Tumgik
#although hes a good bit more competitive than shadow and i like. kinda took it a little far with playing some games
paraderain · 1 year
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Naruto Mixed Teams AU
So the teams in Naruto are broke as fuck and seem to have no reasoning outside of Asuma with InoShikaCho which they partially threw away in Boruto anyways so… I’m changing the teams and lots of other stuff but most notably is probably the teams.
In this AU Iruka as there home room or main instructor in the academy chooses team composition and their team leaders. Iruka is given a dossier of the available team leaders and chooses the teams each one will have.
First is Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kakashi Hatake as sensei. I think Iruka’s reasoning here is grouping all the prodigies together to challenge each other and to try and survive Kakashi’s no pass rate (and his shitty teaching, sorry not sorry). Shino is counted as a prodigy because he’s never lost a fight and I refuse to believe that kinda skill wasn’t noticed.
Next is Team 8: Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Kurenai Yuhi as sensei. These guys are not as well balanced but I couldn’t take Hinata from Kurenai. The reasoning here is that Ino and Hinata need the companionship and Kiba needs to learn some tact and a bit more empathy. Ino needs a non competitive gal pal again to chill out and learn teamwork. Hinata needs the confidence from both teamates and her sensei to rub off on her. Ino’s temper and Hinata’s soft spoken personality will force Kiba to learn some tact and respect in trial by fire basically.
*I know none of the kids can get much from a genjutsu specialist except Sasuke or Sakura but it was the same in the show. Also I wanted to keep all the sensei with their favorite students and I had plans for Sakura.
Next we have Team 10: Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Tenten, and Asuma Sarutobi as their sensei. I think Shikamaru and Naruto work well to counter each other well. Levelheadedness and well thought out plans are all well and good but sometimes energy and spontaneity is what a situation needs. Also Naruto and Tenten can account for the human element of planning since Shika is a logic boy. Plus (although we see very little of her) Tenten seems like a good middle ground, excitable but mission focused. Plus Shika and Tenten seemed not to have their minds made up and predujiced against Naruto like some of their classmates so it’d make sense for Iruka to take that into account when deciding team dynamics. Also Asuma uses chakra infused weapons which could aid Tenten and help teach Naruto better control.
Lastly we have Team Guy: Choji Akimichi, Rock Lee, Sakura Haruno, and Might Guy as sensei. I think Iruka would see the spirit displayed when not pandering to her crush on Sasuke and throw her to Guy right away. She has the same energy without the “youth” obsession. And throw Choji in with those 3 to try and motivate him a bit more too and also give him some hype men. Guy and Lee would never call him fatso and might even indulge in eating competition with him after training since they see the “spirit of youth” in everything. Also all the guys, after getting to know each other, would definitely call Sakura out on her less than stellar motivations to be a ninja and her attitude towards Naruto and to a lesser degree everyone not Sasuke.
In this AU the original Team Guy members are still all a year older than the others but were in the academy at the same time. Lee and Tenten took the extra year to train ‘cause of there limited skill set and Neji wasn’t allowed to attend ahead of Hinata.
Also in this Naruto still has the moniker of “Knucklehead Ninja” but he’s not an idiot. It never made sense that Naruto as much as he said he wanted respect and acknowledgment couldn’t do anything at the beginning from what we could see. So my thoughts are he already learn Shadow clone and some other probably a bit common big chakra ninjutsu but things that require finer control are hard cause of just how much chakra he has to deal with. I think in this AU the moniker was mostly unjustly assigned due to prejudice and quick judgements.
Also he and Sasuke have a silent respect for each other already. I think right after the massacre Sasuke would be tired of the pitying looks or even praise over his genius so he wanders looking for a place to be alone and finds Naruto. From then on they have companionable silence together every now and then. Naruto just glad someone’s willing to be around him and Sasuke likes that at least one person just doesn’t care to worship him or walk on egg shells. Also Naruto doesn’t like Sakura here. He’s just not in a good enough headspace yet for romance when platonic love isn’t even in view yet. Sakura still likes Sasuke but mostly cause that was most of her character before so I’m using that crush for character growth on her end.
Lastly, episodes 1 and 2 basically don’t happen. I always thought 1 was like an original pilot pitch that never got adjusted in terms of how it actually fit in the show and 2 just seemed fully unnecessary. Basically everything before the Chunin Exam is getting gone or condensed and lots of training and team bonding is getting added since the exam supposedly starts 6 months from the beginning of the show.
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happiiest · 4 years
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😊
#SUCH a good mood this evening!!!!!!!!#earlier this week i bought a really heavy blanket at a thrift store for 20. very nice!!!#i washed it and dried it out and tonight is the first night i get to sleep with it. and i put it on top of my other heavy blanket#and what a nice heavy feeling under here!!!!! i have one blanket thats made out of demimn. so thats naturally heavy#the blanky i got at the thrift store is a full size and its filled with lots and lots of......stuffing??? idk. but its heavyyy probably like#30 pounds???? maybe??? but it feels niceeeeeee#and also shadow introduced me to one of his friends on xbox and hes pretty cool. i liked playing with him so i added him to my friends list#although hes a good bit more competitive than shadow and i like. kinda took it a little far with playing some games#but hey we are still figuring out each others boundaries and he seems to be aware of his actions and kinda thoughtful#i like him!! that doesnt happen often with shadows friends lol. but we were talking and we actually found out we live 30 minutes from#each other!!! he lives in the heart of pittsburgh!!!! while im 30 minutes south. but cool!!! lowkey hoping sometime to like. meet up withhim#been a while since i went and hung out with someone. but eh thats for the future.#cuz tbh i really wanna go and visit shadow. but honestly we really enjoy playing video games together the most. itd be kinda weird visiting#not because we wouldnt enjoy hanging out. just. wed wanna play games and its....certainly a different atmosphere when youre physically#with each other. one can dream though. anyway im gonna go read some of my webcomics that updated this evening. goodnight!!!
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mikaze-discord · 3 years
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HEAVENS: Love letters
Soooo this is the last of the love letter, I really must reiterate how thankful I am to the people who responded to my message. Specially thankful for the people who ended up writing for one of the boys, all of the love letter writers are so cool. If you wanted to write your own love letter for your oshi then feel free too!! Utapri Tumblr is kinda dead.... but! I hope you enjoyed the love letters
Please enjoy under cut!!!!!!!!!!!!
EIJI OTORI 
From Anon:
Eiji Otori is another member of HEAVENS and he is a down-to-earth type of character. One can say he is a cinnamon roll as he looks out for HEAVENS and his brother, Eiichi. Eiji talks in a formal manner to people outside of HEAVENS and addresses them by their surname like the time he worked with Tokiya for Mighty Aura, or when he was working with Camus and Masato for Feather in Hand. Around HEAVENS, Eiji talks casually, calling them by their first name. He is very mindful of other members of HEAVENS and Eiji keeps an open mind for ways to improve his skills as an idol and to help out his bandmates come to a solution where both sides agree. Eiji speaks very fondly of the people he works with formality and a lot of respect.
What I love about Eiji is his relationship with his brother, Eiichi Otori. The two have a strong bond as Eiichi looked after and took care of Eiji when growing up. The two of them are inseparable and do a lot together while looking after each other. Personally, their sibling bond is what I wish to have with my sibling as well, even though we're complete opposites like day and night! Their interactions are easily seen throughout the anime, you can even see their sibling bond show the most through HEAVENS Radio as Eiichi and Eiji are the co-hosts. If there is anything that I'd like to know more about Eiji, it would be about his hobby, gardening. He has a lot of knowledge on plants and perhaps agriculture. It'd be nice to see HEAVENS talk about their hobbies one day. But all in all, Eiji is a great character that I appreciate with a heart of gold!
From Anon:
Eiji Otori, the 4th member of HEAVENS is one of my two most favorite characters in Utapri. I was originally drawn to his kind and gentle demeanor, that made him such an easily lovable character. He was introduced in the 4th season of the anime in the cross idol unit episodes. The way he treated Tokiya besides knowing he was part of the rival idol group ended up becoming an essential part of Tokiya’s later character growth. Although Eiji is meant to be a foil for Tokiya’s character their personalities are completely polar opposites, their devotion to wanting to be an idol being one of the only similarities besides level headedness. Eiji is his own character, right down the way he speaks to the way he sings. Eiji seems to always carry the group in a loving and family-like way, even going as far as having domestic hobbies like gardening and baking. We always see him and even hear the way he interacts with the other members of HEAVENS on the radio show as if they were an inseparable family. Eiichi, his older brother and the leader of HEAVENS loves him in a way that is so complex but Eiji will always love him back with every fiber of his being to the deepest parts of his soul. There is a deep connection between the brothers that is so beautiful that even poetry couldn’t express, it’s more profound then words can show. It’s a bond they share that only they know, like a secret.
However, even then there is so much more about Eiji that makes him such a wonderful character. When it comes to myself, Eiji hits a bit close to home in a more personal way. Perhaps that is also a factor in why I love him so much. I empathize with him and I can see through his eyes in ways only a younger sibling would know. As a younger sister to a sibling who has always been in the spotlight in some form of way with a big presence, I always lived in her shadow, but I admired her and cared about her above anything else. The way Eiji feels about Eiichi is something that I can personally relate with and understand. Eiichi is an essential part of Eiji’s character and the anime does not lack to show this, nor does it lack to show that Eiji is just as much an essential part of Eiichi’s character. It’s more obvious in the radio show that is hosted by the two brother but it’s not fully ignored either in the anime. I love how Eiji interacts with all of the characters, and seems to find ways to treat everyone with kindness even if they aren’t kind to him in return. He admires those who show a deep love for the things he does, and respects those who are more experienced then he is. He’s always eager to learn
and please. He’s the kind of person you’d always want around and you’d want a hug when things get rough. Eiji is definitely the most pure hearted character of all the Utapri characters. And, I’ll always stand by that through and through.
VAN KIRYUIN
From @whereisvanderwood:
Kiryuin Van. Where to start? He’s cocky. He’s cocky as all hell. There’s something in his air that is poised yet undignified. Childish yet mature. The man is founded on juxtaposition, not dissimilar to a painting of Picasso. His ability to be unique in an industry that begs for individuality, to rise above a tidal wave of competition and stand apart from other fish in the sea, is awe-inspiring. Expectation is dead to him; though the oldest member of Heavens, the weight of bearing the role as ‘most mature’ or the ‘parent’ of the group couldn’t be further from his concern. He is only any dimension of himself he wants to be at any given time. Dumb bitch by morning, bad bitch by night. Much like his bandmates, his confidence and intimidating aura is unwavering. He claims his victory before a race begins, and I couldn’t say if that undying faith in oneself is a skill or a sin. Whatever it is, he owns it. He shamelessly, unapologetically owns who he is and shares it with his fans, friends and enemies.
Also, he’s hot. He’s very appealing to the human eye. His ruggedness reminds me of a warm blanket in winter. His voice, oh his voice. If the world was about to blow up and he just said “No it won’t”, in his own way, I think I’d believe him. Regardless of what he says being juvenile or mature, he’s always authentic. No sugar coats, no little white lies, only genuity. As just said before, he is who he is and wouldn’t change for anyone if it wasn’t in his own best interest. Who couldn’t love a guy like that?
YAMATO HYUGA
From @kusagiiiii:
I'll be honest, I used to forget Yamato exists alot LMAO I fell in love with him when I was looking at a HEAVENS group photo! I think he is a very stronk,very cute and a very soft boy! in some ways haha he's my type
I honestly wish there would be more story on the HEAVENS boys since they all seem like they had a pretty rough past so yee that's basically it~
From Sammy:
Everybody, listen up! It’s Sammy here! Are you ready for some strong appreciation? Let’s shout it out! Yeah!!
Where do I begin when it comes to Yamato? It took me a while to actually like him. At first, I wasn’t a fan of how he was when he first showed up in the anime. I still remember when Yamato was one of the few HEAVENS members people really didn’t like or care much for, next to Eiichi and Nagi.
I used to be one of those people too with Yamato. I found him to be very stubborn, but over time after listening to HEAVENS Radio; The Drama CDs; Watching Maji Love Kingdom, etc… I came to realize there’s so much more to him.
I’ve learned a lot more about him, especially through role-playing as him, and my love for Yamato skyrocketed. Even with all the new content that’s been coming out for HEAVENS lately like Black Garden and Endless Score, my love grows even more every day. Yamato sneaked his way up to being one of my best boys.
Yamato is HEAVENS’ Strongest member. (Seriously, how the heck does this boy train everyday and do so much of it?!) He’s not always aggressive and violent. He’s actually a really thoughtful person who cares about his friends a lot, even being very protective of them. Yamato is the kind of person that’ll immediately stop what he’s doing, and only think about how to help the other person feel better.
A lot of things tend to be overlooked for him cause of how he’s written in the anime, and there’s fans who only pay attention to that. Not even giving the extra content a thought or a single glance.
As Ryuya’s younger brother, Yamato has his own insecurities, especially since he’s always seen as just a shadow. He’s been trapped in darkness where he feels he’s not good enough to be appreciated and loved as his own person. He doesn’t know what to do and which path to take. Yamato only became an idol just to defeat and finally be better than Ryuya at something. I feel that goal is still there, but it’s not a major one like before. Now, Yamato has people like the other members of HEAVENS, the angels, and the other idols. He found his light and happiness.
Overall, Yamato is the kind of person he wants everyone to be proud of. He wants to always share his strongest power and energy, carrying the burden of everybody’s smiles. Wanting to see those around him happy and be the best they can be.
Another part that I really like about Yamato is whenever he gets embarrassed. I can’t help, but find that really cute cause it’s something we don’t see or hear out of him a lot.
There’s also the times he demonstrates how much he loves food. Even though he overeats and knows he can’t help it when he’s hungry, I really liked when Yamato stated that if eating makes you happy, go for it. Just make sure you train afterwards to burn off calories. It helps people feel good about themselves.
Even the times when Yamato struggles with difficult words, specifically English and kanji. It’s embarrassing for him to admit, but he knows he’s not good at that sort of thing. What I really like about this is HEAVENS is always willing to help him, even Tokiya and Cecil. They help keep things simple and easy for Yamato to understand.
There’s a lot you can say I just simply vibe with when it comes to Yamato, and I love him. Hope everyone enjoys this long appreciation of this strong boy, and I hope you all love him too!
SHION AMAKUSA 
From Anon:
When I saw Shion for the first time, he caught my attention with his beautiful appearance. His cream-white hair, his periwinkle eyes and his pale skin were a wonderful combination that I just couldn't ignore. Physically, he was exactly the type of character I love… Even his hairstyle is great! And what to say about his pretty face! To me, he looked like an angel.
His style in clothes is something I also like about him. With all this mixed, the only word I can use to describe him is "perfect".
But, of course, there's more than just physical appearance. Shion's way of speaking, as we all know, is quite… Particular. And those beautiful words made me be more interested in this boy, even if they were a bit difficult to understand. This characteristic is something that, in my opinion, makes him special, not only in his group but among all the groups.
That poetic way of speaking is a beautiful combination with his voice. When he speaks I find it so mystical… And when he sings his solo songs I feel relaxed and even a bit emotional. He's not an angel just physically, he also sings like one!
But what made me love him completely was his personality. To be honest, at first I didn't understand why he acted so hostile to Cecil and signed with him, but when it was explained later I could see his point of view and I felt sorry for him, for how he was feeling and the big sacrifice he was making if we take into account his thoughts.
Loyalty is something I value a lot, and Shion has a huge loyalty towards his friends. After that incident, he changes his way of thinking and he starts getting more friendly to the rest, something I find beautiful.
I also find him very cute, an extra point for me to like him. His -sometimes- childish attitude is adorable! And how he acts around his friends… So lovely!
I also feel a bit similar to him in some aspects, such as listening to the same song again and again, liking birds or even usually feeling sleepy, besides other things. These similarities make me feel connected in some way with him.
Shion is a very special character for me, and I can't wait to see more content about him, to know more about this wonderful boy, for example, about his family, where he is from, how he ended up in HEAVENS, how he started to speak the way he does… There are a lot of things we don't know yet and I hope we can get more information about Shion soon!
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Those Shoes (Ch.3)
Song Inspired: I Want You by Savage Garden
Notes: @youtubequeens Hope you stay hydrated and have a lovely time! <3 Here’s this bit for now :3
Warnings: Creepy people, not getting the hint that a person’s uncomfortable, unwanted flirting, and talk about emotions bc honestly what are they?
He smiled as Eijirou took a bite of his onigiri, Tamaki sighed softly at his younger brother, as said boy had specks of sticky rice on his face.
It was a lazy Sunday morning, the boys were home from school, and Taishiro was enjoying his day off.  
“Did ya have a good day at work, Papa?” The ruby-eyed boy inquired, and Tai smiled, ruffling his hair.
“Ya bet I did, kiddo.”
 He didn’t tell his boys what he had exactly did for a living, but he promised himself that he would, in the future. So far, all they knew is that he was a professional dancer.
“Dancing must be hard.” Tamaki broke the silence after chewing on his scrambled egg, and his father laughed.
“Nah. It takes a lotta practice. Did you boys had fun at yer day at school?” He pondered, sipping from his cup of coffee.
“Yeah! There was a nice new boy who was shy! There were some mean kids, but I protected him!” Eijirou rambled excitedly. Taishiro chuckled, and then looked at Tamaki.
“Mirio fell in a puddle. Face first. I had to take him to the nurse.” He shrugged, yet Taishiro didn’t miss the soft glint that speckled in his eyes. He smiled.
“That kid’s pretty resilient, huh? Anyways, eat yer breakfast, then we’ll head out to the park, alright?”
………………
It was a pretty November day. Skeleton trees hovered beneath the rich blue sky as your shoes crunched up against the fallen colorful leaves. Although it hasn’t been a week, yet, you were slowly re-adapting to your hostess job, and nit and tucking the dancer’s clothes.
You were surprised on how many had requested your services, staying absolutely still as you kept a cool facade, keeping the pointed needle from digging into skin as you measured, cut, and sewed loose fabric. You believed in your abilities, yet it felt as if it didn’t matter.
You weren’t good at holding the obvious flirty conversations that somehow were being thrown at you out of nowhere. They would giggle, and you had to still your hand so that you couldn’t accidentally jab their shaking bodies, whilst trying to be polite.
Where did the sudden interest come from? You wondered. Your mother, undoubtedly, was on high alert as she noticed it, too. The flirting, joking, the inquiring questions. Luckily, the fitting room had a camera, and thankfully, your patients had known it too, so they were extra careful in not doing anything that was against the regulations. Your mother was watching, you all knew.
Speaking of which, she did not try to make things better. She would wink, or make subtle little jokes, as she explained that it was good for business. You couldn’t help but press your mouth in a firm line.
You worked so hard, finding the perfect materials, ignoring your own discomfort as you bit the bullet and tried to focus on making the outfit snug and resilient, while the owners ignored your tense shoulders and set jaw. You were appalled, as they used alluring honeyed words, directed your attention to a “loose” fabric between their thighs, and so on.
You, feeling a surge of retaliation, growled out that it would cost extra for you to fix certain areas, and preferred that the outfit was on a mannequin, instead.
Your spitfire attitude had certainly weeded out a few of the unwanted customers, but, gained some more who thought it was a challenge. You didn’t miss the look of sheer pride from your mother, however, as she sported a wicked grin.
“That’ll teach them. Might make your blond a little less jealous.” She winked, and you paled in question. He was jealous? Of what? You were only doing your job, charging the dancers a certain amount, and giving your mother, your boss, a small part of the revenue as she requested. Although a thorn in your side, she was also a beautiful rose, and you knew that she was helping you in her own way, thus, opening your eyes more to the situation.
It didn’t take you long to realize, that yes, he was jealous, and you were too busy to acknowledge the possibility, until your mother had to basically tell you. So, you took your time to observe your surroundings.
Daggers for a stare had met each and everyone of the customers who had followed you into the fitting room, you’ve seen. While hosting, you started to take breaks to watch him, much to the oddly placed chagrin in the other dancers. His style was a little different, more suave and seductive, rather than downright dirty. Back against the pole, he slid up slowly as he jutted out his chin, staring at you through blond lashes while sucking suggestively at one of his suckers, hardly minding the crowd as he gave you a show that was basically personal.  
He was addictive, you couldn’t help but think. His outfits, dances, and downright attitude made the other’s shadow in comparison.
��It brought you back to the present. Your feet shuffled against the dirt as you pushed yourself on the swing, breathing out huffs of warm air that meshed with the chilly atmosphere.
 He didn’t make you feel too uncomfortable, either. He did make a request, to tuck in a few strings into his nurse outfit, you remembered it so clearly. He had strutted into your office around the right time, white fishnet stockings and heels blended in nicely with the light aqua blue fabric that left very little to the imagination.
“Jus’ some strings near the neck, Sugar. Might even give ya a sucker if ya behave.” He winked, and you couldn’t help but laugh at how corny it was, earning a smug smile and tinted cheeks. Although a little flirty, he stood perfectly still as you fixed the frayed mess that was near his clavicle, feeling his warmth resonate around you as you couldn’t help but seep it in. You hoped that he wouldn’t say anything about it. How you could feel a thundering, fast-paced heartbeat underneath your fingertips, despite his cocky facade, your face blushing immensely, or how the atmosphere seemed as if it might just break from underneath the metaphorical weight between the two of you.
However, true to his word, he began letting out pieces of information.
“We actually go to the same college.”
 You stopped to stare at him with full surprise.
“What? Really?”
“Well, ya graduated before I did, but I live near the campus. I…kinda saw ya every day. Not as a stalker!” He rushed before you could think of anything.
“-as in, my road to the school kinda passes your road, and I couldn’t help but not look away when ya were…ya know…It’s a very connected town, so I’ve seen ya…around.”
Then it hit you.
“Ah, so you must’ve seen me doing volunteer work?” You murmured, and he nodded.
“Well, yeah. You’re a familiar face. Couldn’t really ignore ya, ‘specially when you’re bein’ so wonderful half the damned time. Ya don’t know me, and I know it might be a lil’ creepy, but I promise ya that I don’t mean to be.” He babbled, face tinting a little more pink, and your ears burned from the forward acknowledged statement.  
So he noticed your volunteer work, and where you lived, and yet you didn’t really see him creeping around the bushes, or any tall figure of his build stalking around, for instance.
“So…is this why you have a sudden interest?” You asked, and you heard him swallow thickly.
“Pretty much. Doesn’t help that you’re kinda allurin’. Like a magnet.” He finished lamely, eyes shifting as he bit his bottom lip, and you couldn’t believe the shy signals that he was giving off as your own cheeks burned.
“Ah. Um…yeah.” You couldn’t help but say, and he snorted. You jutted your chin up and was about to give him a piece of your mind.
“We’re both kinda terrible at this. Anyways, that’s what I wanted to tell ya. Been seein’ ya around and makin’ the world a better place, an’ so I couldn’t help but like ya.” He waved off your short-lived glare as your expression softened.
“I don’t understand? You’re shy but not?” You questioned, nipping the small extra thread that you’ve already tucked in.
He shrugged.
“Emotions are emotions. Ya do things to me that I can’t explain, and I make ya into a flustered mess, and vice versa. I was at first too fuckin’ scared to really say or do anything, because the last thing I wanna be, is to be a creepy stalker in yer eyes.”
“I think I understand. As I don’t believe that you are a stalker…um…how do you? How did you-”
“Body language is a dead giveaway. Studyin’ to be a therapist. Plus, it’s relievin’ to get another validation that ya don’t find me creepy. ‘Specially after hearin’ my story.” He grinned, and your shoulders relaxed as you finished up your work.
“Ah, all done?” He pouted, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.
“You have another appointments, as well as my number.” You reasoned, and his eyes lit up.
“So, I could call ya?” He asked hopefully, and you found yourself nodding before you could comprehend what he said.
“Awesome. I’ll see ya around, Chickadee.” He hummed, digging into his wallet as he paid you upfront, letting his hand brush against yours, and yet you didn’t mind. All too fleeting, he sauntered away, but not before giving you a final look.
“The ball is in yer hands, in whichever ya want this to be. Although, I gotta up my game, if I wanna keep the competition at bay.” He winked, and then turned to leave the room. The wheels in your head had seemed to stop, before whirling again with realization.
So, he was aware of it all? The flirting and unwanted attention that you were gaining? As if he had to compete against anybody, you couldn’t help but think.
He wasn’t like the other “suitors” who were more aggressive and rude, you couldn’t help but think, your chest fluttering at the idea of him being your partner.
It’s been three days after that. You did shoot him a text, and almost immediately, he responded. He was forward with his interest, and you were still in a bit of confusion, why he, still a stranger, had decided to pursue you so quickly. You couldn’t help but think that the stars must have aligned in the both of your favor, or that it must have been fate, for you couldn’t help but start to like him, as well.
His forward approach, his respectful nature, the duality of his emotions, on how he could be so forward, and yet somehow kind of shy, he hunted at a distance, not too close or disrupting your boundaries, while never failing to look for you, or put on a show.
An excited voice rambled you out of your thoughts, a very, familiar excited voice, and your attention snapped towards the direction at the upcoming person, or people.
……………………………….
He sucked. He was a sucker, and he let his emotions get the best of him. Why did he have to spill out everything? Now she knew that he was an eager fool, and he didn’t mention the most important part; his two boys. Although not biologically his, blood didn’t matter, they were his sons.  
Of course, while in his interest in pursuing, he was so caught up with classes, dancing, and raising his kids, a lot of things had passed his mind. He remembered laying in the darkness of his bedroom, staring up at the ceiling as his heart clenched.
What if she was only attracted to his dancing? The two of them had never made plans to meet outside of work, and if they did, would she be turned off by his more shy attitude? His more softer, meeker side? Unwanted thoughts swirled within his head.
He was making a mistake, he was putting too much time into a woman who he barely knew, and if she did like him, would she like his boys? They would always be his first and top priority, he could never lower their needs before a potential future partner.
Growling, he picked up his phone, searching for her contact. He began typing, and re-typing as he made sure that the sentence sounded perfect.
Me: I know it’s late, but do ya wanna go to the park, tomorrow around 9 am?
He bit his lip and pressed send. It’ll just be a hang out, he told himself. He’ll bring his sons, and if she reacted negatively, he would stop cold. Maybe move to another club. It was his fault for not mentioning that he had kids, and he didn’t blame her for not wanting to deal with him for not telling her in the first place. She was an adult, she could make her own decisions, and children might not be her priority, and he could respect that. The fated ding of his phone pulled him out of his thoughts.
Chickadee: Sure. It’s supposed to be chilly, tomorrow, so wear something warm.
His cheeks felt like fire as his heart warmed up from the thoughtfulness. A chuckle escaped his throat. Even while texting, she still used proper grammar, and he couldn’t help but find that adorable. He kind of hoped that she wouldn’t be upset that he had kids, and he wouldn’t force her into anything that she didn’t want, if he did break it to her that he wanted to see her as a partner.
He was a dumb mess, he told himself. However, he wouldn’t mind to have her as a good friend, if anything else. He couldn’t help but like her, and she had a blunt, straight to the point attitude mixed in with that sweetness.
……………….
    “-lunch lady?!” A voice gasped in shock, the three familiar figures caught your full attention. Time stood still as you recognized the two small boys instantly, and behind them, stood none other than Taishiro. Surprise had hit you, but you couldn’t help but feel joy as little arms wrapped around your leg as you stopped the swing, seeing Eijirou glanced up at you with a toothy smile and bright eyes.
You couldn’t help but smile, pinching his cheeks a little as he giggled.  
“Hey, um, small world?” Taishiro asked, breaking you out of your trance.
“I volunteered at the orphanage a while back. That’s amazing, I’m so glad to you two, again.” You explained, looking at the boys.
“It’s good to see you, as well.” Tamaki said softly, and you smiled at the slightly older boy who gripped Taishiro’s jacket.  
“Oh, that’s pretty neat. Ya were in dietary?” He asked, sitting down on the swing next to you, Tamaki following closely. You looked down a bit shyly.
“Um, yeah. They were kind of short staffed, that year, and I was a pretty familiar face, so they asked, and I said yes.” You rambled, and he chuckled.
“You’re right about the pretty part.” He winked, and you huffed out a surprised laugh.
“Do you ever not flirt?” You inquired, and he grinned.
“I don’t flirt as much as ya think. Anyways, I wanted to know, if ya like to hang out with us, for the day?” He murmured softly at the end, and you felt yourself smile a little.
“I’d like to. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the boys. Although I missed the children, I couldn’t really stay, had college to go through, you know? It’s good that they’ve been adopted.” You rambled, watching Tamaki push Eijirou gently on the swing next to yours, the shyest of smiles graced the raven-hair’s features as the two were basically in their own little world.
“When I first came to this town, I didn’t really have anybody. So I took some time to think it over, and decided to adopt. They’ve been the light of my life for three years, now. Can’t imagine bein’ without ‘em.” He said softly, and you felt a burst of warmth envelop you.
“It’s good that they have a good dad. Do they know of your-?” You let the sentence hang, and he shook his head.
“Later. I doubt that they’ll judge, but I don’t want ‘em to know, just yet.”
It surprised you on how easy it was to make small talk, each of you opening up a little bit more. You fixed Tamaki’s coat, brushing the hair out of his eyes slightly when Taishiro had offered the group to get hot chocolate from the coffee shop that was near, chuckling as Eijirou’s eyes widened with pure glee.
Tamaki gripped your hand, Eijirou gripped Taishiro’s, and Taishiro held your free hand as the four of you crossed the street, and you couldn’t help but feel warmth at the domesticated atmosphere within your little group.
You wouldn’t mind if these sudden feelings stayed a little while longer.
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monohart · 5 years
Text
clouds. (college!au)
ft. mark lee, sunny days and the brink of adolescence.
dating the campus’ radio dj was not an easy job
he was always, always busy, especially in the evenings.
he was exempted from 2/3 of his classes this semester to fit in broadcasting sessions and also to mentor the new broadcasters.
apparently they recruited a freshman, jisung. but he was a shy little bean, and mark needed to spend a lot more hours mentoring him.
which kinda meant that you would spend less time with your boyfriend
thankfully, y’all had similar classes.
there was this one class which was a capstone subject
which meant if u want to graduate u HAD to take it lol
and he aced all of the assessments in that subject so far this year
but you were just a bit competitive, so with exams coming, you planned to score a higher grade than him
which.. was an easy job, right? he spent most of his nights hosting the radio show anyway.
it both bugged and made you so extremely proud that mark was already getting proper job offers from major broadcasting channels
like when he got his first offer, he actually just finished a broadcast at around 3am, and was on the way back home
but he read the email on his phone and took a detour to your apartment
which scared the sh*t out of you
mark its almost 4am you could’ve just sent me a text??
“i don’t care i just needed to tell you this in person, oh my goodness is this even real????”
idk mark you tell me???
it was real, because he started getting offer after offer in the following week
but thankfully he didn’t pop by your place in the middle of the night again, after that first time
because you actually let him stay over that night and -
he held you in his arms as he leant against your headboard
and you just used him as a pillow because he you made him take a quick shower and he smelt of your soap but he still smelled of him and it was a comforting scent which sent you off the dreamland real quick
and he actually watched you fall asleep and made sure you were asleep before he pulled out his laptop to work on an assignment that was due the next day
when you woke up the next morning, you felt something cold and hard prod your back and you panicked for a moment before realising it was his laptop
and you heard the shower running so you knew it was mark going through his morning routine
but then you thought.... did he even sleep?
when he hopped out of the bathroom clad in same the clothes he wore the night before, he was still drying his hair with a towel
and his face was strew with exhaustion
but as soon as he saw you sitting groggily on the edge of your bed, his face lit up and he strode over to kiss the top of your head
“mark, did you even sleep?”
“nope, but i’m off again, i’ve got to hand in my assignment! i’ll see you for lunch?”
“wait what assignment?? did you need help on it?”
“nope, i got it done last night! thanks for letting me crash.”
before you could stop him, he pressed a hasty kiss on your lips before grabbing his laptop and bag and rushed out the door
and you sigh because
this was how dating mark lee, the campus dj, was like.
anyway
now, you guys were just a few days away from finishing the semester’s classes
and this was your last semester... given if you’ll pass the exams lol
so it was kinda the last few days you’d be able to spend together, on campus.
summer was coming
and the sun was so bright these days, it cleared the skies
no rain, none at all
which was not entirely Great because rainy days helped you study... and rainy days also meant more people tuned in on the campus radio
which meant
mark was kinda jobless today
which ALSO meant!!!
you could finally spend a whole day with him.
but, oh man...
when he called you around 11pm the night before, he was also checking his email and ... accidentally forgot that he had another assignment due at 8am the following morning
guess who didn’t get any sleep at all again!!!
your heart hurt seeing him work so hard
but somehow he convinced you to go to sleep first and not stay up to help him
he still got the assignment in on time because hes mark lee
so when you guys sat on the lawn in the middle of campus just like any typical college couple would on a nice sunny day, mark lay his head on your lap and used one of your textbooks to shield his eyes from the sun
and you were using his laptop to compile your notes from the semester, and also to help him tidy up his
“hey baby...?”
“hmm?”
you waited for mark to continue his sentence but he went silent
“mark, what?”
“mark-”
you lifted your textbook from his face only to find that he had fallen asleep.
his lips were slightly parted and he was snoring really quietly, and his fingers were in loose fists as they rested on his belly.
dont deny but you busted the biggest uwu didnt you
ofc like
you couldn’t possibly waste this precious photo opportunity but
your phone was just slightly out of reach rip
so when you grappled for it, mark woke up in an instant
he sat up real quick, and a tuft of his hair was sticking up messily.
“oh no, i didnt mean to-”
“so d’you wonder why we’re all clouds?”
you stared at each other with equally as confused frowns lol
like mark was actually
hella confused
but your expression literally read wtf
he didn’t really notice but instead yawned and held his arm out to you
and you move closer to him, snuggling into his side as he slowly lays the both of you down again, in a way so you could use his arm as a pillow.
the sun was really really bright so y’all lay there with your eyes squished shut
“we’re all just clouds, aren’t we?”
his serious question was met by your quiet scoff
“no, no, i’m for real. y’know how everything we do are for exams. exams this, assignments that... gpa... scores.. grades... deadlines... those kinda things. they turn us into clouds.”
“that is one extremely weird way to describe college students, mark.”
“no, baby, but... it’s accurate, isn’t it? the anxiety, stress, exhaustion... and just about everything we do turn us all into little clouds.”
“do elaborate, cause i don’t get why you’re comparing us to condensed water vapour.”
mark chuckled a little, and you roll your eyes figuratively, keeping your eyes tightly shut to shield it from the unforgiving sun.
"actually, never mind, it sounded way better in my head.”
at that point you were getting up to lie on your side
he turned his head and squinted at you as you gently placed a hand on his chest
"are you writing lyrics again?”
he hummed quietly and you shift a few inches closer to him.
“show me. i want to read those lyrics, no matter how dumb you think they are.”
“they’re not ready yet.”
“if you’re writing about anxiety, i can be your muse.”
“no way, you’re not a cloud. you’re a sunflower.”
he wrote lyrics all the time and most of the time he’d write them about you
sometimes he’d let you read them, sometimes he kept them to himself
and you’d catch him grinning idiotically over some lyric he wrote some time ago
so when he goes to sleep you would sneak a peak at it and it’s basically a love letter to first-date-you, or a diary entry of how he feels every time he sends u home from a date or from school but its so dreamy and seems unreal but you kNOW ITS REAL!!
bc u were there!!
anyway 
idk what came over you but you slung an arm around his torso and rested your head against his shoulder and he let out a quiet little puff of breath
you would think he’s pretty ok with skinship since y’all been together for so long
but yeah it was chill and okay and he’d be super clingy at home but when y’all were in public
man,,, he got so flustered and nervous
u just wanted to cuddle lol but he suddenly turned into a robot
the sun made everything seem slow and warm and sluggish which was pretty okay with you because you were finally spending time with mark!!!
and he was soft and squishy and a little bit awkward but so so so cute so u rly just wanted the moment to last longer
but no
just as u were about to drift off a Shadow™ loomed over u both
mark probably fell asleep again tbh
u heard a rly loud camera go CLICK and distinct voices whisper-yelling at each other
and there was a struggle
and the struggle ended with a Butt falling onto mark’s other shoulder
“MARK IM SO SORRY RENJUN PUSHED ME”
“NO YOU STINK YOU FELL BY YOURSELF”
“oh hey guys shut up the photo turned out alright”
“JENO SHUT UP THEY’RE RIGHT THERE”
mark was sitting up and you fussed over his other shoulder which was attacked by jaemin’s butt
and although he was so .. unfortunately.. woken up from his nap he was grinning and squinting up at his squabbling friends
and he chuckled as he watched u stand up and wrestle jeno for his phone to see the Photo
he was watching you chase chenle and renjun around the lawn, the two boys purposefully running slower to tease u
donghyuck sat down next to mark and put his head on his shoulder to mimic you from a few minutes ago
“oh you’re disgusting please go away.”
hyuck turned his head and batted his eyelashes up at mark who was still watching u with a dreamy smile
“you’re leaving soon, we just wanted to spend time with you before u abandon us”
mark laughed and told him he’s only graduating
but hyuck scowled and nudged mark with his elbow then gestured in your direction
“but you spend more time with her nowadays than you do with us”
mark let out a loud laugh and shook his head
“she’s my girlfriend.”
“so?”
“she’s my lover.”
“so??”
“she’s... everything to me.”
jisung, who was listening, gagged and haechan slapped mark’s tummy while hollering
and then u look over at them from the other side of the lawn, wondering why mark was lying on the floor again and why the other dreamies were surrounding him in a cultish circle
jeno and jaemin turned to face you with big chummy smiles on their faces and together they made heart arms at u
some other people on the lawn were beginning to stare and so u hide behind chenle bc renjun is too tiny
then jisung must’ve texted their group chat because renjun cackles and leads you back to the group
and u notice how bright mark’s face was which makes u blush like crazy as well
and even though stress from school, work and everything in general, was making u feel like a big and heavy raincloud
one look at mark lee made u feel like sunflowers and daisies
it totally didn’t help that when he’d look at you, the corners of his eyes would crinkle ever so slightly, and his eyes would shine with genuine adoration
and his cute little lips would stretch into the widest grin
uwu
and u bet the next batch of lyrics he gonna write is gonna be about you again!!
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gotravel2fly · 4 years
Text
The secret of the cross country flying
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@Yassen Savov Paragliding
Because of all the new Coronavirus lockdown and the shitty weather after that, I managed to gather only about 20 hours flying until July, which is amazingly poor and low level, after all the magic flying last season. But traveling in 2020 is quite a challenge for everybody. So, after many plans going with the wind (only metaphorically speaking, unfortunately!) I decided to give it a go with an XC course/guided distance flying in Bulgaria, Sopot area.
Sopot is a small city on the southern part of the Balkans mountains, around 1h30 drive from Sofia, a 4h30 drive from Bucharest and a place where I’ve been a few times before. It is a cool place to fly and the weather here can be good for flying many days in a row especially in July and August, so I guess that makes it a reliable option close to Bucharest. It can be rough, it can be bumpy, but it can be flyable, so according to the experience of the pilot, it can be very rewarding or unsatisfying, even frustrating. In this magical place, where you can eat a great ice-cream right at the lift, good Bulgarian food at Rodeo, and talk to many nice and friendly pilots, I decided to learn to fly better.
One of the instructors is Niki Yotov from Skynomad,  the one who told me about the course. He has been flying for over 20years and he knows very well the area,  the particularities and the aerology of these mountains. He is a very good pilot and the one who managed the logistics for the course.
The other instructor is Yassen Savov, one of the best competition pilots World level, European champion and a crazy funny guy. I didn’t know Yassen before this, but I’m glad that I’ve met him now, he’s cool and I enjoyed very much flying with him. I hope that, at some point, my skills will be sharper so I can fly like him.
I figured that was a good combo for the guiding team, so I went along, it seemed the right thing to do. I also told Andrei Turnu, so that I can share the experiences with someone I knew. This is the link of the course, on Yassen’s site https://www.yassensavov.com/sopot-bulgaria-26-july-1-august/
The headquarters was at the nest www.nest.bg, Niki’s place, which I highly recommend because it really has good vibes, cool atmosphere flying-related and the place where we also had our theory sessions during the course, briefings and debriefings every day.
As the first day was forecasted with some overdeveloping of the clouds, we adapted somehow to the conditions. I know it is a small flight, but it was hard work there :)).
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https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/26.7.2020/11:14
The task was too optimistic for the day, but I had a really nice flight with Yassen and managed to turn back to the main landing place. I guess that we got the best what we could from that day as the plan changed accordingly. Honestly, if I were alone, I would go land much earlier, so the fact that we fly with the instructors is a good motivation for me. In bumpy air, I usually decide to land than to continue to struggle, but I guess that was just my lack of determination until now.
The course is held in this area, but actually not only in Sopot, as we ended in 2 hours drive take off from Sopot only on the second day. Some of the guys managed to fly very well and quite far by themselves or with the instructors, which is a very good thing. I managed to bomb-out twice, so not the best day for me. The conditions were not that bad actually, as it was proved by the others’ flights, but tricky for me, as it was a small hill near Plovdiv, with a quite strong wind at the take-off and some turbulent air, which I love by the way… So I took off, climbed in a thermal and then lost it on the way… It happens, I guess, but I decided I need some ballast in order to load my paraglider better and my wing to stay more stable.
The trouble is, as I guess most of the paragliding girls and light pilots, that I fly an S size glider and I don’t really load it maximum. XS size would be way too small, so a 65-85 is a good range, me having around 78kg with my equipment on.
The next day I took 4litres of water but there were no significant changes, with Yassen waiting for me on every jump and in every thermal… I felt a bit ashamed of that because I really tried and did my best..but my glide ratio nor my speed didn’t want to cooperate.
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https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/28.7.2020/09:48
We managed to get back near Sopot and land on a nice golden field. Yassen having his anti-G parachute thrown on every glide (although he flew with a Rush 4) just to wait up for me, priceless…
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https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/29.7.2020/08:38 – This one was my PR FAI triangle! Note to self: insist more where you consider it should work, don’t give up just before getting there!
But with an extra 5-6 liters of ballast, I felt like this is something I really had to do for a long time… My Rush 5 flies soooo much better and faster than I would have expected being overloaded, it seems. So with 9 liters of water ballast… It was just perfect! My every-day-collapses were a bit rarer, thou stronger, turbulence didn’t seem that annoying and the speed was amazing compared to the day before! I really felt I could travel by flying my paraglider, and not only feeling like moving around by bus! So days of the pure pleasure of flying with full speed at cloud base in the Sopot area… A dream coming true! Not the numbers are important, but the landscapes I got to see, the feelings I got to feel.. Just amazing!
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https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/30.7.2020/09:04
The preset task was 100km out and return to the west of Sopot. Although I bombed out on this flight, it was one of the best flights so far, I managed to stay at cloud base the whole flight over the mountains and then I had a low-save on a golden field, from 160m above the ground right to the cloud base, which allowed me to travel back for a few more km until the shadow came on the valley. The better option was to stay more on the right side when going back to the take-off, as the north wind entered stronger later in the day over the mountain.
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@Svetli, at the Sopot take-off, Rush 4 and Rush 5
I don’t know how people get to learn how to do efficiently distance flying, but for me, it did not come naturally. It takes a lot of work, frustration, bomb outs and that uncomfortable feeling that I cannot do this. But actually, I can.  I have learned a lot in the past year flying many hours in Colombia, India and around home, but I’ve learned even more in a few days on this course because the guys have worked hard on explaining how terrain should be approached, how the weather should be read, how the things should be working. And if you take it easy and shallow, it won’t work. You have to be committed to doing this. Every information should be processed and you should imagine very clearly the zoning in the air and the thermals and the clouds forming in order to get to fly far and fast.  Of course, this course was held with people flying B wings and not competition level wings. It was a bit overkill, in my opinion, as Yassen and Niki fly way better than teaching us how to tighten the 360 in a thermal and when to push the speed bar. What I mean is that this course can be held for advanced pilots who want to fly fast in competitions or open distances.
I know how much I annoy Vladut with my slow flying that he only very rarely has the patience to wait for me (actually only twice that happened..). But I guess patience is something everyone has to deal with.
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@ Svetli, at the Sopot take-off
We had on this course incredible good weather, kinda tricky, but if you fly with the right people nearby, it can be awesome! The 6th day of the course was really amazing, as I guess no-one expected to be epic weather for the day. The forecasted strong North wind was not really that strong and let us fly to the east and then southeast, with incredible cloud base 3200+. After beautiful site seeing over the Botev Peak, we flew out from the mountains and traveled at the cloud base over the flatlands to the southern part of Kazanlic and then south passing by Stara Zagora.
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https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/31.7.2020/09:06
The preset task was to Haskovo, but the wind was too westerly on that part so the new plan was Bulgaria-Greece-Turkey border. So after 7h flight and many thermals away, the goal was completed by all the three students flying that day in the course… What a day! 175 km, a personal best of distance flying and airtime. We had 2 different routes, Jack and I were with Yassen and Andrei was with Niki, but we managed to land in the same spot. At the landing, the bus was waiting for us, many thanks to Ivan for the retrieval. Actually every day was very well organized and the retrieval bus came very fast every time.
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This is the team for this flight, Ivan was taking the photo.
Best guiding ever,  I feel that I have made progress, I have learned a lot of things while flying but also in theory sessions. Amazing job, guys!
The 7th day of the course was also flyable though pretty strong NW wind at the Brestovitsa take off. I somehow managed to take off and then fly by myself for 45km  with tricky strong wind and complete the small task. https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:raluca_dd/1.8.2020/11:08
Overall, it was a really great experience this XC course, with 2 of the best instructors I could have for teaching me stuff about cross country flying, having epic and amazing flights every day for a week… That is very consistent weather in the Sopot area, but actually, Bulgaria has very good weather most of the time… I would really like to fly again with the guys and maybe see some new places to fly in the next months if Corona will allow us.
Oh, I forget to tell you about the secret of cross country flying… I actually missed that because Andrei and I were late for the beginning of the course and the secret had already been told :)))
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Ephemera Chapter Sixteen
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Ephemera: In art, transitory written and printed matter (receipts, notes, tickets, clippings, etc.) not originally intended to be kept or preserved.
Alternatively, things that exist or are used for only a short time.
Description: Nobody knows who Vante really is. Everything about the popular artist is shrouded in secrecy: from his face to his name to everything in between. After years of working for his art gallery, Y/N feels she may just be the closest thing he has to a friend. Between her success at work and her relationship with campus hot-shot Jeon Jungkook, Y/N’s life has never been better. But is Jungkook truly who he says he is? And who will Y/N protect now that she knows Vante’s livelihood may be on the line?
Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst
Pairing: Jungkook x (f) Reader x Taehyung
Word Count: 5.5k
Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Gang!Au, Art History Student!Reader, Film Student!Jungkook, Art Student!Taehyung
Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently
A/N: Woo hello! I’ve had a wild few days, but here we are! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. As always, I’m so so grateful for your support and feedback. It means more to me than I’ll ever be able to say. I’ll try to get this chapter up on time, but it might come a few hours early/late because of the way the queue system works on Tumblr. Anyway, please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them! Links will be added later, so for now check my masterlist to find previous chapters!
And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all! And concert videos!!
- Mercury
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Masterlist
Weekly updates: Sunday, 1PM (PST)
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My common sense returned quickly and I leapt away from Jungkook, hands touching my mouth. His eyes were wide, lips still pursed like we were kissing, and there was a look in his face like he’d been slapped: shock and betrayal. I watched, nervous, as he opened his mouth to say something, probably something too loud. Before his mind could run circles, I shook my head and approached quickly once more, clamping a hand over his mouth.
“We’re in your headquarters right now,” I whispered tersely.
I glanced around the back corner, suspicious, and thought perhaps I caught sight of movement out the corner of my eye beside the dividers. My whole body tensed and I clenched my jaw.
“If we’re gonna talk more, we’ve gotta get out of here,” I said through my teeth, glancing around.
Jungkook stiffened beneath my fingertips and nodded once. “Let’s go to my apartment,” he mumbled against my palm.
My eyes flashed back toward him, brows furrowed. “And risk running into Seokjin?”
He blinked at me. “Then…yours?”
I swallowed hard, thinking. Was this wise? Was it a good idea to indulge this relationship that would, undoubtedly, end poorly a second time? I wasn’t certain. But I knew from the shy warmth in his cheeks and the way his eyes were already smiling that I didn’t have much of a choice.
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I kicked off my shoes and fell against the sofa with a thud, sighing as my legs draped over the arm of the couch. Jungkook chuckled and joined me, sitting properly beside my head. He smoothed his hand against my forehead, guiding my hair out of my face. I wanted to hate it, to hate him, but I simply eased into the feeling and shut my eyes, humming a little.
“So let’s talk,” he said gently, voice soft but strong. Just like him.
I nodded. “What are we gonna talk about?”
He sounded like he was smiling when he replied. “How’s your dad?”
I sighed. “Good. That good-for-nothing punk he hired for harvesting is still slacking.”
He chuckled and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “You two really are similar.”
“You said that last time,” I mumbled, opening one eye to look up at him.
He smiled and nodded, staring at me from above with a tenderness that nearly knocked the breath out of me. “What I mean is…you two are both really soft on other people.”
“Oh,” I said, sitting upright and pulling my legs to my chest, putting distance between the two of us. I smirked. “Then was I too soft on forgiving you?”
He rolled his eyes and pulled me to his side with a laugh. “Don’t bully me.”
“I’ve earned it.”
He sighed. “Anyway…you’re a bit different these days.”
I was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yeah.”
“I’m proud of you.”
I stiffened, glancing at him out the corner of my eye. He was smiling gently, looking at the opposite wall like there was something interesting there and not a blank TV screen. He smoothed absent circles into my shoulder as his arm draped across it. The picture of ease, it was almost like the words had escaped without a plan.
I swallowed hard and felt the need to look away, my cheeks flaring. I cleared my throat. “Ah, well…,” I began, smiling at my hands as they sat on my lap. “Thank you.”
“When I was a kid, I won a taekwondo competition for the first time,” said Jungkook with a smile and a nod. “And my dad said, ‘Good. Now do it again so they don’t think it was a fluke.’” He hummed. “Now that you’re here, you gotta keep doing well for yourself to prove that it’s not just a fluke.”
I raised my brows. “Your…your dad,” I hedged, eyeing him from below. He looked peaceful, still unbothered. I exhaled slowly. “You mentioned your dad was a deadbeat…”
He nodded. “Mhm,” he said with a comfortable sigh. “Had a shitty DVD rental shop that went under.”
I watched the patch of sunlight from the window shift with the geometric shadows of a tree branch in the breeze. “Did he open it himself?”
“Yeah, asshole had no business opening a shop,” he said with a sigh. “He’s a drunk, you know? So he’d always go into the store hammered and drive customers away. When I was young, I used to help out around the shop, but every day I watched him sit behind the counter like a prop or something. He rarely spoke to the customers, rarely stocked the shelves. Just…an all-around shitty owner.”
I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. “You picked up the slack?”
He hummed. “Yep,” he said, then I felt him shrug. “Wasn’t so bad. You learn a lot when you’re working young. How to be responsible even when adults aren’t,” he chuckled. “Mom used to scold me for going there after school instead of coming home and doing my schoolwork. But I told her I wanted to be a taekwondo champ so I didn’t need an education anyway. Said I might as well help Dad.”
“Was it stressful?”
“No,” he said with a sigh. “Scary sometimes, since Dad gets loud when he’s drunk. No, like…aggressive. Just loud and stupid.”
I nodded. “You took on a lot as a kid.”
“Wasn’t ever a problem until it started interfering with my taekwondo,” he said. He ran his fingers up and down my arm. Like a comforting gesture. Like I was the one who needed comforting. “I had to start skipping practice to work since Dad wasn’t pulling his weight and eventually I had to quit. Mom was pissed, but she thought I might focus more on my grades.”
“Wait, you had to quit just like that?” I asked, stunned. I sat up and looked at him head-on, eyes wide.
He laughed and raised a hand to pat my head, smoothing my hair down. “Just like that.”
I furrowed my brow. “That’s not fair at all.”
“Life’s like that sometimes. Only the lucky ones expect it to be fair,” he said, then shrugged and guided me back to his side. “It’s pretty lucky though, because since I was spending so much time at the DVD shop I got to watch a lot of movies. Got really interested in film.”
“So that’s how you found your passion,” I said with a nod.
He smiled. “Cute,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I guess you could put it that way.” He exhaled, long and slow, and rested his cheek against my head. “Seeing all those directors, watching the art they made from the ugly, everyday parts of life…it was definitely inspiring in a weird way. Made me feel like even if I was miserable, at least it would make for good film.”
The more I heard, the more similar Jungkook and Taehyung seemed to me…
I laughed. “That’s dark, Jungkook,” I said, sighing. “Edvard Munch said that art comes from both joy and pain,” I began, eyeing him with a smile, “but mostly pain.”
He chuckled and nodded. “Edvard guy’s right,” he said. “I guess…when the shop went bankrupt it was most devastating for me. Probably because of all the films we’d have to destroy. The life we’d have to destroy. Maybe it’s because I was a teenager, but it kinda felt like everything I loved was running away from me and there was nothing I could do to hold onto it.”
I nodded. “Is that when you started selling drugs?” I asked, and immediately regretted it.
He stiffened, eyes wide. “Who told you about that?”
I shook my head. “Seokjin mentioned it while I was…uh…kidnapped,” I said, voice trailing off.
Jungkook sighed, raking his fingers through his hair, and nodded. “I mean…it’s better for you to know anyway I guess.” He leaned back into the couch with a pout. “Anyway, yeah. My mom didn’t have a college degree so she could only find shitty work. Waitressing and stuff. And Haneul was just getting into middle school, so we needed the money. He was doing really well in his classes and his teachers thought that if he started taking it seriously, he could get into one of the SKY universities. So…my mom and I started pulling the family up by the bootstraps I guess.”
“Your mom knew you were dealing?” I asked, leaning away to get a better look at him.
There was an old shame in the set of his eyes, the clenching of his jaw. He nodded. “She figured since I was already behind, it didn’t matter what I did as long as it helped the family. We kinda staked all our hopes on Haneul,” he said, shrugging. He wouldn’t look directly at me. “I wasn’t pulling in good money, Dad stopped working altogether and started drinking more, Haneul was trying his best but he was stressed, and my grades were…depressing.”
“But…you got into college…?” I urged, scanning his face.
He chuckled, knotting his hands. “Ah, yeah. Barely. By the time I was applying, Seokjin had found me on the streets and he pulled a few strings. My test scores were just good enough for them to overlook my grades, and with Jin’s help I got in.”
“Jin helped you into college?” I asked, something odd tugging at my heart.
He nodded. “Jin believed in me. Thought it was wrong for me to be selling at my age. I mean, I was eighteen and all so don’t worry, but…,” he sighed. “Anyway, he wanted me to make a better life for myself and he offered me work.”
“So the money you make with Bangtan…,” I began, watching him carefully.
His eyes fell to the floor, face flush. “Uh, yeah. It’s…it’s all going back home.”
“Is Jin letting you live with him for free then?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah…”
“And if I succeed and Jin loses everything…”
He turned to me abruptly, eyes wide, and shook his head, grabbing my hands. “No, no! Don’t think about that. I’m already looking into jobs and I’ve got some interviews coming up in a week or so. It’ll be fine.”
I swallowed hard, heart racing, and nodded. But if Jungkook’s reasons for joining the group were so heartbreaking, I didn’t even want to imagine what the others’ were…
Quietly, I reached my hand out and pressed my palm against his jawline, pulling him toward me. I pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and pulled away, throat tight, with a smile. “You’ve done well, Jungkook.”
His eyes went a little misty, welling up as his lower lids went red. He scanned me for a moment that felt endless, glassy eyes flashing between mine, before he slowly pulled me against his chest and held me tight in an embrace that felt desperate. I slipped my arms around his back and squeezed.
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I rocked backwards and forwards on my heels as I stood beside the gallery doors. It seemed that the chaos that Taehyung’s reveal had caused was slowly dying, as traffic to the gallery had slowed significantly. The space itself, however, held remnants of the stampedes. The lightwood floors still bore the scuffs of numerous feet and several frames were nicked and chipped from being bumped.
The relative calm and quiet was welcome to all of us, as Yuri and I worked opposite one another. She sat at the desk, half-asleep as she stared blankly at the computer screen. A few patrons walked past me and I offered them a smile and a bow, waiting until their footsteps had receded to raise myself up once more, making absolutely sure that my hair was settled properly in its bun.
“Y/N, good morning,” said a voice from beside me.
I nearly, jumped, but collected myself and turned to see who had greeted me. Standing slightly shorter than me, Mr. Kwon held his hands latched behind his back, a smile on his face. Seeing him in such a good mood was curious and unusual, but rather than risk incurring his frustration I kept my observation to myself and opted for a simple smile and a bow of my head.
“You seem well today,” he remarked, nodding once.
I smiled. “Yes, Sir.”
“The recent influx in customers has been…disarming for you employees, hasn’t it?” he asked, eyeing me.
I raised my brows. “Ah, well…I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I would say it’s been a sizable challenge.”
He nodded. “I thought so,” he said with a sigh. “I only ask since you seem rather in touch with your coworkers.”
I stiffened, clasping my hands in front of my thighs. “I do?” I asked.
He smiled slightly, a rare sight, and nodded. “After our discussion of dress code, I started wondering if I was just out of touch with you all,” he said, huffing a little as he adjusted his suit jacket. “Everyone’s performance improved once dress code slackened. I realized that you seemed to understand your coworkers well.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can accept that compliment, Sir.”
He smiled again and nodded. “You have a good sense when you speak up,” he said, exhaling long and slow. Surely, he’d just gotten some good news. This was entirely too out of character to be organic. “I told you once that people only have the power you give them. I think you’re doing well protecting your power.”
I stiffened, swallowing hard. How many of these affirmations could I get? Everyone was saying I’d changed. And if someone as dense as Mr. Kwon could notice, it must have been pretty obvious. Why, then, did something in me feel slightly dissonant? Like it wasn’t lining up just right.
I supposed, when I really thought about it, could I take credit for any of the changes I’d made?
After all, if it weren’t for Taehyung and Jungkook…would I have even bothered to change at all…?
“I’ll be having a meeting with those Japanese philanthropists from a while back,” he said, then smiled again. Unnerving. “The ones you sold to before.”
I nodded. “I remember,” I said with a small, contained grin.
“We’re having some big talks with them moving forward, so please be on your best behavior if they send anyone to the gallery,” said Mr. Kwon with a bow.
I knew I shouldn’t, but my curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed for his cuff. He turned to me with wide eyes. “Uh…what sort of talks are happening?” I asked.
He smiled and put a finger to his lips, a playful bid for silence, and I felt even more unsettled. “Confidential. But when things are set, I promise you will be the first employee to know.”
I raised my brows. “Me?”
He nodded. “I’ll tell you more as we know more,” he began, swiveling on his heel before snapping his fingers and turning back to me. “Ah! Would you grab the new print from the back and place it in the photography section?”
I stiffened. Taehyung started working again? Slowly, I smiled and nodded. “Certainly, Sir.”
“Keep up the good work, ladies!” he called over his shoulder before walking back down the hallway.
Yuri and I exchanged puzzled looks before I shrugged my shoulders and followed suit, wandering down the hall until I reached the back room. A flood of memories rushed over me as I stepped inside the dark, dusty storage space. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I was following Jungkook back here, discovering Taehyung’s workroom, nearly getting caught…
I sighed and picked up my step, grabbing the covered print and removing the white sheet. I folded it and set it atop a shelf, turning back to the piece. And as I did, my confusion and unease only grew.
There in black and white was the familiar scene of Taehyung’s living room, blown up massive. The shot framed the side of his couch from the angle of the floor, leading the eye right toward the window and the monochrome morning light streaming in in shafts and spots. And, dangling off the edge of the couch, was a hand that didn’t look like Taehyung’s. I took a peek at my own fingers and, slowly, pressed them against the photo, matching them with the one in black and white.
A perfect match…
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Pulling my jacket up around my shoulders, I walked slowly out onto the sidewalk, bracing the chill with a shiver. I ambled out along the concrete for a moment, my mind absent in my body. Why had Taehyung taken that photo of me? And furthermore, why had he decided to display it for sale in the gallery? Beyond confused, I was…unsettled. Had our relationship ever been that intimate? Had I been sending him signals that I didn’t mean to send?
Or…did I mean to send them?
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I jumped to answer it. “Hello?” I asked, plugging my free ear to block out the city noise.
“Y/N?”
I sighed, leaning against the front of the building, and gripped the bridge of my nose. Of course he had to call right now. “Namjoon…”
He chuckled, like something was funny, before replying. “The one and only,” he said, then hummed. “Although you don’t sound thrilled to hear from me.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. Kind of…a weird day. Lot on my mind.”
“Understood,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not that this topic isn’t fascinating, but I actually called for an update on your work.”
“Work…,” I breathed before it made sense. “Ah, yeah. Well, not much to update yet.”
He was quiet, pensive, for a beat too long. A beat that made me tap my foot on the floor, restless. “Well that’s…unfortunate.”
“Sorry.”
“Have you been trying to infiltrate?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in and everything. Just…can’t get that information you need. They keep their documents locked up in a basement that I don’t have access to, especially with all the eyes on me there. There’s no way in from the sides and no way to sneak in during the day.”
“Well you’re gonna have to get access.”
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I’ve already got a plan, Namjoon.”
“Unless it involves you dropping from the ceiling in the middle of the night and dangling from a wire, I don’t really know if it’ll work. You said this basement is strictly monitored,” he quipped with a sigh.
I nodded, exhausted, and scratched my arm. “A recording,” I said.
“And you think this leader is just gonna spill everything to you?” he asked.
I shrugged, picking at my nail. “I can steer the conversation.”
“You can steer it toward revealing trade secrets?”
I chuckled. “You underestimate how stupid he is.”
He sighed. “I hope so…,” he said, quiet once again. “Well…I guess I’ve just gotta leave it to you then.”
“I guess so.”
“Well…I won’t keep you then. Get to work.”
I scoffed. I’d just gotten off work and already-
I managed a tight-lipped smile and nodded once more, though he couldn’t see. “Sure thing,” I said before hanging up and shoving my phone roughly into my bag.
He didn’t strike me as a bad man. Perhaps a little eccentric and enigmatic, but not mean-spirited. But the guilt was starting to get to me. If exposing Seokjin meant ruining the lives of the people working under him…
Could I justify my petty revenge plot?
I rubbed my chin and stewed over it, so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Nara standing beside a pillar, coat pulled up around her neck, chin buried in her shirt, eyes down and sniffling. But when I did see her, I nearly jumped out of my skin and without a second’s pause, I rushed to her side and grabbed her by the upper arms.
“Nara!” I said, gasping as she looked at me properly. Her silver hair was disheveled and her skin was red, eyes puffy and cheeks wet from still-falling tears. No makeup, just the natural blush of crying. “Oh my God,” I said, and she fell into my arms like she was falling into a warm bed.
She hugged me tightly, holding tightly to my back. So tight that it almost hurt. I wrapped my arms snug around her shoulders and ran my hand along the back of her head, cooing her softly.
“Hey, hey,” I said gently against her hair. She sniffled, crying quietly like she always did. “What’s going on, hm?”
She shook her head against my chest, dampening my shirt. “I…,” she began, then shook her head once more and clutched my back tighter.
I smoothed her hair, shushing her, and nodded. “It’s alright. It’s okay,” I said, guiding her toward the nearby bus stop.
Thankfully at this time of afternoon, it wasn’t too busy. I sat her down on the bench and took the spot beside her, creating a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Still crying, she hugged her legs to her chest and leaned against the side of the bus stop awning. I took her hand in mine and urged her to look at me.
Bloodshot, her eyes were practically shaking as they danced around my face. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.
She rubbed her nose and nodded, eyes on the crack in the concrete like it might swallow her up and she might let it. “I lost my job,” she said, voice weak, quivering.
My heart lurched. “Y-you what?”
She nodded, sniffling. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
She sighed and rubbed her arms. “You know that one customer who comes in a lot? The one who saved the stray?” she asked.
I stiffened. Min Yoongi. Swallowing hard, I glanced at her and saw nothing but broken pieces, barely adhered together, of the girl I knew. Cautiously, I nodded my head. “Yeah…”
“Well, he came in looking for a proper food bowl since he’s been feeding that cat out of tupperware or something,” she said, shaking her head. “And he looked, like…like he couldn’t afford it, you know? Like ten bucks on a bowl wasn’t in the monthly budget.”
“Nara…,” I began, groaning.
She sobbed. “I know!” she said, crying into the tops of her knees. “It’s so stupid!”
“Did you just give it to him for free?” I asked.
She nodded. “We break those shitty things all the time at work. Like, bumping the shelf and one breaks. Or sweeping and the broom knocks one down. They’re breakable and cheap,” she said, shaking her head. “So I figured that if I just said I broke it, it’d be fine.”
“Nara,” I said again, brows knit as I rubbed her back.
“I know,” she said. “My boss has been really crazy about the records lately since something keeps happening to the schedule. And on top of it since the shop’s not doing well, he needs to check the video if anything breaks and he saw me giving it to him.”
“Wait, something’s happening with your schedules?” I asked, the wheels in my brain beginning to turn in an unsettling direction.
She nodded, wiping her eyes. “He accused me of doing it since it’s usually my schedule that ends up getting changed. That’s why I haven’t had closing shifts these days,” she said, woeful. “I’d be thankful for a closing shift now…”
I sighed. “Why did you do that, Nara? That guy doesn’t-,” I began, then stopped and shook my head. “He probably doesn’t even need the charity.”
She rubbed her neck and shrugged. “I dunno…,” she mumbled.
I gaped. “Nara,” I said, shaking her arm so she’d look at me with those red, worried eyes. “You didn’t do it just because you have a crush on him, did you?”
“No!” she answered, too quick. I raised my brows and she cried again, crashing into my chest. “Maybe a little bit!”
I rubbed her back despite my frustration and sighed. “Let’s get you home. I’ll find a way to fix this.”
“What?” she asked, pulling back and revealing her tear-stained, red-cheeked face. “What can you do?”
I shook my head. “I’ll explain it some other time. For now just…cry it out,” I said, guiding her back into my side. Even though my motions were gentle, rage was seething in my stomach. And I knew just how to address it.
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“Min Yoongi, what the fuck did you do?”
Yoongi jumped as I approached his work desk at the HQ, eyes wide. He pulled his big headphones off his ears and lowered his laptop screen. He was dressed sharper then usual, crisp white dress shirt tucked into nice black slacks. His hair was styled out of his face, and his shoes looked polished. What had he dressed up for anyway? I scoffed. Poor, my ass.
He blinked up at me. “I-what? What do you mean?”
I crossed my arms, furious, and sighed. “Nara lost her job because of you.”
Yoongi stiffened. “What?” he asked, and in his eyes I caught a flicker of genuine shock and guilt.
“She gave you that dog bowl,” I said, then scoffed and shook my head. “But no. That’s not enough for her boss to fire her on the spot.”
Yoongi swallowed hard. “She…”
“Her boss thinks she’s been messing with the schedule to shift it in her favor,” I said, turning my eyes down toward him. He stared off into the middle distance, like his mind was someplace else. “Now, who do we know who can hack into a pet shop’s online schedule and change it, hm?”
Yoongi shook his head and stood up, staggering toward me with one hand extended, palm up like he was asking for something. “Give me her number. I’ll fix it.”
“You’ve done enough,” I said, shaking my head. His eyes flashed toward mine. My stomach clenched. Guilt. I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Listen, I know you had good intentions.”
He nodded. “I-I just wanted to help her…,” he said, eyes getting faraway once again.
“I know. But…this is Nara’s livelihood on the line, you know? You can’t just stick your hands in someone else’s life like that and expect no consequences,” I said, sighing. “It’s just shitty that the only one having to take responsibility for this is her.”
Yoongi glanced at me like I’d hit a nerve and I almost wished to take it back, but I stood firm. Keeping my eyes on him without wavering. Not even once. “I…Y/N, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll take responsibility.” He repeated it like a mantra, like he wasn’t talking to me anymore. Not really.
I nodded. “I want to believe that, but…I don’t know if I can trust you to do that,” I said, sighing. I gave his shoulder a pat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Seokjin breezing in through the front doors, and once he noticed me he made a beeline. “You can’t run away though, Yoongi. You’ve gotta face it, okay? No hiding behind a computer screen,” I said, angling my body so Seokjin wouldn’t see my hand sliding into my bag and grabbing my phone as he approached. I quickly pulled up the recorder app and began recording, turning back to Yoongi whose eyes were wide on me. I held a finger to my lips and nodded. “Consider this part of you taking responsibility,” I whispered before shoving my phone back in my pocket and turning to face Seokjin.
He smirked when he saw me. “Huh, would you look at that. And here I thought you were never gonna fulfill your part of the deal,” he said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “Kim Seokjin,” I said, making sure I enunciated every syllable. Even if I felt guilty doing it. “I’ve got a bit of info if you want it.”
He raised his brows. “You don’t say? Well, let’s head down to my office,” he said with a broad smile, sweeping his arm toward the stairs.
I nodded and followed him. We walked in silence until we were in the safe confines of the basement and I settled in the chair in front of his desk. I crossed my legs and watched him carefully, like a deer watching a cougar. Cautious, alert, ready to flee at any moment.
But as he settled into his seat with a contented sigh, I remembered who I was dealing with. “Tell me your news!” he said, clapping his hands once.
I cleared my throat. “I’ve been having meetings with his parents. Turns out his dad owns a law firm and his sister is in the US studying law.”
Seokjin cocked a brow. “Huh,” he said, nodding. “That’s pretty good. Two possible angles.”
I nearly scoffed. What could he possibly do with such vague information? I offered a smile and nodded. “He comes from a pretty wealthy family, so I don’t think taking a financial approach will work,” I said with a nod. “He’s got more than enough money.”
“Right,” said Seokjin, rubbing his jaw. “I’ll think of something.” He paused and glanced back at me, raising his brows. “Is there more?”
I shook my head. “That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll keep digging though,” I said with a nod.
Seokjin sighed. “Well, nonetheless thanks for the help. He’s a tough guy to crack. Even Yoongi’s having trouble pulling up personal information on him. It’s good that we have you around.”
I stiffened. “Are you…complimenting me right now?” I asked, nearly laughing.
He rolled his eyes. “No,” he said, then cleared his throat. “I’m just saying that I appreciate you doing this. Whatever your motivation is…you’re helping us a lot.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, eyes falling to the desk between us. “I know we don’t have this kind of relationship, but I’m curious,” I began, eyeing him to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. “Why is this job so important to you?”
Seokjin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. “The stakes,” he said with a nod. “They’re…really high. Our client isn’t someone to mess around with.”
“And if you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain?”
He looked up at me seriously, brows furrowed. “The consequences…will be severe,” he said. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him. And in his eyes was a small measure of fear.
I swallowed white hot guilt down my throat and nodded. “I…I see…”
“It’s why Jungkook wanted you to stop involving yourself,” he said with a nod. “It’s remarkably dangerous.”
I nodded. “Yoongi said something similar,” I said.
Seokjin laced his fingers and rested his hands against his lips, eyes focused on something on his desk. “Yeah,” he said. “You’re…not really the sort of person who should be involved in all this. You know, corporations are competitive. They’ve gotta be. Markets shift constantly, so you’ve gotta keep an edge.”
“You seem to know a lot about this,” I remarked.
He smirked. “Grew up around it. Silver spoon kid,” he said, sighing. “Growing up in a household like that, I saw how ruthless big companies can get. I realized that corporations are just legal criminals. Figured I could at least get a cut off the corruption.”
My eyes went wide. “All corporations are like that?” I asked.
He shook his head and sighed. “Not Ori,” he said with a nod. “It’s a shame we’ve gotta ruin them, since they’re one of the only good ones to get big.”
“Do…do you have to?” I asked.
He ran fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “Like I said, our client is no joke. If we don’t keep up our end, we could lose a lot more than just money,” he said.
“So you’re being coerced?”
“No,” said Seokjin with a chuckle. “You think really diametrically. Things are rarely that absolute.”
I sighed. “But you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared of anything.”
“You’re scared of your client.”
He was quiet for a moment, before meeting my eyes severely. “You would be too if you knew who they were.”
I raised my brows, heart racing as I neared the elusive piece of crucial information I’d been seeking from the start. “Try me,” I offered.
He took a deep breath, shut his eyes for a moment, then looked at me dead on. And without him saying a single word, I felt his anxiety. I felt his uneasiness. I felt his fear. I felt it all. He inhaled sharply and lowered his gaze. “Our client,” he began, and my legs bounced with anticipation, “is Sanyo Industries.”
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elijah-hwcng · 5 years
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𝒾'𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 clearer/𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝓂𝓎 𝐻𝒜𝒩𝒟𝒮 ɴᴏᴡ
╰ ☀ ✧ ˖ jeon jungkook. cismale. he/him ‖ 𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕦𝕝𝕥 (ɪᴛ ɪꜱ) ‖ have you seen elijah hwang at the beach recently? i remember them being so free-spirited, but they seemed a little neglectful today. it must be tough going through such hard times at only 22. even then, they still remind me of aerosol paint, over-sized hoodies, lipsticks stains on coffee mugs, and open upright pianos.
basics
name: elijah hwang
nicknames: ellie, lijah, el
age: 22
pronouns: he/him
sexuality: he prefers not to label it, but pansexual and demiromantic is probably the best description
tldr
he’s a sweet boy, doesn’t hurt people’s feelings intentionally, but he’s a little flirty, a bit of a heartbreaker. he’s great at turning on the charm but gets flustered very easily when it’s turned back on him.
has a twin brother, daniel. his bio (and their family background!) can be found here
growing up in the shadow of his twin, elijah often acts out rebelliously for attention (and maybe just to spite his perfect police officer brother a little bit)
despite that, he does care very deeply for daniel - after all, they came from the same egg or whatever - and isn’t great at expressing it, but daniel is probably the most important person in his life
tw: drug abuse, gang violence, death
got involved with the wrong crowd shortly after high school - the whole gang, drugs, ‘bad guy, duh’ kinda shebang. he was with this gang for years, getting quite the reputation and a lot of illegal money, tangled with the wrong kind of people and relationships
he traveled a lot, but when he heard daniel and his boyfriend had been jumped, it was a little too coincidental with the gang initiation he knew was happening in the same area - the very initiation he, himself, had approved of
he has never told daniel that he feels responsible for justin’s passing, but he was so filled with guilt that he has since left the gang, lost all his assets, and now works as a stripper to pay off his debts. he has never told daniel about the gang, but he says the debts are from drugs - which isn’t a total lie
(also he’s in a band and plays the keyboard)
bio
alright buckle up lads here comes the details
like i said, family history can be found in daniel’s bio (bc i’m lazy) but - since daniel was obviously their mother, stephanie’s, favourite, elijah often felt inferior and would act out for attention. i’m talking graffiti, being noisy in class, the whole shebang
his other mother, michelle, was obviously his favourite. equally doting to both her sons, elijah adores her and was often glued to her side as a kid. the only time he would obey the rules was when she asked him to listen - if stephanie asked, he would only rebel further
growing up, he and daniel were quite close, even if he did resent his brother for being - well - perfect - but how could he begrudge him for being successful?
elijah didn’t work hard in school - it wasn’t that he couldn’t get good grades, but more that he chose not to, getting grades only good enough that he could stay on the cheerleading squad
NOW LET’S LAY DOWN THE LAW. my mans might be cismale, but he LOVES pretty things. skirts, red lipstick, DANGLY EARRINGS? fam u got it. he loves that pretty shit. cheerleading squad made him wear pants for competitions n stuff but by senior year you know my boy is strutting the hallways in that little cheerleader skirt and pretty pink lipstick. call him a girl tho? he’ll punch u. or his twin will punch u. he’s a boy, thank you very much, and he doesn’t see why boys can’t enjoy pretty skirts and make up too without having to identify as a different gender.
he loves music and art - can play many instruments, and has played the piano since he was little. music and visual arts were the only subjects in school that he excelled in because he enjoyed it so much. he wanted to go to college and study them further, but his grades just weren’t high enough
so, fresh out of high school and not really knowing what to do with his life, elijah could see his brother figuring things out and heading off to the police academy while he... still didn’t know what to do
tw: drug abuse, gang violence, death
had a party phase, hitting up every club he could with his fake ID. it was only inevitable that soon enough he’d get into drugs and - well - with drugs and beautiful men and women, it wasn’t long before elijah found himself involved in a gang with heart eyes for a woman named melanie who showed him the ropes
his role was pretty standard - using his looks and charisma, he quickly became one of their best drug dealers, did a great job swindling thousands of dollars out of other gang leaders and sugar daddies and mommies alike
elijah wasn’t big in the violence side of things, more on the deception and drugs side of it, but he knew that the gang he was in had a lot of that going on. melanie assured him he wouldn’t have to ever kill anyone and she kept to that - although whether or not she did something like that wasn’t something he ever knew. the two of them traveled a lot together with the money he’d gain from their deals, and while they were never exclusive, it was potentially the closest thing to a real relationship he’d ever had
he was in italy when he got the news from daniel, and the timing was too coincidental with the report he’d received from the newest members of the gang. melanie told him he was overreacting - “that’s life, baby boy. your brother is just fine.” - and, seeing her so flippant about it, barely caring that his own brother had been attacked, it finally clicked that his rebellious thing had gone too far, and that this life wasn’t the one for him.
elijah took the first plane back to new york because he knew daniel needed him. the guilt was driving him insane - he knew it was his fault
cradling his broken brother to his chest, elijah made a vow to himself that he could never indirectly cause this to anybody else, but more importantly, that daniel could never, ever find out his involvement with the gang that took so much from him
for the sake of his brother, who he loves so much despite his struggles to show it, he decided to drop the gang, drop the drugs, and do his best to turn it all around
falling for melanie was both a blessing and a curse - if he hadn’t fallen, he probably wouldn’t have been so heavily involved in the gang, but because she had a soft spot for him, she managed to pull some strings and let him leave the gang alive
it cost him all of the illegal fortune he’d made over the years, however, and plunged him into a heavy debt to melanie, which is now why....
𝒴𝒜 𝐵𝒪𝐼 𝐼𝒮 𝐼𝒩 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝒮𝒯𝑅𝐼𝒫𝒫𝐸𝑅 𝒮𝒬𝒰𝒜𝒟
since college still wasn’t an option, and now he had experience with using his looks and charisma to swindle money, elijah figured stripping wasn’t all too different
he knows his twin would give him the money if he told him he was in debt and in need of it, but to tell him, he’d have to admit of all the illegal activity he’d been involved in and admit to his role in justin’s passing - not to mention he knows daniel would have to throw him in jail if he knew that he’d been doing more a lot more than just drug dealing
instead, he tells his brother he strips because it’s fun and to get enough money to do an entrance exam and try out the whole college thing one day and that he has a slight debt from the drugs but he’s “almost done paying it”
as well as this, elijah is the keyboardist in the band killer nuns, and is happy to at least still be doing music
he still likes to wear pretty things, although he tends to prefer jeans these days, but will still wear pretty crop tops, dangly jewelery, and make up. if he feels like dressing up, out comes the silky skirts and dresses!
(and he still graffitis his art all over buildings illegally, but he knows his twin will bail him out every time)
wanted connections
first of all, if you made it this far, congrats! let’s get to business B)
roommate; ya boy is ,, broke . he can’t always meet the rent but he doesn’t mind paying your character back in less conventional ways. he would ask his twin for money, but he doesn’t want daniel to know he’s struggling financially (taken: isaac lee)
good influence; your character knows elijah is only rebellious because he feels attention-starved - with patience and affirmation, they remind him of his favourite mother and can often convince him to tone things down
partner-in-crime; this person is a free spirit, and the two of them get into all kinds of mischief, whether it’s spray painting a building or dabbling in those drugs he decided to leave behind (taken: isaac lee) (but -- would be open to ONE more partner in crime if u rly liked the sound of it uwu)
regular client; your character knows elijah is only flirty for the money, yet finds themselves coming back every time for another taste
tutor; look... my mans out here tryna get into college. he won’t admit it but he wants to make his brother proud. help a brutha out. tutor him so he doesn’t fail his entrance exams. pls. (taken: yeri song)
gym buddy; lmao a stripper gotta stay in shape somehow man
dress up buddy/platonic wifey; note: this is a connection specifically for a female character! there is ZERO sexual desire here despite the constant “when we’re 30, we’re gonna get married and make some babies” jokes and ocassional ass-grabbing. they’re comfortable af w each other. she helps him with his make up and they go shopping together and give each other cute little fashion shows in their new pretty clothes. she’s affectionately named ‘wifey’ in his contacts list and it’s not uncommon for elijah to give her a chaste kiss in greeting and say ‘honey, i’m home’. they’ve probaly considered hooking up before but figured things would be weird and that they’re better off as friends.
hook-ups; he’s demiromantic, so he’s not gonna get a crush easily, but  he likes sex and he likes pretty people so . have at him ;)
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mareebrittenford · 6 years
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The Extra Fakes- Shadow Mirrors
tHey everyone! I was thrilled with the response I got from posting the first part of this chapter so here is the rest. And the introduction to the other 2 members of the Extra Fakes crew, David and Georgia. No powers yet, just hints about them. But be patient.
As always I appreciate any support for my writing, so please check out my novels #1, #2, patreon and ko-fi!
Also here’s a link to the first part in case you missed it
"I've got a new prospect," Lionel tells me.
"Yeah?" I don't care much, but Lionel is always on the lookout for track team talent. Our mediocre team’s indifferent performance at meets is a constant source of shame to him, as if he's personally responsible for every single non ranked finish that the team produces.
We're standing out the front of the main building waiting for everyone to change and straggle out here for the afternoon run. We’ve only been back at school for two days, and it’s killer hot. Summer is hanging in the air like it's never going to end and the low water landscaping in front of the school, with all the beds of pebbles, sand and succulents isn’t doing much besides reflecting the heat back at us. So half of us get to stand here baking while the slackers take their sweet time.
I would prefer to run before school, you know, when it’s cool? But you can guess what kind of reaction that got.
Lionel points out a boy, easily noticed, dressed as he is in his gym uniform rather than the team tee-shirts and running shorts that everyone else is mostly sporting. He's standing off to the side, watching us from under the shadow of a grey ballcap. He's vaguely familiar. I'm pretty sure he's in some of my classes, but I can't remember ever talking to him. He's not much to look at. Small skinny white guy, that cap pulled down to hide his face. But good runners are often small and skinny. Take me for example.
"That guy? In the gym uniform?" I ask, although it’s obviously who Lionel means.
"Yeah. I don't know how I've never noticed him before. But I saw him today in gym class, and he's got something. He’s smooth and fast."
I rack my brain, I can't recall seeing that guy ever participating in sports.
"Maybe he started running over the summer break?"
"Maybe." Lionel sounds dubious. "He's got some grace for a newbie. Anyway, can you take care of him for me? I don't want to crowd him."
Well now I am curious. How good is he? And what has he been doing for the last couple of years that Lionel didn't notice him before? Lionel may not have much in the way of interpersonal skills, but he notices everything, especially when it comes to things he feels responsible for. I know that boy has been going to school here. I remember him, even if I don't remember his name.
And mostly, why is Lionel worried about crowding him? He's usually the high pressure sell, rattling away in prospects ears about  how good a sport looks on college applications and the lower pressure environment of our sport is with it's scope for individual achievements rather than the team teams. Lionel is from a huge family and has no understanding of the meaning of subtlety and personal space.
For him to hand this boy off to me he must be really worried about making a good impression. Or the kid is majorly weird. Yay for Lionel deciding to let me handle the weird ones.
When Lionel leads off down the street I make sure to fall into step with new guy, although honestly I feel like he's matching his gait to mine rather than the other way around.
I wait for him to speak, but he remains silent. Lionel is right, his gait is smooth and easy, his footfalls are quiet even. The bill of his cap bobbing along in my peripheral vision is the loudest thing about him. It's actually pretty nice. I don't like to have my ear talked off on a run, and since I seldom get the chance to run with Lionel once school is in session I usually don't get what I want.
But after a while I notice the people in the main pack glancing back at us. Particularly Brad. The ass. Lionel is pushing harder today making the pack fight to stay with him and Brad is starting to turn that telltale shade of red. It's not a problem for the new guy. He's making no effort to catch the lead pack, but he's keeping the distance between us and them steady.
Brad shoots us another nasty glare as he gives up the fight and we pass him.
"Don't mind them" I say.
The guy makes a noncommittal noise. "Nothing wrong with pushing yourself a bit."
"True. Maybe having someone new around will be good. Some of them could stand to push themselves a bit."
"I don't intend to be any threat to anyone."
Now that's an odd thing to say. Or perhaps not. Perhaps he's the kind of person who doesn't like to make any waves.
"I don’t think we’ve ever talked before. I'm Carlyse."
"David."
Ah, that's it. I can place him now. David Smith. A bland name for a bland boy. And definitely not an athlete.
"Aren't you in chess club? I seem to remember..."
"Last year. That was last year."
He says it so firmly. It makes it sound like something heavy went down in Chess Club. I stifle a giggle, imagining those serious studious kids flipping boards and throwing down. It could happen I guess.
"It's nothing dramatic, I just couldn't handle it anymore."
"Was it too competitive? Because I can tell you right now that Lionel is not going to be okay with you not competing seriously."
He sighs. "You're kinda in charge here?"
"Lionel is in charge. He's Team Captain." I thought he knew that.
"I know, but the two of you, you work together, right? You might not have a captain tee-shirt, but you're a basically co-leader, right?"
I don't view myself like that but okay, I do work with Lionel a lot on team stuff. "Sure, I guess."
"Ok. Well, you probably should know then, just in case I do something-- weird. I've had some stuff happen in my life, and I have some-- anxiety issues. I get stressed, I panic sometimes. I tried, but I can't handle chess or gaming or pretty much anything that's closed quarters and intense competition." "Chess is intense competition?" That's probably not the right response to someone who's spilling some pretty personal information, but he snorts.
"You have no idea."
I think for a moment. I'm curious about exactly what this stuff that happened was, but on the other hand, what if it's something awful? Do I really want to involve myself? If he's as messed up as he’s saying I'm guessing it was something bad. I don’t want to know details.
"I guess you already told Lionel this."
"No."
Then why did he hand him off to me? And tell me that he didn't want to come on too strong?  
"Coach then?"
"No. Lionel just cornered me in the locker room and asked me to check it out so I showed up to take a run. I haven't talked to anyone."
Lionel cornered him. That sounds like Lionel. Probably while he was half naked. It would never occur to Lionel that a stranger getting in your space when you're on the way to the shower would be stressful. And he managed to do it to a kid who’s been attacked or traumatized somehow. Lionel must have freaked him out. And even Lionel is smart enough to realize when he's scared someone.
But still, David had shown up for the run instead of running in the other direction.
"You seem okay right now," I say cautiously.
"I am. Mostly. It's just certain situations that I have problems with. Running is good. I'm outside, it's stupid, I know, but I feel like if I get scared I can just run away. And I don't think any of you could catch me."
"Oh, so you're gonna be like that are you?"
"Just telling the truth." But I can see him grinning, and before I really think I give him a bump with my shoulder, just like I'd do with anyone on the team when we joke around. But-
"Am I bothering you? Should I have not done that?" The sidewalk is fairly narrow, so I'm still in close proximity.
"Nope. You're good. You're the easiest sort of person to be around. You don't want anything from me and you're not threatened by me. It's nice. Relaxing."
I don't think a guy has ever complimented me on being easy to be around before, but he doesn't seem like he's flirting. Despite the heavy topic this feels like a really laid back conversation. Like he said, it's nice to be around someone who doesn't want anything from you.
Lionel drops back from the front group, and falls in on the other side of David. I can feel a change in David immediately. The smooth ground eating gait changes to something more choppy and rigid. I slow slightly, just enough to fall behind the two of them. What he said makes me think he likes having an open escape route.Lionel says a few words, slaps David on the shoulder and drops back some more to the group behind us.
"So," I say, coming back up beside David. "Don’t let Lionel bother you. He's intense but he's okay." Although I have to admit to myself that he can't exactly be described as mellow or easygoing. And he definitely wants something.
"I know. He's just assertive.” He shakes his head. “I know that,” he repeats, almost as if he’s trying to convince himself. “Thanks for giving me space. It probably wouldn't be good for my chances if I freaked out and took off."
"Oh I don't know. He's pretty excited about you. I think he'd overlook most things if you're as fast as you think you are."
I see that grin, that flash of teeth again.
"Good to know."
#
We finish the run back in front of the school. I’m sweating like pig. The combination of the heat and the pace. Particularly keeping up with David. He seems to be moving as easily as he was at the start. He sweating, but he hasn’t even turned the bright red that I’m used to seeing from the white kids.
"How many miles do you normally run a week?" I ask him. This is important fact finding for Lionel. Nothing to do with me feeling slightly resentful that he's so unbothered by the run.
"I dunno. I usually run an hour or so in the morning before school, and then again at night if I get the chance. I don't usually do afternoons. Too hot."
"My thoughts exactly."
"Maybe you'd like to take a run later tonight then?" He's taken the cap off and I can see his face clearly for the first time. His face is average, forgettable. The normal features in the normal places, a lean pale face with earnest eyes. Yet something about the way he's looking at me sends fear skittering down my spine. His eyes. His eyes aren’t forgettable. I feel chilled, despite the heat and the sweat pouring off me.
"Perhaps another time. Keeping up with you today was hard work. I’m done running for the day."
"Tomorrow morning? Or maybe on the weekend?" he persists, not breaking eye contact.
I take a step back.
"No, sorry. I’ve got a busy schedule."
And he flinches. I don't know what else you'd call it. It's like he twitches all over, maybe startles is a better word. Then he hunches his shoulders and pulls the cap down over his face again.
"Okay. Sorry. I gotta go," and he slips between a couple of other people and disappears. I frown, trying to spot him, and then I finally see him over the other side of the parking lot talking to Lionel. How did he get over there so fast? And why do I feel so unsettled?
#
Georgia, my best friend, is waiting for me after I shower. She's not much for organized sports, but she's here after school because she's involved with the school newspaper, she writes lots of quirky articles about random topics.
"So, what's up in the exciting world of journalism?" I ask as I join her.
"Oh so many thrills. I have to come up with something about local architecture by next week. What should I talk about? Creepy Victorians? Or tract houses? Or maybe I should do an expose on heritage listings."
I laugh. "Hey, how about a house that's sometimes invisible?"
She raises her eyebrows. "I'm supposed to be writing about local history, not fiction."
"Trust me. This place is real."
She's amused, and jokes with me all the way to the elementary school where I have to go pick up my little sister from her after school program.
Of course I've pointed out the fairy house to Georgia, and unlike Lionel she was actually interested, but she’s been away staying with her grandparents most of the summer. So she’s missed out on what Lionel has started to call my obsession. If it’s only visible to certain people though she’s definitely on the list.
I roll my eyes at my own ridiculousness and wave to my sister. She bounces out the gate and hugs me, and the supervisor gives me a nod. He sees me here every day. Melody's only five, and I pick her up every day and watch her until my parents get home. I don't mind. She's a sweet kid, and it's usually only for an hour or so. Usually she watches tv and I do homework.
But I’ve missed Georgia, and homework can wait.
"Want to hit Goodwill?" I ask.
It's one of our favorite things to do together. Thrifting clothes. The Goodwill in the strip mall on the corner isn't the best place to shop, there are so many more discerning places that have a consistently good selection, and other less discerning places that are cheaper. But Goodwill has the benefit of being in walking distance and cheap enough. Which suits us today.
Melody complains a bit, but I bribe her with some gatorade chews, probably not the best thing for a five year old to be eating, but I make her wash it down with some water. She probably spent half her afternoon playing on the playground, so maybe she needs the electrolytes as much as I do.
“Haven’t you missed your other big sister?” Georgia asks Melody. “You’re the only baby sister I have and I’d be really sad if you forgot me over the summer.”
Melody giggles.
Georgia always gets a kick out people thinking that they're the sisters, because they can both pass as white, with paler skin and lighter hair than me. It comes of Melody being my half sister. I haven't seen my father in years, and my mom remarried about eight years ago, to Melody's dad, Richard. He's white, and Melody looks a lot like him. I'm darker courtesy of the grab bag of ethnicities on both my mother and father's sides. My father always claimed that his family went all the way back to the mission period. But who knows. I don't really trust my memories of him anymore.
Stepping into the air-conditioned store is a relief after the heat outside. I showered, but I still feel heated and sweaty from the run. I take a few deep breaths. The air in Goodwill isn’t exactly fresh, it smells of dust and Febreeze, but it’s cool.
I look around, deciding where to start first.
I head toward the sweaters and jackets. In weather like this most people aren’t looking at that stuff, which means the pickings are much better. I like to sew, which opens up all sorts of opportunities for a devoted thrifter like me. I can alter clothes that are too large or don't fit right, and I love to find stuff with interesting designs and figure out how to copy them.
When my sister was a baby my mom was on this kick to make sure I didn't feel left out of the family or whatever, and she started doing mommy and me classes with me. I guess she was worried I'd be jealous of this squally baby that took over our house, whose dad actually stuck around. Honestly I didn't mind baby Melody so much. She was cute and seeing Richard doting on her, weird, I wasn't jealous. It made me happy. Like I knew for sure that he wasn't going to leave us. That's when I started calling him dad. It just seemed right, since that was what Melody got to call him.
But despite that my mom must have felt guilty or worried. All I know is that one of the things she signed up for was a mother daughter sewing class, and it was fun. Better than fun. It was amazing. It was like all the things suddenly made sense. Because once I understood the differences in fibers I understood why some clothes make me miserable and some make me happy.
It's the way it feels against my skin more than how it looks. Wool is especially my favorite. I don't get why other people say it feels scratchy. To me if feels like a hug.
At the sweater rack I start by running my fingers across the clothes, searching for that special touch of wool. Or angora, or cashmere. Silk is nice too. Pretty much any animal fiber is great. But wool from actual sheep tops everything.
Georgia has a different strategy. She comes to the same rack but immediately starting to flip through the green section. She loves green. And metallic, and shiny stuff. Where I sort by fabric, then design, then color, she's the opposite, willing to wear any scratchy sweaty synthetic if it has the right color and look. I don't know how she stands it. But, she does find more stuff than me usually. Which she loves. I swear she’s a hoarder.
She holds up a shiny green polyester top and laughs when I wince.
"So," I say.
"So?"
"There's this guy. I think he was sort of hitting on me?"
Georgia looks up in surprise. Guys hitting on me isn't a regular occurrence. Well, Georgia claims that it happens more than I think, that I just don't notice. I notice. But there's nuances that she never seems to get. Flirting is never just flirting. There's always more there. To an awful lot of people flirting is more about them than you. About their status, their attention. Their horniness. You’re just a prop. I’ve let Georgia coax me into going out with a few guys like that (Brad being one spectacular example) and it sucked. Now I know better. So it's not that I'm oblivious to that sort of thing, it's just not worth taking seriously. Georgia thinks I'm too picky. I'm not. Surely expecting that a guy hitting on me is actually into me as more than a girl shaped object, or a way to impress his friends isn’t being too picky. Right?
"What happened?" Georgia demands.
"I don't know. He seemed okay, kinda nice actually. But then he was a little too persistent, you know?"
"Who was it?"
"David Smith?"
She wrinkles her nose, thinking. "I don't know who that is?"
"Yeah, I didn't either. He's a white guy, not much taller than me, kinda skinny."
"Wow. Sounds like a catch."
I snort. “He’s not ugly, just kind of average. He's joining the track team I guess. Lionel has a captain crush on him. I ran with him today. He's a good runner. Graceful."
"So you ran with him, and you thought he was nice and graceful, but then you decided he was too persistent in asking you out? Sounds like you’re just being you.”
I roll my eyes at her. But she’s making me doubt myself. Maybe he wasn’t doing anything besides looking for someone to run with. I sigh. “I don’t know. He was just weird for a bit there. And he’s not cute or anything, although he's got these amazing eyes..." which I suddenly realize that I can't even remember the color of. How does that make sense? I was staring right at them.
Georgia smirks. "Yeah, I'd wait and see then. Maybe he just got excited and he’s not got much skills. Doesn’t mean he’s a jerk. Or maybe he's a jerk. Who knows? Maybe you will want to go out with him at some point. Don't stress until he's shown his true colors.”
Reasonable advice. Even though I know she’s thinking I’m being too shy or suspicious. I don’t think I am. But people I can’t figure out make me nervous. Perhaps he's perfectly normal. Perhaps just he’s lacking some social skills. And hey, I’m used to being around people like that. Maybe he was awkwardly trying to make friends and his anxiety issues made him seem weird. I can give him a chance.
And whatever else he was thinking, he sure he was focused on me as a person. Not on what his chances of getting me to sleep with him were, or what his friends thought. It’d be nice to be around one other guy besides Lionel that wasn’t always focused on that.
But still. I can’t forget that moment of pure fear.
I'm not going anywhere with him after dark.
tagging @pinehutch @focusdumbass @sunsetsrmydreams @maximillianvalentine @q-oetry @timeenoughforamasterpiece Let me know if you want on or off this list!
Also I’m trying to decide how to continue posting sections of this. The whole novel is written (although clearly still completely unedited!) but posting stuff like this on tumblr is messy. I may move it offsite and just post links. I dunno.
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anima-contritum · 7 years
Text
SMFDR magic!au headcanons
A/N: as promised, i give to you the smfdr boys featuring angsT. im currently still working on the fic so stay tuned y’all because i might do another hc post with other characters (; and as always, enjoy (and check out my girl @11wolfpup11 because she’s my co in this). sidenote: Luna Andre is my oc and is John Andre and Peggy Shippen Andre’s daughter. all ya need to know for now is shes a freckley, sassy cutey that will do anything for her fam and a-a-ron
Thomas:
Death Wizard
dis poor boy can kill or weaken any living thing with just the touch of his hand
hell, any part of him is almost toxic 
and he hates it more than anything, I mean who wants to be friends with someone who can’t give hugs or even the smallest gestures without the fear of dying at his hand?
honestly, no one really fucks with him
most avoid him at all costs besides James, but sometimes that’s a good thing
he can also sometimes talk to spirits and the dead as his ability is often linked to the dark arts, but the ghosts and such have to be the ones to contact him first
it scared the shit out of him the first time it happened
one of the other students’ dead grandparents reached out to him in the middle of class and he flipped the fuck out
but he himself has yet to hear from his own parents...
sometimes other students call him the Grimm Reaper
This boy would give anything to have a new power
he tries hard not to use his powers because someone either gets hurt or ends up passing out in the middle of class
he shoves it all down but because he’s so damn powerful (one of the most powerful in the school) but it leaks out anyways
it usually just kills nearby plants in which James fixes
most times he wears a lot of thick clothing and black leather gloves to keep himself from hurting people
when he first found out what he could do, he accidentally killed his parents
no one mentions it unless they literally have a death wish
either way, he’s tried so hard to try and erase the power from his soul
he’s tried spells and potions and chants and even tried to sell his soul because, i mean, if he doesn’t have a soul then he wouldn’t have any magic as magic always originates within one’s soul
James didn’t let him out of his sights for weeks after that
Did i mention he loves attention and affection?
Tommy boy puts on this sort of ‘bad boy’ aura to push people away but deep down he just wants affection
he never shows it in public but when he and James are alone in their shared dorm room, he’ll let James put flowers in his poofy curls and rant about how much he hates how Professor Hewlett gets sidetracked so easily in class
he’ll make sassy remarks in class all the time just to get the attention
and most times, it’s hilarious
emphasis on most
but he still always has a soft spot for his best friend
My boy trusts James Madison more than anyone else
because of James’ counteracting power, the two sorta just fit
Thomas is able to take his gloves off around him and be comfortable, mostly in the setting of their dorm
it took him a while to be able to do that kind of stuff because for most of his life he didn’t touch anyone
but when James assured time after time Thomas’ powers don’t affect him, eventually he became more himself around James and allowed himself to be comfortable with touches and pretend he doesn’t feel his pulse quicken and his heart jump in his throat bc fuck he loves his Jemmy
Sometimes it’s not enough
there are some instances where Thomas looses himself in the pure amount of strength his power has and James has to be the one to pull him back
and despite James being equally as strong, it still weakens him
Thomas never forgets those times...
he’ll lock himself away from everyone, including James for days
it’s like his power surges in him, begging him to release darkness and death on every damn student
it’s hard to control it and it comes in big waves, usually in correspondence with his anger issues because
this poor boy gets mad pretty fast
but James is still always there for him
he defends Tom and protects him
through it all, it always seems like they were meant to be
James:
Life Wizard
can bring most things to life and heal wounds 
although depending on what the thing is or what kind of wound depends on hard it is to actually resurrect or heal
he really likes to heal plants and can even spawn lil flowers and such 
he’s honestly the cutest flower boy
if he passes a dying tree or wilting flower, he always stops and makes it the most lively, beautiful thing he mostly does it with what Thomas accidentally kills
he takes pride in it but sometimes his gift can be a burden
when he first discovered them he revived someone who was dead while he was at damn funeral
it was a shit show
The most puRE
he wears these round glasses and is the quiet type in classes
if he notices someone upset or nervous, he leaves them a flower on their desk as an anonymous person but everyone knows it’s him
he has his own garden in his dorm along a window on his side of the room and checks it over every morning
he knows how much Thomas tries to avoid his garden in fear of killing it but he trusts him to not do it intentionally
Thomas sometimes gives him skulls he finds in the woods that surrounds the school and James likes to fill them with flowers and put them in the garden
“That just takes away the intimidation purpose of it, Jemmy.”
“Shush, you love it.”
usually he can pick out the days Thomas will be moodier than usual and makes sure to put on his favorite show and give him all the love and affection he wants
and yes, he loves putting flowers - usually violets - in Tom’s hair
his favorite flower type to grow are blossoming flowers because he likes the way they just bloom
Even though he pure, he fierce 
don’t let appearance fool you
he may be a smol cute little guy but when it comes to people talking crap about Jefferson or shutting down his own brilliant ideas and works, he will throw down
there was this one time he “accidentally” had a giant vine wrap around another student, hanging him on a ceiling fan
he’s very methodical and cold in his fierceness but combined with Thomas’ brutality and kill-first-ask-questions-later attitude they’re kinda known as people to never get on the bad side of
Aaron:
Shadow Wizard 
this bean can control or manipulate shadows and darkness to his will
in some ways he can even travel through shadows but he has to envision just exactly where he want to go and its kinda complex
but he can also use his power as a dark art even though he doesn’t prefer to do that
he mostly uses his powers to create shadow puppets and mimics that are mindless, dark creatures that are harmless and normally gentle that he can control (though he prefers not to most times)
everyone’s a little bit intimidated by him though because of his mysteriousness and just... dark aura
He loves his shadow puppets
he summons them to help with simple tasks or for company
sometimes, he sings with them for his own entertainment
it helps to avoid his loneliness
(Shadows: we dream of a brand new start, Burr: but we dream in the dark for the most part)
or he sometimes uses them to eavesdrop and sneak around because why not?
his favorite ones looks like a raven that perches on his shoulder as he does his work
Not the most social person but loves the hecc outta his friends
Aaron generally has two main friends - Luna Andre and Theodosia Prevost 
Luna and him have been best friends since the very beginning, instantly connecting. they both came to Flilria around the same time so it was easy to gravitate towards each other in terms of cluelessness and such
before he met Theo, Luna was basically all he had as he was an orphan even before he knew of his magic
but Luna’s family kinda adopted him almost since Burr and Luna were so close they had become like siblings
but despite that, she’s kind of a bad influence mischief wise
even so, they both hate bringing attention to themselves and often to try to stay as neutral as possible in the eye of the public, but they share their true opinions to each other in private
overall, they’re hella close sometimes too close
Luna was the one to introduce Theo to Aaron and they all are a cool friend group
even though poor Luna is a third wheel
Ah, yes. young love ft. competition
Burr always makes it his goal to be at the top of the class
and Theo just happened to be his top competition
before he met her, he hated her because she always made it so hard to keep up and maintain the number 1 title
they would always glare and tease each other when they made eye contact in the halls or in shared classes
but once Luna formally introduced Theo to him and they set aside their little competition, they really clicked
Aaron had never felt more alive when he talked to Theo
it’s all very domestic and private since they both hated the notion of PDA
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