her eyes widen, fixed on the drone and Seokjin moves on instinct, darting into the crowd.

Before he can arrive, the girl’s mom appears to yank her to safety. Her cone spills in the process, mint chocolate chip on the ground, but at least the helicopter misses, swooping and diving again. Seokjin’s eyes narrow, realizing the drone moves much too fast to be out of control.

Glancing around, Seokjin realizes Chad is on his phone. When he sees Seokjin looking, Chad waves at him with a grin.

Seokjin’s stomach heaves. Before he can move, you are barreling towards him.

“YOU!” you yell, pointing a finger. Several people between you look up in surprise.

Seokjin blinks, also pointing at himself. “Me?”

“You!” you gasp, skidding to a stop. “What the hell did you do to my drone?”

You are holding several remotes in your fist, Seokjin realizes. Apparently, none of them are working. The helicopter swoops dangerously close to you both and Seokjin ducks out of the way.

“What did I do?” he blurts, staring upwards. “You think I’m the one behind this?”

“No, shit!” you yell, dodging the drone.

“Y/N, I –” The chopper dive-bombs again and Seokjin groans. This is not going to make you believe him, but he needs to do something before someone gets hurt. “Fuck it!” he yells and takes off.

Sprinting away, Seokjin hears you yelling behind him. Ignoring you, Seokjin leaps onto a table. He is not sure how Chad is controlling the helicopter – possibly from his phone, but Seokjin would not put it past him to have someone stationed elsewhere in the mall. Based on the depth of his vengeance on Twitter, Seokjin imagines Chad to be petty.

All Seokjin knows is he needs to stop the drone and a sure-fire way of doing that is getting the drone from the air.

Above, the drone does a loop before dive-bombing a cluster of girls exiting the lingerie store. The girls squeal, scatting in every direction as the helicopter pulls from its spiral. Leaping into the air, Seokjin’s fingers barely brush a wing before falling back to the ground.

“SEOKJIN, GET BACK HERE!”

Ignoring you, Seokjin continues pursuing the drone. “Sorry!” he yells, dodging a woman. “Y/N, this isn’t what it looks like!”

Your footsteps pound behind him, catching up. “It looks like you hijacked one of your drones!”

“See!” Seokjin glances over his shoulder. “I told you it wasn’t what it looks like!”

“Huh?”

“Aha!” Seokjin leaps into the air. Fuck – he barely misses. Crashing again to the ground, Seokjin takes off running. He uses his next jump to leap onto a table.

A guy looks up from his hot dog, mustard dribbled onto his chin. “What the f –”

Seokjin leaps into the air, fingers grazing the wing of the helicopter. Eyes narrowed, Seokjin swears as his heels hit the ground. A mother nearby covers the ears of her child.

“Sorry!” Seokjin yells in response.

A hand grabs his arm. “Kim Seokjin!” you blurt, whirling him sideways to face you.

Seokjin glances over your shoulder in distress. “It’s getting away!” he blurts, shaking free to sprint towards the fro-yo.

Your mouth drops, but you follow. “What are you doing?”

Not having the breath to answer, Seokjin runs faster. For the first time in his life, he is grateful Jungkook pushes him so hard at the gym. Jumping again in the air, Seokjin thinks he has done it – until you jump suddenly in front of him, swatting his hand.

“Hey!” Seokjin yelps, stumbling as he hands. “What the fuck, Y/N?”

“Mine!” you yell, darting forward.

“Wait – Y/N!”

Grumbling, he chases after you. The two of you must look ridiculous, racing around the food court. As you pass Auntie Anne’s pretzels, Seokjin swears he can hear Yoongi cracking up at the register.

One second, you are ahead of him and the next, Seokjin is. He runs faster, pumping his arms as he spots the drone by the fountain. Cutting you off, Seokjin puts on a sudden burst of speed and leaps into the air. His fingers wrap around metal, yanking the helicopter from the sky. As he descends, Seokjin cannot help but laugh – until your hand finds his elbow, pulling him sideways.

Seokjin yelps, stumbling when his feet hit the concrete.

There is a dangerous, teetering moment where you both hover at the edge of the fountain – and then he falls, taking you with. Seokjin yelps, soaked to the skin when a water jet hits his face. A second splash follows as your butt hits the water.

If feels like a scene from a movie; that moment when a song cuts at a party. One second, everything is happening and the next – nothing.

Slowly, Seokjin pushes himself to sit in the water. The trickling sound of the fountain fills his ears, one of his hands resting on something which is definitely not a penny.

“Gross,” Seokjin groans, seeing the wad of pink gum.

His pants are soaked, so is his shirt and Seokjin does not even want to imagine the state of his hair. Removing his hand from the water gum, Seokjin looks up.

You glare back at him, making Seokjin recoil.

At least the drone is down.

Seokjin can see its red wings submerged in the water, bobbing genteelly in the waves of the fountain. Slowly, the sounds of the mall filter back in. Someone nearby snickers and someone else starts to clap. In his peripheral, Seokjin can see a few teenagers recording and slowly, he closes his eyes. If he goes viral, there is no way his manager will keep him.

You seem to realize the same thing, glancing around you in panic. Seokjin realizes your situation is noticeably worse than his, since you were wearing a white t-shirt when you fell. The material sticks to your skin, making each curve of your body apparent.

Seokjin swallows, understanding crashing into him with all the subtlety of a lightning bolt.

He likes you.

Fuck. Seokjin likes you, and he is a giant idiot.

Snickering at the food court grabs Seokjin’s attention. It appears he is not the only one to have noticed your shirt. At least your bra is white, but this does not seem to matter to fifteen-year-old boys.

Glancing down, you inhale and cover your chest. Seokjin awkwardly tries to stand, rushing forward to help but slips in the process, nearly falling again. It does not seem as though you desire his help anyways, springing to your feet with tears in your eyes.

Teeth chattering, you hold one hand before you. “Stay away,” you blurt, wet strands of hair plastered against your face. As though unable to help yourself, your lower lip quivers. “I fucking mean it, Seokjin. Stay away from me.”

Seokjin’s feet falter beneath him. “I…” Staring at you, he slowly nods in defeat. “Okay.”

You bend, scooping the helicopter into your arms before turning away.

Giving him another scowl, you climb from the fountain. Your sneakers make squishing noises against the linoleum as you stalk through the food court. Seokjin continues to stand there, ignoring the water jets which repeatedly hit his kneecaps.

His stomach sinks, watching you disappear.

Logically, Seokjin should go and find mall security. He should explain to them what happened before they find him, or worse – before he goes viral on the web. Less logically, Seokjin wants to run after you. He cannot simply leave things between you like that.

At the very least, he should find you a dry t-shirt. Maybe Hoseok could get him one from Foot Locker.

Because this is partly his fault. Seokjin was not the one who took over the drone and he did not push you into the fountain, but you only reacted that way because of how Seokjin has treated you. It was not a wild leap of thought to assume Seokjin was the culprit.

Before he can think about this further, a laugh breaks through the crowd. Turning around, Seokjin sees Chad running towards him.

“Wow.” Chad skids to a stop at the fountain. “That was incredible. Did you see how wet she was? And guess who got it all on camera?” He winks, waving his phone.

“Did you?” Seokjin speaks pleasantly, although he is starting to see red. “Can I see that?”

“Sure.” Chad grins, handing over the phone.

Accepting the object, Seokjin promptly throws this into the fountain.

Chad’s mouth drops open. “What the fuck?” he blurts, watching the metal sink to the bottom.

Seokjin brushes off his hands. “You’re fired,” he says, stepping out of the fountain. Water drips from his shirt, splashing the ground at his feet.

Chad’s eyes bug. “You can’t fire me, asshole. You’re not my manager.”

“Maybe not.” Seokjin shrugs and walks past. His hands open and close, curling into fists. “But he likes me better than you and he’ll believe me when I say this was your fault.”

“You dick!”

“That’s right,” Seokjin mutters. He glances at your kiosk, only to find it empty – Brandi must be helping you to clean up. Something twinges in his chest, knowing this is partly his fault. “I guess I am.”

One week later, Seokjin cannot stop thinking about you.

He tries to forget. Truly, he does but this proves itself to be more difficult than he realized. Seokjin did not understand before, how deeply you integrated yourself in his life. He did not realize how much he looked forward each day to your banter, to hearing your laugh whenever he passed by your kiosk. The past month has been bearable only because of your presence.

Slumped at the counter of Auntie Anne’s pretzels, Seokjin stares forlornly across the food court.

“Either smile or move.”

Seokjin turns to Yoongi in confusion. “Huh?”

“Either smile,” Yoongi repeats. “Or move. You’re bumming out all my customers.”

Seokjin glances at the empty food court before him. It is 10:00 AM. “What customers?”

“Exactly. All my customers are scared off by how sad you are.”

Seokjin manages a weak chuckle. “Trust me, my face is not what’s driving your customers away. If anything, it’s your latest SoundCloud mix.”

Yoongi frowns, perturbed. “Take that back.”

Seokjin winces, seeing the genuine hurt on his face. “Sorry, man,” he mumbles. “I’m just not in a great mood today.”

“No shit.”

Seokjin cracks a smile. “That obvious, huh?”

“Much in the same way climate change is obvious to everyone but the Cheeto.”

Stifling a laugh, Seokjin quickly sobers. “I just… I don’t know. I thought she’d hear me out, at least.”

The entire past week, Seokjin has parked at the opposite end of the mall from your kiosk. It makes his morning walk shorter, but somehow lonelier.

“So, this is about her, huh?” Yoongi lowers his elbows to the counter. “She’s gone incommunicado.”

“Yeah, it’s about her. I guess I can’t really blame her for being mad at me.”

“No?”

Seokjin shakes his head. “I was kind of a dick.”

Yoongi snorts. “She was a dick, too.”

“Yeah, but I started it.” Seokjin takes a sip of his coffee. “I was the one who approached her all weird, called her the competition. That set a tone.”

“Okay.” Yoongi tilts his head, thinking. “So, what’re you gonna do about it?” 

“I’m going to do nothing about it.”

“Then stop complaining to me.”

“I’m not complaining!” Seokjin looks up and sighs. “Alright, maybe I’m complaining a little. I just… wish I’d realized I liked her sooner.”

“Who cares about that? Tell her now!”

“But she hates me.”

“She hated you then!”

Seokjin glares and takes another sip of his coffee – sputtering, he chokes, “Oh, shit – that’s hot.”

“Hey.” Yoongi gives him a look. “She thinks you messed with her job. That’s way different than wearing tight pants, or putting on a fidget show, or whatever.”

“Fidget spinner show, Yoongi. Fidget show sounds like something else.”

“Both are lame,” Yoongi says. “And my point still stands. She’s mad at you now because of something you didn’t do. Now, move your elbow – I need to clean that spot before lunch.”

Seokjin obliges, dutifully removing himself from the counter. Drinking his coffee, he stares out at the food court. Up until now, Seokjin thought he was doing the noble thing. He was respecting your wishes by giving you space. You said you did not wish to see him again.

Yoongi is right, though. You said all that laboring under a misconception. More than respecting the words said in anger, perhaps it is better for Seokjin to tell you the truth. Maybe pretending to be noble is just another way of chickening out.

Because if Seokjin explains everything to you and you still do not care, it means he is alone in all this. His feelings are one-sided and everything before now was merely a rivalry. The spark Seokjin feels when he looks at you, the burning desire to kiss you – if you knew all that and still hated him, then Seokjin would be alone.

Seokjin exhales and looks up. “Gotta go,” he says, slapping the counter. “See you after your shift?’

“Wait!” Yoongi catches his arm before Seokjin can leave. “Bracelet buddies?” he grins, holding up the pink cat charm wound around his wrist.

Seokjin groans, dutifully rolling up his sleeve to showcase the pale pink alpaca. “Bracelet buddies,” he says glumly.

Yoongi gave him the gift several days ago; payback, he said, for all the women Seokjin has sent his way with the promise of a free pretzel. That used to be Seokjin’s way of scoring dates at the mall. At least, before he met you. Seokjin is obligated to wear said bracelet for three months, or else Yoongi will send their friends pictures of him sleeping with his mouth open on the couch.

If he is being honest, Seokjin does not entirely hate the bracelet. The alpaca is kind of cute, but Yoongi cannot ever know that. Waving goodbye, he manages to scowl and keep up appearances when he heads towards his kiosk.

For the next several days, Seokjin continues to wimp out.

Kind of.

While he does not actually explain what happened, he tries to make up for it in other ways. On Monday, he overhears you telling the Kay Jewelers girl the legs of your stool are too short. As a result, Seokjin volunteers to work late and stays long after closing. Before he leaves, he goes to your kiosk and switches your stool for his.

On Thursday morning, your shifts overlap. Seokjin sees you yawn passing his kiosk, mentioning to Brandi you did not sleep well the night prior. Ducking behind his counter, Seokjin does not make eye contact.

Still, he stops by Java Joe’s on his break and begs Taehyung for coffee.

Taking the long way back through the mall, Seokjin visits your kiosk. It is the first time he has tried talking to you since the Great Fountain debacle. As you come into view, Seokjin swallows and forces the words from his lips.

“Hey.” He comes to a stop at the register.

You freeze when you see him. “Um. Hi?”

Seokjin holds the coffee tray out like a shield. “I was at Java Joe’s and Taehyung brewed too much espresso. Lisa doesn’t drink it, so I was wondering if you wanted it?”

Your lips part, staring at him for a moment.

When you do not immediately respond, Seokjin starts to sweat. “You don’t have to take it,” he says quickly. “I can give it to someone else. It’s too much for me though, and you were on the way back from the shop…”

Trailing off, Seokjin wonders if this entire endeavor is foolish. The tray he is holding is full – four, small cups of espresso which cost an hour of pay. Of course, you do not need to know that. You only need to know that he thought of you.

“I – yeah,” you say slowly, reaching out for a cup. “Thanks, Seokjin.”

Seokjin blinks, since your response was almost cordial. Before he can get too excited about this, Brandi appears.

“Wow, thanks!” she enthuses, grabbing a cup. “That was so nice of you to do this.”

“Right.” Seokjin deflates just a little. It is not as if he does not want Brandi to have espresso, but he was hoping for a shared moment with you. “Just spreading the love – or caffeine, as it were. Anyways…” His laughter trails off, gaze darting to you. “Guess I have one more cup to distribute. Enjoy!”

He turns around too fast for you to respond.

Each step he takes, Seokjin half-expects to hear you call out behind him. If this were pre-Fountain Incident, you probably would have. An insult, or horrible pun – something to let Seokjin know you were watching him walk away, but now there is only silence.

This goes on for a week. Seokjin continues to do nice things for you, passing by in the hopes you will say hi. He holds his breath and hopes you will speak first, but it seems you are determined to continue icing him out.

Seokjin supposes he cannot blame you for this. It is not as though you were friends, after all.

He has almost accepted the idea that you will continue being strangers when one day, Seokjin looks up and finds you at the register.

All words instantly die in his throat.

If he thought he was in the process of getting over you, Seokjin was sorely mistaken. The days of silence have not lessened his want, but only intensified it. It makes him swallow, uncertain, which must be a first. Out of all his friends, Seokjin is not the one to call shy.

Tentatively, you smile and Seokjin realizes he still has not spoken.

“H-hi,” he stammers.

Your shoulders seem to relax at his nervousness. “Hi. Is this a bad time?”

“No,” Seokjin says, slamming his register shut. “Lisa is on break, but it’s been a slow afternoon.”

“Yeah,” you exhale. “Same. Guess we finally found those lulls you were on about.”

Seokjin chuckles under his breath. The space between you falls silent again.

“I, uh…” Twisting your hands before you, you seem unsure what to say. “I haven’t seen you around, lately.”

Seokjin’s heart stutters. “Oh. I guess.”

“That’s kind of my fault,” you say. Seokjin’s gaze drops to your hands, which continue to twist. He finds the gesture oddly endearing. “I was the one who told you to stay away.”

Arching a brow, Seokjin turns towards the register. He does not know what to say without being rude. Yes, seems like the most obvious answer, but that could be construed as impolite. Casually, he sneaks a peek sideways. You are right, though – this is partly your fault, also. Even if the other fault is his own.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I don’t blame you for saying that, though.”

“You don’t?”

Curiosity laces your tone and Seokjin looks up, surprised to see a question mark in your gaze.

“Brandi told me Chad was fired,” you add.

Seokjin stills. “Yeah. He was.”

You pause, as though waiting for an explanation. When none comes, you narrow your eyes. “He was the one who messed with that drone, wasn’t he? Not you.”

“I – yeah, I guess so.”

Exasperation enters your gaze. “Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did!” Seokjin protests. “I told you when we were chasing after the drone and you didn’t believe me!”

“Oh,” you say, wilting a bit. “Right.”

Seeing your face, Seokjin softens. “Look, it’s not a big deal.”

“Is it?” you ask in disbelief. “I yelled at you in front of the entire mall for something you didn’t do, and you’re saying its fine?”

Seokjin’s lips quirk. “Well, when you put it like that.”

When you roll your eyes at the ceiling, he laughs. Weirdly, it feels good to have you disparage him a little. It feels as though you are on even footing again.

“I mean, it’s not like we were friends,” Seokjin continues. “Why wouldn’t you think it was me?”

“Hm.” You blink, taken aback. “I guess you’re right.”

After another long moment, Seokjin adds, “We could try to be friends now, though. If you want.”

You bite down on your lip. “Are you giving me a formal offer, Seokjin? Should I sign on the dotted line somewhere?”

“I can make a contract if you want. All good peace treaties are in writing.”

“Is that what this is? A peace treaty?”

“Of a sort.” Seokjin raises a brow. “I can’t promise to stop kicking your ass in sales, though. I was born talented.”

“Or, maybe it’s Maybelline,” you shoot back. “I wouldn’t want you to stop, though. It’s been too quiet around here without you blasting Backstreet Boys.”

“Liked what you heard?”

“Who doesn’t like Backstreet Boys?”

“Monsters.”

“Agreed.”

“Wow.” Seokjin’s brow furrows. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever agreed with me.”

“I know.” After a moment, you frown. “It’s oddly unsettling.”

Seokjin laughs – a short, surprised burst which makes you smile. “Well...” Trailing off, he finds himself unsure what more to say. “Is that why you came over?”

“Let’s see.” You lift a hand, ticking things off on your fingers. “Tell you I know you didn’t sabotage my job. Check. Ask to be friends? Check. Oh,” you add, as though only remembering. “There was something else I wanted to say.

Seokjin waits, holding his breath as you start to lean in.

Angelic, you smile. “I lied before,” you say. “We aren’t having a lull. See you around!”

Dropping a wink, you turn to walk across the food court. Seokjin watches you go, legs having effectively turned to jelly in your presence. It is unfair that you have this effect on him. Slowly, he lowers himself onto his stool. It would seem the two of you are friends now.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Seokjin wonders what he has gotten himself into.

Over the next couple of weeks, Seokjin stops by your kiosk more often. He learns your usual morning coffee order – a grande iced Americano – and occasionally brings it along. You seem to have switched to the morning shift, he notices. Before, it was about fifty-fifty which time of the day you showed up.

At some point, Seokjin explains about his former job and current app development side projects. This turns into a running joke of him bouncing ideas off you.

“Okay,” you say, folding your hands across a wan food court table.

Seokjin takes a sip of his coffee. “Okay, what?”

“Okay, what’s today’s app idea?”

Seokjin snorts. It is 10:00 AM and neither of you must be at your shift yet but somehow, you both managed to arrive early.

“What about this?” Seokjin leans back in his chair. “Angry birds, but – instead of birds, its photos of friends that you upload yourself.”

“Pass.”

“Hm. A Bachelorette fantasy league app?”

“Hard no.”

“Okay, so this one is a kid’s game.”

“Go on.”

“A kid’s game where you change the oil of your dad’s car as fast as you can.” 

You snort, nearly spilling your drink. “Seokjin! That’s a terrible app idea.” 

“Bonus points if you spill no oil on the driveway!”

“Seokjin!”

He grins. “Yeah, Yoongi said it was bad, too. I don’t get it.”

“Please.” Shaking your head, your smile fades the longer you look at him. “I don’t believe any of those are your actual idea, though.”

“Huh?” Seokjin blinks. “What do you mean?”

“Those are just the ideas you tell people to make them laugh,” you observe. “It gets them off your back, so you don’t have to say your actual idea. You know, the one you really care about.”

Seokjin pauses, mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know what you mean.”

You arch a brow. “I get it. That’s how I am with my writing. Freelance doesn’t exactly pay for dreams, does it? I tend to downplay my favorite ideas, so then if they don’t work out – hey, at least it wasn’t something I cared about. You know?”

Seokjin is not quite sure how to respond. In only a few sentences, you have looked inside him and summarized his thoughts. No one – not even Yoongi, whom Seokjin has known for years – is able to read him as well.

Inhaling gently, Seokjin leans back from the table. “Well,” he admits. “There is this one idea.”

“Oh?”

Nodding, Seokjin considers where to begin. “Do you know what fair lending is?”

“Not really, no.”

“It’s the unbiased treatment of customers by banks.” Seokjin pauses and, when you do not seem bored with the topic, begins to speak freely. “It ensures financial institutions provide uniform services, regardless of bias.”

“Gotcha. So, it’s like equal opportunity but for banks?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Seokjin exhales. “Basically, I want to create a fair lending app. There is a lot out there to help with credit decisions and stuff, but I want to put it all in one place. I want to break down the ‘non-biased metrics’ banks use and warn people how there could be bias involved.”

Your frown. “What do you mean?”

“Take income, for example.” Seokjin grips his cup tighter. “The vast majority of people below the poverty line are minorities. So, if a bank has a hard and fast income requirement for a loan, they inadvertently discriminate. It’s why a variety of factors are mandated to assist in … what?” Seokjin blinks, seeing you staring. “What is it?”

Hiding a smile, you shake your head. “Nothing, it’s just a cool idea. I think you should do it.”

“But then who will make bachelorette fantasy app?” Seokjin jokes, ducking his head.

“Someone else.” You wait until he looks up. “Do the fair lending app.”

Seokjin finds he cannot think of another joke. “Alright,” he says slowly. “It’s a plan.”

You nod, sipping your coffee as silence falls in between you. It is unnerving, how easy it is for Seokjin to talk to you. With most people, it takes him a while to show his true colors but with you, he finds he cannot be anyone else.

Glancing at his watch, Seokjin realizes how late it is. “Shit,” he mutters, jumping out of his seat. “It’s nearly 10:30.”

You wince, standing as well. “Damn, do you have to open today?”

“Unfortunately so.” Seokjin grabs his coffee. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay, Y/N?”

“Okay,” you say, waving when he turns out of sight.

Seokjin does not hesitate to walk away. He curses himself the entire way to his kiosk because he is becoming much too comfortable with being your friend. Enough that he keeps catching himself thinking about more.

It is hard not to think about his hands wrapped around yours on your coffee cup. Hard not to imagine carpooling with you in his car to work. Seokjin tries to be on his best behavior but still, the fantasies worm their way in.

It is why he has created several rules of conduct around you. First and foremost is never stay for too long. The second Seokjin feels himself becoming attached, he leaves. Like now, for instance. Seokjin does not really have to be at the kiosk before eleven but the way you were looking at him made his heart beat out of his chest.

Self-preservation, he reminds himself.

The rules are working until Taehyung throws a party.

“Saturday night,” Taehyung grunts, slamming Seokjin’s coffee order on the counter.

Seokjin blinks, reaching up to take both cups. Lately, Taehyung has been in the worst kind of mood. This mostly seems to stem from his hot co-worker who will not take him seriously. All the guys in the mall gave him shit about it before, but the kid really does seem to like her. Which sucks, since Taehyung has a reputation and the pretty barista clearly has heard of it.

“The party is at your place?” asks Seokjin, glancing up at the counter.

Taehyung nods. Loud enough for his co-worker to hear, he adds, “The party will be at my place this weekend! Can’t wait to see you there, Seokjin!”

Seokjin snorts, shaking his head. “You’re whipped, man,” he whispers. Then, loud enough for the female barista to hear, he adds, “I’ll be there! In fact, everyone should come!”

The girl does not react, busy at the register and Seokjin shrugs.

Sorry man, he mouths to Taehyung before pushing open the door. Making his way through the mall, Seokjin walks past your kiosk – only to see you deep in conversation with another guy. Seokjin does not recognize him as your co-worker, but he does recognize him from the gym.

Occasionally, Jungkook talks to him before they work out. Seokjin never found the guy threatening before.

Seeing him now though, the oddest sensation unfurls in his stomach. He does not want you talking to this guy – the desire flashes through Seokjin’s mind faster than he can stop it. Before he can turn around and leave though, before Seokjin can separate himself from the situation, you look up and smile.

“Hey, Seokjin!”

“Hey, Y/N.” Plastering a smile on his face, Seokjin forces himself to walk towards your kiosk. “And you are…?” he asks, looking at the stranger.

The guy grins, unconcerned. “Hey, I’m Josh.”

“Cool.” Seokjin returns to looking at you. “Are you coming to Taehyung’s party this weekend, Y/N?”

Everyone at the mall knows who Taehyung is. He is a staple for anyone who drinks coffee – and chances are, if you have stopped by Java Joe’s in the past three days, you are invited.

Your eyes widen. “I was thinking about it.”

“Cool.” Seokjin casually leans an elbow against your kiosk. He forgets about the wheels though, and as a result, the entire thing starts to move. Frantically attempting to right this, Seokjin nearly spills his coffee in the process.

“Anyways…” he mutters, ears turning scarlet.

You clamp your lips tightly together. “So, you’re going to be there?”

Seokjin nods. He has no idea what he is doing. He has no idea what Josh is doing, since he has not said a word since introducing himself.

Glancing at him now, Seokjin is reminded of Chad. Not because the two look anything alike, but because they both have that air about them. That condescending, could-bench-press-you-in-seconds look. Seokjin bets that, at some point in the past ten days, Josh has worn a snapback.

You are standing close very close to him, though. Seokjin cannot ignore this fact.

“Cool.” Your gaze lingers on his. “Then, I guess I’ll see you there?”

Seokjin nods. “Guess so. We’ll see!”

He turns, walking away and overhears Josh ask you details about the party. Gritting his teeth, Seokjin uncurls his hands from their fists. You are not his to be jealous of, he reminds himself. He has no right to be angry if you decide to date someone else. But still, Seokjin’s mood remains sour for the rest of the day.

You do not visit at the end of your shift. If could be because you are genuinely busy. Or, it could be something else. Or, someone.

Seokjin has the next two days off. He uses them to work on his fair lending app, getting a good bit of coding done in his apartment. Your voice plays in his mind as he works, telling him to go for what he wants.

Seokjin is tired of working at the Fidget Funk. He is tired of waking up every morning, going to a job he hates and feeling as though he is doing nothing with his life. What was supposed to be a temp job has stretched into months and Seokjin needs to act for anything about this to change.

There is only so long he can complain before doing something about it.

He wants to do what he loves; wants to do something he cares about – not this. Sometimes, making that decision is the hardest part.

The night of the party, Seokjin drives there with Yoongi. Yoongi, surprisingly agrees to come with little coercion. Usually, Seokjin needs to drag his taciturn roommate to social events. He was easily convinced tonight though, which results in Seokjin being more nervous than normal.

As they enter Taehyung’s apartment, he pauses on the threshold.

If he had your number, he would have texted to see if you were coming, but Seokjin does not and so, he could not. Wandering into the room, Seokjin winces when no one removes their shoes. Parties are always strangely barbaric in that regard.

Taehyung’s apartment with his roommate, Jimin, is much larger than his. Seokjin remembers Taehyung saying Jimin came from money but does not remember specifics. Jimin is a night nurse at NorthShore Medical center and often stops by Java Joe’s in the morning for coffee. Other than that, Seokjin does not know much about him.

Walking inside, Seokjin realizes Taehyung has downplayed Jimin’s wealth. There is no way they could afford this place on a nurse and barista salary. A bunch of people are outside – because there is an outside; a large balcony overlooking the city – chatting about nothing over the rims of their drinks.

Yoongi disappears as soon as they enter, heading off to god-knows-where. He leaves Seokjin alone, who shifts his weight about nervously. Glancing up, he spots Namjoon in the kitchen and hastily rushes towards him. Finally, a familiar face.

“Joon!” he calls out.

Namjoon waves, re-filling the cup in his hand. When Seokjin reaches his side, he hands another to Seokjin. “Hey,” Namjoon nods. “You just get here?”

“Yeah.” Seokjin scans the party again, red cup in one hand. “Is everything c –”

Cutting himself off mid-sentence, Seokjin stares when you walk into the room. Everything he wanted to say falls from his brain to the floor. It is not unlike that one scene in She’s All That, when Laney comes down the stairs and Freddie Prinze Jr. loses his mind. Seokjin cannot think, looking at you.

A red cup is in your hand, matching the red gloss on your lips and god, Seokjin cannot stop thinking about kissing it off.

He swallows, hard – and then notices the guy at your side.

You laugh, turning sideways to Josh. Because that is who it is, of course – the same muscle- bound jock you were talking to at the drone kiosk earlier.

Jungkook appears as well, clapping Josh on the shoulder. Seokjin scowls, swallowing a larger sip of his drink than intended. First, this guy tries to steal his girl and now, his best friend. Eyes widening, Seokjin straightens. Shit, you are not his girl. He needs to stop thinking that way.

“Seokjin?”

Seokjin realizes Namjoon is staring at him. “Uh, yeah?”

“You trailed off in the middle of a sentence and have been hard-core staring at that girl ever since. Is – oh!” Namjoon’s eyes light up. “That’s her, isn’t it?”

“That’s who?” Seokjin hastily swallows his drink.

“The girl! Fountain girl!” Namjoon shoves him. “The one you’re head over heels for!”

“Okay, fountain girl is a horrible way of describing her. And yeah, maybe that’s – shit, shut up,” Seokjin hisses. “She’s coming this way.”

Namjoon snorts into his drink. You are, indeed, waking towards them but Josh is no longer beside you. Craning his neck, Seokjin looks over your shoulder but does not see the guy anywhere.

“Hey.” You come to a stop right before them, glancing at Namjoon. “Namjoon, right?”

Namjoon sticks out a hand. “Yep. Y/N?”

You take this, stifling a smile as you shake. “Yeah.”

“And, of course, you know Seokjin.” Namjoon grins at Seokjin’s flustered expression.

“Uh-huh,” you say, offering him a tentative smile. “We go way back.”

Feeling somewhat nauseous, Seokjin takes another sip of his drink. “Y/N and I are friends.”

A flash of something – uncertainty? Annoyance? – crosses your features. “Right,” you say carefully. “Friends.”

Your expression remains stubborn though, and Seokjin wonders if he has done something wrong. Changing the subject, he glances around the apartment. “Have you been here before, Y/N?”

“No,” you confess. “But damn – which roommate won the lottery?”

Seokjin grins. “I know, right? I can show you around if you want.”

You blink, taken aback by his offer and Seokjin wonders if that was too forward. Well, fuck it – he is not getting anywhere by being subtle.

“Yeah,” you say, recovering yourself. “I’d like that.”

Pushing himself off the counter, Seokjin says goodbye to Namjoon and plunges into the party. He continues to look for hot gym guy, Josh, but does not see him anywhere. It is unlikely you came here together, but not impossible. Perhaps the two of you are dating. Perhaps you like him and want to date him in the future.

Seokjin is so busy running through what-if scenarios, he does not notice you looking at him.

“Right, so Taehyung and Jimin’s rooms are that way.” Seokjin leads through the crowd. “Aka, that hall is off limits. This is the living area and well, you already saw the balcony.” Steps faltering, Seokjin looks sideways at you. “Did you see the balcony?”

You shake your head. “Nope.”

“Scared of heights?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well, then you’re lucky.” Seokjin mutters, pushing open the sliding glass door. “Luck you never met that dick, Jared Karinsky.”

Laughing, you follow him out on the balcony. There are only a few other people outside and, once the door slides shut, it feels as though you are trapped in another world.

“Who’s Jared Karinksy?”

Glowering, Seokjin takes a sip of his drink. “Some dick who knew I didn’t like heights, but still brought me to the top of the jungle gym. Then, he left me there. It took two hours for my brother to find me and get me back down.”

Laughing, you lean against the railing. “I take it that didn’t help?”

“It did not,” says Seokjin. “If anything, my fear was worse after.”

You grin, draining the rest of your cup as the wind ruffles your hair. It makes Seokjin’s heart ache a bit to look at.

“Well, I have to say –”

The glass door slides open, interrupting whatever you were about to say. Josh’s head pops out. “Y/N!” he grins. “I was looking for you.”

You slowly turn towards the interruption. “I... oh. Hey, Josh.”

“Are you busy?” Josh glances between you and Seokjin.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Seokjin feels oddly foolish. It seems obvious now, that you came here with Josh. You must have been making a beeline for drinks when you ran into Seokjin in the kitchen. Seokjin assumed, then. He thought you were free. When he grabbed you, he was yanking you away from the guy you really wanted to be with.

“Not busy.” Seokjin drains the rest of his cup. “Not busy at all. Have fun,” he mutters, brushing your shoulder as he moves towards the door.

When he leaves, Seokjin does not look back and so, he does not see your lips part. He does not watch you stare after him with equal parts frustration and anger. All Seokjin sees is the kitchen before him, full of alcohol for him to consume. Alcohol he will need to get through the rest of this party.

He is almost to the kitchen when a hand grips his arm, yanking him around. “What the fuck was that?” you say, brows furrowed.

Seokjin stares at you, alarmed you are in such close proximity. “I – huh? What the fuck was what?”

You scowl, leaning in and Seokjin leans back. “That!” you demand, waving vaguely at the balcony. “Why did you run away?”

“Run away?” Seokjin’s gaze darts towards the offending location. “I thought you wanted to talk to that guy?”

“Why would you think that?” you ask, brows furrowing further.

“I…” Seokjin finds himself at a loss. “I don’t know. Didn’t you come here with him?”

“With Josh?” You wrinkle your nose. “You mean – my cousin, Josh?”

“…cousin?”

You nod, looking at him incredulously. “You thought I wanted to talk to my cousin, Josh, as opposed to you?”

A lightbulb clicks in Seokjin’s mind. “I – he’s your cousin?”

“Yes, he’s my cousin.” Scowling, you take a step closer. “But even if he weren’t, why would you just leave like that? We were in the middle of a conversation!”

“I don’t know!” he blurts, gaze narrowing at your tone.

Out of the two of you, Seokjin is the one with the right to be angry. You are the one looking so damn good tonight and currently yelling at him for something he does not understand.

Vaguely aware they should not have this argument in the middle of Taehyung and Jimin’s kitchen, Seokjin grabs your wrist and tugs you into the hall. The forbidden one, next to the bedrooms. Realizing this, Seokjin keeps going and decides to beg forgiveness later.

Dropping your arm, he whirls around to find you mere inches away.

“Why didn’t you ask me to stay?” he accuses, pointing a finger. “For that matter – why didn’t you ask if I was going to the party tonight? If my presence is so important to you.”

Glaring at him, you bat his finger away. “You asked me first! Besides, I thought it was obvious I wanted you here. You know… because of the… and…”

“Because of the what?”

Somehow, you have gotten very close to Seokjin. The tips of your toes are just brushing his. Electricity crackles between you, making Seokjin’s heartbeat oddly erratic.

Glowering, your gaze darts to his lips. “Oh – seriously? Shut up and kiss me, you ass!”

Grabbing your face, Seokjin does just that. His lips crash into yours, the kiss muffled and urgent as he backs you to the wall. You groan, hands fisting in the back of his t-shirt. Seokjin cannot think beyond his hand resting on your jaw, then sliding into your hair, then moving down to your ass.

He cups you against him, head reeling from the sudden warmth of your mouth, your body and the urgency of your touch. Seokjin has never wanted someone so badly. Each brush of your lips leaves him wanting more, an endless desire alight in his veins.

Your mouth opens, tongue flicking with his as Seokjin’s heart nearly explodes. He cannot breathe – each breath mingles with yours, leaving him dizzy and parched.

“Fuck,” he groans, breaking away to lean his arm to the wall.

You stare up at him, breathless and confused. Your chest continues to rise and fall, lips swollen from the wanton press of his mouth. Seokjin cannot look away.

“I…” He exhales, glancing towards the living room. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

You nod so fast, you nearly hit your head on his chin. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Seokjin reaches down, grabbing your hand. “You good with my place? It’s only a few minutes drive.”

“Yeah,” you answer, following him down the hall. “Roommate?”

“Here. At the party.”

“Good.”

Dragging you into the foyer, Seokjin digs his phone from his pocket. Letting go of your fingers, he shoots a text off to Yoongi, telling him not to come home. He can face the consequences of that later. Shoving his phone in his pocket, Seokjin opens the door.

“Do you have a coat?” he asks, looking at you.

“Nope. You?”

“Nope.” Seokjin shuts the door to the hall and the noise of the party fades. “This way?”

“Sounds good.”

When you move to walk past, Seokjin grabs your hand – he cannot help himself. Pushing you against the wall, he relishes your muffled exclamation of surprise and kisses you fiercely. Thoroughly. The way he has wanted to for so long.

Hands sliding into your hair, Seokjin feels you arch against him. Your hand is on his hip, pulling him closer and Seokjin cannot stop thinking about your hand on other places.

When he finally breaks away, you stare at his lips. “That’s…” You swallow, voice sounding strangled. “Fuck.”

Seokjin grins. “Come on.”

Grabbing you again, he pulls you into the elevator. The entire way down, the air between you is electric. Seokjin shifts his weight and you follow suit. Raising a hand, you rub the back of your neck. Seokjin’s skin prickles when he sees.

When the door dings, opening into the lobby, you suddenly come to life. Newly determined, your hand wraps around his and pulls Seokjin outside. He practically throws his keys at the valet, wondering how on earth he is going to survive the drive home without touching you. Thank god he only had that one drink tonight. It would have been torture to be so close to fucking you and then not.

Startled by the thought, Seokjin realizes the truth of the matter. He is going to see you naked. Whirling to face you, Seokjin blurts, “This isn’t some random thing. You know that, right?”

Surprised, you glance at him. “I – what?”

“This.” Seokjin steps closer and his peripheral, sees the valet hop out of his car. “I really like you, Y/N.”

Staring up at him, you blink. “You do?”

“Of course, I do! You thought I didn’t?”

“I thought you hated me.”

“Of course, not!” Grabbing his keys from the valet, Seokjin opens the passenger door. He waits until you sit before crossing to the driver’s side. “Why would you think that?” he asks, sliding into the seat.

You stare at him incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?” Seokjin pulls out of the driveway. “I’ve liked you for so long! I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Uh! Could’ve fooled me.”

“Are you serious? I was such an idiot in front of you! What other explanation is there?”

“That you’re an idiot!” you answer, scowling. “Are you seriously saying that was your idea of flirting?”

“I mean… well, no, but…”

You snort, facing forward. “You’re so bad at this.”

“At what?”

“This!” you insist, gesturing between you.

“Oh, come on! Like you’re Juliet, or something.”

“Who?”

“Juliet! Of Romeo and Juliet!”

“They… Seokjin, they died in the end!” you say incredulously.

“Well, what do I know?” Seokjin makes a sharp right, pulling into his parking lot. “I never finished reading that play, actually – fell asleep a third of the way in. What I’m trying to say is that you’re also shit at this.”

“Oh, really?”

“You said you never wanted to speak to me again,” Seokjin reminds, throwing the car into park.

Hastily, you unbuckle your seatbelt. “I apologized for that.”

“You were the one who said you wanted to be friends!” Seokjin shoves open his door and exits the vehicle.

You exit as well, slamming the door shut. “Well, it seemed like the next logical step!”

“No.” Seokjin strides forward. Caging you against the car, he growls, “The next logical step would’ve been admitting you liked me, too.”

“Too?” You blink, stuck on the word. “So, you admit you like me?”

“Never said I didn’t.”

These last words are muttered against your lips, Seokjin cutting off further retorts with a kiss.

Arching upwards, your hands twine around his neck. Seokjin’s mind stutters, unsure what to think. His brain is a vague mess of swear words and exclamation points when his lips move against yours. It is hard to grasp the fact that you are here, with him and wanting him the same way he wants you.

Breaking apart, Seokjin rests his forehead to yours. “Okay,” he manages. “I know you said you wanted to leave with me. I know you got in my car and drove all the way here. But – because I want to be sure – do you want to come in?”

Breathlessly, you laugh. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Withdrawing, Seokjin takes your hand. “Then, let’s go.”

Climbing the outdoor stairs to reach his apartment, Seokjin pulls the keys from his pocket so he is prepared to enter. He does not check his phone, certain Yoongi has texted him multiple epithets about where he can stick his ass.

Bracing his hip against his door, Seokjin jiggles the key to shove it open. Once you are both inside, Seokjin half-expects you to wrinkle your nose. It is not as if his and Yoongi’s apartment can ever compete with Jimin and Taehyung’s.

You do none of this, though. Stepping inside, you place your purse on the counter and glance around curiously. “You live with that guy from the food court, right?” you ask, turning around. “Yoongi?”

Stepping forward, Seokjin crushes his mouth to yours.

You inhale, the noise caught by his lips when your hands slide up his back. One of your legs curls around his, rubbing your core against the meat of his thigh. Seokjin’s head spins, gripping your ass to push you against the counter. You make a muffled noise, gasping when Seokjin hardens into your crotch.

It is embarrassing how ready he is for you. All it took where a few whispered words about how badly you want him and here he is, rock-hard and on edge. Admittedly, the noises you make are not helping.

“Shit,” Seokjin breathes, kissing down the slope of your neck.

You arch your throat, allowing more access. Your skin tastes of berries and something else – probably a perfume Seokjin does not know the name of. The warm press of your core to his leg leaves Seokjin reeling.

“My room?” he gasps, hand dragging up your side.

Frantic, you nod. “Yes.”

Bending, Seokjin grips your legs and lifts you against him. He stumbles towards his bedroom, realizing too late you are heavier than he thought. Maybe Jungkook was right about adding weight to his reps. Kissing you again, Seokjin staggers into his bedroom and drops you on the bed.

Laughing, you grab your top to yank overhead. There is some skepticism to your gaze, as though you expected him to fall short in carrying you. Seokjin’s ego flames in response. Growling lowly, he rips off his shirt and descends on the bed. Parting your legs, he presses a kiss to your thigh.

“Take off your jeans.” Seokjin looks up.

You blink. “What?”

“I wanna eat you out.” Seokjin cocks a brow. “Or, is that too much?”

“No,” you glower, undoing your buttons. “Go for it.”

As you shimmy your jeans down your legs, Seokjin’s mouth dries at the sight of your panties. He did not imagine them to be lace. He did not imagine them to be quite as revealing as they are. Slowly, Seokjin reaches out to peel these aside. You inhale, arching on the bed. Seeing your pussy like that, laid out before him, he can hardly breathe.

You are wet for him. Theoretically, this makes sense, but Seokjin did not think he could make you wet. Did not think he would ever see you as drenched as you are, the lace in the middle much damper than the rest. Pressing another kiss to your knee, Seokjin inhales and makes his way higher.

Flicking your clit with his tongue, he teases at more. You mewl, curling inwards and Seokjin pushes your legs down. He sucks the length of your folds, getting you good and wet before he returns to your sex. You arch again, pussy clenching even through there is nothing inside you.

Smirking, Seokjin takes pleasure in this fact. Your folds are glistening, ready even though has not touched you yet. He has not even pushed a finger inside that tight, wet cunt of yours. Lowering his head, Seokjin’s tongue curls over your clit. He turns needy, licking until your hands fist in the sheets on either side of your body.

“Seokjin,” you groan. “Please.”

“Please what?”

Seokjin leisurely sucks on your clit, pulling it between his lips. His other hand drifts to your cunt, tracing in circles.

You moan beneath him on the bed, arching to try and push him inside. Seokjin memorizes the visual – the black lace of your bra barely hiding your nipples, hair splayed on his comforter with his hands on your thighs.

“I need more.”

“Yeah?” Seokjin lazily traces your pussy. “Want me to finger you?’

“Fuck, yes.”

“Mm.” Seokjin sucks your clit until you cry out from pleasure. Releasing you gently, he sits back on his heels to rub with his fingers. “I could probably make you come like this, though.”

Reaching underneath your body, you unhook your bra. Seokjin stares in awe at your chest, bared before him. “Probably,” you agree. “But wouldn’t it be more fun to come inside me?”

Seokjin’s teeth grit, the words going straight to his cock. Already, it pulses against the tight fit of his jeans – when he feels how wet you are, Seokjin cannot stop imagining himself inside you. Grabbing your wrist, he brings your hand to his crotch.

You inhale when you feel how hard he is. “You’re so… big,” you murmur. “Will you even fit?’

Seokjin smirks, bending until his lips cover yours. “Not yet,” he agrees, spreading your legs with one hand. Stroking your center, he wets himself with your arousal. “That’s why I gotta stretch you out first. Get you ready for this dick.”

“O-h,” you gasp, mouth a perfect o as Seokjin’s finger pushes inside.

It is a tight stretch. Seokjin feels a bit light-headed, imagining something so tight and wet wrapped around him. Withdrawing, he pushes a finger inside you again. Rolling your hips, you force Seokjin deeper and he clicks his tongue, hand grabbing your waist.

“You don’t get to be in control,” he instructs, finger sliding back out. Adding another one, he slowly fucks you again. “You just have to lie there and take it.”

“Good,” you breathe, two of his fingers inside you. “Finally. I’ve been wanting you to yank my panties down and fuck me for weeks now.”

Seokjin’s jaw clenches – shaking his head, he is certain he must have misheard. “What?”

A smile curls your lips. “You heard me,” you say sweetly, pussy squelching as Seokjin’s fingers slide in and out. “You’re so hot when you’re mad. Why do you think I teased you so much? Wanted your dick in my mouth to shut me up.”

Heat blazes through Seokjin’s veins. He has never been this turned on in his life – hearing such sinful things from your angelic lips. Sitting back on his heels, Seokjin frantically undoes his jeans.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he mutters, pushing them past his ass.

Yanking out his cock, Seokjin wraps a hand around his girth. He rubs himself roughly, ignoring the pre-cum dripping from his reddened tip. Already, he is steeling himself to not come inside you. Pushing yourself up on your elbows, you watch him touching himself, lips parted in awe. Seokjin stares back, realizing you are as tuned on by him as he is by you.

Your gaze darts to his face. “Condom?” you ask, voice unsteady. “I don’t think I’ll last long once you’re inside me.”

Nodding, Seokjin grabs one from his drawer. Ripping open the packet, he rolls this on. Lowering an arm to the bed, Seokjin positions his cock at your core. As badly as he wants to be inside you, there is something so tantalizing about teasing. Spreading your legs, Seokjin rubs his cock to your clit and watches you twitch in response.

“Seokjin,” you groan, arms sliding around his neck.

“Yeah?”

“Need you to fuck me so good,” you whine.

“Yeah?” Cock at your entrance, Seokjin slowly pushes inside. “Like that?”

“Mhmm.” You nod, breath hitching slightly. “Like that.”

“There?” Seokjin pushes in a bit more, moaning when your walls flutter around him.

You are squeezing him so fucking tight, Seokjin wonders how much more you can take. He is aware of the fact he is big. It would not be the first time a girl could not take him; would not be the first time he gave up and ate the girl out until she came.

“No!” Eyes flying open, you grab Seokjin’s wrist when he starts to withdraw. Lips parted, you stare at him in a daze. “Please keep going,” you beg. “Don’t wanna stop.”

Seokjin arches a brow. “You sure? Sure it feels good?”

“Good?” You stare at him with a fucked-out expression. “Oh my god.” Wrapping both legs around his waist, you push Seokjin in deeper. “You’re stretching me so good, baby. Can’t wait until you’re pounding this pussy.”

“Fuck,” Seokjin hisses, gaze darkening. “I think I somehow got harder.”

“I know,” you laugh, somewhat dreamily. “Felt your cock twitch inside me. So fucking hot.”

Seokjin continues to ease inside you, inch by inch until your eyes start to water. Biting down on your lip, you urge him on and before long, Seokjin bottoms out. He stops there, panting at the feeling of being so deep inside you. Glancing down, Seokjin sees your pussy split by his cock and cannot contain himself any longer. He slowly pulls out.

“What…” Grasping for his ass, you panic a bit. “Seokjin, don’t –”

Grabbing your knee, he slams back inside you. The two of you groan at the same time. Him, because he has never felt anything as tight and wet as your cunt and you because his dick is so large, your body is trembling.

“God.” You fall back on the bed, chest bouncing. “I fucking knew you were big. There was no other way you could be so annoying.”

Seokjin withdraws, reliving the sweet sensation of thrusting his cock in your tight pussy. You are so warm and so wet – now that you have been stretched, you mold easily to him.

“Fuck,” you gasp, lifting your hips to his.

Seokjin toys with you. Slowly sliding in and out, he brings his thumb to your clit and starts rubbing. “You thought I was annoying, huh?” he breathes, lips hot in your ear.

Nodding, your hands fist in the sheets. “Still do.”

Chuckling, Seokjin captures your lobe with his teeth. His hips roll against you, pressing you into the mattress. “Mm. Know what I think?”

“What?”

“You talk too much. Flip over.”

Your eyes widen. “W-what?”

“Thought you wanted me to shut you up?” Seokjin presses a sweet kiss to your mouth. “Now, flip over, so I can fuck you senseless.”

Withdrawing, he ignores every inch of him which screams to stay put. It is worth it though, when you finally flip onto your stomach and stick your ass in the air.

Inhaling, Seokjin runs a hand up your drenched pussy. Your lips are swollen, messy with slick from him eating you out. Lifting himself onto his knees, Seokjin grabs his dick and pushes against your center. Slapping your clit a few times, he hisses when he feels you tremble beneath him. Hands soft on your hips, he slides into your cunt.

“Ah!” you gasp, head thrown back from the motion.

Wrapping your hair around his wrist, Seokjin thrusts into you again. He can feel every inch of your cunt, feel the tight squeeze of your walls on his cock. God, you are driving him crazy. Thrusting harder, Seokjin cannot separate the sensations before him.

Your ass pushing back on him, the way your moans fall from your lips. The tight wetness of your heat, his cock disappearing in and out. Leaning down, Seokjin slides an arm around your ribcage and pulls you against him.

He continues to fuck you like that, cock entering your body at a punishing speed. You feel so good pressed against him, nipples hard as they peek through his palms. Seokjin’s lips find your neck, sucking a hickey into your skin.

“Fuck,” you groan, walls tightening around him. Your bodies bang together, his cock fucking you open in a way which barely seems decent. “Fuck – Seokjin – yes! Oh my god, yes.’

“Yeah?” His grip tightens around you. “You about to come on my dick, baby?”

“Yes!” you gasp. He is basically holding you up at this point, fucking you senseless. “Oh – oh! I thought… you – mmph – wanted! Me – fuck! Quiet!”

Chuckling, Seokjin slides a hand between your legs. Finding your clit, he begins to rub with his fingers. “Changed my mind,” he grunts. “Wanna hear you scream my name so loud, you wake all my neighbors.”

“S-Seokjin!”

Your legs start to shake, trembling with your impending orgasm and Seokjin is not doing much better. The only thing holding him back is the intense desire to feel you come wrapped around him.

“C’mon,” he groans, angling his hips even deeper. “Wanna feel this tight, little pussy come on my cock. Can you do that, baby? Can you?”

“Yes,” you gasp and then you are coming undone.

Seokjin groans, biting your shoulder when your pussy clamps down. Your orgasm is so intense, Seokjin is surprised he can keep you against him. Pushed over the edge, Seokjin shudders when he lets go and releases into the condom. It goes on for so long, his cock aching as you take every last bit of him.

Slowly, his hand falls and strokes down your side. Lips brushing your neck, Seokjin exhales and gently withdraws. Everything is over-sensitive, each inch of his body buzzing with satisfaction. Tying the condom into a knot, Seokjin tosses this in the garbage and sees you roll out of bed.

His stomach twists. “Where are you going?” he blurts, wincing at how needy he sounds.

It is only – you look so fucking beautiful. Hair messy and lips swollen, traces of arousal lingering on the inside of your thighs. You smile at him, as if sensing his nervousness.

“Where’s your bathroom?” you ask, sheepish.

Seokjin exhales, relief coursing through him. He points to the left. “Over there,” he says, collapsing on top of the sheets. His dick is limp, soft in his lap, but looking at you, Seokjin is already thinking about more. “Want me to show you?”

“That’s alright,” you laugh, turning around. “I think I can make it to the closet alone.”

Grinning, Seokjin falls back again. “Come back soon.”

“Okay.”

Glancing at him over your shoulder, you sneak another peek before disappearing.

Seokjin stares at his ceiling for a moment before he remembers his roommate. Wincing, he reaches down to fish his phone from his jeans. Unsurprisingly, there are several missed texts from Yoongi.

Yoongi: k lol [11:01 PM]

Yoongi doesn’t matter won’t be sleeping anyways [11:01 PM]

Yoongi: too busy eating dessert ; ) [11:01 PM]

Groaning, Seokjin plugs his phone into his charger. He guesses this means Yoongi found someone else to hook up with. Rolling over in bed, Seokjin starts when you open the door.

“Hey.” You smile, almost embarrassed. Walking towards him, you bend to scoop your underwear from the ground.

“Whoa!” Seokjin blurts, grabbing your wrist. He pulls you into the bed before you can get dressed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Putting on clothes,” you laugh, curling into his side. “Clearly, I was wrong.”

“Mhm.” Seokjin’s nose nuzzles your hair. He is not sure why, but something about this feels right. Having your limbs entwined in his, your hand resting soft on his chest. He feels warm, satisfied by the thought of being near you.

Sleepily, you smile. “I’m not allowed to get dressed tonight, is that it?”

“Nope,” he agrees, heart soaring the longer he looks at you. “Something that good needs repeating.”

Laughing a little, you curl tighter around him. “Does that mean you want to repeat it?” you ask, uncertainty to your voice.

Sliding two fingers under your chin, Seokjin tilts your head up. “Yeah,” he says, quiet. “I can’t think of anything I want more, to be honest.”

“I – same.”

Laying your head on his chest, you are quiet for a moment as Seokjin basks in the silence. Then, he exhales and adds, “I mean, aside from trouncing your sales targets, of course. I always want to do that.”

You snort, shoving his side. Seokjin pulls you in closer, grinning widely. It is a lie, of course – right now, there is nothing he wants more than to be with you.

[ COLLABORATION MASTERLIST FOUND HERE ]

© kpopfanfictrash, 2019. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[lovewriting-5]

Wastelands:

*gif credit goes to @witchesallofthem*

Rules:

11. Breaking Free

Wastelands:

2. Redwood Curtain

Side note: I combined “Rise and Shine” & “Daggers Drawn”

1. Daggers Drawn:

On the train in Beaver Creek, Oregon, we met up with the drifters from the Christmas market. They led us to where they have work. We managed to find a separate tent for me. We reached a clearing not far from the farm and began setting up our gear. Everyone set up their tents in a circle and put a fire pit right in the middle. Some weeks went by, we all got used to how things would work.

It was a typical morning in our new location of Humboldt County, California. The sun was creeping through the trees overhead and filtering in through the mesh window of my tent. I sat up in my sleeping bag and stretched. I folded the top layer of the sleeping bag and put on pants. I unzipped the tent and put my shoes on.

I could smell the aroma of the lake and coffee in the light breeze. It looked like maybe not many people were up or they were off somewhere else. I walked past the fire pit and quickly petted the dog. I walked to the kitchen and could see Hannah, Penny and Ingrid were enjoying cups of coffee. I grabbed a cup and joined them at the folding table.

A few minutes later, Daniel joined us. He said “Good morning” to everyone. Finn joined us a couple minutes later. Before he could take a sip, Daniel asks “Finn, can we do some more knife throwing?” He says “Why not.” Daniel turns to me, “(Y/N), you okay if I go with Finn?” I said “Sure, just be careful.” Reassuringly, Finn says “Hey, no worries. The kid knows what he’s doing.” Daniel asks “Do you want to come with?”

I thought about it for a couple seconds. “Sure.” I tell them. We got up from the table. I placed my cup in the makeshift sink then followed them to the spot where Finn created a bullseye. Finn started off with a few throws to show how easy it was. I roll my eyes with a smirk. He then hands the knife to Daniel. I’ve heard how good Daniel has been getting but I tensed up a little.

Daniel threw the knife and got really close to the bullseye. Finn went to retrieve it while giving him some pointers. It took a couple of tries but he was getting the hang of it. By the fourth throw, he reached a spot on the bullseye. Excitedly, Finn says “How can you be so good at this?” Laughing, he says “I think I got this now!”

Finn says “I’d say you, yeah. Remember, look straight, sharp throw. Boom!” Daniel says “Let me try again!” Finn hands him the knife. He takes it, aims and hits the bullseye. I say “Whoa, way to go Daniel! I remember you said you were getting the hang of it but I didn’t expect that.” Finn says “There you go, sweetheart!”

I ask Finn “How long have you been throwing knives?” He says “My old man taught me when I was about Daniel’s age.” I say “Wow!” Daniel says “So cool!” Finn tells him “Fuck! I’ve never been so good, trust me. You’re killing it!”

Daniel takes the knife and throws it again. It hits the bullseye. I clap, “Woohoo, nice!” Finn says “What the fuck, man! You’re awesome! Come on, once again!” He goes to pull the knife out of the tree. Daniel says “YES! I’m the man!” He takes the knife and hits the bullseye again. Finn says “Holy shit, that was dope!”

I heard the sound of rocks crunching under shoes coming up behind us. I turn around a little and saw that it was Sean. I give him a small smile. He gave me a small smile back. Sean says “What’s up, guys? Morning target practice?” Finn tells him “Six bullseyes. In a row. Kid is a fucking ninja.” He walks over, gives Sean a handshake and a hug. He continues “Hey, we didn’t want to wake your sleepy ass up...” Sean says “Yeah...Thank you for that. You okay Daniel?” Daniel finally noticing, says “Hey.” I tell Sean, “He is getting really good.” Finn adds “Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone throw like that.”

Sarcastically, Sean says “Wow, Finn trained you well. Six...bullseyes, dude?” Daniel tells him “Yeah, I got better...Lucky.” He says “You can’t throw a baseball without hitting me in the nuts.” I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my chuckle. He asks “How did you learn to aim so good?” Proudly, Daniel says “Practice!” Sean says “Yeaaah...right.”

Being the mediator, Finn says “Hey, wow...” as he places a hand on both of their shoulders. Specifically to Sean, he says “What’s up with you two? I shoulda let you know, but - but I’m watching him a like a hawk. Seriously, much respect. He’s like my own blood. Not that I’m as hot or cool as his big bro.”

Finn walks over to the tree and pulls out the knife. He says “Yo Sean! Idea! I wanna see if Daniel inherited the family blade skills...from you.” He holds the knife in front of Sean, “How about a little demo?” Sarcastically, Daniel says “He can’t do it!” I tell him “Come on, let’s give him a chance.” I give Sean a quick wink. Confidently while taking the knife, Sean says “Okay, yeah. I’ll take a shot.”

Sean flips the knife in his hand a couple times. He throws it and hits the target in the arm. Finn gives him some pointers, “Oooh, Sean, hold your right arm more like this...Better alignment, better aim.” Daniel says “Won’t really help...” “Dude, what’s wrong with you?” Sean says, annoyed.

Finn retrieves the knife and hands it to him. He says “Come on sweetie, one more time! I know you can do it.” Sean takes the knife and hits it again. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Daniel has a small smirk. I roll my eyes.

Finn retrieves the knife and hands it to him. Sean gets ready. He throws it. The knife all of a sudden flies past the tree into the bushes. Sean whips around to face Daniel. I gently grab his arm. He says “Oh fuck that!” Mockingly, Daniel says “Ha, missed! See, I rule!”

Finn walks over by the tree and begins searching for the knife, “Sorry, Sean, you’re not a ninja. But you’re still cool. Just ask your brother for help next time.” He finds it and picks it up. While I still have a hand on Sean’s arm, he says “Yeah, what would I do without him.” Daniel says “Hey, don’t look at me, it’s not my fault you can’t throw!”

I remove my hand from his arm. He seems like he calmed down a little. Finn says while wiping the knife off, “Whew, after that workout, I need some more fucking java.” Daniel says while trying to go with him, “Wait, don’t go yet!” Sean stops him.

As he is walking away, Finn does a quarter turn and says “It’s all good, Daniel. We can practice later. Yeah, if it’s cool with...(Y/N) and Big Brother. Love ya, man...” Once Finn was out of view, Daniel asks “What now?”

“Daniel...I can’t believe you cheated.” Sean tells him. He says “What? What do you mean?” Sean says “Come on, don’t play dumb...You’re showing off in front of Finn. You want him to find out?” He says “Finn is cool, he wouldn’t tell anybody!” Before either of them could say anymore, I felt like this was between them. I tell them “This is between the two of you. I’m going to take Finn’s advice and go get ‘some more fucking java.’”

I leave the scene and make my way back to camp. I get back and make a beeline for the kitchen area. I grab a cup and pour myself another cup of coffee. Finn asks me “What was all that about?” I tell him “Oh, you know brother stuff.” The conversation moves to joining the others.

There was all of a sudden a truck horn in the distance. I look over my shoulder and notice Sean and Daniel haven’t come back yet. We make our way to the truck.

Everyone climbs on. A few minutes later, I see the two of them make their way to the truck. I give both of them a small smile. Daniel stops and looks for a place to sit. “Sit here, my man.” Finn says. He climbs up and gives Finn a high five. Finn tells him “I need a bodyguard like you.” Daniel says “Cool, tell Sean to get me a knife.” I think Now what?

Sean steps onto the truck. He pauses then sits on the right side of me. I ask “Everything cool with you two?” He shrugs and says “I’m not sure.”

I see Cassidy jog to the truck. She climbs on and directly to Sean, asks “Mind if I sit here?” He says “Sure!” He scoots a little closer to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cassidy place her arm on his shoulder. She asks “Why so serious?” He says “Uh, nothing! Just, thinking...” She says “Cool...I’m alway worried about my city boy!” I ignore what’s going on and not let it bother me. Big Joe says “Everyone here?! This isn’t a fucking school bus! We’re late!”

[overthinkin2am]

Dream, 27.01.2021

I landed in Jakarta for a vacation. On the map, it appeared to have a big bright blue dam. I explored the city, with its metros, much more modern than in reality. There were multilevel floor train stations and rails. Everything was automated and sometimes I was confused how to use things. The lift could be commanded with our inner voice for example. 

Wandering around, I got lost and ended up walking around that dam, the water was super blue, but I saw too much plastic waste. Two relatives of mine met me to pick me up, saying that they would take me to a village in West Java. We went by public transport, a mini bus. I was insecure as the mini bus drove down the hills, without any driver. ‘Is it a self driving bus?’ 

Sometimes, there was a driver jumping on to the driver seat. 

"Don't be surprised, we are experienced switching drivers while the bus is still moving" 😶. We finally stopped at a touristic place. It was right after the sun set. I saw mountainous panorama, surrounded by clouds. All green, and foggy. There were many old unique houses. "Are the houses haunted?", I asked. "Yes, do you want to check out the ghosts? Sometimes people go here to meet them". "No thanks, I will wait here.", I folded my arms like it was cold. 

While waiting, I saw another relative whom I did not meet in reality for 6 years. "Hi, it has been a while. I have many stories", she started the conversation. I found it weird how compassionate I was towards her. 

Suddenly I had the idea that I needed to go to Jogja, to my mum. "What is the closest airport from here? Is it Bandung", I asked. "We can take you there but it is already late. Let's go to our house first". There I saw her family in a traditional house, with a huge garden in front of it. I was amazed by the vegetables growing in that garden.

[elleroonie556]

What’s Been Happening to Life Since COVID-19 (In Indonesia)

PI know this text will still be ignored by people because this text is made just because I’m bored and I want to sum up what’s been happening in my country, Indonesia based on what I’ve experience.

Humans life’s aren’t the same anymore. For me and my family we’re still very cautious when it comes to shaking hands or meeting people, but however my father has already started working to his office. My mother, as a stay at home parent stays home, going to the market when she needs to.

Classes are one of the worst things ever. I’ve been going to university and was used to living in a dormitory, now that I’m home, I could say my home doesn’t provide my needs to study. Let’s start with WiFi, its acceptable in my dorm but not at home, since we have PS4 and its not rare that my brothers will download games, it slows the server so much even when I’m just 1 feet away from the WiFi.

I don’t see my friends as often, only when we wanted too which is rare and its hard since lecturers give SO MANY assignments, I have to retake a class too since I got an E in this particular subject. Of course live at home can be amazing but when we were forced to stay at home for a long time, it really gets my nerves everytime. Coordinating with friends during group assignments are hard and now that we can’t see them face to face, building friendship is harder work than before.

Hand sanitizers are mostly gone for the first couple of months, and now more companies are making hand sanitizers. Suddenly it emerges. I have a friend that works as a cashier in a big market, she said when corona virus first outbreak, there was a panic happening and people shops so much for their daily needs that she and the other cashiers have to work overtime, all exhausted. For these inconsiderate people, they deserved the panic when they were diagnosed with the said virus.

Since the outbreak, Indonesia didn’t do lockdown policy, we have what they said PSBB (Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar) or in English its Mass Social Distancing. It worked for my area which is West Java. But in Java island, we have Jakarta, Banten, Central Java and East Java. Only Banten and West Java that’s been successfully applied PSBB, since the governments now are starting what they call as “new normal” I don’t think cities like Jakarta or other Javanese cities in East and Central Java are going to last until the second outbreak of COVID-19.

East Java was against this PSBB as far as I know, they didn’t wear masks when they go out, well I could say even during the outbreak everything seems normal, which supposed to be a bad thing. Ignorant people saying “death is in the hands of God, don’t be afraid!” That is partly true but please do be scared, because God doesn’t want His children to be diagnosed with this virus. He wants all His children to be save, not going out unarmed when a killing machine is off the chains.

Yes kids still hung around, but thankfully it reduces over the time. I’m glad that PSBB did good for my city, but since PSBB didn’t work for the areas around me, its still very dangerous.

Mental states of people are different, there are people out there struggling due to being coped up in their homes, having to see their families 24/7 when normally they’re not used to doing it, its stressing (for me) for example, I’m not used to seeing dad at home, now that he is, I don’t know what to do around him. I know this doesn’t make sense, but perhaps some of you understand. Change of behavior is also something that we have to deal with. Emotions are mostly be bubbling right now, we can’t breathe fresh air from outside for the time being when we were so used to doing it before, it frustates us that we can’t do what we were so used to do. Adapting is human’s nature but it takes time for some people.

I get that this text is too long, I don’t even think I’d read it lol. But if you managed to go this far, I’m proud of how patient you are. If you have your own story, post  go post it, I’d love to hear from people too. Use this tag so that we can read each other’s stories!

Cheers!

Whore-ayy

[noonachronicles]

Lmao girl you don’t have to do that 🤣🤣but im excited now 🤓

Okay, I’m dumb and left my super detailed and meticulously planned out trip on a paper on my desk at work. So here is my less beautiful, mostly completed list of places to visit. 

**this got weird and long so I’m putting it under a cut... at some point I started randomly numbering things. It’s like one in the morning and I have to be up in 5 hours. Why am I like this...

Gyeongbokgong Palace, really just as many of the palaces as you can visit in whatever amount of time you’ll be there, but I know that's like a main one that people say is a must visit. 

Seoul Grand Park, there’s a zoo, and a rose garden, though you are visiting in winter so I don’t know how into that you'd be?? BUT the most important part is the Seoul Museum of Modern Art (at least for me, because whenever I go somewhere new I like to visit the modern/contemporary art museums and aquariums where applicable).  

Lotte World Tower - There’s an aquarium, tons of shops if you’re a shopper kind of traveler, and the observation deck if you’re into heights. 

Starfield COEX Mall - Similar to Lotte except opposite? lol There’s an aquarium, there’s lots of shopping, but this one is underground. so.... go to one or go to both and then decide which is best, depends on your timeframe I guess?

Cheonggyecheon Stream - If you’re a stroller, I suggest this location. I really love walking around new cities aimlessly and I dream about walking down this stream. I also wrote this location into one of my stories so I would 100% visit with hearteyes. 

So these ones are just outside of Seoul, and reading about them in travel blogs make it seem like a whole big deal. Here’s the thing for me... the state I live in is literally more than twice the size of the entire country of SK so I could see a lot in a day and not even be pressed because I do it here all the time. I’ll drive for like 3 hours up north and hang out for awhile and drive back and it’s not a big thing, like it’s just what you do? If that’s not a thing you do and you feel like you don’t have the time, don’t worry about these guys. 

Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France, and Nami Island. 

Things I would do for the sole (Seoul, heh) purpose of experiencing pop culture or personal references that I’ve gained through my hallyu experience. 

#1 - Visit Yanghwa Bridge

#2 - Take a Train to Busan (it’s cheapish and only takes a few hours each way and you’re also visiting Busan so win/win/win)

#3 Find a way by plane, train and or ferry to get to Jeju Island to visit Monsant and also The Seaes Hotel to sit on the bench where they kissed in Secret Garden (please don’t laugh at me). Speaking of Secret Garden, there’s also a scene that they filmed in Petite France which I mentioned above. 

#4 Visit Nothing N Nothing, just stand outside the building and gawk at it like I would or go in and get a sick new fade. The world is your oyster bb. 

Also when I’m on vacation I tend to hit like 3-4 cafes a day (yes, a day), coffee and food is literally what I spend the bulk of my vacation money on. 

There are cat cafes, but ummmm there’s a freaking RACOON CAFE OKAY, so go there and watch the trash pandas do cute things with their creepy little hands for me. And also Bau House Dog Cafe, like what are you doing?? GO NOW. We all should!!

#5 FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND YOUR INSTAGRAM PAGE go to C Through Cafe and visit Lee Kangbin and get yourself an aesthetically pleasing cup of java. I BEG YOU. 

#6 The Famous Burger, perhaps you’ll run into my mans Daddy Woo who eats there...like a bunch, if you follow him on ig you know. Also see if he’s spinning somewhere, but he might not be I think he’s been getting ready for a dance gig with his bro.

There’s also Olympic Park, Everland, Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun Market (which is open like all night too if you like to party haaaay), Yeouido Hanggang Park has some bomb city skyline views if you’re into that. And Starfield bookstore? I think that’s what it’s called, looks dope.

Uhhhh can’t think brain is mush, but maybe this will be helpful. LOLOLOL sorry.

[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Returns from 3-Year Recording Hiatus with "Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint" on Storyville Records

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Returns from 3-Year Recording Hiatus with "Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint" on Storyville Records  The renowned 18-piece orchestra's return to recording, after a turbulent three-year hiatus, triumphantly demonstrates its resilience and ingenuity on this tribute to a New Orleans musical icon and polymath. The new CD, the orchestra's first with artistic director Adonis Rose at the helm, is set for a March 29 digital release, with physical release to follow April 19.

RICHMOND, CALIF. (PRWEB) MARCH 01, 2019

The renowned New Orleans Jazz Orchestra reflects on the wide-ranging influence of the Big Easy’s own Allen Toussaint, the legendary composer, singer, pianist, and producer, with the March 29 digital release of "Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint" on Storyville Records (physical release is set for April 19). The album features six songs by Toussaint and one associated with him, as well as two original tribute pieces. It also marks the NOJO leadership debut of drummer/artistic director Adonis Rose, who assumed the mantle in 2016 to navigate the 18-piece orchestra out of the troubled waters surrounding its now-departed founder.

Toussaint, who passed away in 2015, left his deepest footprints in R&B and rock ’n’ roll. However, he was also a major figure in the development of New Orleans funk; resonated in country music (by way of Glen Campbell’s smash hit cover of “Southern Nights”); and, of course, was steeped in jazz. “[It] was in his blood,” Rose says. “There’s always some connection to jazz: When you’re from New Orleans, there’s no way around it.”

When frequent NOJO collaborator Dee Dee Bridgewater remarked that she’d never heard a big band take on Toussaint’s music, Rose was instantly inspired. “I said, ‘You know what? Yes. That’s a great idea. Let’s dig into this and make it happen!’” he says.

The results honor not only Toussaint, but the broader musical culture of his hometown. The iconic “Working in the Coal Mine” does not feature a singer, but the band members make New Orleans shouts out of its well-known lyrics. “Southern Nights” takes on a brass-band street groove, while “Java,” a Toussaint-penned 1963 instrumental hit for trumpeter Al Hirt, retains and even amplifies the original record’s raucous second-line feel. New Orleanian percussionist Gerald French contributes the original “Gert Town,” which he flavors with the music of Mardi Gras Indians.

Toussaint’s ballads get attention, too, with help from a powerhouse set of vocalists. Bridgewater brings her vitality to the beautiful “It’s Raining” and “With You in Mind,” the latter in a duet performance with New Orleans vocalist Philip Manuel. The rhythm & blues staple “Ruler of My Heart” takes on new majesty at the hands of Nayo Jones, NOJO’s house vocalist—and a newly swinging energy in its second half, thanks to Rose and the orchestra.

Adonis Rose was born January 11, 1975, in New Orleans, the scion of a musical family. He began playing drums at 3 years old, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, and as a teenager became enamored with the music of fellow New Orleanians Wynton and Branford Marsalis—with whose father, Ellis, Adonis studied at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).

Rose won a prestigious presidential scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston; just afterward, however, Terence Blanchard called and invited him to tour. “So two days after my high school graduation I went out on the road with Terence. That was my first gig,” he recalls. He continued to get work with Betty Carter, Marlon Jordan, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, ultimately dropping out of Berklee to go on the road and make a home in New Orleans.

In 2002, Rose became the founding drummer for the nonprofit, Grammy-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), the only institution in jazz’s birthplace that is committed solely to the music’s development. He maintained that position even after moving to Fort Worth, Texas, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, where he taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and established the Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra. Rose moved back to the Crescent City in 2015, by which time NOJO was his steadiest gig—soon to be his full-time one.

For all its uplift of Allen Toussaint and of New Orleans, "Songs" is also a personal triumph for Rose. Following the controversial departure of founder Irvin Mayfield from NOJO and its subsequent loss of institutional support, he set himself to the fearsome task of rebuilding the orchestra while keeping its sterling musical reputation intact. He succeeded.

“Almost all of our shows since we started back have sold out,” he says. “All of the band members, every single last one of them, came back. The musicians who built this organization, put it on their backs night after night, those are the ones that are doing it again now, along with me.” Songs thus stands as a monument to Rose’s accomplishment.

The orchestra will be performing a CD release show at its home base, the New Orleans Jazz Market, on Fri. 3/29, with other shows at the same venue to follow on Fri. 5/3 (a tribute to Whitney Houston) and Thurs. 6/6 (a tribute to Prince). NOJO is scheduled to perform at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Cape May, NJ, 4/13; the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/28; the St. Lucia Jazz Festival (5/8-10, the NOJO 7, with guest vocalist Ledisi); the Ascona Jazz Festival, Switzerland (6/18-30, in various configurations); and the Detroit Jazz Festival 9/1 (with guest vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater). NOJO will head to New York later this year for a two-night stand at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room (12/13-14, with guest vocalist René Marie). Rose, who has also recently been performing with vocalist Kurt Elling’s band, is already planning future recording projects with the orchestra, including one with vocalist Ledisi and a Brazilian-themed album. “With a new recording project, touring schedule, and new leadership,” says Rose, “the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is poised for success and committed to spreading our music around the world.”

Contact Author TERRI HINTE Terri Hinte Public Relations 510-234-8781 via Blogger https://ift.tt/2TS3d9O

[endlessly-searching-for-you]

Hail, Rain or Sunshine (Sloane x F!MC)

A/N: Hello, it’s @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul Fluffy Friday again! This time my girl Sloane gets some love (ha! Surprise!). As requested by @zaffrenotes - “The text that changed everything” and @likethetailofacomet - “Stuck in the rain”. Hope you enjoy :) 

PS. I swear I wrote most of it before I was snatched for a surprise weekend in the mountains!

Warnings: none, pure fluff

Word Count: ~1300

As usual, title stolen from a song (by The Script)

Tagging the rest of my usual squad: @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @mind-reader1

Hiking. Of all things they could do together this weekend, Kai had to choose hiking. Sloane rubbed her eyes and sighed. She wasn't an outdoorsy person, and she didn't like to wake up early either, but how could she say no to her girlfriend?

Her girlfriend. Even thinking about her was giving Sloane butterflies in the stomach. It's been almost a month, but sometimes it was still too hard to believe it's happening for real.

One day she had a drink too much and confessed her crush. What's even worse, via text. Not that she hoped for anything—just like they say, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart—and she regretted sending it almost immediately. But the next day, when she sat in a chair curled up in a miserable bundle with her cat Ruby in her lap, nursing the headache and looking for programmer jobs in Alaska, Kai called her back.

Well... tried to call. When Sloane recognized the caller ID, she let out a loud shriek and threw her phone like a football champion. The phone hit the wall, making a dent and cracking the screen, bounced off and landed in Ruby's water bowl. That last thing was too much for the fragile electronics' dignity to handle, and despite her best efforts to revive it, the phone stayed dead.

Just as she widened her search area to the remote outskirts of Europe (was Bydgoszcz even a real city?!), she heard a noise behind the door. Two people whispered animatedly, female voice soft and pleading, male hoarse and annoyed. She moved closer, wondering which of her neighbors were it this time.

“Come on, Kai. You know I can't just break into her apartment because she doesn't answer your calls!”

“But Damien, please... I know her. I'm worried. She would never... never...” Kai choked with sobs. “What if it's this Eros thing all over again—”

“Kai, please. You know we shut them down for good.”

“What if we didn't?”

Oh crap. Sloane didn't expect Kai to come here, let alone take Damien with her. And she definitely didn't expect her to be in tears because she thought Eros kidnapped her. Think, think, think!!! She pressed her forehead to the door and tried to collect her thoughts. It was too late to run. Time to face the music. She cracked open the door just a little and peeked sheepishly at her two friends.

“Hey.”

“Oh God, Sloane, you're fine!” Kai jumped into her arms, almost knocking her down. “I can't believe it! What were you thinking?! You had me worried!” She whispered, peppering her face with kisses.

“Uh... Clearly, you two don't need me. I'll see myself out.” Damien smiled awkwardly, but they didn't even hear or see him, already headed inside the apartment.

Sloane smiled at the memory. It was probably the only time when drunk texting made someone happy.

She grabbed her coffee and went through the checklist again. She spent the last few nights looking for a perfect packing list and helpful tips on the internet, barely getting any sleep, just to make sure they were prepared for everything the wildlife could throw at them.

If only that thing wasn't so heavy, she sighed, looking at the giant backpack propped against the wall. The seller insisted it was too big for a woman her size, but Sloane snapped at him. She heard the phrase way too many times and was already tired with it. Can't graduate from MIT? Can't be a programmer? Can't have a girlfriend? Can't have the backpack she wants?! Oh yes, she can and she will! She left the store with her head up, clutching the backpack to her chest, feeling like she had won a battle. But right now, when she tried to pull it up from the floor, she started to consider the possibility of the seller being just a little bit right.

Maybe we don't really need the tent, she thought. Or the camping stove. Or the electric marshmallow toaster. Yes, the toaster was definitely overkill, but it was too late to repack the whole thing again. With a loud groan, she lifted it from the floor and took one last glance in the mirror. Kai would love her khaki shorts, she thought and felt a surge of panic. Weather! Out of habit, she was checking the forecasts for the city, and the two wasn't necessarily the same. She dashed to her laptop, but at the same time, Kai knocked at the door and burst in without waiting for her response.

“Hurry up! We're gonna miss our bus!” Her eyes widened, and she broke into a fit of giggles when she noticed Sloane's luggage. “Oh dear. You know you didn't have to take the whole house with you, right? It's just two days!”

“You know I like to be prepared.”

“Fine. But don't come to me for help!”

“We'll see who will be asking for help!” Sloane scowled at her girlfriend, running down the stairs. “You'll come back begging me to share my tent when it rains!”

“Relax. There won't be any rain, I checked.”

***

“I think we're walking in circles,” Sloane sighed, looking around. “I'm pretty sure I saw this rock already.”

“We're in the mountains. There are a lot of rocks.”

“Yes, but this one looks like a cat. See? Here are his ears...” She pointed at the rock, her finger drawing shapes in the air, and Kai chuckled.

“You're right!” She looked at her girlfriend. “On both counts. We lost the trail.”

“And it looks like it's going to rain, too.”

Sloane was right on that one as well. The sky, bright blue just an hour ago, was now filling quickly with grey clouds. Sun was still peeking through the leaves, but the gentle breeze had a hint of stinging cold. Kai shivered a little and looked to Sloane with a smile, fluttering her eyelashes.

“You don't happen to have an umbrella?”

“No.”

“Even for me?  Pretty please?”

“Especially for you!” Sloane snapped in response, but her eyes crinkled and a smile played at the corners of her mouth.

Kai sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Very well. It will be your fault if I get sick. Bring it on, heavens! My girlfriend doesn't care about me!” She tilted her head to the clouds and spread her hands, and as if on cue, the first drop landed on her nose, eliciting a scream of surprise from her lips.

Sloane dropped her backpack on the ground and tried to unstrap the shelter tent, but Kai stopped her, grabbing her hand. The rain around them grew thicker, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. It was still warm, feeling more like a morning shower than rain. The leaves glittered, the soil under their feet grew darker, thousands of tiny droplets trickled down their skin.

Kai took a deep breath, closing her eyes and reveling in a childlike joy. “Can you smell it?”

“You mean the wet soil? It's called petrichor, from Greek words petra meaning stone, and ichor - the blood of the gods, but it's actually caused by a type of bacteria—”

Kai's lips landed on hers, silencing her, and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, Kai's thumb caressing her cheek, her other hand pulling her closer and closer until there was no space between them left. She began to sway her hips rhythmically, forcing Sloane to move with her, and she gasped in surprise.

“What are you doing?!”

“Dancing in the rain!”

“You're mad.”

“I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” She touched her forehead to Sloane's. “And before you ask, yes, it's a quote.”

“From Alice in Wonderland. I know. I could never understand that book.”

“Oh dear. Are you sure you're not switched with a Match? Can you describe one of Nadia's paintings for me?” Kai giggled, looking at her girlfriend's shocked face and pushing a wet lock off her face. “I'm just kidding! Just kidding!” She kissed her nose. “It's not like I can understand them, either.”

---

And now, before you ask why Sloane’s cat doesn’t have a geeky name - she does! Ruby is a programming language (used by yours truly). And while it’s not a first choice for AI programming, it can be used with good results. Python and Java (top choices) doesn’t sound as nice, don’t you think?

[bibicoffee-com]

Does Blonde Coffee Have More Caffeine? Everything You Need To Know

Does Blonde Coffee Have More Caffeine The roast profile affects your coffee's aroma, flavor, and body. Your options in this regard include blonde, medium, and dark. Interestingly, each of them has unique characteristics that are attractive to different people. The caffeine content is among the criteria to help you settle on your favorite. However, it's tricky to judge if you don't understand your java profile well. Does blonde coffee have more caffeine? This article will give you the answer. So let's dive in to learn more about your favorite drink! What Is Blonde Coffee? The word "blonde" refers to lighter coffee roasts. Light roasts are roasted for a shorter time than dark roasts. This process results in coffee in a lighter color, hence the name. We roast coffee beans at high temperatures to push their flavor profile. But in a blond roast, the roasting time is short, giving a milder flavor. Blonde coffee is famous for its bright color and crisp flavor. It also has a higher acid content. You can try this experience by ordering Veranda Blend at Starbucks or Original Blend at Dunkin' Donuts. Besides, this type of coffee has other names, such as half city, light city, cinnamon roast, and New England. These titles even make it more attractive to coffee lovers. Blonde coffee has a light brown color Does Blonde Coffee Have More Caffeine? Yes. However, the gap in caffeine between blonde and dark coffee is minor. Only when you drink a big cup can you notice the difference. In fact, the caffeine content depends on multiple factors, such as the coffee beans. Why does blonde roast have more caffeine? There are two reasons for it. Roasting temperature While roasting, the heat will cause chemical changes in the coffee grounds. Then, they will break down the caffeine module. So, the longer you roast the beans, the more caffeine you lose. Blonde roast coffee, therefore, will be higher in caffeine because of its short roasting time. The roasting temperature also plays a role here. To be more specific, caffeine will get lost when heated at 390°F. Meanwhile, the blonde roast coffee temperature falls between 346 to 401°F. This range is lower than medium and dark roast. Consequently, blonde coffee has a higher caffeine level. Brew method The caffeine content in blonde coffee also depends on the brew method. For example, a standard cup of drip coffee with blond roast beans contains about 90 to 120 mg of caffeine. However, an espresso shot with the same blonde coffee may only contain 50 to 60 mg of caffeine. Blonde coffee is not necessarily stronger Is Blonde Roast Stronger? No. Blonde roast coffee isn't necessarily stronger than other roasting methods. To answer this question, we should first talk about "strong coffee." Although some people refer to coffee strength as the caffeine content, it's about the coffee-to-water ratio. The standard ratio is 1:15. It means that you need 15g of water to extract 1g of coffee. Hence, you have a strong coffee if the ratio is lower, like 1:12 or 1:10. Meanwhile, blonde roast coffee has more caffeine because of the shorter roasting time. As a result, it won't be stronger than medium and dark roasts. Blonde coffee has a slightly higher caffeine content Difference Between Multiple Types Of Roasts There are three different types of coffee roasts. Hence, we will talk about the differences between them to help you discover more. Blonde Roast Medium Roast Dark Roast Roasting Temperature 356-401°F 410-435°F 430-450°F Roasting Time 5-7 minutes 8-10 minutes 11-13 minutes Flavor Sweet, floral, and lemony More balanced and sweeter Bold and intense Acidity Highest Medium Lowest Bitterness Low Low Medium Color Light brown (blonde) Brown Dark brown Sheen Dull, dry, and no oily residue Dull, dry, and no oily residue Oily Brew Methods French press, aero press, pour-over, cold brew Espresso, cold brew, French press, aero press pour-over French press, espresso, pour-over, moka pot Blonde roast In this manner, you will roast your coffee in the shortest time at the lowest temperature. Then, the outcome will be a cup of lemony, floral java. Besides, this method gives you acidic coffee. You can, therefore, use it for your French press, aero press, pour-over, or cold brew. Medium roast A medium roast will give you a more balanced and sweet coffee. You may also notice a lower acidic level in your beverage. In addition, to achieve this effect, you need to roast coffee for about ten to eight minutes at 410 to 435°F. The resulting java will be brown and look dull. This method is suitable for pour-over, aero press, French press, and cold brew like blonde coffee. Yet, you can also try espresso. Dark roast The dark roast requires you to roast your coffee at the highest temperature for the longest time. After that, you will get an intense and bold coffee. Besides, your drink will have a nice dark brown color with the lowest acidity level. You may also notice an oily sheen in your coffee. Dark roast is popular among coffee lovers because of its rich flavor. It even tastes better when used in your French press, espresso, pour-over, and moka pot. If you want to learn more about the differences between these types of roasts, please check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3HaNUXlzQc There are multiple ways to roast coffee beans Which Coffee Roast Is Right For You? We have discussed the differences between the three types of coffee roasts in the previous section. So which one do you love the most? If you can't decide, consider these factors. Personal preferences Enjoying coffee is a subjective matter. Hence, you can find the best roast for your taste by experimenting with all. For example, blonde roast coffee will be your favorite if you love a mild flavor. On the other hand, if you like bold, intense java, dark roast coffee will make your day. Health benefits There are many reports about the impact of coffee roast levels on our health. Nevertheless, people still have opposing opinions about this issue. In fact, coffee may have potential health benefits and problems. For example, it can help reduce the risks of diabetes, liver diseases, and some type of cancer. However, overconsumption will lead to adverse effects. You may experience sleeplessness or digestive issues as a result. Additionally, the health effects may differ from person to person. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you should be more careful when drinking coffee. As discussed earlier, blonde roast coffee often has a higher caffeine content. Thus, it would be better to avoid or reduce it. Conclusion Blonde roast coffee contains more caffeine because of the short roasting time. However, the difference in caffeine is minor. Aside from the blonde roast, you can also try medium and dark coffee. They offer different experiences to enrich coffee culture. Hopefully, this article can help you discover more about the coffee world. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. We will then get back to you. Thank you for reading! Read the full article