#all the foreign language are basically just 'im done'

[angryborzois]

Oh shit there's actually no way

[lxmbr]

so ive written out a crap ton of fanfic ideas..for you to try

i genuinely don't know if I'm okay. wtf is wrong with me omg lmao

ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL WRITERS GO LOOK AT THEIR BLOGS!!

these are all Nijisanji En, mainly the boys. If it has the checkmark it doesnt mean u cant do it! if you really like it i'd still love to see it.

‼️🩷THE LINKS OF THE FANFICS I PUT ARE NOT MINE. I TAKE ZERO CREDIT. THEYRE JUST THE VERSIONS AND FICS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE. IF THEYRE YOUR FANFICS, PLEASE DM FOR REMOVAL I WILL 100% TAKE THEM DOWN!! 🩷‼️

I AM NOT WRITING SMUT!! im sorry i do not feel comfortable writing smut in detail, thats just me..of course i will write suggestive things but i will not be writing smut! please refrain from requesting the smutty stuff..understand that i will ignore it.

hear me out on a lot of these okay 🥹. ive been saving them up for like a month or so now. not all of these are for everyone. if you see one you dont like, ignore it. someone else will probably do it

TAKE CREATIVE LIBERTYY!!

🔞: nsfw/smut

☁️: sfw/fluff

⭐: crack/silly

💔: angst/sad

💭: headcannons/reactions

💌: one shots

✔️: been done/I've seen one like it 

‼️: in progress/im writing this!!

all gn reader and most are established relationship! and you can keep mysta, yugo, and nina in there! (although there won't be much NijiEn Girls)

⚠️IF YOU USE ANY OF THESE IDEAS, PLEASE TAG ME⚠️ not all of these are ones ive requested, again some ive just seen that happen to be similar to the idea

🔞💭Luxiem/Iluna/Noctyx seeing you in a cosplay of a character they really like/a sexy costume

☁️💭Luxiem hcs treating you on your period

 fanfix - not mine!

fanfic - not mine!

☁️🔞💭Luxiem reactions(?) to you dancing competitively (for ex: kpop dances) 

⭐💌☁️💭ike eveland reacting to you using some Swedish words he taught you in a sentence. (could be a curse word, a color, or a simple word to point out something. ex: balloon! or in Swedish, ballong!)

⭐☁️💌💭Noctyx hcs you crying over something silly (for ex: you lost your keys or the cat looked at you in a weird way)

☁️⭐💭💌NijiEn foreign: them reacting to you learning their native language! ‼️

☁️🔞💭Luxiems reaction to you proposing to them before they could to you

janes fanfic!

🔞💌Sitting on Vox's lap while he does his asmr steam

⭐☁️ 💌You and Ike eveland as geese (inspired by the untitled goose game stream)

☁️🔞💌When you meet meixul for the first time‼️

🔞💌💭Luxiem reacting to you touching yourself in their clothes 

🔞💭💌 NijiEn boys reacting to you dry humping them

💭💌☁️ Luxiem when you fall asleep on them

🔞💭☁️ Luxiem when you have baby fever ✔️

fanfic - not mine!

fanfic - not mine!

💌☁️⭐ Luxiem when you want to do their hair

💭🔞💌☁️ NijiEn Boys/Merryweather/Shxtou with their puppygirl ✔️

fanfic - not mine!

fanfic - not mine!

☁️💭💔 Luxiem comforting you after a fight with your parents/gaurdians

🔞💌 Luxiem's favorite dirty talk

🔞💌☁️💭 Luxiems wedding night with you ✔️

fanfic - not mine!

💌☁️⭐💭 Luxiem when shu accidentally turns you into a baby for a day ✔️

fanfic - not mine!

💭💌🔞 Luxiem when you wear lingerie for them

🔞💌☁️💭⭐ NijiEn (whoever) getting high🍃 with them!

💭☁️💌🔞 Luxiem/Noctyx when they're jealous

💌🔞☁️💭 Ike eveland, feeding into his yandere tendencies (for ex: offering him to put a tracking device on you. basically just a super willing reader that encourages his unhealthy actions and urges)

🔞💌💭 The names you call Luxiem/Noctyx/iluna in bed‼️

💭☁️💌⭐ When you're luxiems oshi/vtuber crush and you guys collab for the first time‼️

💌💭☁️🔞 Luxiem when the other members purposely flirt with you to piss the other member off (for ex: ike likes u/ur dating ike, and the other members purposefully flirt with you to make him mad. and so on for the other members) ‼️

⭐☁️💭💌🔞 Luxiem coming home to you and your child (or your young cousin or little sibling. like 5 yrs old or smn) to you listening/singing/rapping to their part in hope in the dark or jazz on the clock

☁️💭⭐💌🔞 Luxiem reacting to a partner loud in bed ✔️

fanfic - not mine!

💌☁️💭🔞 Luxiem reacting to the cliche porn situation - u getting stuck in something (for ex...the washing machine lmfao) ✔️

🔞💭☁️💌⭐ Luxiem reacting to calling them senpai

🔞💭☁️💌 Luxiem when their cat!girl purrs at their affection

💭💌☁️⭐ Luxiem reacting to you having lepidoptraphobia (self insert oop)

☁️⭐💭💌 when Luxiem tells you the latest gossip

🔞💭💌 Luxiem getting aroused at the sight of your blood

I'll be adding more just try to keep up! pls post your questions ill answer them, again pretty please tag me..id LOVE to see your takes on these. ill try to update as much as possible :)

do you guys think i should write some of my own? I'd be down to write a couple..pls let me know 🥹

[skitskatdacat63]

Tysm for the tags @monacobasedgirldad @schumigrace @fernandoalonzoo sry im a bit late getting to this lol

Are you named after anyone?

My great great grandmother(I think??), though she was named Katarzyna, and I was born Catherine, but go by Catie obviously(this lowkey annoys my mom lmao, especially bcs if I were to have a nickname, it was supposed to be Cate.)

When was the last time you cried?

Today, over classical music. I think I cry at least once a day 😭 I am very emotional

Do you have kids?

Nope :)

What sports did you play/have you played?

I played soccer when I was a kid. Also does marching band count?

Do you use sarcasm?

All the fucking time, literally constantly. And also we sarcastically bully each other in my family, so I have to pull myself back from accidentally insulting people 😭

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Hmmmm, I feel like ive done this tag game before bcs I remember writing this exact answer. But usually I notice if someone is a good conversationalist or not. Like do they like to lead the convo, do they like to listen to the other people, do they talk too much, too little, are they awkward about it? It's just very interesting to me, bcs I think that kinda thing really does instantly show you if you're going to be compatible with a person(as a friend or more etc.) Cause I talk a lot a lot, and I think it's difficult to get along w people who are untalkative but also people who talk an equal amnt if not more djkfkglg.

What is your eye color?

Just brown!

Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies definitely. I mean im not opposed to a happy ending obviously, but that's not really what im always looking for in a movie, I guess? Rn I'm trying to think of my top movies, and man, not a lot of them have happy endings 😭 But I literally just watched two horror movies the past wknd so! Even though they make me paranoid

Any talents?

I think I could go on a rant about anything if you gave me a bit of time. I really think I can just talk endlessly. Is that a skill? Or is it just annoying..? But yeah I'm not sure, but I think I'm pretty good at absorbing information and being able to go on and on about it.

Where were you born?

America rahhh 🦅🦅 I like my state a lot even though I feel like all my peers keep saying "ugh I don't want to be in [insert state] anymore" Smh how dare you

What are your hobbies?

Mostly drawing! I draw both F1 fanart(pretty much all selfmade AUs tho) and ocs. I like writing lore and worldbuilding and meta, but not really writing itself. I like reading fic and watching movies as well. And I think one of the main things I do these days tbh is read about history and keep up with politics. I get more and more involved with it as the days go by, but unlike drawing, I don't really have an outlet for it sigh sigh. So that's why a lot of AUs involve history and random other things, bcs its fun to involve my interests with each other!

Do you have any pets?

Yes I do! Two cats and two dogs. The cats are named Jin and Frank. Jin is basically me in cat form, he's so anxious 😭 and Frank is like my brother, he's such a little bastard who loves to hiss all the time. My dogs are named Maisie and Ruby. Maisie is a menace to society, but she is also the most beautiful dog ever, so I forgive her. Her name makes me laugh bcs she's named after this book character, Maisie Dobbs right? So her name tag says Maisie Doggs

How tall are you?

Around 5'4

Favorite subject at school?

Politics >:) But I'm pretty interested in philosophy as well rn. Unfortunately my love for foreign languages has been slipping in the semester or so, bcs my professors on that side kinda suck. So I've been putting more energy into my other major, and now all I can talk about is history, politics and philosophy, etc etc. It's just a lot of fun and very interesting to me!

Dream job?

Man, sometimes I wish I could just be a student forever, I just want to keep learning all about the world and other things. But I'd like a job that's not too static, something that pushes me out into the world a bit, maybe smth in the government or like a non-profit idk yet!

Ahhhh I'm doing this a bit late so I'm not sure who's done it yet, I feel like mostly everyone has :,) I tag anyone who's interested, like seriously I'd love to see people's answers who I haven't yet!!

[voidspearzhovae]

Tagged by @baldursghaik !

Let's do this meme!!!!!

________

Phobias and other fears:

As loathe as he is to admit it, female drow and Lolth herself. Zhovae tries to use his fear to enhance his combat and senses regarding his previous captors, but sometimes if he feels cornered he can let those fears be paralyzing.

Pet peeves:

He *hates* liars. He also dislikes pranks, and has no issue talking to people about his displeasure.

3 things you can always find in their bedroom:

His armor, his spear, and his polishing kit for both. Always battle ready and sleek!

First thing they notice in a person:

Body language and eye color. He is highly mistrustful of new people, and reading intentions before they can move is a skill he has honed over many years.

On a scale of 1-10 how high is their pain tolerance?

8. Zhovae has Endured a lot, and knows that when it comes down to, you have to push through pain. He also is intimately acquainted with it, as his tattoos were all done by his own hand, a painful, painstaking process that required a lot of self-discipline.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Both? He does tend to stand his ground, but he's very analytical regarding his enemies. If he believes he can win, he will stay, but he's not above retreat if it's the better option.

Do they come from big family/are they a family person?

Zhovae's family was non-existant, as he was born from a drow who did not represent a noble house. He was immediately taken and raised as an artisan-class, then later a fighter. He does not know his true parents' identities, and family is a fairly foreign concept for him.

What animal represents them best?

Barn Owl. Silent, nocturnal, deadly, and elegant. A predator.

What is a smell they dislike?

Dried blood. He has a habit of cleaning his weapons and gear immediately after a fight to avoid this. It isn't debilitating, he just is reminded of past wounds and enviroments he was subjected to.

Have they broken any bones?

Yes, both his own and other people's. His own include a couple fingers, a rib, and his jaw.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

I'll quote an excerpt from a short story I'm writing:

"Oi saw 'im oi did! Black skin, eyes like th' fires o' hell, a demon wi' white tattoos! 'Bout shat meself, crept up loike nothin' else, a whisper o' wind or summat. Bloody drowish assassin oi'd wager."

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Night owl. It's preferable to travel when the sun isn't shining, not just to avoid people, but to avoid the sun itself.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Absolutely hate hazelnuts. Unknown why, but there it is. He loves the taste of spring water, he finds it sweet!

Do they have any hobbies?

Zhovae enjoys tattooing, reading, and martial dance as his hobbies. He's a practitioner of "Skikudis Alure", the "Steel Dance", a combination of dance like spear forms.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to this surprise?

Somewhat poorly at first? Surprises are not his favorite, but once he settle down I'm sure he'd be moved that people actually cared enough to celebrate him. Probably some confusion for that same reason.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Only some small steel loop earrings, he's fairly spartan in his appearance otherwise.

Do they have messy handwriting?

No, actually. He learned to write from his books, and since he did his own tattoo work, you can tell his hand and sense of movement is deliberate and elegant.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Sadly he feels suspicion and anger the most, but it is getting less and less the more he lives his life with those he actually trusts.

Do they have a fabric?

Hmm. Clean linen, the type in basic tunics.

What kind of accent do they have?

Rough whisper/low voice, some British influence on certain words. He's quiet but forceful in his speech.

_________

Thanks for the tag!!!! I dunno who else would wanna do this, but if you're following me, give it go!

[angelscherryblossoms]

A weird crossover

So.... basically I had a weird dream last night to where it was a crossover of Six the Musical and Demon Slayer.... Now I'm writing a female reader as one of Henry VII wives and they get teleported to the Hashira meeting in season one... Yeah anyway this is not edited and please no hate I was just bored... Enjoy!

Warnings: none?? slight violence *cough* Sanemi *cough*

normal = reader talking

bold= Japanese

italic= thoughts

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I was falling. I couldn't remember where I was or how I got here. I'm happy I can be away from Henry, but this isn't much better. I was in my simple gown with my gold crown with ruby gem stones. I looked up at the sky feeling at peace. I closed my eyes.

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My body hurts. I was tied up on some sort of pebbled floor. I was scared. Was I being beheaded? Had I done something to upset the king? I was nervous. I heard a squeal so I looked up in the direction it came from. I saw a girl with odd hair that was green and pink. Her clothes were odd as well, definitely not from England. "Your so cute!!" She yelled in some foreign language. Now all pairs of eyes were on me. (I'm to lazy to explain each of their appearances so like pretend you looked at each of them and saw they weren't from England) "You are on trial at the demon slayer head quarters for seemingly falling from the sky. You have been checked for major injuries and none were found, therefore you are to be put on trial. Explain your circumstances." The guy who seemed to be praying said. "What? I have no clue what your saying..." I said in my crisp accent. (if ya'll get this you a real one) They all looked at each other then me. "Do you know what she's saying?" The snake guy asked his peers. "No! But she sounds flamboyant!" A guy said that had jewels all over his body. One guy with a ton of scars held up my crown. "I wonder where she got something so expensive." They all started at the crown then me. "As the queen of England I demand you untie me right now, and give back my crown." I yelled causing all attention to be on me once again. "The master is coming." Two creepy children said. I was slammed into the ground by the scar dude. I opened my mouth to yell but was interrupted by another voice. "Good morning children. I hope today is a beautiful day."

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So... I got lazy!! If like one person actually reads this then I might make a part two. But like probably not. Have a good day/night and stay hydrated!!

*edit: im like probably never gonna make part two*

[abbynx]

0 to 100 real quick

La Squadra reacting to a usually silent, patient teammate snapping and going off

Genre: Platonic, just the bois being bros, definitely a self-projection, comfort

Warning: Cursing, mentions of breakup and manipulation 

Your phone rang for the umpteenth time, the stubborn caller failing to realise how many times you've wordlessly made it clear you want nothing to do with him. All you ask of him was to finally leave you alone and yet he continues to persistently pest you. Your will power proved itself mighty to be tolerating his nineteenth call in five minutes.

It was your ex being a stubborn son of a bitch who has a lot of time in his hands, constantly asking you to pick up the phone and let him 'smooth out and explain' his recent relationship with his 'friends' behind your back. You were nowhere near stupid, nor gullible after joining the mob. despite your outward appearance as an innocent, average civilian you've hardened over time with the help of your career and turning your feelings off was no longer a challenge. Over time it simply became a light switch.

After his recent actions came to light, you bear to hesitation to break it off. For a moment you felt guilty when he gave his explanation to why he started seeing other people without you knowing; of course you knew what you were getting into when you signed your soul away to the devil to work in this line of career, you were constantly faced with death and lacked the time to spend time with him. He had no knowledge about what you do for a living, but you knew how to make it clear you were never going to be a simple one-call-away. But over time you've finally gained some self-worth and self-preservation to see through his guilt tripping, before you dropped his ass.

Now you were here, rejecting his calls before pocketing it back in your pants before resuming the movie night. Even putting the phone on silent it continued to bother everyone around you as you continued to nonchalantly press the reject call button.

How can you be this patient, the rest of the team questions but the answer lay before them. Risotto hired the timid assassin with potential for their unwavering patience and swift wits to wiggle them selves out of severe situations, something the time could use to be honest especially when you have a ticking time bomb with no timer and goes off at random. Perhaps the question would be simply answered with a short and simple one: "It's just Y/N being Y/N."

With the pestering phone calls bothering you for the past few days, your team can't help to be annoyed on your behalf and would like to chuck your phone into the deepest trench of the ocean and buy you a new one.

Much to everyone's chagrin, they watch you pick your phone up, however, what you did next was new and unexpected. Instead of rejecting the call, you finally picked up. Most of the time you'd politely greet, but today was certainly different. As soon as you picked up the phone, you wasted no breathe to speak and cut to the chase. All eyes turned to you, some were concerned, curious, shocked, or proud.

"Can you quit blowing up my phone, dude? Twenty FUCKING calls every second is getting tiresome. If you're calling me to 'explain' to me how you're not meeting your hookups then fuck off and get lost! what? Do you miss your personal ego booster? Well then fuck you, go try and choke on your own dick! Do you fucking think I'll believe your half-assed bullshit lies and pathetic fucking cries and bitching will win me over? You must be so fucking DELUSIONAL to be thinking you're worth the effort! What? Are you sad that I’m not a passable doll you can manipulate and mold to your liking? Is that it, you crazy son of a bitch? Can't you fucking get a clue that I'm over it? Huh? I couldn't care less about the new lies you've come up with to try and win me over, I'm done! Finished! Tapos! Ho finito! He terminado! Я задолбался! WHAT OTHER LANGUAGES DO I NEED TO SPEAK TO GET IT THROUGH THAT THICK FUCKING NOGGIN OF YOUR’S? CALL ME AGAIN AND I SWEAR TO ALL THINGS CONSIDERED MIGHTY THAT YOU WON’T HAVE ANY TEETH LEFT, DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND YOU FUCKING CHEATER? DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND? Good."

As soon as you finished the call, you calmly set it down with a sigh of relief. Peace at last. You adjusted yourself comfortably on your seat, wanting to watch the movie on display, when you felt you've made yourself quite the spectacle.

“What?”

Formaggio

- “Woooh, they went off!” His initial response was to high-five you for some reason but you accepted, nevertheless. 

- Very shocked and yet enthusiastic at how you handles yourself at the face of a situation like this. Not to mention, the build up! From you trying to tolerate the caller for the past few minutes, before picking up the call and gave them an ass whipping to remember for the rest of his life! 

- He would feel sorry for the person of the other side of the line if it weren’t for the fact he cheated on you, so good for him to be told off.

Illuso 

- “Heh, about time you told him off.”

- Silently supportive at how you handled yourself at the face of a situation like this and admires you for it. It was very entertaining while it lasted, now he just wants to go back to watching the movie. 

- Along that, he was shock that this hidden side of yours came put of nowhere and came out strong, which he thinks is pretty fucking rad. He now thinks back at the times where he gave you backhanded comments and how you managed to keep yourself cool under it... He now reminds himself not to get on your bad side, ever. 

Proscuitto 

- “.... Thank fuck you’re done, I was starting to think about throwing your phone out.”

- Extremely flabbergasted, as he has never heard you speak fluent in profanities, nor raise your voice at the duration of your stay in La Squadra. and addition to that, the fact you leaned on your seat and calmed yourself immediately as if nothing happened. 

- Nevertheless, he feels proud at you for standing up to yourself and standing your ground. You have always been the timid one entering the world of crime and he overlooked your development within this new and risky life style. Looks like his mentoring worked wonders on you and he feels proud of himself. 

Pesci 

- “......” 

- He was too shaken up to speak, he has never heard you be this angry and frustrated before as you’ve always kept calm in every situation and he admires you for that. 

- He is shaken up, sure but it doesn’t really change how he views you. You were still the patient person he has ever met-- he just happen to witness you lose your cool once but he’s sure that this won’t define you. 

Melone 

- “Good for you for getting rid of that guy.” 

- He’s just relieved that you’re finally done with the guy who has been giving Melone weird vibes the moment you told him about your then boyfriend. A few alarm bells rang in his head as you detailed how he acts around you and despite being happy for you back then, Melone was extremely vocal about his concerns. Looking back at it, he feels that his ‘paranoia’ wasn’t far off.

- He isn’t really shock, he’s just happy that you’re standing your ground and establishing yourself as a person who don’t need no one to use as a co-dependent crutch. After being around Ghiaccio, he really isn’t that phased anymore.

Ghiaccio

- “Fucking finally!”

- Similar to Melone, he’s just relieved your done with the phone calls and clingy boyfriend who is a walking-talking red flag. He hated how you didn’t have time back then to hang out with your other teammates just to spend time with your boyfriend to make up lost times, that often lasts until midnight and Ghiaccio can still hear you talking to your phone. 

- Ghiaccio cares about you despite his distant veneer, and wants the best for the people he cares about. So he was happy that you finally broke your relationship of with a guy who doesn’t deserve you. Also, he’s starting to think that your choice of vocabulary all came from him and is unsure whether he should feel proud or not. 

Risotto

- “Oh... Okay, good for you.”

- He blurted the first thing in mind, because he was just so shock at how you responded. He hired you for being so patient and calm at all times and now looking back, he doesn’t really see himself thinking that one day you’ll be going off without stopping to breathe and stutter. 

- Don’t get him wrong, he actually thinks it’s awesome that you stood up for yourself like that, but just give him time to reel back to reality. He just never thought you’d explode that hard. 

Gelato and Sorbet

- “See Sorbet? I told you they’d snap eventually!” 

- The couple was immensely entertained at your empowering speech being quite the ego breaker and worse-fate-than-death threat. They adore it whenever they see a usually timid newcomer becoming unafraid to stand their ground and tell their oppressors off, it honestly feels like a proud parent thing for them to see their baby kid all grown up and kicking people in the guts with their words. 

- If you would want a rebound, they won’t hesitate to set someone up with you who is far better than your dog-faced ex because they know that people are barely worthy for you 

[menalez]

If it's not too much to ask (and I'm sure you've answered it already but I can't find,), how did you move to Germany? Do you have any advice? I'm Ukrainian and I want to get outta here but the immigration topic is a lot and I don't know where to begin, esp as a woman.

god i hate tumblr so much, i wrote you like 3 paragraphs and it just crashed. ill try to repeat and give u as much detail but pls feel free to ask if u want to know about certain things;;

i came to Germany under a student preparation visa. the way i got such a visa is by applying to a language school (i applied to their university pathway program but im not sure if that’s a necessary part of your application. i would assume not). i signed up for their most intensive language course (which is necessary as you need a minimum of smth like 15 hours per week) then, i applied to a university and got a conditional acceptance letter. without the university acceptance, i could only apply for a language preparation visa which is much more likely to be rejected especially due to the pandemic + has less time on it + i believe you get no residence permit? so if you decide to come here for study-reasons, id highly recommend the student preparation visa (or even student visa if you’re eligible) over the language preparation visa. my girlfriend came here under the student visa and another advantage is, once you study in a German university, it’s easier to stay & get a job here. in my case, there were some issues and complications tho. they told me (and the website also says this) that it’ll take up to two months. however i waited for 7 months for my visa and after waiting for months without any kind of update or information from their end, my gf pushed me to get a lawyer especially bc she felt like they were being discriminatory towards me. i thought it was highly unnecessary but she & her other friends that have lived in germany a while & my aunt who lives here all insisted on it, and they were all right that it makes a difference. the lawyer didn’t even have to do anything other than tell them that she represents me, and after they got that message they gave me the visa i spent 7 months waiting for. i was also told that in the applications, they often discriminate against female foreigners bc they worry we’ll come here and become prostitutes, or that we’ll look for a German husband.

i actually know two Ukrainians from my language course! one of them is a Ukrainian man who has lived in Germany for iirc 8 years, he came here for work. as he’s in IT, he could easily get a job here. since he has worked here for several years (i think through the work visa path, you need to be working here 5 years to be eligible? but im not super sure), he’s now eligible to apply for citizenship but only if his German level is above B1 i think. the Ukrainian woman i met moved here because her husband got work here. if you’re considering working here, there are certain jobs that are in high demand in Germany due to a deficit:

from my experience, most people i met who came here for work (excluding guest workers) have come here to work in IT, programming, or data science. however, also keep in mind that many foreigners come here for work or expect to be able to find work & are sorely disappointed. Ukrainians are among the groups in Germany with the highest unemployment rates:

however it is definitely possible as ive met countless people who have done it. ive even met people who just did a crash course in IT and then got an IT job in Germany & moved here using that. you just need to plan ahead and be in the right field basically. if you’re in those fields with a high demand, you could potentially get the EU blue card which is a pretty valuable type of permit and makes it quicker for you to get permanent residency in Germany as well as easier for you to work in other countries within the EU. however i heard it can be difficult to get that, and bear in mind foreigners that studied in a German university & then worked here vs people with a blue card (at least from what my gf told me) don’t have that much of a difference in terms of time they must wait until they’re eligible for permanent residency.

hopefully that helped!! if u have other questions about it pls feel free to ask. if its about the work stuff, i can also ask my gf as she has experience with that.

[velvetsehun]

Born To Die| OSH | 08

pairing: Oh Sehun x Reader genre: Mafia!Sehun rating: 18+ warnings: violence, gun use, mature language, smut (in future chapters), slow burn. words: 17k summary: a collusions of worlds is supposed to kill, but what if it can do something else?

A/N: Im going to let chapter 8 do the talking for itself ;) remember feedback is important, like AND reblog,  so drop into my askbox once you’re done, lets chat hehe 

TW// Warning this part contains some material that might be sensitive to readers as it depicts scenes of blood, mentions of gun use and violence, readers discretion is advised.

sehun this chapter [x]

Masterlist

“We split up; cover what needs to be covered then regroup to scope the basement? Sound good?” Baekhyun told him just after breaking down the door to the rather drab building, their flashlights illuminating the foyer in wide circles; the light dancing with the dust in the air.

“Sounds good to me,” Chanyeol gruffed back, tapping his back pocket to make sure he had a spare magazine, “Boss find out why we’re here?”

“Nope,” Baekhyun hummed, checking his gun, “Kyungsoo tried to follow through with Jongin’s lead, didn’t get us anywhere.” He sighed softly

“Lovely,” Chanyeol was keeping it short, something Baekhyun noticed.

“You good?” Baekhyun asked nonchalantly, eyebrow quirked, “You were quiet the whole ride here.” Chanyeol shook his head.

“I’m fine,” He grumbled, “Just don’t see the point in this that’s all.” Baekhyun tried to not roll his eyes at that one.

“I don’t just mean today,” Baekhyun clicked his tongue, “You’ve been in a bad mood all week,”

“I have not.” Chanyeol snapped slightly, but Baekhyun merely smirked.

“My point exactly, save it for someone else,” Baekhyun chuckled, “You can pull that shit with anyone else but not with me, got it? So, spill.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Chanyeol tried to walk away, shaking his head, “We’ve got a job.” But Baekhyun caught his arm, making the taller male look at him.

“You can stomp around the compound till your heart's content, Yeol,” Baekhyun started with a look, “But when something eating at you, it hinders your ability to think – and we can’t have that, not now.”

“So, you’re not asking me cause you care?” Chanyeol’s eyebrow flicked up as he looked down at the man, “You just don’t want me shot.”

“I do care, you wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Baekhyun’s hands raised in a calm down gesture, placating the man for a brief couple seconds, “You’re showing that you’re upset over something so I’m asking you as a friend, what’s wrong.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Chanyeol sighed, looking around the area, “Not worth discussing now okay?”

“You promise?” Baekhyun smirked softly, but there was a friendliness to it.

“I don’t make promises, as you told me to,” Chanyeol smirked back at him, “Now do your job.”

“Sehun’s rubbing off on you,” Baekhyun laughed while walking towards the stairs, “I’ll meet you in the middle, sound good?”

“Sound good,” Chanyeol nodded before walking towards the corner that led to the ground floor apartments.

“Stay safe,” Baekhyun sang slightly which Chanyeol shook his head at.  

The apartment building was disgusting, meaningless graffiti slew across desolate walls that were barely holding on – the musty smell had Chanyeol’s nose turning up slightly as he flashed his light down the hallway that held the apartments; the dust dancing in the bright light.

“Where did Jongin get this place…” Chanyeol mumbled to himself, flashing his light up at the first door.

Apartment G1

He took as deep a breath as he could before he tried the doorknob, the old piece of wood falling open as Chanyeol applied a bit force – a cloud of dust kicking up with it, Chanyeol’s hands swatting the particles away with a cough.

“And why are we doing it at night,” He mumbled on from his point earlier, readying his gun as he stepped into the apartment.

It was a pretty basic layout, open plan kitchen living room that probably reversed in each home with a small hallway that led to the only bedroom and bathroom in the place; it wasn’t as light as what the apartments up on the floors would be but Chanyeol merely just prepared himself for the dark before fully walking into the place. The place looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, aside from the small graffiti that was littered it seemed no one ever stuck down here.

“They probably all slept in one room for safety,” He spoke to himself quietly, thinking of the fact that this area was rife with homelessness and there were rumours of numerous break in’s here – not that the pace showed it.

Chanyeol was careful when he opened door to the only bedroom, coughing softly at the stench of mould that filled the room; a breeze whistling in from a left open window. It was strange for a window to be open in an apartment that looked like it handed been touched in a while, but at the same time; Chanyeol didn’t know how long it had been open for. A small sigh passed his lips as approached the thing, shining his light into the ground outside; a fat lot of nothing.

“Note to self,” Chanyeol mumbled while giving the bathroom the same treatment, “Talk to Jongin about the validity of his tip-offs,”

There were sixteen different apartments in the one stretch of hallway, all categorised by the same peeling green door and faded gold numbers – something that grew monotonous to Chanyeol after the 4th apartment as they were all as empty as the last.

Apartment G5

“Here goes nothing,” He faintly whispered to himself as he went to open the door but stopping slightly as he looked down at the ground; the door just barely open.

Unnoticeable to some, a patch of dust that had been clinging to the old wooden floors had been recently disturbed; Chanyeol remembering how his boots left marks in the settling dust and how easy the dust could settle again. Placing his hand on his gun that was tucked into his pants, he opened the door; letting the wood bounce off the wall behind it.

The apartment looked as untouched as the last but faintly on the floor near the hallway, there was a scuff that alerted Chanyeol that he wasn’t alone; drawing his gun up in front of him, he took a careful step into the apartment; wary of any loose floorboards that might alert anyone straight away that he was entering.

Planting his shoulder to the adjacent wall that led down the hallway, Chanyeol took a small breath before swinging himself around; the butt of his gun connecting with flesh making him grit his teeth.

Dressed completely in black with a covered voice, he heard a modulated gasp come from the mouth of his assailants mask; Chanyeol wasting no time in gripping the man by the scruff of his neck to toss him into the open plan – dust springing up everywhere as the body landed with a thud.

“Who are you,” Chanyeol demanded, aiming his gun at the person, switching the safety off.

A modulated laugh siphoned out of the mask the man was wearing, his shoulders jumping slightly as he laid back on the ground, arms folded over his stomach like nothing was happening. Just as Chanyeol was losing his patients with the idiot, the man held up a remote shaking it slightly just at the same time Chanyeol felt something cold pressing into the back of his skull. The cackling man still laughed, taking a breath before speaking again.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Park Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun liked to imagine that the precious few hours before Electric Kiss opened its doors were supposed to be his quiet time; a small amount of time that he dedicated to ignoring everyone that tried to talk to him unless it was of the utmost importance, one where he could sit at his cushy desk and imagine that he was a regular guy that worked a regular job. But Baekhyun was not a regular guy – something that was becoming more and more evident as he found himself slammed in the chest with a foreign object on the way to get a meagre drink from the bar.

“How are you today, Baekhyun?” He mimicked his newest workers voice whilst glaring down at her, before answering himself in a conversation that wasn’t happening, “I was fine, almost peaceful until someone decided to get in my way.” He snapped softly, brushing the hand that was holding something to his chest away with an annoyed tsk.

“My composure is now wearing thin,” He plunked an eyebrow at the girl in front of him, his eyes flicking between Y/N and Joohyun, the later who was wearing a wince behind the bar, “What do you want.”

“What’s this?” She waved a crème envelope in front of his eyes, his eyes narrowing slightly at this thing.

“If I say a piece of paper can I go?” He asked with a raised brow, but she merely glared at him.

“Baekhyun,” She snapped slightly, but he merely rolled his eyes and plucked the thing out of her fingers – his eyes narrowing at the silver insignia on the wax seal, the tree of life staring him in the face.

“Unless I’ve been leaving my stationary around then I’m curious to where you got this,” He frowned, opening the envelope quickly – the familiar cursive written across the thick crème paper, the feeling of a look passing over his eyes.

“You are warmly invited to a night of festivities, courtesy of Exodus.

It would be with great pleasure if you would honour us with your presence at the Byun City Estate this coming Friday for a black-tie event.  

We look forward to your attendance.”

“Night of festivities my ass,” He spoke to himself as he watched the women in front of him look utterly confused, a small roll of irritation passing down his spine before he thrust the paper back to her.

“Joohyun,” Baekhyun smiled rather tensely at his other bartender, “Be a peach and let me borrow her for a bit, we’ve got some things we need to discuss.”

“Is everything okay, Byun?” Her eyebrow quirked slightly, a glimmer of something in her eyes as she flicked between himself and Y/N.

Baekhyun merely gritted his teeth in a rather tense smile before parting without a word, the scurry of feet behind him signifying that the woman in question was indeed following him. The walk to his office was brief but it felt like an eternity at the same time as the two went without words, and well he was without a drink and a little irritated to the point he flinched himself when he opened the door to his office with a little more aggression than what was needed.

“Sit.” His gestured to the plush seat in front of his desk lazily, while rounding the magnificent piece of dark wood himself.

He let out a rather stressed sigh as he sunk down into his leather desk chair, the cushions hugging his tense back muscles in a warm embrace – Baekhyun��s eyes fluttered shut for a moment to savour the feeling.

“What is this all about?” Your voice broke his silence, a puff of air passing through his lips as he opened his eyes to look at you; probably the vision of a tired man. “Why am I being invited to your house?

“Where did you get that invitation?” He countered with a slightly raised brow.

“I asked first,” He rolled his eyes as you snapped back.

“Watch the tone,” Baekhyun huffed at you, “Just answer the damn question, you’re not in trouble here.”

“I came home from work two days ago and it was laying on the floor of my entryway,” You huffed back at him, laying back on his leather chair as you did, “You’re the only Byun I know so I figured you could tell me.”

“What does he see in you, I’m still yet to work that out” Baekhyun eyes rolled, lounging carefully back into the plush chair, “I can’t tell you why you got one because I didn’t see it off, so if anyone’s going to do something without my knowledge, well... I think I can hazard a guess who it is.” You frowned.

“But what is it.” You stressed, tossing the envelope onto his desk.

Baekhyun took a second to compose himself, rubbing his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb to relieve some of the tension before speaking.

“It’s an invite to a very exclusive party,” Baekhyun began with a look on his face, “Factions of Exodus will congregate together for one night under some elusive reason, we haven’t had one in a while, but…” He gestured to the invite.

“I guess that’s changing,” He tutted, “Obviously I knew about the party, but I was not informed of who was going...”

“Wait,” You said confused, rightly so, “Then why did I get this? I’m not part of any of your…Factions?”

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Baekhyun hummed before he lulled his head to look you in the eyes, “You're taking this rather calmly.”

“It’s just party, right?” You naively asked, “I don’t have to go do I?” Baekhyun let out a rather low laugh at that.

“You have no idea about this world, do you?” He asked honestly, “It isn’t as easy as just declining an invitation.”

“Well, what happens if I do?” She asked, eyes a bit wider, “Am I fucked?” Baekhyun chuckled at that but it was short-lived.

“Listen, something you need to know is that every “immediate family” to the Oh’s gets a number of invitations they can hand out,” He gestured to the papers slew across his desk, “It’s only for high ranking members and they’re limited, so whoever gave you that was a higher member.”

“So, who was it?” He watched her rightly frown, something he started tapping his finger on his desk at.

“See that’s where this gets even funnier,” Baekhyun hummed with an annoyed look on his face, “That’s mine but that’s not my handwriting.” He watched her mouth open to dispute him and, in his annoyance, he was quick to refute her with a finger being held up.

“Sehun may like being interrupted by you but I don’t so shut it.” He snipped, “I didn’t write the damn thing.” He watched her deflate back into his chair.

“I only wrote out a few,” Baekhyun defended, “And you were not on that list.” There was a small beat of silence as the two of you tried to think of something to explain the invitation; the two of your minds clearly off to completely other directions. 

It took Baekhyun only a few seconds to put the pieces together, nothing his brothers like the back of his hands; but if you received one of these stupid things that to him meant that whatever higher power involved wanted you there – something you were not catching up with.

“Chanyeol?” You asked with a sigh, “He could have, he got a weird...” Baekhyun smirked as he watched you struggled with the feelings of the taller man but also at the hilarity of it.

“A weird attachment? Nice theory but laughable at best.” Baekhyun kept smirking.

“How so?” You huffed, glaring at him slightly – ignoring the previous jab.

“Chanyeol isn’t even high enough ranked to send out any invitations,” Baekhyun stated as he watched you frown, a sigh passing his lips at something else you clearly knew nothing about.

Shaking his head, Baekhyun snatched a piece of paper from the tray on his desk before gesturing you forwards; scribbling something down.

“Oh the things I do for this man…” He thought to himself.

“I’m doing you a favour, so if anything of this leaves this room, even a peep to some who isn’t us; I’ll know,” He glared at you, “And I’ll make sure you pay for it, do I make myself clear?” He asked plainly, watching as you mouth glued itself shut for a second.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Baekhyun told you, “Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” You huffed at him, an air of attitude passing over your face for a second, “What is it with you all threatening my life, I’m of no importance.”

“A match is of no importance to a piece of wood until it’s up in flames,” He retorted like he normally did, quick-witted, “Now pay attention.”

“Yes sir…” You curled your lip up in annoyance slightly before giving the paper your attention, something which Baekhyun opted to ignore for now.

‘Oh’ was written very clearly at the top, Baekhyun’s scripture something you didn’t expect as you looked at the nearly perfect cursive.

“I’m guessing you know who this is?” Baekhyun gestured to the name, “Oh is Sehun’s family name and ergo, the leader of this all.” He watched you nod.

“Okay, I could guess he was the boss…” You bit down on your lip slightly, “He made that message clear.”

“Good,” Baekhyun ticked at you before writing a series of three names directly in a line under the Oh’s, connecting them with lines to their leader.

Byun. Kim. Zhang.

“These three are the three main families directly under the Oh’s,” He explained to you, “Do you know who these are?”

“Well, you’re Byun.” She affirmed to him, “But the other two I don’t know.” He sighed softly.

“I’m from the Byun’s, yes,” He started, “Kim is the family that Junmyeon is from, he is Sehun’s right-hand man.” He looked at you to check you understood before continuing.

“Zhang is Yixing’s family, you’ve met him very briefly,” You nodded to him, “He typically does our more…Out of area stuff – not for your ears.”

“What do you do?” She interrupted him again, “Your family I mean…” Baekhyun tensed slightly but he guessed she’d be inquisitive – every time he met the woman, she was asking some form of a question.

“Don’t tell the others,” He tried to counter the feelings bubbling with a bit of sarcasm, “But its typically written in order of importance, arguably my family and the Oh’s are the closest, we sort out the nasty stuff they don’t want to – but if you’re asking about me? I do a bit of everything.” Your eyebrow raised at that.

“Shouldn’t that make you Sehun’s right-hand man?” His jaw ticked slightly as you mocked the way he spoke for a second.

“You’ve met Junmyeon?” Baekhyun tried to counter you, “I’d hate to be that uptight about everything.”

“But…” You tried to talk but he merely glared at you.

“Back to the task at hand,” He gestured to the paper with a snap, “I’m doing you a favour, as much as it would bring me no greater joy to see you get ripped apart by the wolves, I’d rather save myself the scolding since your name is on my invitation and guest-list.”

“You’re so hot and cold,” You quietly huffed but paid him attention again.

“There is one more connected to the Oh’s,” His eyebrow raised slightly while drawing a line that was straight across from the Oh’s, not beneath like the other three, “That’s the Parks.”

“The Parks?” You echoed him slightly with a small furrow of your brow.

“I believe you met their delightful heir,” He rolled his eyes, “Park Jeonghwa, the woman you met.”

“That’s her?” Your own nose scrunched at that as he hummed in agreement.

“Complicated family relationship between the two but she’s an only child and her father is a bigwig in the city; you probably know him.” Baekhyun explained, “Own’s a pharmaceutical company, that invests in the city hospitals, he’s the chairman of them basically.”

Legacy Pharmaceutical

“But he’s in the pocket of the gang…” You asked quietly, “Isn’t that…”

“Highly illegal?” Baekhyun said like it was nothing, “Yes, but he’s a big investor, helps us out when we need it – doesn’t do anything the grimy stuff that we do but his hands aren’t clean.”

“Come to think of it,” Baekhyun smirked looking at you with an act of slight revenge written in his eyes, “Doesn’t your precious boytoy work in the main hospital in the city?”

“For a man that turns his nose up at us, I’m sure he’d be just elated to know who his boss is…” Baekhyun kept talking because he knew it would rile you up.

“Paper?” You snapped at him slightly, a feeling of pure joy filled him knowing you had a small thread to pull on. “So, where do Chanyeol and such fit in.”

“I was getting there,” He rolled his eyes, “Chanyeol, along with Jongin, Kyungsoo, Minseok and Jongdae full under what we call ‘adopted brothers’.”

“Adopted?” You repeated clear confusion.

“Adopted,” He affirmed to you, “Every so often, the main families will take people under their wings I guess, it’s different to just… Joining us.”

“How?” You asked him, still clearly confused.

“Anyone can join us if you know the right people,” Baekhyun stated to you while placing his pen down, “But adopted brothers are someone we’ve asked to join our ranks, we’re responsible for them in a sense.”

“So like prodigies?” He watched you try to rationalise it all with a hint of amusement on his face.

“Sort of, we train them and are directly responsible for them, they’re often hand-picked and there isn’t that many of them.” He explained to you slowly, “It’s sort of a phenonium, you have to get approval from the head of your family and the head of the gang.”

“So, it’s like literal adoption in a sense? You induct them into the family, not just the gang.” You kept up with him.

In that moment of time, Baekhyun could understand the appeal in your that Sehun seemed to see; you rationalised quicker than most and especially for someone who literally is having the information they don’t want dumped on them.

“Yes, like that,” He nodded, “They don’t hold the same respect as blood children would, but they’re apart of the family in a sense, they can even take their names if they really want.”

“It’s complicated and not easy to understand, it’s also different for every family,” He hummed, “Some people, like my own father, don’t give a shit about adopted brother’s they’re just pawns to him, but Kim’s turn theirs into mini geniuses” His nose turned softly.

“What about Zhang’s?” You asked curiously.

“Negotiators, mini leaders, the best liars you’ll ever meet,” He smirked slightly, “Zhang’s don’t just take on anyone, it’s an honour to be selected.”

“So, who goes where? Who is what family?” You looked a bit more interested than the beginning of the conversation, something Baekhyun wasn’t sure was a good or a bad thing.

“Jongin and Kyungsoo are part of the Kim’s, but only Jongin carried the name.” He sighed softly, writing their names under Kim’s

“Minseok and Jongdae are Zhang’s, neither took the name for safety reasons.” He smirked softly as you let a little noise.

“So that leaves…” You trailed off slightly.

“Chanyeol is a Byun, didn’t take the name though,” Baekhyun hummed, “Park Chanyeol sounds better.”

“Park?” You quizzed as he laughed softly.

“Not related, don’t worry about that,” He chuckled, “Byun didn’t have a ring to it so he stuck to his actual name, but I doubt my father would let him use it anyway…” He trailed off himself.

“Why only one for you?” You asked honestly, “I guessed you and Chanyeol were close, but why only one?”

“Short story; My father is a bastard,” Baekhyun shrugged, tossing his pen back into the pot, “He’s all about being a pure Byun – no adoptive business.”

“But Chanyeol?” You frowned.

“Chanyeol is lucky I like him,” Baekhyun sighed, “Listen it’s a lot more complicated when you look into the families, back to the task at hand.”

“Does Sehun have anyone?” You asked, a glint in your eye.

“No,” Baekhyun didn’t waste time in shutting you down, “He doesn’t bother with that business, he’s got his hands full with us.”  

“I’m still confused to why you’re telling me this though, I appreciate it but…” Baekhyun sighed again for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“Friday, you’re going.” He stated to her, “Your invitation is under the Byun name and I will not have you disgracing it by rejecting it.”

“But I don’t want to go?” Your voice heightened slightly.

“I don’t care.” Baekhyun said simply, “You’re were asked to go by a high-rank family, and you will attend – I’m not skinning myself to save you from whatever nonsense my father will conjure up as punishment.”

“But I’m not a part of this.” You snapped at him, a fire in your eyes, “You’re dancing around everything, who sent the invitation, Baekhyun – you can explain all you want but I know you know.”

“Wow, you do not catch on quick.” He hummed, “Of course I know, you idiot – it’s as clear as day to me, but you do not, so what you’re doing going to do is turn up like you’re asked and smile prettily at the boss or whatever ever it is you do with him.”

“You can’t force me,” Your jaw was tense.

“Yes, I can.” He smirked, “I know where you live and I’m not above coming to your place and dragging you myself.”

“I’ll get-,” He cut you off.

“The police?” He leered, “You forget how we got here”

“I hate you; I hate all of you.” You spat at him, “There was supposed to be no meddling, I told you what I know.”

“I’m not Chanyeol,” Baekhyun laughed with a drawl, “I don’t care if you hate me.”  You were fuming in your seat, Baekhyun could read that very easily, so to bring the situation back down to what it was before, he took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Friday evening; a car will pick you up at 6:45 pm,” He began sharply while looking at you, “You will be dressed in something appropriate, I will provide it if you need it, and you will pretend that you are going to a perfectly normal party.” His eyes ticked softly.

“You don’t need to stay the whole time, but you need to turn up – do I make myself clear?” He asked you, without a bit to his words. “Everything I just told you will keep you in check, no talking to anyone that doesn’t talk to you – people will be watching you”

“What do I get out of it…” You asked quietly, simmering down from your earlier burst.

“Well, what do you want?” His mouth was tense, “I’m not Sehun, I don’t hand out favours.”

“I want to not go.” You bit at him, “Or you tell me why I’m going in the first place.”

“Not an option, pick something else.” He responded.

“Pay rise and a promise,” You asked plainly, not giving it much thought, something that his eyebrows flicked up to, “I want a pay raise for working here, and I want you to promise that I will not be involved in any pathetic schemes like this again.”

“Not even any diabolical plans?” He smirked softly.

“Baekhyun,” You warned him, something he raised his hands to.

“Pay rise I can do,” He explained, “The other thing I’ll see about, I’m not a man who makes promises.”

“Talk to your boss or something, I don’t care” You snipped, “I’m tired of this, it’s bad enough that I work here.”

“So, you won’t attend a party, but you’ll take our money,” He pulled an amused face, “Some moral high ground you have, completely solid.”

He looked at you quite amused as you stood up, snatching the papers off his desk before pointing a finger at him.

“This is the last time I do anything for any of you, whoever wrote the damn invitation…” You started with a stressed look, “Tell them I will personally make their life hell if they don’t stop, I’m tired and want no part in any of this.”

“Don’t shoot the messenger before the message can be sent,” Baekhyun tutted with a raised eyebrow, “Don’t worry Cinderella, we’ll make you a real belle of the ball.”

“Oh, fuck you, Baekhyun,” You snapped at him before storming to his office door, practically tearing it off the hinges more than he did, before speaking again, “Get me a dress.” Was the last thing you said before you slammed the door – Baekhyun jumping slightly at the force of it.

As soon as you left, he felt the mask melt off for a brief second – his body sinking back into the chair as the stress of the last hour left a funny taste in house mouth.

“What are you thinking, you idiot…” He spoke quietly to himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Do you normally have that effect on women?” Baekhyun practically leapt in his seat as a new voice joined his own.

“Fucking hell… Joohyun,” Baekhyun snapped, glaring at the woman now standing in front of his desk, “What have I told you about sneaking up on me.”

“She’s in a mood, practically shook down the whole place,” Joohyun asked with a raised brow, “Why is that?”

“Not anything you’d be interested in,” Baekhyun leaned back in his chair to continue rubbing his eyes, the familiar burn seeping into his retinas, “Gang stuff and such.”

“Gang stuff,” She whistled lowly, trailing around his desk to lean on it, looking down at him, “A soft thing like that, what did she do to you all?” He glanced up at her with a sigh.

“Nothing,” Baekhyun pulled his mouth tight, “Surprisingly, she was just in the wrong place at the very wrong time”

“Which means?” She pushed slightly, a slight smirk curling on her lips.

“Bar shoot up, Sehun spared her,” Baekhyun crossed his arms loosely over his chest, “Ridiculous move, but here we are.”

“My my…” She laughed softly, “I can tell that’s not even the full story”

“You have no idea…” He sighed softly.

“That heartless bastard actually has a heart, wow.” Joohyun chuckled, “Who would have thought?”

“That heartless bastard,” Baekhyun repeated, “Is the most powerful man in the city, remember that he’s got ears everywhere.” He looked up at her with an amused look.

“You’d never rat me out would you, Baekhyun?” She asked sweetly, a smirk painted on her lovely mouth.

“Do me a favour and I won’t have to,” He smirked back, “Get her a dress for a black-tie event.”

“Now,” Joohyun tutted, “You don’t even pay me enough for that,”

Baekhyun gave her a look before fishing into his pocket, pulling out his wallet quickly and handing her a credit card, swiping it back before she could fully grab it.

“You’re not just buying her a dress, are you?” He gave her a look, to which Joohyun merely laughed back in response, swiping his card.

“The son of a very rich man hands you a credit card asking for a favour? of course I’m not just getting her a dress…” She teased looking at the black card with an impressed look, “Oh a black card as well…I have a couple of things on my wishlist too.”

“You’re a cruel woman, Irene” He gave her a fake sad look, using her work name to tick her off slightly, “If you wanted the house, I could have got it for you”

“And have to be indebted to you?” She smirked before nodding at the door, “I’m not one of your lackeys, I owe you a lot but not a ‘5-bedroom house with walk-in closet’ lot.”

“You’re my best employee, buy what you want,” He smirked slightly, “You deserve it.” He nodded, as she went to open her mouth, he cut her off.

“You would deserve it more if you accompanied me on Friday,” He raised an eyebrow at her, “Like I asked.”

“I do recall you complaining to me that you didn’t want to go because your family would be there,” She mocked a frown, “Also that, and I quote…”

“Chanyeol is being a miserable bastard, Sehun is a lovesick puppy, and no one wants to have fun,” She mocked his voice and his stature, before going back to her tune, “Did I get that right?”

“Actually, I change my mind, I’ll ask someone else,” He tried to swipe the card back but Joohyun looked elated as she jumped from his desk, waving the thing in front of her.

“Ah, no take-backs,” She smirked, walking towards the door in what Baekhyun could only call a strut of pure jubilation, “I want that new coat and bag, it’s getting cold outside,”

“Just get her the dress, Joo…” He called out to her as she walked out the door, “And is that a yes to Friday?”

“I’ll get her the dress, Baekhyun”

Sehun’s eyes refused to leave the pieces of papers splayed out in front of him, but his hands told a different story and he fished in his suit jacket to pull out a familiar black and silver box; his nimble fingers deftly pulling out a cigarette before an elegant black gas lighter was lighting the extension of his stress. It wasn’t long before curls of smoke crawled out of his lips, a relaxed sigh leaving his chest as they did – he paid, even more, no mind as his fingers plucked the thing from his mouth to ash it in the crystal ashtray that always sat on his desk.

“That’s going to kill you one day, you know?” Junmyeon tutted disapprovingly, looking at the younger man with a slight grimace; the smell of smoke filling the room.

“Ah yes, the cigarette is going to kill me,” Sehun spoke back without looking at the man, continuing to take draws from his cigarette, “Not the countless threats on my life, the guns, running a gang, or even the countless enemies.” He had a sarcastic edge to his voice as he spoke, tapping the ash off again into the tray.

Junmyeon was silenced at that.

“But yes, let's worry about my nicotine addiction – this pack of Marlboros is just pressing a gun to my temple waiting to pull the trigger at any moment,” Sehun flicked to the next page still not bothered to glance at his brother, “Truly terrifying.”

Another beat of silence passed between them to which Sehun sighed to fill.

“You’ve clearly got something to say, so say it.” He tutted.

“Why can’t you ever take anything seriously?” Jun sighed, tossing his pen down.

“I do take things seriously, insufferably so” Sehun countered ashing off his cigarette again before tossing his papers down, “Actually I think I might be the only one here taking anything seriously.”

“Sehun…” Jun gave him a look, sitting a bit straighter but Sehun carried on talking.

“I do recall that it’s my head someone has a metaphorical, or probably more, in this case, literal gun to,” Sehun ranted while taking another draw of his cig, “It’s my business, my family, hell its what’s left of my livelihood that got a giant red marker over it.” He stood up pushing his chair back to look out the window keeping his back turned to his brother.

“And what have I got defending that, huh?” He countered himself quietly again.

“You have us,” Junmyeon sighed, putting his papers down to come to stand beside the man, “All of us…” He rested his hand on his shoulder while the latter pressed his cancer stick back to his lips.

“You know Baekhyun said he’d be proud of me…” Sehun spoke quietly, his face almost reminding the older man that he wasn’t as far from a child as he liked to think he was, “Very proud…” His voice took an edge to it.

“But you don’t believe that.” Junmyeon opposed quietly.

“Why should I?” Sehun asked him honestly, turning to face the man while he flicked the bug of his cigarette out the window, “I’ve lost thousands in weapons, I’ve had a drug laundering bar go bust and detained by police, I've had shipments stolen and tampered with before being redistributed under someone else’s name…” He looked at his watch briefly.

“All within… Nearly two weeks.” He tutted, “I think that’s a track record, considering the man that’s supposedly proud of me handled everything with the utmost ease…”

“Your father was…” Junmyeon trailed off for a second before Sehun cut in.

“A horrible man, a narcissist, a murderer, a criminal,” Sehun’s eyes danced with mirth that wasn’t pleasant to look at, the sarcastic yet jovial stance didn’t settle well with Junmyeon’s stomach in the slightest.

“He was your father, he raised you,” Junmyeon concurred, “We may not have the most settling of up bringing’s, but this is our world – you know that.”

“Actually, nannies raised me,” Sehun retorted sarcastically. “Stop spending so much time with Baekhyun,” Junmyeon rolled his eyes, “You know what I meant.”

“I’m going to be very plain with you, Jun,” Sehun spoke honestly, sliding his hands into his pockets while he gazed out at the fields in front of the compound, “Your world and mine and very different…”

“How so?” Junmyeon asked, his eyebrow raised, “We grew up in the same circles.”

“The difference is that you were your father’s golden boy…” Sehun started with a sigh, “He wanted you to better yourself, be a part of this world – you belong here because you want to be.”

“And you don’t?” Jun wasn’t mad, “Is it that insufferable to be here doing this?”

“I didn’t get a choice,” Sehun chewed on his lip, “From the moment I was even conceptualised I had everything laid out for me, not a say otherwise… It’s heavy guilt to carry.”

“You’re hardly worse off because of it,” Junmyeon shrugged, “It’s a heavy guilt that reaps rewards that only some men can dream of, that has to count for something.”

“Do you know why you have the job you do?” Sehun asked off-topic.

“Because Baekhyun said no?” Jun frowned slightly.

“That…” Sehun chuckled faintly, “And because you’re the only man who can do the job; otherwise I would have run off years ago, and you know fine well Baekhyun would have let me.”

“Baekhyun would let you burn the city if it meant he could fight off a chill,” Junmyeon hummed, “Byun’s good at what he does, but I still don’t get where you’re going with this.”

“Where I’m going with this is that I have a very horrible feeling,” Sehun sighed.

“About tomorrow…?” Jun asked, leaving the man to leave against his desk.

“Not just about tomorrow,” Sehun sighed, telling a lie that not even his closest brother needed to know, “That’s just another showboat to get the families back on my side; I mean in general.”

“Check my top drawer…” Sehun nodded to his desk.

There was a passage of silence between the two while Junmyeon plucked a thick envelope out of Sehun’s desk; the usual matte black being replaced with a crisp crème, the silver tree of life taunting the man with its presence.

“Is this…” Junmyeon said in disbelief.

“It’s not a will…” Sehun sighed, “Think of it as the next course of action in case of an untimely demise of any kind.”

“Sehun…” Junmyeon started, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am, very…” He sighed “It’s just a precaution that’s all,”

“Listen,” Junmyeon sighed, tossing the documents back into the drawer, “I get it's hard; things aren’t ideal right now and we’re all running with our heads off but even Rome wasn’t built in a day, there’s going to be mishaps.”

Sehun hummed with a smirk on his lips.

“But it burned in one.”

After your spat with Baekhyun in his office, you assumed that your next day off would be spent finally relaxing into your couch while the world passed around you – but as you occupied yourself early Wednesday morning, you felt a wash of confusion bathe over you at the sound of a knocking door. A sigh passing out your lips as you tossed your dishtowel down to investigate.  Taking a breath before opening the door your smile felt like it dropped as you caught glimpse of who was on the other side.

“Joohyun,” You asked, shocked at the women who was giving you a dazzling smile on the other side of the wood frame, “What are you doing here?” You stuttered softly looking at her.

Dressed in woollen coat, black turtleneck, and grey slacks - she looked like a million dollars, especially considering it was 9 in the morning.

“We’re going out,” She grinned, pushing herself into your apartment; looking around with a look of approval, “Homely, very you.” It took you a second to process what she said while you closed the door.

“Out?” You echoed, “Where, or more so, why?”

“Well…” She smirked softly, “A little birdie, told me you need a dress, don’t you?” You deflated slightly.

“He was being serious about it wasn’t he,” You sighed turning to look at the woman who made herself very at home looking at everything you had on display; more so the pictures that sat on your bookcase. “Listen Joohyun, I appreciate the help but-.”

“Handsome guy, your boyfriend?” She cut you off completely, changing the topic to what she wanted to talk about; she was holding up an old photo that you knew was your old friends, or more so yours and Jeonghan’s old friends. “The two of you look cosy,” She smiled.

Rushing over slightly you plucked the frame out of her hand to rest back on the shelf, a look passing over your face at your boss; her easy smile giving you a sense that she wasn’t being completely honest.

“Ex. Now, what are you doing here really?” She quizzed, looking at the woman who huffed slightly.

“Ex hmm…Like I said, you need a dress and I’m here to help.” She coolly breezed past you to keep looking around, “No offence but you don’t exactly scream that you’re knowledgeable on black tie events.” She laughed softly.

“Baekhyun said he’d provide the dress, he didn’t mention shopping,” You sighed, looking at her as she smiled softly at an old stuffed toy you kept on the couch as a makeshift cushion.

“Baekhyun doesn’t mention much,” Joohyun turned from what she was looking at to beam at you, “Again, hence why I am here and I’m not leaving this apartment without you.”

“Joo…” You started but she shushed you.

“You’re going, Baekhyun even offered to pay if you’re unsure about prices,” She smirked softly, plucking a card from her coat pocket, “Piece of cake.”

“Do I not get a choice?” You asked defeatedly.

“Let me think,” She smiled, “No.” A tinkering laugh spilt from her lips, looking at her, she painted herself with the vision of an angel; a halo practically glowing from the crown of her perfect hair.  

“Give me five minutes,” You rolled your tongue in your cheek slightly, shaking your head as you beelined for your room.

“You have two!” She cackled softly, clearly going back to her snooping.

“Of course, I do…”

After being rushed out the house by the excitable Joohyun, you couldn’t help by smile at her softly as she linked her arm with yours; the two of your taking public transport like two friends who had known each other for years, it was wholesome to an extent, but there was an underlying feeling behind it all.

Joohyun had rightfully taken you to the richer part of town, the one that was lined with designer shops that had a price tag worth a year of your rent; her ecstatic voice talking your ears off as you two strolled down the pristine street.

“We’re here for your dress, but I have a few things I want to get!” She grinned, “We’re gonna get you the whole package; dress, shoes, jewellery, the works!”

“Is Baekhyun okay with this?” You quizzed slightly, looking around at the people who were looking at the two of you, “I mean this is a lot of money,”

“Between you and me,” She mumbled with a smirk, stopping in front of a very fancy looking store, ‘The Kingdom’ written across a crème signage in beautiful modern letters, “Baekhyun’s more than good for it, the card he gave me probably doesn’t max out until into the millions…”

“He really has that much?” You frowned softly.

“He’s a gang member, silly, and the son of one of the richest men in the world,” She smirked at you widely, “Of course he has that much, now come on…” She tugged your hand with a smile, watching at the security guard opened the door for the two of you with a polite smile.

“Ladies.” He nodded, while the two of you strolled in.

Clothing of all sorts lined the racks in a spacey fashion, giving the customer room to glance at the garments without having to struggle with anything else; but Joo didn’t give you enough time to look at anything before she was tugging you to the back of the store, an array of dresses picking up in your peripherals.

“This is where the money is,” Joohyun smile brightly, gesturing to the dresses, “Let’s get looking…”

After talking briefly the two of you concurred that due to the fact you didn’t want to be there, it was probably best to stick to a black dress; something to blend in with but something that wasn’t a gaudy colour at the same time, minimalist yet sophisticated. The store attendant had bothered you both a few times to ask if you needed help but each time Joohyun shooed her away with a smile, telling the sour-faced woman that she had it handled; and that she did.

It took merely 15 minutes before Joohyun was shoving you into a fancy fitting room; one the size of a small bedroom while she talked to the woman in charge about getting your size for other dresses that had caught her eye. The room had a podium in the centre of it that directly looked at a series of huge mirrors, while a silk curtains off to the side hide where you were supposed to change; yours and Joohyun bags swung unceremoniously over the chairs for the waiting husbands. There was an air of discomfort in your chest you ran your fingers over the lux fabrics of all the dresses, a small pang in your heart feeling disgusting just being here. This wasn’t your world, and to some degree, you couldn’t understand how it could be anyone’s but as you picked up the first dress, you figured you had to live with it for a while.  

By the time you’d managed to get into the first dress, Joohyun and all her tyrannic dress tendencies were back in the room, her nose turning up slightly at the first dress you tried on. It was a beautiful sheer cream with a colourful shift to it that glinted softly in the light, the airiness of the tulle looking ethereal as the modest bust line squared off into spaghetti straps – it was a lovely dress but.

“It looks like a prom dress,” Joohyun giggled softly, cutting off your inner thoughts, “A very expensive prom dress…”  

“I thought so too,” You tried to smile softly, but it looked more like a grimace in the mirrors, your eyes catching your companions as she came up behind you in the mirror.

“Smile,” She tugged softly at your cheek, “We’re having fun.”

“This just isn’t me,” You said honestly, looking yourself up and down in the mirror, “I don’t do fancy dresses and cocktails with associates,” She jokingly rolled her eyes at the word associates.

“Honestly,” She adjusted the dress slightly, “Neither do I, this is a favour to Baekhyun…”

“So, you’re telling me you don’t want to be in an overpriced store with me on a Wednesday morning?” You hummed softly with a smile.

“No,” she stage whispered to you, “I like you but I’d rather hang out doing something a bit more productive than shopping with snobs, but hey – I really wanted that new coat” She winked.

“Will you be there?” You asked her, catching her eye.

“Where,” She hummed not looking at you, and instead, rearranging the skirt to the dress you both agreed was ugly.

“Friday,” You raised a brow, “Will you be there?” She held her breath slightly before she sighed.

“I won’t lie to you,” She nodded, “I won’t be there Friday, I don’t…” She struggled with the words for a second before continuing.

“I don’t belong there, it’s not my world and I’m not welcomed,” She smiled softly, but it wasn’t real, “I’m a bartender, not a socialite.”

“I’m not either,” You frowned, “I just thought you and Baekhyun seemed close…”

“We are,” She smiled sadly, “I owe that man more than I can ever thank him for, but his world isn’t mine – I don’t fool myself into believing I could be part of it either.” She placed her hands on your shoulders, the warmth radiating into your bones; much like her personality.

“But how?” You were still frowning, “He’s so…”

“Crass? Sarcastic? Pig headed?” She smiled, “That’s just him, we have an understanding…”

“You on the other hand,” She hummed softly looking at your shoulders, “I saw some security tapes the other day – Oh Sehun?” Her eyebrow raised while you flushed softly.

“He drove me home, I had to ask him some stuff…” You breathed softly, “It’s not like that, I don’t know him.”

“But he knows you?” She clicked her tongue softly, looking much like an older sister would, “I won’t tell you what to do, it’s your life but you need to be careful.”

“I know that,” You trailed slightly, but she didn’t give you time to explain as she spun you around to face her, your eyes looking down at her own.

“No, I don’t think you do,” She was frowning, “This isn’t some cheap book plot where a dangerous man falls for an innocent girl and the world does another rotation like nothing is wrong,” She stressed softly.

“He is a very dangerous man who is a part of a very dangerous gang, y/n…” She pursed her lips together, hands tightening on your shoulders, “They’re all dangerous, one wrong move and police are finding your body in a back ally with no clue who did it.”

“He shot up the bar you worked in,” She stressed to you, “Stop and think about that for a second before you get all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the man, there is no way that this ends well for anyone, especially not you…” Her voice trailed off slightly, cracking almost at the end.

“Speaking from experience?” Your own voice cracked softly as you took in her words, a sad smile passing over her face.

“Go to the party, do as Baekhyun says…” She said softly, stroking your shoulder now instead of gripping it, “But you can’t let your heads get in the clouds about this, you’re being blind-sighted… You can’t fall for Sehun.” It was the first time she had said his name and you wanted to flinch hearing it.

“You work for them though?” You asked her truthfully.

“I work for Baekhyun, he’s no better… But I owe him,” She smiled sadly again, “I’m telling you this as your friend,”

“I know…” You smiled delicately at her, “I know you are; I’ll be careful – things right now… They’re complicated.”

“Promise me.” She demanded softly, “Anything goes wrong, you come to me.”

“I promise you, Joohyun,” You touched her hands softly, “Anything wrong, I’ll come straight to you.”

“Good,” She smiled, pushing a stray hair from your face like a mother would, “Let’s find you a dress huh?”

“I think I have the perfect thing…”

TRANSACTION: $10,000

Baekhyun grimaced as he looked at the notification that popped up on his phone during the meeting, the device buzzing with his bank app loudly on the table as Sehun; the grumpy man he was, was explaining the plans for Friday evening.

“Important?” Sehun’s brow ticked softly from the head of the table while Minseok stifled a laugh from beside him, “Or would you like us to pause while you take a message?”

“Sorry dad,” Baekhyun smirked slightly, sliding the device off the table and into his pocket – or he would have if Minseok didn’t decide it was a wonderful idea to pinch it out of his hand before he could.

“$10k, how are you spending money while you’re here?” He whistled lowly, before the device buzzed again, “Oh look at that, another one for $5k, what are you up to Byun.” He tossed the device back at the man who barely managed to catch it over the knock to his fiscal funds.

“I gave Joohyun my credit card,” He stuffed the offending device in his pocket before looking at his brothers, “I believe we were in a meeting or is it break time” He gestured to the papers over the table with a look, while the rest of them looked at him quizzically.

“I’ll bite,” Sehun smirked softly, “$15k in mere seconds, is she preparing to rob you dry?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know, you tell me, Oh?” Baekhyun tightened his mouth slightly, “Or was forging my invitations and paying for your little friend to come to this god-awful party not enough for you?” Baekhyun smirked softly as Sehun’s face tightened a bit, only something he would notice.

“I have no reason to forge anything of yours, Byun.” Sehun chuckled with an easy smirk while Junmyeon sighed slightly tossing his pen down, “And I certainly didn’t invite her, have you tried our resident stab wound victim?” He gestured to Chanyeol’s empty seat.

“Can’t we just have a nice family meeting? Just once?” Junmyeon rubbed his temple slightly, “Or is your own security measures beneath all of you?”

“He started it,” Baekhyun smirked, “Sorry Dad number 2,” Minseok chuckled beside him again while Jongdae did the same from across him.

“If you’re up to something, just don’t let me hear it,” He spoke out but everyone knew who it was directed at, “It’s bad enough we’re all gathering on Friday if anyone of you fucks that up then it's directly on you.”

“Oh, he said a swear,” Baekhyun chuckled, while Yixing cut in – the man relaxing like he was the one that one the place on the other end of the table.

“Do we still have that swear jar?” Yixing teased, sipping on his coffee.

“No,” Jongin hummed, “We got rid of that after Baekhyun’s last trip home, you can only deposit so much into it before it becomes another bank account,” The man had an easy smirk on his face.

The bantering stopped for a second while the double doors opened again, Taeyong and Johnny letting in a very haggard looking Chanyeol – the evidence that the man just woke up still on his face.

“That’s a record,” Sehun hummed with a tone that wasn’t biting for once, “Only 2 hours late,”

“Slept in,” Chanyeol grumbled while Jongdae slid the man a coffee.

“No, we thought you were off running to be the cities next murder victim again,” Baekhyun grinned at the man who merely passed him a glare, whatever had been eating at him wasn’t as bad but Baekhyun couldn’t tell if the stab wound was just worse.

“No threatening doctor and cute nurse to patch you up this time,” Jongin laughed softly.

“How are you feeling, Yeol?” Yixing asked him with a slight smile, to try and ease the teasing but Chanyeol wasn’t having any of that.

“Like I’ve been stabbed, Yixing.” He spoke with a dead look on his face.

“That’s great,” Minseok chuckled, “We’d worry if you felt like anything else,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes, before looking at Sehun.

“Sorry I’m late,” He nodded while Sehun looked confused, Chanyeol seldomly apologised for… anything.

“It’s fine…” Sehun looked at his brothers, “Did stabbing you give you manners or something?”

“If that’s the case, I get to stab Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo smile slightly at the man in question, “Lord knows he could use it”

“I think my attitude is character building,” Baekhyun was offended for a second while Junmyeon cut in.

“Are you okay?” He asked Chanyeol.

“Yes,” Yeol sighed, “Just in a bit of pain that’s all, it’s nothing really”

“Well if that’s the case…” Junmyeon nodded to Sehun to continue.

“We’re discussing Friday,” Sehun confirmed, “That’s if you’re still coming,”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Chanyeol smile tensely, “Is it on my schedule to get verbally abused by Mr Byun and his wife? Or do I just get jumped with that again,” Baekhyun pulled a face.

“Could be worse,” Jongdae hummed, “You could have to listen to Mr Kim’s all inspiring speeches again, solidarity is key remember?” Junmyeon chuckled faintly at that.

“Will your mother be there?” Baekhyun asked Sehun, who flicked is brows up faintly before answering, “Please say no,”

“Sadly, yes – She has things to discuss with me” He hummed.

The boys all pulled a face at that, the ex-gang mother wasn’t the most pleasant to be around; especially after her husband died, the hidden verbal lashing that Sehun got every time he saw her was enough to make any of the boys want to stay away. Mrs Oh had a clear vision from her husband how they wanted things in Exodus to run, and the current line-up of boys wasn’t exactly the best on delivering that, she lived about 4 hours away from the city which made their lives easier to deal with, but when she was here, lord, was she here.

“She’s not going to make us scrub this place again, is she?” Minseok flinched, “I don’t know if I can live with the smell of chemicals ingrained in my nose again.”

“My mother won’t be here this time, relax,” Sehun rolled his eyes, the woman had an affinity to use his brothers to the bone – especially the “adopted” ones, “She’s staying with the Byun’s for a few days, told her that it wasn’t worth travelling into the woods to stay here when she’d only have to travel back out.” He waved his hand slightly.

“Back to the matter at hand,” He sighed slightly, “Rooftop looks directly onto the ballroom, someone has to post up there otherwise whoever wants could take a clear aim in,”

“Post up two of my father’s security,” Baekhyun waved his hand slightly, “He owns that building so I doubt an attacker would try to break into that, considering its rife with security anyway.” “Two of your dad’s men then,” Sehun mumbled slightly, writing it down, “I think it goes without saying that I expect you all on your best behaviour, right?” He said again not looking up from the paper yet.

“This is an important night, and I expect the 6 of you to understand that,” Sehun said casually, “One mess up and its trouble, am I clear?”

“Just 6? Why not 8,” Baekhyun asked as the rest of his brothers sighed at once, telling him to shut up.

“Two of you don’t get on my nerves, I asked If I’m understood?” Sehun asked again.

“Crystal clear, sir.”

Walking around the nicer side of town might not have been your forte exactly, but you had to admit that Joohyun, regardless of the earlier talk, had made the day very enjoyable, even if she wouldn’t let you see the receipt of it all. The outfit and such were eventually forgotten as soon as it was bagged, the woman on a mission not very intent on spending her boss’s money to fulfil whatever need she had now. It had started with lunch at an upscale restaurant that you’d only seen businessmen and rich girls eating at, yourself and your newfound friend making fun of the menu whenever you could, making sure that Baekhyun fed you two the best- regardless of price.

It was fun, it was even fun when Joohyun decided it was now time to drag you around the stores she wanted to, her tiny body bursting with excitement as she found the things she wanted and tried them on in turn – her stature fitting into the world more than she gave it credit for, something you noted as you watched her try on a very expensive jacket that she just insisted on having.

She made the area seem normal to you, that the people here could have personalities beyond their bank accounts – while you understood clearly, she wasn’t from around here, if someone told for a second, that she was, you’d believe them wholeheartedly. Someone that like doesn’t just stumble into things like this.

Eventually, the day had to come to an end, when evening struck after getting dinner at a slightly less upscale restaurant in freight to spare Baekhyun his bank account, the two of you parted ways – thousands in bag expenditure in toll. It was a nice evening, especially considering it was now the end of October, the chill settling into the air as it belonged once again. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing on your small apartment, considering the heating system tanked itself every winter without a fail – but it was something to live with, all the smalls things you noted as you hiked up the 5 floors to your apartment.

However, what you weren’t expecting was the shape of a hooded body standing outside your door; a male figure leaning up against the old wood like he was waiting for someone. Approaching closer, you let out a small breath as you managed to see a small tuff of blonde sticking out from under the black hoodie, a small smile passing your lips.

“Do you make a habit of camping outside of doors now?” You teased slightly as the figure jumped into action, spilling to face you in slight shock, “Or does being a doctor not give you enough gratification?”

“Maybe if you learned to answer your phone, you’d know I was here,” Jeonghan smiled slightly, holding up a bag and a few bottles, “I brought food,”

“I was out with a friend,” You chuckled softly nudging past him to open the door, the warmth from his body comforting as you wrestled with the wood to get open, “You’re dressed comfortable, day off?” You shoved the door open with a smile, nodding for him to go in before following.

“It’s not one of your… Criminal friends is it?” He frowned softly placing the stuff he brought on the coffee table, glancing at the bags in your hand with curiosity, “Yeah, it was my day off today…What are those?” He gestured to your bags.

“I didn’t peg you as a designer person,” You rolled your eyes as you walked to place them just in the entryway of your door, out of his sight.

“Someone from work, a girl named Joohyun,” You shook your head softly, flicking on the lights to your living room while he made himself comfortable, “And I’m not, it’s for… work,” You nodded rolling with your lie.  

“Work requires a heavy price tag dress?” He raised his eyebrow at you while passing you various food items; Chinese food and booze, just want you needed after today, “I know you work at a nice club but I didn’t think it required 3k dresses,” He chuckled faintly passing you chopsticks.

“How do you know how much dresses there are,” You smirked faintly, breaking the chopsticks to tuck into the food he got you, “Or is that doctor perks? Attract some rich girls and have to hear all about it,” If he wanted to talk about it more, he decided to drop it instead.

“I don’t do rich girls,” He smirked softly leaning back into your couch with a small sigh, the tiredness of his job written on his face, “And I certainly don’t have time to date,” You laughed softly, tucking into your food.

“Don’t let them hear that, imagine the heartbreak?” You stifled a laugh, “The good doctor Yoon Jeonghan not on the market? The outcry,”

“I do not have the affect women that you think I have,” He laughed easily back at you, eating his food at your pace.

“Relatively tall, blonde, even if it's fake,” You winked, “Career, well mannered, funny, I’d say you were a steal,” He smiled faintly

“You’d know,” He hummed, looking at the table before tossing you a fortune cookie, “Open it” He nodded at it while you looked at him.

“Really, you force me to eat now you want to know my fortune too?” You smirked teasingly at him, “Admit it, sleeping all day doesn’t do it for you anymore,”

“Just open it,” He rolled his eyes, “And for your information, sleeping all day works fine but I’m a doctor, we don’t get that pleasure anymore.”

“Romance follows you if you can only see it,” You repeated to him while looking at the small slip of paper, “Oh and lottery numbers, think we can strike gold this time?” You went to smile at him, but he was already looking at you.

“Jeonghan?” You frowned softly, “What’s wrong.”

“There’s a reason I’m here,” He sighed softly, placing down his food, “It’s about the other day with… them.”

“Jeonghan we’ve been over this,” You sighed, “You were right in acting how you did, regardless if it was stupid – I sprung this on you and lied about who you were treating…”

“It’s not that,” He waved his hand and reached into his pocket, placing something on the table as your frown grew, “I found this in my locker at work.”

“I think someone is following me.”

Joohyun had managed to keep her word and found you the perfect outfit for the night, the dress you were being forced to wear fitting you like it was made for your as the black fabric caressed your body like a whisper of velvet. It was a picturesque floor-length gown clung beautifully to your torso and upper hips before falling naturally around your legs and to the grown; no pleating or draping was needed as the fabric fell and swayed with your natural shape – accentuated by a lower back and a bold silver exposed zipper, the shape and the thin straps at the shoulders spoke of its modernity while also holding strong to the type of event.

“Wow…” You breathed to yourself in the mirror, running your hands over the soft velvet that made your hips look goddess-like, your feet pushing into insanely high heels picked the end of the dress up just enough that only a small pool of fabric trailed as you walked, it was a work of modern art being worn.

Your décolleté was kept open, letting the skin being shown doing the taking - a thin diamond choker adorning your neck instead of chunky jewellery; the jewels so small that they glinted in the lights like glitter, with a thin matching bracelet and ring, you looked like you were worth more than the apartment you were standing it. A heavy wool coat was to be your small protection from the chill that was spilling outside, the item clutched in your hands along with your clutch as you waited by the door for your ride.

As promised, Baekhyun had a messaged passed onto you earlier reminding you that the car would be there at exactly 6:45 pm and no later, and while you stood looking at the clock in your entryway; that was confirmed as your door rattled softly at exactly 6:45 pm. It was hard to stop your hand shaking a little as you opened the wood, but you let out a small breath as the man on the other side.

“Your ride,” The man greeted you with a smile, his black hair looking much like the material of your dress as it fell over his forehead softly, “I’m Doyoung, I’ll be your chauffeur for tonight.” He nodded while gesturing to the hallway to get a move on.

“Pleasure,” You nodded softly, stepping out into the cold open balcony, quickly shuffling your coat on as you locked the door behind you, checking a few times to make sure it was closed before following the man – who was now waiting right next to the elevator, a small grimace passing on your face.

“Not a fan?” He asked, when you caught up to him, shuffling into the old thing with a sigh, his finger quick on pressing the button for the ground floor.

“Not exactly,” You hummed, the two of you looking extremely out of place in the rundown elevator; you in your dress and him in his suit, contrasting with the poverty of the place immensely.

The conversation between you was few and far between as he led you out to the car, your throat seizing slightly as you registered it as one of the cars that they kept in the compound; your brain remembering your escape with the gun that led you to blow out a few windows.

Doyoung was ever the gentleman as he opened the back door up for you, gesturing for you to get in; the leather of the seating warming to your body as he’d left the heating on to keep you comfortable. Night had settled onto the city early, with winter approaching fast, it was almost night to see the lights dance on the skylight by 5 pm, but you couldn’t appreciate them as the car started to take off, your fingers deftly buckling yourself in as you tried your best to relax.

“You’re nervous,” Doyoung commented after a few minutes of driving, glancing at you in the rear-view mirror.

“A bit,” You sighed looking out the window, watching the city get more and more expensive with each mile taken, “This isn’t exactly my scene,”

“You don’t say,” He hummed stopping at a light, “Well, when I left they were inviting the more important members in for pre-drinks, there’s gonna be a lot of people there – I’m sure you can blend into the background.” He assured you.

“But,” He continued before you could say anything, “It’s not every day Baekhyun asks me to pick someone up.” He smirked faintly, but there was no ill intent behind it.

“Guess this isn’t just your usual day then,” You gulped, swallowing the stomach bile that was threatening to creep out of your oesophagus any second.

“Guess it’s not,” He echoed to you.

The car went silent after that, the hum of the engine filling the void for a while – at least until you noticed that you were creeping closer and closer to the houses in the city that cost more than you could even imagine; their large yet still old detached building making a home in the bustle of lights and decay of a usual city. They were the diamonds in the rough, their millions coating the walls like paint and pebbles on their driveways.

“Byun City estate,” Doyoung confirmed as he began to pull up to the only house that had its gates open, the lights from the place causing a gentle yellow hue in the night sky.

The driveway was a bit extensive as Doyoung slowly followed a car that was in front of yours, but it still felt like time was moving faster than light at the door to the establishment crept closer and closer. Two very heavily armed guards standing at the old double doors, ready to weed the ones who weren’t supposed to be here out in seconds.

Your heart seized in your chest as the car came to a stop in front of the stairs, Doyoung quickly getting out to open your door for you; holding his hand out for you to take as your feel footing into the unknown began.

“Breathe,” He said quietly, hoisting you out the car as the stones underneath you created unstable ground.

The air felt crisp against your lungs as you took a moment to look around, the hair settling your stomach as the white curls spilling from your lips at your warmth met the cold air – it as a short-lived moment of peace however as Doyoung nudged you slightly to the door, another gulped passing down your throat as you ascended the stairs; the man who drove you falling back into the car to park it somewhere else.

The guards were sizing you up as you approached them, a glance at the foyer inside bustling with people and more of them were behind you getting out of their respective vehicles; this was a legit event. The guard closest to you was about to ask for your name when it was called out instead. The man of the untimely hour, walking closer to the doors to get a look at you as a stressed look settled into his eyes.

Byun Baekhyun. He was dressed a lot more formal than you’d seen him previously; his usual garb traded for a dark suit and tie, the black making the fact his hair was a shade of light brown looking all the nicer. It fitted him well, he wasn’t the tallest in the world, but the suit gave him an air that said regardless of height he was dangerous; something the guards noted at the broke formation slightly to let the man past. A sigh passing his lips as he approached you, his hand instantly resting on your back you were ushered into the place. He was quick in giving your jacket to a coat attendant while he was rushing you in.

“You’re late,” He grumbled, looking at his watch accusingly, “Its 7:02,” He looked down at you while he walked you in.

It wasn’t a fairy tale moment that people often made these things out to be, no one stopped to stare and no one gave a shit who walked in and you appreciated that more than anything; people stopped to star at Baekhyun but that’s only because they probably have the information that this was his family home.

“I wasn’t aware that it was dire time?” You frowned softly while looking at everything you could. The black, white, and cream decorations looking fantastic in the grand foyer; the checkboard floor one of the key pieces while Baekhyun led you around to another set of double doors, “You look nice,” You grudgingly added on.

“I saved you the issue of listening to pointless speeches,” He flicked his eyebrows up slightly, “You could at least make it here a bit quicker.”

The doors opened into what you could only describe as a grand ballroom, the checkerboard pattered from the foyer carrying into the room beautifully; it was lined with numerous windows that let the nigh time in like a dream, the warm lights glinting off of every polish surface. Holding the room together was a series of roman pillars that kept the up the stairs in its places; the only way to get there is a grand staircase that was off to the side of the room. You would have caught a glimpse at the people on the stairs if Baekhyun hadn’t tugged you to the furthest away he could manage.

“I know what you’re doing,” He fake smiled at someone the two of you passed, his hand still firmly on your lower back, “He’s busy, look later.”

“Where are you taking me,” You hissed back, glancing up at him.

“To your babysitter for the night,” He said collectedly, “I refuse to let you embarrass yourself under my name,”

“I am 22, I know social cues,” You huffed quietly at him.

“Knowing social cues is not gawking at the décor like you’ve never seen it before,” Baekhyun mumbled back, before grinning at someone in passing again.

“Then who the hell is my babysitter?” You asked him quietly, trying to smile at the people looking at the two of you.

Wrapping his arm around you to pull you up next to him, Baekhyun grinned briefly before gesturing.

Chanyeol.

“He is,” Baekhyun smiled tensely, “Now we know this isn’t his first job at this.”

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol rolled his eyes, suited up much like the man her was referring to was.

“Hi, Chanyeol,” You smiled at him, looking a lot better than the last time you saw him, “You clean up nice, even if you have a fire truck on your head.” You chuckled softly while a ghost of a smile came on his mouth.

“Great, now that we know this is going to work lovely,” Baekhyun pushed you into Chanyeol, your feet barely stumping before you were caught by the taller man, “I’ve got a meltdown to avoid, go dance with her while I do that.” Looking up you noticed Chanyeol rolling his eyes.

“He is…” You watched his quick walk away, ducking away from a man that looked scarily like him before turning back to Chanyeol, “Is he okay?”

“Is he ever?” Chanyeol straightened you out, watching where the man was walking before turning to you with a slight smile, “You look good, you clean up well.”

“Can’t exactly look like a measly bartender here, can I?” You smirked softly, something he chuckled at.

“Don’t think that would go down with anyone here,” He gestured to the servers that were handing out flutes of champagne, “Or you’d be in a doing that.”

“Rich people,” You mumbled slightly, passing a smile at one of the workers, “This doesn’t seem as bad as I thought,”

“You’ve not been here that long,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “You missed the boring speeches, and having to deal with the families,”

“That bad?” You frowned softly, something he took your arm to and turned you around to look at all the people; a mixture of them dancing to the music that was playing and a mixture of them conversing, turning you slightly you watched as Chanyeol leaned down as whispered to you.

“Stairs at 2 o’clock,” He mumbled as your eyes flicked to them, getting the shape of Sehun standing on the stairs with a much older woman beside him; her face familiar.

“Mrs Oh,” Chanyeol confirmed, “Has kicked off 3 times since she got here, has been in the office all day ranting about things.” Adjusting you again, he pointed to where Baekhyun had headed; the man in question standing with two other men and woman, only two of them looking scarily like him.

“Baekhyun’s family,” Chanyeol confirmed, “I don’t bother myself with them, none of them like me, but they do love to berate him…”

“Things aren’t always what you hear, you need to take time to look around sometimes,” Chanyeol confirmed slightly.

“That’s poetic coming from you,” You hummed, looking around before pointing at Jeonghwa and Yixing, “Who pissed her off?” You asked.

“Who do you think?” Chanyeol’s chest rumbled from behind you, “He’s standing on the stairs looking like he’s ready to throw himself off them.” You shook your head slightly.

“And how are you feeling?” You asked, “My eyes tell me one thing, but I’ve heard something else”

“Dance with me first,” You could hear a smile in his voice, “And then maybe I’ll feel inclined to talk about myself.”

“Lead the way”, Turning around instantly you held your hand out to him with a nod and a smile.

He merely just faintly smiled before he tugged you towards the space that was meant for dancing – couples of all sorts dancing to the music that was gently playing from the speakers, orchestral but with somewhat of a modern flair. Chanyeol wasted no time, grabbing your other hand he settled the two of you into position, just off the main throng of people; Your hand was delicately placed on his shoulder while he grasped the other one in his hand, his sliding onto your waist – it was intimate enough for conversation but there was still a respectful distance.

“Will you tell me now?” You looked up at him to ask, while he looked over your head, taking everything in, “Or were you just respecting Baekhyun’s orders.”

“What’s a party if you stay in a corner all night?” He asked, “But to answer your question, I’m fine – the wound is healing nicely, thanks to you.”

“Thanks to Jeonghan,” You corrected him, “He done the stitching I merely just gave you some blankets,” He shrugged softly at the two of you danced slowly around the area you permitted yourself to.

“It’s the thought that counts,” He hummed.

“Would it kill you to just thank someone for once?” You raised an eyebrow at him, as he looked down at you briefly before looking away.

“I don’t like him,” Chanyeol stated, “Am I not allowed to do that?” You chuckled in disbelief.

“You don’t know him,” You smiled incredulously, “He done you a favour.”

“Do you like everyone you meet?” He asked you simply, “Is that part of the peppy package?”

“I’m not peppy,” You stated with a huff, looking around at the people around you, “I just give people chances.”

“But how many?” He countered you, “How many chances?”

“Enough to prove their worth,” You frowned at him, “God knows I’ve given you too many.” He smirked at that.

“And I gave your little boy toy a chance, he blew it,” Chanyeol announced, “I only do one, too many and well… You’re asking to get hurt.”

“He’d never hurt me, or you,” You raised an eyebrow at him, “He’s a doctor for god’s sake” He has an amused look on his face as the dance took you both into turning around, his head gesturing faintly to an older man who was by one of the pillars; his cheeks already reddened with the drink.

“Anyone can hurt anyone,” Chanyeol shrugged while there was a beat of silence.

“That man over there is a doctor,” Chanyeol stated, “Do you think he’d ever hurt someone?”

“I’d hope not,” You frowned, “But we’re also at a gang party,” You lowered your voice slightly.

“Ding, we have a winner,” He chuckled, “Profession doesn’t equal good, also doesn’t always equal bad, from what I know that man loves to get his hands dirty.”

“What’s your point,” You rolled your eyes, “What has this got to do with you not trusting Jeonghan?”

“What I’m saying, is that because you know someone doesn’t mean you know them, anyone can hurt you,” He chuckled faintly, “I gave your doctor a chance and saw something you don’t see,”

“Well, what did you see,” You frowned again.

“Something you’ll see in due time,” He nodded at someone who passed him.

“What is it will all of you and being fucking cryptic,” You mumbled, “Why can’t you just say what you mean.”

“There’s no fun in that,” Chanyeol snickered, “Then everyone knows what you’re talking about.”

“Fine, I have another question,” You threw your eyes back, “Who’s Yoora?”

“Oh, that’s how she’s playing,” He hummed, “Why do you want to know?”

“You called me that,” His jaw tensed slightly, “That night after you were stabbed before you passed out - so who is she?”

“My sister,” He licked his lips glancing down at you briefly, “Older.”

“Hmm...” You hummed, “So if I’m right, taking into consideration what Baekhyun said about you being miserable – you’re upset about more than a stab wound.”

“Me calling you her doesn’t mean anything,” He deflected with an eye-roll, “Blood loss makes us do funny things.”

“But you were thinking about her,” You countered.

“Is it a crime to think about your family?” He frowned slightly, “God imagine the prisons if that was the case,”

“It’s not a crime to think about your family, but adding onto everything else,” You thought carefully, “And the fact you haven’t seen her for nearly ten years, I’d page a guess something’s happened, am I wrong?” You smiled up at him, his own eyes giving you an unamused look.

“I believe that’s none of your business,” He said while spinning you around. “Just why are you here exactly?”

“I was invited,” You grinned.

“Whose smart idea was that?” He rolled his eyes but before he could pull you back in, you saw a hand rest over Chanyeol’s bicep stopping the movement.

“Mine,” Baekhyun said with a tense smile, “Mind if I cut in?” Chanyeol frowned slightly but stepped away, gesturing for him to take his spot.

“Nice dancing with you,” Chanyeol smile slightly at you, moving away to give his brother room.

“This isn’t over,” You countered while he walked away with a slight chuckle, but the jovial nature didn’t last long as Baekhyun tugged you towards him – the dancing style very different considering he was closer to your height.

“I thought Chanyeol was my babysitter,” You asked quietly noticing the tense air of the man, “Or is something wrong.”

“You’re good at reading people,” He spoke just as quiet as you, tugging you a bit closer to hear you, “Let’s just say I needed a small escape plan.”

“Family issues?” You asked, locking eyes with him.

“Something like that,” He sighed.

“Well…Do you want to talk about it?” You asked carefully, “You did come over here to me,”

“Not particularly,” Baekhyun’s mouth tightened slightly.

Sighing, you let the dance move into silence as he led you around, he was quite the dancer but your eyes were too busy drifting to be able to pay too much attention to it – instead of focusing on the pair dancing a few feet away; Sehun and Jeonghwa.

“I thought they were mad at each other,” You nodded slightly to them as Baekhyun’s head turned with a slight smirk.

“They’re always mad at each other,” He said, “It’s just part of their relationship.”

“Relationship,” You echoed slightly, “Some relationship.”

“Is the green-eyed monster knocking at your door?” He smirked again to which you rolled your eyes at.

“I don’t know him enough to be jealous,” You sighed, “Why does everyone keep assuming that.”

“Because no one looks at Oh Sehun with puppy eyes,” Baekhyun retorted, “People look at him with respect, fear, hate – but not lovesick puppy eyes.”

“But Jeonghwa-,” He cut you off.

“Jeonghwa looks at him like a task she needs to accomplish,” He stated looking over you, “I don’t think that woman has a romantic bone in her body.”

“But…” He started with a sarcastic edge, “I don’t often know people that fall for their kidnappers, is Stockholm Syndrome all the rage?”

“It’s not-,” He cut you off again, pulling you closer with a wicked smirk.

“In another world, I imagine the two of you would make quite the couple...” Baekhyun hummed, an air of severity dripping into the word, “But sadly this is our reality, and frankly... the future of it is being switched from a promise to a threat with you around.”

“So whatever idea’s you stored in your little head about how this all ends? It needs to stop,” He hissed softly, making it look like the two of you were just having a polite conversation. “This won’t end well for you.”

“Do you often lash out at people to deflect from your own problems?” You raised an eyebrow a him, “Does cutting someone else down for a second make you feel a fraction better about everything around you.”

“I enjoy watching the light in people’s eyes die,” He said sarcastically, “What can I say.”

“I don’t have any ideas about anything, Baekhyun,” You stated firmly, “I am here like you asked me to be, that’s it – after today it’ll never see any of you again besides work, sound good?”

“Sound’s perfect.” He hummed straightening back up.

The dance and the conversation trailed off to a finish the song started to die back down, a few people clapping slightly as the orchestra finished their piece; only a brief second passing before they started back up – Baekhyun being quick to release you, the people around you started to part, a figure emerging from the crowds.

Parting the crowds like the red sea was Sehun, fitted in a suit much more formal than his usual ones; the black fabric clinging to him in a way that let your mouth feeling a lot drier than it had done before; his hair that was usually pushed away from his face was parted off to the side with the front section only being slightly pushed away, the inky tresses falling around his forehead like ribbons of silk.

“Boss,” Baekhyun nodded slightly, glancing between you two, “What do I owe the pleasure.”

“Your brother is asking for you,” Sehun announced, nodding at you with a smile, “Taking care of our guest well?”

“Quite well,” Baekhyun edgily smiled, “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Excused,” Sehun smirked softly, making room for the walking man before turning to you, “Everything to your standard?”

“I don’t think my standard matters all that much,” You nodded slightly.

“Nonsense,” He chuckled faintly, “You’re probably one of the few people here that’s never seen this before, I’d like to know if we’re doing a good job.”

“It’s very nice, Sehun,” His name felt like sand in your mouth, “If you’ll excuse me, I do believe I had a conversation with someone to finished.” You said as you attempted to walk past him, but you jumped slightly as his hand caught your arm in a loose grip, tugged you back.

“Dance with me,” He stated, as you opened your mouth in slight shock.

“I think I’ve had enough, for now, you’re probably busy,” You explained as people started looking at the two of you.

“I wouldn’t ask otherwise,” He smiled easily at you, it was faint, but it was there. Sighing deeply, you nodded. Letting him take your hand and drag you back to him to get into position, only this time you were aware of where he was touching you as the two of you took off.

He was gazing down at you now, a vague sense of amusement dancing in his eyes; your own eyes barely managing to keep focused at the warm of his hand sitting casually on your waist; it was beautifully distracting. The moment felt more surreal than it was, the music feeling like it caressed one ear and went straight back out the other as the two of you moved calmly to it, your heart in time with your steps magically; gliding across the floor with no care.

“You’re better at this than I thought” He hummed, plucking his eyes away from yours to peer over your head, the warmth of his breath hitting your forehead softly, he was closer than the other two, as he spoke, “Maybe you’re made for these sorts of things.” You scoffed at that.

“You don’t know me that well,” He was close enough to the point his aftershave was making a home in your senses, “I actually can think of a million other things I’d rather be doing right now.” He chuckled at that.

“I don’t know you that well,” He repeated with a smirk, “But I can tell you’re an excellent liar,” His eye’s flicked down at yours again briefly as his voice lowered to a tone only, you’d hear.

“We need those sorts of people around here.” He tutted softly.

“I’m not a liar,” You pursed your lips softly, “And I’m not joining your little… club” You raised an eyebrow at him as you looked up at him, his face very much looking down at you as your forehead brushed his nose.

“See that’s where you’re wrong, you are a liar, and a bold-faced one at that,” He smirked softly, “And I don’t think you’re cut out for my little…club” He mimicked you.

“How am I the liar?” You sniped at him while he chuckled, "When you're right here?"

“It’s in your eyes,” He stated, “You’re lying about something, and a part of me wants to know what that is.”

“You don’t need to know everything,” You countered him, “I’m nothing to do with you.”

“You’re at my party,” He hummed, “You also work at my bar, I’d say that’s pretty involved.”

“But why is that?” You caught his eye as you stared him down, “Why do I work for you? why am I here? I have just as many questions as you.” He tittered at that.

“Why do you think I’m the only one involved? And I told you why you’re working for me, or did you forget our little car ride?” He chuckled pulling you a bit closer, “You’re so full of questions but you don’t have the backbone to ask them.”

“I do have a backbone,” You looked away from him, “For normal people things, like making sure I get an order right or getting a refund – not dealing with people like you.”

“Am I not a normal person?” He asked, “I thought the term normal was relative?”

“You’re insufferable,” You scoffed, “Why does everyone here dance around their words?”

“Because if anyone tells you what they mean, they’ll have to kill you,” He stated simply.

“See, that’s not normal,” You gulped softly, “None of this is.”

“To you,” Sehun countered, “I think this is perfectly normal,”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you,” You rolled your eyes at him.

“My world does,” He smirked at you as he held your gaze, looking around your face for a second while it softened.

His eyes were like barrels of warm whiskey if you caught them in the right light, but the intensity came from the fact that Sehun had a knack for looking at you like he was trying to peel back every layer of you in mere seconds and without words. It was charming to see someone want to figure out something they couldn’t understand, to have that attention on you for long enough to know that they were really looking at you.

“You look beautiful,” He said quietly, “I haven’t said that to you yet.”

“You look good yourself,” you gulped softly as you looked back at him, remembering every little thing that made him…Him.

“I wasn’t lying,” He said quietly, “You do fit in here – even if it doesn’t feel like it, most people would have bailed at the door.”

“I was asked to be here so I am,” You nodded slightly, “Least I could do I guess…”

“Baekhyun talked to me about the meddling,” He hummed slightly, “Apologies, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again, I said that to you before…”

“Who sent the invitation?” You frowned softly, his eyes flicking to the small crease on your eyebrows as you did.

“Faintest clue…” He sighed, his eyes a bit more unreadable, “But does it matter now? You’re here”

“Yes, I am…” You said quietly, focusing back on the dance.

The two of you went back to dancing quietly as you mentally evaluated the situation, it was comfortable to be this close to him surprisingly – it almost felt right to be the person dancing with him, and that was dangerous. His chest was directly in your eyesight as you tried to focus on anything else but your dance partner, but he was insistent on talking.  

“You don’t make a lot of eye contact, do you?” He asked casually, releasing your waist slightly to tip your eyes up to meet his, his fingers holding your chin, “I’m no formal dancer but eye contact is a given”

“You’re tall,” You weakly said to try and simmer the conversation down, but he merely frowned using that same hand to move your hair away from your neck slightly – his warm palm resting on your neck as your eyes widened.

“What are you doing-,” You started.

“Shit.” He cut you off with a swear

The world around you blurred for a second, the feeling of his hand on your neck tossing you off to the side with him sending your mind into a spin as the sound of shattering glass suddenly filled the ballroom – the music cutting out fast. You could feel your face forced against Sehun’s as the man let out a pained grunt after the sound of something thudding into flesh filled your ears as well.

The cool feeling of marble against your back sent a chill down your spine as the sound of another thud landed close to you again, the shattering of windows and screams echoing around the room as a replacement for the music. It felt like a lifetime before Sehun peeled back from you, his breath a bit more haggard than before while your eyes adjusted to the sudden light, you neck barely making it to look up at him. He was gritting his teeth, his left arm placed above your head to brace himself on the wall while the other was still around your waist in a tight fashion. The sounds of bullets hitting marble floors sending awful pangs into the air.

“You need to leave.” He hissed out, glancing down at you while you looked around his torso to see what was causing him discomfort, pushing his jacket back on his left shoulder - you gasped, your hand leaving wet as a giant red stain formed around his pectoral.

“Sehun you’re-,” You gasped out, but he moved his chest away with a slight wheeze.

“I said you need to go,” He snapped looking down at you, the fire and pain clear in his eyes – He gulped slightly before pushing himself off you, a hiss passing through his teeth as he ducked again from a bullet that hit the pillar, a dusting of marble raining down on your head as you both ducked.

“But you…” You stuttered softly, frightened out your mind.

“Taeyong.” Sehun snapped as someone came skidding over, a small mind with intense eyes stopping next to you.

You didn’t even get to hear what he said before you were shoved into the man’s arms his lithe body catching you with a grunt as Sehun barked orders at him.

“Get her and anyone else out of here, now.” Taeyong merely nodded as you shrugged in his grip – the sounds of bullets still echoing with the constant yells of men barking orders.

“Wait, you idiot.” You yelled slightly, “You’re the one bleeding.”

“Taeyong.” Sehun snapped ducking again, “Do your job, now.”

“Yes boss,” His voice was surprisingly level while he took you away, your heels scraping on the floor as you tried to escape on your own.

For once in your life, you called out the name you never thought you would.

“Sehun.”

[flyonthewallmedstudent]

Re-watching House as a Physician. Pilot Episode. Neurology in the young.

I’d actually recommend this as an exercise.  Re-watching this as a means to motivate studying. It’s truly terrible watching it. So much so, that you want to do it properly or throw shit at the TV. 

If I had students and we couldn’t physically see patients I’d probably tell them what episode to watch and we’d go through the cases together. Go through all the things the team does wrong. Then discuss the things you don’t know yourself.

Because that is actually how you learn best.  Recovering from your mistakes. Identifying gaps in knowledge. 

Unfortunately, all my current students are final years and they do have to see real patients. 

Opening episode: 29 year old female, no past medical history has expressive dysphasia then a first seizure.  How do we know it’s expressive dysphasia?

IN the episode, the patient notices she’s having trouble getting words out, and is able to write. Then has a seizure. Wilson actually has a good introductory statement here. House finds the case boring, this really isn’t boring. If it doesn’t excite a physician it should certainly terrify them. A la house of god, rule number X = Treat the dying young. With urgency. The majority of patients I see in IM are in their 70s-90s, have predictable issues like metabolic syndrome, heart failure, arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, infections like community acquired pneumonia and dementia. These are my bread and butter. 

More often than not, my primary role is to ensure a dignified end of life care. Many of them come in already at death’s door or will be imminently there. To continue to push them through medical treatment when they no longer have resilience to go through them, is to prolong suffering. 

You can’t predict how someone young will respond even to the most aggressive of treatment. You give them every chance you have. OFten if the young are sick, it’s really bad. With the elderly, a common cold can make them really sick as their body is in decline. 

Young patients with a single organ system issue will usually go to a subspecialty.  Actually any medical subspecialty or IM in general is considered “diagnostic medicine”. It’s just different flavours of it. 

1st seizures: - it’s rare to have a second.  - usually the cause of underlying seizures is infection - follow-up is clinic with neurology. It’s rare to require further.  - we could go into differential seizures, but that’s a whole other post in itself

(Epilepsy only occurs if you have a number of them and this is rare)

In the case of House, they jump straight to cancer like webmd.

Before they do much, she jumps straight to radiation therapy. This is completely unrealistic. This sort of thing requires multidisciplinary teams to pour over all her results and discuss the best way forward. Chemo and radiotherapy are notorious in the general public for having crazy toxicities. For obvious reasons.

It’s weird re-watching these, where medicine is no longer a foreign language. Actually, it’s watching someone for whom English is a new language and they haven’t really gotten it yet. The tense and grammar are all wrong. 

I watched the Queens Gambit - holy fuck is chess a foreign world and language. I know the basics, but none of the strategies. Sicillian sounds like a great name for a tasty pizza. Or something else. 

Anyways, it takes a whole lot of time before they get to differentials. 

Honestly, you would be getting to these the minute you hear the presenting complaint. Then considering how to rule them in and out. For students, always have the surgical sieve in mind. 

Differential diagnosis of expressive dysphasia in a young woman are then addressed in the episode. here’s what they consider: - Aneurysm and stroke (haemorrhagic stroke in this case if we’re talking aneurysm), incidentally most common cause of berry aneurysms is high blood pressure. this is a decent consideration. but you would have seen it on imaging from the start. 

- CJD = very much mad zebra. I wouldn’t even suggest this. You would if it was rapid onset dementia or behvarioural changes and they came from high risk areas (eg ate burgers in the UK in the 1980s and 90s). But rapid meaning weeks to months. Not sudden onset within minutes. It’s more stroke.  - Cncephalopathy: requires an LP to go over this, and she doesn’t present with a fever either. regardless, important to consider. would always consider an LP in addition to imaging.  - Wernicke’s: only consider if they have a nutritional disorder like severe, chronic anorexia (which she doesn’t have) or heavy alcohol use. This is caused by thiamine/VitB1 deficiency. A thiamine level test takes days or weeks. We would never wait for a thiamine test to come back, you’d treat IV thiamine straightaway. I mean it’s vitamin B. This is a terrible differential to consider so near the top. She also doesn’t really have the other symptoms.

Then there’s the more obvious differentials they didn’t bother to consider: The greatest mimic for a stroke particularly in young women is migraine. You can have similar neurology, but it’s often associated with a headache.  If we wanted to chase zebras in the young, you could consider a PFO (holes in the heart that are congenitally there) and thromboemboli causing stroke. (In other words, you develop a clot, normally the lungs will pick up the clot like a filter before it gets to the brain. But the clot can bypass the lungs via holes in the heart and give you a stroke). This is always the consideration in cryptogenic strokes (in which you have a young patient without any reason for having an atheroma causing stroke). Risk factors for thromboemboli can include the oral contraceptive pill (estrogen can be thrombogenic) and then long periods of immobility, think long haul flights or trauma to the long bones or surgery. IN rare cases, those who had particular types of heart surgery as an infant, like a Fontan’s. But this is very niche mind you. And they’re often already on preventative therapy. Infection is a key thing to consider, where there are risk factors. she’s not immunosuppressed or done any exotic travel or eaten raw foods she shouldn’t have eaten (raw pork, bad sushi etc.). It’s a shame they didn’t mention it early. THere’s a few infections that go to the brain but you’d often have these in mind with the risk factors as stated before. THe imaging is often a giveaway

Learning point here - always eat cooked pork! Finally, cancer. But it’d be obvious on imaging if you’d already developed seizures or focal neurology, the lesions would already be large enough to pick up. the sad part to many brain tumours is that they’re already very large by the time of presentation. Beau Biden for instance, presented with acute confusion before his diagnosis, preceding that he had weakness and altered sensation (the lesion was likely too small at the time to be picked up on imaging and was diagnosed as a stroke). 

I would rarely be referred brain tumours, the emergency department will have scanned the brain and seen something that would prompt referral to the neurosurgeons. When you’re young and have a lesion/tumour, any team will try everything, including majority surgery, to salvage what life is left. it is very tragic. 

Anyway, stopping here. Already too much stuff to dissect and unpack from just the first episode alone. Note that I’m in IM, no doubt a neurologist or neurosurgeon will have different opinions on this episode. Ha. 

[103oclock]

[FULL ENG TRANS] 2020.04.20 W Korea’s May edition : Stay happy, cool and strong (Baekhyun)

 EXO Baekhyun’s strong identity is driven by his happiness in enjoying music.

We’ve met before through an interview with EXO, many years ago. I clearly remember something you said then, which was, ‘Before entering SM, I thought I was the best singer in Bucheon.’ Baekhyun at that time did say that (laughs). He had so much ‘confidence.’

Thanks to what you said then, when I see you slowly improving ever since you said that, I think about those stories where a kid who is good at studying enters a science or foreign language high school* and becomes crestfallen after realising where he ranks in the whole school, so he studies with all his heart and becomes the top in school.  Ah, my trainee days was when my confidence took a big blow. It just felt like my song would never get picked since there were so many other people who could sing so well. When you enter as a professional, you can’t be sloppy for even a second, and they will demand for you to be perfect, even down to every detail. I stopped thinking that singing is my specialty, and I had to reevaluate my thoughts on music. *=Science or foreign language high schools are prestigious schools in South Korea.

Even when you were discouraged, at some point your confidence would come back again, right? That’s right, to some extent. Also, I’m not the kind to let someone else dampen my spirit just because they said so (laughs).

I’m aware that you are planning to release your solo album soon. Because of the current situation, changes were made to the initial plans which could make things a little vague now. There are several activities I was scheduled to do but now can’t, but this situation now is not easy for everyone, and there are many people who are working very hard. There are still more to be done in several aspects, album-wise, but you can look forward to it as it will be different from the previous solo. 

Did you have any desire or goal when you were working on your first solo album <City Lights>, which was released in summer? Since a long time ago, I’ve been wanting to do songs with city pop vibes. Also, it is meaningful to have the album comprised of just my voice. I hoped for people to hear the album and at least think, ‘So this is the kind of voice Baekhyun has.’ I’m glad it received such a good outcome.

What do you mean by ‘good outcome’? I got a lot of positive feedback. There were people who recognised the effort I put into the voice and vibe I wanted to express. The album sales were also good thanks to my fans. 

What kind of voice did you want to express? Something that’s a little dreamy (laughs), and I guess I wanted there to be sexy vibes even with just my voice?

I was a little dubious when I first heard that the title track was called ‘UN Village,’ because it’s the more luxurious version of ‘Samsung Raemian’ (laughs). However, after listening to it, it seems like ‘luxurious’ was the keyword that was the main theme of the entire album. Even on stage, your performance is relaxed and doesn’t require much of an angle (as in a certain kind of look/style/theme), it looks like you wanted to portray that sort of laidback appeal.  Oh, that’s very accurate. Because EXO has themes and we do powerful performances, I wanted my solo to be different. I wanted to pull out something I think of as my weapon, something that is relaxed rather than strong, and more focused on my voice itself.

It’s rather difficult to be relaxed if you don’t do a lot of preparation. Between what you do best and what you like best, which of the two do you think is closer to the composition of your first album? At first I matched the make up of the album to what I like, but I think it slowly became what I do best as I practised and did my studies. I’m always like that. I always do what I like instead of what I do best. There is almost nothing you are good at from the start. It starts of as ‘This is so hard, but I like it’ and at some point when I get familiar with it and master it, it feels really exhilarating.  

This is sudden but it’s always fascinating to me when I see singers like you that start off with the position as a vocal, and become a dancer that does dynamic performances on stage. Could it be because SM is originally known for it's unrivalled training system, or is it because that person actually has dance DNA but simply never had the opportunity to draw it out? From the aspect of whether one knows how to use their body and muscles, it looks like I have the influence of the DNA. From moving your chest to doing several other movements. For example, there are people who find it hard to do detailed movements like ‘lift your right shoulder, and then pop your chest, bring down your right shoulder and lift your left shoulder.’ On top of that, SM’s environment, which has many people that started off as choreographers and have a command of high quality dancing in nature, also contributed to my progress. Looking around at my surroundings, I followed suit so my abilities got better, and there were many things I could learn and many things I was motivated by. 

Soon it will be the 8th anniversary since EXO debuted so shall we talk about the time that started history? How did you feel at the start when you had to digest and do difficult dance moves even though you were a vocalist? I just had this desire. ‘I don’t want to remembered as the person who can’t dance.’ Thankfully, the members taught me and Chen, who entered the group late, until the wee hours of the morning. Kai took care of Chen, and Sehun took care of me. All the while competing who taught better, and who mastered the dance better. I improved a lot during the time we practised together. 

Looking back, after debuting, was there a critical period where you felt like you were growing too fast? Around summer 2016 ‘Monster,’ my performance skills definitely improved. Choreographer Shim Jaewon hyung actually included a solo performance for me at the start of the song. There wasn’t supposed to have a solo performance but he said, ‘Baekhyun, you have a talent in dance too, you just have to work a little bit harder, let’s start building up your confidence now,’ and he choreographed a solo performance and encouraged me. From then on, I thought, ‘So I’m not someone who can’t dance,’ and I gained confidence in expressing myself through my body while doing my best for that solo performance. What I never knew, or what I suppressed, up to that point, I then started to express naturally.

Oh, that was around the time the special cover edition ‘EXOclusive’ you did with <W Korea> was produced! Was there a period where you were in a slump, music-wise?  At the start of EXO’s activities, when we’re going from ‘MAMA’ to ‘Wolf.’ I achieved the reality of debuting and suddenly received a lot of attention, so the kid that was full of confidence became scared of singing. I doubted myself, that my singing might be weird. It was around then that my interest in vocalisation peaked, and I studied a lot. As I did that, my fears disappeared little by little and I started to anticipate how my voice would sound like when I sing live. I put in a lot of effort in ways like thinking if I should do it a certain way this time so it could sound different, and if I like the sound of my tone in a certain song, I could apply a part of it to another song. 

Then before EXO, when did you first vaguely feel that you had something similar to a talent?  The first time I ever went to a karaoke. Might have been grade 6 of elementary school.

What song did you sing? It was Yarn’s song. What was the song called... Can I quickly search it up?

Yarn’s songs are one of the tests for high-pitched power, and have made many guys fail miserably in karaokes.  Exactly. Yarn’s ‘Run.’ Weirdly, I sang the song comfortably as how I heard it, and my friends’ reactions were huge. Ever since then, I thought ‘Oh? I didn’t even learn how to sing yet everyone says I’m good? This must be my greatest strength!’ and I started to like singing. 

Your audience then reacted to your mic and your acoustics, which made that the moment you became a celebrity. So that’s how the history of ‘Bucheon Prince’ came about (laughs).  My friends wouldn’t sing songs that are high in pitch. So I thought, ‘Huh? Why?’ I was still young then so I didn’t even know what a vibrato was, I just thought that the note was “vibrating.” When I hear that the end of the note doesn’t vibrate, I would think, ‘Why don’t they do the vibration thing? Isn’t it kind of flat?’ It was a time when I was young and ‘snobby’ (laughs). 

If you were to introduce a distinct characteristic of your vocals, how would you say it? Um. Smooth yet at the same time robust.

You possess everything good...  Hehe, I don’t have an entirely beautiful voice but I have a kind of baritone voice that is saturated with tenderness. So it is an advantage that I don’t have to limit myself to one genre and can challenge myself extensively. 

Still, is there anyone’s vocals that you wish to have? Kim Bumsoo sunbae. Recently I am realigning my vocals. From my breathing to my vocalisation, I am remodelling everything. So I think about vocals a lot, but when I hear Kim Bumsoo sunbae’s songs, I feel that he has quite the stability. I think of stability as a power that allows the audience to listen comfortably and enjoy the song, and to people who sing, as players of the game themselves, would either want to show off or have the freedom to express a bar of the song any way they want. He has amazing stability, and he has a great voice, and he possesses several different tones. There are many things to look up to him to. 

Instead of changing just one vocal aspect, you’re changing your style from the basics. It’s going to be a tough process. It’s not easy. I’ve been learning from my current vocal teacher for about a year now, but luckily, he’s like a saviour to me. Singer Im Hanbyul hyung introduced him to me. He not only teaches me vocal skills, but also helps me to find peace mentally. He’s like a doctor that does a full check-up on whatever I am uneasy about. He’s really grown up. [A/N: there’s no pronoun for Baekhyun’s vocal teacher but I used a standard pronoun for ease of reading]

Do you have any aspirations as a member of SuperM? We began our activities last fall and we were the first of Asia Artistes to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with our debut album. I’ve said ‘We will show you another kind of K-Pop’ in an interview in The States before, but there is another meaning behind the face value of what I said. No matter how I look at it, isn’t now the era to turn the impossible possible? It’s the same for SuperM. The fact that members of different groups have come together to form another group is entirely a whole new system. We were the pioneers to give it a shot, and that in itself is a step that creates synergy. With this in mind, I have the desire to make K-Pop widely known. 

In the 2000′s, K-Pop started to gain popularity when SMTOWN was having their world tour, and in the recent years, K-Pop has once again taken another leap. Have you ever felt that it’s true while you were on tour?  Of course. When we do interviews overseas, journalists would say things like, ‘If we were to define K-Pop, we can’t forget about the perfectly synced dance choreography, right?’ The style of group dance choreography, which has been around since long ago, is what shaped K-pop and I think of it as K-Pop’s important trait. When they know and point out that aspect, I feel proud and grateful. 

SuperM brings EXO’s Baekhyun and Kai, SHINEE’s Taemin, NCT’s Taeyong and Mark, WayV’s Lucas and Ten together in a team. How is it like when you’re all together? They’re all really, honestly, very nice and innocent kids. They transform on stage but when I see how they’re like together off stage, I wonder how they could be that innocent. I want you guys to know that side of the boys before showing you our music and performance.

Are they like innocent boys behind the cool and handsome men that glare when they sing ‘We will burn on this stage’ during the performance? These guys also possess everything good...  Superheroes normally conceal their own identity and show a mild appearance but when nighttime comes, they apprehend bad guys. Ever since I was young, I’ve always thought that somehow that was what true justice was (laughs). I feel like if the duality of how the boys are like daily and how they are like when they concentrate on stage was known, all the members are able to shine more brightly. 

In today’s photoshoot, you went from bright and impeccable Baekhyun to Baekhyun with a dark charisma. And Cartier’s jewelry shone just like EXO Baekhyun, who symbolises ‘light’ (laughs). If you were to have dual personalities, what would it be?  Though I am mostly nice and well-mannered, I am the type to be straightforward and be firm when I think ‘This isn’t right.’ Even when people who think ‘this person belongs to me,’ when they treat them badly, my firmness will appear. When that happens, I will step in and say something. 

Listening to your stories, you seem like a person who is motivated by yourself.  That’s right. I always find faults in myself. Whether it is on stage or my treatment towards other people, I frequently think about whether I had any drawbacks. I always think about questions like ‘Why do I keep doing the wrong move these days,’ or ‘Am I not focusing, or am I lacking practice for that part?’

What is something you need in order to continue and live a long life as an artist that has debuted in an idol group? First of all, I think the answer to that is finding out what you really want to do. Because if you don’t go through that process and simply follow the trend or what other people want, it’ll be easy for you to be left behind as an artist. If you look at idols who have been in the industry for a long time, their own colour is very clear no matter what. I could also soon become Baekhyun version 2. A life where I find out whether I can succeed with just my voice.

Would you have a (however) big ambition inside of you?  Ambition, I definitely have it. There’s a saying, ‘In for a penny, in for a pound’ (laughs). However, I’m not the kind that is full of fighting spirit and think I have to achieve a certain goal. I do not want my huge desire for success to eat me up. To me, doing things happily while laughing is most important to me. That level of ambition would be more like ‘I hope they recognise my hard work’ I guess? When you work hard on something, it will still shine no matter what, and no matter how bright. And I want to show off what I am good at anyway so, hehe.

Translation by 103oclock (Source)

[themusicplayedherlife]

Unrequited (Part 6)

pairing: bucky barnes x reader characters: bucky barnes (texts), reader, steve rogers (mention), natasha romanoff, wanda maximoff, pietro maximoff, sharon carter (mention)  word count: 3k+ warnings: uhhh, none? i thiink??? correct me if im wrong, probably many mistakes, forgive me summary: things are changing and its startng to get hard to keep up a/n: so, i lied, this chapter isn’t as long, but because i cut the chapters in half, working on the next part still, but thought this one ended at the right moment, and trust me, it did. i can’t wait to truly introduce sam and really stir the pot with wanda :3

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Wanda doesn’t look at you, keeping her eyes on the mug full of tea in front of her. She hasn’t taken a single sip of it since you set it down in front of her and if someone was staring at you the way you’re staring at her, you wouldn’t either. But you can’t help it! She’s a stranger in your home! 

Sure, a stranger who happens to be Pietro’s twin and who you offered to stay with you, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s not only someone you don’t know personally, but she’s someone you don’t know personally and showed up unexpectedly in your apartment!

“So,” you start slowly, “how exactly did you get in?” It comes out more aggressive and accusing than you meant it to sound like. You practically wince at the end of your question.

Her face morphs, uncomfortably neutral expression changing into one of alarm. “Pietro. He gave me a key—he said it would be all right and that you had allowed me to stay with you until I find my own place.”

“We did, but we weren’t expecting you tonight or to even have a key,” you admit, trying not to repeat your earlier mistake. She’s already feeling uncomfortable, no need to make it worse. “But it’s fine.” Wow. That was not convincing enough. That sounded completely half assed and maybe just a tiny bit passive aggressive! Get it together!

“I’m sorry—“ Her hasty apology is cut off by the front door being thrown open by an angry Natasha, emerald eyes sharp and sweeping the room until they land on you and Wanda.

“I promise I was going to tell you both—“ Pietro’s voice flows into the apartment from behind her and she whips her glare in his direction as she walks into the apartment. “Natasha—“

“Don’t,” she warns him, raising her hand to cut him off. “She’s already here, can’t do anything about that.”

Wanda scrambles to her feet, plaster on a sweet smile. “Hello, you must be Natasha, I’m—“

“I know who you are.” There really isn’t an edge to her voice when she talks to Wanda, maybe a hardness in her eyes from being taken aback by her presence, but no anger. “Welcome, Wanda. Please excuse me, I’m going to change out of my clothes and then we can have a proper talk.” She makes her way deeper into the apartment, dropping in front of her bedroom door and looks over at Pietro before disappearing into her room. 

While you’re not entirely happy at having been blindsided, you can’t help but reach out to Pietro. A warm hand on his shoulder and gently patting it like one would with their pet, not that Pietro is a pet, but sometimes he could act like one. “You okay?”

He sighs. “She gave me the silent treatment the whole way here.”

“In the uber?” She could’ve been distracted texting Clint like she was earlier with you.

Except, Pietro shakes his head, understanding what you were trying to insinuate. “No, Steve dropped us off. Lots of chatter, but she was blatantly ignoring me.”

Your mouth parts at his confession—Steve did? Does that mean he didn’t leave with Sharon? Is there hope for you yet?

“What about you? You okay?”

You snap your head in his direction, pausing in your petting to find him directing the question at you and not his sister who is standing awkwardly by the dining table. “Peachy,” you promise, even though you’re not entirely sure of that yourself. “Wanda? Would you like me to reheat your tea?”

She glances away from you and nods. “Yes, please, that’d be great.”

Taking her cup of lukewarm, almost cold tea, you dump it back into the small pot you had heated the water in, and turn on the burner.

Natasha’s bedroom door opens and she steps out dressed in comfy pajamas before veering a sharp right and entering the bathroom.

“Would it be best if I find a hotel to stay at tonight?” Wanda offers quietly and Pietro rushes to her side, ready to convince her otherwise, but it’s you that ends up speaking up.

“Ah, no, no, don’t worry. Natasha is just—processing,” you eventually settle on, not entirely convinced at your choice of word. But it’s basically what she’s doing, taking in all the information and trying to figure out how best to handle it. A trait she learned from her dad. Or, she’s bustling in anger and trying to hold back from exploding. A trait she also learned from her dad. “Don’t worry, she’s not mad.” You think. 

Sometimes you can’t tell. 

It seems to be enough for Wanda, probably trusting you to know her best. “Thank you.”

Pietro and Wanda sit down at the dining table, her hand in his as they speak in hushed tones, a foreign language—Sakovian—being traded back and forth. You give them their time, their own moment to process this—whatever this is or turns out to be.

With a sigh, you reach into your phone just as it vibrates in your hand—a new message from Bucky. As the water boils, you turn off the heat and carefully refill the mug with Wanda’s tea, all the while reading the prior messages he sent in order.

James Bucky: How's the party?

James Bucky: Please tell me you found Steve.

James Bucky: The only reasonable and acceptable answer to why you’re not responding is that you found Steve and are flirting with him

James Bucky: I’m bored, so I started watching the Lion King and Lion King 2

James Bucky: I am definitely not Zazu

James Bucky: Kovu was done dirty

James Bucky: I’m not Simba either

James Bucky: I’m Kovu

James Bucky: He’s my kindred spirit

James Bucky: Hey, Steve and Sam just got home and told me you disappeared during the party? You okay?

Placing the empty pot back over the turned off burner, the smile that had been on your face falls when you read his newest message.

You: I’d have preferred to be watching those movies than be at the party

You’re about to lock your screen when the speech bubbles appear, and a second later his messages roll through.

James Bucky: Why?

James Bucky: What happened?

James Bucky: You okay?

James Bucky: Need me to kick someone’s ass? Because I can kick Steve’s ass.

You purse your lips and hover over the keyboard, wondering if you should tell him or be vague. “That’s the whole point of this, right? Getting their attention?” Exhaling softly, you throw your head back—are you two friends or not? You can’t fucking tell when Bucky says things like that and then things like this. Why won’t he make up his damn mind? 

You: A lot happened 

You: I’ll let you know tomorrow or another day.

You watch the text bubbles as they appear and disappear repeatedly, until finally, he sends: 

James Bucky: Right. 

James Bucky: Sounds good. 

James Bucky: Have a good night.

You stare at his messages and reread them over and over before sighing and typing out one last message.

You: you too, Bucky.

Turning back to the twins with Wanda’s cup of tea, you gently place it down in front of her. She and Pietro pause their conversation, both of them sending you grateful smiles. And you can’t help but notice how similar their smiles are. Most pictures you’ve seen of Wanda have her smiling tightlipped—forced almost, while Pietro’s are wide and toothy. But this time, they’re both mostly identical, grateful and small.

The bathroom door opens and Natasha steps out with a pale face—little hairs around her face clinging to her forehead and eyes a little bloodshot. She’s patting her face with a small, cotton towel. “Sorry, I needed to get more comfortable to have this talk.”

“I completely understand.”

“Why tonight?” Natasha doesn’t beat around the bush, immediately questioning the twins. “We thought you weren't in for another few weeks? Or so we were told.”

Wanda winces, and Pietro does too, the two resembling a Cocker Spaniel and a Labrador Retriever being reprimanded by their owner.

“I—it’s completely my fault I had to change my flight to earlier and—“

“No, I made her change her flight earlier just in case—“

They’re both talking over each other, making it hard to hear what either of them are saying, but with a simple clearing of her throat, Natasha is able to quiet them down.

She sighs, leaning back into her seat. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re here now, but I just wish you would’ve told us so we could’ve been ready,” she directs the last bit to Pietro. “We haven’t bought the air mattress we were thinking of getting—“

“Or made space for your things,” you finish for Natasha.

Wanda straightens in her seat and shakes her head. “It’s okay, really. I can’t thank you both enough for even thinking of allowing me to stay. I can sleep on the couch and my things can stay in my bag.” She says it with so much eagerness and gratefulness that it takes you by surprise. “It’s not a big deal.”

You and Natasha both share a look of uncertainty and you can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking the same thing as you.

“It’s only until I can get a place of my own.”

Your eyes slide to Pietro, who looks away from you three, lips set in a frown. His hands on the table are balled, nails probably digging into the soft flesh of his palm. Does he feel guilty? Or is there more to this?

“Take your time,” Natasha assures her as Pietro meets your gaze. The hardness around his eyes soften and his hands slowly come undone when you lift an eyebrow in his direction. “I’m sorry we can’t offer you something more permanent, but…”

“No, I understand. Thank you,” Wanda says, gaining your attention as she flashes you both a small smile, “both of you.”

Natasha nods and pushes herself away from the table as she stands. “Why don’t you take my room for tonight? I’m sure you’re tired after a, what ten hour flight?”

“Twelve,” Pietro interjects softly.

“No, no, I couldn’t possibly—“

“It’s fine.” Natasha wraps an arm around your shoulder. “I’ll just stay with this one for the night.”

You nudge her side and she chuckles.

Wanda excuses herself to get ready for bed, leaving you, Natasha, and Pietro in the living room to dwell in silence for a second before Natasha breaks it. 

“Is your sister okay?” she asks, her arm around your shoulders dropping to her side.

Pietro stills, eyes darting between you two. “Yeah, she’s fine. Just tired.”

You frown, worry growing from the way Pietro’s eyes take shifty glances at the closed bathroom. “That’s not what we—“ A hand settles on your thigh, squeezing gently—a warning.

She shakes her head when you send her a questioning glance.

“Okay,” she says. “Why don’t you take the couch for the night? I’m sure Wanda will feel more comfortable with you here.”

He pauses, maybe thinks about his unresolved mess with Crystal, but then he nods with a small smile on his lips. “Thank you.”

Natasha is already in bed by the time you’re done using the restroom, but she’s not asleep, she’s sitting up and resting against the wall, scrolling through her phone with a smile on her face just like earlier this evening. 

You slip in next to her and she locks her phone, placing it on the high, thin dresser next to her, before sliding down with you.

“When’s the last time we shared a bed?” she asks and you shrug in response.

“Probably senior year?”

“A long time.” She turns to face you. “We should do this more often, then. Give Wanda an actual bed once in a while.”

You laugh, agreeing as you nuzzle into your pillow, but as you think back on the conversation that happened only moments ago, your smile falls. “You felt something was off, too, right?”

Her own smile falls. “Yes,” she answers with a little trepidation, eyes glazing over as she mulls over her thoughts. “I don’t think it’s any of our business. If it were just Pietro, then I’d push for answers, but…”

“I know.” You have to respect Wanda’s privacy. You hardly know the girl anyway, and even if you did, you can’t exactly force a person to unload all their problems onto you, especially not one that you semi accused of breaking into your apartment. Besides, it’s not your place.

“Enough about that.” She bites her lip, green eyes twinkling with mirth. “I saw you talking to Steve.” You groan, lifting the blanket to cover your face and she laughs, the sound tinkering loudly in your room even if she tries to keep the volume down. “I think that was the first time I didn’t see you flailing about.”

“Please stop,” you whine, fighting off the heat beginning to crawl under your skin.

She tries yanking away the duvet, but you resist by holding on tight. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you disappeared when Sharon showed up,” she says this much more softer, worried. “When I couldn’t see you anymore, Pietro and I grew worried. And when I saw Sharon…”

That makes you pause, allowing Natasha to harshly tug the duvet and she practically jerks away from you, having not expected you to not put up a fight. She blinks at you after a moment and her eyes soften when you ask, “Did he notice?”

“No.” A pang in your chest, and a sigh escapes your lips as you roll onto your back. “He did notice that you left—” when though? Soon after? An hour after? “—but didn’t connect your disappearance to Sharon.”

What were you expecting? He notices you’re gone and realizes it was because he left you for Sharon? Why would he notice? When all of his attention has always been for the blonde and her sweet smiles. So what if he called you cute? That doesn’t mean anything. Especially not compared to his ex.

“Of course, he didn’t,” you murmur, but you don’t want to talk or think about Steve, or Sharon, or have your heart broken more than once tonight. Instead, you push away your self doubt and insecurities to a more playful tone, “So, Clint, huh?”

Her worried expression gives way to something brighter, warmer. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him sooner.”

“More surprised and maybe a little disappointed,” you say with a half shrug, mostly out of jest and she chuckles. But you are curious and she knows you are. You haven’t been hounding her for answers, giving her her space and you’re really hoping she’s ready to spill.

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew there was something, you know? He’s a good guy and we’ve really clicked these past few weeks.” She sighs, but it’s more frustrated than dreamy, and it takes you by surprise. “He—he actually found me while I was arguing with my mom on the phone after one of my classes.”

Natasha and her mother arguing isn’t a new occurrence. They had a strange relationship, always biting and hostile, full of witty remarks and sarcasm that would sometimes make you feel very uncomfortable. Every argument always revolves around Natasha’s so called rebellious attitude.

Unlike her dad, who allowed Natasha to follow whatever dreams she had, her mother placed heavy expectations on her. She’s the reason Natasha does ballet, but it’s also the reason why Natasha never pursued a more ambitious dancing career. She would make Natasha train late into the night before a recital, had her on harsh, strict diets, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She hated it.

Her majoring in History and Communications and attending the same college as you, was her trying to get away from whatever plans her mom cooked up for her future. And her father was more than happy to help her with her plans if it meant making her happy and causing grief to her mother.

You’re making her sound worse than she is. She’s not a complete monster; she loves and cares a lot about Natasha, wants only the best for her only daughter. However, there’s no denying she’s overbearing and blinded by the things she could not accomplish and wishes her daughter would in her place.

“Dad finally served her the divorce papers.” You know that sounds harsh, but for years now Natasha has been wishing her parents would just divorce instead of making each other miserable, and by extension, her. But they needed each other, whether it was for appearances or money. Keeping the image of a happy, united couple did them well, especially when it came to her grandparents. However, behind closed doors, when it was only them three and maybe the help, the pent up anger and tension would always come undone. “She’s angry since she signed a prenup.” Her fingers tap harshly over her stomach. “She’s trying to get me to do something about it.”

“And what exactly does she think you can do? Convince your dad to give her more of his assets?” 

“Basically.” She lets out a stuttering breath. “I do think mom deserves more than what dad’s offering, she practically built his whole career, but even if he listens to me about other things, he’s not going to listen to me about this.”

Before you could even think about the question, it slips from your tongue, “Why didn’t you tell me?” And you regret it immediately—how could you be making this about you, right now? But you can’t help it, she usually tells you everything right away, it’s you that takes longer to confess and vent. 

“You’ve been distracted lately.”

Your eyebrows furrow and you want to disagree, tell her “no, you’ve been the distracted one,” but you bite your tongue this time around as she turns to face you, settling on her side.

“I thought it was because of Bucky.”

Your reaction is involuntary, the scrunching of your nose and the harsh shake of your head. “Bucky?”

She flashes you a small smile. “You’ve been hanging out with Bucky a lot.”

Oh my god. “He’s tutoring me!” Which isn’t the whole truth, but at least it’s partly true.

She chuckles at your quiet outburst. “I know. For your scholarship,” she says with a teasing lilt and gently shove her. “But after earlier today, I realized it might have to do with Steve, instead.”

You don’t say anything in response staring at her, and she stares back, green eyes watching you carefully before sighing.

“You’ll let me know when you’re ready, right?”

“What?”

“Whatever’s going on with you and Steve?”

There’s literally nothing going on with Steve, only hopeful dreams, and yet, instead of telling her this, you find yourself saying: “Of course,” like the biggest liar on Earth. She smiles and you wrap your arms around her, nuzzling into her arm. I’m so sorry, Natasha. She sighs gently, turning into you. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you while this was happening. You must’ve been frustrated.” 

She laughs humorlessly and you squeeze her just a little tighter. “That’s an understatement, but I’m okay now. Clint’s been an angel, listening to me unload about my parents, making me laugh. He’s a really good guy.” She squeezes you back. 

You smile and she nuzzles her nose into your hair like a cat seeking warmth and comfort. “I’m glad he’s been there for you.”

“Yeah.” This time, she sighs dreamily. “Me too.”

And although you’re happy for Natasha, your heart drops to your stomach as you think of Bucky and your piling half truths.

[havin-a-wee]

Get To Know Me!

hi! i have a lot of new followers now and seeing as i am relatively new to tumblr i would love to make some friends and get to know people on here! i would love to answer questions, and ill put a list of some you can ask me in my ask box, or you can just make up your own! oh also, id prefer not to say my real name just because im not comfortable with that, but i would love to have a name that u guys can call me so lmk if you have any ideas!

Fun/Basic Things About Me!

i'm an Aquarius sun, Gemini moon, and Scorpio rising

i'm an ENFP

in divergent I wouldn't have a faction I would be divergent!

my godly parent is Aphrodite

my absolute favorite color is pink

i was a zayn girl when one direction existed and when i found out he left was the first time i cried over a boy (lmfao)

i have pets

i got tickets to a harry concert for my birthday (AHHHHHH!)

Question Ideas To Ask Me! (some of these might not apply to me i just found this list on the internet)

1. Who is your hero? 2. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? 3. What is your biggest fear? 4. What is your favorite place you've visited? 5. What would you change about yourself if you could? 6. What makes you really angry? 7. What motivates you to work hard? 8. What is something about you that you still don't quite understand? 9. What is something you hate doing? 10. What is your proudest accomplishment? 11. If you could choose your kid's ages and genders, what would they be? 12. What is your favorite book? 13. What makes you laugh the most? 14. What is the last movies you watched and what did you think of it? 15. What did you want to be when you were younger? 16. What is something small that had a really big impact on you? 17. If you could choose to do whatever you wanted for a day, what would you do? 18. What is your go to song to sing in the shower? 19. What is your favorite form of transportation? 20. What is a bad habit that you are having trouble getting rid of? 21. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be? 22. What is your favorite chore? 23. What is the biggest red flag for you? 24. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 25. What is something small that makes you smile and why?

26. Have you ever had a nickname? What is it? 27. Do you like or dislike surprises? Why or why not? 28. In the evening, would you rather play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie, or read? 29. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska, and why? 30. Would you rather win the lottery or work at the perfect job? And why? 31. Who would you want to be stranded with on a deserted island? 32. If money was no object, what would you do all day? 33. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? 34. How would your friends describe you? 35. What are your hobbies? 36. What is the best gift you have been given? 37. What is the worst gift you have received? 38. Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? 39. List two pet peeves. 40. Where do you see yourself in five years? 41. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 42. If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have? 43. What would you do if you won the lottery? 44. What form of public transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.) 45. What's your favorite zoo animal? 46. If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be? 47. If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be? 48. How many pillows do you sleep with? 49. What's the longest you've gone without sleep (and why)? 50. What's the tallest building you've been to the top in?

51. Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence? 52. How often do you buy clothes? 53. Have you ever had a secret admirer? 54. What's your favorite holiday? 55. What's the most daring thing you've ever done? 56. What was the last thing you recorded on TV? 57. What was the last book you read? 58. What's your favorite type of foreign food? 59. Are you a clean or messy person? 60. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life? 61. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 62. What kitchen appliance do you use every day? 63. What's your favorite fast food chain? 64. What's your favorite family recipe? 65. Do you love or hate rollercoasters? 66. What's your favorite family tradition? 67. What is your favorite childhood memory? 68. What's your favorite movie? 69. What's the weirdest thing you've ever been asked? 70. Is your glass half full or half empty? 71. What's the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love? 72. What three items would you take with you on a deserted island? 73. What was your favorite subject in school? 74. What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? 75. Do you collect anything?

76. Is there anything you wished would come back into fashion? 77. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? 78. Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest? 79. Have you ever had a surprise party? (that was an actual surprise) 80. Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous? 81. What do you do to keep fit? 82. Does your family have a “motto” – spoken or unspoken? 83. If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce? 84. Who was your favorite teacher in school and why? 85. What three things do you think of the most each day? 86. If you had a warning label, what would yours say? 87. What song would you say best sums you up? 88. What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? 89. Who was your first crush?

90. What's the most interesting thing you can see out of your office or kitchen window? 91. On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are? 92. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 93. What was your first job? 94. If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join? 95. How many languages do you speak? 96. What is your favorite family holiday tradition? 97. Who is the most intelligent person you know? 98. If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would it be? 99. What is one thing you will never do again? 100. Who knows you the best?

-------------------------------

also p.s. i mightttt have something special that im posting soon, but it also might take a little so idk but im really exited about it

p.s.s. lmk if you want to be on a taglist for when i post a new writing piece!

[piplupod]

21 questions game!

tagged by @candescentcurio tysm this is so fun aaaaa!! 💙

nickname? june bug, junobear, tiny bastard, acorn, pip

real name? Juno Pippen! I'd like to legally change it to that one day!

zodiac? Virgo sun, cancer moon, leo rising/ascendant LOL i used to be somewhat into astrology but not anymore! it basically means im a big emotional baby w good brain tho

favourite music artists? ohhh this is a difficult one bc i like a lot! my general favs are hozier, david bowie (as of recently), mother mother, aurora, and the crane wives!

favourite sports team? i do not know anything abt sports, so I'll just say the local Special Olympics soccer team bc my brother is in it LOL

other blogs? too many!!! the main ones i keep up with are @grimirror (horror and barghest aesthetic), @dandelionpath (pagan/occult blog), @dandylion-fluff (lovecore, softcore, and recovery), @dandelionsquad (writeblr and character aesthetics), @forthesakeofoddities (literature, poetry, and original poems!), @forest--walker (gardening and environmental/nature info!) and a nsfw blog 🤫 (i just rb cool lingerie and some text posts LOL)

do i get asks? sometimes but not too often! its all good tho, i dont consider myself to be a popular blog LOL and i have friends to talk to shfjdjkl, i used to care a lot more but now im just vibin

how many blogs do i follow? as of this moment.... 1789..... too many ......

tumblr crushes? uwu

lucky numbers? hmmm. 13 maybe? just to be edgy?

what am i wearing? my classic overalls, a bry merch shirt (the irish singer/songwriter/youtuber), and bumblebee jar earrings that i made! no socks for this hobbit!

dream vacation? ummm idk I'd mostly like to visit my friends tbh 😭💙

dream car? smth eco-friendly and long-lasting!! i hate how many vehicles ppl buy UGH

favourite food? tbh.... its pizza LOL, i just love it a lot 😂

drink of choice? water or gingerale! cream soda is ALSO very good! or rootbeer LOL, but generally just water makes me very happy 😊

instruments? in order of how good i am at them: piano, flute, melodica, ukulele, accordion, alto sax, fiddle. i stop being very good at flute, but im decent up until alto sax LOL

languages? english, cereal box french (just a few keywords), and a little bit of Norwegian!

celebrity crushes? 🤔🤔 idk any celebrities tbh,,, it's more fictional characters dbdhdjl, but uh. yea i honestly cant think of any?? I'm trying bc i KNOW theres probably one,,,,, i just cannot think of who it'd be?? WAIT OMG NVM ITS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER AS WELL SMH (howl.......) fun fact tho, i used to crush on griffin mcelroy for a while LMAO (if david bowie counts..... he's dead 😭 but i think he's very pretty,,,,,,,)

random fact? um ... accordions were first invented to tune pianos! travelling piano tuners would carry them around since accordions stay in tune so they'd be able to use it to base the piano off of!

favourite ecosystem? OWO THIS IS AN INTERESTING ONE!! i honestly rly like my ecosystem where I live! forested area with river!! its very beautiful and there are lots of interesting animals and ways that it works!

i think a lot of ppl care abt "foreign and exotic" ecosystems more than their local one, and I'm trying to change that! we've got to take care of what we've got before we care for others! 💙

favourite cat? calico for sure!!!

OOF OKAY WE'RE DONE. IS THAT EVEN 21 QUESTIONS?? yes it is i just counted sbdhdkl

anyways I'll taaaaag.... @dxveyjacobs @wormchester @warpy @richardsikenpdf @rosewyrms @autistic--zuko aaaand anyone else who wants to do it!!! pls tag me tho so i can see 👀💗💗💗

[landflier]

one day i wanna be able to say I’m Chilean and instead of ppl being weirded out and clueless, like wHat’S thAt and when i tell them making fun of Chile and pronouncing it 5 different wrong ways for laffs, that ppl would actually show interest in my culture or at least respect it

or just saying “u could’ve just said Mexican” or “so you’re Mexican” like ppl have actually done bcuz apparently it’s too much to expect they can distinguish different Latin American countries from each other and clearly they’re all the same

and bcuz of this i often just say im Irish when ppl ask about my heritage but then they say “what, really? no way, you don’t look Irish, i would never have guessed” even tho my name is literally ERIN but they tell me i look “exotic” or “foreign” whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean, bcuz u know Irish ppl and other European groups who live in America are totally not immigrants in the same way let’s ignore indigenous people and the fact this land is stolen, let’s whitewash our worldviews

and white ppl try to tell me what my identity is and this one white girl said well u shouldn’t say you’re Latina cuz you’re white as if i am not equally Irish and Chilean, and also Latina does not mean non-white

also i didn’t ask u ❤️ smartass always telling ppl that she’s so “woke” as if she isn’t privileged herself and ignoring it because she thinks she’s above others but anyways, is there a white version of mansplaining like crackersplaining cuz she needs that

due to relative whiteness, i benefit from white privilege in society as a whole which is fucked up and i acknowledge that,

while at the same time half my family looks at me differently from my sisters for looking more like my mom, looking “more Latina”

i listened to my white classmates make fun of our teacher for her accent all year since she’s a native Spanish speaker and got so upset i literally started to cry in class at one point over how mean they were and also thinking about how people probably mock my abuela the same way since her accent is similar, but when i tried to tell them to be quiet they all looked at me like an alien with such anger in their expressions

and my white and non-Latinx “friends” have frequently laughed at me and mocked me and told me to stop whenever i say that teacher’s name cuz i actually pronounce it with Spanish pronunciation just naturally. they tell me it’s weird and to stop but i refuse to, but it makes me doubt myself when i shouldn’t have to. i am allowed to consult my language in everyday conversation especially when connecting with other Latinx people, few of which i get the chance to meet where i live

and when i discuss the Chilean food i eat they call it weird too, so i don’t mention things like that anymore and i don’t dare try to speak Spanglish with them

basically im sick of white ppl 💖 cállete tus pinches bocas pendejos you tire me out.

including u lgbt+ white ppl who think your lgbt+ identity cancels out your white privilege, so many ppl like that have hurt me.

white latinx ppl such as myself r certainly not exempt from this perceived lack of privilege, that’s definitely an issue too

white ppl need to do better, myself included, to consider the way our sheltered perspectives can harm POC in ways we might not even notice until it’s too late, especially BIPOC

stop making fun of food, dress, way of speaking, names, features (brown eyes, body hair, other certain traits), traditions, and other things that don’t fit your view of the world. if it is “odd” to you then shut up about it and respect that not every culture is the same,

if those things are “weird” to you in the first place then you seriously need to consider why you feel that way and how your bias is influencing your perspective

[crystalsundered]

Skexish translations ;; 

Kekkon, Kekkon, Yazakaide, Akura, Kasdaw. -- Obviously we weren’t given subtitles in the original film, so this is all guessing based on pragmatics/context-clues on my part, but the Ritual-Master says this during skekSo’s funeral. Words that are repeated in chants are usually done so for a reason, and comparing this to the urRu funeral for urSu, I think a good translation would be: Rise, Rise, Conquer, Subdue, Rule. Skeksis place less emphasis on eternity/spirituality than their mystic counterparts, but in AOR, we do see skekSo place importance on eternal power when he displays skekMal in the throne room so that he could rule by their side forever. 

Hokkvatta skaun Kherron. -- First of all, the capitalization pattern is interesting. In languages like German, all nouns are capitalized regardless on whether they are common or proper. I think the same can be said of skexish, although skexish includes imperatives as seen above. Furthermore, Based on the context-clues, this can be directly translated to: Foreign(hokk)-worlds(vatta) (conjugated to be-- will be) Master. In English, this would be: You will be master of foreign worlds, but I will later demonstrate that skexish has a OVS (object-verb-subject) order. Judging by the Chamberlain’s syntax, which I headcanon closely mirrors skexish, there are no articles or minor prepositions (the, a, an, of, etc.) or pronouns given the skeksis, and urskek’s, lack of gender or sex. When addressing another, titles or names are used, or the addressee is implied given eye contact/context. 

Kekkon, Kekkon, Yazakaide, Akura, Teedkhug. -- Rise, Rise, Conquer, Subdue, Crush-Enemy (a word that we would understand as Victory). 

Haakhaon -- Forever/Eternally. 

Haakskeekah-- Stone(Haak)-Trial(skeekah) or Trial-by-Stone. 

Kakoi-- breaking/shattering, verb. Used most often in reference to Emperor skekSo cracking the Crystal of Truth. 

Pih Tabrokh!-- Begin now! 

Khrokon-- All(Khro)-ruler(kon) or Emperor. 

Rakhash-- Life(rak)-chamber(hash). 

Vliya-- gelfling essence; a perversion of the gelfling word ‘vliyaya’ or magic. 

Mala-- No/Stop. 

Khai-- Kneel/Bow. 

Ekdideothone-- Release/Drop. 

Katakontidzeh-- Empty(Katakon)-head(tidzeh) or fool. 

Katakontidzeh tekka-- foolish bastard, roughly. “tekka,” like most skexish insults, are not rooted in urSkek morphology. Adding “tekka” to a sentence or using it on its own is basically akin to using any expletive.

Kataftheeressthou-- a kenning that roughly translates to prophecy(kataft)-failure(heeressthou), as in the prophecy will fail. 

Poostitoc?-- Location?

Howtee oo mee Kelffinks-- Gelflings (mee; conjugated to be-- are) not(oo) brought (implied they). Or, more generally, They did not bring gelflings. 

Svaleros ho Kelffinks-- Hide cannot Gelflings, or Gelflings cannot hide. 

Kelffink Krakweekah-- Gelfling destroy/murder, or Destroy the gelfling! 

Porroh klet!-- Fire loss, or loss due to a fire. 

Garthim na bullorkhskaunga!-- Garthim go barracks/soldier(bullorkh)-pit(skaunga), or (To the) Barracks go, Garthim.  

Kakofrontez-- another skeksis-constructed insult, roughly translated as shit(kako)-stain(frontez).

Kelffinks makhun kim-- Gelfling fly/rush forward rapid/quick, or (implied command to crystal bats) rapidly/quickly fly/rush forward (for) gelflings. Makhun is actually a verb explicitly tied to urskek pragmatics because they have wings, can float. Instead of saying “move forward,” the verb for flying is used. This explains why “makhun” is also used in the film when skekUng is commanding the other skeksis to attack the Chamberlain before he is banished. 

Kelffink na Rakhash-- Gelfling go Life-Chamber, or (To the) Life-Chamber go Gelfling. 

Kelffink cho tenkha. Vo olk Kelffink ulls?-- Gelfling now alone. To run gelfling where? (To where did the gelfling run?) 

Khavekh-- Sun(Kha)-meet(vekh) or the Great Conjunction. 

Orkhasstim-- Restore/Replenish, imperative verb. 

Teen Kelffinkim-- Capture/Take Gelflings. The -im is the proper/formal plural. -s/-es is informal. 

Klakk smaithh Skwee Kreh-- Continue if (implied you) tear apart (implied I). Or, I will tear you apart if you continue. 

And before I end this post, I just wanted to paste a bit of Chamberlain’s dialogue so that one can better see that skexish has no articles or pronouns. This isn’t to say that the Chamberlain never mentions pronouns or articles. Sentences like these are just more on parr with skexish morphology: “Stupid prohecy. But Skeksis afraid. Fear Kelffinks, yes. Little Kelffinks! Mistake, much mistake (actual gelfling translation of a skexish phrase that means large/many/continual mistakes). Stay, please. Am friend.” 

[twilightpoison]

part 1: im a confident person, whats visible both in my looks and personality. i love standing out of the crowd, so wearing extravagant clothes and crazy hair colors is something that im well known of. but i dont have a particular aesthetic, so my clothing style is various (grunge, pastel, boho, sexy, vintage, tomboy; basically everything). even though im 170 cm tall, i like wearing high heels a lot and tbh, it doesn't make me feel awkward or insecure when i'm being taller than some boys.

(Honestly that username is amazing.)

Hello friend!! :D

Ok. So uh... I can explain on why this is fairly long then my normal match ups.... Like at first I was gonna matching you with Terushima but as I kept rereading I found myself also matching you with Yachi???? I’m going to stay with Terushima mainly but Imma put some explanation for Yachi as well. So you get two matches basically lol.

Lets start with Terushima. He would LOVE your confidence in yourself, seeing how you express yourself through fashion is also something he can related to. Terushima would definitely be the type to show you off, like full on gestures to you like “THIS IS MY AMAZING (S/O)” and such. When you wear High heels though this man is dead on the floor, he is in heaven. Terushima looks like he is smooth af but we all know he is WEAK when it comes to his (S/O) so have fun short circuiting his brain.

Honestly? I don’t think Teru would mind letting you take the lead. It’s obvious since he was captain of Johzenji that he too is a leader in his own right. But there has to be times where he is just...not having it? and needs to be looked after himself. Teru is smart enough to recognize that, so if anything he would gladly let you take care of things if he can take care of you as well.

This man is a lot smarter then most people will give him credit for, he is in college prep classes for god sakes! Not to mention he is super in tune with the people around him. So when Teru sees that you need help he will definitely step in to help explain anything that needs to be explained. You can probably ask him the same thing 100 times and he will not think anything less of you. I wrote this in another match up about Iwazumi but I think it fits Terushima here as well. If you zone out he will help you tune into the world when its needed. Terushima knows its gonna happen no matter what he does, so he would probably relay the information you missed back to you when you come back or make sure you don’t hurt yourself from not paying attention. If you want a system to help you keep focus he will be more then willing to help find what works for you! I wouldn’t be surprised if he already looked up stuff on the internet before to see what he can do.

Terushima can’t really stay quiet, in fact I can see him fidgeting because of all the energy he has. To distract himself, he would probably be playing video games or watching movies when y’all cuddle or if you want some quiet time. Though there are times after practice where he is just gonna crash from working out and just wants to be held as he relaxes. I think I stressed him being smart enough. HOWEVER, YES Terushima can hold deep conversations! He might crack a joke every once in awhile to make you smile or laugh but he can play devil’s advocate really well.

Honestly its at half way through part 5 where I started to rethink about my choice. Terushima in canon was being extremely pushy towards getting Kiyoko’s phone number and I can only imagine what other questionable things he has done. So understandably that would be an automatic turn off, since you talked about having bad experiences with guys. Terushima would have to probably learn that maybe doing that to people he is attracted to isn’t the best way to get an (S/O). So it would take a lot of growth on his part to gain your trust before you two actually get into a relationship.

So what originally made me thing about matching you with Yachi is that we know she is Interning at a Design Company. I might be jumping here but combining that and the posters she made for Karasuno she actually would probably would like to have you model a lot for her. Of course she will never force you into anything but seeing how confident you are and how your preference of style ranges so much, it would definitely something she would like to try out atleast. Yachi is also super careful though also fairly clumsy herself when startled. I don’t think she will be able to help you when you zone out but she wouldn’t be opposed to tuning you back. She will definitely be the type to suggest a system to help you, we seen her help Hinata and Kageyama with tests and the likes. So it wouldn’t be to much of an issue.

Yachi is pretty shy so she would probably like to hear about what you have to say and only occasionally chiming in with her own take. Cuddles and PDA will be something she will need to get used to though. It also goes with out saying that she would be super impressed that you know so many languages, however I think Yachi would be more interested in the cultures of those countries so she would ask you about that. It also means that she would try to incorporate more foreign influences into her designs.

ALSO IMAGINE Y’ALL SENDING LETTERS TO EACH OTHER. THATS WOULD BE SO FREAKING CUTE. LOVE LETTERS AND LETTER IN GENERAL NEED TO BE MORE OF A THING AND I THINK YACHI WOULD BE A BLUSHING MESS EACH TIME SHE GETS ONE.

That being said I also match you with Semi, Tendou or Kiyoko.

I hope you liked this! Thank you for sending in a match up! :D