#aka “getting a promotion and getting closer to the boss”

[angie-starz]

I had way too much fun making this XD

[seonghwaddict]

EYES DON’T LIE — iii. a worthy competitor.

synopsis. you've always resented jeong yunho, and you were positive that the end of high school would've marked the end of your rivalry and hatred. yet now you find yourself in the same crappy hotel as him. assigned to be right next to each other much like the good old times.

pairing. jeong yunho x fem! reader. genre. mini-series, fluff, slice of life, mature, academic rivals to lovers, non-idol au. chapter warnings. swearing.

word count. 2.1k. rating. pg-13

chapter ii. chapter iii. chapter iv.

yunho’s life post high school was blissful, to say the least.

he went to his dream university and just like you graduated as the top student of that year. not long after that he landed a job at a relatively large tech company and after promotion upon promotion, he became the multi-billion-won company’s CTO. He lived lavishly; a shining example of what he was able to achieve thanks to his determination and unwavering passion.

at least until all of that came crashing down.

because the CEO just had to get involved in activities that became the downfall of the company. unbeknownst to him, the CEO had been part of an underground piracy organisation and sold the private information of millions of users to malicious parties. when the news got to the police, well… it was chaos. law enforcement swarmed the headquarters to detain the CEO as well as anyone that was identified on the list of people involved. a mess that he had no part of.

in hindsight, yunho should be carrying more than the company card and a suitcase when traveling for business trips, during which all this news got out. but how was he supposed to know he’d go from a highly respected worker to jobless in a matter of 24 hours?

and so he found himself in a shitty hotel, paying with the few bills he could find after rummaging around in his bag. the company card declined when he tried booking a different hotel—the fancy one the company had paid for forced him to leave after they found out he was affiliated with that company. for obvious reasons, he had been confused until he checked his phone for the first time that day and found hundreds of notifications flooding the lock screen that depicted picture of him and his best friend.

speaking of his best friend.

as soon as got into his his temporary bedroom—aka the hotel room that smelled so odd he opened the window as wide as he could and stuck his head out to avoid the stench—he called the man he’s known since they were toddlers, ranting about the situation. unsurprisingly, he found the situation immensely funny.

“so you’re poor now?”

“no, mingi, i just don’t have my personal card. i’ll go withdraw money tomorrow morning.” yunho propped his camera up on the small desk opposite the bed, leaning back in the creaking wooden chair as he rubbed at his temples, dreading the oncoming headache he was starting to feel. “but i’m jobless, for now.”

mingi pursed his lips, nose scrunching as he looked at his phone screen, watching how distressed yunho looked. “how can i help you, then?”

a shrug was the first response he got. “just-” the rotating chair squeaked as yunho leaned a bit further to stare up at the ceiling for a moment before reverting his gaze back to his phone. “just talk to me about something else, distract me for now.”

“okay then,” the fake blond’s face brightened and a wide grin spread across his face as he sat up and leaned closer. “so, you know my boss hongjoong, right?”

and so the next ten minutes were filled with him gossiping about how his boss seemed to have the hots for a cute reporter. yunho listened, grateful to get his mind off his current predicament, but barely registered any words being said. he occasionally replied with agreeing hums or other reactions suitable for the context, but he couldn’t help but feel the tell tale signs of his body wanting to rest. mingi seemed to catch on as he paused his story and squinted at his phone screen, catching the way his best friend’s eyes drooped with fatigue.

“hello? earth to yunho?”

he stirred awake, snorting in a breath before yawning. he checked the time on his very expensive watch briefly before his eyes flickered back up to mingi.

“you look tired, man,” worry was written all over his face, sure he could already see dark circles forming under yunho’s eyes. “get some rest.”

“yeah… yeah, that’s a good idea.” yunho spoke through his yawn, hand covering his open mouth.

they said their goodbyes and ended the call. yunho sat in silence for a moment. he turned the chair, inspecting the bed. it was sad, small and pretty empty. wishing he was back home on his soft king sized bed, he poked the mattress, frowning at the firmness before pulling back and looking at the pillows. well, pillow. singular. while the mattress felt to stiff, the pillow the opposite. he got up to check the little closet for another pillow that he could stack on top to add some firmness, but to no avail.

after a moment of hesitation, he decided to ask the guy at the lobby if he could possibly have an extra pillow. before head for the door, he stopped in the bathroom, checking his teeth and brushing his hand through his dark hair, a little overgrown and resembling a mullet. he fixed the tie of his suit that he had yet to take off and left the bathroom, his hand wrapping around the door handle of the room and pulling it open.

as he stepped out, his temporary neighbour seemed to have just arrived. turning to greet the stranger, he stopped in his tracks just as she had.

what a perfect end to his day. the cherry on top, really.

truthfully, he hadn’t given you much thought after your high school graduation. (he actually did. a friend of his went to the same university as you and he’d occasionally ask him if he knew how you were doing). but seeing you now, he realised you hadn’t changed much. of course, you seemed to have a grown a tiny bit and you looked more mature, but those eyes—those soft eyes, so pretty, red and puffy through your tears—were undeniably yours. he recognised you before he recognised the state you were in, a sobbing mess. in all the years he had known you, he doesn’t recall ever seeing you cry. seeing you like this, with flushed and tear stained cheeks, made his head spin for a moment.

before he could open his mouth to say anything, you were gone. he watched the door of your room fall shut, followed by a thud from inside the room. what it may have been—a kick to the wall, a punch, an item thrown across the room—he wouldn’t have been able to tell as he stared at the door dumbly. he wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but what else was he supposed to do when he ran into you of all people in this obscure hotel and somehow ended up next to each other?

watching you disappear through that door reminded him too much of the last time he saw you.

though it had been a warm summer, it rained on the last day of school. having checked the weather, he brought an umbrella with him. but as he watched you stand front of the entrance of the school, alone and looking out into the rain without a jacket, let alone an umbrella, with a conflicted frown and nothing to protect you from the rain but the roof, he found himself caring about you. before he realised it, he stood in front of you, holding out his black umbrella and consequently getting a little wet.

you couldn’t help but stare at him, your gaze switching between his unusually sincere face and hand extending the red handle of the umbrella. you shook your head, insisting that you won’t take it, but he cut you off.

“come on, it’s just an umbrella, i have no problem walking home in the rain.”

“no, please, yunho, it’s your umbrella, i’ll figure something out. you’ll get sick.”

after some more back and forth, he offered a compromise. you could walk home together.

and that’s exactly what the two of you did. you walked side by side, squeezed together under the umbrella, droplets of rain occasionally hitting your right shoulder or his left shoulder. despite the weather, it was oddly peaceful. a steady conversation flowed between the two of you, free of any teasing or insults. you weren’t quite sure why he was being so nice, but you supposed it was the last you’d see each other before heading separate ways.

unfortunately, the two of you thought at the time, you lived in the same apartment building. while you lived on the third floor, he was up on the fifth. he decided it only made sense to walk you to your place first. unlike your walk outside, the short journey from the elevator to your front door was dead silent. even when you got to the front door, neither of you spoke for a moment until he cleared his throat, his voice almost… emotional?

“i guess this is it, huh?”

“yeah… i guess… have fun finding a better, funnier, smarter rival in college.”

“nah, i don’t think i’ll even bother.”

“hm? really? i thought you’re all about that competition.”

“yeah, but you’re the only person worth competing with.”

he’d never forget the way your eyes widened comically as you looked at him after that, a blush so faint it was easy to miss in this horrible lighting. maybe all the people saying you’d make a good couple were on to something. still, he knew you’d never see each other again, there was no point in trying anything. his cell phone rang, interrupting the tense silence. it was his mother, telling him to hurry and get home.

“i… uh, i have to go… but i’ll see you around, someday?”

you smiled, a smile so genuine his stomach did a cartwheel.

“i’ll see you around, someday.”

you stared at each other for a moment, stood across from each other in the hallway. he wasn’t sure what to do. should he hug you? should he just turn and leave? you seemed just as conflicted. after a long minute, you both extended your hands for a handshake at the same time. a small laugh was shared as your hands intertwined in a slow handshake, holding onto each other a few moments too long. his thumb rubbed over the back of your hand gently. he gave it a small squeeze before letting go and bowing his head, winking playfully.

“good luck out there, y/n.”

“likewise, yunho.”

and with the you disappeared through the front door, much like you had moments ago. though at that time you didn’t look so heartbroken. eventually he got himself to put one foot in front of the other and head to the lobby for his original mission.

he thanked the lobby man quietly as he was handed two more pillows, his mind still occupied with you. you’d think that whatever he felt for you on that last day would’ve dissipated by now, but that was quite the opposite. despite it having been so many years, seeing you again felt like a punch to his throat.

on his way back to his room, he thought about knocking on your door for a split second. in the end, he concluded you probably wouldn’t want to talk to him. he wasn’t sure what he would’ve said anyway. hey, it’s really nice seeing you again, by the way did i mention that i’ve realised i had a massive crush on you that time we said goodbye and those feelings haven’t gone away?

no, absolutely fucking not.

he nearly slapped himself at the hypothetical monologue, dragging himself to his hotel room. a soft thump resounded as he tossed the pillows on his bed before undressing and getting under the thin covers. the time it took for him to fall asleep was unclear as he stared up at the ceiling. whoever rented the room above him seemed to want to make a joke in the ground, thundering stomps making the ceiling and his open window shake.

had he not stepped out at that time to get pillow and bumped into you, he would’ve probably been cursing and swearing to himself to get out of this place first thing in the morning. but, considering who his current neighbour was, he couldn’t help but think…

would one or two more days really be so bad?

[ lilo's notes . . . ] hii sorry it took so long to update this, i hope this makes up for it 💔💔 we finally get a little gimped into yunho’s feelings!! yippee!! i’m sorry he comes off as a little stuck up near the beginning, but please understand he went from a luxurious suite to a hotel on the brink of falling apart; i think most people would be a little disappointed 🙏🙏 he’s not a bad guy i promise

[ networks . . . ] @cromernet @wonderlandnet

[ taglist | series + permanent . . . ] @yuyusuyu @diorwoo @loveyluv7 @ad0rechuu @h-nji @nakiiko @lelaleleb @moon-gyus @baribaaari @bvidzsoo @kunikku @kyeos4ng @sankatchu @mlink64 @yeosangsbbg @seonghwasbbgirl @likexaxdaydream @dreamingofyeo

[kenphobia]

YOUNG AND RECKLESS!

"here's an idea! let's buy a cake, lure Elias out and throw it off a cliff. watch him get it."

summary. when the new hire and the hottest archival assistant become besties, all hell breaks loose.

contents. really really old content; somewhat ooc since i was too lazy to fix dialogue; wholesome, general fluff; there's not much of a plot tbh; not edited

The job were boring, you knew that from the very start.

When you first stepped into the Magnus Institute, a weird feeling had crept up on you like a snake slithering pass the halls and jumping at you with fangs sinking into your shoulder. Yet after the terrible, terrible interview with Elias and getting accepted into the job, that funny feeling slipped away once you settled into the notion of things.

You worked in the Institute for far longer than you would've liked, always having to look around corners because that sense of dread and foreboding death trickled in at the worst times possible (AKA when you're idly standing in the corner, waiting for the printer to finish its job). But the pay was good enough to pay your stupidly costly london rent AND your necessities at the same time, so you had to room to complain.

Though, you wish your boss wasn't so weird and creepy all of the time. Makes sense since this is an Institute known for collecting statements and artefacts regarding otherworldly, and dare you might say 'spooky', beings and events. And also for holding the highest MIAs/deaths record among all other academic institutes, but you digress.

Working in the library department was fine, nothing really big like the artefact storage or the achives. Like you mentioned, it paid a hefty amount and the place was quiet enough for your introverted self to get comfortable in.

Well, until you were brought into the archives and met the one and only (and possibly the hottest person in the archives), Tim Stoker.

After another excruciatingly awkward meeting wth Elias regarding your sudden promotion, you sighed in relief as you pass those doors and hear it close on you. You tried shaking off the feeling of being watched, but the loud pounding of your heart echoed louder than what your mind is trying to tell your body.

As you try to silently pass through the halls, squeezing yourself into tight corners despite having no one but you around, your body suddenly came into contact of another. You stumbled, nearly falling to the floor until a hand grabbed you and pulled you closer by your arm.

"I get that I'm charming, but really is no need to fall head over heels for me." You looked up and saw a man with bright hair. He was tall, taller than anyone in your family and his colorful outfit choice really made stand out from the boring, nearly barren hallway.

You raised a brow at his words. "Oh please. With how you bumped into me while being in a spacious hallway, I'd say you're the one who's head over heels here." You played along to his sudden flirtatious move, rolling your eyes and flipping off a strand of hair with the back of your hand. "You seemed like the type of guy who'd pay someone just to have a mary sue moment with their crush."

"Oh, you wounded me!" The man cried out dramatically, putting a hand on his chest and letting you go in the process. You were alreayd standing on your two feet and yet you still nearly stumble backwards. "But yeah, maybe I was or maybe I wasn't. I'm Tim, Tim stoker by the way."

Tim offered you his hand and you gladly accepted it, shaking it gently but firmly. "(Name) (Last name), it's nice to meet you, Stoker."

"Please, call me Tim. And the pleasure's all mine." He laughed, winking playfully.

And from that day moving onwards, you and Tim were practically stuck by the hip at every hour of the day. Wherever he went, you were there as well. And wherever you ended up at, Tim was closely following behind you like a unassuming bodyguard with a few tricks up his sleeve.

Oh, Tim's at the police getting evidence for a report? You were there as well, merely for fun and also you can secretly record police officers fucking up for laughs. You're out in the woods for a camping trip, getting wood for fire? There's Tim guarding both of your tents, rehearsing alpha male jokes to tell you when you come back.

It was almost impossible to split the two of you up. Well, almost impossible.

"Hey, (Name). Did you see the email Elias sent to everyone?" Tim called you from across the room, sitting relaxed in his chair while you turn your gaze away from the bright screen of your laptop.

"Hm? No, not yet. Why?" You asked him, despite knowing it was either about you and Tim or random changes being implemented into the Institute.

The bright-haired man struggled to contain his laughter, even bringing up his wrist to bite at his cuffs but even still he wheezed through his teeth. "Hgh— Listen to this!" Tim coughed, breathing in before displaying a poor impression of Elias.

"May I remind everyone that bringing in alocholic beverages are strictly prohibited in the archives, as well as bringing in any lighters or any item alike that could potentially set fire to 'important materials'. Sincerely, Elias Bouchard."

You raised your brow in amusement, chuckling all the while Tim stopped himself from bursting into laughter when he was impersonating Elias. "Is that so? Surely, no one has been bringing in alcohol or lighters into the archives. Right, Tim?" You teased, poking him with your words as to hint him to cough off his crimes.

Tim composed himself. "Yes... No, of course not. I mean, that would be stupid, wouldn't it?" He sighed, leaning on the office chair. "But... If you hide it well enough, then it's not so stupid anymore." He grinned mischievously, pulling out a flask from his pockets. It looked a lot like a calculator in his hands rather than a little alcoholic bottle as the metal shimmered under the buzzing, yellow-ish lights.

As he shook it, he didn't realized the looming shadow over him until you divert your eyes from his form and hold back a snicker. Tim looked at you with confusion, closw to saying something before he turned and saw no other than Elias' percing pale blue eyes.

"Is that so, Tim?" Elias spoke callously, though a wide smile was attached to his face, stretching skin across his facial bones like plastic covering. "Why don't you meet me in my office for a little chat, wouldn't that be lovely?"

Tim shrinks in his seat, averting his gaze down to the ground. "Yes. of course, sir."

You watch in half amusement, half concern as Tim is dragged out of the office by Elias. A familiar face peeked out of the corner, carrying a tray of tea and donning a blue cloud-patterned sweater.

Martin raised a brow as he settled the tray down. "What just happened?"

You pour some tea for yourself and drink from it, doing a dramatically loud slurping sound before smacking your lips. "The cycle of life, Dear Martin."

notes. this was supposed to be for a request but hhhh i need to fill the space somehow oopsies i'll do the req later maybe

[oasislandingresident]

Next morning we got the news that it's a snow day. Also a Tuesday which means Karen has the day off. You can see Hank pretend to look away as things are a bit tense in the house. And he's not going to get caught in between.

Karen had a wish to meet someone new, which I interpreted as her telling me she'd like to get back to profiling the rest of the Sunset Valley. I sent her to her hunting grounds aka The gym.

Regular Karen stuff.

Elodie is grounded. She can't leave the house. She decides to make the best of it by doing some painting.

I try one more time to get these two do something and this is as spicey as they got. I give up.

I don't want to be paranoid but I think Hank blocks every boy Elodie brings home, deliberately. She can't get over two flirts without Hank coming over to talk to her flirts.

I should probably stop taking pictures whenever they kiss but it's just so cute. 🥺

Oh, great. Who could've seen this coming?

I'd love to do that but it's a snow day, honey.

"Reform bill amended by fisticuffs" lol, I love it.

Good job Karen! One step closer to the top of the career. Also a great bonus.

I didn't know they could wish this! I wish I had waited before I changed her hair. We'll count it as I dyed her hair black now.

Honey, your mother is right there. I know she's on the phone but...

I'm starting to think she's not the brightest of kids.

They are hitting me with double promotions today! Good job Hank. I can finally build you guys that garage.

Don't look at me Elodie, this is all your fault.

-You made me stay out after curfew, I was ready to go home right after the theatre!

Okay, that may have been my fault, moving on...

-Come back here

Too late, I'm busy marvelling at how I never knew this could happen before. Boy, she's not happy.

Karen's been going around the room disapproving the cheap items. Like the table and the lamps. Are you taking your frustrations out on the furniture Kare?

I got Hank a car that says: businessman. I think it was time to move past the truck.

I had invited the Wolff household in hopes of getting Matt and Elodie chatting. (Thornton is Hank's boss and their BFFs)

Instead Matt walked in on her while she was peeing and pissed her off. There he is, being looked down by the evil gnome.

You know, everything I planned to do since you showed up somehow ended up as a disaster. But you're not responsible for it, right, Mr. Gnome?

- Whatever do you mean? 👺

I'm just saying. I got my eye on you. 🧐

NEXT

[themculibrary]

Pepper And Tony (Pepperony) Masterlist 2

part one

5 Valentine's Pepper and Tony didn't Spend as a Couple +1 They Spent as a Family (ao3) - Kizmet Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Pepper and Tony's relationship going through ups and downs over six valentines between 1994 and 2021 (and Rhodey keeps sneaking in somehow).

5 Ways Pepper Fails to Stop the Civil War +1 Where She Does (ao3) - Kizmet Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Versions of the Civil War in which Pepper is fully engaged in the Avengers’ decision making process, corrects most of Tony’s mistakes and everything still goes to shit because she only has influence over half the equation.

A Slice of Life (ao3) - sareliz Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Witness the beginning of the relationship between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.

Between the Darkness and the Stage (ao3) - marinarusalka Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: When Tony goes missing and the authorities can't help, Pepper does what she must to rescue him. As it turns out, the rescue was the easy part.

Box of Memories (fanfiction.net) - Elizabeth Bathory Rating: General

Summary: Tony denies being nostalgic but Pepper proves otherwise when he is away and learns more about the man she has worked for and loved, using this info for a surprise for Tony.

Drawing Near To Your Heart (fanfiction.net) - NCISVILLE Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Pepper just broke up with her boyfriend and needs a plus one pronto for her brother's wedding. When she enlists the help of her boss, Tony Stark, will they draw closer together like he wants?

Drive (ao3) - roboticonography Rating: Mature

Summary: Tony and Pepper attempt a friends-with-benefits relationship. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Eden in a Box (ao3) - cincoflex Rating: Explicit

Summary: Tony and Pepper work at a relationship, with Jarvis' help.

Five Times Pepper Potts Took Care of Tony Stark (and One Time Tony Stark Took Care of Her) (ao3) - zauberer_sirin Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: In Pepper's defense she really did try to keep things professional.

i fell for mantle photographs (ao3) - imgoingtocrash Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Tony assumes that their relationship will leak to the press with some sort of scandal. (Okay, so specifically he says that it will be after their first fight as a couple goes explosive and that the pictures of Pepper throwing things at Tony’s head outside of his mansion will be mocked on TMZ for a few weeks, but that’s the gist.)

Pepper assumes that their relationship will never actually be released to the press. Tony is a notorious flirt as it is, and since her promotion to CEO, everyone already thinks she slept with him to get the position. Of all the things the press could possibly speculate about them, the fact that they’re actually working on forming a committed relationship seems far too mild.

The actual first picture released of Tony and Pepper after that first kiss above the raging fires of what was left of Stark Expo is something far less dramatic.

AKA: 5 pictures that are taken of Tony and Pepper recently after they get together + 1 picture they take for themselves.

inches and miles (ao3) - jdphoenix Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Nine times out of ten Tony's the one taking advantage when Pepper gives him an inch. But when they both slip up in the one way that matters most, fate takes the reins, taking them both that extra mile and then some.

Like It Never Happened (ao3) - MelissaBosquez Rating: General

Summary: When Tony and Pepper get stranded alone in Colorado after a long (mostly) working weekend they learn more about the other in one night than in the five years they spent working together. Not only that but they discover there may be the possibility for more for them in the future. What started as the weekend from hell blossoms into something unexpected and life changing.

OR

There was only one bed. - "Hey, Pepper. Want to make out?"

My Best Friend's Baby (fanfiction.net) - Snoot37 Rating: Mature

Summary: The followup story to "And the Party Continues." Tony and Pepper have finally had their first night together. But the next morning, Tony is too hungover to remember. Hurt, Pepper was prepared to pretend it never happened and never mention it to him again. Until the positive pregnancy test. What happens when she tells Tony it was someone else?

Pepper Potts and the Mysterious Soulmate (ao3) - FriendLey Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Based on the tweet that said “Soulmate AU where wizards and witches have each other’s patronus tattooed on their bodies. The tattoos show the emotions that your soulmate is feeling.”

The days we don’t know yet (ao3) - everythingispoetry Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: After the battle of New York Tony can't sleep. It takes Pepper a few weeks to notice and when she does, she tries to help him as much as possible. Everything seems to go well until Tony is kidnapped - and when he comes back, Pepper realizes that he might react to his name and look like himself, but he is not Tony anymore.

the last five years (ao3) - tonystarktrash Rating: Mature

Summary: “Oh, Tony,” Pepper murmurs, cupping his face in her hands. She always knew what to do, had known him for so long that all of his idiosyncrasies were second nature to her. After New York, when his nightmares had woken her with terrible screams, she had learned when to touch him and when to comfort him with only words. He’s so starved for her touch, he wonders if he’s giving off some sort of signal to her, like a neon sign. Touch me, Pepper. Touch me, and help me survive, help me come to terms with this.

filling in tony and pepper's five years of bliss in avengers:endgame.

Walking in These Shoes (ao3) - redfiona Rating: General

Summary: Pepper Potts is the woman she'd always wanted to be. It's probably not all Tony's fault that her well-ordered life has just been blown to pieces. But it's definitely mostly his fault.

You're All I Have (fanfiction.net) - xxhiphuggersxx Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: She couldn't believe she was going to do this. It was hard enough asking for favors when it was work related, but it was a whole new ball game when it was a personal favor. She knew he'd never agree, but it is worth a shot asking. Nevertheless is she shocked at the response.

[blouisparadise]

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of April. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) Heat | Explicit | 1433 words

In which Louis and Harry mate with each other.

2) A Desperate Time | Explicit | 2,52 words

Aka Harry and Louis have a pee kink that leads to Louis pissing in Harry's lap. Graphic, kinky smut. Read at your own desire.

3) Bohemian Rhapsody Is Not A Documentary (But Freddieismyqueen) | Explicit | 3933 words

Note: There’s a BH mention.

A day in life of Harry Styles and his smol sunflower [quarantine edition]

Aka how many wonderful adjectives can be applied to Louis Tomlinson and his everything?

4) Just A Bit Of Work | Explicit | 4027 words

In which Marcel is a virgin, and becomes his office's amorous co-worker's next big conquest.

5) I Don't Wanna Look At Anything Else That I Saw You | Mature | 4375 words

After the hiatus of One Direction, all 5 members have their own solo careers. Louis, who just can't move on from Alex, his ex-boyfriend and bandmate, meets Harry, who's supposed to be Alex's doppelganger in his new single's music video.

6) Like Lovers In A Movie | Explicit | 4565 words

A grumpy Louis and a movie night don't mix. Harry's still able to fix it.

7) Christmas Lights In Paris | Mature | 4671 words

In which Harry makes a big mistake and has to get Louis back, while Louis' a cute, soft baker.

8) Wasting My Time | Explicit | 7856 words

Harry is in love with Louis. He can't do anything about it, until he can.

Louis is in love with Harry. He doesn't have a chance, until he does.

9) The Promotion. | Explicit | 8143 words

After being promoted, Harry is challenged to prove he is one of the guys. Whatever it is he had in mind, he never thought he'd be expected to fuck an escort in front of his colleagues and boss during this corporate party.

10) Want You To Want Me | Explicit | 8836 words

Harry likes Louis, Louis likes Harry. But it's not that simple. Louis doesn't know if he can handle Harry's lifestyle and feels overwhelmed. Can Harry convince him he's worth it?

11) Don't Hold Back Now | Mature | 11103 words

Harry gives Louis everything he asks for except for the one thing he wants the most. If only Louis knew who Harry truly was.

Or the demon Harry AU.

12) We Will Get Through This | Mature | 11219 words

Because of quarantine, Louis has to stay home with his roommate, Harry, who he's never really hung out with before. He's a sweet alpha who seems to really care and that annoys the hell out of Louis. But as he gets to know the alpha, he realizes it might not be dislike that he's feeling

13 Sunrise and Pixie Dust | Mature | 14816 words

Harry's taking a walk at sunrise in the forest he knows like the back of his hand when the wind starts blowing, the sky turns pink, and golden glitter starts to fall from the sky. He’s not sure about what’s happening, but when he comes face to face with a gorgeous winged-creature, he can’t help but be immediately mesmerized.

Or an AU in which Harry finds himself crossing the borders between two worlds.

14) Happier | Explicit | 15590 words

Literally based off of Ed Sheeran's song Happier.

15) My Heart Was Stolen, Can You Return It? | Explicit | 15824 words

Based on the prompt: "He's a cop. He’s the owner of a record store. A sudden rash of break-ins brings him to his store over and over and over again, until it becomes obvious that he might be tripping the alarm on purpose—just to see him. That’s illegal—but he's kind of falling for him, too."

I don't remember where I found this, maybe in a book I own or in a post I saw, but credit to whoever actually came up with it.

16) V | Explicit | 20275 words

Harry pays him to dance, Louis enjoys the sex on the side, and that’s all that ties them together. Whatever else the enigmatic man does is none of Louis’ fucking business.

Louis works at a club owned by infamous Harry Styles, leader of the largest criminal organization this side of the country. As they twirl closer together police and rival gangs start to gain the upper hand, forcing everyone's loyalty to be questioned.

17) I’m Having Your Baby (It's None of Your Business) | Mature | 26383 words

A bet can cost you a lot. Harry learns this in the weirdest of ways.

Louis just wanted a baby, and he got so much more.

18) Crush | Explicit | 26741words

Based off the song Crush by Mandy Moore.

19) My Love’s Not Simple (It’s Fragile) | Explicit | 27554 words

Harry's new job is threatened by his impending rut. Desperate for a solution, he allows Niall to introduce him to Louis, an omega whose heat begins the same day. They click.

20) Naked Attraction #2 | Mature | 29159 words

Louis Tomlinson is the first openly gay football player in the Premier football League. He was outed by the paps, but he’s had to embrace it since then. To show he doesn’t have shame in it, he goes onto Naked Attraction, and all the money will go to LGBTQ+ support, but he has made some changes to the show. Incidentally, he meets a certain Harry Styles there, and that is when things get interesting...

21) Compete Against The Stars | Mature | 30980 words

An ABO au where Louis finds out he's claimed to another Alpha. Angst ensues.

22) Where I Should Be | Explicit | 31324 words

Or, the affair AU where Harry is getting married, Louis is in love with his best friend, and they only have this life to get it right.

23) Will You Be My Boyfriend? | Explicit | 32484 words

Based on the prompt: "You’re at a party when you spot an ex. Quickly, you urgently pretend to be dating the nearest person, who happens to be very attractive."

24) Descendants of the Night | Explicit | 34371 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry is one of the old world. His best friends Liam and Niall are too. Zayn is a transient. Harry is newly back to the country after years of living in the city and he doesn’t know where to turn when confronted with finding Niall near death after a brutal attack.

“Liam, it’s me...I’ve heard you and the others talk about where to get medical care, Niall is in dire need. Where do I take him?”

There is only doctor in their remote part on England that Liam knows of who can help someone like Niall.

Louis Tomlinson.

Liam fears for what might happen when one like Harry meets one like Louis.

25) The Sidelines | Explicit | 47078 words

Note: There are mentions of Top Louis.

Or Harry and Louis play hockey for Penn state and can't stand one another, since they can't keep their hatred off the ice their coach and team do what they can to keep their hard earned spot in the playoffs and their two star players from killing each other.

26) Forgive The Urgency, But Hurry Up And Wait | Explicit | 53701 words

Note: This is the sequel to this fic.

Louis' going to do better. He’s going to have all of the uncomfortable conversations and the relationship talks. He’s going to make himself be a good boyfriend.

And he’s got absolutely no idea where to start.

27) Things I Can't | Not Rated | 67495 words

Louis has a plan for his life. He’s going to be the first in his family to finish college. He’s going to be a doctor - the best damn doctor in the country. And he’s going to work his ass off to make sure his younger siblings never have to wonder whether they have the means to pursue their dreams.

He doesn’t have space in his plan for a relationship with an effortlessly alluring musician, and certainly not for the child that unexpectedly results from that union. Louis is at a crossroads he never thought to plan for, and now he must make a decision: between what he wants now, and what he wants most.

28) Join Me In The Afterlife | Explicit | 262289 words

Or, the one where Louis is a simple guy - all he wants from his summer break is to spend some quality time with his mother, get to know her new husband, and learn to play the guitar. Nothing out of the ordinary, that is for sure. However, life has a funny way of working and when Louis finds a strange boy sitting on his bed one sunny day, his summer break takes a turn for the better (or worse) when he discovers a ghost has stolen his heart from the get-go.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[fmufmu]

Company. (M)

[hiii i wanna request some fluff for dabin aka dpr !!! pls ^_^ + hi, could you do a dpr live smut scenario? maybe something like friends to lovers? thanks!]

           Dabin kisses and you – well. It’s something.

A/N:  i’m not the best at writing sex scenes or smut so i tried my hardest to make it smutty(????) but in a classy, we’re in public but i can feel your dick against my leg, kinda thing. 

           You’ve been kissed enough to know what makes a good kiss and what doesn’t. You remember your ex-boyfriend, he wasn’t a good kisser, it felt like teeth clashing together and his tongue darting to every corner of your mouth. He had good intentions, but it was horrible. Maybe it’s because you enjoy kissing more than anything – there something that makes you completely weak at the prospect of kissing someone, of having those fireworks burst in your stomach.

           Kissing Dabin – well, Dabin kissing you – that’s different. You don’t even know how you got to this moment. The company and studio was filled with people for the pre-release party and you just wanted some air on the rooftop. You slipped out amongst the noise of it all to sit on the rooftop and reflect on your thoughts. You never expected Dabin to follow out, placing his jacket over your shoulders. You didn’t expect to talk about how the album could change things for all of them and –

And then Dabin looks at you. His eyes find yours and it feels like a movie. No ones’ speaking but you’re hearing a thousand different thoughts. As you get up, mumbling something about needing a drink, you take two steps to the roof door and Dabin turns you.

It’s quick how he does it; his nose bumps against yours with his breath shallow and his hands holding onto your face like if he lets go, you might run a mile. It’s the build-up; how Dabin holds your gaze, how your foreheads are pressed together, and you’re connected like ivy intertwining.

           “We shouldn’t,” you lie. You want too and you want this. Your skin is on fire and Dabin knows this. Now that you think about it, with your ex-boyfriend, there wasn’t this. This being the build-up, the flirting, the falling slowly like how leaves on a tree turn the prettiest shade of orange and drop. There was no late nights, talking about anxieties or fears. Your heart never skipped a beat and you never wondered about the taste of his lips.

           “Y/n,” Dabin holds your face tightly. “I can’t stand this.” You feel the same. You can’t stand this. It’s been almost a year since you met Dabin, being one of the many make-up artists and things had snowballed so easily and quickly.

           “Dabin . . .”

           “I think about you all the time, I feel like I’m going crazy.” His lips brush against yours and you whimper. “Please. I just . . . I need to kiss you.” So he does. And it’s intoxicating. There’s something about the kiss, how you forget that you’re both outside with the sunsetting on the rooftop and how Seoul moves like the time, around you both, hasn’t frozen. Dabin kisses you hard like he’s making a point – his lips mould against your own, tongue swiping out to find yours and it shouldn’t feel so good.

           There’s a lull, for a second, where Dabin pulls back and you kiss him.

           Your fingers work their way into his shirt, balling up as you let Dabin take control. His lips part yours like the Red Sea and you hum at the feeling. It’s scandalous to say the least, especially how Dabin leans into kiss, pressing you against the rooftop door. His leg shifts between yours and you can feel the strain of his jeans. It’s thick, pressing against your leg all hot and twitching.

“Oh god.” You whine, pulling him closer, letting you guys be chest to chest. aHis tongue finds yours and that feeling, the feeling like you’re being set alight, flows through your body.

           Your mind is hazy, thoughts being only Dabin.

           “If someone saw us,” Dabin mumbles against your lips. “We’d be in so much shit.” That pulls you back down to earth, the feeling of arousal suddenly replaced with fear and anxiety. You didn’t want to be know as that girl who fucked her boss. No, Dabin was more than that. From the time you joined, he went from being a client, to a boss to a friend to someone you don’t think you could be without. It’s stupid and it makes your heart sink at the thought of being gossiped about.

           “Dabin, I . . .” You find yourself pulling away. “Is this a good idea? Someone, tell start rumours.” You know how important music is to Dabin, how hard Scott, Christian and him all worked on the album. You don’t want to be on the most trending on Naver.

           “I like you, y/n. I want to be with you and I just . . . I’m sorry if I crossed the line . . .” it’s instinctive how he steps back but you grab his hand.

           “I don’t want someone to make rumours about you, Dabin. You don’t deserve that.”

           “I don’t care.” Dabin frowns. “Is that what you’re worried about? Rumours?” You bit your lip. You’re worried about everything, but the rumours is something else. You’re not famous, you’re not in a spotlight and put on a pedestal.

           “I like you too. I just don’t want to cause any trouble.” Your worst fear is ruining Dabins career. He’s worked too hard for a dating rumour to swallow that up.

           “There’s no trouble to cause,” Dabin wraps his arms around you. “Let’s keep this on the DL. Wait till the album is dropped and the promotion then we go from there.” That sounded okay. You look up to see him smiling at you and you smile back. It’s silly how Dabin always made you smile, even if your thoughts are tearing each other apart.

           “You promise?” You say. “You promise we keep this on the lowkey?”

           “Have I ever let you down?” and that’s all Dabin needs to say to make you kiss him.

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Mid-week Manifestation:

Temporary boss aka awesomesauce Site Manager who got promoted to a Global role wants to bring me with him ahahahaha! I don't know if this will come to actual written offer AGAIN but, let's see as engineering process sounds better than managing projects to me.

Pasensya na kayo. First time ko 'to na mambasted tapos binalikan charut. But, seriously, I'm really grateful for this person's trust and confidence. Di ko talaga gets bakit ako lagi naiisip niya but I love learning from him. Kasama yun mga tips nya on handling stress and pressure; on taking risks.

WHAT IS FOR ME WOULD NEVER PASS ME BY. The Universe works to give me what I need and what I deserve... as it brings me closer to a purpose that is for the highest good of all.

[bangtan-madi]

546 Days Without You — Eight: Day 225

Pairing — Seokjin x Reader, platonic!Namjoon x Reader

Tags — boyfriend!Seokjin, older brother!Yoongi, producer/songwriter!MC, military au (ish), idol au (ish)

Genre — fluff, angst

Word Count — 4.4k

Summary — Kim Seokjin is your entire world, and that world falls apart the moment he and your older brother Yoongi are conscripted into the South Korean military.

Part — 8 / 15

Warnings — minor language

A/N — Taglist is open! Comment or submit an ask if you want to be added :) 

Previous — Next

Once Bang PD gives his blessing on the next Tour, everyone at the company hits the group running. Choreography is created, photography and promotional material are completed, tour dates and locations are worked out, and the final details are worked out for the album. Everything is coming together beautifully, and about time, too! The release of Map of the Soul: Dream is less than six weeks away, and the excitement is only growing.

All of this is over your pay-grade, and gratefully so. You've spent most of the past month gawking over the wild success that your song Silhouette has been on Soundcloud. You had millions of plays by the end of the first day, let alone the impressive amount you have thirty-five days later. Your pride and joy has been in the news, on tons of fansites, and all across social media. No one expected the youngest Min sibling to do anything solo; you've taken the world by storm, rivaled only by the boys themselves. The overwhelming consensus is that you blew it out of the park.

"It's actually worked out perfectly from a marketing standpoint," Bang PD said at a meeting recently. "Your fame is only going to fuel the fire of the comeback since we've been radio silent since December. Thanks to you, we've been given a little push that we needed. But you know what would be even better?"

You knew what he was going to suggest, and you scoffed when he said it aloud.

"Put your song on the album as a feature and tour with the boys. People will lose their damn minds, I know it."

"The only person who's lost his mind is you, PD-nim."

While you'd teased him at the meeting with the boys, the idea has pricked your interest. While the thought of performing in front of tens of thousands of people terrifies you in a way you can't explain, it also gave you a sense of excitement. Your anxieties are holding you back, you know it, but what can you do against your own dread?

"That must be a pretty interesting batch of ochazuke."

You smirk and turn towards the leader of the group, lifting the bowl of green tea on rice. Or, as it's called in Japan, ochazuke. "Made enough for two. Want some?"

Namjoon's dimples deepen as he sneaks around the corner with a giddy grin. "You're the best. Jin and Yoongi's cooking skills have rubbed off on you."

Due to the busy schedule, you've temporarily moved back into the dorms to be closer to the madness. You've done similar things in previous comebacks, and the boys always loved having you around 24/7. This is never more true than around mealtime. With the two oldest members gone, aka the only ones that are qualified to operate anything in the kitchen, there have been weeks at a time where takeout is the only thing the group consumes. As your workload has lessened due to the nature of being a music producer, and their's has gotten heavier, you've taken it upon yourself to make home life a little more normal.

"I asked Yoongi to send me the recipe last time I wrote," you reply, pouring a serving of green tea over Namjoon's portion of the fish and rice. "I got it yesterday with his letter. Figured it would be a nice pick-me-up."

The member agrees and takes the dish with a slight and grateful bow. "Eat with me? I have to run back to the studio after, but the summer day is gorgeous, and I feel like we haven't had alone time in a while. Just you and me?"

You grip your lunch between your hands and nod eagerly, allowing Namjoon to lead the way to the expansive balcony of the dormitories. Being several floors off the ground and in the heart of Seoul, the area around you is gorgeous. The buildings stretch tall and imposing, casting shadows across the space as the mid-day sun streams through the light cloud cover.

He's right. The day is as close to perfect as you can imagine.

Once you both settle into the chairs in the corner of the balcony, under the wood and vine-woven covering that shades a little of the harsh sun out, you start to dig into the meal. While it doesn't taste exactly like when Yoongi makes it, you're elated to have a piece of him back.

"If you ever get tired of producing, you can always open a restaurant," Namjoon chimes, clearly enjoying himself as he scarfs down the dish.

You chuckle, replying, "Thanks, but I think I'll leave that to Mom. Music is my life. I can't imagine doing anything else. Ever."

"Actually...I wanted to pick your brain about something related to that. You mind?"

Taking another big bite, you shake your head. There are very few times you're not excited to have an in-depth conversation with Namjoon, about everything or anything. "Shoot."

Namjoon leans back in his chair, resting the bowl against his thigh as he chews lightly on the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit. "With the comeback and album release just around the corner, I've been thinking..." He turns to face you. "I'm not sure if Bang PD was kidding or serious when he offered to put you on the album that first time, but I talked to him about it after you shot him down...and I think it would be a really cool idea."

Your stomach does flip-flops at the thought. Instantly, you're shaking your head fervently and placing your bowl on the side table. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"'Cause."

Namjoon gives a disappointed scowl. "Not good enough, [Y/n]."

"I just don't want to, Namjoon," you retort, crossing your arms tightly over your chest. "If my song goes on 'Dream,' then it has to be performed. By me. On tour. In front of fifty-thousand people. I'm...I'm just not ready. I put out one song to exercise a creative outlet, not to get famous or perform life or anything like that. It's like 'Mono.' I never intended it to get this much attention."

"If I had the chance to perform 'Mono' on stage with the members, I would fucking take it," he replies wholeheartedly. 

"That's you, Joonie. That's not me."

Breathing a soft sigh, Namjoon takes another bite of his lunch. "Look, I've told you all this before. So have all the other members. We're not here to force you to sing in public or do anything you don't want to do. I just wanna be sure that you're not hiding behind your fear."

It takes every fiber of self-control not to roll your eyes. "Of course, I'm afraid."

"Of what? Not living up to BTS? Your brother or boyfriend?"

"Maybe at one point that was it, but no. It's not that anymore."

"Then what is it?"

Pulling your knees up to your chest, you hug them tightly as you try to vocalize your fears. "You guys know me. The real me. I'm sarcastic and snarky. I make inappropriate jokes and I use humor to mask my pain. I'm a little on the abrasive side and I like to pretend I'm the toughest person in the room. But when I'm in front of crowds or around people I don't know, I shut down. I get quiet. My inner lioness quiets and turns into a mouse. I just...Thinking about getting on that stage to sing and rap in front of thousands? That's probably my biggest fear."

Namjoon listens patiently, just as he always has. He's never rushed you or interrupted you; it's one of the many things you adore about him. As dorky and destructive and silly as he can be, above all else, Namjoon is the one person in the world you can go to about anything. This includes your brother boyfriend, best friend or childhood friend. Namjoon will give you the facts, an outside perspective, and a logical solution. He tries to be as objective as possible and not let emotions get in the way, all while being a gentle and caring soul.

"So, stage fright?" You nod a wordless reply. "That's completely normal, [Y/n]. We all started like that, and we all still get nervous when shows begin. And this isn't me trying to convince you, but I hope you realize that those anxieties are an outdated form of self-preservation. Those fears you have about being in front of crowds, it's leftover from a time when humans had to hide. Your brain is trying to keep you safe, but you can reprogram it. You don't have to live in that place of irrational fear forever. You don't have to let your mind keep you there. You can be stronger."

You crack a smile at his comparisons. "Of course you'd look at it that way."

"Well, it's true." He shrugs his shoulders. "Again, not trying to convince you otherwise. I just...Don't live in fear of others for the rest of your life, [Y/n]. Our time is short, and the time we have together—in front of the spotlight—that's even shorter. You have a chance. If you take it, you know you have all of our support. And if you don't want that, for a reason other than fear, you have it then, too."

Both of your phone's buzz. As you look at yours, you see an unknown number pop up on the screen. Figuring it's probably a spam call or journalist or someone else you really don't want to talk to, you ignore it.

Namjoon groans lightly at the text he's received. "Someone mixed up the names of the songs for the final version of the album. I gotta go fix this before they send it off. That's the last thing I need." As he stands, he gives you a grateful smile. "Thanks for the lunch and conversation. Always can count on both of those to be good with you. Sorry to leave so quickly."

You return the expression, waving your hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. Go take care of business, boss."

The leader rolls his eyes and heads towards the door. He turns and points at you, still walking backwards, and says, "I meant what I said! If you want to include Silhouette, let me know. I send off the final version later tonight, say eight. Let me know before then? Just give me a call, and you're on."

"What would you do?" you shout after him, fingers playing absentmindedly with each other. "If you were in my shoes?"

Namjoon stops in mid-step, grip on the doorknob and eyes settling somewhere on the Seoul skyline. He takes a moment to think, then turns back to you with the response, "I'd go for it. What do you have to lose but the chance of a lifetime?"

Sometime after Namjoon leaves for the studio, you're sitting alone in Genius Lab, a pad of music sheets in one hand, a pencil in the other. Your mind continuously shifts back and forth between a wholehearted yes and a horrified no. Every possible angle replays over and over in your mind, including your conversation with the true middle member from earlier.

Glancing at the clock, you see the minute hand tick past the twelve. You've been here for hours, trying to bury your mind in writing another melody, but nothing is coming to you. You even went through Yoongi's unpublished works to see if anything your brilliant brother came up with would spark something. To no avail, the time has ticked past seven.

"Another hour," you murmur. "Gotta make up this damn indecisive mind."

Knowing you're not going to get anything else done tonight, you set the writing materials aside, stretch your legs, and make your way to the door. Tugging the hoodie over your hair, you shuffle back towards the balcony with the intention of getting some fresh air. The sun has yet to set, and the majestic hues that cascade across the tall buildings remind you of the first date you had with Seokjin all those years ago.

It brings a smile to your face, and you settle your front against the edge. Arms resting against the solid railing, your eyes focus upward. The moon is full and shining, and ever since the last album, it's a constant reminder of the man you love most.

Your phone rings again in your pocket. Retrieving it, you see the same number as before. It had called you again earlier in the afternoon after Namjoon had left, and you'd ignored it again. 

Huffing an annoyed breath, you swipe the answer key and place the phone against your ear. "Okay, what the hell? How did you get this number and why don't you give up on trying to sell me shit I don't want, nor need, and I'll have you know that I—"

Obnoxious, hiccupy, overly familiar laughter comes through as clear as day. It cuts you to your core, stunning you enough to spur you into a sputtering silence.

"Holy hell, Jagiya, that's some way to answer the phone!"

Your knees buckle, and you have to trip the railing to stay upright. Lower lip quivering, body trembling, eyes watering, you slide onto the ground and pull your legs to your chest. The free hand cups over your mouth as you try to hide the whimpers that escape.

"Jagi?" he murmurs, his voice softer than before. "Hey, are you okay, [Y/n]?"

You swallow hard and close your eyes, allowing the tears to fall. God, his voice sounds just as calming and perfect and lovely as ever. Despite the eight months of separation, it's the one thing that can bring you back to the last time you heard it—on that training field right before you said goodbye.

"S—Seokjin...is that...you?"

The love of your life gives a small, breathy chuckle. "I told you I'd see you soon, Jagiya. Have you ever known me to be a liar?"

A laugh slips out, tumbling past your weak sobs, and you finally allow him to hear your emotions. "God, yes! You lied about that horrid dress I wore to the MAMAs that one year. I looked terrible, and you looked like a King. You lie all the time, you big oaf."

"Excuse me, I thought you looked like a Queen!" Seokjin scoffs. "That's the last time I try to compliment you."

The lightness in his voice brings a smile to your face. Wiping the tears away with the sleeve of your hoodie, you ask, "Wait, how can you call me? I thought they didn't allow cell phones for Privates."

"They don't, not for Second Class at least. Guess who got a promotion and some special perks along with it?"

You gasp and wiggle in your seat from excitement. "You're First Class now? That's amazing, Jinnie! I'm so damn proud of you."

"I was hoping you'd get all excited," Seokjin says, elated at your response, "but I was starting to think you'd moved on after you wouldn't pick up."

"I didn't know the number, idiot! You know how many scammy calls we all get. Trust me, the last thing I felt like dealing with today was a journalist prying into my love life or asking about my future as an artist."

Your boyfriend makes a sound of understanding, then shifts the conversation. "I know I've written to you before about your song, but I have to tell you now. Jagi, I'm completely serious when I say I've never heard you so excited about anything. Or more passionate. Or sounding more beautiful. Silhouette is a masterpiece. I'm so proud of you." After saying such sweet words, he tosses in a playful scoff. "Although, I have to admit I'm a little pissed I didn't get to hear the process of you making it. And I'll have to ignore the fact that Taehyung-ah got to do that with you. Should've been me!"

You lean your head back against the railing, flashing an infamous smirk. "I know, I know. Believe me, when you get back, we'll compose plenty of music together."

"About damn time!"

There's a lull in the conversation as you stifle your laughter and Seokjin brings his voice down to a normal volume. "So, these phone privileges, how long do you have?"

"A half-hour or so," he replies. "I have my own phone for work at the base. To communicate with my team, that kinda thing, but we're allowed a half-hour a day after shifts to talk to our families. I knew my first call had to be to you."

"Not even your mother? I'm honored."

"Yeaaah, I'll hear about it when I call her tomorrow, trust me." 

Sentimentality tugs at your heart strings at his confession. "I appreciate it, Jinnie. I could use a pick-me-up."

"That reminds me..." He pauses, and there's shuffling on the other line, as if he's getting comfortable and settling in for a long talk. "How have you been, [Y/n]? I know we talk through letters all the time, but..."

"Just not the same?"

"Yeah," he breathes. "Exactly."

You bite your lower lip in anticipation. Half of you wants to tell him everything that's going on. The other half is fighting so hard against it. You just got him back after over half a year. Do you really want your first conversation to be about you? There are so many things you want to hear from him, about his life in the military. Even just to hear his voice would be a relief. Who knows how regular these talks can be.

But the things floating around in your mind have to settle soon, otherwise you might regret inaction.

"So...this can be a regular thing?"

"As regular as every day, if you want it. When I get a new phone, one maybe not made by the military, we can even facetime. How does that sound?"

An immense wave of relief washes over you, causing your to sigh, "God, Seokjin, that—that sounds absolutely perfect. I've missed you."

There's a smile in his voice; even over the phone, you've always been able to tell. "I've missed you, too, [Y/n]-ah. So, tell me. How's life been? How's the album coming, and tour? The boys? Anything on your mind?"

"Awww, but I was going to ask you the same thing. I wanna hear about the military and your work with your new team and how things are going."

"Next time," he laughs. "Promise. I've been dying to hear about the outside world, more than just bits and pieces through letters and word-of-mouth. Tell me what's on your mind; that'll make me so damn happy, you have no idea. And you sound a little pre-occupied. Is there something on your mind?"

Taking his words at face-value, you decide to relent and bring up the subject that's been occupying your mind all afternoon. "Well...if this is going to be a regular thing, I could actually use your advice right now."

"About what?" 

"I'm torn, and I've talked to Namjoon, but there's still so much I need clarity on. If you're up for listening, I'd love you a million times more."

"A million times more than infinity? How can I resist such a pretty lady's request?"

You tell him everything. All your fears, all your dreams, all your reservations and wishes, everything you discussed with Namjoon, and your own thoughts. Seokjin listens intently for the next few minutes, drinking in your words as if they're the last he'll ever hear.

Even with nearly eight months of separation, with nothing but letters to connect you, you pick up on caring for each other as if no time has passed at all.

When you finish your explanation, you wrap up with, "I just—I'm so torn. Like I said, I think deep down I want to do it. I wanna have Silhouette on 'Dream.' I wanna tour with our boys. I wanna live that secret dream and show the world my creativity and work and eight years' worth of effort. I'm just...I'm so terrified, Jinnie. It makes my skin crawl thinking about the stage, the audience, the crowds..."

As you trail off, Seokjin speaks up for the first time in nearly ten minutes. "I know how you feel, better than anyone I think, but I think you're underestimating just how much you've grown and changed. Even, and especially, since December. You've become a lot bolder, a lot more sure of yourself and your music, and a lot more willing to share. This time last year, would you even have thought about releasing your own song? Let along contemplating its addition to our next album?"

"No," you reply, stifling a laugh at the idea of your former self. "Definitely not."

"See? That's exactly what I mean. You've changed, Jagi, in all the best ways. I've seen it. The boys see it. Clearly Bang PD sees it, too. Why else would he ask you several times to join them on tour? It's just been a gradual change, so slow and sneaky you didn't notice it yourself. But look back on the last year. You've come such a long way. I bet, if you wanted to give it a go, you'd find tour invigorating."

"You live for tour, though."

"I didn't at first," he admits. "I was just good at hiding it. As the oldest, I felt it was my job to put on a brave face for the other members." Seokjin groans a little bit at the confession. "You know me. You know how introverted and private I am. I have come to love performing, but there were shows where I almost died of fright. I had to grow and change, just like you are now. It's growing pains, but it will only do you good in the end."

"You really think so?"

"I do." There a hint of pride and warmth in his voice, one you've surely missed. "You asked Namjoon what he would do if he were you. He's as honest as they come, and I have to agree. If I were you—because at one time, I was you—I would take the leap of faith. What's that quote you love so much? 'Take the leap of faith. Aim for the moon. Even if you miss'—"

"—'You'll land among the stars," you grin, mumbling the remaining portion of the saying.

Seokjin gives a deep and amused chuckle. "That's my girl." A beat of silence fills the space. "What're you thinking about, Jagi?"

"That it's been too many damn days without you," you admit, allowing your eyes to flutter shut. "I've counted every one."

"We're on Day 225," your boyfriend agrees. "Don't worry. I've been keeping count as well."

"Only 321 more to go. Didn't think I'd survive 546 days without you, but we're halfway there, so there's hope I suppose."

"You know, that's what I wanted our song to be called originally, but I chickened out and forgot to give it an actual name."

Your eyes open. Staring up at the sky overhead, you see the stars start to twinkle, the moon rise over the buildings, and the sky shift from warm hues to cool tones. "Our song?"

"The one I left you, the one Namjoon gave you. I know we agreed to put it on 'Dream,' but don't you think it should have a proper name?"

"I agree. What was it? '546 Days Without You'?"

Seokjin scoffs at the English phrasing. "Or the Hangul equivalent."

You burst into laughter, hearing him laugh right along with you. "You're such a hopeless romantic."

"Only for you."

"That's a damn lie, Kim Seokjin."

"Okay, okay, Min [Y/n]," he confesses, and you can almost see him lifting his hands in defense. "Caught me in a lie. But I do love you, and that's not a lie."

Your tone softens at his adoring words. "I love you, too."

"So, when do you have to let Namjoon-ah know of your decision?"

"Um..." You pull away from the phone, looking down at he digital clock. It reads just after seven-thirty. "Like, right now? Shit."

"No worries, Jagi," Seokjin says with casual ease. "I'm at my daily limit anyway. I'll text you from this number tomorrow, okay? You'll have to let me know what you decide. Just know, whatever you choose, you have me in your corner."

You pull yourself up from the ground, brushing off your pants and pulling yourself together. "I adore you, you know that?"

"I do," he laughs. "Goodnight, [Y/n]."

"Goodnight, Jinnie. Sweet dreams."

The call ends, and you lower the device from your ear. Your heart is at ease for the first time in what feels like months. The conversation you so desperately needed to have with the person you yearned for most has settled your soul. The restlessness you felt today has subsided, and in its place is certainty and resolve.

Quickly calling Namjoon, you get him on the second ring. "Put it on." It comes barreling out of you like an instinct. Because of that, you know you've made the right decision. "Add Silhouette to 'Map of the Soul: Dream.'"

Namjoon hesitates before asking, "Are you sure? I mean, I'm thrilled! But don't let anything I said pressure you."

"I'm sure," you nod, even if he can't see it. "More sure than I've been in a while."

"All right," he relents, sounding more excited than anything else. "Track thirteen is all yours! Gotta say, cutting it a bit close."

"I know, I know. I'll explain when you get home." You push back into the dorms, leaving the balcony and your fears behind. "Also, is it too late to change a track name?"

"Um...technically no? Which song, and to what? And while I'm at it, why?"

You huff out a sigh, having too much energy to stay home any longer. "Screw it." Grabbing your scarf, you dance towards the door. "I'm coming down there. Give me five."

"Um...okay, but [Y/n]—[Y/n], are you still there? Helloooo? You didn't tell me why we're changing it? What the hell, did I break the connect—"

Taglist — @joyful-jimin​, @gracehiii​, @live-2-fangirl​, @rjsmochii​​

[patandpran]

The Nuisance and the Handsome Prince - A Sarawatine Medieval AU - Chapter 6

Tine is an aspiring Squire who has been training his whole life to work alongside the Kingdom's finest Knights. Sarawat is a Prince who, on the outside, seems fierce and unapproachable. He is disinterested in any of his royal duties, namely his Knight training.

What happens when Tine is assigned to be the fierce and handsome prince's Squire?

Aka The Medieval AU that I can't get out of my head.

Read on Archiveofourown here, Read the prequel by the lovely @sarawatism here

Tine was pleasantly surprised to see the footwork that they had been working on during their dance lessons had translated to Sarawat’s footwork on the training field. It had been a few weeks since they transitioned the focus of their private training sessions from sword work to dance technique and Tine did not mind it too much, especially considering the Prince had agreed to his wage increase which made Tine feel a bit less guilty about the difficulty his family was facing.

It was only a week away from the ball and the court was buzzing with excitement in preparation for the grand event. The King and the Queen had been seen all over the castle giving decor approval and the castle servants were working like bees to get it all ready. It had been several years since the Kingdom had hosted such an event so everybody, even the commoners, were getting excited for the prospect of an evening of jubilant celebration. There was no specific occasion for the ball other than to promote positivity within the Kingdom, which was the reason why Tine had vowed to himself to stay in his room that evening despite the prospect of being able to witness the results of his hard work with the Prince from their dancing lessons.

“You know, I heard it’s going to be a masquerade ball.” Fong murmured one morning over their shared breakfast.

Fong did not always provide completely reliable information but most of his gossip tended to contain at least a grain of truth. Tine was disinterested in the details of the ball but the subject could not be easily avoided considering that it was only a few days away.

“I wonder what design the Prince will wear for his mask.” Fong babbled, always comfortable to keep chatting away even when he was having a conversation with himself. “If he goes for an emotion, it would probably be a still face with a strong brow but I think that might be too close to his usual visage so it would be kind of a redundant choice… What will you wear, Tine?”

“Oh, I am not going to be in attendance.” Tine explained as he picked away at his morning bread.

Fong looked at him with an aghast expression. “You can’t be serious. How could you not attend such an occasion? I would do anything to be able to dress in fine clothes and spend an evening dancing my cares away!”

“Take my place, then.” Tine muttered as he got to his feet and brushed off his pants.

He began to prepare himself for the morning practice as Fong scrambled to his feet, “As much as I would like to, Tine, I will be working that evening. Plus, I don’t think you can just refuse a Royal Invitation…”

“Then I will pretend to be ill that evening.” Tine answered, fastening his sword to his side.

“Tine! You can’t be so focused on work all the time. Plus, the court would take great offence to your lack of attendance.” Fong protested and Tine head the echo of his brother in his friend’s voice. “You deserve an evening of fun, whether you like the idea of it or not.”

“Dancing is not fun.” Tine answered, even though a few images of him and Sarawat laughing together during their dance lesson flashed through his mind, betraying his spoken words. “It’s a social expectation that promotes courtship and decorum. I am not interested in either of those prospects.”

Fong rolled his eyes as he collected up their dishes and stacked them on the tray, “I think you might just surprise yourself, Tine.”

Not knowing what to respond, Tine took off to the morning practice, hoping that he could at least escape the subject of the ball when they were meant to be focusing on the technique of battle.

++++++++

“Today is our last day of practice before the ball.” Trainer Dim announced a few mornings later at the end of training practice and Tine grumbled in response. What else were they going to do with all their free hours?

“Seriously!” Tine protested in a quiet tone that received him a warning hip check from Ohm who was standing right next to Tine.

“Tine, you should be excited. You’re a great dancer.” Ohm stated as he turned to face Tine.

“I don’t feel the need to show off my dancing skills to the court.” Tine muttered in response and kicked at the dirt. “That’s not why I am here.”

Ohm chuckled at his stubborn friend, “I know there’s something inside of you that just wants let go of all the work and focus and concentration and just… have a bit of fun for once!”

“Why do people keep saying I need more fun in my life? Tine protested and was thankful that the Knights were still chatting amongst themselves so they did not have any witnesses to their conversation. “Fong already gave me an earful the other day about it.”

“Fong, your friend who works in the kitchen?” Ohm wondered and seemed a bit perturbed by Tine bringing him up. “I’m worried he’s taking over my role as your best friend. I might need to give this Fong a talking to.”

“Well, you’re always so busy with Lord Mil so pardon me for needing some other form of companionship.” Tine retorted and it was Ohm’s turn to feel a bit guilty.

“It’s not my fault that Mil’s schedule is so full.” Ohm answered and looked over to the group of Knights, Sarawat and Mil amongst them. “The Lord really does not have a free minute and he always demands that I accompany him everywhere.”

“That’s what I appreciate about working for Wat.” Tine answered, starting to do his teardown duties for the end of practice. “He doesn’t need me every second of every day. I have a bit of my own free time, not much but it’s enough.”

“Wat?” Ohm repeated as if it was a swear word that had just passed through his lips. He approached Tine with a look that made Tine wonder if he had just grown an extra head. Ohm continued, “Did you just seriously call the Prince by a nickname? I am beginning to wonder if you are closer than Mil and I…”

“Don’t say another word.” Tine suddenly felt an urgency like no other to shut his friend up. The nickname had slipped through without him even thinking and the embarrassment that he was experiencing was enough to make him choke on his own tongue right then and there. “It’s not what you think. He asked me to call him that!”

“Oh, I think it is exactly what I think.” Ohm had a cheeky look on his face and Tine slapped a hand over his best friend’s mouth before he could continue with his accusations.

And because the universe seemed to have it out for Tine that morning, it was right then that the group of Knights was making their way toward the two squabbling Squires. Tine immediately put distance between he and Ohm and straightened up to a formal stance for the Knights in trainings approach. Ohm did the same but still had a ridiculous smirk on his face.

“Squire Ohm.” The Prince greeted Tine’s friend with a nod and Ohm responded, “Your Highness.”

Shockingly, Sarawat did not seem put off by Ohm addressing him with decorum which made Tine wonder why he was an exception to this rule. But before he could ponder it any further, Lord Mil was nodding at him, “Squire Tine, have you prepared your mask for the ball yet?”

Tine’s mind floundered for a possible response but Sarawat interrupted him, “I had one made for my Squire. It’s a thank you for all his hard work.”

Ohm’s eyes widened and Tine could tell his best friend was stifling a laugh. Tine knew he would have to take his revenge later as Sarawat and the rest of the small crowd that surrounded them were all staring expectantly, waiting for Tine’s response.

“T-thank you.” Tine finally managed to get out, although the words were mostly for show. He could not believe that Sarawat had put him on the spot like this but he wondered if a certain loose-lipped servant had shared some information with the Prince to convince Tine to attend the ball.

Sarawat nodded at the response but Tine could see in the Prince’s eyes that he was holding back a satisfied smile. He would have to have a more specific conversation with the Prince about it later on but he knew that he could not refuse the invitation now that the Prince had spoke of Tine’s attendance so publicly - what a trap Sarawat had set!

“What is the design going to be?” Sir Boss inquired excitedly, looking between Sarawat and Tine.

“You’ll have to see when you get to the ball.” Sarawat explained to his friend before his gaze settled once again on Tine. “I think it will suit Squire Tine quite well…”

Tine could feel his heart racing. He did not like being under the spotlight when it did not have anything to do with his fighting or Squiring skills. What made him feel even worse was the look of suspicion that Lord Mil had etched across his face as he looked between the Prince and Tine.

Thankfully, Tine’s best friend came to the rescue by asking generally to the group, “Does anyone else have their mask completed yet?”

“I got my mask designed by a local blacksmith.” Sir Man declared proudly and Tine’s cheeks burned with the realization that Man was likely talking about his father’s shop. His thoughts were confirmed when Man turned toward Ohm and shared, “Thank you again for the reccomendation, Squire Ohm.”

“You wouldn’t care if his work was good or not.” Boss teased and Tine’s eyes widened. Was he talking about Type? “You just like how the blacksmith looked in all that leather…”

At this, Man pulled Boss into a headlock and dragged him away so that Boss could not say another word. Lord Mil and Sarawat exchanged a surprised look before Mil shared, “Squire Ohm and I must attend my robe fitting for the ball so we will take our leave. I can’t wait to see what both of your masks look like and see if your dancing skills hold up to your fighting skills.”

“I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.” The Prince responded. “Good luck with your fitting.”

Ohm and Mil set off and Sarawat turned toward Tine with an expectant air about him. Tine wished it was appropriate to punch the Prince in his all too perfect face for springing such a thing on him. Sarawat and Tine made their way silently to the Prince’s storage chamber near the field before Tine had the guts to clear the air on the matter.

“I do not wish to attend the ball.” Tine muttered, “But I guess the choice is out of my hands now.”

“I will not have the court miss out on your dancing skills.” Sarawat answered in a teasing tone as he began to take off his armour. “Plus, it will be nice to have someone there who I know has seen my calibre of dancing before I am forced to dance with every potential suitor there. It’s going to be both exhausting and humiliating.”

Tine began to pull the chain mail off of Sarawat and set it aside in his usual method. “I don’t belong there like you do, Wat. This is your birthright and I just…”

Before Tine could continue, Sarawat was inches from Tine’s face. The proximity was dizzying. The Prince was closer to Tine than he had ever been, even when they were dancing and training together. It felt immensely intimate and every part of Tine told him to step back but he was frozen in place.

“You belong here just as I do, Tine.” The Prince stated plainly in a stern tone. “Just because I was born into this does not make you any less worthy to be inside these castle walls. Just because you were born outside does not make you an outsider. You have displayed your ability, your strength and your loyalty in these few weeks we have spent together. Why do you not see your own value?”

Tine was floored by the Prince’s words. Tine did not feel deserving of all the praise and yet, when it came from Sarawat, he could not help but listen. The air in the storage room was thick with tension that Tine desperately wanted to break but he was not sure how.

The Prince was studying him so intensely that Tine felt like he might faint under the pressure but thankfully it was also Sarawat who took a step backward and dropped his gaze to the ground, “I apologize. I am overstepping once again. Please, take your leave. I can handle the rest.”

Tine backed away silently, his head reeling as he did so. A part of him wanted to run beyond the Kingdom limits to escape for all the confusion he was experiencing and another part of him wanted to remain rooted to the spot and just let the Prince continue to simply share space with him. But he somehow found the strength so he made his way toward the door.

But before Tine left, Sarawat called out, “You do have to attend the Ball still. I won’t take no for an answer.”

The last part felt more like an order than Tine had ever given and Tine knew better than to disobey a Prince’s Royal declaration.

+++++++

Phukong had always been in his brother’s shadow but, really, he did not mind it one bit. He was the complete opposite of his cold, closed off brother. He wanted nothing more than to be anyone and everyone’s friend and heavily relied on other’s opinions of him to make him feel competent. It was quite lovely to not have the pressure of being the future ruler as that responsibility fell to Sarawat. This made it a lot easier for Phukong to wander as he pleased and make his mark on the world in a smaller manner.

His mark was his art.

Phukong had been drawing, painting and creating since before he could remember. It was as if he had been born with a paintbrush in his hand and a piece of charcoal in another. His parents had always encourage him to follow this passion. He had always been drawn mostly to landscapes until he saw…. him.

The moment Phukong laid eyes on Lord Mil, he found no better subject for his work. But he did all this in the privacy of his own studio as he was worried about the outside scrutiny of his chosen subject. He painted, sculpted, sketched and drew Mil in any mode that he could manage to get his hands on. He realized it was a bit obsessive but he couldn’t help but be intensely captured by the beauty of his brother’s friend and fellow member of the court.

The only problem was that Lord Mil wanted absolutely nothing to do with him and treated Phukong like a lost puppy rather than a potential confidant. Whenever Phukong tried to approach Mil, Mil would make any and every excuse to leave. At first Phukong thought it might be a coincidence and he was being oversensitive but as time went by, he quickly realized that he was the reason for Mil’s quick escapes. He was the factor that did not belong in the equation but at least he could admire Mil from afar.

Phukong attended the morning training practices quite regularly but made sure not to pay too much attention to Mil and instead opted to observe the Knights in training as a whole. He was quite jealous of the Squire that seemed to be attached to Mil’s hip but, again, he opted to keep his distance to respect Mil’s obvious annoyance with the younger Prince.

Unfortunately a castle is only so big so when Phukong was making his way back from the kitchen for a Midnight snack one evening before the ball, he ran smack dab into Lord Mil’s chest and let out a small cry of surprise.

“Prince Phukong?” Mil questioned and squinted his eyes to confirm the Prince’s identity. “What exactly are you doing out so late, Your Highness?”

Phukong loathed the way that Mil opted to address with such decorum that he knew Mil did not use toward his brother because of their friendship. He looked to his bare feet and muttered, “Just making my way back to my room. I took some food from the kitchen. Don’t tell Sarawat or he will make fun of me. I have always been a bit of a snack hound.”

Shockingly, a small chuckle erupted from Mil at this. Phukong felt his breath hitch in surprise. He was not used to Mil doing anything else in his presence other than avoiding eye contact and looking for the nearest exit. This was something…. new.

“Why are you sneaking through the hallways so late?” Phukong dared to ask.

Mil groaned slightly, “My Father insisted on having another practice because Trainer Dim cancelled the main ones for the last few days. I think he’s worried that your dear brother is starting to catch up with me in terms of my fighting skills.”

“Ah.” Phukong stated, his heart racing. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, “Where is your Squire? Does he not attend these training sessions?”

“I gave Ohm the evening off for once.” Mil explained slowly. “He deserves it.”

The moon shone through one of the castle windows and both young men realized just how late of an hour their conversation was occurring.

“I should be off.” Mill shared and nodded slightly at the Prince. “You need your beauty sleep with how much you’re going to be on display tomorrow.”

Phukong was at a complete loss of words which earned him a smirk from Mil. Phukong wondered if this was all just a dream and that he had never actually woken up from his evening slumber. None of what was going on made any sense.

“I will see you at the ball, Kong.” Mil greeted the Prince before moving past the Prince to make his way toward his own quarters.

Phukong was frozen into place. Mil had called him his nickname.

While Phukong knew not to put too much hope in a single fleeting moment, he also knew that, without hope, the world was a very dark place and so, Phukong chose to follow the light.

[tev-the-random]

A casual Sonic Forces rewrite + some headcanons, because why not

Part 1 – Infinite and Episode Shadow

Just a warning: none of the images used here belong to me! They all belong to SEGA – the game screenshots, the official art and the comic pages.

Next Part ->

I have yet to see the Sonic Movie, because the universe seems devoted on not letting me do so, for some reason. Being as desperate for Sonic content but as determined to not receive spoilers from the movie as I am, I decided to go for the next coolest thing: writing really long and random posts about a game that came out three years ago and no one cares about anymore.

This shall be fun!

(Update: as of posting this, I have finally watched the movie! But I don’t want to throw this away, so I’ll post it anyway. We can have a nice talk about the movie later.)

*“Fist Bump instrumental” intro plays*

*“This is Our World: a New Hero” plays in the background*

I’m the type of person to always try and see the best in every game, and Sonic Forces is no different. Despite its obvious flaws, I love this beautiful game! Mostly the concept of it is one of the coolest things I’ve seen this last decade, but the execution… lacks on a few things. I mostly just fill in the gaps with my imagination and enjoy it nevertheless, but, upon going through the tag and seeing that some of my concerns were shared by other people, I decided to try my hand at rewriting Sonic Forces juuust a tiny bit. Just for fun!

For this first part (and I have no idea how many parts we should have), I’d like to share some of my ideas about…

*Infinite’s Theme plays in the background as I try hard not to sing along*

Oh, my poor jackal boy, what do we do with you? Despite being so heavily promoted and having an undeniably awesome theme song, Infinite’s backstory and general development throughout the game came out as lacking, having the self-proclaimed edgelord become a laughingstock amongst most fans. Nevertheless, I still love Infinite, and it saddens me how much wasted potential he had; it’s like they were trying to write a really interesting character, but gave up halfway through.

So yeah, let’s talk about it. And let us begin with his origin story.

I believe you are all familiar with this scene:

I… I want to defend my boy here, I really do. But honestly, the way this was portrayed, it just sounded like he was throwing a childish tantrum. It seems as if his entire motive for becoming a villain was “Shadow beat him and called him weak”; dude, you’re not the only one: Shadow does this to basically everybody who’s ever crossed his way! We’re not given a reason as to why Infinite gets so bloody offended, nor are we given a reason why we should care.

So, how can we fix this? I think we should firstly focus less on “I’M NOT WEEEEAAAAK!!! URRAAAAGHH!!!” and more on:

It doesn’t need to be – and I don’t even think it can be – as sad of a situation as the Rivaille Squad in Shingeki No Kyojin or anything, but I believe that showing us that Infinite lost something important would already do wonders to his backstory.

The simplest way – that is, the way that doesn’t majorly change how things go, but does give the jackal a clearer motive – to do this would involve the ever so humble inclusion of two new cutscenes and one new in-game battle, plus a few tweaks to some already existing scenes.

Episode Shadow begins not with the usual reading introduction, but rather, with Shadow’s voice. “I was a couple of months before the Doctor took over the world. The first time I encountered him… I didn’t know what he would become.” Then we open with what used to be a couple of months prior (aka where they presented Infinite’s memory, aka where they screwed up), so we’ll go through things in a chronological order instead of having a flashback inside of a prequel, because that’s confusing AF.

Now, instead of starting the Mystic Jungle level immediately, we should get a small cutscene: Shadow gliding through the jungle, cool camera angles/lighting and all – maybe something similar to the opening scene of Episode Shadow in Sonic 06? –, on his way to invade Eggman’s base as a voice coming from the hedgehog’s communicator reminds him about his mission (yep, that’s some subtle exposition to the audience so we don’t think Shadow is there just because). My idea for said mission would be the simple task of retrieving a Chaos Emerald (yeah, remember those?) from Eggman. Nothing too serious; just another day, another emerald stolen like usual; we’ve seen this before, there’s no need for a long dialogue.

As the black-and-red blur crosses the screen, the camera pans to a group of people hiding above in the trees: Squad Jackal. Infinite is not among them. One of the jackals asks “where’ the boss?” to which another one replies that he’s on the other side of the base/talking to the Doctor/whatever and they have no time to waste; their mission is to take down the intruder and protect the base. We get something in the lines of “the boss is counting on us. Expect no mercy, show no weakness. Let’s go!” and the camera fades out as the squad drops from the trees and runs after Shadow.

I believe that having the phrase “show no weakness” – or any possible reference to “I’m not weak”, really – appear earlier as seemingly common and then have it become something the character gives a lot of importance to due to consequences and parallels sounds a bit more interesting than having Infinite’s inferiority complex come out of nowhere.

The Mystic Jungle level plays as usual, except the dialogue in the background doesn’t say that “the Defence Squad has already been completely annihilated”, but rather that “the Defence Squad is on the case. They’re the best mercenaries there are, Shadow won’t stand a chance!” because Doctor Eggman is naive like that.

Once we reach the end of the level there’s another change: a boss battle against Squad Jackal. You see, we don’t want to hear the squad was taken down like some sort of lazy exposition, because it feels incomplete; we want to participate, we want to be the protagonist and see with our own eyes just what is Infinite’s squad. This gives faces and voices to something that will become an important plot point instead of just telling us “yeah, this happened or whatever”. This could also play as some sort of sympathy point for Infinite, because we, while in control of Shadow, took down his squad; it makes the villain’s animosity towards Shadow and his general anger at least a bit more understandable.

The idea is that this battle should play as some sort of field fight – that is, differently than most boss battles in Sonic Forces, this is not a racing track where you attack your enemy while running, but rather a large secluded area, much like the one we get in the fight between the Custom Hero and the DeathEgg Robot –, where squad members would attack individually in different patterns before going for a group attack. The individual jackals would have both projectile (perhaps something like a wispon, knives or some Eggman invention to keep it family friendly enough?) and close-ranged attacks, while the group attack would consist of this mass of wild jackals changing at you, trying to run you over. The opportunity windows could be either the moment when the opponents switch or band together for the group attack.

(I don’t know, maybe some of you can think of better ways to fight the Jackal Squad? This is just a random idea! I’d like to hear different ones!)

Once the fight is over, we get another cutscene: Shadow stands among the fallen jackals – don’t worry, they’re… sleeping… yeah, there’s no visible blood, they’re not dead… except they’re totally dead – and looks around for a second or two. His expression is indecipherable, and he soon leaves without saying a word – one might say he feels bad for them, or maybe he doesn’t give a damn; we leave that open to interpretation. Not a moment passes and we get to see the leader of the squad arriving at the scene. The camera moves in a circle around him as he looks at his fallen comrades in shock. How did this happen? They were the strongest, how could his whole squad be dead? This is a rather touching moment, where Infinite sticks his sword (because in his origins comic he used to have a super cool red sword and I want to pretend we have a reason for it not existing in the game) to the ground; there’s a feeling of anger and vengeance going on as we get a closer look at the last standing jackal. He clenches his fists and faces the direction of Shadow. “Expect no mercy, show no weakness,” he says in an infuriated, strangled voice. He starts to run and the camera fades out.

(Look at his sword and his squad, man. I do wish we could have seen them in the game…)

When the camera fades in again, we get that exact same cutscene from the game. Blah blah, “destroyed my squad”, blah blah, “ultimate mercenary”, a legendary ass whooping and Infinite falls to the ground, weak, pathetic and defeated.

Now, I’d like to add just a few lines to their dialogue, because this:

Doesn’t really sound like Shadow to me. I mean, man: you beat this random guy to the ground, called him worthless and pathetic out of nowhere and then you just leave? I know Shadow is rather apathetic and he’s supposed to be savage and all, but this just felt kind of out of place…

So instead of going full rude mode, what Shadow actually says is:

‘You’re part of the Defence Squad, aren’t you? Why would a bunch of mercenaries work for the Doctor? What is he hiding?’

‘The doctor paid well enough to not have his secrets spilled,’ Infinite retorts while trying to get up. He’s too hurt to do much, but he’s still willing to fight. He looks at Shadow with fiery eyes as he continues, ‘My squad… you took them down like they were nothing… why wouldn’t someone as strong as you be a mercenary?’

‘Mercenary work is for the weak,’ the hedgehog states matter-of-factly. ‘I’ve sworn to protect, not to follow the dirty line of work you did.’

This blows Infinite’s mind and he simply stares at Shadow, dumbfounded. He murmurs, ‘weak? How dare you, I’m not… We’re not weak! We’re the squad o-’

‘Where’s the Chaos Emerald?’ The jackal’s statement is completely ignored. However, Infinite is having none of this, so tries to attack Shadow once again in a fit of rage, only for the hedgehog to give him a signature roundhouse kick free of charge.

(Image merely illustrative)

‘What a waste of my time,’ Edgelord Number 1 says, aware that he’s not getting any useful information from this. He steps closer and Edgelord Number 2 flinches, ‘here’s some advice: don’t show your face around me ever again, or else I will finish you.’

And with that, Shadow teleports away, leaving Infinite to his existential crisis. He wasn’t able to avenge his friends; he wasn’t able to protect the base; heck, he wasn’t even able to hold his title of ultimate mercenary! How useless of a leader was he? Were mercenaries truly weak? Everything they’ve done… was it all worthless? Show no weakness… what did it even mean? They were all defeated, and Infinite can’t shake the feeling that he’s to blame for it. Wasn’t he supposed to be the best?

‘What is this? I’m…’ He looks at his hands, which are trembling ‘I’m shaking? I flinched? I... We failed… How pathetic… All because…’

Infinite stops as if he’s just gotten a moment of clarity. He then gets up and starts walking inside Eggman’s base. ‘I’m not weak,’ he says in a decided, chilling whisper; it’s almost scary. The view is set at the entrance, right in front of the jackal so that he starts blocking the light from the outside as he slowly walks towards the camera - while saying in that scary voice, “No mercy, no weakness”.

(I can totally see Liam O’Brien delivering this line perfectly…)

Then the last expository narrating happens about the same, except that Shadow narrates it – giving continuity to the fact that he was the one who started narrating this episode for a reason I will talk about later –, so we change a few words to match his speech more; it’s all in the third person and very husky and brooding, but with a subtle note of dread (oh, if only Jason Griffith would voice it… No disrespect to Kirk Thornton, but he just doesn’t hit Shadow’s perfect voice like Jason did; for me, at least. His Orbot voice is fantastic, though).

Now, instead of having Infinite looking forward for a few seconds before he gets the Phantom Ruby out of nowhere and places it in his chest very anti-climatically, we’ll do something different: as soon as he puts on the mask, he starts walking away, and we change settings to a dimly lit room, where we see Infinite from behind, fitting the frame perfectly. Following the beat of the background music, the camera changes to a close shot of his masked face as he’s holding the Phantom Ruby, which is glowing, reflecting on his mask and giving us a beautifully red-lit scene; it’s possible to hear very low, indiscernible whispers coming from the jewel. We then hear a small, evil chuckle from the masked jackal – he already sounds rather different from the guy who stuck his sword to the ground in honour of his friends earlier. The screen goes black, the whole “I was… Reborn!” thing dramatically happens in Infinite’s echoing voice and the not-flashback is over.

(I know this last part was quite specific and oddly detailed, but I had the scenes very clear in my head I wanted to try conveying how intimidating it looked to me o3o)

Ok, now that that’s done, prepare yourselves for an intermission. And by that, I mean prepare yourselves for a long analytical commentary on what I just wrote.

*”This is Our World: Phase 2″ plays in the background*

(Who is Shadow working for again? I don’t even know, man…)

Shadow isn’t just the guy who called Infinite pathetic. He’s the guy who killed Infinite’s squad (his friends) without any apparent remorse – and to be hypocrite as to say he’d sworn to protect when he just did something like this (yeah, Infinite doesn’t know any context of Shadow’s life, so of course he doesn’t understand what he meant); the guy who ruined everything he had going with his new job as leader of the Defence Squad; the guy who put him several levels under what he thought he was; the guy who questioned his entire way of living and the guy who put him under a lingering threat; “don’t show your face around me ever again” feels more intimidating now. Not only that, but, despite how Infinite might hate Shadow, he recognizes him as strong, admirable even – “why wouldn’t someone as strong as you be a mercenary?” Remember that Infinite himself is a mercenary; to actually acknowledge someone would be good at something you’re good at, specially someone you don’t like, has to be a sign of admiration, albeit a frustrating one. All of this puts a lot more of weight on how Infinite thinks of Shadow and why being stronger than the hedgehog is so important to him.

I made it so that “expect no mercy, show no weakness” is something like the Jackal Squad’s motto, their philosophy. I like to think it means that they should never count on someone’s mercy, for their enemies won’t spare them; they should always go into battle aware that they might actually be fighting for their lives. At the same time, they should always stand their ground and never let anyone think they can take advantage of a squad member. This is what the jackals live for. But seeing as Infinite’s world has just been shattered and he failed hard on everything, he revises his mentality. “No mercy, no weakness” is what he’s going for now, as he wants to be above everyone, he wants to effectively be the strongest and for people to know that; he will be the one who doesn’t spare others, and he won’t be weak at all. Never again would a failure cost him that much, for never again would he fail.

To have Infinite place the Phantom Ruby on his own chest in Episode Shadow contradicts the opening scene of the main campaign. Remember the episode is a prequel to Sonic Forces’ main game, so it shouldn’t be completely detached from it; things must make sense when put together. As the main game begins by showing us Infinite inside of a tube in Eggman’s lab, we can assume one of two things: he’s either a robot/biological experiment created entirely by the scientist, or he’s a guy who’s been experimented on, thus Eggman was the one who placed the Phantom Ruby on him. With this in mind, it wouldn’t make sense to show us Infinite doing something if you’re going to tell us that he couldn’t have possibly done it on his own. But to have him hold the ruby as someone who deeply desires its powers and who listens to its ominous whispering? Not only does it line better with the aforementioned scene, but it also makes Infinite seem more prone to the ruby’s power (instead of just… you know, “random angry dude”).

As this intermission has gone on long enough, I’ll only make a brief commentary on the Phantom Ruby: I like the idea of the ruby being somewhat alive and exerting influence over Infinite. Now, I won’t say it’s the kind of influence where it justifies his horrible behaviour or the awful things he did. It’s less “mind-control” and more “that best friend who always encourages you and never calls you out on your bullshit”. Its grooming Infinite’s ego and just nudging him to keep making bad decisions, to keep shutting himself in this new reality where he’s all powerful and above everyone else. So it’s the jackal’s pride, spite and grief, along with Eggman’s overall encouragement and the Phantom Ruby’s influence all put together that, in a general sense, make Infinite what he is. (I can go into more detail about this idea once I make a Part 2.)

Mission Accomplished: “angry bitchy boy turned edgy, OP and unimpressed” changed his status to “tragic boy turned edgy, bitter and extremely power-hungry”.

Intermission’s over, let’s get back to the story!

With Infinite’s backstory slightly redone (or rather, shown under a different light), I could stop right here. But I don’t want to, oh no! I say we take this a few steps further and just finish Episode Shadow! Yeah, I told you this was going to be a long post.

*”Battle with Infinite: Second Bout” plays in the background*

Ok, now we cut to a few months later, where Episode Shadow would originally begin. Rouge comments that Omega was on recon mission in that “unknown base of operations that seems to be totally outside the chain of command for Eggman’s army” (whatever that is supposed to mean) when he spotted an unidentified masked person with strange energy readings and an unknown battle ID. Omega reported a “large scale troop” and… that’s it, he just stopped talking. Rouge then talks about that “new weapon” Eggman was supposedly developing and sends Shadow to the base to investigate along with Omega. She makes a remark about how they should get the entire Team Dark together for this (“It should be fun”), but Shadow dismisses the idea, saying that he’s enough on his own. “Omega said the same thing. You two go together like chilli and hot dogs.”

We can keep this at the whole “dialogue on screen” thing. I don’t really mind and it sure spares the budget.

The City stage plays as usual, except the dialogue in the background changes a bit, because Team Dark bickering (or just talking in general, I love this team so much) is my jam.

‘E-123 Omega here. Extermination proceeding without incident. No problems to report.’

‘Omega!’ Rouge exclaims, ‘Why have you stopped responding earlier? We- wait, extermination? This is supposed to be a recon mission, what are you doing?!’

‘I was spotted. Priorities conflicted; therefore I decided to eliminate the enemy altogether. New Mission Objective: Defeat Eggman.’

‘But you can’t go making a scene like that!’

‘See, this is what happens when you send the giant killer robot for this kind of op,’ Shadow sasses. And I’ll imagine Jason’s voice for this too, thank you.

‘I have several reports of recon missions where you retaliated, Shadow.’

‘I might have to join you boys soon enough. I turn my back for five seconds and this happens…’ Rouge comments in a tired voice.

Omega is ready to start robotically recounting the reports of failed recon missions where Shadow retaliated, but he is suddenly cut by static and the vague sound of the Phantom Ruby. Rouge tries to contact him again and we get small bits of his original lines here – “All sensors offline”, “Casualty report”, “Unidentified system intrusion. Emergency withdrawal!” and “I am E-123 Omega, the most powerf-sjfpstswq”, that stuff – before his communication is completely cut. Shadow asks something like “what’s going on?”, but his communication with Rouge is cut as well. We play whatever’s left of the level in silence (except for the sweet background music).

(Oh yeah, this happened or whatever…)

Now, I know the next scene is a screen dialogue again, and I know I just said I don’t mind it, but watching this:

… Is so bloody uncomfortable. This feels dumb. This is so dumb. I feel like they robbed us an epic scene in exchange of some awkward reading with absolutely no context. What the hell is “!” supposed to mean?! What did Infinite do?! If I wanted to imagine the action scenes all on my own, I’d spend my time daydreaming! What, did they not know what to do here so they just threw in some random lines to fill the gap between this and the next level?!

… Sorry, I got a little carried away. This simple scene frustrates me a lot by not existing. So yeah, we’re throwing in a cutscene.

(I just noticed how salty this post is getting. This was not my intention at all, I still love this game, oh dear…)

Shadow reaches the edge of the city and encounters a dark silhouette hovering just above the flames that cover the ground; there’s debris scattered everywhere. The figure has its back turned, and the world seems to glitch ever so slightly around them.

‘The world’s most powerful robot is no more a challenge than crabmeat. Even the Doctor’s most daring designs can’t compete with my power… It is without peer,’ the figure chuckles to themselves.

Shadow starts approaching silently, analysing the situation. Despite this being Omega’s location, he can’t see the robot.

‘Wonder how easy it would be to end this entire planet. Don’t you…’

Suddenly, the voice speaks close to the hedgehog’s ear:

‘…Shadow?’

He turns around to see that the unknown person has appeared behind him, which throws him off. The hedgehog takes several steps back and puts himself in a fighting stance.

It’s hard to see past the jackal’s mask, but he seems amused as he looks down on Shadow. Twistedly so.

‘How wonderful to see that our not-so-tall, dark and brooding guest has arrived. I’ve been waiting for you, Shadow~’

‘Tell me what you did to Omega. Now,’ the agent demands.

‘Oh, come now, Shadow. Our long-awaited reunion and still you spout such nonsense.’ Infinite floats down to stand a few meters away from his enemy.

‘I don’t know you,’ Shadow states. The masked jackal tilts his head, but doesn’t say anything, so he asks again, ‘what have you done to Omega?’

‘Only what is ought to be done when someone stands in your way. Weaklings like E-123 Omega are of no consequence, don’t you agree?’

‘The only thing of no consequence is that big mouth of yours.’

Shadow launches himself at Infinite, who easily avoids his attack. The jackal starts laughing manically.

‘Ah, I suppose you would think so,’ he states. ‘After all, it’s not so funny to be the one losing the battle, is it? I am Infinite. You say you do not know me, and yet I remember you so very well… I’ve lost all I was, I’ve become what I am because of you. Savour that thought as I return the favour.’

Guess what happens? That’s right, we get another boss battle! I think it’s only fair that Infinite gets to have his rematch with Shadow. Besides, it establishes a comparison with the “old” Infinite and how much stronger he’s now – from Shadow’s perspective, that is.

I have no idea how this battle would play out. Maybe something similar to his second battle in the main story (no, don’t worry: we’ll talk about the exceeding amount of Infinite battles in the next part), with the 2D layout. Let’s say Infinite is surrounded with his Red Cubes of Doom while he’s not attacking, so you can’t touch him. Maybe he makes the fire glitch and get closer to you at some point. Maybe he makes clones and you have to defeat each of them to get to the real guy, I don’t know! Tag your ideas, I’d love to see them! ^^

Anyway, once the battle’s over and Shadow “wins” (because Infinite is not defeated, he’s just done with this fight), the jackal might say something in the lines of “I suppose I’ve let this duel go on for long enough. I have other matters to attend to, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

We get back to the cutscene and Infinite is glitching a bit, quickly recomposing himself, laughing. Shadow is panting.

‘What’s the matter, Shadow? Can’t take down a measly jackal anymore?’ The masked one says sarcastically. ‘It seems like I’ve overestimated your strength. You’re no fit to be a mercenary at all.’

There’s a beat and Shadow realises what this is about. He looks at Infinite, frowning. ‘It’s you… Defence Squad Jackal…’

Infinite stares at the hedgehog. He doesn’t seem to be as amused anymore. His golden eye’s glowing under his mask, and so is the Phantom Ruby on his chest. A tense background music plays as Infinite answers dryly:

‘Yes.’

‘I’ve spared you, but now you’re going too far. It’s time to finish this! Chaos Spear!’

The spears of light simply go through Infinite as if they didn’t exist. Shadow goes for a spin dash/homing attack/kick to the face or whatever you can think of, but the masked villain glitches out of the way with ease and lands an almost perfect copy of Shadow’s roundhouse kick.

The hedgehog glides across the floor, almost falling over. Infinite scoffs.

‘This new “me” has limitless power. I have no mercy; no weakness! I am the true ultimate force that will tear this world apart, and what may have worked to bring me down before…’ the jackal starts floating again; thousands of red cubes start dancing around him and, as he raises a hand, they all group in the sky not far above them. ‘… No longer does.’

(Why yes, this is a reference to Mephiles the Dark and that time he destroyed the Sceptre of Darkness!)

Infinite throws his “Take THIS!” and Shadow does the “!” – which is him frantically trying to get out of the way as the thousands cubes of doom come crashing down on him.

The screen goes black.

Scene ends.

The Virtual Reality level should play as usual from there. I don’t even want to change the background dialogue, because I really like it: it’s confusing, it’s weird, it’s unsettling and it slaps Shadow in the face in a way that we rarely see. I love it! (Although, I do think the gameplay should have a tiny little bit more of 3D parts. We love Green Hill, but we also love the freedom to move on more than two directions when playing as the Ultimate Life Form. But it’s cool)

After that, we could get another cutscene (we’re full of cutscenes, huh? Well, this is a hypothetical rewriting with a hypothetical budget. Also, Episode Shadow is more of an exposition episode anyway). In this cutscene, we would start with some shots of different known locations: Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Crisis City, Mystic Jungle, Kingdom Valley, Babylon Garden, you name it! And all of these places are somewhat “corrupted”; they’re glitching out, full of those red cubes, and there’s just this ominous atmosphere in them, as if they’re abandoned, desolated despite looking roughly the same as ever. We then see a black-and-red blur cross the screen, and a short narration takes place:

“I’ve been here for longer than I can remember. This… alternate reality, this fake world. There seems to be no escape. Rouge and Omega talk to me occasionally…”

We see Shadow leaning against a wall. His communicator plays only white noise, then Rouge’s voice comes in; it’s strangely echoed as it calls out to him. Shadow throws the device far away and sighs.

“… They’re fake too. No matter where I go, no matter how much I run…”

Shadow is skating through Pumpkin Hill or something, when the world suddenly starts to glitch out massively; we hear the Phantom Ruby’s noise and suddenly, we’re on the ARK.

“It’s like this place was made to torture me. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.”

‘I’ve moved on from this a long time ago,’ Shadow says to the void of the Universe as we hear gunshots in the distance. He’s not being completely truthful. ‘Putting me through this scenario dozens of times changes nothing. Don’t you have anything more creative at this point?’

There’s silence, except for the shouts in the Space Colony. A voice calls out to Shadow, and he promptly ignores it, albeit with a pained look in his eyes. He’s visibly tired, almost hopeless, if one could ever describe Shadow the Hedgehog that way.

He sighs.

‘Alright, how do I get out of this one?”

We then get a start of a short level in the ARK. Don’t worry, it’s not one of those hellish mazes that usually haunt every ARK level there ever was; this is more straight forward, with doors closing all around you so that you know where you shouldn’t go, and some G.U.N. robots trying to kill you, simple thing.

The catch happens when you’re halfway through the level: as you’re crossing a long corridor, the game begins to “crash” – in the sense of you losing control of the character, the visuals beginning to glitch and the soundtrack going weird, all in a way that makes the soul leave the body of the player for a terrifying four seconds of “HOLY SHIT, I BROKE THE GAME”. But nope, you didn’t break the game: the Phantom Ruby is trolling you. We soon find that out as the signature noise plays and the glitching effect on screen disperses to show a new scenario: Mystic Jungle. The real Mystic Jungle. Congratulations: you get to play in a totally different zone for the rest of the level.

‘My head…’ Shadow murmurs to himself. ‘That was too quick; this can’t be right, it- ugh, why is it so bright here? Where are all the red things? This place seems too normal… is it… am I back in the real world?!’

We then finish the level, get our nice score and head to the last scene of the episode.

Shadow is going through the jungle, taking in everything that isn’t an illusion. He passes by a red sword stuck to the ground and leans against a tree, still a little out of it, still struggling to believe that anything is real anymore. The hedgehog then takes his communicator – surprisingly intact; hadn’t he thrown that away? – and tries to make contact. There is static for a moment, when suddenly…

‘Shadow? Oh my- Shadow, is that you?!’

He’s startled for a moment, but so relieved to hear Rouge’s normal voice again.

‘It’s me, Rouge. What’s the situation? Where’s Omega?’

‘Omega? We lost contact with him months ago; the Resistance says he must have been shut down after the Doctor took over!’

Shadow raises both his non-existing eyebrows in surprise, barely holding a gasp. He then frowns.

‘Shut down? Resistance? What do you mean “the Doctor took over”? What the heck happened?’

‘What happened? What happened?! I should be the one asking you that! You’ve been offline for six months! Everyone keeps saying you’re working with Eggman and Infinite, and I couldn’t contact you or Omega, I thought… I thought we’d lost you for good…’

‘Nonsense,’ Shadow states. We start hearing voices in the distance, and the hedgehog starts looking around while still talking ‘I’ll tell you the details later, it’s long story. What’s the current situation?’

‘Shadow…’

The (Tired) Ultimate Life Form spots something from behind the trees. Still in hiding, he looks closer only to see the Custom Hero holding the prototype Phantom Ruby they just found and talking to Tails and… Classic Sonic, much to Shadow’s confusion.

‘… We’re at war.’

Shadow takes a moment to process what’s just been said. He doesn’t even pay attention to what Rouge says next (neither do we, as the background music starts getting louder than the bat’s voice). He still watches the avatar, Tails and Classic Sonic as they leave; he focuses on the Phantom Ruby.

‘Meet me in the City. I’ve got a lot to tell you,’ Shadow says.

And with that, he leaves, the scene fades out and Episode Shadow is over!

*”The Light of Hope: Menu Version” plays in the background*

Now, a few more analytical notes before we close this ridiculously gigantic thing:

The immediate reason why we have Shadow being stuck in the Virtual Reality for six months is to indicate to us why he doesn’t show up earlier in the main game. It’s not like he was being useless this whole time and just decided to show up whenever it was most Ex-Machina of him; much like Sonic, he was trapped by the enemy. A mental trap that put Shadow on survivor mode for months without any way of communicating with anybody; with twisted versions of his friends trying to get to him and remind him that, hey, they’re still out there, probably in high danger; with these illusions mocking him, reminding him of painful memories, isolating him in familiar places… I say: if you want to emotionally hit a character, hit them hard. And this experience is bound to leave Shadow with some emotional scar, alright.

(Ever heard of conveniently coming out of nowhere?)

Shadow is bound to lose his sense of reality and sometimes it should be hard for him to acknowledge that this is the real world. I hope I can showcase some of his reactions in the later parts of this o3o

The Virtual Reality isn’t all glitchy by mistake. No, no: Infinite is perfectly capable of making a “perfect copy” of the real world, but he doesn’t want to. He wants Shadow to know this is a fake world and to know that he’s completely trapped in it while his real friends and allies are out there doing who-knows-what in a world run by the enemy. He wants to throw Shadow off-balance as much as he can, because he’s spiteful and doesn’t just leave the hedgehog to the side without a second glance.

In the game, Infinite says that they didn’t really have time to tune his power yet, so we can tell putting Shadow in the Virtual Reality was more of a practice of sorts. But man, I think this is too much of a cool concept, so I’ll say Infinite did put his power to the test before all of this; because Eggman, sir: you don’t simply throw your super-secret, amazing, unparalleled weapon in the battlefield without testing it first. This is something that can be inferred, it doesn’t need to be directly told, it just- I’m telling you this right now, ok?

I know Shadow is supposedly “over” this conflict with what happened in the ARK and it probably feels over-used to add it in again, but… it’s a thing the games haven’t tackled in such a long time, I feel like this would be a nice call-back. Besides, Infinite would want to know what would bring distress to Shadow; what happened in the ARK isn’t exactly a secret, especially if he’s working with Eggman. And Shadow can be as “over it” as he wants: it’s still a scar that will never truly leave him. Even if he watches it happen dozens of times, it’s still at least a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

ALTHOUGH! I also think this ARK level could be easily replaced with some other random level if you want to argue that Forces happens in Mobius or something, where Gerald and Maria and G.U.N. maybe never existed and whatnot.

What brought Shadow back, you ask? Well, it probably has to do with a certain someone spontaneously activating a Phantom Ruby. Maybe the avatar was thinking of Shadow and how it’d be nice to have him on their side again? Maybe they were thinking of undoing Infinite’s evil deeds? Maybe the raw power of the Phantom Ruby prototype being suddenly activated by the Custom Hero just crashed something another Phantom Ruby user did, like magnetic waves interfering with each other? Who knows?

I also find it important to show the Custom Hero here not only to show that there’s a connection between Shadow’s sudden freedom and their actions, but also to establish the tiniest amount of early familiarity between Shadow and the original character. Then maybe (maybe) I’ll give them a bit more of interaction in the main game, because it’d be nice to have a cool interaction with Shadow; and as endearing as his smile after the avatar does their thing with the sun of destruction is, it feels like it comes out of nowhere, if you think about it…

(I mean... Does he even know who we are?)

Infinite’s sword stuck to the ground goes completely over Shadow’s head, as he has no idea what that is or who it belonged to or what it means. It’s really just there for the viewer to reminisce the beginning of the episode and have a slight existential crisis.

When playing the main campaign, we get some pretty convenient information from Shadow once he finally shows up. Episode Shadow should give us a sense of how he knows those things. Want it or not, he did spend a long time studying the Phantom Ruby’s power far more closely than anybody else – well, maybe Sonic spent almost as much time as Shadow in a similar state, but that’s something to cover in another part.

The fact that Shadow is the one narrating this entire episode is supposed to allude to him telling Rouge exactly what happened during those six months he was gone. But if you want to read it as him talking to himself in the Virtual Reality as he slowly descends into madness, then be my guest!

I don’t know if it’s noticeable, but I’ve tried to tune Infinite’s cheesiness down a bit. I don’t think I can rid him of it entirely – after all, he is somewhat of a pompous, edgy, over-the-top character in general; he’s a full-on drama queen 24/7 and the only character cheesier than him is Sonic. Now, what we do with Infinite is to at least give a base to what he says. Also, I wanted him to sound a bit more like he lets the power get to his head. Oh well, I surely hope we’ll be tackling more of Infinite in the future!

Episode Shadow is extremely short, even for a DLC. I mean, it’s about only 20 minutes long – even less, if you’re good at it! With the addition of the cutscenes, the small changes, the boss fights against Squad Jackal and Infinite, and the added levels, the episode shouldn’t get overwhelmingly longer, but longer enough for it to feel more satisfying!

And with that, we’re done! I hope you enjoyed this massive thing. Despite me really liking Sonic Forces, I do think a few things could be improved. It’s not like it will happen, but rewriting is a lot of fun!

And why, no: I don’t take myself seriously.

[voltage-vixen]

S2 Main Story: Kazuomi Review

Let me start off by saying, I really didn’t have any intentions on using my hearts in this route. I’ve been growing more annoyed with the LC concept especially since the number of hearts required to get the “good” endings increased and I wanted to save my hearts for two other characters I “accidentally” fell in love with. For those who follow my blog, you already know that I didn’t stay true to this, and I ended up with the Eden Ending. Because of LC, I really didn’t want to admit this, but I thought the story was AMAZING! Unlike the guilty feeling I felt for spending the hearts in Boss’s route, there was no buyer’s remorse this time around! My review will be based on the fact that I unlocked all the cg special scenes, and ended up with the SHE & EE (You automatically get the SHE if you make it to the EE). WARNING! There will be spoilers below the cut!

Our prologue cuts to a scene where we see our dear MC saying goodbye to the infamous trio, featuring Kazuomi, Yuzuru, & Kei. MC was just recently promoted to the EAC’s headquarters, which is in New York City. She gives them each a present, and then departs for the plane, where she expresses excitement for her new job, yet mourns the loss of time with her boyfriend. Though the three guys know that MC is leaving for work, she did not disclose her new location to them. Imagine MC’s shock, when she is finally at the EAC headquarters, and Kauzomi’s helicopter makes a grand entrance right outside of the building.

(She’s probably not wrong about this!)

MC is furious at Kazuomi for not saying anything to her about showing up in New York, let alone how he even knew that’s where she was going to be. This led to the couple discussing secrets in their relationship. Both concluded that given the nature of their careers, keeping secrets from each other would be something that was inevitable. Together they create some ground rules for their relationship, and this leaves MC wondering if they will ever be able to grow closer as a couple, because Kazuomi is very open about the fact that they both are who they are and that they shouldn’t change.

Meanwhile, it’s time for MC to go undercover again. Boss makes her sign a contract waiving all liability from the EAC if she dies on this mission. This makes MC uneasy, considering that her family and friends have no idea what she does for a living. Kazuomi is the only one that knows, and she couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if she died. Would he just continue with his life? Despite these doubts running through her head, she reluctantly signs the contract anyway. Her new life as the “goddess of bad deeds”, aka Mako, begins as she pretends to be a hostess in a parlor that she owns, that deals with the shadiest of men around. This is where she meets her target Stanley and is shocked when Stanley introduces her to his partner Kazuomi. This makes MC start to ponder her relationship with Kazomi, wondering if he’s always going to be on the opposite side of her investigations.

Kazuomi leaves with “Mako” and they have an awkward exchange about keeping secrets, when MC tries to question Kazuomi about his intentions. Kazuomi leaves her with instructions to call him if she wants to go out again, because he felt she would say no if he tried asking her out. These words sting MC, but she does eventually contact them in hopes of sincerely making up. At least to me, this is where I started to see Kazuomi soften a bit. One of the rules they made for their relationship was to make-up in the bedroom. Kazuomi wanted to be 100% certain that MC was wanting to sleep with him for the right reasons. She assured him she did and ushered him to the shower so she could search his place for clues. While most people would probably be aggravated that their significant other was snooping through their belongings, Kazuomi is a good sport, and leaves little surprises for her in places he knew she would check.

MC starts to try and get closer to the target Stanley, which begins to bring out Kazuomi’s jealous side. They become closer, and Kazuomi even offers to be the MC’s “home” if she wanted him to be. It was nice to start to see the walls come down between them. Things begin to escalate in the investigation, and at one point, MC pretended to betray Kazuomi in hopes he would leave America to avoid getting arrested. Feeling awful for tricking him, MC goes to meet Stanley and she’s shocked to see Kazuomi come storming in. Kazuomi and MC end up escaping together. He’s devastated that Stanley injured her in the process, and he lets down his guard, when he embraces her and refuses to let go. It’s such a sweet scene and cg!With the help of Yuzuru and Kei, they manage to outwit Stanley, and he gets arrested by the CIA.

The SHE is super sweet! MC tears up that contract that she signed earlier with Boss, and then she and Kazuomi have their own celebration. Kazuomi admit his priorities have changed, and how he loves MC and he doesn’t want to lose her. They both agree to discard the rules they previously made for their relationship. MC also finds out that Kazuomi had a tracker placed in the necklace he gave her, which allowed him to follow her to New York. MC doesn’t get mad at him, and instead is happy that he cared that much to come be with her. They end up getting steamy, and the next morning watch the sunrise from Kazuomi’s private balcony. Sitting on a bench, drinking coffee, sharing a blanket while they are both naked is how the SHE ends. (My current avatar is the cg from the SHE.)

If you got the EE, then you will be able to read it, immediately after the SHE. The EE was HOT! And the MC was bold! Kazuomi was offering to take her on a date, and MC wanted to stay in bed with him all day! (Can’t say I blame her though.)

I literally gasped in happiness when I read the EE, so I highly recommend it, because it gets 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥! You also get another cg (that’s hot) if you get the EE. 

Overall, the story started off a bit slow, but the pacing did get much better as it went on. The plot was interesting, and I loved seeing Kazuomi act jealous and vulnerable. I much preferred this story over his S1 MS, and Kazuomi jumped up pretty high on my top character list. I really fell in love with him, and I wasn’t expecting to!

I would recommend reading this story! 💕

I hope this review helps out!

[theycallmebeccawrites]

Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 3.5

With Tumblr holding my original writing blog @beccaheartschrisevans captive (aka flagged as explicit), I have made a secondary writing blog and may end up closing the other all together. In the meantime, I am reposting all of my stories on my new blog.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: strong PG-13

Warnings: Borderline graphic description of the male anatomy

Episode Summary: Takes place in March 2013. Ellie has a video chat with her sisters to tell them about her new job and living situation.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological.  It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future.  However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 3

Episode 3.5: Sister Talk

March 30, 2013

Ellie sat on the leather sofa in the basement of the main house as she waited for the video call to connect. She hadn’t intended on telling Chris about her biweekly video chats with her three sisters, but as she stared at his big screen TV she was super glad she had, because he had shown her how to do video call on it.

The last video chat she’d had with all three of her sisters had been a couple days before her first meeting with Chris and she hadn’t told them anything about her new job or living situation just in case the whole thing fell through. Even now that everything was official, she was still a bit nervous about telling her sisters.

Eyes focused on the TV screen, Ellie grinned the second her sisters’ faces appeared in their separate boxes. She waved at them and greeted them each by name.

“Syd!” or Sydney was her oldest sister at 30 years of age. She was married to the best brother-in-law a girl could ask for, Garrett, and they lived in Seattle, Washington. They were also the parents to Ellie’s nephew, Noah, who was five years old and her niece, Chloe, who was three years old.

“Izzy!” or Isabelle was Ellie’s second youngest sister and her best friend in the entire world. Just under three years separated 27 (almost 28) year old Ellie and 25 year old Izzy, which meant they had been close. Unlike the other three girls, Izzy had blond hair like their mother’s side of the family while the other three took after their father’s side. LIke Ellie, Izzy also lived in California, but in the Bay Area where she’d recently graduated from law school. Now she and her boyfriend, Eric Montgomery, were both looking for jobs.

“Riley!” was the youngest of the four girls and was constantly updating her Twitter account with a countdown to her 21st Birthday (124 days). Growing up, she’d followed Ellie and Izzy around, doing whatever they told her to, until she got tired of being bossed around. She then became the teenager that tested their parents’ patience the most. Unlike her three older sisters, who’d gone straight from high school to college, she had taken a couple years off school off and therefore was only a sophomore instead of a senior.

Ellie hadn’t realized how lonely being in the main house and guest house had been after Chris and his mom had left until she was listening to her sisters as they shared the latest news and a little bit of gossip. She still had her job at the bookstore, but it still didn’t make up for the fact that she was coming home to an empty house all the time.

She laughed along with her sisters as they each shared amusing stories, trying to out do each other. It had been Sydney’s tale about her daughter’s ballet recital which had ended with a mouse running across the stage followed by the ballet teacher holding a broom, that had brought tears to their eyes.

Brushing tears from her cheeks, Ellie looked at the screen and knew her time had come when she saw Izzy giving her a suspicious look.

“You’ve been awful quiet tonight,” Izzy said. “And where are you? I can tell you’re not at Aunt Deena’s house because of the white wall behind you, I don’t think there is a single white wall in her house”

“Yeah, about that,” Ellie said, slowly. “I got a job.”

“What?”

“Where?”

“When?”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

Ellie snicked as her sisters’ questions overlapped each other. She was still nervous about telling them, but she knew she had to. They’d find out soon enough.

“I’m still working at the bookstore,” she told them. “But I’m also working as a housekeeper slash housesitter for the son of someone I met at the store.”

She could tell by the look on Sydney’s face that she wasn’t impressed with the new job and she was pretty sure that Riley was painting her fingernails.

Nervous about how to address the big part of the new job, Ellie chewed on her lower lip.

“You’re not telling us something,” the ever observant Izzy stated. “You only chew on your lower lip like that when you’re not sure what to say.” She leaned in closer to her camera. “What aren’t you telling us Sarah Elaine?”

“My boss is Chris Evans,” Ellie said after waiting an extra moment. “And not the British one.”

“Who?” Sydney asked as Izzy and Riley just stared at their computer screens in shock.

“He plays Captain America in the Marvel movies,” Ellie explained to her older sister.

“And he is fucking hot!” Izzy exclaimed. “I don’t even like superhero stuff, but I dragged Eric to the theater to see that first Captain America movie.”

“Is he really that buff in real life?” Riley asked.

Ellie felt her face flush and heard Izzy gasp.

“OH MY GOD! YOU’VE SEEN HIM NAKED!” her sister shouted through the TV.

Ellie felt her face turn an even brighter shade of red, meaning there was no way she could deny that she had in fact seen Chris completely naked.

“It was an accident,” she said when Izzy finally quieted down. “His mom hired me and he got home earlier than she’d expected and she hadn’t warned him that I was there. So there I was, cleaning the kitchen floor and I turn around and there he is, standing completely naked in the doorway to the kitchen.”

“You saw him naked?!” Sydney said in a delayed response. “Sorry, I had to look him up. I think Garrett has some of those movies, I might need to watch them.”

“Yes, she saw him naked,” Riley replied. “But we haven’t asked her the important question yet.”

As Ellie watched, matching smirks appeared on her sisters’ faces and she knew exactly what they wanted to know: just what was he hiding under his clothes.

She’d known who Chris was before even met Lisa, but she hadn’t known that Lisa was Chris’ mom until she’d taken the job. So she had known what she was getting herself into, she’d seen his movie “What’s Your Number?” and there hadn’t been much to imagine after the scene with the towel and the apple, but seeing it on a TV screen with her sister Izzy was nothing like having the real, naked man right in front of her.

It didn’t take much effort for Ellie to recall the scene from the morning she and Chris had met. His hair had been longer than normal and his beard had been shaggier than she’d seen in promotional photographs, but given that he’d just spent two weeks in hibernation, it had made sense. There had been hair on his chest as well, the perfect amount in her opinion.

“WELL?!” Izzy demanded interrupting her thoughts.

Ellie kept them waiting a moment longer as she remembered that particular part of Chris’s anatomy that had been the first point of contact that her eyes had settled upon that morning: the beautiful, err manly, organ in between his thick thighs. She wasn’t an expert, though hardly a novice, when it came to penises, but Chris’s had certainly looked better than those of her ex boyfriends. Better taken care of, that was for sure, especially when it had come to the small tuft of hair at the base.

Then there had been the penis itself. It had been a good length; not too short where you’d be crossing your fingers praying he was a grower not a shower, but not too long where you’d be afraid of it getting longer and damaging your lady parts. She’d only seen him straight on, so she hadn’t been able to tell exactly how thick he was, but he hadn’t been pencil thin, that was for sure. And from where she’d been sitting on the floor, his balls had looked healthy, too.

“SARAH ELAINE!” Riley shouted at the screen.

Ellie smiled and then calmly said, “He’s my boss, so I’ll just keep it simple. There is not a single thing about him to complain about.”

Her sisters laughed and Izzy let out of whistle.

“Fuck, the girls’ on my floor are planning to watch ‘What’s Your Number?’ tomorrow night,” Riley said with a groan. “Now I’m going to have to sit there knowing that my sister knows exactly what he has going on behind that towel!”

“You guys can’t say anything to anyone about this,” Ellie said, seriously. “You three, me, his mom and him are the only ones that know.”

“Wait, how does his mom know?” Sydney asked.

“You know how I mentioned he got home earlier than planned?” Ellie said. “Well he was doing the Full Monty in the kitchen when his mom got to his place. She found us in the kitchen, me still on my knees on one side of the room and Chris trying to cover himself with a roll of paper towels. She sent him upstairs to get dressed and I thought she was going to fire me, but she just laughed!”

She couldn’t help join her sisters as they laughed over the awkward situation.

“So other than being a complete God physically, what’s he like?” Izzy asked her.

“I haven’t gotten to spend much time with him,” Ellie shrugged. “He was here for a week and then he was off to film a new movie.”

“So there were no sparks?” Sydney asked.

“Sparks? You mean romantically?” Ellie replied, staring at her older sister in surprise. “I just met the guy and he is my boss.”

“You took five minutes to answer the question about whether his penis lived up to the rest of his God-like stature,” Riley pointed out with a smug grin.

“It’s called suspense,” Ellie replied. “I had information you wanted and I’ve always loved holding that over your head.” She rolled her eyes. “Besides, Chris is a celebrity. He isn’t going to date, let alone sleep with, his housekeeper, especially not one hand picked by his mom.”

“Ellie, you’re worth more than any celebrity out there,” Sydney said with a smile. “If Chris can’t see that then you don’t need him.”

“And if he can see that then you need to get with him,” Izzy added with a smirk. “And then tell us all about the motion in his ocean!”

“Every single detail,” Riley agreed.

“Oh, is that a thing now?” Sydney asked, pulling the attention of her two youngest sisters. “If so, then we have a lot of catching up to do about Garrett. Let me tell you, my husband can -“

“Oh look at the time!” Izzy exclaimed while Riley covered her ears and loudly sang, “La la la la.”

Sydney winked at Ellie and then said, “Well I have little monsters to put to bed. And the night is still young for you three, go have some fun.”

“Night Syd,” the other three chorused.

Sydney waved and then disappeared from the video chat.

“I should probably finish writing the essay that I have due tomorrow,” Riley said with a frown. “Either of you know anything about music theory?” Ellie and Izzy shook their heads. “I figured as much. Night guys.”

“So, when can I come for a visit?” Izzy asked with a smile once it was just her and Ellie.

“I don’t know if I can have visitors,” Ellie replied. “Especially overnight, freeloading sisters.”

“Well ask your hunky boss and let me know,” Izzy said before redirecting her attention to something off camera. “Alright, Eric just decided he’s hungry, so we’re going to go get food.”

“Later,” Ellie replied. She turned off the video chat and reset the TV to its proper settings. Then she went upstairs and made sure the big house was locked up for the night before retiring to the cozy, studio apartment-like guesthouse she called home.

Episode 4

Want to find me off tumblr? I’m @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

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[justanotherwannabeclassic]

What Kind of Day Has It Been

Author’s Note: It’s time for the presentation of my Hub SS. A very long time ago (aka a few months) @distant-rose​ prompted me with a series of political CS AU prompts. One of them involved Killian working at the White House, and Emma getting a job there, but she was worried he somehow pulled strings. Anywayyyyyy, I finally wrote it.  Ro, I apologize for being the worst question-asker, but I am so so glad to be your Santa. It was almost as cool as being your friend. I hope this brings cheer to your busy holiday season, and provides a useful study break. <3 Summary: Emma Swan was one of Washington’s best lobbyists, and she is about to be offered the role of the lifetime: Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the President of the United States. But when her boyfriend, Killian Jones, the Press Secretary, lets it slip that he spoke to her potential boss about her, Emma questions if she’s receiving the position on her own merits or because of who she knows. Is it a giant misunderstanding?

Rating: T Read on AO3!

*cue The West Wing theme*

“Ohmigod, can we have a picture?” Emma hid a smile behind her travel mug of coffee, watching as her boyfriend became flanked by two starry-eyed undergraduate students. Killian flashed his winning smile — the one that landed him on the top of Washington’s Hottest Political Operatives last year, and she knew the young women by his side were swooning in more ways than just one.

“Apologies, love,” he said to her after. He slid his gloved hand into her free one, and pulled her closer to his side. Emma could still hear the girls excitedly commiserating, no doubt discussing which hashtags to use to show off their photo with the Press Secretary to the President of the Goddamn United States. She still wasn’t over that part. She doubted she ever would be.

“Please, you’re not sorry one bit.” She bumped her shoulder against his, reveling in the way the tips of his ears turned pink — and not because of the winter weather. “Don’t act like you won’t be scrolling through the OnlyatGW tag looking to see what they said about you.”

“I will not! I’m not that vain,” he argued, his voice taking the petulant tone of a teenager, which meant he — or more accurately, his assistant, Smee — would be doing just that over the next few days. “Besides, you don’t even know if they were GW students.”

“We’re literally on GW’s campus.”

“We’re in Foggy Bottom.”

“Which is GW’s campus,” Emma pointed out, no doubt waiting for him to whine about urban campuses. “Besides, it’s not like Georgetown students would deign hobnobbing around with the common folk to venture into the city proper.”

“I’ll have you know your President attended Georgetown,” Killian countered. Emma wanted to point out that it wasn’t necessarily a defense. Regina Mills, now Madame President, carried an air of haughtiness wherever she went. Not that it wasn’t totally deserved. The woman was incredibly intelligent, holding degrees from Georgetown and Princeton, not to mention accomplished. She’d had the titles of Mayor, Representative, and President. Regardless, that didn’t stop the various news pundits of skewering her on air for her pretentiousness and how she didn’t relate to ‘Real America’, whatever that meant.

“Yeah, well, your big boss isn’t here and the GW students are.” A strange, almost hopeful, expression crossed Killian’s face for reasons that Emma couldn’t quite place. Filing that thought away for later, she tugged his hand. “C’mon, walk me back to my office. I’m getting cold and I know you have to get back.”

They had met for a quick lunch at one of the many fast-casual salad places that popped up over the city seemingly overnight. Emma had been craving the totchos at Tonic, a pharmacy-turned-bar further into campus, but Killian had limited time with meetings and the endless corralling of the White House Press Corps, and she knew she had to take what she could get.

It wasn’t easy being in a romantic relationship with the most public facing staffer in the Mills Administration. He was constantly busy, always on call, and she thought he hair was turning prematurely grey — well, about as a premature as a thirty-six year-old-man could get — due to the stress of it all. But that’s what happened when you served at the pleasure of the President. Besides, it wasn’t as if she didn’t also have her stressful and busy periods. Whenever budget appropriations and major bills loomed on the horizon, leaving work before 10 pm felt like a luxury.

Such is the life of Washington’s Hottest Power Couple, she thought. Not that anyone outside of Mary Margaret, Emma’s roommate when she first moved to Washington, called them that — at least to Emma’s face, that is. Will Scarlet had tried, and Emma had dumped a glass of water over his head in retaliation.

She could play dirty in and out the courtroom, thank you very much. This was one of the many reasons why she was a pretty damn good lobbyist. “Assuming the political gods don’t conspire against me, I’ll try to be home at a somewhat decent hour tonight. Perhaps then we can crack open that bottle of wine we’ve been hoarding and relax for a spell?” Killian asked when they reached the building where The Queen Group was located. He quirked his brow in a way that Emma found to be most adorable, and she leaned up to kiss him before answering.

“I thought you wanted to save that for a moment worth celebrating?” she asked. The bottle in question had been a gift from Regina Mills herself, fermented with grapes grown in her family’s vineyard, after the close of her campaign. Killian, being the overdramatic and sentimental man that he was, had decided that he wasn’t going to open it until a time worthy of drinking wine gifted from the President of the United States.

“Every day I spend with you is worth celebrating.” Emma snorted. “And perhaps I found out some good news that I want to celebrate later.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“You’ll know soon enough.” The man had the audacity to wink. Asshole. “At any rate, I’m expected back at the office. I’ll see you tonight, love.” He placed a kiss on her cheek, and promptly darted off before she could attempt to ply him for more information. She had no idea of what he meant about ‘good news’. It wasn’t as if he was expecting a promotion. He already had a pretty ideal gig, and she knew he wasn’t planning on leaving for at least another year or two. She wondered if it had anything to do with any of the West Wing information he wasn’t allowed to share with her. Maybe it had nothing to do with work, but instead family. Maybe Liam and Elsa were expecting? They last time the couple visited, Elsa had confessed that they were trying to conceive.

God, they would have beautiful babies.

She and Killian had only discussed babies in the theoretical sort of way. It was something they both wanted, but at the current points in their careers, neither wanted to add the additional responsibility of caring for an infant. Besides, they weren’t married, or even engaged. Yet, a traitorous voice whispered in her eye.

Could that be Killian’s reason to celebrate? Was he planning on proposing? Emma pushed away the thought as quickly as it entered her mind. It was doubtful that Killian would propose on a random Wednesday night — he was far too dramatic for that sort of thing.. She walked back into her building somewhat in a daze and directly to the elevator, uncharacteristically forgetting to wave to Anton the Front Desk Security Guard. Now that she was thinking about Killian proposing, it was hard to get the idea out of her mind. Months ago, the thought of him dropping down to one knee would have, to quote Ruby, “sent her running to hills.” But now the idea made her feel warm inside, secure — and that was more terrifying than anything else. She’d always been a bit gun shy regarding interpersonal relationships. She could trace that flaw — because, though it was deserved, she still considered it a flaw -- back to the day she was born, to when her parents abandoned her on the side of road. She’d bounced from home-to-home after that, never really finding a place or close friends. She thought she had found one in Lily, but that went to hell. That lack of stability didn’t make for the most trusting of adults, even if things did work out in the end.

Emma honestly didn’t know where she would be had it not been for her final foster placement — the Nolans. David and Mary Margaret Nolan had welcomed her into their home with open arms. David was a state representative, so Emma was sure her placement had everything to do with wanting to score cheap political points instead of actually wanting to care for a disaffected teen.

Emma had never expected that she’d still be keeping the family photo Mary Margaret had insisted they take her first day with the family on her desk fifteen years later. And yet… The Nolans were not what she expected them to be.

She had assumed they’d be fake...plastic...only for show. She’d assumed Mary Margaret Nolan would have used to the family photo for some gain as a politician’s wife. But no, she was simply alarmingly sentimental. They asked about her favorite foods and books. Mary Margaret took her shopping for new clothes and assisted her with her homework. David filled her in on the inner-workings of government and secretly took her out for pizza whenever Mary Margaret was on a health kick.

They watched television shows together. Had family game nights. They offered help with homework. It was all so saccharine…

...which was why Emma attempted to screw it up as soon as she could. She’d learned before that even the “good” families never lasted. There was no use waiting around for them to kick her out, so she would force their hand. So, she stole a couple of watches from the pawnbroker in town. She made it so she would get caught, and caught she had been. Things were easier that way.

Only things didn’t turn out how she expected — par for the course of life with the Nolans.

David Nolan convincing Mr. Gold not to press charges hadn’t been a surprise — of course, he had to protect his optics. What surprised her was that they didn’t send her back. He should have sent her back. That’s what people like him and his wife were supposed to do. But they didn’t. The Nolans sat her down and had a long talk about it. They hugged her, like they were the family from fucking Full House. They also didn’t, however, let her off the hook completely.

They made her volunteer. “Community service,” they said. It would teach her a lesson while also giving her something to put on her college resume. (Because they actually cared about her getting into college.) So off Emma went to assist Mary Margaret in planning the Miner’s Day Festival — which she hated — and over the summer up the state capital to help David with constituent services.

“I don’t get why you do it,” Emma had said on day, watching as David mulled over the pros and cons of an upcoming pension bill.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not like most politicians, that’s all,” she’d replied. “You’re not soulless, like, you actually care.”

“Well, there’s your answer, Emma. I do it because I do care.” She remembered how he had sighed deeply and moved from his desk to sit by her side on the Nolan’s overlarge sofa. “I’m not in this for the money or fame, but because I believe this is the best way for me to make a difference, just like how Mary Margaret believes teaching is the best way for her to make a difference.”

“That’s pretty cheesy.”

“In the short amount of time that you’ve known me, when have I never not been cheesy?” The had been, and still was, “never.” David Nolan still encapsulated the concept of cheesiness well into retirement age as he did when he was younger. It had actually been him, and not Mary Mary Margaret, who bought the t-shirts emblazoned with “Nolan Family” on the back he insisted they all wear the day their adoption of Emma had finally gone through.

But even beyond the cheesiness, that conversation had always stuck in the back of Emma’s mind. How would I make a difference, Emma had pondered. She knew early on that she loathed teaching with every fiber of her being. Volunteering with David’s re-election campaigns never enthused her. It wasn’t until she was ‘forced’ to join a club — for which she chose Speech & Debate — that Emma found she was actually good at being persuasive. When she was accepted in college, she had decided to major in political science, because that was familiar. Soon, a path began to reveal itself to her, and after a couple of internships Emma knew how she would make a difference: lobbying.

Her career path was an odd mirror of David’s. Like him, she had chosen to work in field that was more or less considered a hive of scum and villainy, aiming to further line to the pockets of the top 1%. And, to a degree, that reputation was deserved. Many lobbyists did only care about corporate interests — but there were many who also advocated for prison reform, reductions in gun violence, healthcare reform, and the rights on minorities across the spectrum. The Queen Group, where she worked, tended to focus on lobbying for causes that primarily impacted women and children. Emma, herself, had successfully aided in lobbying for laws expanding the protection of victims of domestic and sexual abuse and increasing the adoption tax credit. This was how Emma made a difference, and she felt damn good about it.

“Hey Emma!” The eager voice of the firm’s top Policy Researcher, Belle French, pulled Emma abruptly from her thoughts. Belle approached her quickly, a stack of color-coded files in hand. “Here’s the stuff you requested. I think stats of trafficked kids might be particularly appealing to Senator Gold. You know how he gets about those things.” “Thanks, Belle. I really appreciate it.” Belle also wasn’t wrong in her assessment of Gold. He was a jackass tof the highest order, but Emma could also consistently count on him to sponsor or at least take interest in legislation dealing with children. And while supporting kids sounded like something everyone should agree on, the how of it was often a point of contention. “Do you have any information on a state-by-state breakdown? If we get some good stats on California, Fisher might also swing.”

“Will do.”

“What would I do without you?”

“Die, probably,” Belle replied with a wink. Emma wasn’t sure she could dispute that fact. “I’ll get that to you by COB.”

“You’re the best.” Emma weaved her way back to her desk, Killian’s whatever momentarily forgotten as she rant through a list of Representatives would might be open to listening about earmarking more money to efforts focused on curbing human trafficking. She was so focused on her thoughts, that by the time she got to her desk and dropped the stack of files and her phone down, Emma realized that she had missed two texts from Killian.

Heads up if you get any calls from the 202 code, don’t assume they’re spam. Please answer.

Followed by, in close succession:

I promise at least one won’t be spam.

Emma stared at her phone. What the hell was going on? Whatever it was involved someone from the local area code calling her, but what about? Knowing dwelling would do no good, and that she had too much work to do, Emma set her phone aside. That would be a ‘later’ problem —but she made sure to turn up her phone��s volume as not to miss a call.

An hour later as Emma working her way through her inbox, her cell began to ring, the default Apple ringtone startling her. Her screen indicated that it was an unfamiliar number, but from the 202 area code.

“Killian Jones, if this is spam, I’m going to murder you…” Emma muttered. She moved to close her office door, unsure of who was on the other line or what they were discussing before she answered. “Emma Swan speaking.”

“Emma? Hi, this is Mal Draco. How are you doing today?”

“Um, well, fine. Good. I’m good,” she sputtered. Mal Draco was the Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House. She was wicked smart with an incredibly impressive resume even ignoring her position within the Mills Administration. To Emma, she was sort of a professional role model — and Mal Draco was calling her. “How are you?”

“Excellent. I’m considering strangling Speaker Spencer, but what else is new?” She laughed, and Emma joined her, though she was sure her own voice sounded fake. “Listen, let’s cut to the chase. I’d like for you to take some time to come over to talk about the deputy position. I want as little time between Glass leaving and the new person coming on as possible. Is that something you would be interested in discussing?”

“Of course, yes, definitely.” Emma was sure if her heart was attached to a monitor, her pulse would be off the charts.

“Wonderful. I’ll have my assistant send you some times. I look forward to speaking with you. I’m particularly curious to hear your thoughts on the latest CR.”

“I have many.” Which was true. She had very many thoughts on the latest CR and what she thought the Democrats had to give up and what they should hold their ground on. “I look forward to speaking with you.”

“Same.” After exchanging a few final pleasantries, Mal Draco hung up on the other end of the line.

Emma leaned back in her office chair, her head spinning and heart pounding. Mal Draco, Director of Legislative Affairs at the fucking White House, wanted to discuss her soon-to-be open deputy position. It was her professional dream. She pinched herself to ensure that she wasn’t just doing that.

There was no way this could be real, could it? When news had gotten out that Draco’s deputy, Sidney Glass, was stepping down to take a Pharma lobbying position, she had entertained the idea -- as had practically every other Beltway lobbyist. But she never imagined…

“Holy fucking shit.”

Emma quickly opened her personal email account, where sure enough, a message from Draco’s assistant was sitting and waiting for answer. Emma cross-checked the the potential dates and times provided with her calendar, and fired an answer back. She would have to come up with an excuse explaining why she would be gone on Thursday afternoon, but that was doable. OBGYN appointment? No, people would assume she was pregnant. Dentist? People would absolutely know she was interviewing elsewhere. She had plenty of sick days saved up, but she had to ensure that she was seen lingering around the EEOB in professional attire. But that was just a small issue, dwarfed by the amazing opportunity that had fallen into her lap.

No, not fallen. She worked hard for this. She deserved this. She was Emma Swan. Potentially Emma Swan, deputy Director of Legislative Affairs. She liked the sound of that title.

She grabbed her phone.

You will never guess who just called me

Emma knew Killian was busy, and likely wouldn’t respond immediately, and she was correct. Another hour had passed by the time her phone began to buzz again. Emma was actually a little surprised that he was calling instead of texting, but she didn’t mind.

“Hey babe,” she greeted. She was still on cloud nine, and strategizing on what she could discuss with Draco. “Guess what?”

“Does what I’m guessing involve the Great Dragon of Capitol Hill?” His voice was teasing, though there was an undercurrent of pride; however, all Emma could focus on was that he apparently already knew she was getting the call.

“Um, yes, actually. It does.” She shouldn’t be surprised. He had warned her, without explicitly saying what it would be about. So why was a knot forming in her stomach. “She wants to talk to me about the deputy position.”

“That’s excellent, love! Truly. When Mal talked about it with me, I told her that—”

“Wait — you two discussed me?”

“Well, yes, why wouldn’t we?” he responded with a laugh. “No worries. I only said nice things and kept it decidedly PG.”

“I’m glad you didn’t tell the Director of Legislative Affairs about our sex life.” She kept her tone light, not wanting to let on that her excitement was quickly fading as their conversation continued. “Look, I’m a little busy at the moment, so maybe I can talk tonight?”

There was a pause. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just distracted by the CR, that’s all.” It was a lie, but she didn’t want to let on her feelings over the phone now. Besides, she actually was concerned about the upcoming CR vote.

“Aren’t we all?” Killian mused. “Well, I’ll let you go. Assuming that we don’t invade another country or a SCOTUS justice kicks it, we can celebrate.” His voice lowered. “And maybe rate things a little NC-17.”

“Reign it in, tiger. We don’t want the press pool assuming you’re trying to have sex talk in the oval. The last thing Regina needs is a sex scandal.”

“Look who’s worried about optics now. That’s usually my job.” Emma could practically hear his smile. “I love you, Emma.”

“I love you, too. Bye.”

Emma waited until the distinct sound of Killian ending the call before she sat her phone carefully on her desk. Her earlier giddiness had been replaced by a sense of gnawing self-doubt that she hadn’t landed the interview because of her credentials, but because of who she was sleeping with. She was well aware that politics was a “who you know” kind of field, built on networking and recommendations passed along. Hell, she been at one of those networking happy hours when she had met Killian. But still, she wanted Killian’s role in her maybe getting the job of a lifetime to be absolute zero.

Some might call it misplaced pride, but Emma considered it caring about her reputation. Politics as a whole was still a Good Old Boys club. She knew how people talked, especially when it involved women and sex. It had been one of the reasons why she’d initially been wary of even going out on a date with Killian, back when he was just the Communications Director to the Speaker of the House. She hadn’t wanted her integrity put into question. If she was sleeping with one Hill staffer, she was sure enough to get more passes and maybe the reputation that she slept with them all.

God, and with Killian being in the position he was in...he was the most public facing staffer. Even outside of the government-focused at the local universities, strangers people recognized him. Hashtags were dedicated to him. If she got a job at the White House, she wouldn’t be surprised if some blogger with an axe to grind with the administration would make a ‘thing’ out of it. What was even more maddening was that if their roles were reversed, she doubted anyone would question if Killian was the one who got the job.

“Fucking shit!” She slammed her hand against the desk.

Truth be told, Emma was also angry. Angry at the situation. Angry that Killian had talked to Mal Draco about her. Angry that she was dwelling on optics, and not on the amazing opportunity.

That anger carried over throughout the rest of the work day. She stayed late, partially because she wasn’t ready to head home, but also to prepare for a long day of meetings on the Hill the next day. It was cold when she left the building, the chill souring her mood even more. She took comfort in the fact that the late hour ensured she could find a seat on the metro. She attempted to read, as was her favorite pastime on the train, but her mind was far too distracted.

If she was offered the position, she would take it. There was no question about that. But she did not like the doubt that had seeded itself into her mind. She wanted to get by on her own merits. It was why she didn’t apply to the college her adoptive parents had attended, nor accept any internship opportunities back in Maine. She didn’t want to get by as David Nolan’s daughter, and she didn’t want to do the same as Killian Jones’ girlfriend. The many, many rom coms that Mary Margaret was obsessed with hadn’t prepared her for this.

She walked slowly from the metro station to the row house she and Killian rented together. She remembered when he had suggested moving in together. It had been the morning after Regina had won the election.

“I like this,” he had said that morning as he twisted his fingers through her hair. His voice had been thick with sleep, and God, they had both been so terribly hungover that morning. But they had been so happy.

“It’s called hair.”

“I meant waking up with you,” he’d replied. He then kissed her softly. “I would like to do it every morning.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?” The surprise had been clear on his face, even has his smile dazzled. “Every morning?”

“Every morning.”

They had found a place during the transition. Killian had prioritized the Capitol Hill neighborhood, wooing her by pointing out that she could walk to the pretzel bakery she loved. They’d found a row house, its door painted bright red — “It’s your color, love,” Killian had teased. She always felt a bubble of warmth whenever she turned the corner and saw that house, and despite her foul feelings that night, she was unable to suppress a grin when she saw the lights shining bright in the winter night.

“Emma?” She heard Killian call out from the kitchen. Her favorite record was playing in the background. “Hope you don’t mind, but I picked up some Italian from that place in Bloomingdale! I ordered you the Saffron Mafalde.”

Also known as her favorite meal from her favorite restaurant in town. She had to remind herself that he was happy for her. The pride in his voice had been evident over the phone. He didn’t know about her tumultuous feelings. Emma hung up her keys and shed her coat, giving her a moment to brace herself a battle. She doubted he would understand.

“Emma, love?” Killian suddenly appeared before her, a bottle of wine in hand. He had long since changed out of the suit she saw him in this afternoon, and was now dressed in jeans and a dark sweater. He still wore his anchor socks, however. Killian, for as cool as he tried to appear, subscribed to the George H.W. Bush School of Patterned Socks. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a bit of an open book, darling,” he replied. His brows knitted in concern. “Did something happen at work? Is your family okay?”

Emma knew she that she should ask him to sit down so that they could calmly talk it out. That’s how David and Mary Margaret worked out their feelings. It was the mature way to handle conflict. Emma, however, wasn’t feeling particularly mature that night.

“Why the fuck would you talk to Mal Draco about me?” Her voice was louder than she intended it to be. “Look, I get that you want the best for me, and that’s nice—”

“Emma—”

“—but it’s important to me to get a job on my own merits. I want to be hired at the White House because I’m a fucking badass—”

“—you are a fucking badass—”

“—not because my boyfriend decided to pull some strings. My career and reputation are important to me—”

“I know.”

“—and having you going around and trying to hook me up with dream jobs isn’t what—”

“Emma, stop!” This time it was Killian who raised his voice. Emma abruptly stopped her argument, not fully surprised by Killian’s interjection. She watched as he sat down the bottle of wine on the entryway table, before he turned back to her and crossed his arms.

“For what it’s worth, I never once attempted to hook you up with a dream job. I knew you’d bite my head off if I even tried, which you are now,” he said pointedly.

“Then why did you say that you talked to Mal about it?”

“She was the one who talked to me about it. She thought I would find it interesting that you were at the top of their shortlist. And, just so you know, that reason I never told you that earlier was because I didn’t want you to accuse me of meddling,” Killian added. Emma’s anger was quickly dissipating, only to be replaced by regret. “She also wanted the Communication team to be aware of the situation, should anyone jump to conclusions...like yourself, apparently.”

She could feel Killian’s anger radiating hotly, even as his tone remain measured throughout the rest of his speech. “Killian, I--” The words died in her throat as she struggled to find the right words to say.

“At any rate, because you are such a ‘fucking badass’, I did pick up some dinner to celebrate, which is now probably getting cold. I don’t wish to argue any further, so let’s just eat.”

“Killian, come on.”

“Swan, you made you feelings apparent, and there’s nothing I can do to rectify that. So, please, let’s just have our dinner.”

She considered arguing further, but refrained. As dinner wore on, she realized she should have pushed for reheating the meal later. Conversation was stilted, and she could tell Killian was still wounded from her accusation. Besides…

“No offense to your boss, but this wine is not better than Two Buck Chuck...and it goes for a lot more.” Emma grimaced at the glass in her hand. So much for the Mills special label.

“It’s Three Buck Chuck now,” Killian corrected. He had a habit of going out of his way to correct her when he was annoyed. It was petty, and Emma hated it, but she let it go. “Besides, she’ll be your boss soon enough.”

“You don’t know that. I haven’t even sat down and interviewed with Mal yet,” Emma said as she stabbed rather forcefully at her pasta.

“You’ve got it. You know how these things go. This isn’t some hillternship. They wouldn’t bring you in if they weren’t serious, so unless you bungle it up significantly— which you won’t — you’ve got it.”

He was right. That was how these things went, which had only heightened her earlier excitement. This was almost certainly happening.

“So how long have you known I was up for the job?”

“Swan—“

“C’mon, you can at least tell me now,” she prodded. “Everything is already out there, and it’s not like this dinner is going super swell.”

He stared at her blankly for a moment before sighing deeply. “I’ve known for about a week. I didn’t know she was going to call you until this morning, however.”

“Which is why you were so giddy at lunch.”

“Which was why I was so giddy at lunch, yes,” he confirmed. “I was really looking forward to celebrating with you.”

“Until I fucked it up,” she replied, irritated.

“I really wish you didn’t put words in mouth. I never said that.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You’re right. Sorry.”

The expression he gave her told her that he didn’t believe she was actually sorry, but he didn’t say it. He didn’t need to. He was being a bit of an ass, but it was reactionary. He honestly hadn’t started anything this time. Honestly, he’d been more blindsided than anything, something Emma regretted.

“Look, I get it, I know I’m the one who messed up tonight. I know that, Killian, and I truly am sorry about that,” she stressed. “I know I was being a bitch to you, but can you at least understand where I was coming from? Even you said that Mal was worried about the optics.”

“I just wish you would have trusted me not to interfere like that, love,” Killian replied. He tentatively reached out and grabbed her hand. “I know what your career means to you, and we’re honestly not worried about the optics. Your resume speaks for itself. That’s why they want you. We’ll also be in two completely different departments.”

“But still under the same White House.”

“Yes, still under the same White House. We’ll probably still have to meet with HR and fill out some paperwork, but it’s not like I’d be your boss and you my assistant. It’d all be above the board,” Killian answered. His expression shifted. “You want this, don’t you?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s The Dream,” she emphasized. “What political science nerd doesn’t dream of someday working at the White House? Jesus, I’ll have to figure out a way to tell David without him getting a gleeful heart attack.”

“They’ll be quite proud. I know I am,” Killian said, and Emma knew he meant it. “My girlfriend is going to work for the President.”

“That would be more impressive if you didn’t already work for her.”

“If you want to talk about optics, it’s honestly the kind of shit the press eats up. They’ll be having pools on when the Rose Garden wedding might be.”

“God, Mary Margaret would die.” She could just imagine it now, her parents flanking her sides as they escorted her down the makeshift aisle, Killian wearing a navy suit and smiling brilliant. She flushed when she noticed Killian staring at her with a twinkle in his eye. “Does the press really bet on that stuff?”

“When they’re bored,” he shrugged. “I’d rather them focus on that than trying to drudge up a pantsuit scandal.”

“I don’t even remember the last time I saw Regina in a pantsuit.”

“Exactly."

They laughed together, the earlier tension slowly dissipating into something more tender. Knowing there was more left to be said, she told him, “I really am sorry for freaking out at you. I recognize that wasn’t fair.”

“I appreciate the apology, and I do recognize that this is overwhelming. Remember when I first got my job?” Killian replied, his expression soft

“I believe you wore mismatched shoes immediately after you found out.”

“And I vomited in my office trash can both before and after my first briefing,” he said. He’d never told her that part. “I truly am looking forward to seeing what you accomplish for the administration. I have a feeling that you’re going to be extraordinary.”

“Going to be? I thought I already was extraordinary,” she said with a laugh. He called her that often enough. Extraordinary. Fantastic. Beautiful. All the adjectives in between.

“Haven’t you put me through enough tonight, woman?”

“Please, I’ve barely begun to put you through anything tonight,” Emma teased. She took triumph in the way his eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline and the slight flush the colored his cheeks.

“Well then.”

“Someone did promise me that we’d make tonight a little NC-17."

“That I did.” He licked his lips. “Would that make this makeup sex or celebration sex?”

“Who says it can’t be both?” They both laughed as he chased her up the bedroom to truly celebrate the night.

[tumblunni]

I cant believe ive progressed from "im gonna buy this slightly updated rerelease of a game i already own because science grandpa" to "im gonna reenter the kingdom hearts fandom and catch up on all the games i missed because science grandpa" to "im gonna get into an entirely new fandom literally just for science grandpa i mean dad"

Its probably best i start with the first game in the series tho, rite? Theyre all in continuity with the same protag and stuff unlike pokemon, apparantly. But still i worry that it wont be able to hold my interest in the first game cos apparantly THE FABLED SADDAD is only a late game boss with barely one single scene compared to his more fleshed out appearances in the sequels. I can only hope that everything else lives up to the power of he cuteness and every other yokai is equally monstery huggables! And im totally unspoiled for LITERALLY EVERYTHING IN THE GAME EXCEPT FOR MADDIMAN so lol for all i know it could be exactly my ultra fave and i just never knew it! I can at least give credit to the wiki makers for having it be easier to learn about one sad dad's plot without spoiling the rest of the game for yourself, thats better than pokemon and kh!

Oh but the one thing i do know is that everyone in the fandom is universally sad that they removed the female character option in the third game. Apparantly its cos now you have a second scenario with a new female character but it sucks that this means they canonized the male character as the "real" one for the first two games. Really sucks cos he's also the canon protagonist in the anime too and already gets 100% of the screentime in all promotional materials so i didnt even friggin know there was a girl option until years after i first heard of the game! JUSTICE FOR KATIE YO!!! Her design is infinately better than the ultra generic one for the dude. Like if their excuse for removibg her is "but theres a different female character who's nate's new friend and they both exist simultaneously" like why not have it so that if you play as katie you get a male version of that same character? Or if the excuse is to save cartridge space then literally just replace the new girl with "katie moves to america and has this separate adventure". Or even mix both and have it so that you can pick which protagonist is the one that moves and which stays? And have a prologue segmebt where the one who wasnt already the hero comes along and somehow something gets a yokai watch too and then new scenario, the end. Cos what ive heard is that both nate and katie are characters anyway, even if you dont pick them? The leftover one becomes your non yokai powered friend/love interest. Or is that just in the anime? But like if thats how katie is left canonically in the final game in the trilogy REGARDLESS OF YOUR GODDAMN CHOICES then yo it could be cool if the love interest got powers and joined you on a super double adventure! Thatd actually get me invested in your love plot! You could have loads of sweetness of them being long distance pals and maybe getting closer to confessing now theyre spending time apart. Cos a friend moving away is always super stressful and keeping in touch makes you worried theyre gonna forget you and all. Maybe have Katie finding her own yokai watch and entourage of spooky monsters while she's off in her new home and then nate is half AAAAA THIS IS SO COOL I CAN FINALLY TELL YOU MY SECRET and half OH GOD SHES GOT NEW BETTER FRIENDS SHES GONNA FORGET ABOUT ME. And katie maybe is worried that nate doesnt trust her as much as she thought he did, if he kept the yokai secret from her. And they could have awkwardness due to miscommunication and anxiety and RELATE THAT TO MADDIMAN'S FAMILY TROUBLES AND HAVE HIM BE A BIG ROLE IN THE PLOT RESOLVING IT BECAUSE MADDIMAN IS THE GODDAMN BEST! Also honestly the new girl character they replaced katie with DOES seem cool, im just mad that she replaced katie. So maybe keep her as an npc and she could be a cool new friend katie makes in america? Or yknow if they felt like ditching the "katie only exists for love interest uwu shes not the canon protagonist and never will be" crap then HEY MAYBE NEW GIRL COULD BE KATIE'S LOVE INTEREST?

ALSO maybe add a button to hug my yokai and have them follow behind you and also make custom rooms for them and decorate them and also give them snacks. Note: bunni has not played this game and does not know if any of these things have already happened and if they have then FUCK YEAH IM EVEN MORE EXCITED YO!!!!

Oh also i was checking up the version exclusives for the second game cos huh thats weird that only YW2 has two versions and both thw first and third game dont. I think i might go with bony spirits cos i had a good giggle at "herbiboy and carniboy" and i wanna throw my money at whoever made that pun. Like i kinda like how nonsensical it is in english where the pun doesnt exist? Its equally great either way! Why on earth does eating fried chicken make you a casanova! Well in japan its a pun but a dude holding a fried chicken bouquet is even funnier with absolutely no context. I honestly think his herbiboy form looks cuter tho and im sad that cos of his outfit people in the west will probably make jokes about him being an incel even tho his concept is meant to be "socially anxious dude who has no interest in dating women" rather than "those shallow fake shy dudes who whine about women not letting them smash". Since he turns into Carniboy by fusing with another male yokai i'd rather interpret it as "he was gay all along and only becomes a confident casanova when he embraces his true self". Like carniboy is the garnet of yokai? HERE AGAIN I GO GETTING ALL HYPED AND ATTATCHED TO RANDOM YOKAI BASED ENTIRELY ON THEIR CRANK-A-KAI DESCRIPTION ON THE WIKI

Also yo did u know theres a fuckin crank-a-kai?? Aka a gachapon machine of the damned?? Created by a punny gas(c)hadoro yokai whose giant towering skeletal scaryness is all wasted on being addicted to gacha games?? I love this. I especially love it cos gacha machines were the original inspiration for pokeballs so its like a fun callback to the franchise's bigger brother! But im also glad that the gacha thing is just one of many different minigames to catch yokai, cos i really dont like games thatre 100% random chance with no choices at all. THO STILL WHERE IS MY CHOICE TO HUG MADDIMAN....

[cielpurrple]

MAKE ME 20

Pairing/s: Jimin x Reader x Got7 Jaebum

Word count: :

Warnings: cursing, tissues.

Summary: Does time really heals all wounds? 

FLASHBACK.

You began working as a member of the research department on Namjoon’s telecommunications company. After a year of working with that team, your workmates there cannot hide the fact that you’re an excellent addition not just to them but  to the entire company  which reflected on several newest offers to your existing customers. This is the reason you were noticed by the people with higher positions from different departments, inviting you to some of their ‘creative meetings’ or as you call it simply, brainstorming.

A few months after, you replaced Namjoon’s secretary who just retired.

Working with Namjoon personally made you know more about him. His work etiquette, his attitude in and out of his office which made the two of you became closer to each other. Most of your Friday evenings are scheduled for dinner with the rest of the boys.

Excluding Jimin.

The last thing that you’ve heard about him came from Taehyung. Jimin decided to leave so he can strengthen his business connections overseas.

Being Namjoon’s secretary has made you his companion on different business related events  including social events, AKA his date, and some of the events that you’ve attended requires a picture or two from him since he’s quite famous being one of the youngest CEOs known. Some of your pictures were published in the business section of some reputable newspapers and business magazines, which created several rumors not just in the field you’re in but inside your workplace as well.

One time, one of the people from the HR department approached you, saying that there’s a rumor circulating around the office --that you ‘slept your way up’ to where you are right now.

You’re not stupid not to understand that. And you tried doing some damage control with the help of the people from the previous department that you were in but to your disappointment, you’ve found out that the people responsible for spreading that rumor were the newly hired ones. You tried talking to them but you were treated rudely. You don’t want drama so you just kept it to yourself with the hopes that Namjoon wouldn’t find out but, he’s a smart man, and when he found out, he terminated all of the i people involved personally.

You decided to just finish the existing events for that year and you filed your resignation shortly after the company’s annual Christmas party.

You and Namjoon have talked to it for quite some time, him trying to convince you not to leave but you’ve already made up your mind. You’re very thankful and you wanted to try something else-- somtehing that’s not because of connections, but something that you’ve achieved by your own capabilities so, with your efforts, you landed into a small advertising company on the other side of the city. There, you were hired as one of the Team Leaders for the creative department.

After a year and a half of working with them, your boss made an announcement that he’ll no longer work with you, for his company has been sold to a larger one, hence the change in management, most of your colleagues were promoted, including you, which made you yet again, the secretary of the new CEO.

-A YEAR AND A HALF LATER/ FIVE YEARS AFTER YOUR BREAK UP WITH JIMIN-

“I would just like to remind you that you have a meeting at 10 with LA Motors, sir.”  You said as you went inside your boss’s office, placing several folders on the corner of his table.

“Thanks for reminding me, I’ve already forgotten about it,” he said, as he flashes a friendly smile at you in which you responded with a knowing one.

You watch him as he gather all of his needed files and place them in several folders. He’s your boss for three years now, and he’s only four years older than you.

You were kinda impressed by how he looks calm and he even checked some of the documents that you just delivered.

“You know, if I’m not aware that you have a boyfriend, I’ll think that you’re interested in me.” He suddenly said while signing some of the papers.

“I mean, with the way you’re staring at me right now,” he continued.

Your mouth opened but you couldn’t think of a smart response so you just looked somewhere else.

“Oh my god, Y/N, I’m kidding! Loosen up a bit.” He chuckled.

You gave him an annoyed look, and smiled.

“I’m quite impressed that you’re not pacing back and forth right now,” you replied.

He just shrugged and continued reading and signing some more papers.

“Should I come back within ten minutes to remind you again, sir?” you waited for his reply.

“No, no, stay here, I’m done, I’ll just sign this letter of approval, the people at the creatives department made a great job so we’ll treat them pizza.” He said while signing and when he’s done, he stood up and wore his coat.

“Shall we go?” he asked.

And you nod.

As you walked towards the elevator, you called his personal driver to get ready while he pressed the down button of the elevator.

Within a few seconds, you’re already on the ground floor. You walked a few steps behind him and you were joined by several men in suits, whom are his bodyguards.

When you’re inside the car, you gave him a short briefing, and a little bit of an update about the company’s reputation and influence which you knew he took a mental note while he glances at you.

A few minutes has passed, and you’re on the parking lot of LA Motors, who specializes in marine engines. You were greeted by the secretary of the CEO and you were guided to the meeting place.

There, you sat down beside your boss, preparing your notebook for the minutes, with your laptop beside you.

After several minutes of waiting, the CEO came in, exchanging greetings with you.

“Miss Y/N, a pleasure to see you,” he said smiling at you in  a friendly manner.

“Likewise, Mr. Wang,” you responded.

They started discussing and you took down several important points that your client wanted. And at the end of the meeting, you got the deal. You’ll be advertising some of their products.

“I have to gather up the others to announce this great news,” he said grinning beside you.

“I’ll send an email to the managers, and might as well call them, sir.” You started typing on your phone.

“Thank you, Y/N, you’re really my lucky charm,” he said.

“How?” you glanced at him.

“Whenever you’re with me, we always seal the deal,” he replied.

“It’s not because of me, it’s because of your excellent communication skills,” you responded.

“Thanks, but you know what, I think Jackson likes you,” he teased.

This time, you rolled your eyes and landed on his direction.

“Seriously, Hyungwon? You always say that every time we have a client,” you responded.

“No, I’m serious, want to see some proofs?”

You looked at him witha serious face and nod.

With a several swiping from his phone, he showed you a thread of his conversation

And as you read it, he’s right.

“I can’t believe you,you used me as a bait?” You shoved his phone back to him after seeing Jackson’s condition in agreeing on your meeting today—you should be there.

“Don’t worry, I just told him you have a boyfriend.” He chuckled.

“You should. I don’t want a misunderstanding here,” you replied.

He took you to lunch after that and returned to the office right after.

There he called the managers for a short meeting, updating them about your newly sealed deal.

You exchanged congratulatory greetings to the managers and  after that, you returned to your desk.

You felt your phone vibrated and as you check it, it’s a message from your boyfriend.

[From: Bummie

Hey sweety, I’m on my way to pick you up]

[To: Bummie

Okay, see you in a bit.]

You checked yourself on the mirror and you fixed your hair, and touched up a bit so you’ll look fresh.

You heard the faint vibration of your phone and as you glanced at your phone, you saw your boss’ message

[Mr. Chae

Lover boy’s coming isn’t he? *wink*]

You looked for him around and when you saw him standing by his office door, you gave him a nod.

Which he replied with a thumbs up.

[Mr. Chae

You’re free to go whenever he’s there]

You replied with thank you and you started putting your things inside your bag.

After several minutes, a message from your boyfriend came in and you shut your computer down and left the building.

When you’re outside, you immediately spotted him, he gave you a cute smile and you waved at him.

He opened the car door for you and you entered quickly while he goes around to enter as well.

He started driving and and he told you that he’ll treat you to dinner.

He brought you to a nice Italian restaurant and there he surprised you with boquet of flowers.

“What’s  this about?” you’re quite confused.

He just let out a bit of laugh, and he let you sit down first.

“Well we’ve been together for a year and a half that’s what it’s about,” he said.

You were quite surprised, and you felt  a bit embarassed because you forgot that it’s your monthsary.

“I don’t have any gift prepared,” you pouted.

He reached for your hand and squeezed it a bit.

“Don’t worry, that’s okay.” He gave you an assuring smile.

You exchanged stories about how your day went and he was really happy about yours and you’re the same with his because he just shared to you that he might be promoted as a supervisor soon.

He started to drive towards the direction of your small apartment, being shared with none other than Sejeong who’s a pastry chef at a pastry shop within the city’s CBD.

You looked at the window as the rain starts to fall.

Your boyfriend slowly reached for your hand and he intertwined his fingers on the spaces of yours, you looked at him as he slowly lifted it up and placed a gentle kiss on it.

You gave him a smile and he smiled back, and he fixed his eyes again on the road.

after an hour of driving, he stopped in front of your apartment’s gate.

“Do you think I’ve really forgotten this day don’t you?” you said.

He looked at you with a slight frown on his face and you quickly opened the closest compartment to you and it revealed a small gray paper bag.

“Happy monthsary!” you said and handed it to him.

“Wow, now I’m surprsed.” He said as he excitedly opened the  paper bag.

It revealed a pair of neckties.

“Thanks, I love the colors.” He said as he returned them inside the bag.

Then cleared his throat.

“Why don’t you move in with me?” he said out of the blue.

Your happy smile turned into an apologetic one.

“You know that I can’t leave Sejeong right? She can’t pay the rent by herself,” you explained.

You studied your boyfriend’s expression and you felt really guilty about it but your decision is firm.

“I’m sorry,” you reached for his arm and it seemed to make him relax a bit.

“Alright, I understand,” he said.

“I’ll get going, drive safely,” you said and when you exited his car, he waved at you and drive off.

You sighed as you slowly make your way inside the small apartment that you shared with Sejeong.

You’ve been there for three years now, and you really can’t leave Sejeong alone because she’s the breadwinner of her family now.

You immediately turned your laptop on, and started looking at your notes from the meeting earlier and you started making the minutes of the meeting. you hit the send button and when you saw the ‘sent’ message, it’s now time for you to shower and prepare to go to bed.

When you’re out, you turned your computer off, and checked your phone notifications and there’s a thank you message from your boss and a message from your boyfriend.

[From: Bummie

I’m home]

You replied with a reminder for him to sleep early and your last message was ‘good night’. You switched your phone into silent mode and went to bed.

***

Your week was filled with meetings with different teams regarding the advertisment for LA Motors. Your boss Hyungwon asked you to be hands on with this, that’s why you’re on the meeting of the different departments since Monday. You updated Hyungwon every afternoon before leaving for work and he’s very appreciative of it.

It’s Friday and you’re looking forward to meet up with Taehyung and the others when Hyungwon asked you to accompay him for the shooting of the commercial of the product.

This made you excited because you could see the process from scratch. But you felt kinda betrayed when you saw Jackson approaching you.

“Hey, nice to see you here, Ms. Y/N,” he chirped.

“I can say the same to you, Mr. Wang.” You responded with a smile.

“Oh please, just call me Jackson,” he said.

“Mr. Jackson,” you replied.

“No, just, just Jackson.” He corrected.

“Jackson,” you complied and he flashed a satisfied smile.

You sanned the room and searched for your boss and when you spotted him, it’s kinda too late because Jackson stood as close as possible to you that you could smell his perfume so you pretended to be interested on what the editors were doing. You felt your phone vibrates and you opened the message from your boss

[Mr. Chae

*wink*]

You didn’t reply but instead you glared at him.

You felt him closer to you but an incoming phone call made you instantly walk away towards him.

You checked and it’s Hyungwon.

So, you pretended that it’s from your office and approached him.

“You didn’t tell me he’d be here,” you whispered.

“Sorry, my bad,” he smirked.

You frowned.

“Thanks for calling anyways. But don’t leave me alone, please.” You said.

“Alright, oh, it’s almost 5, you can leave,” he said.

“You sure?” you confirmed.

He smiles and nods so you gave him a smile and you bid goodbye to Jackson.

You just hailed a cab and went to the place where you’re supposed to meet your friends.

You immediately saw Taehyung from a distance because of his bright yellow shirt.

“Wow, I rarely see you in casual wear these past few years, is it a dress down day today?” he asked.

“Field work,” you replied shortly, and sat beside him.

“Where are the others?” you looked at him.

“Maybe they’re parking somewhere, oh there’s Jungkook.”

You glanced at the door and you saw Jungkook approach your table. You stood up and gave him a hug.

“Wow, you look very respectable.” You joked.

“Thanks,” he replied and he sat across you.

After that, the appetizer was served and you waited a few more minutes until Namjoon, Jin, and Yoongi showed up.

“About time,” Taehyung said as they come closer to your table.

You’ exchanged greetings and began eating after that.

You’re in the middle of the main course wile you update each other with what’s happening in your own lives when Jungkook called all of your attention.

“I’m so torned right now,” he began.

Jungkook’s now a training in preparation for him to be the leader of their own company.

“I think they’re expectation about me is too high,” he said.

“Everybody does, Kook. So just brush it off and just do the best you can,” Namjoon said.

“Change the plan, not the goal Kookie,” you added.

“Not that I don’t like to be the next boss but, I really like my stay in the IT department though,” he explained.

“Why?” Taehyung asked.

“Because I love the way the folks over there panic whenever I troll.” He smiled.

“You never change, Jungkook,” Yoongi shook his head but he’s smiling.

“Then why don’t you do this, troll using your computer from your office,” you said to him which made everyone stop for a second.

Jungkook’s face lights up.

“Why I haven’t thought of that? Thanks Y/N, I’ll definitely try that,” he responded enthusiastically and continued eating.

When you’re all done, they plan to go on a nearby bar. You agreed to tag along but when you checked your phone, you already have 17 messages and 8 missed calls all coming from your boyfriend.

You called him back and he  told you he’s going to pick you up.

“Guys, I can’t come to the bar anymore,” you apologetically said.

They exchanged glances and looked back at you.

“Boyfriend,” you smiled.

“Oh, alright, alright, maybe some other time,” Yoongi said.

“See you next week?” Taehyung  asked before he gave you an embrace.

“Of course,” you replied.

The others gave you a hug as well and when they’re out of sight, you came out of the establishment, just in time, you saw your boyfriend’s car approaching.

You hopped in as fast as possible and he drove away. It’s an awkward silence between the two of you  but you managed to start a conversation.

“Have you eaten dinner?” you looked at him.

“Yeah, I did, I was calling you but you’re not picking up,” he pouted.

“Sorry, I had dinner with my college friends, you know, the ones that I mentioned before,” you explained.

“Does this thing have to be weekly? And on a Friday?” he asked, his tone’s a bit serious.

“That’s our only free time so I think yes.” You replied.

He sighed.

“Look, they’re the only friends that I had all throughout my college years and I owe them a lot, so please, understand.” You explained.

Silence.

After a few more minutes, you can’t help it, you have to ask.

“Are you jealous?” you finally asked.

“Is there a reason for me to be?” his gaze doesn’t leave the road.

“No, of course there isn’t. Don’t be like that Jaebum,” you replied.

Silence.

You don’t understand why you felt guilty and it made you sad so you just kept quiet until you reached your apartment.

“Thanks, drive safely.” you quickly unfastened your seatbelt and get off of his car and began walking towards the gate but to your surprise, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into an embrace.

You let him but you didn’t hug him back.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want you sad but, yeah I’m feeling a bit insecure knowing they’re all boys.” He confessed.

You sighed.

“For the past year, I’ve been telling you that I can bring you with me, but you said that it’s okay, that you trust me.” You sighed.

“Yeah, I do. I trust you. I’m sorry, sweety.”  He said in an apologetic manner.

“Apology accepted,” you whispered.

He let out a sigh of relief and he kissed the top of your head.

“Go inside,” he smiled.

“Bye,” you smiled back. He looked so adorable right now so you gave him a peck on the cheek. You studied his expression and you giggled when you saw his surprised expression.  When you opened the door, that’s the time that he entered his car and drive away.

 Meanwhile, the boys are at a nearby bar and they seemed to be thinking about something quite serious.

“Should we change our meet ups? I think Y/N’s boyfriend’s getting jealous,” Jungkook said as he played with the liquor on his glas with a straw.

“Why would we? He should be the one to adjust, you know. After all, we’re all Y/N’s friend here.” Taehyung responded.

“I wish he just show himself to us one time, just one time and we’ll give him a good time.” Yoongi added.

“Of course he can’t do that,” Jin butted in.

“I know, right?” Yoongi replied.

“Taehyung, does she know anything about it?” Namjoon tried to divert the topic.

“Which one, hyung? That we know Jaebum or...?”

“That Jimin’s coming back?”

“No. Let’s make it a surrpise for the both of them,” Taehyung smirked.

���So, what’s the plan?” Jungkook asked.

And then Taehyung began spilling the details of his plan.                

 “Yes, grams, don’t worry I’ll be there in a few hours.” Jimin said reasurringly.

“I know, yes. Okay. Don’t worry. I love you, see you.” he ended the call and continued packing.

When he’s done, he pulled his luggage and and ride on the car that’s waiting for him and went straight to the airport.

When he’s comfortably settled, his flight began, he looked at the window beside him, and the thought of you crossed his mind.

He knew what happened to you when you’re in Namjoon’s company and he was more than disappointed that you’re not under his protection anymore.

He also knew where you’re working in the present.

And he also knew you’re with Jaebum right now.

He sighed, quickly saying a little prayer that you’re doing well.

And maybe he’ll be lucky he’ll see you even for just a second.

He continued staring at the window, thinking about you.

***

You sighed as you entered your room, when removing pieces of jewelry one by one.

You removed your makeup next, and you continued by removing your cardigan.

It revealed your blouse’s low neckline and your necklace.

You stared at it’s reflection for a few seconds and your gaze landed on the pendant that you placed there.

You again sighed and removed it, and removed the rest of your clothes and wore a robe and went straight to bath.

You decided to watch some movie to relax yourself. And in the middle of the movie, Sejeong came in.

“Heya,” you greeted her.

“Did you had a fight with him again?” she asked.

You just nod.

“That’s  a lot for a week,” she said as she placed shopping bags on the table.

“I know, right?” you sighed.

“What is it this time?” she said as she occupied the empty space next to you.

You told her what happened. Sejeong was aware of your Friday dates and how it started. She knew everything from the beginning of your relationship wih Jimin upto how you and Jaebum ended up together.

“You know the only thing that might assure him is for him to meet your friends,” she said.

“That’s what I’m saying early on our relationship but he said it’s not necessary, and he trusts me,”  you replied.

“Did you sorted things out?” she looked at you wth a worried expression.

“Yeah, we did. He apologized.” You smiled and scooped another spoonful of ice cream.

“I’ll leave you with your movie and ice cream, I’ll just take a shower.” She pat your knee and you smiled at her, returning your focus on the TV.

You just finished the said movie and went to bed. You checked your phone and there are a few messages includes some from the boys.

You opened your boss’ message first, and he asked you for a favor to meet up with the creatives team, you asked him if Jackson would be there and he said he’s not sure but if he’s there, he told you to give him a call so he can ‘rescue’ you. So you agreed.

Next was Jaebum’s message, he said he’s home and he’s really sorry. He asked for a date with you tomorrow and you replied that you have extra work so you’re not sure what time you’ll be free but nonetheless, you said yes.

The last message was a photo from Taehyung, and you smiled when the picture loaded and you saw them all smiling.

You replied with a smiling emoji and a good night message to him.

You smiled as you see Namjoon, Yoongi, Jin, and Jungkook’s messages, all asking if you’re alright and if you’re home safely.

You replied to them one by one and you assured them you’re fine.

You fell asleep in an instant after that.

***

Jimin brushed his hair backwards, he checked his appearance through his phone. The long flight made him exhausted, despite of the sleep that he just had.  The pilot announced that they’re landing in a few minutes so he just stay put, as he watch his surroundings change.

After a few minutes, the pilot announced that they’ve landed so Jimin stood up and collected his things but he was welcomed by his grandmother’s crew so he basically walked with nothing to carry.

To his surprise, he was welcomed by a huge crowd. He was called by several and he couldn’t help but to wave back at them, then he was escorted by his grandmother’s security team.

“Oh my dear, I missed you so much!” his grandmother  said as she embraced his grandson.

“I missed you to, gram.” He smiled at the old lady

“Let’s get going, I’ve prepared all of your favorite foods,” she said enthusiastically.

He offered his arm to the old lady and proceeded to the car.

When they arrived at the madam’s home, they were welcomed by all of her servants and she quickly brought him to the dining area which made his face light up. He sat down and admired almost all of his favorite food in front of him.

He started picking the ones he missed eating the most first, and he started eating.

The madam was very delighted as she watch her grandson eat.

Jimin told so many stories while eating and her grandmother listened to it, until he asked the inevitable.

“Do you know any news about Y/N?”

“I think, the best person to ask are your friends dear,” she said as she gave a smile to him.

Jimin nods, and ended the conversation and continued eating.

***

You went to the studio where your extra work is and you saw Jackson there monitoring the progress of the shoot. He welcomed you warmly and he said that he’s really satisfied with the progress of your company’s work. You’re relieved that he’s reallly hands on with this and he kept a safe distance until the team said it’s done for the day.

He approached you and invited you for coffee and you couldn’t say no so you followed him on the nearby coffee shop. There, he asked you to pick whichever coffee you want. You tried insisting in paying your own food but he keeps on arguing with you so there’s no point.

When he returned with your orders, he decided to have a chat with you.

He asked about general stuffs about you which you answered truthfully. To your relief, he excused himself for a bit when he received a phone call.

You don’t know what’s wrong but you have a strange feeling about something and you decided to looked at your phone.

You tapped the browser icon, and it shows you several business-related news until the last one caught your attention.

PARK GROUP OF COMPANIES CEO RETURNS, WELCOMED BY GIRLFRIEND’S FANS

 Your chest tightens upon reading the headline, you clicked the link, and prayed that the person on the picture and on your mind is diffrent.

There’s a video clip on the article, and you hit the play button and there he is.

Still handsome, even through the lens, his sporting a blonde hair.

You watched the recording twice, as if you’re studying how he waves at the people who welcomed him back.

“Is everything okay?” you didn’t noticed Jackson’s return.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” you smiled.

“I don’t think you’re fine, you’re crying.” He said, pointing on your face.

You were surprised at his comment, you quickly touched your face and true enough, it’s damp.

“Oh, it might be because my eyes are dry, sorry.” You lied.

You messaged your boyfriend telling him you’re free and he replied that he’ll pick you up.

You continued small talks with Jackson until he asked something.

“Maybe we can do this again some time?”

You smiled at him politely but you shook your head.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already seeing someone,” you replied.

“I’ve gotta go, he’s waiting for me outside,” you added.

He just nod, he seemed surprised with your revelation.

You exited the establishment with a slight smile on your face, quickly entering the car of Jaebum.

You gave him a peck on the cheek and the he drive away.

“Who’s that?” he said as he drives.

“Ah, that’s Mr. Wang, our client,” you responded.

“Were you two alone before I pick you up?” he continued.

“No, we’re with the creatives team,” you replied.

“I see,” he dismissed the subject.

He brought you to a food strip but you’re still full so you two strolled for a bit.

“Sleepover?” he invited you.

You looked at him, and you agreed.

By what he means, you’ll come over to his house, but you’ll sleep on a different room.

He gave you a satisfied smile and he started buying snacks for your movie marathon later.

It’s already 7PM when you decided to go home.

He set up his TV while you change into comfortable clothes.

He pat the spot where he wants you which is in between his legs and you granted his wish.

He got the comb you’re holding and started combing your hair.  

movie started playing and you find it interesting. After a few minutes, he stopped combing and you adjusted your position trying to find a comfortable spot which is leaning into Jaebum’s chest.

A few more scenes from the movie and you felt him kissing your hair slowly, until he reached your ear down to your neck.

“W-what are you doing, Bummie?”

“Hmm I wonder what,” he replied.

He slowly repositioned your body until your faces are close to each other.

Then he started kissing you.

It’s slow at first, when you responded, he started to fasten the pace, creating sounds that’s too good for him, making him moan.

He couldn’t take it anymore, he lied you down while he hovers above you.

“Bummie...” you whispered.

“I’ll just kiss you, don’t worry,” he said.

And you continued making out until your lips felt a burning sensation.

You’re both panting when he decided to stop. He went straight to the bathroom while you continued watching the movie.

When he returned, he caged your body into his.

“Sleep here, please?” he asked cutely.

“Okay,” you replied.

You watched another movie but you fell asleep in the middle of it.

When you wake up, breakfast is already served. Two pancakes with berries are on your plate.

Funny how it reminded you of someone.

Of Jimin.

You smiled sweetly at Jaebum and you happily munched his prepared food.

You went home right after breakfast.

When you went home, Sejeong’s in the middle of hanging all of your laundry so you thanked her for that.

“Have you seen the news?” she asked.

“Yeah,” you replied, knowing that she’s talking about Jimin’s arrival.

“Are you going to do something about it?” she continued asking.

You shook your head.

She left after you answered and you were left with your thoughts.

You wish you could do something about it.

But the headline’s clear. He already found someone new, just like you.

You brushed off the thought and kept yourself entertained. Sejeong has a shift that afternoon so you’re the one who continued cleaning the house.

Your weekend ended there.

***

After two weeks, the launching of the newest product of LA Motors were planned. It took another two weeks to plan the event and invite as many businessmen as possible.

It’s the day of the event, and it’s a formal one, so you’re wearing a midnight blue dress that falls down just above your knees.

“Y/N, I want you to be here, welcoming the guests,” Hyungwon ordered.

You nodded in confirmation. And you waited for the guests to arrive.

You started to be busy greeting the guests as you confirm their attendance, this include your friends AKA the boys.

You’re about to enter the venue when you heard another car arrive.

You watched the car door opened and as the guest arrived.

You felt your lungs tighten, as if there’s a shortage of oxygen around you when you saw him come out of the car.

His hair’s neatly styled, and he’s wearing a black suit.

He’s looked more mature and handsome than ever.

You cleared your throat, and when he approched you, you greeted him.

“Good evening, Mr. Park,”

You don’t understand why but you felt a sharp pain in your chest when he just walked past you, as if he didn’t heard you greet.

With blurry eyes, you confirmed his attendance.

You handed the list to one of the usherettes and walked away so you can get some air to calm yourself down.

When you’re confident enough to enter the venue, you returned.

You spotted your company’s table quickly and sat beside Hyungwon.

The program continues until the final event, which is the release of the commercial of LA Motors. All of the guests gave a hand of applause which means a success to your company as well.

The night prorgresses with some festivities and food. After that the closing remarks.

That’s the time where you replied to Jaebum telling him that the program’s ending.

You thanked as many guests as you could, you also had a small chat with the boys before they leave.

You thought you’re done for the night but you were caught off guard when you heard a couple of footsteps.

You saw Jimin walking with another girl.

Not just some other girl. You’ll recognize her in an instant because her face is almost everywhere.

It’s none other than Sana.

You just stood there frozen as you watch them walk towards the car, seeing them holding hands mean something.

Something that you don’t want to think about.

You were takin into reality when you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders.

You turned around to find Jaebum, who’s expressionless.

“Come, you’re tired, let’s go home sweety,” he said as he draped his arm around you.

You gave him a smile and you both walked to his car.

He drive you straight to your apartment, kissed you good night and drive away.

You walked straight to your room, and there, your legs collapsed.

There are a million thoughts about what you’ve just saw.

As if the past is coming back.

Sana and Jimin together once again.

While you’re there, watching.

You’re too tired to do anything at that point so you just removed your make up, jewellries and dress and hopped into bed to get some sleep.

***

Why didn’t I know that Park Jimin’s in the country once again? Jaebum asked everyone in front of him, including Hoseok.

“I told you he’d return sooner or later this year, I’m not just sure when,” Hoseok replied.

“Why, what’s up?” Wonho asked.

“My girl saw him.” He replied.

Wonho, Hoseok, and the remaining three others shared glances at each other.

“Does he still affect her?” Wonho asked again.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jaebum replied annoyed.

When there’s nothing left to say to them, he let them go.

When he’s the last one in the room, he dialled a number, anger still boils in him.

[What?] a flirty voice made him frown more.

“Consider this as a warning, do your best to avoid my girl and your man to cross each other’s paths,”

[Do you think I’m not doing that? I don’t like them seeing each other as well,] she replied annoyed.

“Well try harder,” he said and hung up.

With Jimin posing a threat, a lot of thoughts  flood Jaebum’s head on how he’d keep you.

***

“Y/N, WAKE UP!”  Sejeong banged your door.

You walked to your closet half asleep to put something on. After that you opened the door for her.

“Why?” you asked.

Someone delivered these and it’s for you.

You looked at the table and there’s a beautiful flower arrangement of starazer lillies paired with pink and red carnations.

You searched for a note and when you found it, the message said:

  I missed you.