#daniel who sees himself as a walking disappointment: o:

[rainymoodlet]

Kiss Me in Komorebi+ 🌸

[Ep. 16] The Beach Episode Spa Arc

[ Part 9 of 15 ] 🌹

@bionibots

[bigdealsgoddog]

Lookism guys trying to impress their s/o

Notes: gender neutral reader! This is just my hcs about how some of the lookism guys would try to impress their s/o(Jake kim, Samuel seo, vasco, Daniel)

Jake kim (kim gi myung)

Probably the least likely to feel the need to impress his s/o

Like he’ll absolutely do it if he knows it’ll get a certain reaction out of you but he’s pretty confident in himself

Maybe there’s a special hole in the wall place that he found or maybe he’ll take you to one of the places on big deal to be like “yeah I know this area really well, the people love me here and it’s amazing food”

He’d probably try to hide that he’s the leader of big deal for a while unless that’s how you end up meeting him/finding out about him

He’s more likely to try to impress you with things he found rather than material items and spending money. As is big deal doesn’t have a lot of money but he’s also not the type to just throw money around like that. Plus doing that attracts all the wrong people in his eyes.

Samuel seo (seo seongeun)

This man and his inferiority complex? You know DAMN WELL he’s gonna be dropping so much money on you to impress you

Fancy dinner dates, expensive liqour, his fancy car all the way back to his fancy apartment

See I feel like he wouldn’t like a gold digger as much as he wants to impress you with money I think he’s more likely to fall for someone who doesn’t give a shit about his social standing. Or who he even is for that matter

It’s the inferiority complex kicking in, he feels like he needs to get what’s not his, someone that doesn’t want him until he proves that he is the best option for them

So he’s gonna be a little disappointed when his attempt at impressing you doesn’t actually work out

He’d end up trying to impress you by finding out about a certain food/item that’s been discontinued and absolutely hunting that thing down and getting it for you. You’d be more impressed that he remembered that random niche thing about you but it’s honestly a little touching how hard he worked to find it for you

Please praise him that’s all he really wants

Vasco (Euntae lee)

He’d have all of burn knuckles memorize a performance or something like that, panicking because “he really needs to do this for s/o, everything is on the line”

It was like your fifth date and he heard something from vin jin that if you’re not spoiling your partner and showing them every moment why you were the best option then they might as well leave and poor guy took it to heart so now all of burn knuckles is getting ready to surprise you for what you thought was going to be a coffee date with vasco

Honestly suddenly being surrounded by all of burn knuckles while you were taking a walk in the park as they tried to do what looked to be interpretive dance? You honestly weren’t sure it was a little overwhelming

Actually a lot overwhelming

Jace thankfully was able to save the day rushing in and escorting the burn knuckles while vasco panics asking you what’s wrong and if there was something wrong with the surprise

You calmed him down and let him well the thought was nice but you didn’t really know why he went through all that trouble? He ended up explaining it all and you kinda just gave him that ‘Aw you poor thing’ look

“It’s ok vasco you don’t need to impress me just to keep me around” “i don’t?” It’s like a weight lifted off his shoulders

You also didn’t want to admit that when he works out seeing his muscles impresses you enough

Daniel park(hyeong seok)

I think he’s also one of the types to not want to try to impress his s/o?

Not to say that he’s super confident or anything but he knows how differently he was treated on surface level appearance alone so I think he would’ve probably fallen for an s/o who wouldn’t be all about impressions alone?

Like somebody he doesn’t feel like he needs to impress or act a certain way with but he’ll still try, he ends up asking Jay and joy what to get you, things he could do to impress you

He’s pleasantly surprised when you’re more impressed how he remembers your drink order at the nearby cafe and when he brings you your favorite pastry from the patisserie down the street

He ends up getting you some new clothes on occasion, like if he notices a specific hoodie or shirt you’d wear a lot he’ll try to get you clothes in similar brands/styles. And so long as you like it he’d get you a size up too because he noticed how much you like how big his clothes are on you

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

14th March >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Tuesday, Third Week of Lent - Proper Readings 

(see also The Samaritan Woman)

(Liturgical Colour: Violet: A(1))

First Reading Daniel 3:25,34-43 Let our sacrifice to you today be a contrite soul and humbled spirit.

Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:

Oh! Do not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your favour from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac your servant, and of Israel your holy one, to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven and as the grains of sand on the seashore. Lord, now we are the least of all the nations, now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins. We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince, no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can offer you the first-fruits and win your favour. But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you as holocausts of rams and bullocks, as thousands of fattened lambs: such let our sacrifice be to you today, and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly, since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed. And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more. Do not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful. Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9

R/ Remember your mercy, Lord.

Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.

R/ Remember your mercy, Lord.

In you I hope all day long because of your goodness, O Lord. Remember your mercy, Lord, and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth. In your love remember me.

R/ Remember your mercy, Lord.

The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.

R/ Remember your mercy, Lord.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 8:15

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Or:

Joel 2:12-13

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 To be forgiven, you must forgive.

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

------------------------------

Tuesday, Third Week of Lent - The Samaritan Woman 

(Liturgical Colour: Violet: A(1))

First Reading Exodus 17:1-7 Strike the rock, and water will flow from it.

The whole community of the sons of Israel moved from their camp in the desert of Zin at the Lord’s command, to travel the further stages; and they pitched camp at Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink. So they grumbled against Moses. ‘Give us water to drink’ they said. Moses answered them. ‘Why do you grumble against me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?’ But tormented by thirst, the people complained against Moses. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt?’ they said. ‘Was it so that I should die of thirst, my children too, and my cattle?’ Moses appealed to the Lord.

‘How am I to deal with this people?’ he said. ‘A little more and they will stone me!’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take with you some of the elders of Israel and move on to the forefront of the people; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the river, and go. I shall be standing before you there on the rock, at Horeb. You must strike the rock, and water will flow from it for the people to drink.’ This is what Moses did, in the sight of the elders of Israel. The place was named Massah and Meribah because of the grumbling of the sons of Israel and because they put the Lord to the test by saying, ‘Is the Lord with us, or not?’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9

R/ O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord.

R/ O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us: for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.

R/ O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.’

R/ O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 8:15

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Or: Joel 2:12-13

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Gospel John 4:5-42 A spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat straight down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?’ – Jews, in fact, do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus replied:

‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water.’

‘You have no bucket, sir,’ she answered ‘and the well is deep: how could you get this living water? Are you a greater man than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus replied:

‘Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again; but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.’

‘Sir,’ said the woman ‘give me some of that water, so that I may never get thirsty and never have to come here again to draw water.’ ‘Go and call your husband’ said Jesus to her ‘and come back here.’ The woman answered, ‘I have no husband.’ He said to her, ‘You are right to say, “I have no husband”; for although you have had five, the one you have now is not your husband. You spoke the truth there.’ ‘I see you are a prophet, sir’ said the woman. ‘Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said:

‘Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know: for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.’

The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah – that is, Christ – is coming; and when he comes he will tell us everything.’ ‘I who am speaking to you,’ said Jesus ‘I am he.’ At this point his disciples returned, and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked, ‘What do you want from her?’ or, ‘Why are you talking to her?’ The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people. ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?’ This brought people out of the town and they started walking towards him. Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, do have something to eat; but he said, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples asked one another, ‘Has someone been bringing him food?’ But Jesus said:

‘My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work. Have you not got a saying: Four months and then the harvest? Well, I tell you: Look around you, look at the fields; already they are white, ready for harvest! Already the reaper is being paid his wages, already he is bringing in the grain for eternal life, and thus sower and reaper rejoice together. For here the proverb holds good: one sows, another reaps; I sent you to reap a harvest you had not worked for. Others worked for it; and you have come into the rewards of their trouble.’

Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony when she said, ‘He told me all I have ever done’, so, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and when he spoke to them many more came to believe; and they said to the woman, ‘Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the saviour of the world.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[crossoverglobaloutreach]

THE LORD IS MY PORTION

“This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.” - Lam.3:21-27

This text, authored by Jeremiah the prophet in the Book of Lamentations, was sent to us from our daughter-in-law concerning the life lived by her saintly grandmother who had just passed. It was in reference to how her grandmother had lived before the Lord. In Danielle’s own words:

“She was one of the most selfless, content, gentle, hilarious, kind, gracious, humble, enduring, godly people I’ve ever known. She was steadfast in her walk with the Lord, fervent in her prayer life and devoted to the Word. The trials she faced during her time on this earth were countless and I struggle to understand the Lord’s ways in so much of what she had to go through. But if she were here now, I know she would say in spite of all of it… (the above scripture from Lam.3:21-25.)”

Give attention here to “The Lord is my portion.” Though Jeremiah mentions in the Book of Jeremiah the numerous hardships he endured while standing for the truth of God’s word toward Israel, those hardships are never spoken of specifically as his portion in the Book of Jeremiah. We do read, however, he has sought the Lord and waited upon Him till the Lord’s salvation broke through, confirmed his course, his purpose and brought about a making of him. Every adversity has an appointed purpose, revealing God’s personal favor, grace and wisdom in each of us as stature according to the likeness of our Father to be “conformed to His image.”

Beloved, if we are willing to know Him in Truth, as The Way in whatever wilderness, crisis, infirmity or affliction we may face, He, Himself, will be the outcome of our tried faith becoming tenacious. If we seek Him not, or refuse waiting on Him, even quietly, for the inevitable breakthrough of His salvation, to say, “The Lord is my portion,” will be empty - a contradiction to a way of complaints, hypocrisy and laziness as a “believer.” Our following of Him defines our believing Him.    

David alike Jeremiah declares in Psa.16:5-8, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain (uphold) my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest (dwell securely) in hope.”

Do you see your portion in life to be one of disappointment, frustration or defeat? Is your flesh at rest or restless? Is your soul wearied in well doing? Is lost hope defining you? Has your fire from God turned to embers where He is more behind you than before you, even at your right hand? Is there no longer an ear for His counsel or those who have brought it to you in times past? Let’s remember, the Lord’s inheritance comes in portions, measures, here a little and there a little, a line upon line and a precept upon precept. And, it comes many times in difficulties, trouble, dry places, wildernesses, but there is a table to be found in them all where portions are released answering our faith to be rooted, grounded, settled and established in faithfulness to Him. Herein, are we resolved in our walk to say, “THE LORD IS MY PORTION!” Would this not have been behind Job’s confession from Job13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

David’s “lines in pleasant places” seems hardly that with a life that dealt him a lion, bear, Goliath, Saul’s warring pursuit of him and his few men and much more… but the Lord, as He was to Abraham, became David’s “exceedingly great reward” and “the portion of his inheritance.” David’s soul seeking wait for the Lord through it all set the course for what was later referred to as “The Golden Age” - the Lord’s Kingdom come to Israel. Are you making the Lord to be your portion in all you go through?

Now that’s A WONDERFUL LIFE!

- DSC

[mandoalorian]

Agent whisky (Teacher) x New agent (student). As you’re both fighting, you both get hot and bothered and reader throws him against a wall and the rest in folds. (Fem reader)

After Class [Jack Daniels x Reader] SMUT

Word count: 2.4k

Rating: 18+

Warnings: SMUT, p in v, creampie, choking, teacher x student, exhibitionist kink, implied age difference

Masterlist

He was insufferable. He was your teacher — and oh, you hated him. You hated how he'd come into class smelling like sweet, honeyed cologne, causing all the girls to swoon at the mere sight of him. It was laughable, really. He wasn't anything special. He was attractive, sure. He had the charm of a king and the politeness of a saint. But it didn't matter because you hated him, and you wanted him to know that you hated him. So you'd talk during his lectures and you'd roll your eyes whenever he tried addressing you directly. He had this know-it-all attitude, he had these deep, chocolate brown eyes that were so easy to get lost in. The Statesman Academy shouldn't have even hired him. It was so easy to get lost in those damn eyes.

His eyes were just a few shades darker than his hair, which he kept hidden under a cringe-worthy cowboy hat. But you'd be lying to yourself if you said you hadn't dreamt of wearing it while you ride him. The dirty fantasies about Mr Daniels (though he'd have you call him 'sir') didn't become regular until a few months ago. Now it was every single class where you became hypnotised by his attractive looks.

You hated his perfectly groomed mustache and how the thought of it brushing against your cunt haunted you during his seminars. You hated the perfect curve in his nose and how you imagined it nudging against your clit as he performed the most life changing oral on you. If only he knew about the things that went on in that filthy little mind of yours.

You practically gasped out loud when Mr Daniels dropped your assignment on the desk in front of you, a circle with a big red 'F' marked on. He quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at you, before moving on to hand out the rest of the essays. No way— there was no way that your essay has been marked fairly. You might have been slacking just a little this semester (due to Mr Daniels obnoxious handsome looks), but not to the extent of getting an F in your finals!

"Well done class, we all performed exceptionally well this term. There is however one person I need to see after class, she knows who she is," Mr Daniels glanced briefly at you and you narrowed your eyes, folding your arms over your chest. "But have an excellent vacation and remember don't party too hard." He winked cheekily before dismissing the class. Once the students filed out of the room, and the bell rang, signifying the end of the day, Mr Daniels stalked back into the classroom. He said nothing, didn't even spare you a look. He padded over to his desk, sunk into his chair and began to go through paperwork.

You waited for something— anything. The silence was deafening, and you began to tap your feet against the floor impatiently. Why the hell was he holding you hostage in his stuffy classroom on the last day of term? You assumed it was due to your abysmal grade on your essay, but he hadn't even mentioned it. He was ignoring you and once again, you hated him for it.

You were staring him out with absolutely no shame, taking in all his features. You admired his broad shoulders and watched his bicep flex as he wrote comments on the work he was checking through.

He'd noticed your staring too. He always had. He tried to contain the blush that crept up on his cheeks as your eyes burned into his body, watching his every move. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. If he was going to speak to you about your essay result, he'd need to have a drink first. After a few more minutes of silence, he excused himself and left the classroom. Each professor at the academy had their own affinity for alcohol, Mr Daniels' beverage of choice being a glass of warm whiskey. He poured it into a small tumbler, admiring the amber liquid as he dropped a few cubes of ice in, letting it clink against the glass. The mere thought of you in his classroom, waiting for you, was enough to make his cock stir. He sighed, gulping down the liquid and made his way back to the classroom. It was the first time you and Mr Daniels had some one on one alone time. He hadn't drank enough to get intoxicated, but it was enough for him to lower his inhibitions.

He walked into the classroom and locked the door behind him, before turning to face you.

"Why am I here?" you asked with an unamused frown.

"You went from being a straight A student to getting an F in your most important exam of the year," Mr Daniels huffed with a disappointed shake of his head. You didn't care— no, you couldn't let yourself care about your professor. But seeing the despondency written across his face was enough to make your heart yearn with guilt for letting him down. "What happened?" he quizzed you eventually.

You considered his question. You weren't a dishonest person, and you knew exactly what had happened. You had been so distracted by your professor's ravenous demeanor, that you'd become too overcome with sexual desire to even focus the slightest in his lectures.

"You happened." you said, regretting the words as soon as they left your lips. Your voice broke slightly— you sounded pathetic.

"Excuse me?" he asked, raising both of his eyebrows in disingenuous surprise. You wanted to wipe the smirk that you saw creeping up on his lips. Your education wasn't a joke.

"I was doing fine in Agent Tequila's class," you acknowledged. "Maybe it's your teaching." you shrugged.

"My teaching?" Mr Daniels gasped incredulously.

"Oh quit playing dumb," you said, suddenly rising to your feet. Your chair scraped against the floor as you stalked over to your teacher. "I know my worth Mr Daniels, and it's not an F."

"Please, call me Jack." He hummed, reaching out and caressing your cheek. You subconsciously leaned into his smooth hand as his thumb rubbed gentle circles into your jaw. You hadn't even realised how close he had gotten to you as he admired your face, and the intimacy began to take effect down below.

"Oh, first name basis?" you spat sarcastically, pressing the palm of your hand against his chest, threading your fingers through the buttons of his white shirt so you could gently graze the skin of his tan chest. "How polite."

"Manners maketh man," he smirked, quoting the Statesman mantra, and you wanted to wack that dumb cowboy hat off his head. "Let me translate that for you," he pouted condescendingly, letting his hands fall to your own chest.

He squeezed your tits through your blouse, drawing a few wanton moans from you. "Wh- what makes you think I need that translated?" you asked your professor, trying to keep your cool. This is exactly what you had dreamt about for the past three months. His thumb rolled over your hardening nipples, pinching them now and again so he could watch you squirm underneath his touch.

"The F on your paper?" he shot back. Your eyes widened and you pushed him into the wall, his back slamming against the concrete as he groaned from the pressure you'd placed on him. He would be lying if he said it didn't feel good though. It was rare he'd have a lady take charge — especially not one as young and bright eyed as yourself.

"I hate you," you snarled as his fingers dipped under the hem of your short, pleated skirt. He chuckled darkly, sending a frenzy of butterflies erupting in your stomach.

"Oh sugar," he drawled, the smell of scotch lacing his breath as he pressed a soft kiss into your jaw. You couldn't contain the small whimper that escaped your lips. He smirked, knowing exactly what he could do to you— how he could make you feel. "Look at you… got me pressed against the wall. I'm your teacher." he reminded you with a small tut.

"You drive me crazy," you admitted in a fluster, your hand falling down his button up shirt and resting at his oversized belt buckle. The coolness of the metal stung your skin as you parted your legs slightly, rubbing what you could on his jean clad thigh. "When you stand up there, in front of the class, talking all that shit about, about-" you couldn't even get your words out as his fingers graced your cunt, feeling out your clit under the material of your dampening panties.

"What?" Jack murmured, his teeth grazing your jaw as he sucked softly against your skin. "What is it?" he urged you to continue, your breathing jumping as he continued to softly press his thick fingers along your aching core. You tried to answer but nothing except lewd moan came out, and you felt your cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "You joined the academy. You wanted to train as an agent. Maybe you'd prefer it if I transferred your classes to, let's say, Agent Champ? Or the sweet Ginger Ale?"

You curled your fingers around his leather belt. "N-no," you growled. "I want you," you revealed as you unclipped it and tossed it to one side. You groaned wantonly as you felt his erection press up against your thigh. It was clear that your professor wanted you too. "You know if- if Principal Champ finds out about this…" you moaned, working your fingers at Jack's zipper.

"He's not going to find out about this," Jack snapped, his harsh tone causing your eyes to snap open.

"O-okay cowboy," you bit your lip seductively, finally pulling his zipper down and freeing his hard, aching cock. You immediately wrapped your hand around him, smearing his precum down his length and started to pump at his erection, satisfied with the string of curses falling from his tongue.

"Fuck- so good," Jack praised as you worked his cock with your hands. "But I want more… I want to bury my cock in the warmth of your pussy. Would you like that baby girl?" he hummed, both his hands grabbing on your shoulders as he turned around and pushed you into the wall. You gasped as he ripped open your blouse in one swift manouver, the buttons popping and falling everywhere. His hungry lips pressed against yours as he slid his tongue into your mouth, kissing you roughly and with passion.

"Someone could just walk in." you gasped as Jack yanked your skirt down, letting it pool around your ankles.

He groaned longingly as he played with the waistband of your panties. "Lace? For school? I knew you were a dirty girl." he chuckled darkly before pulling them down. He wasted no time, pressed two fingers into your weeping cunt and rubbing between your folds. He stroked tight and precise circles into your clit, desperate to pump an orgasm out of you before he even entered. Your eyes snapped shut as you pressed your fingernails into his still clothed back. "Oh, you like that don't you?"

"Mm don't stop," you begged, rolling your hips against his fingers.

"Is this what you think about during my lectures?" Jack cooed. "Or do you imagine my cock?" He pressed his blunt tip against the inside of your thigh, pushing himself in between your legs. "So fucking wet and all for me." your professor shook his head in slight awe. You pushed the hat off his head and tangled your fingers in his dark brown hair, tugging teasingly in attempt to gain a reaction out of him.

Without warning, two of his fingers pushed inside of you and began to scissor you open. "If you want my cock I gotta make sure you're able to take it," he whispered huskily.

His fingers worked like magic and it wasn't long before your walls tightened around him and you reached your climax. "Greedy pussy." Jack sighed, removing his fingers and sucking them clean.

"Please sir, fuck me," you begged, your hands cupping his face as he lined himself up with your entrance.

"I told you, call me Jack," he growled before pushing himself deep into your quivering hole.

"Fuck Jack," you whined once he was fully seated. He was bigger than you had ever taken before, and he set a brutal pace. The classroom filled with obscene wet sounds as every single thrust became harder and sloppier as his balls slapped against your dripping cunt.

Jack kept up his pace, not halting once. "You always- you always fucking answer back," he whispered, digging one hand into your hip and bringing the other to your neck, squeezing it just enough for your eyes to widen slightly.

"Mm you always give me a reason too," you shot back and Jack's grip around you tightened as he fucked you senselessly.

"Shit, gonna cum. Gonna cum inside you and you're going to take it— understood?" he asked breathlessly. You nodded in affirmation and it only took a few more messy thrusts before he spilled his salty seed inside you.

He carefully sat you down on the edge of his desk as you came down from your own high. "Are you okay?" he asked you as he tucked himself back in his pants and adjusted his tie.

"That better have earned me an A," you muttered, biting your lip and shooting a seductive glance towards your teacher.

"Fair is fair," Jack shrugged. "You can leave when you're ready. Have a nice vacation." he smiled, back to his usual polite professor self. It made you sick— the way he could just fuck you with no remorse against the wall of his classroom and then pretend like nothing happened.

You stood up, taking your clothes from the ground and lazily sliding back into your skirt. "I don't have a fucking blouse," you mumbled, your eyes following the abundance of buttons that trailed across the floor. "You ruined it."

Mr Daniels took his suit jacket and wrapped it around your naked torso, buttoning it up gently so you were all covered up. "Do you need a lift home?" he asked.

You bit your lip, remembering your parents weren't home and smiled. "Actually, yeah please." you told him, wondering if he'd be interested in a round two.

Taglist — let me know if you wish to be added!

Permanent: @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first @pedroepascal @castiel-barnes @honeymandos @rocketqueen @ladycumberbatchofcamelot @dybalalover10 @girl-obsessed-with-things @elena-myth @moth-guillotine @pedro-pascal-love @hayley-the-comet @pinkninja190 @maxiarapamaya @autumnleaves1991-blog

[edie-baby]

Baby Boy Chapter 5 | Lando Norris

Summary: Milana Navratilova is the best friend of Victoria Verstappen, and is for lack of a better word, a minx. She can pull anyone into bed with her at any time. So when she attends the Austrian Grand Prix with Victoria, the drivers make for good bedfellows. Until she finds a man who makes her finally feel like herself. Her baby boy.

Warnings: smut, swearing, non-con kiss (will be a chapter warning for that one), OC is a w h o r e and i love her.

The Austrian summer sun glared into Milana’s eyes from her position in the middle of the master bed. She rolled over slightly, wanting to get out and find her best friend so they could go for breakfast and then some shopping they both knew was inevitable on any trip. With a huff, the Czech stood up, only just realising exactly how sore the men had made her. She waddled to her suitcase, willing herself to suck it up and keep walking around until she got used to the pain.

A white pleated skirt and tight red cropped shirt seemed like a suitable enough outfit for her day’s plans, so with a waddle only a penguin could rival, Milana made it to the bathroom for a hot shower. The entire hotel room had the unmistakable smell of sex, and she was sure she’d need to leave the room before the smell seeped into her hair and clothes. Maybe housekeeping could work some magic while she was out.

“BABE ARE YOU HERE?” Milana heard the very recognisable croaky voice of her best friend. She called out that she was in the shower, and in a few short seconds, Victoria was sitting on the vanity in the bathroom, swinging her legs while Milana continued to cover herself in body wash that smelled delightfully of cherries.

“So, you had a good time with Lewis, I hear.” Milana giggled, and Victoria couldn’t help but to laugh along. She knew it was ridiculous that the man was able to make her scream his name so loud and for so long that she nearly lost her voice entirely.

“And judging by the bed, your silk tie, and the overall reek of the room, you did too. So, who’d you bring back? Daniel? Max?” Victoria questioned. While her brother was off limits to most of her friends, Milana was one of two women Victoria was familiar with that she would allow to mess around with her brother.

“Both.” Milana replied. Victoria gasped, giggling out a quick ‘you whore’ before asking what exactly her best friend meant.

“Like, you took Daniel from the party and picked Max up down the hall?” Victoria pressed, the only other option was that they had willingly come together, which didn’t seem like something her brother would be comfortable with.

“Nope, took them both at the same time.” Milana answered as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself as Victoria looked at her in complete shock.

“Oh, I’m never going to let Max live that down.” Victoria giggled before she jumped from the counter and moved to grab some clothes to wear for the day. Milana got dressed into her outfit and felt quite proud of how cute it looked considering she had basically picked up two random items and hoped for the best. About forty-five minutes later, the girls left the room hand-in-hand, their makeup and hair done as beautifully as it was last night, but hopefully today it would last more than a few hours before getting ruined.

“Morning Max! Going to see Dan?” Victoria chirped as she saw her brother walking toward where she and Milana waited for the elevator. Max’s face went a deep shade of red and the girls simply laughed and stepped into the elevator together.

Victoria and Milana had found a cafe nearby the hotel to have a quick brunch before heading out for their big day of shopping. As soon as they walked in, many heads turned thanks to the jingle of the bell above the door. Victoria spotted the Twitch Quartet in one of the tables up the back, the rest of the patrons seemed to be members of teams from all over the grid, as many of them were dressed in their team kit.

George waved the two girls over, coincidentally there were two seats spare at the table, one squished between Lando and the wall, and the other at the head of the table. As Victoria was a few paces ahead of Milana, she took the spacious seat at the head with Alex and Charles nearest to her. Milana practically floated over to the seat beside Lando and sat with her back leant up against the wall, her knees brushing against the Brit’s thigh.

“Milana, I’ve heard quite a bit about you. I saw you at the party last night, but didn’t get a chance to chat to you. I’m Alex, I drive with Max.” The Thai introduced himself, offering a hand to shake as he was straight across the table from Milana. She accepted it gracefully, a sweet smile curling her lips. She could see from the corner of her eye that Lando was looking at her with a small frown on his face.

“What’s wrong baby boy? You look upset.” Milana commented with a soft voice, the late night and early morning contributing to her voice being a little huskier than usual. Lando blushed fiercely at the pet name and bit his lip. The others around the table looked shell shocked by the words that had fallen from the Czech woman’s lips.

“You just look tired.” Lando mumbled, his blue-green eyes darting up to make contact with the dark hazel of Milana’s. Her eyes softened at his words, and she couldn’t help the smile on her face. She patted his thigh softly and assured him she was alright.

“You girls looked lovely last night, by the way. I didn’t get the chance to tell you before you were leaving with Daniel and Max, and then Vic disappeared not long after.” George complimented. Victoria giggled, the fact that she had teased her brother about going to see his ex-teammate less than a half hour ago, and already the two were being brought up together.

“Yeah, I noticed that too. And also noticed the noise an hour after that.” Alex grumbled. Milana smirked, and saw the shock smack Charles and George in the face. Lando seemed to be watching her with intrigue.

“Wait, you took one of them back to your room?” George questioned. At this, Victoria burst out laughing, garnering strange looks from everyone but the woman of the hour.

“Well, no. Not one.” Milana spoke, staring George in the eyes until he understood what she was implying. He gasped so hard he choked on his spit and began coughing up a lung. Victoria rubbed his back sympathetically, while Charles continued trying to figure out the implications of the woman’s words in a language that was not his native tongue. Lando and Alex had understood at the same time as George, albeit with less dramatic reactions. Alex’s jaw dropped, his ideas of his teammate changing as he stared at the woman in front of him. Lando’s eyebrows were raised, a small smirk on his face, he was impressed.

“So, let me get this straight. You convinced Daniel Ricciardo, the womanizer of the grid, and Max Verstappen, Mr. I Don’t Share Anything to have a threesome?!” Alex almost squealed. It was at this point where Charles caught up, the blunt words finally clearing his confusion up, at which point he began mumbling in broken French. Milana simply nodded at George and took a sip of Lando’s iced coffee, to which he barely reacted.

“Fuck, they must have ruined you.” George muttered, looking at Milana with sympathy and a small shake of his head. Victoria began giggling at this again, and George looked at her with confusion. It was obvious at this point that the young Verstappen couldn’t hold the truth in without giggling.

“My wife here has a special talent for making difficult men submit.” Victoria nodded proudly at Milana. George began coughing again, Alex looked like a fish, his mouth opening and closing silently, and Charles began rambling in proper French this time, however he was talking so fast that Milana barely caught the worlds ‘petit friponne’ before tuning back out. Lando was staring at her again, the earlier expression was gone, and he looked at her with a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Milana couldn’t help but want to assure the adorable boy in front of her that it was just sex, and if there was anyone she had her eye on at the moment, it was him. But alas, she didn’t.

The group finished their brunch with a lot of stories, laughs, jokes, and new friendships being formed. It made Milana a bit upset as she and Victoria made their way to the Aston Martin they were borrowing, that in about five days, she would be returning to her apartment in Prague, going back to work, and being forgotten by people she could have lifelong friendships with.

The drive to Vienna from Spielberg was about two hours, according to the GPS Victoria had programmed whilst Milana fiddled with the position of the driver’s seat. A few moments later, the girls were on their way, a playlist of their favourite singalongs and party songs blasting through the stereo, the windows down and the two women completely carefree.

[pitviperofdoom]

I really liked your 'Life Preserver' excerpt and I'd love to read more about it. I liked the interaction between Gerry and Georgie, their characterization and Gerry's description of his relationship with Jon, plus this exchange: “He thinks your mum’s a homophobe, you know.”“You know, he’s probably right? Think she might just hate the idea of love in general, though.”“Messy divorce, I take it,”“Rohypnol and garden shears were involved, so yeah, I’d say it was pretty messy.”

Thanks!

Yeah, Gerry and Georgie surprised me as a really interesting dynamic to explore. In spite of Georgie’s caution around the Entities, Gerry just feels like the kind of person Georgie would get along with, given the people she canonically ends up loving.

Anyway here’s another part I’ve written! This one actually has Jon and Gerry in it.

---

When Jon went in for his next shift, things went smoothly enough to be genuinely suspicious. Tina was his desk partner again, and she greeted him with the same cordiality as always. No one official-looking ever came by to speak with him.

The only hint that anything had happened that night was a campus-wide e-mail paying respects to Daniel Lattimer, one of the subject librarians, who was reported as having “passed unexpectedly”. The message held all of the usual official platitudes and nothing else; Jon had read it word for word several times to be sure.

Someone should have known, shouldn’t they? It wasn’t as if he had been careful about covering his tracks, beyond making his tip anonymous. The library had cameras. He was sure he’d left at least a few shoe prints in all the blood.

But nothing came of it. The first hour passed peacefully, with nothing more exciting than a couple of patrons he had to inform of overdue books.

Jon spotted the familiar dark figure out of the corner of his eye, even before Tina hissed a warning at him. He raised his head to watch Gerard Keay’s approach, chest suddenly tight with nervousness.

How on earth was he supposed to explain this?

“Hey.” Gerard was in front of him already, leaning his elbows on the desk as usual. “Any word on that book? I tried to come in yesterday, but you were closed.”

“R-right.” Jon hesitated. There were several ways he could answer this. He could, of course, be utterly truthful and tell him that he’d burned the thing on account of it being made of meat and killing one of the librarians. He almost laughed at the thought. At worst, Gerard would complain to someone about Jon being unhelpful; at best, he’d find it funny, but he’d demand a real answer once he was done laughing about it.

He could lie and stall by saying that the book was still on its way. But that was a temporary fix at best, and it would only lead Gerard to keep coming in and asking.

And would that really be so bad? Jon shook his head to clear away the thought.

“Right,” he said again. “A-about that. Unfortunately—” He slipped his bandaged hand behind the desk, out of sight. “—we were unable to find the book in storage. It seems to have been marked incorrectly. It happens sometimes. Though not very often, I assure you,” he added hastily. “But it’s been marked down as missing, I’m afraid.”

“Oh.” Gerard’s face was the very picture of disappointment. “That’s a shame. Really did need that one.”

“Terribly sorry for the inconvenience.” Jon tried to sound like he meant it.

It was hard to force down the sheer, overwhelming relief. Just last night he’d regretted his own paranoia, but now? If he hadn’t gone back, if he hadn’t checked for the book…

Well, the library might not have been closed yesterday. And he didn’t have the first shift at the circulation desk. And whoever did might have been someone who didn’t know, someone who wasn’t haunted by the name Jurgen Leitner, who might have taken the book from the cart and handed it straight over—

The unwelcome memory of Mr. Lattimer’s body rose up behind his eyes, juxtaposed over the young man standing before him.

As a child, he’d doomed someone else to a gruesome death that should have been his. So maybe this time… maybe he’d actually…

“Well then,” said Gerard, shaking him out of his bubble of thoughts. “Guess that’s—er, guess I’ll look elsewhere…”

“Right,” said Jon. “Unless there was anything else you needed…?” He tried not to sound too hopeful.

“No, thanks, that’s it,” said Gerard, already turning away. “Thanks for all the help.”

“Oh, I hardly—I mean, I didn’t really do much, in the end.”

Gerard regarded him for a moment, head tilted to one side with a thoughtful look. Then, quite without warning, he smiled at him. “Don’t sell yourself short. You were great.”

“O-of course,” Jon stammered as Gerard turned to leave again. “Oh, wait—wait a moment.”

Gerard looked back. “Yeah?”

Jon dug into his pocket, pulling out the lighter. “Is this yours?” he asked, placing it on the desk. “I found it on one of the tables in the reading room, and I remembered you had it the other day…”

Instead of taking it, Gerard simply flashed him one last grin. “Keep it,” he said. “I’ve got loads.”

“It’s really not good to keep ignition sources in a library,” Jon protested, feeling inordinately flustered.

Gerard laughed, a brief, bright thing, and—

“D’you want to get coffee?” Jon blurted out.

The smile froze on Gerard’s face, before giving way to surprise. “What?”

A stab of terror nearly robbed Jon of his words, before he found his voice again and forged ahead. “Do you—I mean. Do you want to get coffee sometime?” he repeated. Shit. Shit, he was doing this, how was he already doing this? “With me?” He wanted to kick himself, of course he’d know he meant it that way. “I—my shift ends at noon today. If you’re free. I-if you want to, I mean.”

Gerard blinked at him, so utterly bewildered that it might have been funny if Jon’s heart weren’t currently climbing into his throat. “You—wait. Is this… are you asking me on a date?”

He said it so incredulously, as if the idea that Jon would ask him on a date were utterly incomprehensible to him. Rapidly, Jon’s heart sank back down.

“Yes,” Tina leapt in helpfully. “He is. Aren’t you, Jon?”

She nudged him none too gently. “Y-yes,” he said, because it wasn’t as if he could dig himself any deeper. “That—that was the intention.”

“Huh.” Gerard shrugged. “Sure.”

The whiplash made Jon dizzy for a moment. “Really?”

“Yeah. Noon, right? See you then.” With that, he turned and walked out of the library.

Once he was out of sight, Jon slumped over onto the surface of the desk like a marionette with its strings cut.

Tina patted his back. “Proud of you. Go get that goth D.”

***

It wasn’t that Gerry didn’t know it was a terrible idea—just that he’d had worse ones before. He was still breathing after years of them, in fact. So what was one more?

Jon the librarian was far from the first scarred survivor he’d ever met. They weren’t common, precisely, but nor were they unheard of. Technically he was one, and Mum had been as well, before she carved herself up.

But Gerry knew he was an outlier, and as rare as surviving one brush with the Fears was, meeting two of the things and escaping uneaten from both was on a level of its own. But against all odds, when he looked at the wispy little librarian who’d spent the past week being so divertingly helpful, Gerry could see two separate, distinct marks on him, where there had previously been only one. And they really were distinct from one another. The Flesh was like a shark sometimes, content to take one good bite before losing interest and wandering off, while the wisps of the Web still clung jealously. A scar like that could have been left years ago or the day before they met. You could never tell with the Web.

That added to the risk, of course. For all he knew, this was some ploy from the Mother of Puppets to catch him and draw him in. A little cliche, maybe, but Gerry couldn’t fault it for its efficacy.

He’d said yes, after all.

In his defense, it wasn’t every day he met someone with a nice face, a taste for burning Leitners, and enough luck or fortitude to walk away from two different Powers. Nor was it every day a person like that asked him to… well…

People didn’t flirt with him, was the thing. Anyone who knew enough to be worth talking to either wised up and ran the other way, or turned around and tried to take a chunk out of him.

So, yeah. Might as well give it a shot. See what it was like, while he had the chance.

He had til noon to brace himself, anyway. Not enough time to go back to Mum’s and freshen up, which was a shame. She’d just faded out a couple of days ago, so he knew he’d have the place to himself.

Ah, well.

In spite of himself, Gerry found himself turning his face upward with a grin and an excited spring in his step. It’d be a bit like traveling abroad, or visiting tourist traps, or all the other things he indulged in when Mum was gone. See as much of the world beyond his own as he could, before she finally fucked up and got him killed.

A date! Who’d have thought he’d get to check that one off the bucket list?

[nuggetstappen]

Omg for the angst route: Max not understanding why Lewis suddenly abandons him but then connects the wrong dots after he finds out he's pregnant himself. He always thought of Lewis as responsible and strong but now that the man has abandoned him while he's pregnant he's just really hurt.....

I do wish for a happy route though, I want a happy 4433 with little kiddos running around!

But angst too... also very powerful. Max having to go through the pregnancy all by himself, relying on family, friends and others close around him.

Once the kids are there, Lewis' craving to get closer gets even stronger because in the end they're /his/ pups, which is only obvious now that their own scent has developped. But he just thinks it's him being delusional since to him it's obvious that max found a different alpha.....

Or we could combine angst with a happy ending!

Lewis and Max would lose contact with each other and live some time alone; Lewis would still be hurting from thinking the pregnancy off Max wasn't due to their bond but due to another, better alpha and Max hurting because of the abandonment of Lewis towards him and him raising the pups all alone. But because he still loves Lewis, he decided to use names for the babies that are related to either his own names or Lewis' names.

After maybe five years, Max's walking through town with his children running around him, wanting to meet up with Lando when they cross paths. Both look at the other and feelings just explode. Max's so angry, disappointed and hurt by Lewis for abandoning him while Lewis just feels irritated by whatever alpha Max's courting for leaving their omega and babies alone.

They would briefly greet each other before walking away again but of course, some god decided to have mercy on them and Lando saw the exchange and has thousands of questions for both males.

At first, he asks Max as to why he came a little bit later, like the good friend he is. After Max told him everything and they split, he hurriedly tries to find Lewis' contact but could only find Daniel's number.

After cursing for some time, he decides to call the Aussie and together, they set up a fool-proof plan to save their friends' relationship.

Lewis would complain to Daniel that he doesn't need a therapist to be happy again and Max would ask Lando why the younger thinks it would be a good idea when he has to take care of the babies, whereas Lando just uses the "If you want to, Seb or Mick could babysit your babies with me" tactic to convince Mac to go.

What Max and Lewis didn't know was that Daniel and Lando would sneak after them with the babies, wanting to see if their plan has fruits.

They even used the actual address of a therapist to make their story all the more convincing and hid in a car with tinted windows while watching Max and Lewis arriving at the therapist.

Both of them felt confused at first and their passiveness towards the other would rile them up so much that they started to growl at each other, but Max's dam broke first and he asks Lewis what the fuck went wrong back then and why he left him with their babies, leaving Lewis in shock.

"O-our babies?" he stutters out and couldn't find the strength to stand any longer, sinking onto the dirty stairs to the therapist while hiding his face in his knees.

"Of course you dumb alpha, with whom should I have fucked when your scent literally scared off everyone else around me?!"

Max couldn't stop himself anymore and slapped Lewis' nape where their faded mate bite is located and froze when he felt the pain too, tearing up and sinking next to Lewis.

"Is momma okay?" the oldest baby looks at Max and then at Daniel who holds them and Daniel can only smile. "Your momma finally found papa again."

"Momma found papa?" the other babies would shout and before the two helpers could do anything to stop them, the babies jumps out of the car and rush to their parents, tackling both in a tight hug and kissing them on their cheeks.

"Momma and papa are finally happy!"

[seokoloqy]

Click, Click | jjk (m)

➳ PAIRING: jungkook x y/n

➳ GENRE: smut, pwp, college!au, f2l

➳ WORD COUNT: 2k

➳ WARNINGS: blowjob, virgin!jk, the sharing of unsolicited dick pics lmao

➳ SUMMARY: who knew someone else’s dick pic would get Jungkook his first blowjob?

➳ REQUEST: 7 (You’re n-not ,um, w-wearing anything under that, are you..?) + 38 (You want me to give you your book/phone/item back? Make me.) with kook please!!

➳ A/N: wrote this in one sitting listening to the same 4 daniel caesar songs on repeat... anyway jk is a shy dorky mess in this and I love him!

—

The incessant sound of your phone keyboard as you text makes it impossible for Jungkook to focus on his notes. It’s bad enough he doesn’t want to be studying in the first place. The way you snap your gum, tap your foot, and rapidly type is the worst kind of distraction, and his little crush on you only makes it harder to ignore.

“Can you… can you stop?”

You pause with your thumb over the send button, raising one eyebrow as he timidly taps his finger on his textbook. “Stop what?”

“You know, um, texting w-with the sound on. Maybe put your phone on silent,” he awkwardly chuckles, trying to soften his request, hoping you won’t be offended by something so small as silencing your phone. It wasn’t like you had to be there anyway. You were the one helping him study English. If you wanted to leave right now, you totally could. No one is going to stop you, especially not Jungkook, not when he’s so shy towards you.

“Oh, sure,” you say, flicking the mute switch down. “If something bothers you, don’t be afraid to do something about it next time, ‘kay?”

“Y-Yeah, okay,” he smiles, feeling the apples of his cheek turn pink and averting his eyes back down to the page. He tries to focus once again on the words in front of him, but your nails click on the screen once again and it’s nonstop.

Does he say something again? No, he shouldn’t. He just bothered you once about it, but then again, it’s really annoying.

“H-Hey,” he says again.

“Hmm,” you hum, not even looking up from the screen.

“Can-” He pauses. What is he going to ask? Can you cut your nails because the sound of them typing on your screen bugs him? No way he’s going to say that. You’re going to think he’s annoying. No, no, no he can’t say that. “Heh, never mind. It’s nothing.”

—

The next time Jungkook sees you, it’s at your house around ten o’clock at night. When he got the text asking if you wanted to study together for a test tomorrow he couldn’t say no even if it was pretty late. He just wanted to see you, although he’d rather not be studying.

You’re both sitting on the bed facing one another crisscrossed legs and notebooks resting on your laps.

“You’re pretty good at English already, Jungkook,” you say exasperatedly, throwing down your pencil. “I don’t know why you need me.”

He blushes, looking down bashfully at his paper, “I’m only good because you’re a good teacher.”

He can barely look you in the eyes, afraid he’d be lost in a trance by your beauty. He’s had a crush on you ever since he met you in the library one late night and you hit it off talking about the shitty tasting coffee you were both drinking to stay awake. He fondly remembers the way you had to muffle your laughter behind two hands when he accidentally tipped over his cup all over his biology notes and frantically scrambled to dab away the mess.

He loved your laughter, even more, when you weren’t trying to conceal it. It was loud, unattractive, you think a little annoying, but he thinks it’s music. A noise he’d like to replay over and over. Maybe if he got a chance to take you out on a date… he’d make you laugh as much as he could.

“Y/n, c-can I ask-”

Your phone begins to chime, it’s one text, then another.

“Oh, sorry,” you interrupt, grabbing your phone off the bed. He watches you unlock your phone and grimace, sticking your tongue out and gag, “this guy is sending my friend dick pics, ugh, gross.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen, feeling the tips of his ears turn redder. He’s never sent anyone a picture of his dick or even thought of it. Hell, he never even had sex before. He wonders how anyone can be brave enough to send pictures of their dick to girls.

“Wow,” you chuckle, pulling your phone back to look from afar. “He’s kinda big actually, damn. Maybe this Taehyung guy isn’t so full of shit after all.”

At this point, Jungkook can feel his eyes nearly pop out of his head. You��re looking at someone’s dick pic right now with him in the same room? Maybe it’s a good thing he doesn’t send girls pictures of his dick because they’d just send it to their friends and laugh about him.

You look impressed though and he wonders exactly what you consider big. Would you think he was average—tiny, even—if he had the chance to have sex with you? God, what if you laughed in his face? Now he’s curious, subtly wiping his sweaty palms on his basketball shorts.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, wanna see?”

Jungkook nods, unsure if he’ll regret it. What if this Taehyung guy really is big? Bigger than him? Then he’d feel insecure for the rest of his life. Oh god, why’d he even think of this in the first place?

Before he can take it back you’re flipping your phone towards him and all Jungkook can do is gawk. The photo is faceless, just the lower half of someone’s sculpted torso. The lighting is low but bright enough that he can see a large hand wrapped around the base of their cock. The faceless stranger’s hand can hold the entirety of their thick, veiny cock.

This guy really is big, bigger than Jungkook, that’s for sure. All Jungkook can assume about himself is that he’s average… hopefully.

“Heh,” he laughs, trying to avert his eyes elsewhere, but he’s so mesmerized by the vein running down his shaft, “h-he really is.”

“I know,” you mumble in disbelief, taking your phone away to reply to your friend. “She’s wouldn’t be able to walk for weeks!”

Jungkook shifts himself, a feeling of dread and terror running through him. Undeniable arousal runs straight to his cock as he is unable to get the thought of you being fucked by this Taehyung guy out of his head. With a dick like that, you’d surely be a moaning and babbling mess. The way your pretty moans would sound, maybe even more heavenly than your beautiful laughter.

Fuck. Jungkook moves his notes over his crotch to his growing erection, trying to force away his lustful thoughts. Seeing that photo definitely was a mistake, a huge mistake.

You type your response, nails incessantly clicking on the screen once again.

Each time your nail taps it just brings his mind back to you, writhing and whimpering. This time his thoughts aren’t with Taehyung’s thick cock drilling into your tight cunt, it’s his. Your legs wrapped around his waist as he pushes into your perfect, velvet walls, screaming his name.

Click.

Click.

Click.

It’s driving Jungkook insane. If he keeps thinking of you beneath him he’ll lose it.

“If something’s bothering you don’t be afraid to do something about it.”

That’s what you said to him. Before he knows it, he’s reaching over and grabbing your phone out of your hands.

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” he squeaks, hiding it behind his back. “I-I just don’t think we should be texting while we study.”

“Okay, okay, fine. One more message, please,” you cutely pout, batting your eyelashes.

Jungkook knows it won’t be your last message. You’re glued to the thing 24/7.

“You want me to give you your phone back? Make me,” he dares.

Jungkook has no idea where that confidence came from. Maybe it’s his hormones talking. That’s probably it.

He’s starting to regret being so bold and snatching your phone when he sees you roll your eyes, but before he can give it back you’re lunging towards him.

Oh, shit.

He falls back against your bed, pressing himself as close as he can to get away from your body. He makes sure that his notebook is still covering his crotch. You hover over him, unphased and impatient, straddling his thighs.

“Give me my phone, or I’ll lay on you till you suffocate,” you jokingly threaten, pressing your body on top of his.

He gasps softly, turning redder than before. You...you’re not…

“You’re n-not, um, w-wearing anything under that, are you..?” He stutters, feeling the thin fabric of your tee shirt doing nothing to prevent your nipples brushing against his chest.

“What? You mean my bra?” You cock your head, analyzing his pink cheeks and his shifting eyes. “That’s the first thing that comes off when I get home.”

“O-Oh,” he swallows, biting down on his lip to prevent anything else from slipping out.

You push yourself off him, sitting on top of his thigh and dragging your eyes down to the notebook carefully covering his crotch.

Oh, no, he thinks.

“I didn’t think a simple dick pic would turn you on so much,” you say, slowly sliding the notebook off to reveal the tent in his pants.

“S-Sorry, I-I’m sorry,” he apologizes, blushing profusely as he stutters. You’re going to think he’s weird now. Your friendship is ruined. “I didn’t… couldn’t…”

“It’s okay,” you laugh, playing with the hem of his shirt. “Seriously.” After a beat, you ask, “do you want help with that?”

He almost thinks he didn’t hear you correctly. Were you offering to help him with his boner? He lies there mouth agape and wondering how to respond.

“Ah, uh, y-yes,” he nods, nervously licking his dry lips. He’s never done this with anyone else before though. What if he does something stupid? Or what if you’re disappointed he’s not as big as Taehyung was?

As if sensing his dread, you ask, “have you…ever had sex, Jungkook?”

Should he lie and pretend? No, that’s not going to help anyone.

“No,” he admits, slightly embarrassed and ashamed. Most people his age have already lost their virginity, while him on the other hand, has never been in such a position such as this one ever. He’s never had a girl straddle him with any intention to do anything sexual.

“I’m surprised,” you hum, moving your hand beneath the elastic waistband of his shorts. “You’re cute, smart, and funny. A perfect guy.”

“Reall- ah,” he gasps as your hand firmly grips his cock. Your slow strokes along his length have his eyes fluttering shut as his breath becomes shallower. You just called him a perfect guy. He doesn’t know if that’s what is making his heart beat faster or the way your hand moves around his cock.

His lips part and a low whimper escapes him as you pull down his shorts to reveal his length. If you thought he was any smaller or bigger than Taehyung you don’t make any comments.

Jungkook would like to think he was average size, but- Oh.

Your tongue runs up the side of his length before taking him into your mouth. He’s never felt anything like this before. It’s addicting—your lips wrapped perfectly around his cock, sucking him off. His shallow breaths turn ragged, as you bob your head around him.

“Fuck,” he moans, unsure of what to do with his hands. Can he tangle them in your hair or does he just hold the sheets? He chooses the safest option and grabs onto your sheets as his hips buck into your mouth.

He can feel his orgasm approaching. Your mouth continues to suck his cock, flattening your tongue along the shaft. You’re so good at this, so good, everything he dreamed.

His hands move from the bed and tangle in your hair out of instinct. When he feels you moan, he realizes you probably like that. So he tightens his grip, pulling slightly and it gives him the right reaction. You moan again, the vibrations around his cock feel incredible and he groans, bucking his hips until you’re choking around his cock.

Jungkook comes without warning, moaning and spilling down your throat and riding out his orgasm in your mouth. He breathes in, completely amazed and stunned by what just happened.

You pull yourself off him, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. “How was that?”

Jungkook lays there for a few seconds, catching his breath before saying, “wow.”

You laugh, climbing off his lap to settle yourself down beside him.

“C-Can I ask you something though?” You’ve just sucked him off, but somehow he’s back to being nervous around you. He can’t help it.

“Yeah?”

“Do you maybe wanna go on a date with me?”

[kchuarts]

Flowers in Blood

A/N: I am SO sorry for the late update. I've been in a funk and blegh. Well, 2 months later here we are and I'm updating!

 Summary: Love hurts 

Warnings: none really that I can think of 

Taglist: @lucywrites02​, @shiningloki​

Chapter 19: Cyclamen

SMACK!

Abbadon hit the floor after being struck by her brother, tears in her eyes. “He was one of your men!! Why do you have to take it out on me!?” 

“He was one of the finest I had!! He did not waste time and kept his promises, unlike YOU.” Daniel pointed a finger at his younger sister and grabbed her by her throat. “Travis being killed is a greater loss to me than losing you as Wolfsbane’s leader!! He was not soft nor did he hesitate to go through with murder!!” He shoved Abbadon to the ground and breathed heavily, staring at her with such malice in his gaze. Truth be told, Daniel never felt any true love for his sister and only used her as a pawn in his games. He knew that one day she would do exactly as she has done and try to escape the family business of crime. “In addition, he didn’t have a snivelling brat that I had to lock up-” 

“YOU LEAVE MY SON OUT OF THIS!!” Abbadon stood to her full height, teeth bared and fists clenched. “Nikolai has nothing to do with your vile follower’s death! The only one who is at fault here, is you.” She snarled. “Maybe if you were not such a piss poor crime lord, none of your lackies would be dead!” 

“So you think you are better suited for the job then, dear sister?” Daniel growled, snapping his fingers. At the sound of the snap, four of his bodyguards came in with their guns pointed at Abbadon. “If I remember correctly, you wanted no part of this. All you wanted to do was run away with that silly dream of yours. It is not my fault at all here, I did nothing wrong! It was their piss poor decision to be vulnerable.” 

The honey brown eyed woman knew what Daniel was trying to do and his gaslighting tactics would not work on her. She had grown up with this form of abuse and had become a master at detecting it. “Say what you want, Daniel. You know deep down it is your fault because you cannot process it through that thick bloody skull of yours.” Abbadon pursed her lips tightly as the barrel of a gun was held beneath her head. “Do it. Kill me and see how far it gets you.” She did not fear death. 

For a moment, Daniel considered blowing her head off but raised his hand for his men to stand down. A sick smirk spread across his face and he clicked his tongue, “Would you want little Nikolai to suffer? Knowing his mother chose death instead of him? Such cowardice… Perhaps I can raise a little soldier out of-” 

WHACK!!

Abbadon’s fist connected to her brother’s face and almost immediately she was tackled to the ground. “I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE MY SON OUT OF THIS YOU EVIL FUCKER!!” She screamed, struggling against the men holding her down. 

The leader of Belladonna wiped his now bloodied lip and chuckled to himself. “The anger of a mother never gets old. Take her away back to her cell. I no longer want to see this traitor for the time being.” He paused and then looked at Abbadon with a smile. “Oh and if she tries anything, make sure that little Nikolai learns a lesson of when his mother decides to be a bitch.” 

“My, my.” Another woman’s voice enters the room. She giggles at Abbadon and motions the bodyguards to stop for a moment. Her long purple nails sink into the auburn haired woman’s jaw as she forces her to look into her black, cat like eyes. “Abbadon, you look positively dreadful. Then again, you’ve always been hideous in my eyes.” The Korean woman gave Abbadon a toothy grin before letting her go, but not before slashing her nails across her cheek. She continued to laugh as Abbadon cried out in pain from the unprovoked attack and made her way over to Daniel. “I hope that you have made yourself comfortable my dear leader.” She purred, wiping her now bloodied nails on a handkerchief before offering her hand to Daniel. 

Swiftly, Belladonna’s leader took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it before releasing it. “I can assure you that I much enjoy Seoul more than I do Tokyo. Thank you, Churihyang.” 

Daphne’s leader, Dea “Churihyang” Park, had become Daniel’s most favored branch due to his partial favor to Korea and Dea’s tenacity. He enjoyed having her as an ally. While she was certainly lazy in some aspects, she never failed to impress. “Excellent! My dear leader I have much to show you~ I’ve got new women that I need you to inspect.” Dea smiled wickedly, giving a chesire like expression and led Daniel into the den of The Tigress. 

------------------

What felt like days had finally come to an end once Jonathan and Katie had reached a nearby city. There was no possible way they would be able to make it back to Tokyo as they hadn’t the faintest idea of where they were exactly. In the meantime, they stopped by the local clinic and had Katie assessed for any sort of damages. 

“Sate, hidoku sonshō shita mono wa nani mo nai yōdesu.” A female doctor nodded, smiling at Katie. “Tadashi, seikō suru mae ni sukunakutomo 2-shūkan matsu koto o o susume shimasu. Anata wa mada kanzen ni chiyu shite imasen.” She added. 

The brunette nodded and inwardly sighed at the fact she couldn’t have sex for around two whole weeks. “Arigatou. Kanarazu adobaisu sa sete itadakimasu.” She tried to hide her disappointment from the news. It wasn’t the end of the world but she wanted Pine to claim her again and make her forget that whole experience. 

Jonathan looked over at the clock on the wall of the waiting room and chewed the inside of his cheek. “Could really go for a smoke right now.” He muttered under his breath. 

“Ja, arigatou! Sayonara!!” Katie came out of the office and looked at Jonathan with a pout. “We have to wait two weeks.” She whined. 

“Oh come on, it’s not like it’s the worst thing in the world to wait.” Pine took her hand in his own, lacing his fingers into hers and walking out of the clinic. “Right now I could use your help in finding a place to buy cigarettes.” He peered around, his hunger for nicotine needing to be sated. 

Katie scoffed at him and giggled, “I can wait two weeks for sex but you can’t wait for more than a minute for those gross cigarettes of yours.” 

Jonathan rolled his eyes, pulling her along in search of some smokes. 

Once they had found some cigarettes, Katie and Jonathan returned to the hotel they were staying at. “Oh my god it feels so nice to wear pants again.” Katie fell back against the bed and laughed as she heard Jonathan sigh loudly at her comment. 

“You’ve been saying that ever since we got new clothes. It’s getting a bit annoying.” He stared out from the balcony, cigarette between his lips. 

“I know, but I’m just telling the truth.” Katie rolled over to the side Jonathan slept on and propped herself up on her elbows. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at what a nice ass her boyfriend had. In truth, he had a nice everything. The only thing she could do without was that nasty smoking habit of his. “Can I suck you off?” She asked abruptly 

Jonathan inhaled quickly and began to cough violently, turning around and patting his chest. “I beg your pardon?” He got a control of his coughing and looked at her bewildered. 

Katie’s cheeks turned red and she gave a coy smile, “Can I give you head? It’s not fair that you have to wait for me-” 

“No.” 

“No?” Katie was taken aback. 

“No.” Jonathan confirmed and put the cigarette out in the ashtray, walking in and sitting in the chair next to the bed, facing her. “You don’t have to do anything to please me. Just you being alive is more than enough satisfaction for me. I want you to remember this; you don’t owe anyone anything.” His face fell into a serious expression. 

Katie thought about it for a moment and realized that she was using an old habit of hers when she was with Travis. He had always told her that it wasn’t fair for him whenever she got something she wanted, and that she owed him more than her own worth. “Oh…” She sat up, biting her lip and feeling the urge to cry come on. “But Travis-” 

“But Travis what, Kate!? He’s dead!!” Pine snapped at her and immediately regretted doing so as he saw her eyes glittering with tears. His face softened and he shook his head, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that- but Kate, please realize that he cannot hurt you anymore and that he is gone. You are free.” He tried to take her hand but she pulled it away. 

“He is still here though!! You don’t get it!! I see him in my dreams and I hear his voice tormenting me every single fucking day! You helped quiet his voice for a while but his voice… It’s so loud.” She grabbed her head, covering her ears. 

Jonathan sat there and inhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair. “Katie I think we need a break.” He let the words fly out of his mouth without abandon. 

“What?” She looked up, her eyes wide.” 

Pine growled out of frustration and stood up. “You just can't let him go! You’ve been so hyperfocused on him this entire time and while I believe you love me, you still have an unhealthy attachment to a dead man. You’re acting like a child- because you are one!! I should have never-” 

“Never what?! Don’t fucking finish that sentence!! Don’t you dare!!” Katie sobbed, her mind racing a mile a minute. He was breaking up with her when she needed him most. “You know what? Nevermind.” She got up quickly, her lip quivering. “If you really think that low of me, then why did you decide to want something with me? You’re still playing games, Jonathan Pine. I-I’m done. My heart cannot take anymore of this shit.” Her voice cracked a little and she stormed out, exiting the hotel. Tears ran down her face as she made her way over to the Shinkansen and took the first train back to Tokyo. 

Jonathan didn’t even try to chase after her this time and just sat there, staring at the ground. He ran his hands over his face and began to cry in broken sobs. Not only was he angry at Katie for her sudden actions and potentially putting herself in danger, but he was angry at himself. She needed him and he fucked up bad. He could only hope that she would return to the rental, pack her things, and fly back to the USA. That’s what he originally wanted after all, he didn’t truly love her did he? Who was he to talk when Sophie’s death also plagued his mind, each day and night. 

By the time Jonathan had gotten back to the rental, all of Katie’s things were gone. It hurt his heart to have the place so empty. Sure, they had a hell of a time and not exactly pleasant but he missed the sound of Katie’s voice. “It’s for the best.” He sighed, running his hands through his hair and sitting down in a chair, thinking what to do next. 

“Is it?” 

Pine got up quickly, pulling out his gun that he now carried on him. “Roper! I know you’re here!” He growled, looking around the house and finding Richard making himself at home in the kitchen. 

“Tea?” Roper held up the kettle but put it down as he heard Jonathan load the gun, making it ready to go. “Alright, don’t then.” He muttered and pulled a gun of his own out. “You know it’s ironic that here we are in Japan where guns are heavily restricted-” 

“ENOUGH!! Why are you here!?” Jonathan’s hands started to become clammy. 

Roper looked around, raising his eyebrows “Your little vixen is gone is she? Oh dear, hopefully she’s somewhere safe. Masayuki is dead so you don’t have to worry about him… Also, nice job killing Travis-” 

The look in Jonathan’s eyes was one of intent and he wasn’t about to play around anymore. 

“Fine, fine. No small talk either. I just thought I would stop by since I was in the neighborhood. Check in on my old friend Andrew Birch.” He gave a toothy smile, now walking in a circle as Pine still held his gun up. Roper was not one to back down either as his gun was also aimed at the other man. “I’m here to tell you that you’re not done. If you haven’t figured it out already, we both have a common enemy; Daniel.” 

“What’s he to you? I thought all of you crime lords were the same, don’t you have some sort of alliance going on?” Jonathan felt a bead of sweat roll down his face as he concentrated, watching Roper carefully for any sudden moves. 

“All that time under my wing and you didn’t bother to learn that we don’t form alliances? Pish Posh, Andy! I expected better from you. Even Corky knew better and he was inebriated half of the fucking time!” Roper’s smile faded and he raised his gun a little higher, still walking a circle of questionable predicaments. “No. He is nothing more than a nuisance in the scheme. His work is so sloppy and I can tell he’s stopped with being all fancy and putting flowers on the crime scenes. He messes everything up and someone has to put an end to the short-tempered bastard.” Roper shrugged. 

“Then why come here? Why come to me, knowing that I want nothing more than to put a bullet in your skull?” Jonathan hissed, narrowing his eyes. 

“I’m here to tell you that the Japanese police force is after Todd Redwood and Kit Redwood. They are warranted for arrest and will be sentenced accordingly for all the crimes they committed. I know I said I wouldn’t help you anymore, but this little game is just too fun! If I were you, Andrew Birch, Jonathan Pine, Jack Lindon, Thomas Quince, Todd Redwood… I’d run.” 

Jonathan swallowed hard, “How long until they reach us?” 

“Twenty minutes. Pack your bags and I’ll get you out of here and on the way to Seoul. I know that Miss O’Connor is already there and by herself. If you still have any care for her in the world, I suggest you hurry. The Tigress has a fondness for women with green eyes.” Roper watched as Jonathan made a run for it to grab his belongings. 

It only took five minutes for Pine to grab his things and hop into Richard’s car, speeding off toward the airport. Thankfully, Richard owned his own private transportation so Pine wouldn’t have to worry about being caught… Until he did. 

Richard whipped his head around, hearing police sirens blaring as he drove like a maniac. “We’ve got company!! Do me a favor and blow some tires.” He focused on the road. Several more police cars came into view, speeding toward them. 

Pine nodded, pressing the window button and leaning out of the car. He aimed his gun at the wheels and shot at them. Jonathan sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t hurt anyone or cause a giant mess. Unfortunately, one of the police cars flipped over, causing two more to crash into it at full speed. Jonathan felt sick and hurled out of the window at the fact he had killed innocent officers just trying to do their job. 

“A pig is a pig! Get over it!” Roper rolled his eyes. 

“Th-Those were innocent men!! They have families!! I-I killed them-” Jonathan felt sick again and threw up a second time out of the window. 

Richard groaned loudly, hitting the gas and finally out running the officers to cease Pine’s antics. “Come off it. You’ve killed a man or two plenty of times before and now you’re getting upset over it? You’ve grown soft!” He slaps Pine’s back, making sure he didn’t have anything left in his stomach to vomit. 

Jonathan coughs and rests his head against the headrest of his seat, closing his eyes. When he closed them, all he saw was Katie. It had only been a day since he last saw her but it was killing him. 

“So, we’ve got around five hours at the rate I’m driving. Why don’t you tell me what happened between you and your little lass.” Richard prodded. 

“No.” Jonathan growled. 

“Suit yourself. I completely understand the lack of trust and I would do the same exact thing.” 

True to his word, Roper and Pine reached the airport in five hours. Jonathan stepped out of the car and stumbled a bit. He shot Roper a glare when he heard him snort in amusement. 

“Not even a thank you? After all I’ve done-” Richard began to speak. 

“You haven’t done me any favors yet. Until you’re six feet under ground, then you will have done me a favor.” Jonathan huffed, opening up the trunk and pulling his belongings out. He quickly made his way to the plane and didn’t even look back. All he wanted was for Katie to be safe, he understood why she was mad at him. He could only hope that she understood his frustrations in turn. 

Once Jonathan had boarded the plane, Roper pulled his phone out and got into his car. “He’s on his way now. I don’t know where lassie is over your neck of the woods, but she shouldn’t be too hard to find. Remember, don’t grab him until you have her.” 

Katie paced back and forth, biting her nails as she began to panic. She had gotten herself into a big mess trying to do this on her own. First of all, she didn’t even know where to start or who to ask. All she knew was that Daphne needed to be taken down and arrested, not killed. She was so tired of all the death around her, all the frustration. Travis’s death seemed to impact her more than she thought as the moment of him falling replayed over and over. “Cam…” She broke down into tears, falling to her knees and holding her face in her hands. “Cameron I wish you were here!! I don’t know what to do anymore!!” She continued to sob, curling into a fetal position. “I’m so lost and, and Travis is dead and Jonathan hates me-” She stopped for a moment, her mood suddenly turning angry. “That stupid son of a bitch!!” She stood up, punching the hotel pillow over and over. “I hate you!! I hate you! I hate you, Pine!! You fucking asshole!!” her sobs became more intense as she then grabbed the pillow and hugged it. Katie unleashed a heart wrenching scream into the pillow so as to not draw any attention to her room. That was the last thing she needed. 

The brunette gasped as she came up for air but let out another ugly sob. “I still love you!! I still love you Jonathan!” She couldn’t deny herself. Katie knew it wouldn’t take a day for her to get over Travis and that it would take time, but she needed Pine’s love and help. “I’m so stupid!! I’m so fucking stupid!!” She buried her face back into her pillow and screamed again. 

Katie sobbed for around three hours until she could cry no more, eventually passing out for the evening. Her last conscious thoughts were of being in Jonathan’s arms, where she felt the safest. 

The door to Katie’s room clicked open, yet it did not wake her up. Jonathan walked in, sighing and knowing that this was a horrible idea. He saw Katie laying on the bed, tightly clutching a pillow with tear stains on her cheeks. Carefully, he moved her into a more comfortable position and pulled the blankets over her. When he walked in, Pine noticed a couch and decided he would take up that for the night. He figured that she wouldn’t even want to be near him at all since their fight yesterday. Jonathan made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch and found some difficulty trying to fall asleep. He hoped that he would wake up before her as he finally fell asleep. Pine did not know what would happen if she woke first. 

[sweetsmellosuccess]

TIFF 2020: Days 1 & 2

Films: 5 Best Film of the Day(s): One Night in Miami

One Night in Miami…: I guess you could form an argument that basing a film on a pre-existing play would make the feature easier to put together, but that wouldn’t be taking into account the tremendous differences between the mediums, their relative strengths and weaknesses. For her feature debut, the Oscar-winning actress Regina King has cinematically adapted the stage play  by Kemp Powers about a fictionalized fateful night amongst four famous Black men in 1964. Those men, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), are all in town ostensibly to celebrate Clay’s beatdown of Sonny Liston to first become the heavyweight champion of the world at the tender age of 22. But the film puts them all together in Malcolm X’s modest hotel room, watched over by Nation of Islam security men, to spend a night, essentially, debating the merits of what they bring to the struggle for Black equality and economic emancipation, and arguing back and forth about their distinct positions. Here is precisely where many play adaptations falter, without the dramatic friction of a live performance to power the emotional core, such conventions generally fall flat on the screen, but King’s virtuoso acting instincts serve her able cast well, and her work with DP Tami Reiker allows the film to flow, seemingly organically between its few location movements. Working from a skilled script by Powers, the celebrated figures feel three dimensional, which gives even their more didactic diatribes (Malcolm), and pithy rebuttals (Cooke) enough weight to avoid sounding contrived. The cast work wonders on the material, granting a needed organic vibe to their nonfiction characters, echoing the essences without tipping into caricature. It’s a strong debut for King, and the film’s complex ruminations on the responsibility of successful Black people towards their community as a means of bringing attention to the country’s oppression couldn’t be more on point. At one point Clay tells Cooke the four of them will always remain friends, because they are among the few who can possibly understand what it’s like to be “young, Black, famous, righteous, and unapologetic.”

Shiva Baby: Danielle (Rachel Sennott) is in the midst of having a day. Turns out Max (Danny Deferrari), the sugar daddy with whom she has frequently been visiting as part of her regular prostitution gig, is somehow a friend or cousin of the deceased at the same Shiva she has come to attend with her well-meaning, but completely overwhelming parents (Polly Draper and Fred Melamed). If that weren’t enough in Emma Seligman’s spry comedy, Danielle is also horrified to find Maya (Molly Gordon), a successful young woman she’s known for years, and a recent ex, also there. Crammed into the Shiva house, full of cousins and aunts and uncles all kvetching about everyone else, and being physically grabbed and moved about by her mother, Danielle faces this house of horrors, with everyone commenting concernedly on her weight-loss (“You look like Gwyneth Paltrow  —  on food stamps!” her mother hisses at her), and her lack of job prospects when she graduates, and her parents telling scathingly embarrassing stories about her in front of Max and his shiksa wife (Dianna Argon), whose 18-month-old baby, her mom says is “freakishly pale  —  and no nose,” with no respite in sight. As a result of this sort of hyper-scrutiny, Danielle goes the only route that makes any sense: Lying to everybody about nearly everything, from her current major (“gender business”), to the many job interviews she has supposedly lined up. She’s just trying to get through the ordeal, one that Seligman, along with a continually spiraling score from Ariel Marx, ratchets up, until, near the end, poor Danielle is in a near fugue state, sweat glistening on her face, and the attendees, shot in unflattering slo-mo, and distorted lenses, take on the sheen of a waking nightmare. At a brisk 77 minutes, the film still doesn’t have quite enough to sustain its running time  —  at a certain point it begins doubling back on itself  —  but it’s still a lot of horrific fun, as Seligman expertly captures the absolute loss of agency one can feel, swallowed up in a claustrophobic family gathering, where escape feels futile.

Limbo: If Scotland has a cinematic identity, as such, it seems like the kind of place, desolate and unforgiving, where individuals come to exit regular society and come to a land filled with eccentric loners (stoic and unique in their oddities), in order to get better in touch with their souls. Ben Sharrock’s serio-comedy captures both the pitiless beauty of the land, and the lonely plight of a Syrian immigrant, Omar (Amir El-Masry), waiting with a group of other men from across the Middle East and Africa, on an island off the mainland, for word from the Immigration Office that his bid for political asylum has been accepted. Omar, sweet-faced and approachable, was a musician by trade in his native Syria, and walks around everywhere carrying his precious oud, bequeathed to him by his grandfather, also a musician, even though his right hand is locked in a cast from an unspecified injury. Even without the cast, however, you get the sense that his heart really isn’t into playing, despite the entreaties from Farhad (Vikash Bhai), his Afghani roomie and self-appointed “agent and manager,” who wants him to enter a local music contest. Omar is carrying a significant amount of weight beyond missing his mother’s fragrant home-cooking. Talking to her on the lone payphone on the island, where other immigrants-in-waiting stand in line for a chance to hear from home, she implores him to speak to his older brother, who chose to stay behind in Syria and fight in the Civil War that has plagued the region for years. Omar feels guilty for having left, and suffers from having disappointed his father in the process. It doesn’t help him that the culture he finds himself in seems so foreign to him, despite his speaking flawless English. Sharrock’s brand of deadpan perfectly suits the setting, but as funny as the film can be (when asked in a culture/language class to create a sentence using the “I used to” construction, one immigrant offers “I used to be happy before I came here”), it doesn’t paint a rosy affirmation for Omar and his ilk, stuck as they are, as the title suggests, between countries and lives. Omar’s pain is real, and for every positive step forward he takes, it’s one further away from his family and his beloved home country.

Enemies of the State: Sonia Kennebeck’s challenging and curious documentary seems at first to present a case for its protagonist, Matt DeHart, a young teen hacker interested in social justice, who through his work with Wikileaks runs afoul of the U.S. government, and his beleaguered parents, Paul and Leann, who vigorously defend their only child against the evil forces conspiring against him. Through a series of personal interviews with Paul and Leann, both retired Air Force intelligence officers, who believe their country has turned against them for what Matt had downloaded from his computer into secret thumbdrives shortly before the FBI arrived at their door and confiscated all his equipment, and various lawyers they employed, first to protect Matt from what they claim as utterly bogus child-porn charges, then, after they slip away to Canada in the middle of the night, the lawyers trying to earn them asylum. While in Canada, under close supervision and confined to his parents’ apartment, Matt uses his charms, his hackavist bonafides, and his skill at PR, to generate enough interest in his case to become a digital cause celebe, along the lines of Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. Protests are fronted, defense funds gathered, and pressure put on the government to come clean about why they seem so hard-driving against the young man. During a peculiar reenactment set in a Canadian immigration hearing  —  Kennebeck employs actors who apparently lip sync their lines in perfect time with the actual recorded audio  —  DeHart describes a harrowing ordeal earlier in the affair, after having moved to Canada to attend college, being abducted by the FBI shortly after crossing the border to renew his Visa, and tortured for days for information related to the material on the thumb-drives. Some documentation seems to corroborate his claims (even Paul and Leann, as fierce supporters as can be, were shocked to see just how ready the FBI were to snatch him), but as the film continues, and we hear more and more from the investigators and prosecuting attorneys about the original child-pornography crimes, it becomes clear that our sympathies are being played with by Kennebeck. By the end, the film itself becomes an indictment of our rapid-assumption culture, in which decisions of guilt and innocence are determined in seconds online and forever after based on the presentation of information before us.

The Way I See It: For non Trumpites, the switchover from eight years of the dignified, intelligent, and measured leadership of Barack Obama, to the perma-tanned tackiness of power-mad, narcissistic bloviating of Donald Trump, was like a double-feature that went from Citizen Kane to Kevin James’ Loudest Farts. One man better than most to measure Obama’s time in office against the subsequent regime is photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as the official White House photographer for both of Obama’s terms, and has gone on to become an outspoken critic of Trump by way of his devastating IG account, in which he juxtaposes stately Obama photos with Trumps scandal-du-jour. Lest you think he’s just another divisively partisan liberal, you have to take into account his previous turn in the White House, as one of the official photographers for Ronald Reagan’s presidency. In fact, Souza’s fly-on-the-wall quality was considered one of his strengths in the oval office. Documentarian Dawn Porter travels with Souza as he makes the media rounds promoting his newest book, Shade, a collection of those IG photos that have earned him millions of social media followers (a sort of companion piece to his previous book Obama: An Intimate Portrait). Hauling from far-off India (where he gets a standing ovation before he even takes the stage), to domestic conferences and speaking engagements, Souza emerges as a man becoming more used to being out from behind his ever-present Canon lens. Through that lens, as he displays to his rapturous audiences, he has taken many hundreds of indelible photos, showing Obama’s various interactions with foreign dignitaries, his council of cabinet members, and his more raucous time with his two daughters (one shot of Obama with his girls making snow angels on the rear lawn during a heavy snow storm remains his computer screensaver, Souza says with pride). As Porter moves from talking heads to public oratories, Souza’s remarkable photos  —  brilliantly composed, and inspiringly intimate, having been given nearly unlimited access to the president  —  play throughout, showing us a collection of images that capture the inspiring hope the president inspired and the agonizing rigors of the job he was elected to perform. The film spends little time on his Reagan years, except to note how media and image-savvy the former Hollywood actor and his wife were (Souza professes no political ill-will towards the Reagans, other than noting that while he didn’t always agree with him, he was a genuinely caring man, who at least understood the parameters of leadership). At first, the film trolls Trump by a sort of subtweet level of backhandedness: Without directly naming names, Souza makes it entirely clear who he finds failing in comparison to Obama’s empathetic, engaging deportment, but by the time the film comes around to his notorious IG account, there can be no doubt the subject of his ire. Souza maintains it has less to do with his partisan feelings (his political affiliation is never revealed), and more the way he finds the current president’s undignified manner and total disrespect for the office and the leadership it demands unacceptable. Trumpers will of course take great exception to the portrait the film portrays of the sitting president, but even the most hardcore GOP folks won’t be able to help noting the blatant differences between the loving, genuinely close Obamas; and the preening, viciously competitive Trumps, each trying to outdo the others in acting as their father’s primary sycophant.

In a year of bizarre happenings, and altered realities, TIFF has shifted its gears to a significantly paired down virtual festival. Thus, U.S. film critics are regulated to watching the international offerings from our own living room couches.

[immortalpramheda]

The 100 7x01 ‘From the Ashes’

We pick right back up where the last season left off, Bellamy yelling Octavia's name after she was stabbed and disappeared in his arms. He's pushed over and dragged off by some unseen forces. In the first scene of the episode, he’s captured and taken through the Anomaly.

While it's disappointing that he disappeared in the opening scene, he is a hugely important character and is for sure going to be a driving force of this season. So I’m feeling hopeful about where his storyline is heading.

We later find out he was taken by people from the planet ‘Bardo' wearing some sort of hi-tech suits that enable them to turn invisible. We see they successfully captured Bellamy. Gabriel and Echo are marked as ‘Capture. Don’t kill. Rendition to Bardo’. And Hope is marked as ‘Kill on sight’.

It appears these people want to interrogate Echo and Gabriel (perhaps that’s the purpose of the white room from the trailer?) and I’m assuming they’re ordered to kill Hope because of something to do with the ‘he’ who has Diyoza.

From the opening credits we know that Bardo is a planet that is uninhabitable due to not having breathable air. That explains their helmets which would allow them to breathe.

Just like Octavia, Hope has no memories of what happened on the other side of the Anomaly. But she did leave a message for herself in a metal cylinder lodged in her arm. ‘TRUST BELLAMY’. With the hallucination she has of Octavia referring to herself as ‘Aunty O’ I’m betting Octavia had something to do with her wanting to remind herself to trust Bellamy.

In that moment Hope does appear to remember who Octavia is. Her memory returns due to the Anomaly’s influence. Just like in the S6 finale, when the Anomaly expanded to Gabriel’s hut Octavia’s memories returned and she remembered who Hope was.

ROAN!!! I was not expecting him to be back (I completely missed Zach’s name in the credits!) so that was a surprise! He was Echo’s hallucination, haunting her. Who is she without anyone to follow? Who is she without Bellamy, the man she claims to love (lets be real, Roan knows what’s up). And then she hallucinates the real Echo, her only friend who she killed and stole the name of. I’m hoping this will push her towards some real development and take charge of her own life instead of following and taking orders from others. Hopefully confronting these things about herself pushes her step up.

These masked people can control the Anomaly. They were planing to close it behind them after going through so no one could follow, but their plans were foiled by this new unexpected trio. Gabriel, Echo and Hope hold hands as they walk in so they won’t be separated by time. They were most likely transported to Bardo, as that’s where the masked people were ordered to take them to.

Meanwhile in Sanctum. Since it’s going to be a while for a new compound to be built, our heroes have decided to move into a farmhouse that was originally built for Simone. They are attempting to live a normal life, which is honestly a little bit bizarre to see on this show. Madi’s delight at playing with Picasso warmed my heart!! And I love her new outfit, she looked like a normal kid living a normal life. And Raven and Clarke are now on good terms which is nice to see!

Now that Madi no longer has the Flame in her head, Clarke is trying to encourage her to be a kid and go to school and learn. But Wonkru still look to her as Commander and Indra and Gaia worry what will happen if they find out Madi is no longer who they think she is.

Clarke is still dealing with the death of her mother. She keeps saying she’s fine but she’s obviously not. She’s trying to distract herself which is probably not the best way to deal with her grief. She’s never really had a chance to mourn, there have always been things happening when something bad happens and no time to breathe. Now that she does have time to stop and process, she doesn’t know how to react. Jackson is coping through anger and projecting blame onto others. Murphy is feeling guilt for Abby’s death (which he didn’t directly cause, but he did help Russell and the Primes).

Madi isn’t pleased with the way Clarke’s been acting. She knows what it’s like to lose a mother - her biological mother died in her arms.

Gaia has been caring for Madi. She really does care, she even gave up her faith for her. She chose this child even thought it meant the death of her religion. Madi has been dreaming of memories that aren’t her own from her time with the Flame, memories of the other Commanders.

There is divide between the believers and non believers of Sanctum, the Children of Gabriel, and the recently woken up Eligius prisoners and remainder of Wonkru. There is a lot of tension between them of who should get to move into the palace. Now the Prime’s are gone (minus Russell who is being held prisoner) the palace is empty and they all want to claim it for their own people.

Jordan was brainwashed at the end of last season but he seems to be acting almost normal now. His adjuster, Trey, still keeps a close eye on him, but the believers trust him and they send him to go check on their beloved Russell Prime.

Russell is being treated better than he deserves and is ready to die. He notices Jordan has gone through the readjustment ritual and asks him if he also dreams of the spiral shape. Russell says he built the compound around it. I wonder what that means and if it has anything to do with what Murphy saw when he died last season? Maybe Jordan will be a huge help in discovering how everything is connected?

Murphy and Emori are still pretending to be Daniel and Kaylee Prime to help keep the peace in Sanctum. Murphy isn’t too thrilled to still be pretending, but Emori is the one who gets into it by reading Kaylee’s diary. She knows how get the believers to listen to her, and thanks to her there is now a little bit of order amongst all the chaos.

Russell begs Clarke to kill him but she refuses. That’s not who she is. “You take a breath. Then another. That’s it.” That’s how you move on. Violence isn’t the answer. She’s still trying to do better.

But then he gets under her skin by giving her Abby’s clothes. Clarke finally snaps and begins beating Russell up, setting the room on fire in the process, and then holds a gun to his head. She knocks him out which is the perfect opportunity… for him to get bodysnatched.

Sheidheda is inside Russell’s mind drive. He kills Russell (for good) and he takes control. Back on the ship last season, the place he uploaded himself to was Russell’s mind drive through the wireless network. The network that doesn't work on Sanctum because of the Anomaly sucking up the signals. I assume he was only able to take control when Russell went to sleep. It’s only been a day or so, and there was a mention that Russell hasn’t been sleeping. Clarke knocking him out gave Sheidheda the opportunity to take over.

Clarke heads out of the now burning palace and gives a rousing speech to the different factions of people. They are all that is left of the human race (sure, Clarke) and they’ve all made mistakes. And tomorrow, Russell Prime will be executed for his. Good. About time Sanctum and their false gods burned to the ground. That speech was very empowering and the beginning of some sort of unity in Santum (hopefully!).

But with Shiedheda now controlling Russell, I have a feeling he’s going to cause a lot of problems.

I really enjoyed the episode!! A great start to the season! Even though the plot was a little hard to follow if S6 wasn’t fresh in your mind. I’m very much looking forward to how this season progresses.

[i-am-not-anon]

Under the eye of an institution

Part 3

Summary: Logan and Patton (both 16), the older students, are expected to look after two groups of freshmen in Watersouth boarding school for boys. Both of them despise the tradition of bullying that is subjected to the newcomers by older students. The two respectively get a student in their groups who is a little different from the ordinary crowd: Roman and Virgil (both 15).

Author’s note: I’m so into this, but please don’t expect updates at this rate. I am simply hyperfocused. The first day is done at least! Message me for getting into the taglist, please.

Triggers: Bullying, abuse, violence, violent punishments, panic attacks, self-deprecation, name-calling, i n s t i t u t i o n

Other parts here

...

Roman was clearly ashamed, as he approached Logan on the fourth period. Logan lowered the book he was reading, and other boys sitting close by peeked to see part of the action. This guy seemed like he would be giving them a fair amount of entertainment this year.

”I kicked my foot during lesson, sir,” Roman confessed.

Logan frowned. He had an assumption there was more to that than simply kicking a foot.

”And?”

”I had to be told to stop three times, sir,” Roman muttered, looking at the ground.

”Okay. Let’s go,” Logan ordered, and the boys whooped again. Roman made sure to look even more devastated for the show as they walked outside.

”Now why didn’t you stop ’kicking your foot’ the first time you were told?” Logan pressed.

”I did, sir, but then a few moments passed and I was suddenly doing it again,” the younger boy defended himself.

”Suddenly, huh?” Logan’s eyebrow arched. ”You didn’t have anything to do with that?”

Roman squirmed. ”I honestly don't know, sir! It just happens.”

”Well, however that might be, you are writing me a three-page essay with the title ’My misbehavior’, and it must be handed to me tomorrow morning.”

Roman sighed, and his posture slumped. There was no way he could get to know his classmates in class with these rules in place, so he had been waiting for the day to end. Maybe after classes there could be some boys playing football outside and he could join them!

Now all of that about fun and friends seemed as if it was behind a locked glass door. So close, but yet unattainable. Roman crossed his hands, making puppy-eyes at Logan.

”Let it be known, that I am not willing to compromise in any way, shape or form.” Logan looked down at that rascal boy, sighing. ”Let’s go.”

Roman pretended to hold his bottom in pain as they walked back, effectively amusing the older boys again. In fact, he thought to himself, a little slap would have been easier. It would have stung for a second but then I could have had a bunch of fun afterwards.

….

Classes had ended for the day, and Virgil was leaning on the wall of the main building. He watched the other students playing football and some weird catching-game, hanging out, getting to know each other and doing homework. He also saw a few of his kind, sitting or reading alone. The quiet boy told himself he was fine on his own. There would be no distractions for getting his homework done and no one to disturb him listening his favourite music.

Despite all the positive remarks he found himself glancing at other boys and wondering if they would laugh at his stutter. They most definitely would, and he couldn’t even think of balancing on the top of a single crossbar like they were just doing. No, he was better off alone.

…

Roman let out a frustrated groan. He wanted to please his mom by doing his homework before going outside like she had directed at home. He had quickly glanced through the other texts and exercises, but then there was this three-page essay. He could not simply rush through it, it was going to take so much time! Roman tapped the paper with his pen, trying to figure out how to start an essay like that. He wrote the title down, frowning at it. ”My misbehavior”. What does that even mean?

”Can’t I have some peace and quiet even inside,” an angry voice complained behind him. A thin boy was laying on one of the four bunk-beds in the room. He gestured at Roman. ”Stop that!”

Roman looked around, confused. What was he doing. Oh. He stopped tapping the ground with his foot.

”Finally,” the boy rolled his eyes and turned back to reading.

Roman shrugged and turned back to his writing. He looked out of the window, watching sadly at the group of students playing football. He imagined himself being there, outside with them. He was the boy who was rushing through the defences of the opposing team, he feinted that other player, he kicked the ball… and score!!! Roman ran victoriously, getting tackled by his teammates and being lifted to the air. They were all cheering for him, a few handsome boys looked at him with admiration..

”Are you crazy of what?” The same, dry voice interrupted Roman’s daydreaming. He realized he had stood up and was holding his arms in the air, watching the game.

”They scored,” Roman smiled to the other kid.

The bookworm rolled his eyes. ”Whatever.”

Roman sat down, looking at the blank paper. He decided to do it fast and then go outside. He wrote half of the first page before taking a pause. It looked good enough. Roman glanced outside, letting out a relieved breath as the game was still going. He could write the rest after dinner, but he /absolutely could not/ delay going outside any longer. They might stop the football game at any second. Roman left his papers on the table and sprinted outside.

...

After dinner a nice student called Daniel asked Roman to continue the football match, and he couldn’t resist. There was still a lot of time before they would have to go to their rooms and sleep. He had a lot of fun running around with the others, while sadly didn’t manage to get close enough to score.

The school bell rang, and Roman glanced around in confusion. What would happen now? He saw that the tutors were assembled at the front door and younger students made lines before them. Roman went with the others, asking somebody why they had to form up.

”It’s time to go inside, half an hour before beginning evening routine,” he got as an answer.

Roman’s eyes widened. Half an hour? How did time pass so fast? He would just have to write the essay as quick as possible. He could do it.

Roman tried to write his essay, but other boys demanded him to give them space at the small table so he retreated to his bed. He kept getting distracted by the funny stories the other boys were sharing, but managed to write the other page by simply writing what first came to his mind. At some point he realized he had gone off-topic, but there was no time to erase anything. He just jumped back to it and finished just before Logan came in and made them walk to the bathrooms in a line. He was very proud for having done the task in time, and was actually waiting for tomorrow to hand it to his tutor.

….

Virgil gave a weak smile to Patton as he wished them all goodnight. At least their tutor was nice. If he could just not disappoint him, he would be fine. The door closed, and a pale ray of light from the half-moon was their hope in the dark dormitory.

…

Taglist: @daring-elm @creativity-killed-thekitten @heck-im-lost @uwillbeefoundtonight @gabe-killed-me-with-ace-cream @just-another-rainbowblog @buddypallady @aromanticandaromatic @marshmallow-the-panda

[rknvna]

▌:   ♚ ♔      ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯      you should see me in a  C R O W N ❜

  trc triple threat challenge, im nana  /  singing & rap (  0:33 - 1:37 )  /  dance ( 0:30 - 1:14 )

                    •                                       •                                         •

the more she watches in wait, auburn hues glued to the stage, honing in on the way each auditioner twists and ticks their limbs with purpose, vigor -- the more it causes her to wonder why she’s really here, what was her true intentions of auditioning when the prize of a contract from trc seems less than ideal.

was it soohyun’s influence? her saccharine tone perceived even through colorless texts? or maybe even daniel’s, with that boyish grin and endless praises -- maybe it was enough flattery for her to make her way to where the contest was being held.

or was this really for herself? a redemption of sorts, a way to prove to no one else but herself that she still has that je ne sais quoi that impressed recruiters from royal years ago, still has the skills that allowed them to offer her a contract. especially with the disappointment that follows rejection, one that she’s come to be familiar with within the past couple of years after failed interviews, failed auditions.

winning this contest wasn’t really her goal, she understood that it was possibly a long shot from the get-go ( could she do all three skills they were looking for? yes, of course. could she do all three skills well? now that’s a different question ), it was more about replenishing the confidence that was lost from past circumstances.

although, something pleasant, like a contract offering or even a scouting, would also be accepted as well. just, you know, a small thought that she would put out into the universe.

it’s a revelation nana has come to realize when it’s almost her turn to perform, eyes still upon whoever is up there at the current moment but too much within her head to actually pay attention to them. the past week or so since she’s decided to actually go forward with this has been filled with practice within her free time; whether it’s within the dance studio that she currently belongs to or even within her home ( and she needs to make a reminder to herself to send the neighbors below her a complimentary fruit basket for their troubles ), even going so far as to hiring a vocal coach for her singing -- because lord knows that wasn’t something that was going to get better on it’s own.

and she’s proud of the work, of her effort. but the realistic part of her knows that she can’t keep going for this dream, especially at the age of 23. especially when she’s already making strides on her own in the designer world, slowly but surely breaking her way into it. she couldn’t keep hoping for a chance -- so maybe it was a sign if nothing good came out of this. maybe it’s time to put away teenage dreams and focus on what was already going well for her as an adult.

maybe.

the woman is so caught up in her thoughts she almost doesn’t hear her name being called, that it’s her turn and it’s with a slight jump of her body that she shuffles her way on the main area of the stage. the curious eyes of the small crowd that’s gathered in front of her is nerve wracking, but the presence of tiger jk himself watching her every move is straight up intimidating.

now this, handling her nerves, was something she couldn't practice at home.

“hello! my name is im jinah, and i hope that you’ll enjoy my performance.” she bows the introduction, crimson lips pulling into a wide grin and as she moves back a couple of steps. and as if on cue, the instrumental starts, leaving her no time to sit and wonder -- she parts her lips and shows what she’s made of.

살짝 졸리네 난 앞으론 밖으로 나갈 일이 없어졌지 네가, 더 이상 나와 함께할 일이 없을 거라 말했어 it's okay, it's fine, i understand

it’s not a hard-hitting hip hop song, nothing dark with a fast rhythm and a hard flow -- it’s the exact opposite. light, almost dreamy, kind of sweet. something that fits her style, her tone, as well as who she was as a person -- there was no need for her to put on facade to show that she could fit into trc.

하지만 언제든 전화해 미안하다거나 죄책감이 들어 네 정신을 괴롭힐 때면 lean that, clean that, erase it, just erase it

and she enjoys the sing song nature of it, the rap-singing that showcases her honey sweet tone -- and before the crowd could get used to it and think that’s all she’s got, the rhythm picks up while her voice drops into something a little more deeper, more what one would expect out of a rapper.

and it’s the next verses that comes more naturally to her, where she’s able to relax a bit as she showcases her flow. it’s a bit rusty, a tad bit awkward since she can’t remember the last time that she’s actually rapped in front of people ( especially because the last time she called herself a rapper bring up bad memories ), but gives an attempt to not let it show. nana makes uses the expanse of the stage, walking around and trying to engage with the rather dry crowd in order to not showcase her awkwardness, 

the chorus hits and she’s back to singing, praying to god that her voice doesn’t crack thanks to tiger jk only being feet away from her, swaying to the sort melody that comes from the speakers as well as her lips. there isn’t too much that she can do when it comes to this song with a slow tempo, but nana tries to make the best of it, tries to show that she’s having a good time. the first portion of her audition comes to a close with a last verse of rapping, sounding a lot more smooth with her words and ending it with a couple of nods of her head and a grin. 

it was better to get the hardest part done first, after all.

she can feel her nerves leaving her as she slips off her jacket with ease, moving into position for her dance portion, the one that she felt a lot more confident in. ariana grande’s vocals fill the area as god is a woman starts to play, a small mix of the beginning to introduce the song before it jumps right her part, and allows the power that comes from her assurance flow through her and start the song.

unlike her rapping and singing, her dancing ability has never left her -- because nana hasn’t allowed it to. pole dancing kept her body limber, while dance workshops and signing up to be a regular in the dance studio has kept her at ( almost ) peak performance, popping and bending her body with such an ease that can only belong to a trained dancer. the routine is different than her usual, though -- one that has an almost contemporary flair mixed with hip hop instead of the precise movement that comes with waacking. there’s a lot more movement upon the floor and instead of worrying about all the germs and sweat that slabs have inhabited throughout the day, she focuses on her expressions; or on making sure that she’s not getting ahead of the beat.

and with a rotation of her body at the climax, she ends her audition with her face down. chest heaving from the exertion and adrenaline thrumming within her body. there’s nothing more left for her to do then to stand up and bow to the crowd and the judges, giving a light wink ( just because ) before she makes her way off the stage.

regardless of results, nana comes to realize that there’s still a performer within her. she’s still got it.

[bfgoodridge]

“Another in the Fire”

Nobody likes being tossed into a fiery furnace. It is an unpleasant experience. A short one. But a rather difficult one. No, all of us would prefer a state of living that has settled to room temperature. An existence that could use a little air conditioning, sure - a bit more comfortable. A life that is free of obstacles, disappointments, and consequences.

Consequences fall like ashes across the opening chapters of the Book of Daniel. Jerusalem falls into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar as a result of the Jews sin against God. When the king later has a dream that his wise men cannot interpret, he orders that they all be killed. But when Daniel interprets the dream with God’s help, he and his friends receive a promotion that earns them enemies amongst the other wise men.

The Book of Daniel presents one negative outcome after another. Consequences for disobeying God. Consequences for not pleasing the king. Even punishment for doing what was right.

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden statue inspired by the one from his dream. The people are commanded to fall down and worship the image. If they don’t, they will be tossed in a fiery furnace. The people do as they are told. Everyone that is except for Daniel’s three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.

Their enemies rush to the king. “...these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up,” they say.

This infuriates Nebuchadnezzar. He orders the three men to be brought before him. “And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” he asks.

Now let’s stop right there. Nebuchadnezzar is so full of himself that he actually believes that not even God can rescue these men. And as we read Daniel 3:15-23, notice how the odds against these three God followers increase.

They are found guilty (v. 18)

The furnace is made seven times hotter (v. 19)

Men of valor (a.k.a. Strong dudes) bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (v. 20).

The three men fall down in the fiery furnace (v. 23)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego could not escape the wrath of the king. They could not overpower the king’s men. They could not free themselves of the chains or ropes that restricted their movements. They could not even pick themselves up after they were forced into the fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Yesterday at church we sang Hillsong UNITEDs “Another in the Fire.” The song has become a recent favorite of mine. I love the message of how no matter what we go through, God is there standing next to us. My favorite part is where it says in the chorus...

And should I ever need reminding How good You've been to me I'll count the joy come every battle 'Cause I know that's where You'll be

Lately, those words have brought relief to the craziness that makes up my Monday through Friday. Am I facing death like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego? No. Have I defied the worldly powers around me? Not to my knowledge. But when we are often tempted to believe that God is far away, the truth is that He is right where we are.

Living in a fallen world is going to have no shortage of consequences. If it is because of our sin, God says, “Let’s try this again and get it right.” If it is because someone else is against us, God says, “Stay true to Me.” Either way, no matter what is happening, God is right there with us. We would prefer a life where we could turn up the A/C and cool our problems, but we can take comfort in knowing that there will always be Another in the fire.

[allthings-fantasy]

Love, Bell (Part 21 of Pen Pals)

Author: @allthings-fantasy

Pairing: Bellamy x Reader

Word Count: 3251

Warnings: lil bell fluff, angst, language 

Authors Notes: Officially back from hiatus with part 21 of pen pals! Just please remember after you read this that everything happens for a reason. There is an epilogue after this.. I would like to think I haven’t let you down yet and I don’t plan on starting now. ENJOY READING! 

Part 20         Catch up on other parts here --> MASTERLIST

You sat in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, hands folded in your lap. Bellamy pulled a few more shirts from his drawer and stuffed them into his faded duffle bag. The two of you should be packing for your honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean, rather than what he was actually packing for. You weren’t mad at him, but you were disappointed, upset. You felt for Daniel the most. He was too young to understand where his daddy was going or why he wasn’t going to be home for a while. 

“If you keep pouting like that, then I’m going to have to stay.” He smirked over at you, making your eyes drift up to meet his. Your bottom lip jutted out further until it touched your chin. Bellamy chuckled and shook his head, moving to sit on the bed beside you. “This isn’t the first time this happened, baby. I’ll be back. I already told you, Jaha said this is my last tour then my contract is up.” His arm moved around your shoulders to tug you against his chest, his chin coming to rest on top of your head. “Then we can go on that cruise.”

Reluctantly you sighed, giving him a small nod. “Just wish you knew how long you’re going to be gone.”

Bellamy’s smile at you was soft, that same smile that melted your heart every time you saw it. “I’ll be home before you know it, princess.” His head dipped to peck at your lips. “I’ll always come home to you.”  He pressed his lips to yours again, lingering a little longer than this time.

You caved into him, leaning into his touch. The stubble on his chin scratched at your skin as his lips moved against yours. Bellamy’s hands moved to cup your cheeks, locking your lips to his. His weight shifted as he moved to climb on top of you.

Before your back even hit the mattress, a loud cry came from the baby monitor on the nightstand. A deep groan rumbled through Bellamy’s chest as he slumped down on top of you. “I’ll get him.” He pressed an opened mouthed kiss to the side of your neck before pushing himself up from the bed.

Now that Bellamy knew he was leaving, he was spending as much time as possible with Daniel. He didn’t voice it very often, but you knew he was struggling with the idea of leaving his son. You heard Daniel’s cry grow louder when he opened the nursey’s door. Running a hand over your face, you stood up and began walking down the hallway.

Bellamy stood in the middle of Daniel’s bedroom with the baby in his arms, one of his fingers in his mouth. “He’s teething… I think I feel two coming through.” You leaned against the doorway, smiling at your two boys. Even with Daniels eyes watery and cheeks turned patchy red, he was the cutest damn baby you’ve ever seen. The older he got the more freckles started to appear over his nose, every day he was looking more and more like his father.

“I ordered some teething rings for him on Monday, should be here by tomorrow.” The sound of your voice caused Daniel to lift his head to look at you. He pouted out his bottom lip, jutting his tiny arms out to you with a grunt.

How were you to resist that? Stepping further into the room, you grabbed Daniel and scooped him into your arms. Daniel immediately leaned his head into your shoulder before letting out a tiny cry. “Such a momma’s boy,” Bellamy scoffed.

You smirked at him and kissed Daniel’s forehead, ruffling his hair softly. “He loves his daddy too.”

Bellamy’s smile grew as the nestled both of you into his chest, giving each of you a kiss. “And I love both of you.” 

The drive to the airport was the same as every other time. Silent, hand in hand, both of you just going through the motions. By this point you learned the more you talk the more you cry. Bellamy carried both his duffle bag and Daniel into the airport, despite you offering to carry the bag for him. No matter how many times you told Octavia she could come, she insisted that the three of you needed to say bye as a family, that she would see him when he gets home.

It was a Wednesday evening, so the airport was pretty dead. A few people carrying briefcases passed by once in a while, but nothing more than that. “Flight number 2301, boarding begins in fifteen minutes. Flight 2301, boarding begins in fifteen minutes.” An automated voice came over the speaker, signalling for Bellamy to start heading through security.

Bellamy gave Daniel a tight hug, cupping the back of his head to his chest. His eyes squeezed shut, pressing his lips tight to the top of Daniel’s head. It broke your heart to see Bellamy say goodbye to his son. These were precious months in a baby’s life, and he was going to miss them. “I love you both, so so much.” Bellamy’s other arm wrapped around you, squeezing you just as tight.

“Just come back to us.” You reached up on your tiptoes to kiss him, threading your fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. “Please come back to us.”

He nodded before shifting Daniel into your arms. “You two are my family. I’ll always fight to come back to you.”

With your final goodbyes, you and your son watched at Bellamy walked down the corridor. You your bottom to keep it from trembling as tears stung your eyes. Just like every other time, it was unclear as to how long Bellamy would be gone. But he was your husband, the father of your child, he’d find his way back. 

4 Months Later

“You’re gonna look so handsome today.” You turned at looked at Daniel, who was sitting in his highchair. Applesauce smeared across his face as he independently ate with his favorite bright green spoon. He released a loud giggle and nodded his head. Pulling out your phone, you aimed it at the cheeky kid in the highchair. “Smile for daddy.” Daniel opened his mouth, revealing a gap toothed smile. He was very proud of his six teeth.

Octavia and Raven helped plan a small gathering for Daniel’s first birthday. But knowing the two of them, plus your parents, he was going to be the most spoiled boy in history. You were beginning to wonder where you would have to put all the toys. “You finished eating?” His eyebrows raised before he eagerly nodded, dropping his spoon into his empty bowl. Grabbing a wet napkin, you wiped off his hands and mouth before lifting him out of the highchair and propping him onto your hip. “Let’s go get you changed. Aunt Octavia is going to be here soon.”

“O!” Daniel laughed as the two of you walked into his room. He was just starting to say mama, let alone Octavia. But Octavia was definitely one of his favorites, you swore sometimes he liked her more than you.

Sitting him down on his playmat, you opened Daniel’s closet. Last week you had purchased him a shirt specifically for his first birthday. It was grey with a big giraffe in the shape of a number one. About three months ago, Daniel discovered his love for giraffes, anything that had to do with the long necked animal, he had to have it.

A loud knock at the door caused Daniel’s head to whip up. “I think that’s Octavia!” 

As you expected, Daniel hit the motherload on toys. Everyone’s okay with buying all these toys, but no one ever thinks about who has to clean them up! You made sure to take plenty of pictures during the party to send to Bellamy in your next letter. He was upset about missing Daniel’s birthday, but having pictures should make him feel better.

The birthday party was coming to a close, and people were beginning to leave. Octavia was running around the living room as you were cleaning up the empty cake plates left on the counter. “I just don’t understand how you’re doing so well with him all by yourself.” The shrill voice caught you off guard.

Turning your head to the side you saw your shrud Aunt Karen. No matter how much you begged your mother, you knew there was no avoiding inviting her. “I’m sorry?” Your eyebrows furrowed as you glared at her, tossing the plates into the trash.

She crossed her nimble arms across her chest and leaned against the counter. “Oh you know, raising a kid by yourself. You’re practically doing the whole single mother act. It has to be hard.” It took every ounce of willpower not to smack the fake eyelashes right off her face.

A scoff came from your chest before mocking her stance, crossing your arms and leaning against the counter. “Excuse you, but I am not a single mother. One, I am happily married. Two, I have loving friends and family who have helped me.”

Karen opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Octavia. “Is there a problem here?” She smiled sweetly at your aunt, but her eyes were threatening. Daniel sat upon on her shoulders, giving the top of her head a gentle pat.

Your aunt stifled a smile back at Octavia, unfolding her arms. “Oh no, dear. I was just saying goodbye to my niece that’s all.”

“Hmm, well it sure was nice having you here.” You had to cough in order to stop from laughing. Octavia shifted Daniel off of her shoulders and handed him to you. Karen barely made it out of the kitchen before Octavia stopped her again. “Oh and Karen?” She stopped for a moment and turned back to look at the two of you. “How’s your divorce going by the way?” That time you couldn’t keep the laugh contained. Karen’s cheeks turned a shade of bright red before quickly scuffling towards the door. Octavia shrugged and turned her attention back onto you. “I heard what she said to you, you didn’t deserve any of that. Besides, Bell will be back in no time.” 

After your dispute with your aunt, the party died about an hour later. It was 6:00pm when the two of you were finally able to make it back to you apartment building. “Wanna check the mail?” You questioned before pulling the key from you pocket. Daniel let out a tiny yawn, but nodded anyways.

Opening the tiny PO box, you grabbed the stack of mail, shuffling through the papers. You handed Daniel a small ad paper to tear at while you looked. A smile tugged on your lips when you saw the handwriting on one of the white envelopes. “Daniel look! We got something from daddy.”

That caught your son’s attention. “Dada?” Smiling wider, you nodded and made your way to the elevator. The two of you slumped down onto the couch as you tore open the envelope. “I see!”

“You wanna see?” He nodded and sat up higher until he was able to look at the paper. “I’ll read it to you, okay?”

Dear Y/N and Daniel,

First of all, happy birthday, Daniel. I’m so sorry daddy wasn’t there for your first birthday, but I promise to be there for every single one after today. I love you and I can’t wait to see you. I’m ready to play zoo again till mom yells at us that we got to go to bed.

He’s getting so big from the pictures you’ve sent me. I can’t wait to get more. Being able to see him and you makes things get a little easier. I just want to be home, with the two of you. I miss you so much. I’m so sorry you have to go through all of this alone, princess. When I get back you’re not going to have to lift a single finger. I’m going to love you and Daniel so much the both of you are going to get sick of me.

I hope his birthday party went well. I can only imagine how many toys he got. I think we might need to think about a bigger place when I get back. Maybe a place where Daniel can have his own playroom and we can have a bigger bathroom. I think about a lot of things I want to do when I get home. How do you feel about getting a dog?

I know I’ve been gone awhile but I promise I’ll be home soon. Then I’m never leaving again. I love the both of you very much. I can’t wait to be home.

Love, Bell (Dad) 

Bellamy’s POV

“Is that another letter from Y/N?” John’s voice pulled me out of the letter as he plopped down beside me

I nodded and handed over the stack of photos that Y/N sent me. There were pictures of the two of them, Octavia, Daniel’s birthday party, and him eating applesauce. No one could begin to guess the guilt I felt for leaving the two of them behind, for missing such important milestones in my kids life. I know Y/N is doing her best to document everything for me, but it just wasn’t the same. I was gone for almost 5 months at this point, and it was unclear as to when I was going to be able to come home.

“You gotta cute kid, obviously taking more after Y/N.” John smirked as I yanked the pictures from his hands.

“Watch it, cockroach.” I smirked and folded the letter back up and putting all the contents back in my envelope. The stack of pictures I’ve acquired has grown a decent size.

Murphy rolled his eyes. “Seriously? It’s been four years since I’ve gotten that nickname. Let it go.”

My mouth opened to last out another comeback when the flap to our tent whipped open. Both of our backs stiffened as we stood, acknowledging the presence of our Commander. Jaha folded his hands in front of him as he glanced between the two of us and another group of men sitting on the other side of the tent. “Men, tomorrow at first light, we are moving out to sector 23.”

“I thought sector 23 was a NO-GO zone? That it wasn’t secure for another month.” Murphy spoke up first. Everything that he said was on everyone else’s mind. Every time we’ve ever been over here, we were supposed to avoid sector 23 like the plague. Sure we were making process, but it wasn’t supposed to be cleared for another month.

Jaha’s jaw ticked while he glared at John. “I said we’re moving out, so we’re moving out. Are you questioning my authority over you, Private Murphy?”

John cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet. “No sir.”

The smirk on Jaha’s face was sadistic. “That’s what I thought. Lights out in an hour. We have a long day tomorrow.” 

You were in the middle of making lunch for Daniel and you when your phone rang. Setting down the spoon, you pulled your cellphone from your back pocket. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Y/N Blake? Wife of Bellamy Blake?” The deep voice on the other end of the line had your stomach twist into a knot. “Miss?”  You swore you could feel your throat close.

“Uh, yes. This is she.” You were upset at how much your voice wavered. But then again, they’ve never called you before. And it’s been almost four weeks since you’ve heard anything from Bellamy. It was impossible not to have your brain quickly assume the worst. Weren’t they supposed to do this in person? Why were you only getting a call?

The man on the other end of the line cleared his throat. “Ma’am, I need to ask if you’re able to come down to the base office building today. There are some things that we need to discuss.”

You felt sick, physically gut churning sick. Your head started to nod, not trusting your voice, until you remembered he couldn’t see you. “I’ll be there in within the hour.” You didn’t wait for him to respond, you quickly ended the call and put your phone back down on the counter.

Wiping your hands under your eyes, you shut off the stove, letting the tomato soup turn cold. “Mama?” Daniel’s voice ringing out behind you reminded you that you’re not alone.

Plastering on whatever smile you could manage, you kissed the top of his head and picked him up out of his chair. “How about you visit grandma and grandpa for lunch? Grandma called the other day saying just how much she missed you.”

Of course your mother agreed to watch Daniel. She knew you were upset, but didn’t ask any questions. To be fair you didn’t even have any answers. Your mother’s house was further away than Octavia’s was, but you didn’t want to bother her with this if there was nothing to stress over.

The drive to the base was almost like a blur. It was impossible to make your eyes look okay, they were glossy, red, very obvious that you were crying. Walking up to the front counter, the woman at the front desk looked at you with a bewildered expression. “I got a call, about an hour ago, asking if I could come in to speak with someone. In regards to my husband, Bellamy Blake.”

Understanding flowed over her features, and for a moment you swore you saw pity. Her fingers typed something away on her keyboard before looking up at you again. “Nathan will see you now, down this hall, last room on the right.”

You gave her a curt nod and followed her directions. The office door was open but you still gave a small knock on the door. The man behind the desk lifted his head, giving you a tight lipped smile. “Mrs. Blake, please come in and have a seat.”

Stiffly, you walked into the small office, settling on the small chair opposite of his. “My name is Nathan Miller. I understand getting a call from me was pretty unsettling. I just wan-”

“Is my husband alive?” You really couldn’t sit across from this man and have a civil conversation, not when he was potentially going to tell you your husband is dead. You didn’t want sugar coated bullshit, you wanted the truth.

Nathan sighed and leaned back in his chair, prompting you to lean more forward. The sick feeling started to form in your stomach again. His facial expression was doing nothing calm your nerves. “We don’t know.”

You half scoffed, you were baffled, confused. “I’m sorry. Did you just tell me you don’t know if my husband, the father of my child is alive or not?” Your hands rested on the edge of his desk, squeezing until you knuckles turned white.

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave a small nod. There was that pity half smile again.

“Then what the fuck do you know?” The confusion in your veins was quickly replaced by anger. You weren’t sure what you were feeling right now, so many different things were flooding through your mind. Were you about to be a single mother? Were you never going to see your husband again?

“Your husband is missing, ma’am.” 

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