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#but everybody around me pressured me to take the job so now im here and im so damn miserable and have been miserable for months
paranorahjones · 1 year
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realizing that it might actually be time to quit my job. it's a terrifying thought because a lot of people are depending on me but i actually don't think i can handle this constant stress for much longer.
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scentedchildnacho · 8 months
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The security bait and switches I guess.......i think he is a pedophile and he can act out because to his politic the jacobin just read that to him gen x represents the idea that people accomplish the greater science by getting to act out whatever his psychicomachia fantasy conjures instead of public welfare
To them repression and sublimation has no relevance it's just social theory and the greater cause is accomplished by acting out whatever their fantasy life is
By pedophile I mean someone who believes we are all Gods children and should be kept like children to use however but the project did do questionable things to the families till I was like uhm really a library day for their community when there are like big houses around not everybody can just walk up to....
I will like the families much better when they stay to their community districts and just pick up a few books here or there and without the whole caravan because the library really is too small of a space for their community
More dr king there are like vacant homes everywhere that could easily be re zoned for their community so
The library has high voltage areas on it and those types of cognitive studies to children have already been precedented
Its just to cause the children stress till they collapse of third world disease already easily known and treated here and the families choose ecological not environmental settlements
Compared to Washington Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin which is also just a project the library area here is like pre pornogrAphy war 70s treaties
So I kind of agree with mean punk heroin homeless the families have settlements to leave them alone and they kept following them here
The library is a mean scary punk place and I'm for letting the researcher study street punkness it's im sorry but you all kept going at crime and you bothered them when you have really anything else
I think the inside security called the cops not the outside the pale one....
Anyway they called the cops because at first he acted sympathetic but now that I'm trapped here he wants to switch and get the cops to slander me and kill me like an heiress so I suspect a sheriff knows to not be afraid of the hygiene terrorists and started putting pressure on jobs to serve time if they won't reform into a better business strategy so they tried to claim I did something to get away with stealing personal information into registers
They just want to fill up jails with poverty and get away with it....and that's just disgusting
So I ask the cop to disarm himself because his behaviour is really inappropriate to a poverty call and normal people call a psychiatric service about poverty not a combative
The police tells me he will be nice to me but I say again why not just disarm yourself it's incorrect protocol to poverty truth is I can't harm anyone
Then he wants to know about a PetSmart cart I have outside so I just tell him it's just civilly disobedient and show him the sign on the cart that reads children could fall out of the cart
To me the upper management of the store could have replaced the recalled items with child friendly ideas but they persisted in endangering children and try to point his angry mob of dissatisfied jobs at me instead of turning on his masterly ness to them
I told him I just took it because I don't have any other way of transporting my things and I could get stress fractures on the ground from the blanket allowance and a child could fall out of the cart so to me that's what civil disobedience is a mean stripper that won't pay me and so doesn't pay her kind of wanted children either could hurt all of us and so I learn from civil rights activists how to manage situations to stop letting bitch rule with its selfish time
Its not really my obligation to care that as a grocer he could have delivered fresh farm packages to the jail he didn't have to make them take busses
And he was like the homeless coalition could give you a cart and I was like you can go ahead and try to put things in carts that aren't for the families but those are the families and I can take this because the children can't use it
If you ask me the border conflict got really bad and carts or buggies or behind the bike are for the children and children don't like falling out of
That's me sometimes about the stripper issues trying to get by I sometimes inconvenience their activity because they start appearing very selfish it's the upper management that sat and filmed all they do there so again it's not my problem that retail stores around couldnt forgive something there
I told him I am from la Crosse Wisconsin but he confessed somebody said I was some fresno chick that did things she did to justify detaining me here
That's why I don't get mad about a couple years of homelessness I was a job and apparently it was bad for something in some way but after seven years and many assaults and tank based warfare that's way over the top and I realize my job life was impoverished enough to say sorry about something and I never deserved any of that
I just said I reserve the right to be at least a few inches from the ground so I'm not completely shocked
Now I'm just like their just terrorists I don't see any valid politic to telling me to reform through detainment like situations
Well those people can take those carts because they tell the families they will top dog for their kids but nobody told me to top dog so I don't
Anyway the security isn't like personal towards me he just does that goes around jack assing at people it's the college guys he gets near and raps the table to wake them up it's the random punks he just kind of goes at everyone....
Anyway he tried to hit me today with some type of slander so he had to be in close contact with the gold bike nigger so that sort of karma is correct if people hit you they end up getting hit with whatever hits ya
Routine checks now cops know that I'm still here so hopefully something starts reversing so
So I have been homeless ever since like 2013 and it's been like this basketball game I played versus tomah in middle school where this larger more professionally developed and organized team just went at us in really mean demoralizing ways just really made us feel worthless and loser just no team spirit no tap out just everything the ref claimed I did was wrong though this big girl kept running her body into me molestively
So I think Jacobin is right their a more organized larger entity and whatever fuck fantasy they feel like they can do and I can't tell no bitch she can't rape
If they feel that their like the secret poor pretty girls really getting back at the whites then they want their fantasy
Well to those terrorists they are natives and history tells them they can be nazish at religion and
And their teacher pedophile that told them they can isn't wrong or anything
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writing-in-april · 3 years
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A hair’s breadth
Javier Peña x Female Reader
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Summary: Javier and Reader can’t help but be at each others throats. Javier gets fed up with the teasing one night.
A/N: Hey everyone! Here’s my nineteenth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days!!! Sorry this is out late- I had a job interview!! (I got the job! 🥳) This is based off of this and this request! There’s not as much Spanish in this one- though one day soon I want to try to write all the dialogue for Javier in Spanish- (I am trying to learn how to be better at it im just very nervous I’ll get it all wrong 🙃) Please feel free to drop me a message in my inbox here (I promise I don’t bite) Thank you for reading and hope y’all enjoy!
Warnings: 18+, Smut, Protected Sex (wrap it up especially with Javier lol), Fingering, Hate fucking, Public sex (who’s surprised), Hair pulling, Choking, Mirror sex
Main Masterlist Word Count: 1.9k
“Do that again I dare you.” Javier had you pushed up against the wall of his apartment, with his hand around your throat. How you had gotten in this position was as a result of one of your regular fights you often had with him.
This time it had been over something even more petty than the last time. You honestly couldn’t remember exactly what had started it. It had been something to do with some obscure line in the paperwork you were filling out while over at his apartment late at night past embassy hours. What had been a small issue then turned into a full blown argument, snapping and yelling at each other until it reached its peak.
Javier knew that he shouldn’t have said that just by the look on his face while he had a hand around your throat. You had slapped him after a misogynistic comment, which then had him slamming you up against the wall.
“Fuck you!” You yelled, but did not move to get out of his grip. He was about to respond with probably another biting comment when you were both interrupted.
You both looked over to his front door when there was incessant knocking, which was probably only from one person. “Hey Javi! Do you or Y/N want to go out for a drink tonight?” Steve’s voice being shouted through the walls confirmed the source of the knocks. You were glad his door was closed, otherwise this would've been an awkward situation to explain to your coworker.
Javier looked back at you one last time with a hard look on his face; it was a normal occurrence for you to receive that type of look from him. You smiled despite his hand around your throat as you had gotten what you had wanted, you had succeeded in riling him up.
Steve knocked again, this time a little harsher. He didn’t look away this time, eyes narrowing in on you further, like he was trying to decide if he should release you from his clutches. Though, it wasn’t that you were completely helpless, you could force him off of you if you wanted. But, you wanted to see what he would do.
“Are you going to answer him?” You goaded, biting your lip when you finished speaking, eagerly waiting for his response. No verbal comment came from him, instead he released the hold he had on your neck. You slumped a little, not out of pain as his hold hadn’t been that tight, you had just been surprised when he released you so quickly.
“Lo siento…” Was mumbled under Javier’s breath. You wondered if he meant for you to hear it or if he said it only to ease his conscience.
Javier walked over to the door to swing it open with you in tow, luckily already recovered somewhat from his hand around your throat. Steve jumped slightly when Javier opened it forcefully, then smiling when you both responded to his question, albeit gruffly, “Yeah, sure.”
—-
Javier clenched his fist hard while you took a drink, smirking into the glass was the only indication that you knew exactly what you were doing. You had spruced yourself up a bit to go to the bar, slipping on a dress you had just bought recently and putting on a pair of high heels. As soon as you had appeared back downstairs where Steve and Javier had been waiting for you his jaw had clenched hard, just like his fist was doing right now.
You were sat at the edge of the booth you had all congregated in, Javier was right across from me and Steve was by the window absentmindedly drinking a beer. He didn’t notice how you were sat slightly to the side, inching the dress you wore higher just to see Javier’s fist clench more.
“I’m surprised you guys were actually working together without me there.” Steve scratched at his jaw. We both pretended to partially focus back on him for a moment, Javier’s fist dropped much to my disappointment.
You glanced over at him then giving him one of the biggest lies you’ve ever told, “We’ve found a way to- resolve our differences.”
Javier took an angry gulp of whiskey, somehow it was possible that he was now even more pissed off at you then before. He opened his mouth to probably say something backhanded as usual, but Steve steamrolled him unintentionally, “Well- I’m glad, the office is kinda painful to be in when y’all are having one of your arguments.”
“Well hopefully we won’t bother you anymore.” Javier finally got a word in and it was just as snippy as expected.
You then downed the rest of your drink in one gulp, a little tipsy now from the few drinks you’d had so far. A dull thud from you setting the glass down on the table was swallowed by the noises of the other customers and employees around you. You got up, fed up with getting only little responses from him, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
—-
“Javier what are you doing?” You asked incredulously when he entered the women’s restroom, but weren’t given an answer. You didn’t pull away when he pulled you close, dipping his head to suck a hickey on the underside of your jaw. You only keened into his touch, you may have hated him, but it did feel amazing. Your teasing had worked
“I told Steve I was going to the bathroom too.” Giving a quick summary before continuing his assault on your skin, “You drive me absolutely crazy.” He spitefully said into your skin in between sucking and biting your collarbone. You didn’t care enough to respond, he knew you felt the same. In a flash he pulled your dress off of your head, exposing all of you except what was covered by your bra and underwear.
When he then gripped his fingers around the fabric of your panties and ripped them off, you gasped in anger. He then ran his fingers through your folds, stopping at your clit to run small circles into it. You were still angry about the ruined panties on the floor, and the fact that with just a few touches he was proving why everyone fell at his feet after they slept with them. “I liked those!”
“You seem to like this too.” His fingers sped up their movements, alternating between hard and light pressure. Your orgasm was building embarrassingly quickly, you almost wanted to hold it back so Javier didn’t get a big head. It felt too good though, and you didn’t have a lot of time.
You were both a hair’s breadth away from getting caught, Javier’s fingers continued their movements with no thought. Steve was drunk, he might even be asleep right now. But, one wrong move and he’d hear Javier fucking you in the bathroom.
“Javier!” You shouted, not thinking about the volume, when he pulled his fingers away from you just as you were about to fall off the edge. He then brought his wet fingers to his lips, sucking off any evidence of your arousal. It was hard to be mad when he looked so hot doing that, even though your clit was throbbing now.
“Need to fuck you now- this’ll take too long if we wait for you.” You wanted to snap at him again, his comment flippant and somewhat rude. That was until he pulled his cock out of his pants, already hard just for you. Your mind switched gears after that.
“Condom?” He grunted in response to your question, then pulled one out of his wallet. You were about to ask how long it had been in there, but with the rate he fucks, you doubted it had been there for long.
Once he slipped it on he commanded, “Bend over.” You scoffed, about to retort that you’d never bend over for him. But, Javier beat you to the punch, “I won’t ask again, I’ll leave you here naked and dripping.” You shuddered at that, your arousal was too much to ignore. So, you let him have one victory, hopping off the counter to bend over.
You caught sight of your disheveled state in the mirror, your legs buckling a little because of it. You already looked completely ruined by him, and he hadn’t done much besides fingering you. Javier must have caught you staring at yourself, and him if you were being honest, wrapping his hand around your hair to push you closer to the mirror. “¿Que? You like watching yourself? You like getting fucked while Steve and everybody else could hear you?”
You tried to nod your head, but with his firm grip on your hair while he began to sink into you, all you could do was moan. Once you realized that you were most definitely being too loud you stopped yourself making any noise by biting your lip hard. When the front of Javier’s thighs hit the back of yours he leaned forward to whisper angrily in your ear, “Yeah- you do like this.”
His pace was rough, but not sloppy, quick thrusts that had your ass rippling from the force. This was going to be a quick and dirty fuck, Steve would soon come looking for us if we didn’t get our orgasms over and done with. Besides, all you were looking for was a release, being with Javier for more time than was necessary just sounded like a punishment. Despite the pace he was keeping up, he still managed to keep your head right where he wanted it, looking directly in the mirror.
Your orgasm was building up again, even faster than before since you were already sensitive. At one point when your eyes began to roll back as you got closer Javier snapped that you should keep your eyes open.
“Come on, cum.” He growled out once he noticed how close you were, “Cum while Steve is out there- wondering where we went.”
Your eyes rolled into the back of your head at that, your orgasm crashing over you. Javier reached his own peak while you were riding out your own, filling the condom, gripping your hair and hip hard as he did.
Once your highs had abated he pulled out of you with a groan, quickly tying off the condom while you were still bent over and recovering with gasped breaths.
“Hey Javier?” You asked right as he began to turn around to go, letting you put your clothes back on and clean up in peace.
“¿Sì?” He turned around to face you again, looking much more put back together than you were with your makeup still smudged. You had the remnants of the panties he had ripped off of you dangling on your finger.
You wrapped your other hand around his belt he put back on, pulling him back closer to you so you were both chest to chest. You then stuffed the scrap of torn fabric into the front pocket of his jeans until they were completely hidden.
“Now you get to sit right next to Steve while they’re in your pocket.” He gulped a little and you gave one last remark before turning back to clean up your makeup, “And, you’ve got to pay for a new pair, I liked those.”
Though he boiled your blood as you walked back to the table where he had joined Steve back at you realized you were only a hairs breadth away from not hating him.
Ask Me Anything
—-
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Javier Peña/Narcos: @pascalesque
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Better than when you found it -PART 1-
A Complete Doujinshi by Maruta
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This book was published in 2016, and currently out of print.  PANELS READ RIGHT TO LEFT
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-Flashback-
We’ve got an overnight job? 
Yep
It’s an apartment. According to the landlady, no tenant has lasted for more than three days. We’re going to stay there and look into what’s going on with the place. 
The tenants talked about seeing an evil spirit, but it could just as well be a curse. The other tenants are spooked as well. 
Anyway, this Friday after dinner, all staff will gather at the office and we will head out to the site. 
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-The Present-
Reigen stands at the door fiddling with the keys: Eh !? 
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Hurry up and open the door!
Master..
Ah, I’ve got our things
Okay, I’ve gotten the door open, Mob, you can go on ahead
Okay
Ugh...
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Reigen: Before we go in, I want to go over a few things we should all be aware of. Our onsite investigation here will last three days and two nights....
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Anything we do, we do in pairs. We have a strong team, and I don’t think we’ll have a problem, but we still have to take the utmost care to avoid being possessed by the evil spirit that resides here. 
Also, no one will hog the bathroom....or any other part of the unit,
Alright then! 
Let’s go Mob! You’re Up!
Mob: Oh... It’s me again...
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Serizawa: Mr Reigen, should you not be the one to enter first, since you’re our......
Reigen: Okay, Okay....
Mob says as he enters the room: Sorry to disturb.....
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Mob: Wow, this is cleaner than I expected. 
Reigen: I think the movers did a thorough job. It’s far cleaner than my place to be honest.
Ekubo: Why are you telling us this? It’s not like we’ve ever been there. 
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Reigen: Yeah, It’s a corner unit, It’s got a bathroom separate from the shower, and rents for 200 dollars a month. 
Serizawa thinks: This is a really nice unit. It’s a shame it’s a Jiko Bukken only 200 dollars a month.... 
(In Japan, if something bad happens in a house, such as a death, or a murder there’s a belief the space is tainted by the event. So it becomes really difficult to rent the apartment out. Often the ONLY way to rent it out is to offer it super cheap.)
Ekubo and Mob thinks: There’s something here....
There’s a click as Ekubo opens a closet
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Ekubo: Huh? There’s a folding bed here. 
He looks at Mob
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Ekubo: So... Are we all going to fight over the single bed?
Reigen: No, Mob, you take it. 
Mob: I’m more comfortable sleeping on a floor futon. Maybe Ekubo or Mr Serizawa can decide? Rock paper scissors? 
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Ekubo vs Serizawa, Rock Paper Scissors.
After many MANY rounds, there is no winner so they decide all sleep on the floor. Reigen is setting the alarm clock.
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Mob thinks: It feels like a school trip for some reason, without the part where we talk about crushes. The others are all grown men.
Reigen: Hey we should tell fun stories! 
Serizawa: Yeah!
Reigen: You go first Mob! You’re the youngest. 
Mob thinks: Eh... what? Why am I always going first? 
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Mob thinks: Something fun.....
Mob: When I was little, there was a takoyaki stand at the intersection near my house. Me and my brother often went there together.
We were very small then, but I still remember it clearly.
Tiny Mob: Takoyaki!
Tiny Ritsu:  Ya-ki
Mother: You want some? 
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 Mother gives Ritsu some money. 
Mother: Here, take this. Don’t lose it. Split it with your brother.
Ritsu: ~kay
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Mother: RITSU WAIT..WAIT
No, not like that! That’s not how you split it! 
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Mob: That was the first time Ritsu got yelled at. I think it traumatized him, because he wouldn’t use paper money for a long time. 
All the Adults: ITS SO CUTE (Look at these dudes, overcome with the cuteness, haha)
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Ekubo: Haha, never thought Ritsu would have a story like that. I thought he just liked coins so he could flick them at people. He seems the type. 
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Mob: Actually, I recently got a wallet for him for bills. He accepted it but looked somewhat horrified.  
Ritsu: Th....Thank you brother.  Mob thinks: Please don’t take this the wrong way.
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Ekubo: Okay, it’s my turn! Mine’s also about Ritsu! 
Serizawa thinks: Looks like a Ritsu bashing session is starting
-Elsewhere, Ritsu loses it-
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Ekubo: He slipped on the ice outside of that new pharmacy, and was just flailing around for like nine or ten minutes.
Everybody is laughing. 
Some time passes and Reigen notices that it’s almost midnight. 
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Reigen: Okay everyone, we should call it a day.
He burrows into his pillow and tries to sleep, but the others are still talking....
and talking...... and talking.....
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GO TO SLEEP! -He throws a pillow into everyone’s faces.
This is one of Reigen’s special moves, where he accurately pitches a pillow into the faces of multiple opponents at once, shutting them up simultaneously.
(This doujinshi came out before the OVA, where he tries to start a pillow fight. Impressive that the author called it.)
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Ekubo: WHAT THE HELL! 
Reigen: WE HAVE TO GO TO SLEEP NOW
Ekubo: WHY CAN’T YOU JUST TUNE US OUT AND SLEEP YOURSELF!
Reigen: ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU GUYS ARE SO LOUD
Serizawa: Um....Let...Lets please stop fighting. 
As Serizawa attempts to break them up, a shadow creeps along the wall behind him. 
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Some time passes and everyone is asleep. Reigen is smoking on the balcony. The door opens behind him. 
Reigen: So... are you also the type that has trouble falling asleep on an unfamiliar pillow? 
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Serizawa: N..No... I’m just feeling a little too excited to sleep.
Mr Reigen, you smoke? -ah no, I don’t want one.-
Reigen: Yeah, I have one now and then. I don’t smoke when Mob is around. 
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Serizawa: Um..... I.....
I....I’m really happy about today.
Reigen: eh?
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Serizawa: For a long time, was convinced that a real job would be too much for me. The stress, the pressure, the fatigue. That I’d always have something to complain about. I thought that was what it would be like.... 
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-Claw out in public-
Serizawa: In many ways, my time at Claw was interesting....but now Kageyama senpai is my friend, and also my superior. Mr. Reigen is the boss. Ekubo is the first friendly spirit I’ve ever met.
But.....
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Serizawa: This is the first time I’ve ever had an outing with people that I could call my friends.  I..... Im so happy, I don’t know how to express that. 
(Again, this book came out 2 years before the OVA)
It’s unprofessional, I know. I.... I guess I still have a lot to learn.  
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It’s nice isn’t it? Don’t sweat it... you’re one of us. 
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Serizawa: TH..THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Reigen: Heh... it’s fine now, though you might want to tone down that excitement if we’re out in public. 
-The Next Day-Things start getting serious.
To be continued- 
This comic is about 30 pages and will be translated in parts. Check the table of contents for updates.
I love this comic. Team Spirits and Such is four dudes that are lonely in their own different ways, and it’s so great to see them just do stuff together, hang out and just be the friends that they all so desperately need.  
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thenamesseven · 4 years
Text
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Pairing: Jongho x reader
Genre: Romance, angst, jail au!
Warnings: Angst, a lot of angst and mentions of blood.
Word count: 4.3
A/N: IM FINALLY BAAAACK! My internship is over and I finally had the time to finish writing this chapter! Sorry for taking so long, I promise I’ll be around for more often now! ^^ Enjoy this chapter!
<- Previous Chapter                 Masterlist                   Next chapter ->
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Blood. 
When Wooyoung opened the infirmary door and watched the scene in front of him, his surroundings started spinning around at a fast pace. The male gripped the door handle tightly, breathing shortening to avoid smelling the metallic scent that filled up the room.
There was blood everywhere on the floor. It would be impossible to get to him without stepping into the sticky bloody puddles that were forming around his body.
Wooyoung had seen all kinds of things while working in a jail. Fights, attempts of murder, suicides, death wasn't a stranger for him. This time however, there was something different about the situation he just encountered. The one laying on the floor might be a criminal, Mingi's hands were stained with blood, with theft but under all that, behind all the things he did, a good person hid. Wooyoung knew Mingi wasn’t bad, life just brought him to this place but he would have surely made better choices in his life if he had the chance to in the past. 
Time slowed down when reached for his walkie-talkie, panick was blocking all of his senses like he couldn't even hear himself as he called for help and medical assistance. Wooyoung rushed to the inmate's side, almost falling down onto the floor when his shoes stepped on the blood that surrounded Mingi's body, the red liquid made the surface slippery and Wooyoung would have to be careful if he didn't want to make the situation even worse by hurting himself too.
"Mingi?" His voice was rushed, tense and shook with hesitance as he reached out to shake his body "Mingi'' Wooyoung's voice turned stern, trying to see if a stricter voice would bring him back to consciousness. "Mingi'' He tried again, kneeling down onto the floor, staining his uniform pants with blood as he reached out to gently slap his face. 
He needed a reaction. Anything. 
Desperate to get any sign of life from him, Wooyoung's eyes scanned the inmate's body, quickly finding where the open wound that was covered by blood and stained clothes was. It was near his stomach, more on the side, the amount of blood looked bad but he knew Mingi would survive if the knife hadn't touched any vital organs. His hands flew to the wound, pressing as hard as he could in order to stop the bleeding. 
Mingi groaned loudly in response, probably in pain due to the sudden pressure on his side and Wooyoung felt as if the heaviest weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 
There was still some life in him, everything wasn’t lost yet.
Despite Mingi not enjoying the sensation of Wooyoung’s hands pressuring his side, the male kept doing it as hard as he could, ignoring the awful sensation of his hands becoming wet and sticky with another man’s blood. He was not good at this, if it hadn’t been a life or death situation he would have probably passed out already, Wooyoung was never a fan of blood.
“Mingi stay with me” He muttered looking down at the inmate, watching how the slightly older male struggled to keep his eyes open, his vision becoming blurry as he didn’t even know who was the one hurting him “Don’t fall asleep alright?  You have to stay awake” 
“Jaehyun…” He whispered, ignoring everything Wooyoung was saying. If he was going to die the last thing he was going to do was drag that fucker down with him. He probably wouldn’t pay the consequences, Jaehyun had made sure to get along with the high ranks of this jail but he would try at least, he just had to.
“I know it was Jaehyun, I know” Wooyoung looked at the door when more guards stumbled inside, instantly stopping as soon as they saw the scene in front of their eyes. One of them ran out and the sound of his gagging as he threw out echoed in the busy hall loud enough for the people in the infirmary to hear.
“Mingi” Wooyoung gently slapped his face when he saw him closing his eyes, his body temperature was unbelievably low and his muscles were too relaxed for Wooyoung’s liking “Mingi stay awake, the ambulance is coming” 
“Jongho…” 
Wooyoung shook his head, motioning for Mingi to shut up and save his energy in order to stay conscious “He’ll visit you later, stay with me Mingi, safe your strength”
“Take care of him” He insisted, not listening to Wooyoung “Don’t let him get in trouble, no matter how stubborn he is” 
“Mingi-”
“I know you don’t hate him that much” The smile of Mingi’s face caught Wooyoung so off guard, that he opened and closed his mouth like a breathless fish, not knowing what to do or say to his most recent words “I know you’ll help him, I know you’ll get him out”
After saying those words, Mingi lost consciousness. Wooyoung knew it because his eyes closed and his muscles relaxed so much that Wooyoung started panicking. “Mingi” Wooyoung repeated his name, gently shaking him in order to wake him up “Mingi?” His tone, more urgent than before, alarmed the cops outside that were waiting for the ambulance and paramedics to arrive “Mingi!” 
But Mingi couldn’t hear him anymore.
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Hospitals are commonly disliked by people. It was a word that brings bad memories to people, a synonym for death and illness which is why most humans try to avoid this place. This is totally understandable though, you don’t come to a hospital to have some fun. Sure sometimes happiness filled the rooms due to recovery or births but that feeling usually got drowned by the sadness and desperation that filled the rest of the patients around.
You’ve always wanted to work in a hospital though, the idea of taking care of people, watching them recover and helping them through their illness always got your attention. You’ve been the kind of person that put others before yourself, Jongho usually scolded you about this but it was your nature, you just couldn’t help it. 
Today was different though. 
Today you hated this place as much as a normal human being did.
You rushed out of the taxi that drove you here from your apartment as soon as the driver stopped in front of the entrance. Placing some money -that would surely be more than enough- into his hand, you grabbed your purse and closed the door, half walking, half running to your destination. Pushing the double doors open, a wave of sickness and nausea hit you hard as soon as the characteristic smell of antiseptic mixed with medicine filled your nose, you ignored it though, as well as the serious yet worried glance the woman at the front desk threw your way. The brightness that only became stronger by the white walls and floor surrounding you made your head spin but you somehow managed to keep walking forward, taking step after step closer to where Wooyoung had told you they were waiting.
All kinds of thoughts ran through your mind.
You should have been there with him, you should have been there to stop it cause Jaehyun wouldn’t have acted the way he did if you had been there with Mingi, you shouldn’t have left him alone, this would have never happened if you had been there instead of hiding at home like a coward. Blaming yourself wasn’t new, you’ve always had a tendency of being a bit too hard on yourself when something happened, Jongho knew this better than everybody but this time he wasn’t around to silence the mean voice that whispered in your ear, that haunted your mind.
Standing there in the waiting room were Wooyoung along with Hongjoong, Yunho and San, who sat nearby the doors that led into the different operating rooms. You were the only ones there though, hopefully Mingi was getting as much help as the doctors could provide right now. Wooyoung stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed on his chest, tension evident in his body. He was still covered in blood and the sight of him made you gasp so loud that they all turned their heads towards you curiously, worried. Pain and distress obvious in their features.
This is all your fault.
“(Y/N)” 
Before you could say something, Wooyoung opened his arms and welcomed you into them, wrapping them around your fragile body gently and comfortably, soothing the pain and heaviness in your chest for a few seconds. The blood was dried in his uniform so it didn’t stain your clothes but the metallic yet disgusting scent surrounding him didn’t let it go unnoticed.
“What happened?” You asked quietly, still with his arms around you “How is he?”
“By the time I got to the infirmary to check on him he was already on the floor” Wooyoung explained quietly, running his hand up and down your back “He was conscious so I tried to keep him awake, try to stop the hemorrhage but there was too much blood and he stopped talking and-”
“What I can’t understand is how things like this can happen in a place where inmates should be watched throughout the whole day?” San’s hard yet cold voice brought silence to the room, you dragged your eyes towards them, acknowledging their presence for the first time since you got here.
The three of them looked miserable.
Wooyoung let you go and turned around to face them. He was tense but you knew him well enough to know he would attempt to stay calm in order to not let the situation get out of hand. “Some of them manage to find the right times to get away from us and-”
“So you admit you guys are not doing your job well?” Yunho joined his friend, glaring at Wooyoung as he crossed his arms on his chest. Hongjoong limited himself to look down at something that was displayed on the screen of his phone. Probably business? Whatever it was seemed to be important.
“I mean, that wasn’t even the place I was watching” Wooyoung replied hesitantly, not liking the accusations that were suddenly being thrown his way.
“Guys-” You tried to stop the upcoming argument, to help them relax a little but San glared at you, shutting you up immediately.
“Why were you going to the infirmary then?” He asked, curiously looking at him. “Were you involved in what happened?” He pressed further, willing to pressure him even more.
“What are you trying to say?” Wooyoung stepped forward, hating how they were trying to blame him for what had happened while he had only wanted to save their friend.
Yunho stood up and took a step closer to Wooyoung, taking the same threatening stance Wooyoung had and before you could get in between them, Hongjoong that had stayed quiet during the entire exchange and who you thought wasn’t paying attention to any of the words that were being said finally looked up.
“This is not the place nor time to discuss this” He said, seriousness evident in his face as he looked between Wooyoung and Yunho. None of the males moved, still staring into each other’s eyes right before their leader spoke up again. “Officer Jung did as much as he could Yunho, now we just have to trust Mingi”
“He better get out of this one alive” San scoffed besides him as Yunho sat back down, your blood freezing when you saw how much hatred, how much pain shone in the male’s eyes “Because I’ll make all of their lives a living nightmare if he dies” 
“He will” You whispered quietly, rubbing your eyes as Wooyoung sighed taking a seat besides you “He will get out of this one”
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The room Wooyoung had guided you into was similar to the ones you’ve seen in movies before, it felt as if you were about to get interrogated by someone, that wasn’t the case though and unfortunately, you were just waiting to deliver some news. Something you couldn’t believe yet.
The ticking of the clock was the only thing that could be heard as it echoed in the empty room, your fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of your hoodie as you stared down at the table, nervously waiting for Wooyoung to arrive. The tissues filling your pockets were starting to break into small pieces from how much you’ve been fidgeting with them and your swollen eyes burned from all the tears you’ve shed during the last few hours. Your nose was surely as red as Rudolph’s but that was not the thing the worried you the most.
Your current biggest worry opened the door and snapped you out of your thoughts, his eyes full of concern landing on your face as soon as he entered the room.
“Twenty minutes” Wooyoung said from behind Jongho, eyes on you to make sure you wouldn’t surpass the time limit he was putting on your little reunion “That’s all you got”
“Thanks Wooyoung” You whispered quietly, not trusting your voice too much. Wooyoung just threw 
a small smile your way, eyes scanning your face briefly before he closed the door behind Jongho, going to wherever he would have to go to make sure nobody else would notice Jongho wasn’t in his cell at this time of the night.
You were sure he had heard what happened, news flew fast in this kind of place but you still wanted to be the one to tell him, you wanted to be there for him even if that meant seeing him break for the first time in all the years the two of you had been together.
He deserves to be told by you that Mingi was dead, that he wasn’t coming back anymore.
Jongho still stood by the door, ignoring the empty chair that was placed on the other side of the table waiting for him to take a seat. His hands were in his pockets, eyes down on the floor as he moved his weight from one of his legs to the other, not even knowing how to stand.
Letting out a shaky sigh, you gathered as much strength as you could and stood up, feeling his eyes on you while you walked around the room, picked up the empty chair and placed it down in front of the one you’ve been sitting on all this time. Jongho needed to be closer, he would need you to comfort him as soon as you confirmed the awful thoughts running through his head right now.
“Sit down” You told him, motioning to the chair you’ve just moved.
Jongho looked up at you, making your eyes meet. Time stopped between the two of you, the broken glance in his eyes broke your heart even more and you knew that even though the words hadn’t left your mouth yet he still knew what you were about to say. He wasn’t stupid after all and if Mingi had recovered from the attack he suffered in the infirmary the two of you wouldn’t be here, looking at each other, beating around the bush since none of you wanted to say it out loud.
“Listen to me” Jongho was the first one to break the silence, sadness dripping from his tone as he reached out to grab one of your hands, holding it gently.
“Jongho wait” You cut him off before he could keep talking, the sound of his voice giving you the little push you needed to start talking about what you planned to said “I need to tell-”
“I know” He nodded, eyes staring into yours as his grip on your hand got tighter. There were tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, pain written all over of his face but like always, Jongho kept his mask up and acted as if he was feeling nothing, as if this was just one of his usual days “I know (Y/N) and you need to listen to me”
“But-” Just thinking about Mingi being gone brought a thousand tears to roll down your cheeks, your hands shaking as he gently pulled you against his chest. It was unbelievable how you had come with the intentions of comforting him but it ended up him being the one comforting you. Jongho’s pain was surely stronger than yours, Mingi had been there for him when you couldn’t, he had been the one that kept him safe in this hell and now that was gone.
“I’ll cry his loss when this is over, when we’re safe and sound” He said gently, one of his hands caressing the back of your head while the other kept you close to his body. “You need to listen to me attentively, alright?” Jongho moved back enough to look into your eyes, both of his hands cupping your cheeks now so you could only look at him, not allowing you to look away. “Things are getting really bad for me” He said honestly, wiping your endless tears with his thumbs as they fell “Jaehyun is coming for me (Y/N) and let’s be honest, he has more friends than I do in here” Everything Jongho was saying made perfect sense, Jaehyun’s freedom was getting out of control and he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted unlike Jongho. That scared you to death, his next target would be Jongho for sure and the thought of losing him like you lost Mingi only increased the pain in your chest.
“I’ll get you out of here” You said almost immediately, heart pounding against your chest “I’ll talk with Hongjoong and we’ll speed up the process and-”
“(Y/N)” Jongho’s voice lowered, his hands squeezing your cheeks a bit tighter to get your attention “I know you will baby, I know you want to get me out of here” The small smile on his lips broke your heart, something told you he was saying goodbye to you, that there were plans in his head that wouldn’t end the way you wanted to.
“You can’t leave me” You begged, shaking your head.
“I never will Treasure, I will never leave you” Jongho’s voice trembled and the alarms in your head rang louder “Listen to me alright? Just listen to me and you can say whatever you want when I’m done” Taking a deep breath you nodded, stomach twisting nervously, anticipation killing you “Something might happen to me, we both know that (Y/N), there’s nothing Jaehyun wants more than killing me” Your lower lip trembled when you nodded at his words, you also knew that and you hated yourself for not being able to do something against it “I’ll obviously try to avoid that though, it’s not like I’m going to wait for him to attack” His smile was full of sadness and he looked at you desperate, helpless “But if something happens-” 
“No”
“If something happens” He repeated caressing your cheeks, one of his hands leaving your face to move into one of his pockets. His hand shook with emotion and nervousness “I want to do this if, unfortunately, I don’t have the chance to in the future” Before you could process what was going on, Jongho went down on one of his knees right in front of you, looking up at you with a look of love and adoration you’ve never seen in his eyes before. His mask was coming down, he wasn’t hiding his emotions from you anymore.
“Jongho-”
“I know you’ve imagined this way differently” He said with a small smile, tears still present in his eyes as he reached up and grabbed one of your hands “Because I was there when you talked for hours about how you’ve always wanted your wedding to be” Your heart was beating so fast at this point that it wouldn’t surprise you if it suddenly broke your ribcage and got through it “And definitely getting proposed to in a jail was never your number one idea but this is what I’ve got, I’m tired of waiting and I’m not taking the risk of losing my last chance” Jongho squeezed your hand tightly, a tear slipping from his eyes “Treasure, (Y/N), I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you” His confession squeezed your heart, you’ve always known Jongho and you had feelings for each other but hearing him say it hit you way differently “It’s surely not a surprise because let’s be honest, I’ve always made sure you knew you were and still are the most important thing in my life” His touch got gentler and his eyes softer, he couldn’t believe he was finally doing this “And if I get out of here, I promise I will give you the world baby, I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted, we’ll have that wedding, you’ll have that house you’ve dreamed of and I’ll hopefully help you create the most beautiful family in the entire universe” You bit down on your lower lip, seeing how more tears started rolling down his cheeks “But if something happens, I don’t want to….To die regretting not doing this, regretting not making you mine” He suddenly stood up, pulling you closer to him, resting his forehead against yours.
“I’ve always been yours” You whispered quietly, letting your tears mix with his as they fell down your faces
“Marry me (Y/N)” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a proposal, he was begging you to do it, dying for you to accept him not as your best friend or as your lover but as your husband. Jongho wanted to be your other half, the person you would spend the rest of your days with, the one you would die for if it came to that “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, the reason I’m still alive fighting against all chances, the fuel that keeps my heart beating” He was whispering these words, voice shaky as if he was scared to say this too loud. Jongho has never been good when it came to feelings but he was opening himself up for you and only you tonight. “Be mine forever, you’ve already stolen my heart….Why not steal my last name as well?”
His last sentence made the both of you smile quietly, this cheesy side of him would have been truly funny if you weren’t in the situation you were in right now. He was asking you to marry him but deep down, it still felt as if he was saying goodbye to you.
“On one condition” You cleared your throat and looked at him, serious as ever “You have to get your ass out of here” You said holding back your tears, hearing your own voice breaking almost a thousand times during the same sentence “And prepare with me the wedding of our dreams” His smile got bigger, his head automatically nodding at your words “And you’ll have to wear a tuxedo” He hated them, Jongho always complained of how uncomfortable they looked but you knew he would look incredibly handsome in one of them.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to see you walking down the aisle” He whispered, staring down at your lips, his hands holding one of yours as he slid a ring down your finger, the cold metal turning your skin into goosebumps “I know it’s ugly as fuck but it’s what I’ve found around, I’ll get you the prettiest ring ever when we get out of here” The two of you laughed softly as you looked down at the bland stripe of silver metal around your finger. 
“I love it” You mumbled happily, making him laugh a bit louder this time.
“You do huh? Choi (Y/N)?” The sound of your name along with his last name made your hearts simultaneously skip a beat, both of your smiles getting undeniably bigger as you looked into each other’s eyes. “So tell me”His lips brushed against yours temptingly, hungry for kisses. “Will you marry me? I swear I’ll wear a tuxedo” You giggled against his lips, nodding quietly at his words.
“Yes Jongho, I’ll marry you”
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Outside in the parking lot, Wooyoung leaned back against a black car, cigarette between his lips as he breathed in the smoke that released some of the stress in his body.
“Thanks for the help today, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you” Wooyoung shrugged at the words. Keeping his eyes up on the moon that shone above them.
“I just did the right thing, it was time for me to finally do something” He replied, kicking a stone near his shoe, watching it get lost in the darkness that surrounded the parking lot.
“You’ve been doing the right thing for a long time Wooyoung, without you, who would have watched Jongho’s back all these years?”
“I won’t feel like we succeeded until all of this is over” He simply replied, pushing himself away from the side of the car as he stepped on the cigarette he just threw down onto the floor.
“We’ll get him out of there alive, just hold on there a little longer” 
“I think we’re running out of time” He turned around to look at the male, eyes serious and voice tense. Things were getting too complicated, the plan wasn’t going how it was supposed to. Getting Jongho out of jail wouldn’t be as easy as they thought it would be.
“Have I ever lied to you?” The other asked him, smiling a little when Wooyoung shook his head “Trust us, Jongho and (Y/N) will be out of here as soon as possible” 
“Better hurry up though” Wooyoung insisted, not afraid to pressure the other male “It will be better if you guys get them out of here alive rather than Jaehyun getting them out of here in plastic bags”
“Patience is the key to success” A sigh was heard, the engine of his car revving alive since it was his time to go. He had things to do, plans to discuss with the rest of his friends. “Pleasure working with you officer Jung”
“As long as you keep (Y/N) safe, the pleasure was all mine Hongjoong”
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Taglist: @guess--monster @cometoceantrenches @miatsubaki23 @lovelyvitamin @heroesfan101 @daintysan @t-tbinnie @shyshybabyy @little-precious-baby @bebetiny @mirror-juliet @btrombley13 @yukine-smx @wavetease
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midasinc · 3 years
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tagged by @earthbound-in-doubt ty!!!! im vv self-absorbed and love to talk about my projects so anyway here we go !
"Copy the first few lines of your last ten fics, note any fun observations, then tag a few more friends."
im tagging all and any of my moots or anyone else who's feelin' funky and also loves to talk about their stuff
i.) courfius 3+1 modern fwb holiday fic i am still working on to this day aka it is untitled atm
"Marius suffered the biggest heartbreak of his entire life when he was twenty.
He thought that he and Cosette would be together forever. He could picture them getting married; her terrifying father walking her down the aisle and giving Marius a nod of approval that he eternally longed for. He could picture their first house, their first baby, their first-"
this starts off what is actually a courfeyrac-centered fic, but it begins with a short marius-centric area to sort of give us exposition, yk? yk.
ii.) this is an unfinished random wip entitled "les misery" in my google docs. do with that what you will
"You can feel it in your gut when you overdose, Grantaire had once explained to Joly. There’s this pressure that builds up in your stomach and you realize your body is dying.
He chokes on bile with his head in the toilet, wishing that the pressure would go away. It was just a tylenol, that was all he took- but then Joly chose to take some shots with Grantaire and Bossuet and he felt it. He felt it and he knew something was wrong. Joly did what he had to do: he ran to the bathroom, stuck his fingers down his throat, and waited for things to get better.
You can feel it in your gut when you overdose.
That was two years ago- he never quite got the voice out of his head."
i actually have been wanting to write modern joly for a long time. this also uses my concept of les amis being more like distant work friends rather than a group of friends
iii.) the finest of specimens
"The first thing Combeferre notes is that Joly’s hair smelled of apples. His part was smoothed down with a pomade that left his dark hair shiny and as he leaned forward to work on Combeferre’s arms, the scent was all he could breathe in with Joly’s curls up against his nose."
this one is actually published on ao3 and i like it. it's my canon era jolyferre porn, we all know her by now
iv.) rhino
"It took two weeks for the bruises to fade.
Grantaire had strategically chosen the date of his surgery to coincide with the day winter break began. Half of his friends went home to celebrate Christmas, and the other half took advantage of the holiday they didn’t celebrate either to travel or to see their own families. Nobody would bother him, he’d have nowhere to be, and by the time everybody was back he’d be totally healed."
oh im actually mad at myself for not finishing this wip. it's a modern piece about grantaire getting a rhinoplasty dealing with post-surgery depression and the people around him's various opinions. i have a funky ass nose so this fic is very personal to me
v.) gala fic i never finished
"It took seven years, a nearly-abandoned graduate degree, and a job at the hardware shop on his street for Enjolras to get to this point. He tied Combeferre’s tie- the one thing he picked up from fancy events his parents hosted when he was a child- and took one more glance in the mirror with a smile."
i hate this opening. the reason i never finished is because this is the worst and most boring intro ive ever written. if i ever end up working on this, the two paragraphs of it that exist must be annihilated
vi.) self-indulgent angst fic i write out of spite and won't be published!
"Enjolras did not enjoy drinking as the rest of his friends did. Only once had he ever gotten drunk- at twenty-two he decided to give it a shot with Courferyac. His night went miserably and Enjolras had gotten sick down the front of his own shirt, not to mention he woke up feeling even worse the next morning and had to skip a class on a day where there was the surprise visit of his favourite French political science theorist.
So he believed that his aggravations with the notions of intoxication were justified, and he had stayed completely sober for another four years without any problems."
i still like enjolras in this fic but im not elaborating further on the plot
vii.) andromeda chapter 15
"A hand traces the corner of her cheek. Joly smiles as he leans over Musichetta before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Sleep well, okay?” He says softly. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She smiles back. Musichetta had always thought humans were rather ugly, but seeing Joly above her was more comforting than anything else- he would always be the exception."
i cant believe i never finished this. sorry to my 3 scifi au readers, i got burnt out from everything. i miss musichetta though, this was an interesting dive into the alien culture and theology but alas. never finished.
viii.) ...
"Joly had picked up a new hobby.
It wasn’t anything crazy, really. Joly had gathered several… interesting hobbies over the past few years that were weirder. He’d had a fencing phase, a chemistry phase, and even a slam poetry phase (Jehan particularly liked that one), but now…"
this is from a self-indulgent kink fic i wrote for myself that will also never ever EVER be published. i am no longer elaborating
ix.) orange
"Cosette had always assumed that marriage would be the final saviour to all of her hardships, that she would live out the rest of her days with a man whom she loved. When she first became acquainted with Marius, she knew for certain that he was the one. He was handsome and kind and had a rich family, even if his coats were a bit moth-eaten and his cheeks were hollowed. He was a poor student and certainly looked the part, but Cosette knew that he would grow to be an important man with well-mannered morals and would love her without a second glance."
this was a canon era fic about cosette and marius in their marriage as marius struggles with ptsd and cosette begins to realize that she is into women. i wish i finished this, it was supposed to be an anthology w a fic on ao3 i wrote called red when i planned on writing a series about lgbt characters in canon era
x.) beastie
"As Grantaire lurched forward, the red in his bottle jumped out and landed with a splash onto the floor. His nose scrunched up with an ugly grin, watching as Gavroche held his breath.
“You don’t know the Beast?” Gavroche shook his head.
From across the Musain, Courfeyrac leaned back in his chair. “Oh, hush, ‘Taire. You don’t know of any beasts or ghouls.”"
this was a canon era body horror about grantaire turning into a fucking monster and i do actually want to finish this. i LOVE body horror and i want to throw grantaire in the plinko machine
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Fic Rec Post
Hey everybody! One of my secret santas asked me what my favorite fics are so I decided to make a full blown rec post just for them. These are a little all over the place so I hope you can find something that you enjoy here! ☁️✨ 
Please make sure to read all tags and warnings before reading a fic. And don’t forget to kudos/comment!
🌙 The Finish Line (Is A Good Place For Us To Start) by LoadedGunn 122k
Louis Tomlinson, one-time Formula 1 World Champion, is looking forward to the 2013 season. He’s got Zayn in his garage and Liam in his ear, he’s got Cowell Racing backing him despite former indiscretions, he’s got experience and the best race car out there. Not to mention he’s the only racer they have, after Oliver dropped out late last year.
It hasn’t occurred to him that Oliver would have to be replaced by February. That is, until he finds himself at a party celebrating Harry Styles leaving Ferrari for Cowell. Harry hotshot Styles, who broke a record last year and is probably looking to make a big splash. Harry Styles, who is talented and somewhat intimidating. Harry Styles, who left Ferrari for reasons unknown and seems kind of lonely and harmless in person. Lonely, harmless, hot as fuck. Whatever.
The first thing Louis does is take him under his wing. From there it’s nine months of slow-burning romance, the past catching up to them, turning into the human puppy pile that is OT5 and a lot of feelings until, of course, reaching the finish line.
🌙 a promise lives within you now by sarcasticfluentry 46k
A Lord of the Rings-inspired Middle Earth AU. Louis is an Elven prince, next in line to become King of Mirkwood, and Harry is the orphaned Human boy who grows up alongside him. They fall in love, but Louis’s obligations to the throne, Harry’s mortality, and impending war threaten to tear them apart.
🌙 if you're for real and not pretend by brownheadedstranger 21k
In which Harry works in a bakery and Louis can't seem to find what he's looking for.
🌙 Into The Blue by zarah5 117k (story is locked, ao3 account required to read)
AU. In which Louis is Harry's scuba instructor and quite happy to provide the requested special treatment, pun fully intended. It can't be all that difficult to convince Harry that they're on the same page, right? Also, Niall and Liam may or may not be dating, and Zayn is surrounded by emotionally stunted idiots. He bears it with dignity.
🌙 Don't Unplug Me Or Shut Me Down by slashter 7k
Louis scowls. "He's a photography student. He works with gorgeous models and probably breaks hearts with his smile. I'm a nerd. I earn my money fixing broken crap, and for some stupid reason, I like it. He wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, he's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers, et cetera, et cetera." Louis sighs. "I swear, the coolest thing I've ever done is wear contacts."
Basically, Louis is a self-proclaimed nerd who fixes things and Harry seems too perfect to keep breaking as many things as he does.
🌙 You Are The Blood by sarcasticfluentry 175k
A seventh-year Hogwarts AU in which Niall gets all the girls, Liam goes on a journey of self-discovery, Zayn falls in love, Harry wants something more, and Louis tries to figure out once and for all why he, a Muggleborn, was sorted into Slytherin.
🌙 this must be what all the fuss is about by youcomecrash 3k
"You're sweaty," he mumbles matter-of-factly. Louis opens his eyes and raises his head from between his arms. Harry's just staring up at him with a lazy expression and Louis kind of wants to kiss him to sleep. "That's because it's a hundred degrees in here, babe."
🌙 I Fell From the Sky For You (Like a Shooting Star) [by louserz] by waddupjordan (orphan_account) 8k (This was originally posted on tumblr by @louserz and this person had permission to post it on ao3 for the author. if the original author sees this and wants me to take this off of my rec post please DM me and I will. This fic displays elements of depression and homelessness although it is not tagged that way so please take caution in reading this. I don’t want to accidentally trigger anybody.<3)
Harry owns a bookstore, Louis is homeless, and apparently even shooting stars fall in love.
🌙 Sail Across Me by iwillpaintasongforlou 21k
Harry is a prince that is about to be forced into marriage against his will and running away to sea seems like a much better option. Louis is the captain of the infamous pirate ship The Rogue and he has a thing for helping defenseless creatures. Especially when they're as pretty as this one.
🌙 but maybe im just in love when you wake me up by theonewiththelarrystories 6k
lazy morning sex, prompted by Asher: "like a whole sleepy sunday morning vibe of waking up together and then louis pulling a sleepy harry into a warm bath and louis washing harry all over. a bit of body!worship, louis gently working conditioner into harrys curls and him practically purring. Then louis taking it slow with kisses on harrys neck and gentle touches and then fingering harry until hes whining with his head thrown back against louis’ shoulder little needy noises coming from his perfect fucking lips. and then harrys boneless and content while louis leads him back to their bed and spreads him out face down and rims the fuck out of him until hes screaming and then he fucks him gently and then they cuddle on the couch and harry wears louis’ white sweater and louis calls him ‘sweetheart.’"
🌙 strawberry milk fic by Wankerville 158k (3 parts)
This is a 3 part story. The 1st part was originally written alone and then the author added the rest. You can just read the 1st part (19k), and you’ll still be satisfied without feeling added pressured to read the whole thing. Please read all the tags and warnings for each fic beforehand!
🌙 and we live like legends now by soleilouis 16k girl!direction 
harry works at a juice bar, and louis is the cute girl that skates at the park right next door.
🌙 Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore 102k (story is locked, ao3 account required to read) @mediawhorefics​
For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.
The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.
🌙 jump in the deep end by istajmaal 5k 
Louis’s stomach lurches as he closes the last bit of distance, Harry’s nose settling between his arse cheeks and pushing them apart. Harry’s lips brush against the puckered skin around Louis’s hole in a kiss and Louis lets out a whine so high-pitched he barely recognizes it as coming from himself—what if I'm not clean enough, what if Harry hates it, what if Harry pushes me away—but then Harry’s long, wet tongue swoops in a circle around Louis’s rim and Louis feels like all the breath is knocked out of him. He grabs for Harry’s hand, still digging into his thigh, and squeezes over it, until Harry releases his vice grip on Louis’s thigh and laces his fingers through Louis’s.
or, Louis's arse is a sensitive subject, so Harry approaches it gently. With his tongue.
🌙 the wheel breaks the butterfly by embodied 4k girl!direction @aliensingucci​
“Out with it, Styles,” Louis groans. Harry’s suddenly regretting this whole thing, and she’s sure she’s beet red now, so she just blurts it out so fast she’s not sure if Louis even understands her right away.
“I’ve never gotten head before.”
AU. harry and louis are roommates. girls' night ends a little differently than usual.
🌙 you flower, you feast by stylinsoncity 18k
He's King of the Underworld, but don't assume Louis has it all. He could stand for some excitement in his monotonous, eternal life and maybe, even.....a soulmate.
(Despite not having a soul.)
And along came "Harry".
🌙 you change, water sea by got2ghost 4k girl!direction (ziam with side larry)
“Zayn wants me to teach her how to make a girl squirt,” Louis says, like it’s the most casual thing in the world. Liam chokes on the water she’d been swigging from her thermos, which makes Louis throw her head back and laugh. Zayn’s brows pinch together and she pats Liam gently on the shoulder, muttering, ‘you okay babes?’
🌙 The Case Of The (Definitely Not Haunted) Styles Mansion by BriaMaria 40k
“So there’s a sense of humor buried beneath all that condescension, huh?” Louis said when he’d stopped laughing.
“It’s not condescension, it’s intelligence. I understand you might not be able to recognize it yourself,” Marcel said, then slapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh god, I’m sorry.”
Louis stepped closer, his eyes on Marcel’s face. “For being an asshat?”
“For being rude,” Marcel said, from beneath his palm.
Louis shifted a half-step closer until he was at the very edge of Marcel’s personal space. It felt like he was nudging at it, asking to be let in. Marcel flushed hot for no reason.
“Lucky for you it takes quite a lot to actually insult me,” Louis said taking one step closer. Too close. Too close.
Marcel met Louis’ eyes. Those blue eyes that reminded Marcel of poetry instead of science, lyrics instead of formulas. They were so pretty he wanted to drown in them.
---
Or the Nancy Drew AU where Marcel is a man of logic, Louis is a private detective who believes in ghosts, and the Styles Mansion is definitely, absolutely, positively *not* haunted.
🌙 You are the Lyrics by TheIfInLife 4k @larryficwriter​
or, Harry wears lingerie for the first time and Louis definitely approves.
🌙 Wild at Heart Ain't Hard to Find by QuickedWeen 11k girl!direction @becomeawendybird
Louis and her best friends Niall and Liam always take an annual vacation together. This year Niall has picked Redwater Canyon, a small tourist town where everyone lives like it's the Old West. There are saloons, stagecoaches, and limited access to WiFi.
The town boasts tours, excursions, activities, and the hottest woman Louis has ever seen in the form of the local blacksmith.
🌙 Withdrawal Was the Weeping by QuickedWeen 11k girl!direction
Confined by life and society, Harry spends her Sunday afternoons walking aimlessly about the countryside as it's her only source of freedom. One Sunday she is aided by the most beautiful woman she has ever met, but not everything is as it seems. Was it a trick of the light? Was it Harry's own active imagination? There is nothing to do but try to find her again.
🌙 i must admit i thought i'd like to make you mine by disgruntledkittenface 50k @disgruntledkittenface​
Louis fell apart when her ex broke up with her and moved across the country. Just as she’s starting to move on, Zayn comes back to town for their mutual friends’ wedding – with a new girlfriend as her plus one.
Blindsided and scrambling to save face, Louis lets herself get talked into a fake relationship with her new friend Harry. Their arrangement makes Louis feel pathetic and embarrassed, but it’s only going to last a few weeks. She just has to get through the wedding – what could happen?
🌙 tempted by the fruit of another by disgruntledkittenface 3k (zayn/louis/harry)
Zayn didn’t mean to look. And she certainly didn’t mean to watch.
It’s just that Louis and Harry are the worst hosts in the world; they’re in their bedroom, clearly fucking (again), and so loud that Zayn can’t concentrate on her game of Among Us in the living room. Liam has killed her twice. Liam. So she just went down the hallway to make sure their bedroom door was at least closed.
It wasn’t.
Zayn stumbles into a world of possibility when she stays with Harry and Louis for a few weeks.
🌙 I have more favorite fics but they are not included here due to them being deleted from ao3. They’re saved in PDF form both on my laptop and my phone (I go back and read them all the time) so if you’re interested in those you’re welcome to reach out to me and ask privately and I’ll share what I can.
This turned out a lot longer than I had expected. If you read through the whole thing thank you! ✨
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whatsmylaneagain · 4 years
Text
Amethyst - Third Chapter
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Pairing: Eggsy x Agent!Reader
Word count: 1960 (a big one!!! Yay!!!)
Warnings: swearing, Roxy mention (bc she deserved more), reader’s character being a rebellious lil shit, Eggsy being kinda dumb (oh well this is all kinda narrated by his point of view, there’s no way to not expect that, right?!)
Chapter synopsis: so, we know that the bomb had Eggsy’s name on it, but.... what the hell is actually happening?
A/N: GUYS IM BACK AND IM SORRY!!!! I’ve written (and revised) this more than six months ago, but I absolutely hated how I made Eggsy a dumb character, so I spent all this months putting this story aside to fix it later... but I love it so much and this week I watched Spies are Forever and oh well.... idk, its been too long, but I’m posting this anyway.
Amethyst masterlist
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Eggsy didn’t expect to find another person other than Harry and Merlin at the Kingsman’s meeting room. And what he definitely didn’t expect was for the person to be a beautiful Chinese woman laughing and having a drink with Harry Hart. The young man felt like he was invading a private moment, and had the sudden urge to grab y/n by the arm to show her the new victorian-style sconces he chosen for the rebuilt hallway.
But before he could say anything, y/n had already tapped the doorpost, making their presence known. The middle-aged woman talking to Harry glanced at the two young agents, giving the girl a sly smile. 
“I’m glad to know you didn’t punch Mr. Unwin on your way here, y/n” she said, as Eggsy went straight for his chair on Harry’s right side.
“I would’ve if you didn’t send me that text” The girl had moved to the woman’s side, backing up to the wall for support. She never made mention of pulling a chair.
“Well, y/n, I take as you already know Harry.” Said the woman, gesturing to the older man, who smiled sweetly. Yes, that’s right. Harry SMILED.
“Of course, The Great Harry Hart, the man of a thousand missions;” when Eggsy thought he couldn’t get more confused, y/n pulled this. “Everybody at the headquarters knows who you are.” And some - fucking – how, she sounded genuine, and not witty or arrogant as she appeared to be. Was that… admiration?
Seeing Eggsy’s confused expression, the older woman gave him a small smile, welcoming, but not too sweet; just like an agent is used to do.
“Galahad, I’m Yijun, or as my agents – or people who can’t bother to learn how to pronounce it - call me, Circe. I’m the head of Amethyst, the agency that y/n works for.”
Eggsy must have looked very confused, because Harry intervened, while pouring two more drinks, giving him one and sliding the other across the table, towards y/n.
“Yijun is an old friend, we met some weeks after she came from China. I was already a Kingsman, and was trying to bring her into the organization – just like I did with you – when she was recruited as an Amethyst trainee.”
“You knew?” Started Eggsy, a little bit of irritation shaping his words. After agent Whiskey, he knew better than not to trust Harry. But he couldn’t help the feeling of being a pawn. “Why did you let me go after her then?”
“I didn’t know the agent who saved you was y/n. All I knew was that she was an Amethyst, since the intervention was fast and clean.”
“-almost clean;” Yijun turned her chair to y/n, who was taking a sip out of her drink, still leant against the wall. “If Morgan’s work were perfect, you wouldn’t be able to find her.”
“Nobody’s perfect, but I try my best.” She shrugged. “’m still your best agent tho.”
“Please,” Merlin entered the room, an IPad in hands, ready to the briefing. “put the blame on me for being able to hack into almost anything, including London’s surveillance cameras. She did a wonderful job.”
Merlin stopped right in front of y/n, extending his hand for a handshake. She grabbed it immediately.
“Miss Le Fay. Hope our codenames won’t be a problem.” 
“I don’t see why, Sir Merlin. The witch from who I borrowed my name could very easily have been Merlin’s apprentice.”
No awkward pressure thing, from what Eggsy could see. Why were his interactions with her so bloody awful? For god’s sake, y/n was joking with Merlin!
It took him a moment to remember what history the two were referring to: Morgan Le Fay was a witch in King Arthur’s story, from where Kingsman got their codenames. Depending on the version, she can be portrayed as Merlin’s enemy, responsible for the death of King Arthur or as a powerful good woman, that had healing powers and could shape shift. For an organization like Amethyst, Eggsy supposed the second option was the one they had in mind.
Merlin greeted Yijun with a respectful “ma’am” before selecting something on his device, the projection of a document showing up on the wall above y/n.
“The techs over Amethyst sent us their reports on missing people, and turns out the man who you two,” Merlin looked at Eggsy and y/n. “saw is Adrian Bell. Seven months ago, he apparently went on a trip to India, but his family didn’t hear about him after he left. He never showed up on the airport camera footage.”
“So... he planned to disappear?” Interfered Eggsy.
“Apparently, yes. But there’s a problem.” Merlin changed the projection, it now being a series of pictures, especially ones where Bell hugged his family tightly, his wife crying, and his kids glued to his leg. It looked like a reunion. “He doesn’t remember anything and woke up asking for his family. His last memory was being in a bar and passing out. He thinks that he was in an alcoholic coma.”
Eggsy was about to ask a lot of questions, but Merlin had started talking again, while taking two Kingsman’s RayBans out of his pocket, giving each woman a pair. 
“I’ve made a partnership with the group of cooperative organizations led by Amethyst, also called D.E.A.R; Diamond, Emerald and Amethyst Relations -” Introduced Merlin, but Eggsy wasn’t really paying much attention to him. 
Instead, he was observing y/n, who hesitantly spun the glasses in her hands, analysing it, differently from Yijun, who just put them on right away. Her mouth twitched on the side, and she started to bite her tongue, as if trying to distract and put herself together. Y/n put them on, but kept looking down for some seconds, before fixing her posture and raising her head, crossing her arms, still leant against the wall on one shoulder.
It was quite weird seeing y/n wearing the glasses. Even though she had noting that could possibly remind him of Roxy, Eggsy couldn’t stop the deja vu of his best friend. A sad smile adorned his lips. He missed her.
A Kingsman-style hologram of a young 16-year-old girl appeared sitting on one of the chairs, big extravagant round sunglasses framing her face along with bright pink streaks on her brown hair. Although she was a teenager (and dressed like one, in a jean jacket and a white tee that said “girl power” in red), she sat perfectly straight, very professionally.
“Good evening, gentlemen. I’m Tonks, Emerald’s tech and field agent. I just came back from an information gathering mission.” which, as a previous Emerald’s agent, y/n knew was just a fancy description for attending parties. Nothing too dangerous, especially for Emerald’s missions, that were more based in socialization and keeping an eye on people. Actually, y/n was impressed that Tonks had something substantial to report (especially to Kingsman) in a high school party. “A group of unmatchable individuals seems to be working together, all of them acting really uncharacteristic and very patronized. I detected the group spiking other teen’s drinks. I managed to intervene and get a sample of it. Agent Spellman also reported a strange movement, alike the one I observed, with a college group. We sent the samples to our biotechs, and the lab concluded it was a modified Mikey Pinn.” The girl grabbed her phone and sent something, the IPhone message sound reverberating through the room. “Now you have access to our outhouse cameras, Merlin.” 
Merlin quickly changed the projection above y/n to eight squares of video that showed each teen in one small room, some asleep on the beds, some walking around nervously, and one passed out on the floor. Tonks started talking again.
“Spellman and I brought the group of high school and college students to our outhouse. Whatever drug they’re on soon will wear off, and then we’ll be able to analyse what happened to them.”
“Was that the first ever occurrence on your field, Tonks?” Asked Yijun, and then turned to the Kingsman’s, explaining; “Emerald agents that work on high schools usually only have to get in action to stop violence and abuse at their missions. Situations like what we’re dealing with right now is uncharacteristic.”
“No, Boss. Some students stopped going to classes suddenly, but we checked: they all were confirmed on exchange programs abroad. Apparently, they never went.”
Y/n wasn’t leant on the wall anymore. She’d walked to the table, bent over it, hands open, pressed on the cold wood, all her attention on Tonks. Tension.
“Who were the kids? High school and college. Why choose them?” She said.
Tonks flipped through her phone, messaging Merlin more documents - the ring once again filling the room - before answering.
“A rugby player, two perfect grade kids and a foreign student were the high school kids. Apparently, it’s a pattern: physically strong people and awarded students that stand out for their knowledge of exact sciences.”
“Have you tracked were they were drugged the first time?” Continued y/n.
“Not yet, but...”
“I did;” said Merlin, suddenly, typing on his IPad.
A new image showed up on the wall. The front of a bar that looked like it used to be fancy ten years ago. Now, the paint was coming off the walls, and the huge opaque black doors were rusted, chains and a big old padlock kept them closed. It had no name on the outside, only a broken light up waning crescent moon, just the inferior part working, shining in a weak yellow light.
Eggsy knew the place. Actually, every teen and young adult in London knew Moonz: the flat broke bar that let underage kids come in and drink. You didn’t even need a fake ID, they would pretend to not be able to do math and let kids in. In some months, it became domain of teens, turning into a considerably safe place for them to get drunk and party. Also, it was the cheapest place to get booze.
But the underage drinking caused a bigger problem; since it was illegal, the neighbourhood didn’t have a lot of cops because the owner kept them away. Consequently, Moonz’s location became a centre of violence, kidnapping, and other heavy crimes.
The young Galahad saw y/n turn to the projection in slow motion, the act of being casual being thrown out of the window. For Eggsy, she looked like a robot who got rebooted and installed a completely different system of command. When she spoke again, her voice was strong and deep.
“Tonks, do you know when it started?”
“It?” Asked Eggsy. 
“The kidnappings.” Y/n answered. “The fact that they were drugging others looks like it was a kidnapping system. In this context, those kids were “recruiting” more teens.” 
Tonks checked her phone.
“No, Morgan. We couldn’t track it. They apparently are the first ones to come back.”
“Shit.” Y/n paced around the room. “Boss, permission to do an observation and protection mission at Moonz.”
“Permission granted” nodded Yijun “take Galahad with you.”
“Yi, I don’t think the gentlemen can pass as a teenager.” Y/n had stopped walking. She looked straight into Eggsy’s eyes. “With all due respect...”
Yijun shook her head. 
“You know there are other ways to get him inside undercover.”
Y/n ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath. Eggsy could almost hear her thinking “Fuck. Fine.”.
“C’mon Galahad, we’ve got a job to do.”
Eggsy and Y/n were almost out of the room when Yijun called her agent again.
“Oh and Y/n.” The girl turned around. “Don’t engage. I’ll send Emerald agents to protect the kids, but you and Galahad can’t have your covers blown up. Do. Not. Engage. Do you understand?”
All Y/n did was nod slightly.
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If you made it to here, thank you so much! I hope it was worth your time! Some feedback would be appreciated, I really wanted to see if you liked this (dumb) Eggsy I’m presenting.... If you don’t want to be in the taglist anymore, I totally understand! Just message me :)
Also!!!! Feel free to message me any questions about the fic and this chapter! I have some fun reasons for choosing those codenames and Diamond, Emerald and Amethyst as the names for the organization!
Amethyst taglist
@a-dorky-book-keeper @50shadesofuncomfortable @arizonacolleen @infinity-of-high-dreaming @toasty-fish @pink-smarties @mc225g @dadd-ilf @sueeatstheworld @katorgatorgalaxy @the-ink-and-salt-club @incorrect-mcdanno @xelizabethvalentinex @ahyestheandersons @thatdamnokie @wxxnks @awesomewees @ryedikkulus @discodeak @clacestan @y-dadd
(If you got the notification again, sorry! I had a problem with the taglist and had to do it again!
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mysticgalaxie · 4 years
Text
After Dr. Randolph Bell broke it off with Quovadis, and he assumed that all would be fine, after the dust settled. He couldn't have been more wrong.
Chapter 1
Word count: 1823
View this on wattpad : https://my.w.tt/48dUBhkChcb
After a surgery well done, everybody at Chastain hospital was relieved. It was a rarely attempted and barely researched surgery, a triple transplant. The patient was very close to many of the doctors in the hospital, so there was much to be celebrated. The surgeons who did the procedure, Randolph Bell, Mina Okafor, Aj Austin, and the doctors who were involved, Conrad Hawkins, Devon Pravesh, and Nicolette Nevin all arranged to meet up and celebrate for a job well done.
After shift was over, the group got dressed and left in their own rides, only to meet up at a bar about 15 minutes from the hospital. They all got out of their vehicles, speaking in the parking lot as they walked inside of the bar. Conrad figured it was a bit empty but also realized most people were probably still at work on a Wednesday night. The group got a table for all of them to be at, and they got all seated.
They all began chatting, trying to figure out what they each wanted to drink. Since it was all 6 of them, it was probably best to coordinate their orders so one could go up to the bar and order. Nic figured out what everyone wanted and she stood up, walking over to the bar. She told the bartender what they all wanted, and the bartender began working on drinks.
After a moment of standing there, Nic started to feel a bit uneasy. She felt like something was off, and she trusted her gut. She began to slowly examine the room around her, and noticed there was only a couple groups of people, all who looked rather shady. She again, had a really bad feeling. She glanced back to the table her friends were at, seeing Aj, Conrad and Devon making conversation of some sort. In contrast, Bell and Mina were more on the quiet side, occasionally agreeing with something that was said.
Before Nic could begin thinking about the suspicious situation, the bartender gave her the drinks. She nodded a thank you, trying not to seem as weary as she was of the whole thing. She grabbed the tray of drinks and carefully made her way back over to the table, where she sat the tray down and resumed her spot beside Conrad. She turned and whispered to him,
"I don't like this. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing." She admitted.
Conrad shrugged, not thinking anything seemed too out of the ordinary. After a moment he whispered back,
"Im sure it's fine. Plus, there's six of us. What could go wrong?"
Conrad responded with his reassuring smile. By now, the others had started to loosen up a bit, Randolph chiming in to conversation a bit more. He grabbed the drink he was ordered, taking a sip as Nic realized a man walking up to the table. Nic raised her brow, talking to the man.
"Uhm, hello sir. Is there something we can do for you?"
She asked politely, putting on her act a bit so she didn't seem so paranoid. She was trying to believe what Conrad had told her but she was finding it harder and harder to not think everything here was just off.
At this point, everyone at their table had quieted down, their attention now partially focused on the stranger that walked up.
"Well, not you actually. I do have some business with Dr. Bell, though."
The man answered, and Randolph nodded. He recognized the man as somebody who he had worked with in the past. The man then smiled politely as he turned his full attention to bell.
"Can we speak with each other in private? There's something I'd like to speak with you about." The man questioned.
Nic felt a pit forming in her stomach, but as she looked around the table it didn't seem like anybody had the same paranoia she did. It had her starting to believe maybe her gut was wrong after all.
Randolph just shook his head in response to the man's question.
"I'm with my colleagues right now, can we maybe get in touch at a later time?" He requested.
Oddly enough, the man just shook his head. "With all due respect to you and your colleagues, Its kind of important." He replied.
Randolph sighed and nodded. "Alright, but make it quick. I'm not really in the mood." He answered as he stood, excusing himself from his friends table. Then, the two men walked into the bathroom for some privacy.
Nic and the others watched them go. The others engaged in conversation again but Nik just felt too nervous to say much. Conrad took notice of her nervousness and he took her hand under the table, hoping to relax her, but Nic just seemed worried.
Randolph and the man stepped inside the bathroom. He seemed annoyed but he was trying to contain it. He turned to the man with a sigh.
"What was so important that-"
He started to say, before he was cut off by getting pushed against the wall. Randolph was at a loss for words as the man pulled a knife from his pocket.
"You screwed over Quovadis, and Gordon. You took our money, our resources - now you're going to pay the price for your actions. Gordon wants you dead. And I'm gonna make that happen."
As the man finished his little victory speech, Randolph didn't even have time to react before he was stabbed in the stomach. He inwardly gasped, as the blade was twisted and pulled out as swiftly as it had stabbed him.
Randolph, being a doctor, his quickest reflex was to put pressure on his wound any way he possibly could. The man just chuckled.
"No no, we can't have that.."
He said, before he pushed Randolph against the wall more, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. He stabbed it into Randolph's wrist, before slamming his head against the wall. Randolph collapsed to the ground, his head spinning. He couldn't articulate his thoughts well enough to call for help, either. The man thought he had knocked the other out, so he turned away. All according to the plan. The man stepped over Randolph's body, washing his hands and knife of any blood, before he left the bathroom.
Nic looked up instantly, and seeing that Bell hadn't exited she gulped a bit.
"Excuse me, where is Dr. Bell?"She questioned, her tone nervous.
The man looked over, smiling a bit. "He had to use the restroom, he'll be out in a couple minutes." He answered, walking back over to his group of friends, or whatever his group was.
Conrad looked at Nic, even he was starting to get suspicious a small bit but he figured he was just getting some of the overflow from Nic. He turned to her.
"You should try to relax a bit, I'm sure everything is fine."
Conrad whispered to her. Nic just shook her head, taking another sip of her drink. After a moment the group fell silent, hearing the groups around them start whispering, and Conrad noticed that Randolph still hadn't been back.
"Im gonna be right back.." Conrad mumbled, excusing himself from the table as he quickly walked towards the bathroom. He got chills down his spine as he neared the bathroom. Something was wrong.
Just as Conrad neared the bathroom, a couple groups of 4-5 men stood up, blocking the exits. Nic and Aj were the first to jump up, realising the danger as they looked at the men. It didn't take very much longer before Devon and Mina also realised that something was wrong and they also stood up.
Nic looked towards the bathroom but a man stepped forward, gun pointed at her.
"If i were you, I'd keep reaaal quiet."
He threatened her, so she did as requested as she looked back towards the bathroom. She was stressed and had no idea what was going on.
Conrad stepped inside the bathroom, and his instincts kicked in. He rushed over to Randolph's side, and without even thinking his slipped off his jacket, then his shirt. He used his shirt to apply pressure, and he pulled the older man into his lap. To his surprise, Randolph was still conscious.
Conrad held onto him, keeping pressure without thought. Conrad didn't know what to do or say. He was panicked.
"Hey, hey you've gotta stay with me.."
Conrad whispered to him, as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911, though it was tricky as there was blood on his hands. He looked down at Randolph, who was silent and losing consciousness. He grabbed onto Conrad's arm softly, but after only a couple short moments his grip faded and he lost consciousness.
Conrad gulped down his panic as the 911 operator answered.
"911, what is your emergency?" The operator asked, as they usually did.
"U-Uh, I've got a stabbed victim, offender is still in the building.." He quickly said, and the operator responded quickly.
"Okay sir, please calm down. Where are you at right now?" They asked calmly. So calmly it made Conrad upset, though he knew it was just their job. Conrad told them the address of the bar, and she took note of that.
"Okay sir, I'm dispatching an ambulance and some police to your location. Please hang tight. Is there any way that you can-"
Suddenly, he heard beeping. He pulled the phone away from his ear, and he looked at it. The call had been disconnected, and he had no service. He didn't know how long it would be until help got here.
He knew he was running out of options, so he opted to yell for help.
"Nic! Somebody! I need help in here!" He yelled desperately. Seconds passed, and nobody came. "Goddamn it!" He cursed, knowing it wasn't safe to leave Randolph alone, unconscious and bleeding. But he had to get help.
He stood up and rushed out of the room, only to find all his friends at gunpoint, and a gun swiftly pointed at him. Seeing all the blood on him, Nic gasped. They all knew something bad happened. Conrad's pants, hands, chest - blood was everywhere. Conrad looked around, as the man who had to gun on him motioned with an annoyed look.
"Get over there with your friends. Now." He ordered. Conrad knew better than to object, but he was scared. Scared that bell wasn't going to make it. Slowly, Conrad walked over to the others. They all stayed still, as two men came from the back room and walked into the bathroom. They dragged Randolph's bloody, unconscious body into the main room.
Nic gasped, hand flying over her mouth in shock. Devon touched her arm, since he was the closest to her. Before Conrad could say anything, somebody else stepped out into the main room.
And it was none other than Gordon Page.
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alchemist-shizun · 5 years
Text
To tend thee is my care
ACT I
ACT II - Read on Ao3!
See the awesome fanart!
Word count: 13,679 
Taglist: @lesbianturtle @len-art-trash @i-need-you-buddy @jeevashun @quietlypondering  @creativity-killed-thekitten @bookwyrminspiration @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing  @softanxiouspatton @be-more-chaotic @pheonix-inside-reblogs @www-dot-ohshit-dot-com @datfearlessfangirl @alltimevirgilant @royalnerd829 @just-fic-me-up @theblankest123 @theotherella​ @thesleepyraziel @gaylotusthatexists @sendingcookiesfromhell @mijako98 @logicalberry @maybe-i-like-the-misery @orderly-opaline @purpledemond
(Please tell me if you want to be added too for Act II!)
Characters: Virgil, Nonbinary!Roman
Summary: You’ve heard of enemies to lovers now get ready for acquaintances to friends to now we’re fighting because I’m scared of your rejection so I’m pretending it’s your fault when it clearly is mine to friends again, even though you’re an idiot, but I still love you to lovers. 
Roman and Virgil are both part of the theater group of their school, Roman is one of the actors, while Virgil is the head of the stage design group. Despite being in the same year and having lessons in the same building, they hadn’t really ever talked to each other, but everything was about to change when the teachers, heads of the whole theater group, announced that they were going to challenge themselves by presenting one of Euipides’ last plays: The Bacchantes. Follow our two main characters helping each other out as one is forced to learn how to act in a matter of months and the other goes through a journey of self-discovery as he studies his role.
Pairing(s): Prinxiety (I’m unpredictable)
Warning(s): Mild swearing, Death mention (mostly when talking about the tragedy), Blood mention (once), Negative thinking, Implied toxic parenting (once), [Me projecting heavily onto Virgil (also Ro at some point)]
A/n: I’ve been writing this for months and I can’t explain how proud I am to show you guys this! Before you start reading, I want to inform you that the school system I write about here is not the American one since I know little to nothing about it. Instead I’ll be using the one of my country for reasons of simplicity. (All names I use here are invented, so you can place the events wherever you’d like.) I thought about doing a long for this plot but I chose to write a one shot instead, since it’s pretty long I decided to divide it into two acts, the second one is coming very soon. I studied and read the whole play translated in my original language, that’s where the inspiration for my au came from. All the English translations I used for the play are from here, here and here. The song mentioned is So Contagious by Acceptance. That being said, hope you enjoy!
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What now?
It was during an October’s Tuesday that Virgil had started panicking due to school stress.
It wasn’t like his teachers hadn’t been pressuring his class ever since they entered their first fifth year lesson: partly because of the final exams, the rest of the time they asked about their university choices.
This year’s archaeological excavation, an experience reserved only to the students of his course, was also placed exactly in those three weeks of October were the theater group had started.
Tuesday in October for Virgil meant lessons until half past midday, research for the upcoming excavation exhibition until two p.m., theater club for an hour, then back to doing research with one of his teachers and half of his classmates until 17:00.
In all honesty, he wouldn’t have minded being buried alive when they’d have to cover back up the site.
Virgil had tried convincing himself that it wasn’t really that hard, besides the club had just started and the first few days were mostly focused on helping the first years settle, be comfortable with the teachers and also test out their abilities. And this one was only the second meeting.
But, of course, his day had to get worse. Life was trying him, and boy, did he hate sudden drastic changes.
It was when he noticed all the odd attention he was getting by the teachers that he realized something was definitely going to go wrong.
Everyone took a seat on the wooden bleachers of the old gym, they were basically attached to the pavement and the obnoxious yellow-painted walls of the large room. A quick glance around and you had the feeling that everything was going to collapse at any moment.
Virgil saw some familiar faces, some new ones, but he definitely couldn’t forget about the regulars: his beloved stage deseign group, which were a bunch of students that the teacher trusted him enough to take care of and teach them what they had to do during shows and how to prepare the stage. And next to them some actors from the last three years, Dave, Bonnie, Lukas and Roman.
He and Roman were the only ones brave enough to stick around even during the toughest year of that hellhole, so everyone silently respected them. And just as much as Virgil helped the newcomers in his group, Roman was happy to lend a hand in acting along side the most talented fourth and third years above mentioned.
« Well hello and welcome back here, guys! » Mrs. Michaelis had started, clasping her hands together, she was an English grammar and literature teacher.
After making sure everybody had arrived, they explained that since the week after they were going to see the first years’ “auditions” as they liked to call them, but they were really simply methods to check how promising someone could be at acting.
« I know this may sound shocking, we still can’t believe it- »
« Mostly because normally it takes us a couple of months before choosing a script. » Mrs. Eagan, an ancient Greek and Latin teacher, had interrupted, causing multiple chuckles from the students.
« … As I was saying, yes. We already know the play that we’ll be covering this year, we also have scripts ready for almost everybody. But there’s some news! »
« This year we decided to sign up our group and participate to some kind of challenge! » murmurs began to fill the room, as uneasiness set in Virgil’s stomach. Why make things harder for everybody? Wasn’t it just as good doing a simple show one night and one morning?
« Some, let’s say, “judges” are going to attend our play and afterwards, if they’re satisfied enough, they will let us take our production to the biggest local theater! »
The murmurs transformed into gasps, that theater was placed in the city of their province, getting an invitation was a huge challenge.
« And our play is going to be … » Mrs. Eagan’s eyes met Virgil’s and fixated on them. That’s when he began overthinking. Why was she looking directly at him? That never meant good news. « … Euripides’ tragedy, The Bacchantes. »
Oh.
Oh, fuck.
Only his eyes widened among the confused looks of most of the students. He had studied that play, along side many other ones, in his fourth year. He did truly love them, but damn him if they weren’t already a challenge to portray.
« That’s right Virgil, you know it. » why was also the English teacher giving him his attention? What were they planning, did he have to explain the play to everybody?
All the students turned to face him, some quietly asking what was the plot, some fourth years of his same course demanded to know if it was a difficult topic.
« Easy now, everybody, he’s already been tested last year by Mr. Richardson. » one of the teachers interrupted, walking closer to the spot where Virgil sat, for some reason he had found himself next to the “talented actors group”.
They explained the plot for everybody after that.
« We know it might be real tough, so this year we already agreed on the roles beforehand. Don’t worry, if you didn’t get your time to shine this year, in the next ones you totally will. »
Wait, he wasn’t part of the actors group, why did this have anything to do with him? Why were they still staring at him?
To his relief, the teachers addressed the newcomers first. « We were thinking about giving the role of the chorus to the first and second years, they have long bits, but we can split them instead of making you all recite them, so that you don’t feel too burdened and the role becomes easy for all of you. »
« The roles of the messengers will be given to our third years, messengers are used to explain everything that happens that does not happen on scene. One of the rules for tragedies was that the scene had to take place in the same time and place. Also, they didn’t show blood and/or murders/suicides on scene. They were all narrated. »
« As for our three fourth years. » they looked over Virgil’s shoulder to Dave, Lukas and Bonnie. « Your roles will be Cadmus, Tiresias and Agave. They play a very important part in the whole story, we trust you’ll do a great job. »
« As for our main characters, Pentheus and Dionysus … » they set their eyes on Roman, who looked more expectant than ever.
But then they also shifted their glances to Virgil.
« We were thinking our only fifth years could have their roles as a good way of saying goodbye to them, since this will be their last play. » everybody else was nodding in agreement, Roman was beaming but slightly confused. Wasn’t Virgil part of the stage design group?
In fact, our little emo kid could only look back in disbelief.
« Roman, Virgil, would you like to become a king and a god, respectively? »
What now?
As the beloved actor was about to answer, Virgil interrupted with a shy apology. « I’m sorry, but there must be a mistake, I’m not part of the actors group, I’ve never acted in the past four years, actually. »
« We know Virgil, but we really thought it might be such a nice way of thanking you guys for your contributions all these years. »
Oh yes, you’re right, putting me in a stress condition by making me do something I have no idea about for a big project that could take us to one of the largest theaters of the country is definitely the best choice you could have made.
All he was able to say was a stuttering noise, as they continued with their little speech. « And Roman is such a good actor, he’s going to help you for sure, aren’t you? »
The mentioned boy nodded vigorously, then proceeded to show one of his brightest smiles. « I always come to the rescue of my fellow actors in need. »
Yeah. Amazing. He was stuck with their decision.
« Besides you already probably know each other pretty well by now, so it won’t be a problem! »
The two students looked at each other. The recognizable expressions of two teens that, despite being in the same year and club, had never said a single word to each other apart from when needed during rehearsals.
« … Right. »
« But what about my group then? » Virgil questioned, he was definitely not going to leave them behind just like that.
« You don’t have to worry about them. This year your History of Art teacher will be lending a hand with the stage and volunteered to be the head of the group. »
Right. Mr. Williams, one of the only teachers that were pretty tolerable in his class.
« And look at them. » he did so, and he was met with happy smiles and encouraging faces. « I’m sure they’ll do a good job after four years with you by their side. Right, Anastasia? »
Anastasia was one of the oldest of the bunch, if not one of the wisest and most skilled, sometimes they wondered if she could just do anything that crossed her mind. « You got it! » she leaned in as if to get closer to the older boy. « We’ll be cheering for you Virge! » she concluded, followed by a couple of “Yeah!“s.
Everybody was so joyful and expectant that he couldn’t help but comply, so he decided to simply sigh and reply with nothing.
As the teachers continued with their topics for the meeting, Virgil couldn’t help but have a single thought in his mind.
This is going to be the most awkward thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.
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As soon as the meeting came to an end, Virgil was fast to get up and rush towards the dungeon’s stairs that would lead again to the surface. Basically there were two buildings, the school and the gym, linked by a little dungeon were there were all the labs and computer rooms.
He had to get back to the library as soon as he could, or god knows what “you’re late” speech his teacher would have given him. He was always literally on the verge of marking his students as absent if they didn’t show up to the lesson in the exact minute before the bell rang.
Virgil decided to panic about the dumpster fire that had come his way during the meeting after that. One issue at a time. First of all, he had to reach the stairs’ gate and push-
« Hey! Wait for me. »
God, he didn’t have time for this. He kept walking, ignoring the voice behind him and hoping for it to give up and leave him to his well-deserved peace and quiet. At least for three minutes.
As he walked, he found none but Roman himself matching his pace and walking by his side with a curious look. Who could blame him for wanting to be nice?
« You forgot your stuff in your classroom too? » he tried, not a brilliant starter for a conversation, but he had to get something out of the boy.
« No. » cut and dry, that was the only thing that Virgil dared to let escape his mouth.
« Where to, then? »
« The library. »
« Oh, are you waiting for a bus? Maybe I could keep you company. »
« Listen. » they made to a stop as they reached the last floor, not that far off from Virgil’s destination. « Today’s already been as stressful as it is, could you just … go straight to the point? I don’t have much time here. »
It was not like he had meant to sound rude, it wasn’t like it was his purpose either to brush off someone just like that or to see the other boy’s hurt expression. But he had reached a limit in which he didn’t really care-
« Oh, my apologies, then. »
And there was the guilt.
« I was just wondering if we could exchange numbers, if it isn’t uncomfortable for you. I guess we’ll need to hang out in the future. » he tried to sound as confident as he could, but it was as if “awkward” was scribbled all over his face.
« Sure, are you asking me on a date next? » with all the sarcasm injected in his words, he sure as hell wasn’t expecting Roman’s remark.
« Well, if you wouldn’t mind. » a sly smile made its way through the actor’s face, but was soon replaced by a troubled expression when he saw Virgil’s eye roll and sigh.
« Was I … was I too straightforward? I didn’t- »
« You’re fine, calm down. » Virgil quickly took out his phone and unlocked it before passing it to the other student. As he quietly typed after a murmured “alright”, Virgil couldn’t help but wonder if he had ever upset anyone with his bold statements. It wasn’t like this town was open minded, while he seemed … particularly flamboyant.
Before he could finish his thoughts, he had his phone back in his hands and the not-so-much-stranger-anymore was already heading towards his classroom to get his backpack.
« I sent myself a message. » he warned, then he disappeared and reappeared in a matter of seconds, marched down the hall and flashed him a toothy smile while waving his hand.
« Don’t be a stranger, I’ll see you tomorrow! »
Virgil only nodded and found it impossible to take his eyes off of him until the last lock of hair had vanished down the stairs, wondering what had just happened. Maybe that was the magic that worked on his public every year.
He gave a rapid look at the screen of his phone, noticing that the boy had saved himself as “Princey” with a star emoji right next to it.
This time, he entered the library with an amused expression.
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Roman kept repeating in his mind that it wasn’t his fault.
Yes, it was Firday. Yes, he had gone the rest of the days without a single word to Virgil, not even when he noticed him in the halls during break or when they either entered or left school. Some days he didn’t even see him.
Yes, he could have texted him. But it felt too weird, yet, they didn’t know each other at all! Plus they didn’t even have the script ready.
Yes, he felt like he had the weight of this play’s success completely on his shoulders and depending on him and still shied away from acknowledging it.
But Virgil kept avoiding him! He couldn’t do much without him.
If he saw him during the ten minutes break, Virgil would walk past him without a second thought as if he didn’t think he needed to talk to him.
Some other times he pretended he didn’t even see him. It was getting tough to even have his attention anymore, as if he had to be added to the mean girls table. He needed a miracle.
And maybe the deities were in his favor that day.
As Roman walked down the path that was made next to the plaza, he noticed a familiar little figure sitting on a bench with a backpack next to him and earbuds in his ears. He was watching in front of him as life flew by and didn’t notice Roman approaching at all.
« Virgil? »
The boy in front of him jerked his head up and took out both of his earbuds; his clothes looked much more worn and randomly put together, as if he had dressed himself in the dark. What got Roman the most was the quantity of dirt that was on them and … was that blood under some of his nails?
Roman dropped his bag on the bench, worry expanding in his chest. « Oh my goodness are you okay? » he made to reach for his hand, only to stop himself just in time to remind him of personal space.
Virgil gave him a confused look and brought his fingers to his eyes, close enough to examine them. « Not again. » he groaned, a huff coming out of his lips.
« Wait, I should have something. »
« You don’t have to, it’s noth- »
« Here! » Roman grabbed a box from his bag triumphantly, he took a couple of plasters and waved them in front of the other.
« Why do you even have so many? »
« What can I say, I’m a clumsy person. »
« Mh. Charming. »
« At least I rescued you! Now, show me your hands. » he ordered, but as soon as he saw Virgil’s mouth open to argue, he was ready to remark « I don’t care if you can do this by yourself, you have literally injured fingers, let me help. »
Seeing that there was no other way out of it, he complied.
As soon as he placed his hands over his fingers, Roman couldn’t help but notice how different their skin tones really were compared to one another, sure the difference was obvious at first glance, but seeing it this close was completely something else. He gently dabbed the fresh blood away with a tissue he had taken out with the box a few instants earlier.
Three plasters and a thank you later, the concerned face came back again and Virgil wanted nothing more than the sweet liberation of death. What was his deal, did he never dig on dirt as a child?
« How did you get hurt? »
Virgil simply pointed behind his shoulders, where Roman could only see a huge pile of dirt resting against a tree. He tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy, a sight the other would have found endearing if only he wasn’t so exasperated and tired.
« I’ve been working all day, Princey. »
Roman smiled at the familiar nickname, but still found confusion in his thoughts. « Aren’t you supposed to be at school? »
« It’s linked to school. Haven’t you heard of the excavations that our school is doing? »
Now that he mentioned that, he had heard a bunch of things, but never really paid attention since it was something that wasn’t related to his course.
Roman attended the Languages course, in which he could learn Spanish and French, other than his mother language, with literature comprehended, and all the experiences linked to it were the cultural exchanges during the third and fourth years.
Virgil, otherwise, was part of the Classical course, meaning that he had signed his death certificate by committing to five years of learning ancient Greek and Latin plus the respective literature as main subjects. But other than that and the famous one week school trip to Greece every three years, Roman had no clue what they did other than study until they couldn’t remember their own names, just like any other student.
Yeah, they couldn’t say their school system was perfect.
« I don’t exactly know every detail. Are you guys doing this? »
« Kind of. What we’re doing is carry on with the work we did the past two years, where we had opened other excavations. Let’s say we’re looking for clues. We’re supervised by an actual archaeologist though. »
« That’s so cool! Did you find any gold? » Virgil wasn’t really expecting such excitement coming from Roman. Apart from the all too familiar question, he often found his interlocutors to be pretty uninterested by the topic.
« No gold, but … remember last Tuesday? » Roman nodded attentively.
« On that morning, during one of Mr. Richardson’s lessons, one of our classmates video-called us saying there was an urgent matter to show us. They had found possibly a Roman coin. » he tried to bite back the smile that threatened to form on his lips at the joyful memory, but nothing could take away that particular twinkle in his eyes.
« Are you serious?! That’s wonderful, what if you find a hidden treasure? »
« Unlikely, but it would be nice. »
« Wow. » Roman breathed out, staring at the scene beside his … new acquaintance? « How did you hurt yourself, anyway? »
« See that pile of dirt? I’ve been scanning every bucket full of soil that was thrown in there. My job was searching in the dirt for possible relics that were missed out while others did the digging. We installed a little assembly line. And running your fingers through that for hours makes you sore I guess. »
« That doesn’t seem very fun, though. »
Virgil shrugged. « I didn’t mind. I like working by myself, especially when the job is as simple as it is important. » And it was true, it wasn’t like the archaeologist put him there because he was just hopeless with the other instruments, every little clue was important and looking for them was a crucial point that can be easily taken care of if you’re a perfectionist.
Plus, the archaeologist seemed to have taken a liking into Virgil, so that didn’t make him feel left out at all.
« Even though, today one of my classmates came to help me. » the boy turned to see that Roman was still listening to him, with no intention of changing the subject. That was new, too.
« You know those terribly annoying ones? He slowed down our chain to the point that he had to argue with this girl that was in dire need of empty buckets while we still had all of them full because he wanted to look through every inch of dirt before handing it out. » he let out a deep sigh, as if he had just been venting for hours.
« That was pretty idiotic, what happened then? »
« Uh, well, we went back to working, just as I was doing before he came to help. »
Roman snorted, imagining the scene in front of his eyes. « So he made a fuss only for it to go back as before and prove him wrong. I’d say he’s pretty amazing. »
« Yeah. » Virgil agreed, « Anyway, sorry for rambling. » he added in a lower tone, while checking his phone for notification, before putting it away quickly.
Roman arched his eyebrow at his words. « As someone who whines constantly, I don’t really think you should worry. »
At least, that succeeded to steal a chuckle from the tired one.
« Did you find anything? » Virgil was really starting to believe this guy couldn’t have a minute of pure silence.
« Well, there’s always a couple of bones, some weird ferric objects, teeth and … » he stopped, remembering the event of the week before.
This time, a wide smile appeared before he could stop it as he searched through his phone’s camera gallery; it was the one thing he was real proud of, possibly the prettiest of his findings.
He handed the phone over to Roman, whose eyes widened at the sight, in front of him he could see a pic of a piece of ceramic with white, brown, yellow and blue decorations, dirt was still covering it, but you could already make out how beautiful it was.
« You found this in here? »
« Yes, it was amazing. I was standing there, » he pointed to a vague direction in front of the dirt pile, excitement rising in his chest as he remembered. « and someone was throwing the dirt on the pile and I recognized the bottom of the piece. We had already found other ceramics and I was hoping it was one too. So I picked it up as soon as I spotted it and there were at least three inches of dirt on top. I moved it away with my thumb and I was met with that decoration. I think I might have yelled. » he leaned in to take another look at the pic, as if never satisfied with it.
Roman certainly didn’t miss how bright he appeared when he was talking about the excavation, all the tiredness was gone and the pain in his whole body caused by eight hours of work was long forgotten. He looked genuinely happy, a contrast to his unusual dark and broody persona.
« Did you choose you university yet? » he had a thought, while handing the phone back, which could have maybe helped the injured boy.
« Jumping a bit? Uh, no, honestly I have no idea. »
« Ever thought of doing something with archaeology? »
« Uhm … » Virgil tapped his fingers on his palm. It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered the possibility in the past, but he had been told that it was probably too hard and maybe too boring from his point of view. On the other hand he truly enjoyed working in the site …
« You still with me, buddy? You don’t have to choose in the next five minutes. »
« Shut up, I was thinking. »
« Your thinking is too loud. »
« And here I was considering you as actually not that bad. »
« I know you secretly admire me. »
« The important thing is you believe that. »
Their wise and profound conversation was interrupted by Virgil’s ringtone going off, he picked up, had a brief talk and tucked the phone away in his pocket.
« My mother’s arrived to pick me up. » he informed, pointing at a car parked a few feet away from them.
They both stood up, but none of them made to move at all.
« Uh, I was thinking … » Roman struggled to find the right words, as if anything he said might offend Virgil at any given moment. « I don’t want to pressure you or anything, but maybe we could meet up sometimes to talk about the play? Or I could start helping you as soon as we get the scripts. »
Virgil made a face, as if he had been trying to forget a bad nightmare and had just been reminded of it. Still, he had no right to escape that any further, and he was already anxious about not being able to make it in time, even before he could start learning his lines. So maybe starting to work on it sooner wasn’t that bad of an idea.
« Sounds good. » he hesitated, not sure how to continue, when an idea sparked in his mind. « Maybe I could give you some insight on the tragedy. »
« That’d be awesome! When are you free? »
Hah. « During week-days I’m busy until five p.m. everyday. At least for another week, when this project will be over. »
That explained why he was still in town at almost six p.m.
« You guys dig everyday? »
« Something like that. We’re divided into two groups and we dig every other day. When we don’t we still have to stay at school and do researches for the final exhibition. »
Roman’s eyes lit up at the last words, he was going to ask him about it the next time the occasion presented itself.
« That sucks. Okay, look, I don’t wanna steal anymore time from your beloved mother, so I’ll text about it to you later, okay? »
« Cool. » Virgil raised his hand and waved it ever so slightly.
Roman returned the good-bye and got back to his task, marching down the sidewalk, but as Virgil had just opened the door of his mother’s car, he remembered to yell “And don’t forget to get some rest, I’m starting to confuse your makeup with your dark circles!”.
Virgil got into the car with an exasperated sigh and found his mother giggling to herself while she looked at him.
« Was that a friend? »
« God I hope not. »
✾✾✾✾
Tuesday came back in a hurry, along with the theater club, some worried and some bored students. Virgil stood in the middle of “time to panic and/or cry” and “if I don’t fall into eternal slumber right now I will burn this building to the ground”.
If he could name some of the most atrocious backstabbers he had ever met, he’d instantly name his teachers: at first they told his class they’d make it easy for them since they were so busy with the project, now they pretended the students had to be more organized with their studying and homework. Tests and interrogations had been made despite them being at least nine hours at school instead of five, some even coming home later than that.
In a word, they didn’t care, it was the students’ fault.
Virgil had his back against the wall, sitting on the top step of the bleacher with his legs close to his chest, the meeting had been starting for a couple of minutes and, of course, he didn’t have anything to do except hating himself and wait for another uneventful hour to pass.
« Hey Gerard Way Too Dark, look what they gave me. »
Or maybe not.
Virgil looked up to be met with Roman standing in front of him with two binders in his hand: the two of them had agreed on meeting up only when school would let them breathe enough to find a single day where they were both free from studying. Which was yet to be a thing.
The beloved actor handed him one of the binders, it read the title of the play, the author and the characters. He didn’t like how his role was the very first one on the list.
« At last. » he dryly commented, flipping the pages quick enough to not read a single actual word out of it.
Roman sat down next to him and examined the first page, as if looking for some kind of unspoken treasure, then he turned to take out a stash of highlighters Virgil had no clue where he kept. He showed them to him, waiting for him to pick a color.
By the looks of them, they seemed brand new and neatly arranged in the colors of the rainbow. Virgil picked out the lilac one, he had always preferred the gentler colors, it made it easier to study with the lights on.
His colleague chose the red one and began going through the pages and highlighting all the lines he had to learn as Pentheus.
Silently, Virgil did the same with the lines Dionysus said, recalling the scenes as he went through them. Though … he noticed there were far too many. He never realized how impossible it looked in his eyes until he had it plainly laid out in front of him.
Great, you’re going to mess this up, you won’t ever be able to do this in time. Plus you’re probably going to forget everything the moment right before going on stage. Who thought this was going to be a good id-
« Are you okay down there? »
He didn’t realize he was rubbing at his face with his hands, while trying to shake off the storm forming in his mind. In doing so, he had also let the marker fall to the wooden step with a clatter, which caught the other’s attention.
« Yeah, ’m just tired. » he managed to let out through his fingers in a muffled sound.
Roman made a humming noise, then proceeded to cast aside all his stuff and let himself relax against the wall. « Then I’d say we call it a day and sleep until it’s time to part ways. »
Virgil looked at him, surprise written all over his face, wasn’t he supposed to work even harder than normal because of the occasion? Either way, he mirrored the boy, pulling up his hood so that he could find some comfort.
« I think I’m too worried about all this mess, » he retorted, gesturing at his script. « to be able to even close my eyes. »
« Then tell me about it. »
He considered the option, he did actually promise him he’d do it before, besides he’d be distracting himself from the impending doom, be actually productive and explaining the tragedy to the actor. A double win for both parties.
« The story is centered around this group of Bacchantes that came from Asia and want to enter Thebes and spread their cult, they’re also guided by a lone nomad that none knows is actually Dionysus, the founder of the cult itself. » he turned to face Roman, in a silent “tell me where I lose you” manner.
« They are stopped by Pentheus, now king of the city, son of Agave and nephew of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. Tiresias is a famous seer that understands the potential of the cult and invites Cadmus to preach the god with him. They try to reason with Pentheus, but it’s all in vain. In the meantime, while this king is busy insulting the cult, Dionysus makes all the women of the city go mad and follow the Maenads. »
« Payback? »
« More like first warning. » Virgil counted to one on his right hand for emphasis. « After that, Pentheus sent his soldiers to capture him. And they succeeded, he didn’t resist and kept up his act, only to free himself of the chains thanks to his magic. When Pentheus found him, Dionysus pretended he was helped by the god and began charming him until the king gave in. »
« You mean, how he made him dress up as a Maenad? »
« Yes, but not only he did that, he drove him crazy, too. » did anyone else ever notice the slight green spots in Roman’s brown eyes or was it just the trick of the light? Virgil couldn’t tell, so he decided to explain further. « Pentheus claimed to be seeing double and having hallucinations. He was also very careful of his clothes, hair and posture, he wanted to be the perfect Maenad. He tried to convince himself it was for disguise purposes, but in my opinion he was rather enjoying that dress-up. »
« Really? » Roman questioned, he still had to look into his character, the more he knew about him, the better he could portray him. He always took every bit of information he could find, to the point in which he could somehow relate to them or at least be able to link him and the role. That way, he was able to love acting as every single one of them.
« You need to read their last conversation. Even you would say that at first glance. Anyway, the play ends with the Bacchantes shredding to pieces the body of Pentheus. The practice is called “sparagmòs”. After that Agave and Cadmus have a touching scene and it ends there. A bit shocking for her since she just killed her son, but the god made sure the women all saw a beast instead. »
« That’s cruel, though. »
« Princey, he disrespected a fucking god, dying is the least that could happen to him. »
There was the nickname again. And, as if on cue, Roman’s lips twitched into a small smile that disappeared right after. He wasn’t aware of the reason why he didn’t want to get caught, but … did Virgil really not remember?
« He didn’t give him a chance to apologize! »
« Then again, the cult of the Bacchantes includes a ritual where a human needs to be sacrificed. If he had ever been sorry, Dionysus would have probably ordered him to sacrifice himself so that he could be satisfied and purified by his action. »
« Okay, okay. » Roman put his hands up in surrender. « I recognize I’m talking to a smart one over here, I give up. » he pretended he was waving a white flag to his side.
Virgil chuckled at his words. « I’m actually just average, but I can be passionate about some things, too. »
« Just average? I doubt all of your classmates still remember the entire plot of a tragedy and also can provide conspiracy theories. »
« Conspiracy- what are you talking about? »
« You know I’m right, you were totally on the verge of geeking out about this one. C'mon who’s your favorite character? » the actor mocked resting his face on his palms while a sly expression surrounded him.
« I will throw you off the stairs the next chance I have. »
« Good luck with that since you can’t even reach. »
Oh that was the last fucking straw.
Virgil turned his head to look at him in the eyes so rapidly that Roman feared his neck would give in and break right then and there. But the most disturbing image was the rage that was forming around the boy’s aura.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to-
Virgil surged forward in a sudden movement and the actor jumped away pleading for salvation, it was only when he heard a foreign laugh that he turned around only to be met with the same dark and stormy guy, doubled over himself with laughter, teasing Roman.
« Did you seriously think I was going to attack you? »
« You can be scary sometimes, shut up! » heat began running in Roman’s cheeks out of embarrassment and he pretended nothing happened while Virgil quieted down next to him.
It was exactly in that moment that the meeting was called off.
As Roman followed him to the library, he wondered if that was going to be a regular thing after-
You idiot, this is the last week of your project.
« Oh, by the way. » Virgil stopped at the top of the stairs. « Don’t take it personally if I brush you off or disappear for the next few days, but the exhibition’s coming and I still have no idea what to say. »
« Talking about efficiency. » the actor rolled his eyes, recalling a few other examples he could give on the marvelous organization of teachers.
« Yeah, our teacher gave us tons of useful information. » he dead-panned, approaching the library’s doors.
« I will forever respect you for putting up with Mr. Richardson. »
That was able to get a chuckle out of Virgil.
« See you around, Pentheus. »
And with that, Roman was left walking home by himself with the warm feeling of having made a new possible friend spreading in his chest.
✾✾✾✾
It was Saturday morning when he noticed the fliers hanging around school. They showed a bunch of excavation pics and the subject of an archaeological exhibition centered around the school’s town. Roman took note of the date: it was exactly that same day!
So that was how he found himself during afternoon pacing around the plaza and stepping into an old tower, where a little crowd of at least fifteen people of all ages were standing and listening attentively to a student. There was only a little group of them, which he figured was because the exhibition took place multiple times during the week.
He just wondered if he had been lucky enough to find …
As he made his way through the front, so that he could see all the materials and boards exposed he heard the female voice say « Now I will turn it over to my classmate, Virgil! »
As soon as he heard his name, he followed her gaze and finally met an unusual sight: instead of the usual hoodie, he wore a black button up shirt and skinny dark blue jeans that might as well have been mistaken for the same other color. So he did know how to be fancy if he wanted.
Before he began explaining, he noticed Roman standing right next to their theater teachers and bit back a smile. He didn’t recall inviting him, actually he hadn’t wanted anyone he knew to witness him mess everything up as he was used to do. So what was he doing there?
Virgil welcomed everybody once again, then turned over to all the materials exposed.
And when he started talking, Roman was enthralled.
He didn’t know if it was the way the words rolled down his tongue, how he brushed the objects as if they were sacred treasures that would turn into dust at the slightest touch, or the sparkle in his eyes when he took in everybody’s attention and curiosity.
But there was a thing he did recognize: it was passion, that was definitely what he was radiating, the one emotion he knew all too well which helped him getting his public hanging at the edge of their seats.
And this time, he was the hooked one.
The two locked eyes multiple times, Virgil was surprised enough to find comfort in having someone to constantly smile at him, or in Mrs. Eagan’s nodding, in all those mouthed “you’re doing great”. He couldn’t stop going back at them everytime he looked up.
Before anyone knew it, his time was over and the group moved onto the last part of the exhibition, which was outside; the crowd followed the last student to the site that was still open and the remaining students in the room sighed with relief as Mr. Richardson followed them too for the final thanks.
Some minutes and a standing ovation later, Roman was already back into the small room as bright as ever, walking toward his favorite little archaeologist.
Virgil paced towards him at the same time, hissing a “what are you doing here?” while a small grin let itself spread on his face.
With no warning and an abrupt move, Roman’s arms had already wrapped themselves around the other boy’s upper chest, lifting him a little in the process.
Well, that was definitely new.
Not being used to such excitement, Virgil was only able to awkwardly return the hug after an initial moment of vacillation. Seeing his energy on stage was a thing, experiencing it like that was completely something else, but deep in his heart he knew it wasn’t a habit he wouldn’t have liked to adapt to.
Wait, what was that thought coming from? Why would he have to adapt to anything, he was just going to help him through acting and that was it.
Still, a new friend wasn’t a bad idea either …
« You did amazing! » was what Virgil heard after being released from the embrace, but not quite completely as Roman was still holding onto his arms.
He blinked a few times. « What are you talking about, I messed up and started stuttering at one point- »
« Oh shut up and let me compliment you, I didn’t even remember you did, king of modesty. »
« More like king of self-deprecation. »
« Can you stop for once in your life? »
Right in the short amount of time they weren’t talking, a single line caught their attention.
« Look at all this trash. »
What?
« Yeah, these are all so obviously fake. »
Thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms and lightning, howls of rage formed in Virgil’s chest, burning in a bonfire which heat traveled through his blood and reached his eyes only to darken them with fury.
His body stiffened, he wanted to scowl at them and tell them how wrong they were, just how dare them invalidate all the hard work of three weeks?
« Oh, Virgil! » Roman seemed to distract him, but he had a plan in mind as he moved both of them close to the materials table. « Remember that day I visited you while you guys were digging? »
But there wasn’t any- was he onto something? « Oh, yeah, you were walking home from school and you decided to stop. » he played along, as his friend nodded, making sure to be heard by the rude couple.
In the meantime, one of the students had gone out to update their teacher on the situation.
« Yeah, when you found that beautiful ceramic piece! » Roman turned to recognize the piece he had seen in the pic he had been shown, then pointed it. « Is it that one? »
« Yes, I can pick it up for you. » Virgil did so as he spoke.
« Wow, it’s even more gorgeous. »
« We had a hard time cleaning everything, so we tried to do the best job we could. Getting dirt out of bones is also … not super easy. »
« You guys are awesome. » Roman kept glancing around the room arranged for the exhibition, while the now embarrassed couple decided to leave under the incinerating stare of Mr. Richardson who had just came in to witness the situation.
Everybody in the room went to either grin or laugh inside, while the two boys shared a high five.
After making sure everything was under control, the teacher decided to begin cleaning up the place, so all the guests that stayed to chatter were dismissed.
« Hey, uh … » Virgil struggled to get out his voice, a little for being tired, a little because in moments of shyness his tone would go out as nothing more than a simple mutter. « Thank you for earlier and … also for coming, I guess. »
« Both of them were my utter pleasure. » Roman had a thing for being extra, and if he chose that aesthetic, he better had to stick to it by doing a theatrical bow at his friend.
« You are a nerd. »
« With style! »
« Whatever helps you sleep at night. » Virgil turned around to face the tower and began walking away. « See you around, Princey. »
There went another one.
Roman had to giggle quietly to himself, every single time his mind traveled to that one particular moment back in the first year when-
« You know, this is what I was talking about. »
He felt a presence walking by his side, suddenly, and found Mr. Eagan glaring at him with an almost nostalgic look.
« I’ve been telling him for years that he has the acting potential. » she sighed while Roman simply nodded along. « He’s been getting better, you see this isn’t the first exhibition they do, I’ve seen them all. »
« Oh, really? »
« Yes. And you can totally sense how much emotion he’s putting, you can tell he’s invested. »
« I agree, I’ve had the occasion to see that. »
« And honestly I feel bad for forcing him into this play thing … but I’m sure he’s going to shine. I’m so proud of him. » she smiled at herself, then stopped in her tracks and looked up at her student. « And I’m also sure you’ll do a good job. Bring out his talent, Roman. In your own special way. »
He remained speechless for a moment, just how much trust did these teachers actually have in both of them? He found it endearing, he felt almost as if they had some kind of motherly appreciation towards them.
« Thank you. We’ll work very hard on this one, you’ll see! »
They exchanged their farewells and Roman headed home, this time by himself, having all kinds of thoughts in his mind.
But most of all, he felt worried.
All of a sudden, it seemed like a blank page was being replaced in his head instead of all the knowledge apprehended through his life.
He had no idea how to start helping Virgil.
✾✾✾✾
Despite the initial awkwardness, things had begun to go way better than both of them had imagined. The occasional staying late after the theater meetings had allowed them to grow closer, so much that they at least shared a few words during break every day at school. And that was a huge effort for Virgil as he preferred to stay in class where almost none hanged around and simply scroll through his phone, waiting for the last two dreadful hours of lessons.
And, well, random texts weren’t late to arrive to the party, too.
Princey: okay but can we talk about what an idiot Pentheus is?
Vee: this is a weird midnight text to get, but go off I guess
Princey: I’m serious! Come on, like why don’t you just let people do their thingsss
Vee: Oh you’re taking this to heart, alright
Princey: Yeah?? Am I not supposed to be emotionally invested in my own play?
Vee: You’re talking as if you’ve written it
Princey: Maybe I did
Vee: gasp are you Euripides reincarnated
Princey: The one and only
Vee: My apologies sir, you have all the rights to whine about your own plot
Vee: I also have no clue how you know english
Princey: It’s the muses’ power!
Vee: Melpomene?
Princey: Bless you
Vee: Wow okay, go to sleep
Princey: Sleep is for the weak
Vee: And you’re gonna be weak in the morning so it really doesn’t matter
Princey: Alright, mum, why would you stay up then?
Vee: Reasons
Princey: Are you still scrolling through Tumblr and sticking to your natural emo kid persona?
Vee: ouch
Vee: no,  but I’d love to
Princey: mhh then you forgot to do homework or study?
Vee: You know me, I’m too anxious about my parents’ judgment to do that
Princey: demanding parents?
Vee: sorta.
Princey: sore topic?
Vee: Yup.
Princey: Alright then, you’re watching a movie? An anime?
Vee: No, I’m just talking to an idiot who won’t go to sleep
Princey: Oh I see, sounds like a total badass guy fighting the system
Vee: Yeah, fighting his body’s shut down system if he doesn’t get enough sleep.
Princey: bold of you to say that when we’re in the same situation
Vee: listen we’re talking about you stay focused
Princey: you know I’m right
Princey: C'mon why are you still up
Vee: no reason tbh
Vee: I just can’t seem to fall asleep so I’m tyring myself out until I can pass out on my bed
Princey: thaaat doesn’t seem very healthy
Vee: I never said I wanted to take care of myself
Princey: LOVE  YOURSELF BITCH
Vee: HAH
Vee: no.
Princey: i will make you!!
Princey: one day we’ll have a big relaxation day and you will be able to see the beauty in yourself!!
Vee: sounds unrealistic i’m in
Princey: come on work with me emo nightmare
Vee: i’m too lazy to live i’m sorry
Princey: then why don’t you just s l e e p
Vee: bc my sleep schedule is a mess and i cant seem to even shut my eyes everything in my life is going straight in the trash can and uhhhhhh yeah everything sucks
Princey: woah slow down
Princey: okay look you’re having me a bit concerned here
Vee: haha no it’s the usual daily stuff for me
Princey: ……….. it shouldn’t be????
Vee: eh
Princey: hey, would you answer if I called you?
Vee: if this is because of what i’ve just said, you’re worrying too much
Princey: nah it’s just for a distraction
Princey: and maybe you’ll be able to fall asleep
Vee: are you implying your voice is boring or you want to sing me a lullaby?
Princey: i’ll pretend i didn’t read the first part but i’ll have you know i have a very beautiful singing voice
Vee: pf alright i’m not entirely convinced
Princey: i’ll buy both of us coffee at the vending machine tomorrow morning before the first lesson starts
Vee: okay i’m sold, hit me up
✾✾✾✾
« This is unacceptable! I’m sorry, our friendship has to end here, I’m leaving. »
« I’m telling you, I have my reasons. »
« You can’t just simply dislike Hercules! »
Virgil sighed in defeat and resigned in his plastic seat; Christmas holidays had been around for a week, new year’s was already approaching and two youngsters had decided to spend an afternoon together with the excuse of reading some lines out of their scripts and helping each other out.
It wasn’t really the first time they did that, plus with the arrival of winter it was a nice excuse to be comforted by a warm cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream.
Just like they were doing in that moment, only that it seemed that they had completely forgotten about the play because of how much they were invested in other topics. Such as, obviously, Disney movies.
« It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just … so wrong. »
« Oh my- it’s not Percy Jackson, it’s Disney, they’re allowed to take some creative liberties. »
« I know, but I didn’t watch it as a child, I saw it recently- »
« How dare you. »
« -shut up. What I mean is: my studies have ruined its likability. »
Roman closed his eyes and put his hands together in front of his face in an exasperated manner. « Then let’s hear these freaking reasons, enlighten my blindness, o wise one! »
Virgil couldn’t help but smirk as the other one huffed. « First of all, thank you for the compliment. »
« But, see, the first thing that got me was the character of Phil. The actual Philoctetes wasn’t a satyr, he was a hero that fought in the Trojan war who also happened to be Hercules’ friend at some point. »
« Well, they were linked in the end! »
« Let me finish. All the deeds that Phil claimed to have made? All those heroes he trained? Bullshit. Everything was done by Chiron, the only wise and composed centaur of greek mythology. And like centaurs were thought as savage beasts, satyrs were always linked to Dionysus and described as libidinal creatures. Philoctetes would have probably felt insulted. »
« Your studies may have ruined your view but you’re ruining my childhood right now. » Roman muttered the words as a childish pout formed on his lips.
« Ah, also Megara was a city, not a person. » said Virgil with nonchalance.
« WHAT. » the wide-eyed actor jumped in his seat and surged forward a little, blinking a few times.
Without expecting it, Virgil’s composed face contorted with a snort, which then grew into giggles and then again transformed into a genuine and amused laughter that couldn’t stop.
He tried to breathe in. « Princey, you- » he cut himself off as another wave of giggles hit him, so he held one hand up as if to tell him to wait until he could properly compose himself.
And Roman knew he otherwise would have felt offended, or at least in a playful way, he knew normally he would have instantly asked what was the matter. But he couldn’t really shake off the feeling of wanting to protect and carve this picture into his memory until it was the only thing he could remember.
And he truly wanted to share that angelic laughter, participate to the mirthful moment, yet he found himself solely staring at the unusual sight in pleasant disbelief at how stunning that scene was.
He could merely twitch his lips upwards and consider how much he adored hearing the nickname in such an entertained voice.
Something inside Roman clicked as Virgil finally gained enough breath, and he knew he was done for.
« Sorry, uh, » he was finally able to breathe out. «  I was actually messing with you. She did exist. »
He looked him in the eyes and all Roman could think was “finally”.
After a beat, noticing the other didn’t respond and assuming he was upset or something, he continued. « Though she and their children were afterwards killed by Hercules according to some. Others think he killed his children and Megara compelled him to commit suicide. Awful stories for great heroes, I guess. »
Roman, who was still starstruck, was only able to comment. « Breathtaking. »
Virgil made a face and lowered the cup he was raising to his lips. « What? »
« Uh … what? No I was just- the TV! Behind you, yes. I was commenting that. »
The confused one turned ever so slightly to quickly glance at the old black screen facing his back. « Alright, I won’t question your weird obsession with old style televisions. »
Nailed it.
Their discourse went on escalating to different topics, but never once brushing the fact that they met to keep up their theater practice, like good procrastinating students. It wasn’t like they were avoiding it on purpose, for the first time they felt like spending quality time with each other was their main priority.
« Okay, listen, Tripping in the Darkness. I went on a cruise once and even there I was able to reveal my beautiful voice. »
« So sorry for the passengers. »
« I should have left you outside freezing in the cold. » Roman scoffed after a beat.
« But you didn’t. »
« I’m starting to reconsider. »
« We both know you would never do it. »
« I forgive you only because you’re cute. » oh wait, oh wha- Roman immediately hid behind his cup, drinking the last remaining of his warm beverage. He hoped that the heat would rush off of his cheeks by the time he had finished.
« Wow, I’m flattered. » Virgil didn’t leave his sarcastic tone and didn’t seem to have noticed anything different, until he snorted out loud when he was met with Roman’s face after he lowered the cup.
Roman’s heart sank, was he still blushing? Was he already onto him? That was bad, that was-
« You got … » Virgil’s voice got back to being amused and he gestured towards his face. Oh, great, he had a chocolate-stained face now. Just what he needed.
« Where? Is it gone? » he frantically kept on asking as he wiped around his mouth and cheeks with his bare hand.
His friend shook his head. « Not even close. »
On a scale on one to Roman’s worst embarrassing moments compilation, he would have probably found himself on top of that very ranking, because after that Virgil simply reached for the container on the little table.
« For starters, you take a tissue. » while he did so, Roman could only watch as his friend  gently rubbed away the spot on the bridge of his nose. Oh. The cup did touch it earlier.
Alright that was awkward and I’m stupid, let’s move on.
But no, his brain had decided to short circuit and leave him to his impulsiveness; out of the blue, he grabbed Virgil’s wrist before he pulled away completely.
Virgil blinked, confused once again by his behavior. « Uh, what’s up? »
That’s when Roman’s mind finally snapped to reality and, of course, he panicked to find the best excuse he could permit, so he slid both of his hands to cage Virgil’s own. « You’re super cold! » he noticed, lowering their hands to rest on the table.
« Yeah? It’s minus degrees outside? And I’m often anxious? »
« Oh, right. » why was he feeling more sympathetic than usual? « Then, I shall protect you from both! »
« By holding my hand? »
« By making sure your heat level is within the parameters! »
« Alright, Doc. I’ll trust you. »
That was how they ended up holding hands for the rest of the day without even realizing until they had to part.
« You sure you don’t want me to accompany you to the parking lot? »
« I’m fine, don’t mind. »
They were standing out of the cafe to exchange their goodbyes, about to head for different streets and eventually go home.
« You know, you didn’t really have to pay for me, I’m not broke. » Virgil talked in little puffs of condensed air, hands in his pockets and trying to shake off the cold stinging sensation that pierced his skin.
« Oh, soft you now, »
« Is that a fucking Hamlet quote? »
« -it is my duty to ensure your well-being. Plus I know you hate talking to cashiers, so. »
« You’re the worst, but thank you. » Virgil rolled his eyes. « I still feel like I owe you one now, though. »
Well you could just kiss me whenever you feel like, a part of Roman’s brain noted. Uhm, what the fuck is your problem? Responded the other.
« Nah, I’ll probably forget it by the next time we talk. » he admitted, ignoring the weird thoughts that were happening in his mind, a mind that needed to shut up for at least a single second.
Virgil muttered an “alright” and was about to turn around and wave him off, like he always did, when he was confronted by a simple demand.
« Uh, can I, like, hug you? »
He stopped in his tracks, considering for a moment, before a “sure” escaped his lips and he started nodding.
Roman stepped closer and wrapped his arms around his chest, content and making a little pleased sound as the other returned the hug. He wasn’t sure why he was being so uncertain that day.
« Bye, Virge! » he called out as he stepped away from his friend and began walking home.
Virgil waved in return and immediately took out his phone and earbuds: after hitting shuffle he was fast to recognize the song by the first chords.
Acceptance, huh? He had discovered their song back in middle school. Boy, did he try so hard to be edgy. Still, certain songs weren’t really that bad.
Oh no, this couldn’t be more unexpected.
He had just made to turn the corner of a mansion’s fence when a realization struck him. And he was still subtly smiling because of it.
He somehow hadn’t been aware of it in the moment, probably because of their distracting conversation.
The lyrics went by in his ears and he almost didn’t even notice the words flowing in his head as that little memory of their afternoon occupied his mind.
Could this be out of line? To say you’re the only one breaking me down like this.
Roman had been brushing his thumb against his skin for almost all the time he had been holding onto his hand earlier.
He also had hugged him a little bit tighter than how he remembered back in October. And he was very excited too, that day.
And yeah, the majority of sane people would have found the situation simply nice or just a normal friendly action. But Virgil?
Come to think of it, I’m aching.
Yeah, he was already burying his face in his hoodie. God, was that heat rushing at his cheeks? Did his body really want to make it any more obvious?
On account of my transgression, will you welcome this confession?
Oh god, oh fu-
Virgil exhaled deeply and rubbed at his face with his hands, an unwelcome warm feeling spreading in his chest, it felt like as if someone was lighting a fire in there, not caring for the emotional damage that they were about to cause. Like a firework sent up in the middle of the night only to startle you enough to wake you up in a cold sweat and thumping heart.
Keep me hanging on so contagiously.
Virgil abruptly ripped the earbuds away from his ears and stuffed everything in his pockets as he leaned on his school’s gate, staring at the parking lot in front of him. His parents had yet to arrive to pick him up.
He had enough time to calm down.
« Well, I’m fucked. »
Maybe.
✾✾✾✾
Princey: HAPPY NEW YEAR V!!
Vee: yeee here’s to another shitty one
Princey: AW COME ON try to be a bit more upbeat
Vee: YEEE HERE’S TO ANOTHER SHITTY ONE!!!!
Princey: THAT’S MORE LIKE IT COMRADE
Vee: wtf okay
Princey sent a pic
Vee: are those streamers in your hair?
Vee: and … glitter?
Princey: don’t question it it’s your turn now send me something
Vee: i don’t think that’s how it works
Princey: do iiiiiit scaredy cat
Vee: fine
Vee sent a pic
Princey: .. wait
Princey: Are you in bed?
Vee: On the couch, actually
Vee: if that’s what you’re asking yes, i’m at home
Princey: and you’re not having fun? Are you okay??
Vee: yes don’t worry
Vee: i’m by myself
Princey: WHAT
Vee: gee it’s not that weird
Princey: no it’s just i thought you were out with friends
Vee: were all busy
Vee: but it’s fine, i don’t really appreciate big and loud parties
Vee: and i jump at every single loud noise so fireworks are a big no for me
Princey: you should have told me!! i would have managed something, we could have even just chilled alone
Vee: no it’s fine really, thank you
Vee: sorry to bring you down with that
Princey: oh shush
Princey: can i call you?
Vee: that’s sweet and all but i’d feel like i’m bothering you so
Princey: what are you talking about, plus there are so many people here they won’t even realize i’m gone for a while
Vee: i don’t wanna waste your time, it’s ok
Princey: but you’re not doing that!
Princey: idk can I at least visit you for some time? I don’t want you being all alone like that
Vee: no
Vee: i mean not that i don’t want you here but i’d feel guilty, i told you
Princey: you don’t have to!!
Princey: i lo kdjsdsdjk
Vee: what-
Princey: look i care about you, you’re one of my closest friends already and i love spending time with you, so if there’s a way for me to cheer you up i will gladly accept it
Vee: that is …
Vee: the gayest thing i’ve ever read
Vee: you’re a dork
Princey: i will take all that as a compliment
Vee: okay let me just
Vee: get my dog off of me
Princey: ADORABLE DOG
Vee: yeah i love her
Vee: and afterwards you can call me alright
Princey: SCORE!!
Princey: okay
Vee: one thing though
Princey: mirror mirror on the wall what’s the question botherin y'all
Vee: … i’ll pretend i’ve never read that
Vee: are you still getting me coffee tomorrow morning like that one time
Princey: if this is a subtle “do you wanna hang out here” i’m all for it, tho expect me to come up at like 11
Vee: wow you know exactly how to make things awkward everytime
Vee: okay dog’s off, you can call
Princey: on it!
✾✾✾✾
It is widely known and said that time flies by quickly when you’re either having fun, doing nothing or during the holidays. Students had reluctantly returned to their daily routines of lessons, homework and studying, trying to frame everything in the best way, so that they had at least some time to breathe between their tasks.
January, sadly, meant that the end of the first term was approaching inexorably  and the teachers suddenly realized they needed more marks than they actually had from every student in a matter of two weeks. Everything for the initial report cards that, in the end, didn’t matter at all compared to the final one.
Thanks to February, students would have some time to breathe and re-gain strength until March, which was another wave of tests in preparation for the real monster: May.
For the last years, though, February also meant that they were going to get more information about which subjects they had to focus on the most for their final exams, which could only be linked to chaos, panic and that anxious but subtle feeling that the big moment was coming.
Thankfully, the weekend existed and with it also places for poor unfortunate souls to release stress and distract themselves from the imminent danger.
And that is how we follow two fellow individuals in distress who had decided upon spending their first free time in weeks walking around town and having a nice chat during night. At least before they ended up in a little desolated playground, their scripts in front of their faces, definitely acting more dramatically than needed.
« Do you perform the rites by night or by day? » Roman leaned on one of the street lamps, permitting him to read his line and, at the same time, he widely gestured with his free hand.
« Mostly by night; darkness conveys awe. » Virgil emphasized his second line with such an ominous tone that made his friend giggle lightly.
« Oh my, I’m thrilled. »
« Okay but you’ve got to admit it’s actually a cool phrase to say. »
« Maybe if we were serious enough, my darkling. »
After Virgil’s usual “shut up and keep reading” (which he had been using for the past fifteen minutes, mind you), Roman complied. « This is treacherous towards women, and unsound. » his voice sounded almost offended, his hand trailed over his heart in a fist.
Virgil bit back a grin at the sight. « Even during the day someone may devise what is shameful. »
« This vile quibbling settles your punishment. » the taller one took a few steps forward, pointing his finger on his friend, accusatory.
« Your ignorance and impiety toward the god will settle yours. » Virgil snarled, imitating the other in pointing fingers.
Roman gasped way more dramatically than needed and placed a hand on his chest, eyes wide with disbelief. « How bold the Bacchant is, and not unpracticed in speaking! »
His acting partner intook some breath, before stopping, narrow eyed, while he read his words.
« What, is something wrong? » Roman demanded, eyes scanning the next lines before looking up.
« This is so fucking gay. » he admitted, a smile playing on his lips as he contemplated the possibility of a different turn of events in the plot.
« Dionysus and Pentheus, but make it gayer. »
« Than it already is? That’s a challenge. »
« I have something in mind. » Virgil didn’t like the mischievous look on Roman’s face. « Keep going. »
« Tell me what I must suffer; what grievous harm will you do to me? » he hadn’t noticed how fast the other was to reach him, the previous grin was still imprinted on his lips. His pace faltered only a bit, but didn’t stop when he was a few steps from his Dionysus.
« First, I will cut off your delicate curls. »  how Roman could change his tone from a mocking one to a warm and clear one, would forever be an unsolved mystery to the world. He proceeded to raise a hand to Virgil’s hair and slowly moved his bangs to the side, a knuckle brushing his cheek afterwards.
« My locks are sacred; I am growing them for the god. » Virgil played along and started to remember the lines, a result of their persistent reading every week. Not that he could really tear off his eyes from the looming figure in front of him.
« Next, give me this thyrsos from your hands. » other steps forward and Roman had trapped him against some metal bars he wasn’t aware of.
« Take it from me yourself; this is the wand of Dionysus I am bearing. » with no warning, Roman pressed his right hand, where the actual thyrsos would have been, to the bars and locked their fingers together. He leaned in even further, making sure Virgil could notice the sly sparkle in his half-lidded eyes.
« Last, I will guard your body deep in the dungeons. » his other hand gripped the bars right next to the boy’s head, literally trapping him. He had to stay in character, after all.
The leaning was slow this time, but didn’t seem to be stopping at any moment and Virgil could swear he felt his body move without his consent.
Inches apart, and Roman’s lips twitched upward. He stopped.
Virgil snorted.
Next thing they knew they were both bursting out laughing like they had just heard the best joke their favorite comedian had ever made.
« That was- » Virgil tried, after they both collapsed to the ground, weak in their knees for too much hilarity. « That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. »
« When Pentheus and Dionysus couldn’t get any gayer. » Roman commented through an almost hysterical laughter, while part of his brain began to shut down in a ohgodwhathasjusthappenediwasabouttobutthenididntandisthisthereallife state. An everyday situation to which he was used to, of course.
« Actually, » his friend began, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. « Greek gods are very open about their sexuality. »
« Oh, yeah. Wasn’t it Zeus himself that tried to f- » Roman was instantly shushed to silence, while a pained expression grew on the other’s face.
« We don’t talk about him. »
Fair enough. They had been in comfortable silence for quite a while, sitting on the ground and enjoying the void of the night as the only sources of light showed them only certain features and details of the objects around them.
« Hey, Virge? »
The mentioned boy almost jumped at the sudden sound. « Yeah? »
Roman’s expression, fixated on something ahead of him, was somewhat between focused and in a daze.
« Did you know the teachers wanted to keep your hair growing for the play? »
« What. »
« They decided against it when they realized I actually had to cut them away during the show. »
« Why are you telling me this right now? »
« I was just thinking about … » Roman’s words lingered, as if he thought about whether or not he could disclose a secret.
About me, please say about me. Virgil shook off the bizarre thought while he waited for a response. Are you fucking kidding me? Part of his mind answered. Didn’t all those past experiences teach you anything?  Virgil found it harder to concentrate on Roman’s words now, he creased his eyebrows as if he were having a headache.
Those were in elementary school and middle school, you idiot. The other side responded. They were still valid experiences!
« Ohi. » Roman waved his hand in front of the other’s face. « Are you on this planet, sir? »
« Sadly, I still am. »
Roman rolled his eyes at that. « Dang, here I thought the aliens had gotten you. »
« You wish. »
« Anyway, I was about to get going since it’s getting pretty late even for a Saturday night. » he pulled himself on his feet, then smiled brightly and turned to his friend. « Lift home? »
« Thank god you exist. »
And Roman did really try hard to act cool and all, but he found out he couldn’t prevent his face from turning at least the weakest tint of red.
✾✾✾✾
They didn’t know how it was possible, but they made it through until April.
The last two months were a train wreck of multiple meetings between Roman’s wonderful school trip abroad, additional tests, the first exams simulations, and things getting very serious at theater club. The designs, scenes, props and costumes were all coming along neatly and, with everybody giving their all, the excitement for the play could be felt through thin air. Roman was thrilled and he thought that there wasn’t nothing else that could possibly be better than that kind of feeling.
Virgil begged to differ.
He was standing in the middle of the external part of the front of the school with a couple of other classes of his same course; they all had backpacks on their backs and a luggage held close.
Virgil was almost bouncing, unable to stay still, he started tapping his fingers on the handle of his own luggage. The anticipation was killing him, how could everybody else be so calm and casual? They were about to leave for a trip to Greece!
It was the most wanted and awaited of school trips for their course, it happened every three years and not only students were given the opportunity to confront and visit places and subjects they had studied, but also thanks to certain lovable teachers the weirdest and funniest things occurred in those trips. It was a dream come true, finally at their fingertips.
He really didn’t want to seem mean, but Virgil couldn’t stop looking at the time on his phone while one of his closest classmates trailed off talking about how energetic they felt for the trip ahead.
Until …
« Wine god! » what the f-
Virgil and his friend looked up simultaneously to be met with the vision of Roman waving one arm from the top of the external stairs and afterwards quickly running down towards them.
« I didn’t see you anywhere this morning! » he was still half-running when he spoke those words, as he reached them. He put his hands on Virgil’s shoulders.
« We didn’t really leave until now, we had a test. »
His eyes widened « What the heck? Right before a trip? »
Virgil shrugged. They had chosen it was better to do it before than afterwards.
« Well, anyway, I wanted to properly say goodbye and wish you a good travel! »
« Thank you, buddy. You really didn’t have to, aren’t you having a lesson right now? » Virgil raised one eyebrow, uncertain.
Roman showed him one of his stupidly charming grins and put his hands on his hips. « I simply asked to go to the bathroom. »
« I hate to break it to you, Roman, but this isn’t exactly the right way. »
« Oh, shut up. You know I wanted to see you before you headed off for the seven seas! »
« We’re literally traveling through the same sea, what are you tal- »
« It’s been a long day, let me have this. »
Virgil tilted his head to the side, they had been in school for only three hours, what exactly did that make it a long day?
His thoughts were broken by the thundering of one of his teachers who announced that everybody had to get ready since they were going to leave in a matter of minutes.
« Alright then. » Roman murmured with a slightly sad sigh, he quickly replaced his defeated expression with a smile, careful not to be discovered. « I’ll have to leave now. »
C'mon say something. His heart begged for mercy as Virgil looked back up at him and he saw two bright gray irises, the sun’s rays hitting them from the side just enough to make them look like literal crystals.
Anything would do, take your chance, tell him!
His eyes fell to the figure right next to them, still standing there and witnessing every one of their interactions. Well, maybe next time.
Roman leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around his friend’s shoulders in a tight embrace that was soon returned a bit more weakly around his waist. He felt like he was holding on him for dear life more than anything.
His hand trailed at the nape of his neck and stroked his hair for some instants, in which Virgil tightened his own hug and laughed silently on his shoulder.
« I’m not leaving forever, you know? The time zone is not even that different. »
« I know but I’ll be lonely! »
« We both know that’s not true. » Virgil released the other and patted his shoulder. « You’ll be fine and you can text me whenever you want when I’m not in the ferry. »
Roman let out a fake annoyed huff, but smiled anyway. « Have a safe trip, Virge. » he backed away, still facing him while waving a hand.
Then he turned to the other boy.
« Keep an eye on him for me, okay? »
« Will do! »
At this, Roman sprinted away towards his class and could only smirk wider when Virgil called him out with a “Oh shut up, Princey.”
Virgil met his friend’s all-knowing look as he turned away from the spot where he saw Roman disappear, not realizing he had a soft expression written over all of his face.
« Why are you- no. Listen, it’s not what you- »
His friend ignored him, dancing around him. « You’re doing flips, read my lips, you’re in love! » he sang, while Virgil buried his face in his hands since for some godforsaken reason when he was embarrassed he tended to have a weird smile on his face that made him completely implausible. He hated that, it only made people tease him even further.
Which was exactly what happened in this situation, even after Virgil had smacked him behind the head lightly and started to get going towards the bus station as their teachers had instructed.
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beerecordings · 5 years
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I was thinking about that Therapy AU (ish. thing. question mark?) that you brainstormed a few months back, and I find myself wondering—which of the boys realized “oh hey, I should probably see a therapist” first? And what was the impetus? (Jackie. I’m asking about Jackie. I want to know the story behind how Jackie found his Alderian/Adlerian duder and why he sprung for it. Also the thing about who came first, but Jackie. My boy. Im lov him)
lol yeah you’re right it’s not so much an au as something that i’d like to be canon in just about every universe i come up with lollll. but yeah hm…
I think Henrik goes to see a therapist first because he’s been through literal hell and there’s no way he can handle any of this without professional help. and everybody knows that, you know, like… it’s easier to justify some reasons to go than others. so even though everybody probably needs it they’re all here like “oh GEEZ someone else has had it SO MUCH WORSE than me so HE’S going to therapy” and they all end up ganging up on Henrik with their love and support like “yeah bud you need to see somebody please we’re worried about you!!” and it’s hard to argue when he’s both physically and mentally exhausted so he just ends up letting them take him. he doesn’t have his existentialist therapist at first, that’s too intensive for his mental energy at the time, but he just sees a nice calm therapist who really helps him deal with some of the outstanding issues and find ways to hold on when he’s really bad off. and the others are all so excited and supportive but for some reason when he recommends they try it too, they seem to think he’s joking?
then Chase gets court-ordered to therapy and he’s like “FUCK fine!!” and it makes him sob his heart out every week and he feels so dumb and weak and stupid for like two months before he starts to come around to it. and it’s Henrik who really convinces him that it’s okay, and then eventually it actually starts to help?? and he gets to see the kids again!!! ahh!!! it’s a good time! he and Henrik start scheduling their appointments at the same time so they can get lunch together first and then walk home together too.
JJ gets pressured by the family to join them after he starts getting into some really bad habits like getting into fights and tearing his fists open beating up his punching bag and staring at his razor for long enough that Henrik gets scared and practically drags him there himself (he would not go but he hates to see Henrik so nervous and upset). Marvin has a complete breakdown after years of being the family tough guy without crying once in front of the others and they all get freaked out and ask him to go see somebody for their sake if nothing else (he would not go but when his little brothers look at him like that) and then Jackie is there like “good job guys! I’ll just be over here! love you! :)”
cause the thing is Marvin had convinced himself that he has to be tough enough to deal with everything he goes through in silence, but Jackie is WORSE because he’s just convinced himself he doesn’t have anything to deal with. He’s the big brother, first of all, so he just doesn’t have time for that, and he’s a hero, so nothing’s going to get to him anyway, of course. and then he just hasn’t been through as much as the others, right? Henrik and JJ with Anti, and Chase with his family, and his poor Marv must have been dealing with so much so quietly for so long, and if Jackie had just been a better brother to him he wouldn’t have HAD to do that, he wouldn’t have had to hide anything from anyone, he’d come to Jackie instead of hiding his problems but he doesn’t because he doesn’t trust him enough and that’s because of Jackie’s failures and ALL OF THIS IS JACKIE’S FAULT -
yeah, no, no problems! he’s good! he’s cruising! He doesn’t have it that bad he’s fine! he only struggles sometimes cause he’s a baby, right? he should toughen up, after all he heard Henrik sobbing last night and he has it so much worse, he’s been through so much, Jackie needs to look like everything’s okay so Henrik feels safe and calm. and then everything will be better and everything will be fine. once his brothers are fine, he’ll be fine.
and then his brothers are fine.
he stops, pauses, looks around.
Chase is out with the kids, sober for a year straight. JJ’s just got a new job and he seems happy and well-adjusted. Henrik’s showing his scars without freaking out and has been dealing with his panic attacks well. Marvin admits he had a bad day but says he’s going to make tomorrow a better one! Jackie’s never heard him say anything like that in his life and he seems to mean it, what the hell is happening?
all his brothers are fine and he’s still not… what is happening…. if everyone’s okay why does he still feel so bad about himself?
The others want to go to family therapy now. Apparently JJ’s therapist keeps recommending it because so many of his issues come back to worrying about upsetting the others, and then Marvin’s therapist agrees, and they’re all pretty comfy with therapy by now, and they want to go, they want to try it. and of course he’s not going to turn them down!! yeah, they need him to be the calm big brother in the room, keeping everything together, making sure they’re all safe? of course! he’ll come and support them all!! he’s a little bit terrified at the very prospect but they need this so he’ll do it, he can do it! for their sake. if it’s for their sake it’s okay, it’s permissible, and it’s not weak because it’s not for him, it’s for them.
and then they get in there and it’s so much messier than he expected. first of all the therapist right away goes “so everyone is seeing a therapist personally but you, Jackie” and he goes hot red and feels all his brothers looking at him and makes up something about not needing that and he sees Henrik turn away from him when he says it. and then she keeps trying to draw him into it and he hates that, this wasn’t what he planned, he just wanted to sit here and tell everyone they were doing great!! and then, oh, hell, everything is coming out. everything is coming bleeding out of his brothers and it’s messy and it’s ugly and he’s not a bystander, he’s a part of it, they even say his name sometimes, they even seem to accuse him sometimes. it’s not what he expected, it’s not at all what he expected, it’s not Chase going “I’m sad sometimes when you’re sad Marvin” and Marvin going “oh no I’m sad when you’re sad let’s work on this :’((” it’s like Jameson saying “I can’t tell any of you ANYTHING because half the time you treat me like an infant and the other half of the time you get so upset that even though I want to confide in you I can’t because I know it’ll send you all spiraling, I feel like I’m not allowed to be fucking suicidal but I am and I can’t trust any of you to deal with me - ” and then before he knows it Jackie is fucking sobbing in the therapy room so hard they all have to be done for the day and JJ is sitting there staring at him like he’s just proven his point and the guilt comes crashing down and he feels like he’s dying and he REFUSES to go back next week.
they’re all upset and JJ won’t talk to him. he WON’T go back to that, that was so horrible and humiliating, he’s not doing that again, he’s NEVER trying therapy again.
his brothers go to family therapy without him. that’s fine. that’s good. they’re allowed to. he waits for things to go back to normal.
they don’t.
JJ never talks to him anymore, not about the things that matter. He says there’s no bad blood between them and most likely that’s true, but the fact is he just doesn’t trust him. can’t confide in him. Jackie starts to feel sick every time they’re together, wondering if his baby brother is suicidal right now and just hiding it from him, sitting there doing his embroidery with a movie playing on the couch, thinking about killing himself. Jackie’s starting to get upset more often. Jackie’s starting to crumble. everyone is fine, for the most part. he doesn’t want to upset that. doesn’t want to put the burden of himself on their shoulders. he’s being such a fucking baby. why is he crying himself to sleep again every night? why did he have to go hide in the bathroom for five minutes at the restaurant yesterday because someone said the word antifreeze? why does Chase teasing him about taking the last piece of cake make him want to die so badly? why isn’t he ever happy anymore? Marvin asks him if he wants to go to the arcade and he doesn’t, he isn’t up for it. energy’s gone. hasn’t had much for a long time but he could bury the exhaustion from their sight and that was all that matters. Jamie accidentally cuts his thumb one day in the kitchen and Jackie wants in and sees the blood dripping onto his wrist and he loses it, he loses it, he’s screaming, he’s shouting at JJ, and Jameson just stands there and takes it, Jameson stands there staring at him when everybody else is shouting at Jackie to cut it out, stop it, what the hell Jackie? Jamie is still standing there in silence when Jackie has a full meltdown on the kitchen floor, followed promptly by a miserable, silent, exhausted shutdown that lasts for two days afterwards.
he goes back to family therapy. it isn’t really working. he’s really tired and sad and every time someone tries to confront him about an issue in their family he might be involved in he immediately starts crying and apologizing again and again, taking all the blame on his shoulders, promising them they didn’t do anything wrong even if they did, not accepting comfort or apologies from any of them, everything’s his fault, he promises he’ll fix it, he’ll never go out on patrol again if that’s what they want. and it’s so uncomfortable for everyone and soon family therapy starts turning into “tip-toeing around Jackie while Jackie feels miserable and gets worse” and their therapist tells them this isn’t working anymore.
You need to go to a therapist, they start telling him.
I’ve been going with you all the time, he says.
No, they say, you need to go to a therapist.
Oh.
Well, he can’t do that.
Well, why not? Huh?
Because he just can’t.
Because that’s not who he is.
Why isn’t it who he is?
Jackie, why?
Jackie, say something, say anything.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Because he’s not allowed to be that. He’s not allowed to need help. He’s got to keep them safe - you don’t - I do!
fuck’s sake, Jackie. You can’t keep doing this anymore. You just can’t.
I know, he says. I know.
but he won’t go even when it’s all sitting out in the open and everyone’s staring at him like they’re waiting for him to shatter into glass because the family therapist was not what he needed and he’s scared of the questions and the feeling of being torn apart and the conflict and the sadness and he thinks all therapy’s like that and it’s not for him and he won’t go. and then one day sweet little brother number three comes and lays down with him and hugs him real tight and puts himself right there in Jackie’s arms so his big brother gets to hold him and push their heads together and hear his heartbeat and feel him rubbing at his shoulder. and Chase has probably waited for a soft calm night to tell him this but there’s this really cool thing his therapist recommended for Jackie’s sake where you don’t have to talk at all in therapy if you don’t want to. they just give you this great sand and you can run your hands all over it and then they get all these like toys and models and things out and they ask you questions like “tell me about a time when you were happy” and you just have to build, man, and work from there. and he knows he’s been so sad and tired lately and he wants him to try it because he loves him and didn’t Jackie used to try and convince him to go too?
and you wouldn’t see me as a failure if i went? and you wouldn’t think you had to take care of me? and it wouldn’t be weird for you? and you wouldn’t make fun of me for it? and nobody would ask me too many questions? and i could just build?
and Chase gives him a lot of no’s and one good solid yes, yeah, bud, you can just build, and Jackie goes two weeks later and sits down with the sand and the toys in front of him and just lets it all go and, in plastic houses and little figurines that remind him of his family and the cool soothing weight of the sand in his hands, he tells the truth at last, without ever speaking once.
plus his therapist is really funny and sweet and positive and warm with him. and she keeps going “just between you and me” and he grins and knows he can tell her anything and it doesn’t have to come back and hurt his brothers at all if he doesn’t want it to, he can even say Forbidden Horrible things like “it makes me angry when he does this” or “I wanted to kill that man that night and it scared me how strong I was” and “sometimes I think I’m just as much a mistake as Anti was” and slowly, slowly, they start to work on it. and he learns to apologize respectfully and fairly, without being accidentally manipulative, and he learns to take care of them in a way that he couldn’t before, and he learns that he’s important too, and needed and loved, even if he isn’t strong or positive or perfect every day of every year.
they start going back to family therapy once he’s ready. they keep getting more and more tools to help them put themselves and each other back together again. it’s a good fit after all.
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gayregis · 5 years
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Thanks for reblogging so much that criticizes the netflix show man. Whenever I go into the tags everybodys just saying how good the show was and how good of a character Geralt was and I'm just wondering if Im in the wrong dimension or watched a different show
oh hell yea ofc im gonna criticize this. on r/netflixwitcher they’re keen to bad people who rightfully criticize the show, and that’s bullshit imo. as long as the criticisms aren’t anything 1) caused by gamer brain rot (i.e., “why doesn’t geralt have two swords on his back,” “why doesn’t geralt have a beard,” “why is the witcher medallion a coin”), or 2) stupidly racist (”why are the dryads black?” “why isn’t yennefer pale?”), or 3) stupidly misogynistic (”they made it “feminist,” fuck that”) then im all for it.
i really feel like the book fans got snubbed with this show because they explicitly advertised it as being based off of the books and assured book fans that the cast and showrunner had read the books and respected them, and then didn’t follow through on trying to make them accurate to the original texts at all. i’m not a purist, i’m okay with interpretation and editing things in to fit time or adding in an explanation or two or cutting superfluous dialogue/lore explanations that aren’t necessary, but they changed so much by cutting a lot of things out and adding unnecessary things in that it changed the essentials of the four main characters (and also quite a few side characters, like cahir and fringilla).
geralt is kind, patient, and dislikes violence and is very intelligent, eloquent, and conversational, and protective of the vulnerable and his loved ones, and the reason he scorned his link to ciri was because he didn’t want to introduce her to his violent life, not because he just hated the idea of having a kid. 
jaskier is intelligent and talented and is a true master of his art. and geralt enjoys and appreciates his company and wants to have him around and protects him, etc, etc. jaskier is only considered “annoying” at times because he’s talkative and tells geralt truths about himself that he doesn’t want to face, and also because he has quirks like wanting to write and say reports in verse (to djikstra’s frustration). he’s also a little more of a scoundrel, and he’s a great flirt who easily gets women (unfortunately, because he soon drops them).
yennefer does not scorn aretuza, nor should we immediately feel pity for her due to her backstory b/c she’s so much more than that, nor was she the hero of sodden. she’s much more noble and isn’t an ungrateful brat who now hosts orgies just because she can, and fuck tissaia amiright. she also never gave her reproductive system up as a choice (she’s just infertile, her ovaries don’t function because she is a sorceress (visenna was a biological outlier), she didn’t get her ENTIRE WOMB taken out just so she could get magical plastic surgery). her goal to be a mother is something more innate in her i think, something that comes from wanting to also protect the vulnerable.
ciri is a little more spoiled (but they cut out the sword of destiny so this isn’t freya’s fault). i didn’t have much qualm about her because she just simply didn’t get a chance to show the viewers who she is.
calanthe is the lioness, true, but she isn’t a brute nor is she a genocidal maniac (also how would filavandrel EVER get to cintra if he lives in the mountains .). shes a refined and menacing powerful ruler who commands dignity and respect, not just someone who stirs up violence and wanders in bloody off the battlefield. also i dont remember her being so horny for her husband.
eithné uh..... isn’t that warm and nice. no offense. she does what she has to to protect the sovergnity of brokilon, so she must uphold her standards. but in the books she really was going to just make ciri a dryad and take her from geralt. also the dryads kill people of all ages so they would have killed dara (why did they only shoot his shoulder? not that i would wish for him to die, but dryads WOULD kill him).
foltest is gross but he’s not stupid like that. i think he knows what he did. also he was described as pretty in the books (unfortunately)
borch/villentretenmerth is called the most beautiful for a reason... im really not trying to critique the appearance of the actors, because acting is more important than appearances, but for borch it matters because that’s literally his title. he doesn’t wear a tunic that looks like dragonhide (painfully obvious), and he is a little more enigmatic and charming. 
cahir isn’t a nationalist freak committed to his job and he was only in the military due to familial and societal pressure and also because if he didn’t serve emhyr, he would be thrown in prison (which happens later when he fails and insults emhyr and condemns him for chasing little girls). he’s a young man caught up in the mess of society and is now in the snares of destiny. 
dopplers literally cannot be evil. also they use singular person pronouns to refer to themselves.
fringilla doesn’t practice the dark arts and isn’t a solely evil character and the secret power behind the nilfgaardian throne. she does do evil things but isn’t ruled by it, she took yennefer’s eyes out of her skull, later saved her, and then fucked her husband and hated on/argued with his friends. the woman is a bag of mixed nuts, but she isn’t straight-up evil and she doesn’t perform human sacrifice.
vilgefortz isn’t a weak baby and doesn’t get tired after casting a few spells (okay, there was ONE time when he got tired after casting a single spell. but it was, to be fair...... a pretty dramatic spell.... it was uh... too hot for him to handle, perhaps?, heh... heh..........heh..... im so sorry regis please forgive me i love you). also wasn’t he the hero of sodden and that’s why he was so important and had so much clout in the brotherhood?
no development at all for any of the characters in edge of the world, including nettly, torque, filavandrel, toruviel and the rest of the elves, and lille and the old woman weren’t even fucking IN IT!
EELS??????????
did i forget someone. i must have. but here are some thoughts
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fieldfullofbangtan · 5 years
Text
bts hc: while traveling ep. 1 - airport
a/n: since they are all on vacation right now i was inspired to make this. imagine how fun a vacation with these seven would be <3_<3
Seokjin
gotta keep up the worldwide handsome status
like child you are going to sit on an airplane for 10 hours
why are you so dressed up
and security fkn hates him because he put on all his bling
BEEP BEEP BEEP 
“oops sorry my watch”
BEEP BEEP BEEP
“oops sorry my necklace”
BEEP BEEP BEEP
“oops sorry m-”
“OH FOR FUCKS SAKE HYUNG”
has energy for some reason even tho everyone else is dead
“comon’, smile! we’re going on vacation!”
“hyung it’s 6am”
drags everyone to duty free
doesn’t even buy anything he just wants to ✨ browse ✨
has snacks for everyone in his bag
your local snack-dealer
banana milk? he’s gotchu
chocolate? he’s gotchu
cupcake? he doesnt have you at the moment but he’ll happily track it down for you
what kind of hyung would he be if he didn’t feed his bros?
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Namjoon
travel leader
handles check-ins and stuff
makes sure the others don’t forget to pack anything 
checklists
has everything under control
“CAN EVERYBODY JUST STOP MOVING”
EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL OK?
until they arrive at the airport and he realizes he left his luggage at home
*everyone yells his name in unison*
“oops... hehe... well I told you guys being 45 minutes early would come in handy!”
the youngest three stress him out so bad
for him it’s like traveling with 6 toddlers
“HEY don’t wander too far from the gate”
“do you know how overpriced the food is here?! that’s why i brought sandwiches!”
as if they can’t afford it?
after a while he gets too tired to give a shit
just sleeps at the gate while the others try to kill eachother
“i really need this vacation...”
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Yoongi
is still asleep 10 minutes before they leave the dorm
his packing is a mess because he doesn’t give a shit
he just wants to get out of here
really needs a vacation
“YOONGI WE ARE LEAVING IN 10 MINUTES YOU NEED TO GET UP”
*gives whoever is yelling the finger*
“DO YOU WANT US TO MISS THE FLIGHT?”
is somehow ready to go before everyone else
while everyone is frantic to make sure they’ve got everything he just sits in the cab
“hey, dO yOu WaNt Us tO mIsS tHe fLiGhT”
does not enjoy the airport
or flying
gets through security like a boss
just looks forward to napping at the gate
and on the plane
will take up a row of seats at the gate just to nap
lowkey very happy because 🔥VACATION🔥
*cough* i mean uh vacation~
he’ll let it show every once in a while by just smiling out of nowhere
and being nice to the other boys
“did Yoongi just wake up from a nap and smile...?”
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Hoseok
how many people can genuinely say that they’ve been happy while at the airport
hoseok can
“VACATION TIIIIIME WOOHOO”
gives the paparazzis something to look at
skips around the airport
rest of the members think he’s on acid
“the fuck is up with him?”
just overall in a good ass mode because 
“WOOO GOING ON VACATION!” 
talks way too much with the airport staff
obviously they don’t mind because he’s so damn charming
security forgets to do their job because hoseoks distracting them
accidentally becomes a security risk
every 5 minutes he shoves his phone into one of the members face to show them some famous spot or random fact about their vacation destination
“THIS VACATION IS GONNA BE FREAKIN AWESOME”
yoongi: “somebody please slip him some valium before i strangle him”’
dont do drugs kids
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Jimin
treats the airport like a catwalk
flips hair
adjusts glasses
you’d think he just walked onto a red carpet
he needs to pipe down
“Jimin are those leather pants really comfortable to fly in?”
“yes”
“jimin.”
“ok no but do you see these pictures they took of me? i look flyyyy”
its true tho
have you ever seen an airport photo of him where he doesnt look BOMB
puts pressure on the rest of bts so now they all have to look fly thanks to him
puts on a show during airport security
takes of his belt *wow*
takes of his expensive watch *wow*
takes of his glasses *wow*
takes of his shoes *umm... wow?*
for people who have a thing for feet *WOW*
though as soon as he boards the plane he goes from *moan* to hihihihihi
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Taehyung
looks fly
but tired as all hell
doesn’t enjoy the stress of the airport
but he’ll still be very exited because it’s soon relaxation time
you think he’ll be less goofy when tired?
no
he’s just goofy to the point where nobody understands him
“hey guys, what did the airplane say to the airport?”
“what”
“Choo choo!” *dies from laughter*
*nobody gets it*
just constant wtf is he talking about
sudden bursts of energy
runs around with jungkook
messes with jimins outfit
spends way too much money at duty free with jin
ends up passing out at the gate with yoongi
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Jungkook
a boss at traveling at this point
and he enjoys it
so exited for vacayyyyy
*packing his suitcase and taehyung starts to mess with him*
 “do you think this is a joke?
yall know the lifehack gifs when they just hold two edges of a t-shirt and do some magic maneuver and suddenly its just perfectly folded?
thats him
organized chaos
i dunno if everyone has realized yet but this boy has become an edgelord when traveling
black on black on black
does some cute shit for the fans and papz
as soon as they pass security he just sits at the gate drinking banana milk and playing games
he’s the one who actually has everything under control but nobody notices
“jungkook your bag is kinda heavy...”
*everyone needs to pay for overweight except for him*
nj: “WHERE IS JUNGKOOK WE BOARD IN 3 MINUTES”
“hyung im right behind you...?”
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Enemies To Lovers
Imagine:  Friends/Enemies to lovers
Pairing: Theseus Scamander x Reader
Words: 3667
A/N: Week two, day six of the Leather and Lace + You Keep Me Warm Romance Event. Did this get out of hand? Yes. Do I care? Barely. Hope you enjoy. If anyone wants to request a character, feel free to do so :)
Warnings: none, I believe. If you want me to add anything, feel free to tell me :)
#
The first time you met Theseus Scamander, you immediately hated him. In your opinion, he wasn’t suited to be the head of your department and from the first meeting on he seemed to return your feelings. You barely left the office, stuck to your neck in paperwork he assigned to you. 
The more time went on, the more he seemed to ignore your requests to actually hire a secretary if he wanted one and allow you to do your job. You were getting frustrated with your job but were also too prideful to quit, which you assumed was what he wanted. 
#
“Sir,” you greeted him after entering his office with the finished reports again. He didn’t even bother looking up and you closed your eyes for a moment to center yourself. With more force than necessary, you put down the stack of papers on his desk. “Look, if you won’t even bother to greet me, at least don’t insist on having me deliver the reports personally. Then you don’t have to ignore me.”  You knew how disrespectful you sounded but you were past caring. He wouldn’t get rid of you unless he would forcibly remove you from the office.
Now he looked up. You only stared back, setting your jaw stubbornly. “I do not appreciate you tone, Miss Y/L/N,” was the only thing he said and you had to mentally hold back to not hex him. Straightening your back, you replied, “Well, I do not appreciate being degraded to your secretary when I should be out there and support my colleagues in the field. I know that I have the skills to perform the tasks of an actual auror, so I don’t see why you insist on holding me in the office.” He reached forward and took the papers you had brought him. “It is my decision to make who to send out and who to keep back. If you wish to keep your position, do not question my decisions any further,” he replied, the waved towards you. “You are dismissed.” A part of you wanted to argue but instead you abruptly turned on you heel and exited the office, throwing the door close in your anger. You ignored the few eyes on you as you made your way back to your desk. The few people that were actually here and not on the hunt for Grindelwald and his followers weren’t benched like you, they simply finished off reports from missions. Reports that would inevitably end up on your desk the next morning. One day you would probably snap and light them on fire the instance they arrived. 
#
A woman entered the office but you ignored her presence. At least, you tried until she stepped up to your desk. Hesitantly you looked up with a blank look, trying to look as busy and interrupted as you could. “Do you need anything?” you asked, not bothering with a greeting. You had seen her before, she was part of some other department in the Law Enforcement. She seemed to be friends with Scamander, considering they often spent their breaks with each other.
Now she looked down on you with an unreadable expression. “Could you ask Mr Scamander if he has time? I wanted to talk to him.” You raised an eyebrow at her. “Sorry, Lady, but I’m not his bloody secretary. He just punishes me for existing with having to read over reports he is too busy for. Someday he’ll probably ask for a coffee. For all I care, he could burst into flames right now and I wouldn’t be bothered at all. Anything else?”
She looked a little taken aback at your hostility towards your boss but only thanked you and wordlessly retreated to his office. 
#
Later you learned that the woman was none other than Leta Lestrange, his fiancée. That outburst would probably fall back onto you but you were past caring.
#
“Y/L/N,” he said, approaching your desk. You plastered on a sweet smile and waited for him to ask whatever he wanted. “Go get your coat, you’re accompanying me.” It was almost embarrassing how quickly you got to your feet, slipping into your coat and following him wordlessly. Though you wondered what caused the sudden change but you wouldn’t test your luck with asking about it.
In the lobby you met up with several other aurors, the head of the Department of Law Enforcement and - of course - Leta Lestrange. You only gave her a semi-politely nod before listening to Travers. 
After the short briefing, you followed them outside and disapparated. The bridge leading to the castle was still like you remembered it and a nostalgic feeling welled up inside you. Your happiest memories all were bundled in the place but you knew you weren’t here for fun.
#
Interrogating Dumbledore went as well as you expected. He stayed polite but passive, not wanting to join the war that was inevitably coming. Or maybe it was already waging, it was hard to tell with how blurred the lines were. 
As you turned to leave, he called out to both you and Scamander. You were at the door already, looking at him expectantly. He warned you, should Grindelwald call for his followers to assemble, that you shouldn’t interrupt. 
On your way to the bridge, you walked next to Scamander, both of you silent. You admired Dumbledore for defending his point despite the pressure against him. You looked at your boss who seemed lost in thought. “Will you follow his advice?” He shrugged lightly. “I don’t know yet.”  You met up with the others again. It occurred to you that that was literally the first conversation between you without any malice behind it. Admittedly, it felt good.
#
Your next stop was Paris. Despite the urgency of the situation, you looked around to take in at least some of the sights. “First time in Paris?” Scamander asked suddenly and you looked at him before nodding. There still were more negative feelings between one another but since your visit in Hogwarts, you offered a less hostile stand, being more passive in your dislike of him.  If he noticed it, he didn’t comment on it.
#
“Where’s Scamander?” Travers asked and you only shrugged. “Why does everybody expect I know where he is at any given time? I’m not his secretary,” you replied, a little on the edge because even Travers was under the impression.  At least he looked more bewildered than offended by your harshness, then ordered for you to go and find him. You tried your hardest not to roll your eyes and trailed off to search and ask around.
In the end you found him locked in a room and tied to a chair. “Mr Scamander, what a coincidence to meet you here,” you said, leaning against the doorframe. When he stopped struggling to look up, you couldn’t hide a gleeful grin. “Looks like you’re in some kind of situation. Once you’re done here, Travers is searching for you.”  You turned around to leave, when you heard him struggle some more. “Y/L/N, wait!” he called out and you feigned hesitation. A heavy sigh sounded from behind you, followed by a “Please. I need your help.”
When you faced him again, you wore a big smile. “Really? I wouldn’t have noticed. I mean you normally got everything under control.” He made a face at you. “What do you want so no one will hear about this?” You raised an eyebrow at him and decided to test your luck. “An explanation and for you to get an actual secretary, so I can finally do my job. Maybe, if you’re feeling generous, even an apology but I’m not greedy.”
He sighed again, looking defeated. “It was your father. When he resigned, he requested for you be kept off the field. I know you’re more than capable but he is a scary and influential man, even if he has retired and I did not want to risk my career for that.” He paused and you thought about it. It made sense. Still, he did not have to be so unpleasant about it.  “I’m sorry,” he added and he seemed to mean it. You exhaled, then waved your wand and the rope fell to the ground. “Thank you for being honest. Though I’m still kind of angry you wouldn’t have told me without blackmail. That’s not a good way to keep up a professional relationship.” He stood up and straightened out his jacket. “I know. And I meant it when I apologize. I’ll try to be more open about your father’s requests in the future.”
“Appreciated,” you replied and followed him back to Travers.
#
You had tried to remind him Dumbledore’s words but he had just waved it off. “If you don’t think you can handle it, stay here,” he had said and you adamantly shook your head.
Now you stood there, watching in horror as blue flames devoured colleagues in front of you. Even though you were standing at a good distance to it, you could feel the burning heat on your exposed skin as if you were standing in it. Screaming from one side caught your attention and you saw Scamander as he tried to get to his fiancée. His brother was by his side, trying to drag him away from the flames when they burned the woman to ash. He was screaming and fighting against the grip, so you bolted down the stairs and grabbed him by the arm. “There is nothing you can do Scamander. We have to leave. Don’t let her sacrifice be a lost cause!” you yelled at him and that seemed to get to him a little. You made it out of the mausoleum barely as blue flames burst through the openings and burned everything in their path. Your hand was still wrapped around his upper arm when you were joined by an old, sickly looking wizard.
The circle around the graveyard was quickly formed and once you claimed your position, you drove your wand into the ground with a yell. A golden line formed on the ground and you watched as the flames were encased by the ward and orange flames until they were dragged into the building and finally snuffed out.
#
You stood next to your boss on the bridge as you watched his brother talk to Dumbledore. “He was right,” the man said and you looked at him. It was one of the few things he had said after watching Leta die and even though you still didn’t really like him, even you would try to be nice. “What do you mean?” He gestured towards Dumbledore. “He warned us. You were there. You tried to remind me but I brushed it off because Travers told me so. We never should have entered that mausoleum.” You hesitated, then placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I did warn you but even I couldn’t have imagined that. It wasn’t your fault. She made her own decisions.” You looked out towards Hogwarts. So many students behind the wall didn’t know what had happened only hours ago. Since the obscurial joined Grindelwald, you wouldn’t even deem this place safe and there was hardly anything better protected. “A lot will change, I suppose,” he said, following your gaze. You hummed in agreement, then added, “A lot already has.”
Your little group disbanded, one by one of those that were left walking past the wards and vanishing into thin air. You turned to follow and to your surprise he fell into step next to you. “What are you going to do now?” he asked, hands shoved into his pockets and eyes focused on the stones below them. You shrugged. “Get some rest. Grief those we lost. And when it is called for, fight. That means, if I’m allowed to leave the office now, sir,” you replied and noticed the ghost of a smile cross his lips.
“I can hardly bench my best auror now, can I?” he said and you gave him a firm smile before disapparating.
#
The next time you stepped into the office, it had changed. Some tables had been cleared which tightened a knot in your stomach. Another desk had been set up before Scamander’s office. A woman was sitting at it, avidly reading over some papers. She looked up and gave you an easy smile as you approached. “Ah, you must be Miss Y/L/N. I’m Priscilla Selpie, Mr Scamander’s new secretary and assistant. He asked me to send you inside once you were here.”
You thanked her with a nod and a smile then entered after knocking. “So you actually listened to me,” you said instead of greeting him and he looked up. “Good morning to you, too. And you actually still don’t care for politeness.” He rounded his desk and leaned against it. You doubted that he had slept much since your return from Paris, judging from his messy hair, his pale face and the very noticeable bags under his eyes. Even his suit jacket had creases where they didn’t belong, completely untypical.
“You know, maybe you should listen to another advice of mine and try to take some time off. You just lost someone, it is understandable,” you said and he shook his head. “I got restless at home. It was bad. This way I can keep busy and distract myself. And try to find the man who is behind all of this.” You looked at the picture of Leta Lestrange on his desk and he followed your gaze. “You hated her, didn’t you? At least, that’s what she thought.” Now it was your time to shake your head. “No, I hated you. I felt really more indifferent towards her than anything else. Admittedly, I was wondering a little how she could love an ass like you but now that I’ve seen some other sides of you... She seems less of a lunatic and more of a normal woman with a type.”
A fond smile crossed his face. “So, hated? Past tense?” You rolled your eyes at him. “That does not mean that I like you, Scamander but... let’s just say that my feelings towards you are neutral. I hope that’s enough for now.” Still, your tone wasn’t harsh. You did have more than enough time to think about what happened and what he told you and in the end he was deemed potentially likeable. Maybe, in the near future, you could even become friends.
He looked at you for a moment, then nodded. “For now.”
#
And friends you did become. It was two years after the graveyard and you knew that he wouldn’t have it easy today. You greeted Priscilla who smiled at you cheerily and entered the office without knocking. “Alright, Scamander, time for dinner.” Even though he had asked you along the way to use his first name, you refused to do so, just because of how much it annoyed him. Still, it was different than before, spoken with at least 40% more fondness and 75% less irritation. Of course, those numbers varied from day to day.
He didn’t look up. “I’m not really in the mood for dinner” You didn’t bother and forcibly closed the book he was reading, staring down at him. “Well, then you better get in the mood quickly because we are going. You have no say in that. I’m not going to let you gloom in your office for the rest of your day only to end it with a bottle of bourbon. I watched that last year.” He leaned back and rubbed across his neck, clearly tense from looking down the entire time. “I don’t see you barge into my brother’s house to invite him to dinner,” he replied and you raised your eyebrows at him. “Well, Newt has a friend and a nice American lady by his side, so he doesn’t need me but you do, so get up before I hex you.” He reluctantly did, whether because of your reasoning or your threat was unsure but irrelevant.
He followed you out the building and towards a cozy muggle restaurant close to the ministry. “Why aren’t we going somewhere... uh...” You grinned as he struggled with finding the right word, then interrupted him. “Because you need a break from magic and everything that comes with it. So we’ll eat at a muggle place.”
#
Despite his original hesitation, he seemed to enjoy both the food and the surroundings. Afterwards, you insisted on taking a walk. He walked beside you for a while without saying anything. “I should probably go home... I don’t want to bother you for longer.” You gave him a pointed look and he almost helplessly lifted his shoulders. “Scamander, I already said I’m not going to let you drink your sorrow away. At least not alone. Now come one, I have some drinks at my place.” You offered him your arms and when he put his hand on it, apparated you both to your place. He looked around, the first time he set foot into your flat.
“Take a seat,” you offered and he sat down on your sofa while you retrieved the bourbon and two glasses, placing them on the coffee table and filling them.
#
In the end, he slept on your sofa after pouring his heart out to you in a less-than-sober state. Whatever he had told you, you would keep it to yourself, you decided.
#
On the third anniversary you repeated it. Again, he stayed on your sofa for the night and you woke him up the next morning with a strong coffee. He sat at you dinner table while you prepared some breakfast and seemed to watch you. “How personal did I get?” he asked after a while and you laughed a little. “Even more than last time.” You watched him for a moment before returning your attention to the food in front of you.
He had told you how he wanted to move on but still felt guilty about it. That he knew he couldn’t stay like this forever but that he didn’t want to disappoint or forget her, let alone give off the feeling he wanted to replace her. Then you hadn’t said much with real essence but now you wanted to do so. Still, you couldn’t think of the exact words. And a while ago, another issue had occurred.
Finally you could understand how Leta could have love an ass like him.
#
You entered his office and put the mug down on his desk. “I thought you could use a coffee. This mission was hell.” It wasn’t the first time you did field work but surely the hardest. Or at least second hardest. Nothing would ever trump Paris. At least you hoped it wouldn’t. He took the coffee and sipped on it before thanking you.
“Anything you want?” he asked and you shook your head, leaning against his desk sideways to watch what he was doing. “I finished the report and handed it over to Priscilla. You should take a break. If you continue to squint at the paper like that you’ll get wrinkles or need glasses. Or both. Probably both.” He gave you a tired smile and stretched a little before standing up and joining you on the other side of the desk. His elbow bumped into yours as he took another sip.
“You are always worrying about me,” he teased and you laughed. “Someone has to. You’re clearly not doing it.” He smiled and now intentionally bumped his elbow into your side. Both of you quickly sobered up, then he spoke again. “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. We started out literally hating each other and now... never would have imagined that when we first met.” You nodded, smiling into your mug. “Likewise. But I don’t mind this at all.”
He hummed and you could see from the corner of your eye that he was watching you. “Can I help you with something?” You put your mug down on the desk and looked at him. His expression seemed clouded for a moment, then he leaned forward. You unintentionally held your breath but he stopped and pulled back, then turned away. “Sorry. I’m... I just...” he sighed and you put your hand on his which was gripping the edge of the desk hard. “I know. It’s okay. I understand.” He turned around only to look at you with surprise written on his face. “How do you... wait... the anniversary?” You nodded and gave him a warm smile. “Take your time, Theseus. I won’t go anywhere.” This time, you used his first name intentionally.
Now you leaned forward, to press a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll leave you to it.” You picked up your mug again and pushed away from the desk, not getting further than a step.
His hand around your wrist stopped you. You halted, waiting for him to act, which he did by spinning you around and planting his lips on yours. You willingly melted into him, trying not to drop your coffee, smiling against his lips the entire time.
When you parted, you looked him into the eyes and planted another short kiss on his lips. “That was quicker than expected.” He smiled, a little sheepishly even, and brushed some hair behind your ear. “You made it easier. I’m glad I drunkenly confessed that. Otherwise I might have let you walk out,” he said and your smile only widened. “Would have been a shame, really. But I’m glad you didn’t.”
Whatever this would grow into, it somehow had been years in the making, neither of you could deny that. It truly had been a wild ride and with the uncertainty of the future, it would surely stay just as interesting but it was easier to look ahead when you knew someone by your side.
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bianca-christine · 5 years
Video
This is the video Terre shared with us on instagram, I had watched it a few years back when I was on a motivational video binge, she is the reason I stopped getting my nails done. Terre inspired me to watch it again, and I want to share with you the things that stood out the most to me. Hopefully you all get a chance to watch it and share your thoughts as well !
“Everything I need to get back up, I have in me, If I don't have what I need, I can go get it.”
“Hurt people hurt, sad people make other people sad.”
“You want to make me extraordinary, because it lets you off the hook.”
“We are all waiting for perfect, it's an illusion that will never come to you, it's an excuse to never show up and play.”
“Good people should do well, because when good people do well, good people just do more good in the world.”
“I was willing to completely die to any from of me that I have been, so that I could birth the women that I was becoming.”
“Another reason why people won’t get there is because the doorway is for you to fit through, You tryna carry everyone else through cause you tryna be rescue 911 and you gotta rescue you first. I am much more valuable to my family and to my community because I was willing to let them go, go through the door myself, teach myself, condition myself and then come back and get them. I am much more valuable to them now”
I relate to this particularly when it comes to my mom. My mom is not exactly financially stable, and I feel the pressure to help her out beyond  my means. I sometimes feel like I can barley take care of me, I may not be able to help as much as I would like now but I am working towards a better future for us.
“I don't ever want to think I arrived”
“I went to people that was about serving others to the highest level, you see I make a lot of money, because I serve more people. All your success is on the other side of service. People trying to make money; if it begins and ends with money, it's going to be a short lived victory, but if its about transforming lives, then the wind keeps going and going and growing and growing.”
“I was willing to be the student first, ... number two: I looked at every toxic behavior in my life, every one”
“If you wake up everyday and say; I have nothing to protect, I have nothing to prove, I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to defend. Now who do I choose to be? Because your energy is consumed  with protecting, proving, hiding and defending, but if you let go of that, then now you're in creation.”
“You want someone celebrate you, more than you celebrating yourself.”
“The world is looking at  you and following your example on how to treat you.”
“I was everything for everybody, but nothing for myself.”
“I started everyday celebrating Lisa, forgiving Lisa, and making a commitment to Lisa, and then I was wiling to invest money in ME ..., literally.”
“I was willing to inconvenience my entire life, ...I was willing to disrupt my entire life to buy my future, to buy my possibility, to give my dream a chance. See we’re not supposed to tuck our dreams in on the pillow when we get up in the morning, were not supposed to leave them at home and go and fulfill someone else's dream, were not supposed to do that, that's not what we are wired to do, that's not who we are. Your HUMAN SPIRIT doesn't care about the economy, the human spirit doesn't care that my sons father went to prison, the human spirit doesn't care what happened to your family, the human spirit doesn't care about the past...Your HUMAN SPIRIT doesn't care about any of that! Your HUMAN SPIRIT simply says ‘What’s our command for tomorrow? What do you want to create?...’”
“Im just here to tell you JUMP! Because only  three things can happen; your either going to jump and fly, or you're going to jump and fall on something soft, or you're either going to fall and land on something hard, either way you're going to get back up.”
“Your Greatest fear is not that you will fall, your greatest fear is the you will live a full life and never fly.”
“Money just buys better memories”
“I was willing to be incovenienced for my conviction, If you go where you’ve never gone, do what you’ve never done and say what you’ve never said, you’ll become the woman and the man you’ve always known yourself to be.”
“To make sleeping and complacency, difficult.”
“Other people’s perception of you ain’t none of your business, its your job to do the best you possible and in doing you, you inspire us.”
Stop wasting your time on what others think of you 
“You are an unrepeatable miracle”
“He’s going to find his best lessons in his biggest mistakes. so don't be afraid of mistake”
“I love transformation more than I love motivation”
“An exercise called Expose the Lies” (40:23)
16 blank sheets of paper 
Write down a list of lies in pencil and leave space between each lie
Write down every lie you tell yourself (just about money)
Write down all the lies you have told yourself about who you are
Write down all the lies you have told yourself about relationship{romantic, family, friends) 
Write down all the lies you tell yourself around health and fitness
Write down every all the lies you tell yourself around your spirituality
Write the truth down in between each lie (even if you can't believe it yet, in red pen)
Read for two days at least x4 a day; The lie the truth, the lie, the truth (neurolinguistic programming)
After the second day, erase the lie, so then you are just left with the truth
“Run after it like your late for work”
“It’s not anyones job to complete you”
“Consciousness is very important but it means nothing without action.”
“Action is the prescription to success.”
“We use try as a crutch to say i really don't want to do it, but I don't want to tell you now”
“The truth is sexy, and it's liberating, and it's sobering.”
“Some of us are just as afraid of being loved as we are afraid of being left, can you give the world permission to leave you and love you”
abundancenowonline.com
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fmddevin · 5 years
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woosh !! so i was trying to keep my ooc identity a surprise until now, but apparently i was stupid and y’all found out before i could get this up so...yay!! anyways, i’ll try to keep this short and simple! i’m jada, and this is my second baby, and the last for a while - mr. daein “devin” kim! he’s 23, the lead vocal & lead dancer of impulse, and an overall mess. he’s got a lot to work out, but i’m excited to see what i can do with him and how he grows & develop! he’s a little more on the chaotic side than micha is, but don’t let it scare you off! i swear i’ve got a plot page coming really soon, like tomorrow, but in the meantime - here’s his profile & bio! i’m more than happy to plot with you, though, so like this for me to hop in your ims!! trivia & some hawaii event ideas / general plot ideas under the cut.~
ok let’s get this started!! i promise to try to make this short & sweet as possible (but you know i’m jada so-). but before i wrote daein’s profile i made like a....3 page bullet summary of what i wanted him to be, so i’m going to be inputting some of those here!! so if it sounds a bit rambly...you know why!
if you’re just here for the event thread ideas, scroll down towards the end, where hawaii event ideas is in bold! <3
born on march 24th, 1996!
parents koreans from seoul, korea. met through a study abroad program @ their college, fell in love with each other and the us! had baby daein, who got plopped in the middle of tampa, florida!
his whooooole childhood felt like he was living in isolation. being one f the only asian-american kids on the block, he definitely felt like an outsider. when he’d bring kimbap, kimchi, or tteokbokki for lunch, they’d always look at him all confused like?? what is that
it made him sad bc he always had felt like his different was a good thing, and he’d been raised to be proud of his culture, but apparently not??
as a sidenote kid misheard his name in middle school and was like “devin?” and he was like “sure that’s it” and started going by that outside of home ever since bc it made him feel more american 
just throughout his whole childhood he was ridiculed for being different, which was really the start of his obsession with other’s satisfaction and being like everyone else!
so he took matters into his own hands, but in the worst way possible. during this time, he went against everything his parents had taught him and essentially rejected his korean culture. he stopped bothering to learn the tidbits of korean they were trying to teach him, never brought up his culture, and kind of distanced himself from his parents. he always was trying to bring up some excuse for why they couldn’t come to events because he was always embarrassed about their english and how different they all looked compared to everybody else. just...not a good time and his parents were very upset w/him
anyways onto happy times!! middle school was when he discovered his passion for dance, hip hop in particular. he would always be so amazed by the dancers at the boardwalk performing and decided that’s what he wanted to do!!
sOooOo he originally started off as being self-taught through videos on youtube, but eventually his parents agreed to let him dance if he a.) promised it wouldn’t mess up his grades and b.) he paid for them his own
and he did!! it was Hard but he made sure his grades were in check & picked up a part-time job at the ice cream parlor near his house to get money. it was minimum wage and he had to wear a cheesy apron with this ice cream cone hat but anyways
he could only afford one lesson a week at the community dance center, but it taught him a lot!!! where he discovered his true passion for dance, and tbh spent more time there than anywhere else
eventually!! he joined a florida dance crew and that’s when his skills really blossomed and people started taking him seriously, basically was there until the beginning of high school
tw: drug and alcohol addiction!
and then high school is when it...all came crashing down. being such a people pleaser, he fell victim to peer pressure. he was scared of being looked down again, because by now he’d formed a name for himself and was pretty popular. so, to continue blending in, started getting heavily into drinking and drugs and just...not good, because he grew really dependent on it and started losing his enthusiasm for everything else. it’s something he continues to struggle with a lot, although it’s mostly drinking nowadays and the only drug he’s involved with on a regular basis is weed?? but he has relapsed and that’s a major reason he needs people around him to keep him stable!!
also the dance team wouldn’t let him back in bc he failed the drug test and his drug spiral just got worse because he had nothing else to focus his energy on.
it was the only thing that really made him feel something other than dance, and now that he was spending all of his money on it he couldn’t even do that.
tw: drug and alcohol addiction - end!
he partially discovered his love for singing after the months he had to go w/o dancing. he really started to enjoy it but only in private because he was Embarrased of what others would think so
his parents were tired of his bs because he was a junior now and they were basically like we’re tired of the people we hang around and you need to be around family, so for spring break they sent him to seoul!!
boy was hEated alr. like i said, wasn’t a fan of his culture, he had to leave his friends who were all going on fun trips, & he knew NOTHING - not the language, the people, anything.
but when he got there??? kind of actually enjoyed it. he got to meet family he’d never met before, picked up a little of the language, all of that. but hongdae??? - that’s what made him really excited.
he never thought of korea to be a very exciting place, until he went there. there were so many other talented dancers and he felt so at home, but unlike in florida, they looked like him!
so this is where it gets a little funny lmao. his family refused to fund his habits but he wanted to go to a club while he was there to have fun and impress girl??? so basically, he went to hongdae, and tried  busking for some extra cash. and he LOVED IT!! for a reference he freestyled to turn up the music by chris brown lol
and it was real fun!! he genuinely had a really good time - but right before he left some random ass man left him a little slip, and he was like ??? and then he asked him his name, and daein barely understood what he said and in english was like “hey i’m devin??” and when the man realized he was like yes!! and daein was like no??? but took the slip anyways and turns out it was an invitation to a gold star audition!!
the second daein read it said kpop he essentially was like “lmao no” and just threw it in his bag. so he went home, and kind of forgot about it all, until a few months after he got home. things weren’t really looking up for him and he really wanted to continue his dance career, he just didn’t know how. he didn’t get accepted to the college he wanted to because of that time his grades had plummeted, and it was hard to land a stable dance job. & his parents were like look if you don’t make this dance thing happen we’re going to throw you into a business job with a suit and tie u need money
and daein!! hates!! corporate!! so he was like hell no and decided to give this idol thing one last chance
so - he submitted a video audition to gold star, and low and behold!! he made it!!
even though this was his saving grace, he really didn’t know what to do about it. because i mean he loved tampa, and he didn’t want to leave?? but when his parents heard the opportunity they were ELATED because they knew dance was the only thing that really put his focus on good things & they wanted him to be in korea with his family and all that. so!! they were like DO IT. and he really had no other choice so he was like uhhhh i guess
flash forward to the end of may!! right after the end of his junior year of school in tampa, he moved to korea to start training. since he had a pretty good experience during spring break of the year before, he expected his life to be better than he’d expected!! but...it was really hard. since he had to live there, and he was only 16, he felt really lost w/o his parents, and his only real family there were his grandparents and cousins he barely every said hi to so that sucked
tw: depression and light substance abuse!
around this time was when he developed signs of depression, just as he started training. because it was when he really discovered that he couldn’t please everybody, something that he’d strived to do his whole life. 
he lacked a support system & didn’t have anyone really close to him to make the transition better, since his parents were back in florida and he could barely hold a conversation with his family in korea. this is a big reason he remained dependent on drinking especially, because it got him out of his funk and to temporarily forget about all that was going on.
because of it, daein started getting less sleep, eating less, and all that. gold star noticed it really soon and got him in touch with a psychiatrist, which, eventually diagnosed him with depression. but it’s not something he goes around telling everyone, he has some evident signs but he probably wouldn’t openly tell more than a couple really close & trusted friends. but gold star has been monitoring his mental health to make sure he’s okay mentally. he takes medication but?? it doesn’t do him much good but they’re always hounding him about it so 
like i said though, he’s a very independent person so he doesn’t like to feel like he’s a burden, which is why he doesn’t want others to know because he feels like they’re gonna pity him!!
tw: depression and light substance abuse! - end
bc of his more tan skin (back in the day from florida, not really anymore) and broken korean, he felt like a foreigner, but also people would mistake him for having korean nationality whenever they would talk to him. so he felt like he couldn’t really fit either mold, because he was out of place in korea and florida. but!! i digress
he felt like he was kind of thrust into who’s next: origin story because by the time it started he had only been a trainee for...4 months?? like it’s crazy & he clearly wasn’t ready, a major reason for him being on the losing end, but he had the loveable foreigner thing going on so he did get a good fanbase!! even though he was criticized for his short training period
i doubt he was a favorite among the trainees because he’s REEEEEALLY introverted,,, especially in social situations where he’s not the most comfortable with people in so i don’t think he was super talkative.
 a big reason he has trouble on variety shows now!! it’s not that he doesn’t like but they’ve kind of turned it into a “mysterious” thing, which is fine to him if it mean he doesn’t have to talk as much
also he hated it because he constantly had to dodge staff & other trainees whenever he wanted to drink or smoke so he was probably always trying to find a way to sneak out when they had any kind of free time
he got a lotlotlot better at singing during training though, though they’re kind of forcing an unnatural tone for his voice which is making him strain and can’t be good for him in the long run but marketing!! so. anyways he loves singing a lot more than he did before, he’d always expected to be just a dancer but they unleashed his potential so!! that’s one thing he really enjoyed about training
basically he’s been marketed as the “sexy foreigner” and he kinda hates it ngl. because while he never was attached to his korean identity, the more he’s been here the more he’s just wanted to be the same as everybody else?? so that’s not helping with anything. he’s always kind of laughed at for being clueless when a joke flies over his head, made to say things in english ALL THE TIME, just all that. it really gets on his nerves bc nowadays he just wants to blend in and they’re not making it any better!!!
it may sound confusing but basically: as a teen he rejected his korean identity to blend in with everyone in florida, now he’s in korea and wants to be known as less of an american to blend it. it all comes down to him wanting to be like everyone else is nearly every aspect!! 
since he feels like he cheated & got to debut way too easy than some others, he’s been trying to develop his creative and performance skills so he can get more credit and make a name for himself due to his actual abilities rather than just,, him being american lmao!! also trying super super hard to get as good as he can at korean
tw: drug and alcohol addiction!
he still has some trouble getting around & he still feels lost, but he’s trying his best. struggling through his alcohol addiction, which bc is mildly aware about but really trying to keep quiet and he’s been on the verge of leaving more than a few times. but as quiet as he is about it, he really relies on his members a lot to keep himself afloat!! so he appreciates them putting through his shit a lot of the time more than he'll admit.
 tw: drug and alcohol addiction! - end
but rn he’s getting better, slightly, focusing more of his energy into music than anything. he really wants to get into the songwriting industry to get a name for himself on his own instead of just being known for impulse!!
just  as a fyi since it’s a bit confusing his birth name is daein, he went by devin when he lived in america, but he goes by daein again now that he’s in korea, but his stage name is still devin and that’s what his friends from america call him. he prefers to be called daein nowadays, though, so that’s probably the safest best!
also this has not been short at all but anyways
hawaii plots!
he likes to drink & get high way too much and what better place than to do that then on vacation?? he’s been trying to stop, but look, it’s vacation and he’s unwinding and if your muse is down they can both have fun!!
such. an. introvert. even more than micha, because 80% of his interactions by choice come from his group?? but i would love to get him some new friends (especially since he literally has none right now lol)
he’s a bit of a hoe ngl so!! hookups are accepted, that’s the one time he’s not afraid of striking up conversation!!
he’s in the red team so like micha, if you’re members in the red team he could use some buddies to be with!!
someone to explore the island with during the night!
general plots!
he lives in an apartment my himself atm, but a roommate would be lovely!! he needs someone to put him out of his funk, anyways. 
drinking buddies ofc
trainee friends? someone who wasn’t put off by him being super quiet and befriended it and he’s super grateful nowadays? 
give me all the angst & romance because he’s a handful, seriously, phew
besties!! someone that makes him soft and happy bc there are few people who make him super happy & excited, so someone fill in the gap!
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