#i dont have the skills to have their dance look super dramatic but still

[joshuamj]

I am not immune to the call of dramatic red life desert duo art

[lvlyhao]

『you’re dating him but he’s not your bias』

reaction fic; NCT Dream

A/N: this is nct dream’s reaction to realizing your bias is not him (and you’re a couple). gender neutral, got way too deep at some points and was NOT meant to be this long. enjoy.

note that english is my second language and i speak mixing slang, accents and spellings from 3283928 places so i did notice there’s practice written with both s and c down there so

just dont mind it pls

also, today’s photo theme is dream looking cute in low quality shots.

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff (♡), angst (❆), comedy (☼), crack (⍢).

𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼: lots of swearing, my tough love for the neos, one mention of cheating that doesn’t actually happen, a couple of mentions of alcohol and drinking, some violence hidden in metaphors, me being chaotic, it got a bit more angsty and darker than i intended, but we do have all happy endings.

word count: 6.8K

pairing: nct dream members x reader ( includes mark, renjun, jeno, haechan, jaemin, chenle, jisung)

disclaimer: the characters in the story below do not reflect real people or present real facts. this is purely fictional, and you may not copy, change, translate or repost my work in any way. all rights reserved © cherry-hyejin 2021.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

Mark

oh, poor baby

i feel like he would be a little heartbroken 

just a little

not so much if it’s someone from dream, because they’re his little brothers, but if it’s one of his hyungs from 127 or wayv,,,,,

boy might cry

he’s not super dramatic about it or anything but i don’t see him as being super confident about himself

so he might think like

“do they think he’s cooler than me?”

and it’s silly, yes, he knows

but it’s just something that pops up in his mind sometimes when you bring him up

so for the sake of this fanfic let’s pretend you’re johnny biased

because gods know i am

at least when it comes to 127

mark would be divided into fanboying with you and being like “YO, HE’S THE COOLEST GUY ON EARTH OH MY GOD I’M SO GLAD YOU AGREE”

and

“a h”

<gives you a little tiny smile to cover up the sound of his heart breaking>

would constantly try to get closer to you when johnny is around, and just

showing off in little (kinda dumb) ways

complimenting you

being even more whipped than usual

like yes he’ll give you all of his watermelon slices just please don’t look at johnny like that again

i think johnny would kind of play into it with the whole “imma steal your s/o” thing

and he doesn’t do it to make mark jealous or hurt

we know he’d rather get hit by a train than ever actually upsetting his son on purpose

but we also know he’s johnny

cue “OH DUDE HE’S FLIRTING”

so yeah he might call you lil pet names (beautiful, cutie, you get it)

just to see you giggle 

(and see your soul leave your body)

might say he’s taking you out for dinner when he’s just driving you to get more ice cream for a movie night with the gang lol

and winks

expect a lot of winks

anywhere and anytime

which makes mark sometimes feel like he’s intruding???

and that you appreciate johnny more than him???

he genuinely doesn’t understand how you can date him and still not have him as your bias

don’t you like, love him above everyone else or smth lol

his “showing off” phase eventually fades tho

now every time you hang you with the boys and johnny is around, he’ll be a bit more distant 

he thinks he’s giving you space to interact with his friends but he’s just shying away from competing with one of his favourite people ever

and it’s a competition that Does Not Exist™

but he’s not 100% aware of that

and you’re not that dense 

so ofc you notice

and you wait till you two are alone to talk to him, and he BEGRUDGINGLY admits that you being johnny biased makes him feel kinda small and unimportant

he’d never try to make you change your bias or anything

he just needs reminders that he’s your #1 boy sometimes

which is fine by you

and by him

cus now it’s you calling him pet names all the time

and hugging him

and kissing his cheek

and praising his work

and blowing kisses from across the room

and just telling him straight up that no matter what, you’ll always go to him

(not that you ever had any chance with johnny lmao)

THIS GOES TO SHOW COMMUNICATING IS KEY, CHILDREN

COMMUNICATE

Renjun

wym donghyuck is your bias lol

literally are you fucking kidding him

don’t get me wrong ok

everyone knows renjun loves haechan

they’re bffs and could not live without each other

but at the same time,,,

what is wrong with you

who did he choose as his s/o gods help him

if it was jeno, or mark, or jaehyun, or winwin, or kun, or lucas, or yuta, or taeyong, or ten, or,,,,

literally ANY of his other members

he’d understand your point and be like “ok fine”

but haechan???? hmmm bestie no

he’s not gonna throw a fit

not after the first time you told him anyways

HE WAS SURPRISED OKAY

and he just whined very loudly after having laughed for 5 minutes thinking it was a joke

<flashbacks of that one time he had to sing the ottoke song with haechan on weekly idol>

if you don’t know that iconic scene, renjun had a whole ass meltdown in 3 seconds while yelling “aAAAAAH JINJJAAAAA” and getting ready to punch the living shit out of hyuck

for no reason other than the fact that it’s haechan we’re talking about and injun’s little body is filled with rage

BACK ON TRACK

would probably try to act all cool about it and be like “i don’t mind” but bruh does he mind

and it doesn’t help that haechan is such a little shit about it

he doesn’t even flirt with you

he just

constantly reminds renjun that he’s your bias—not him—and then constantly praises himself over you

“ah, y/n~ did you choose me as your bias because i’m the best vocalist? or was it because i’m the best dancer? mAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY OH SO BROAD SHOULDERS—”

(pause for injun to punch him)

(unpaused)

and ok in the beginning it was funny seeing him all worked up but now it’s just annoying to be in the same room as these two

haechan won’t let either of you live

and renjun just wants to

fight

so it eventually gets to the point where you’ll talk to renjun and jeno will talk to hyuck cus even the other dreamies are tired of it

except maybe for chenle, he always laughs his ass off when they start bickering

ANYWAY

your conversation goes something like “oh my god renjun i’m literally dating you, i don’t like haechan better or anything you little pile of fury”

while jeno sits hyuck down in front of him and jaemin and just

“bro why are you like this”

“bro”

no but renjun would apologize for going overboard with his protectiveness and jealous energy because he’s not generally like that

he’s angry all the time but never about something involving you, you know

he tries his best to treat you like the royalty you are

but something about hyuck being your bias makes him feel a bit like a castaway???

he’s very creative and as an artsy kid myself i know we’re very prone to feeling left out because we’re just different from the others

so he’d think maybe haechan really has a better voice

or better dancing skills

or he looks better

he is taller than injun after all, and has broader shoulders, and his hair is all fluffy and—

the whole thing just made him insecure about things he had settled with himself long ago

he was fine with being him

but not so much when it came to that

i don’t think you two would fight over it cus tbh i think renjun would really only get with someone who can be very understanding of him

and i think hyuck would actually apologize to renjun too

not when everyone’s around but like, maybe after dinner or something and he just needs to feel like they’re besties again

hyuck never meant for things to get out of control

he just really likes both injun and you as his friends, and aside from skinship his most prominent love language is,,,

teasing

he was really just trying (very poorly) to grow closer to the person his best friend loves so much—you—because renjun is SUCH a big part of his life it would just feel wrong to not be good friends with you as well

don’t tell them i said this but they hug it out

injun strikes me as someone that could take a bit of time to bounce back from something that hurt his pride or his sense of belonging

and his way of healing and bonding is just,,,

art

sure, keep being haechan biased, but also please read with him

and talk about his fantastic animal creations

and watch those buzzfeed unsolved alien theory videos because he really wants to discuss it and maybe even draw what he thinks the aliens look like

hyuck tones it down, you make sure renjun knows you like him for him, renjun starts to (secretly) appreciate hyuck’s talent along with you...

and now let’s take a moment to imagine the minute you watch their latest mv with injun by your side

and yes okay the first thing you see is CLEARLY how good renjun looks because holy fucking shit he’s an angel (and i’m clearly not renjun biased)

but then,,,,,,

wAS THAT A HAECHAN HIGH NOTE

(there’s always a haechan high note, just look for it)

and ok maybe he did scream a bit with you because of how good it all sounded

and you know what, it works out perfectly bc you two are my new otp and you were meant for each other

but we do have to mention the eventual happening of chenle saying like “oOoOoOoH y/N wErE yOu dRoOliNg oVeR hAeChAn AgAiN” after a special stage

and then you, injun and hyuck all attempt to choke him

i’m kidding

or not

Jeno

ah, lee jeno

aka samoyed boi

yes i do call him that no i will not stop

everyone is always writing jeno as being super protective and literally about to burst a lung if someone else ever does as much as look at you

but i just 

don’t see him that way

he’s a taurus and from what i know about taurus they can be v v jealous, yes, but they mainly seek comfort

so he’s fine with you biasing jaemin

as long as you’re not ditching him or anything lol

and ok, imma be 100% honest here even if it sounds like literal no fun (jenojaem wink wonk)

jaemin doesn’t flirt with you

not any more than he flirts with

every other breathing creature

ever

he’s really only platonically interested in you, never remotely romantic or anything lol

on the other side, he is in love with jeno

basically, if jaemin is your bias, jeno is his

so nothing really changes

we know how nomin are, okay

they hold hands, they stare deeply into each other eyes, they nearly kiss at least once every time they go live

it's just them

you gotta respect it bruh

i know this is the most boring reaction ever so let’s create the one (1) instance where jeno would actually dislike that you bias someone else

i think he would feel a bit hurt if you seemed to be more supportive of jaemin’s work than his

and it’s not something big or on purpose

it’s just something like going with him to a recording session but not going with jeno because you have homework

or after a very busy practise day going to praise jaemin first

even if it’s just three words

“you did good”

and then you’re going towards him, he’s gonna feel like maybe he doesn’t deserve your praise as much as nana????

i actually feel like, among the dreamies, jeno is the least confident one when it comes to his performance

he knows he’s not an awful rapper or anything but i think it can be a bit too much, being around such bright and huge presences like the others while his nickname literally means “no fun”

his members are just so loud and full of energy most of the time

and sometimes he just really needs to be quiet and observe in silence 

(yes i do know he’s chaotic and a crackhead, i’m just saying as we know he can be a bit introspective)

so what if you just

stopped seeing him?

did he become invisible to you?

did you finally fall for jaemin’s beautiful smile and stupid pick-up lines?

he’s not gonna let it show that he’s affected, though

earth signs are nearly always the ones to “stay strong” because we have this image that people are relying on us???

so we do what we do

bottle everything up and overwork ourselves bc we only got two modes

1. chill, super balanced and down to earth (ay for the pun)

2. please make us take a break we’re literally about to cry if we work for one more minute but we can’t allow ourselves to fucking take it easy

so yes you’ve guessed correctly, we’re going with 2

jeno is going to go so, SO hard on everything he does 

literally every single activity you can think of from dance practice to photoshoots to cooking for the dreamies

he stays up later than usual to get that one tricky move in the choreo just right

he works out more because he thinks he has to look absolutely perfect for when they shoot the mv

jisung asked for ramen? he’s making it but you bet your ass he’s spending over 40 minutes just chopping so

many

vegetables

AND STUFF THAT JISUNG WON’T EVEN EAT

but he’s doing it anyway for the reason being that it just has to be the Best™

and it’s not like he’s competing with anyone else to be diligent

this is just about being better than he was and showing himself—and maybe you—how painstakingly hardworking and driven he can be

maybe then you’re gonna acknowledge him as much as you acknowledge nana :((

:(((((

writing this is making me downright sad, jeno is so underrated and unaware of his power UGH

and i need to point out this is NOT about making you change your bias from jaemin to him, this is solely about having you recognize his efforts, even if you already do

if you just thought jeno was like going off in work because it was asked of him to, jaemin would DEF notice and talk to you about it

turns out it’s a habit of jeno to go extra hard sometimes and he needs someone to make him take a break

so it goes down like you breaking into the practice room when jeno and jisung were practising

the first reaction is confusion

the second is oh hey babe how are you

third is

a-are you dragging jeno and his bag out of the door while screeching at jisung to order pizza and doughnuts for everyone??

yes you are and i’m proud of you

so jeno is still confused and making those cute “hUh” noises he does omg i love him so much

and you’re just rambling about how much of an amazing artist he is, and you love his voice, and he’s a fantastic dancer, and his expressions and gestures are on point, and he takes such good care of the dreamies and

he’s perfect

and he knows jaemin must have talked to you, and he feels so vulnerable to have you know how on edge he’s been

baby boy just needs some rest

and that’s exactly what you give him, with a bath full of those fancy bath bombs and flower petals and candles at your house/apt

then a quick sheet mask while you massage his shoulders and keep saying how much you genuinely admire him

the mask might be ruined cus he started crying out of exhaustion

after that’s been done and you’ve hugged for at least like 5 min nonstop, you head over to the dorms, where hyuck was in charge of setting up a blanket fort while mork and nana gather board games, jisung gets the food and chenle

well chenle just had to make sure jisung doesn’t forget to order for someone and doesn’t break like 10 plates trying to set the table lol

this is way longer than the others so imma wrap it up

make it obvious and loud that you see and respect jeno’s hard work and he’ll be alright again

and maybe make those game nights a weekly thing when possible, it would make him very happy

he’ll never again feel sad when you praise jaemin cus now he’s sure he does enough, and above all, he is enough

Haechan

haechan = full sun

why would you ever bias someone when you’re dating the goddamned sun

does not understand

but also does not care that much

actually, one out of two really depending on who your bias is

if it’s one of the members he has that tom/jerry relationship with, prepare for so

much

complaining

and clinging

AND HE’D BE SO LOUD OH MY FUCKING GOD

donghyuck please stop screaming about doyoung not deserving to be your baby’s bias, it’s 2 am

on the other hand, if it’s one of the (few) members he,,,

adores with all of his heart and is not afraid to show it

ex: sungchan, jaehyun, taeil and yang2x

then you can bet he’s going to be right beside you whenever you feel like throwing a fit because he’s just so handsome and talented

IF IT’S MARK OSHDISJD

i’m going to write you as being mark biased ok? ok

i honestly don’t know if he’d feel more jealous of mark or of you

he loves you both

a lot,,,,

and he really doesn’t like it when mark blushes when you compliment him

and he doesn’t like it when mark literally just walks past you and you trip over your feet because bro tf u doing, that’s some embarrassing shit

lowkey done with you two

but also PAY HIM SOME ATTENTION

or don’t, he’s fine either way (cue crossed arms and staring at you from across the room until you come give him a kiss)

“he’s pretty cute but i’m cuter right baby”

pouty pouty pouty if he ever feels neglected

will be so fucking annoying lmao i can’t write haechan, i love him but i do understand why renjun is always trying to beat him up

he’d be a show-off in a different way than mark because he can be so petty

will take every chance he gets to pull a one-liner

will sing everything he has to say just so you know he can hit those high notes

what do you mean dream doesn’t have a schedule today

oh man, he could swear they did

because that is the sole reason why he’s wearing his most expensive clothes and shoes + makeup to walk around the dorms, yes

no he doesn’t want to impress you

shut up

will text you like every single fancam he sees on twitter

every

single 

one

and are they mark’s?

lol no, they’re his

he is so genuinely trying to make you a member of his sunflower cult 

<whispers> “tell me i’m your bias” 

“donghyuck what the actual hell why are you standing at the end of my bed in the middle of the night like a fucking demon child”

he really wants to act all cool and composed but he wants to be your bias so fucking bad

he’s a bad bitch all around and just does whatever

cus haechan privilege

and he tends to not care about what people say and think???

bc he knows he’s lee donghyuck

he’s fully aware of the effect he has on people

but you

not biasing him

naw, he can’t take it

will do anything and everything he can to make you say, JUST ONE TIME, he’s your bias

then you can go back to loving (his) mark

so for your sake, for his sake, for mark’s sake

just give donghyuck what he wants

i can promise he’ll keep being an ass no matter what you do

like yeah did you just buy him coffee and his favourite cake? well that’s sweet but iS HE YOUR BIAS YET

“aw babe thanks so much for taking a bullet for me but now please say i’m your bias”

if you still don’t do it, it’s time to be extra petty

will actually drop you for mark

his logic is something like: he can’t be your bias? pity, so he’s just gonna date him instead

and mark is mark so he has no idea what’s going on

everyone in 127 and dream finds this absolutely hilarious cus suddenly donghyuck seems to be doing his best to win over mark’s heart and i mean more than usual???? and he’s treating you like his bro????

<you leaving the dorms to go to uni or smth so you go to hyuck for a goodbye kiss> “no can do, i’m committed”

“i’m your partner”

“no that’s mark”

it’s not 100% a joke when i say i can see him getting down in one knee to propose to mark while making eye contact with you to

assert his dominance

and mark is just

“dude

what HAHAHA”

and you are so done, i’m so sorry you have to go through that bby

i don’t think there’s another way to fix haechan other than just admitting he was your bias for an era, or a comeback or something

like yeah with the other dreamies before him it’s bonding + healing time bc i wrote it all kinda angsty (lol sorry) but with donghyuck

no

“will you stop this if i say you were my bias during reload era”

“mark wasn’t in dream that era tho”

“yes i know”

i say he’s gonna take what he can get and now things can finally go back to normal

with the exception that something else comes along with hyuck being satisfied with you biasing him

he just has a full pass to fanboy over mark now too

what am i talking about?

new 127 mv is out

you: watching it beside haechan and going off about how pretty mark looks

him: going off even harder bc he’s whipped too

this is what a happy couple looks like 

but now i pity mark because he has you two idiots fanboying over him irl

savemork2021

Jaemin

nana is just such a chill and fun guy

i can’t see him being actually jealous or anything if he finds out you bias someone else

and so the two of you become insufferable together

bitch, i’m telling you

he (ur bias) is not gonna have one peaceful day ever again in his entire life

cus you know the thing jaemin does where he just looks at someone doing some random shit and goes “oOoOoH sExY”

yes that thing

he’s doing it to your bias 

and you’re doing it too

and your bias probably wants to run away to some very far away land

PLEASE IF IT’S JISUNG

i’m not gonna write this whole thing as if you bias him but let’s just imagine

two fully grown people

pilling on top of poor, poor park jisung playing games on his phone

“URI JISUNGIEEEEEE

MWOYA, MWOYAAAA~"

i genuinely think he would avoid being around you two at the same time

cus individually he can handle it

like yes y/n please let me go this hug has lasted for about 4 minutes now

or oh hi jaemin hyung my cheeks hurt when you pinch them that hard

but when you two are together

bruh

a power couple not bc you two are v confident or some shit but bc you can and will be extremely affectionate towards anyone that comes too close

and now let’s talk about how it would be if you biased jaehyun

jaemin loves jaehyun

they’re 2jae

2jae are soulmates

therefore,,,, it’s also kinda hellish but in a different way???

bc 2jae are on the end of that spectrum about the neos that know how in love the entire world is with them

they’re too powerful

they’re aware of their charm and they do everything they can to rub it in our faces

so the flirting between 2jae and you would be insane

and i mean insane

insane as in even johnny is kinda disgusted tbh bc

they’re doing a photo shoot with the 23 of them for some shit, idk don’t ask me

and of course, you had to tag along

but oh my god you three, please stop calling each other sexy/hot in weird voices now, the staff is staring

there are def rumours the 3 of you are a poly couple lmao

jaehyun denies everything on social media (throwback to saying “no way lol” when we asked if he REALLY slept in the same bed as jungwoo)

but every piece of content there is of you and jaemin or you and jaehyun or just them is so ridiculously flirty

you can bet there are compilations on youtube like 

“y/n being in love with 2jae for 8 minutes heterosexual”

ok i was having way too much fun with that, moving on

i don’t think he’d ever be actually upset about you biasing someone else

he trusts you and treasures you a lot so he doesn’t see the problem in you also appreciating another one of his members

bc gods know he does

he’s a bit in love with everyone so why shouldn’t you be too lol

one time he would feel a bit blue because of it???

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i think it’s possible he’d turn pouty or whiny or just kinda needy (not in a bad way, he just misses you) when he’s like

done with people

and needs some time away from everything

we know he’s an introvert, even if he acts very, very loud around the boys and it’s honestly just a matter of time until an introvert grows tired of being around humans

it depends on each person, of course, but there’s a 99% chance every once in a while he’ll start to feel too drained

and he’ll need a break to get his energy back

jaemin would probably want you around even when he feels like that, though

i see you being such a big source of comfort for him in a relationship

he enjoys taking care of people so please take care of him too

and for just this one day don’t talk about your bias that much, or don’t leave nana to go over to him to chat

and just cuddle him a lot

that will make him a smiley baby again

and then things are back to how they normally are

and by that i mean most neos hiding from you because they’re scared 

i don’t have a lot to say aside from that so let’s think about the neos that would be the most intimidated by your shared thot aura

dotae would be confused in different ways lol

taeyong would be just ????????????blush/awkward smile/hahaha??????

and doyoung might actually ask what is wrong with you

<points to jeno and his s/o> “why can’t you be like them”

mark would laugh-scream and slap his knee into oblivion whenever you two are cornering him

but then go super shy and be like “dUDE DON’T DO THAT”

resident confident gay jungwoo would rejoice in the attention and make so many goddamned jokes

a literal comedian i love him

i think sicheng and renjun would be on the same wavelength of repugnance towards you lol

chenle would deadass call you weird and tell you to leave him alone

shotaro and kun might faint (or kun will panic-scold you)

taeil is as confused by affection as usual (have you seen the face he makes when haechan kisses him LMFAO he’s smiling but like wondering wtf happened on the inside)

ten is not very amused but might play into it

yangyang: that’s disgusting, man (cue flashbacks to that live with renjun after the from home stage where renjun pretended to lick his hand and slick his hair back,,, catboy injun,,, you know the one)

xiaojun and hendery are such panicked gays they just turn to stare at whoever else is around and make that “help” expression like they’re on the office

haechan is haechan, kinda doesn’t mind it

jeno is used to dealing with this at this point

lucas and yuta love the attention but while yuta will flirt right back lucas is just gonna smile and try to jop his way out of there while screaming

sungchan will go hide behind haechan and say “hyung they’re being dumbasses again”

this turned into ‘how would nct react to you and jaemin being super flirty together’ and i’m not sorry

Chenle

chenle is so fun to write i love him lmao

okay so

he doesn’t strike me as the possessive type with anyone other than jisung (bc i swear he can be a bit jelly towards his bestie but i think it comes with sungie being the sweetest bean ever, he’s just protective)

he’s such a ray of sunshine and witty jokes and dolphin laughter i love him

back to the plot

he literally couldn’t care less about you biasing someone else

b u t

i will say there’s an exception

this exception is tall, kinda lanky, very awkward and born on the 5th of february

you’ve guessed it, it’s jisung

i think most of the time he’d tease THE SHIT out of you for it because c’mon

you had 22 chances not to mess up

and you still somehow ended up biasing jisung? lol do better next time

and this is not me and chenle hating on jisung, please—

he’d just find it funny that your bias is his best friend and

hold the fuck up

your bias is his best friend

oH NO NO NO NO NO

i think after realizing that he would lowkey try to keep you two apart because he’s somehow jealous of both????

and if he can’t help it then you can bet your ass he will be screaming all along

it’s his sweet, dummy jisung

with his sweeter and dummier y/n

what is he going to do

probably has a mini-breakdown with kun because like he’s always wanted you two to get along bUT NOT LIKE THAT

kun will just sigh like the tired father he is and pet his back while saying “there, there”

and a genius idea is going to come to chenle’s mind

you know the teasing thing?

well it’s upgrade time

he’s gonna turn into such a try-hard with tmi and embarrassing shit you two have done

and he’s not trying to stop you from being friends

he just wants you to like

know who you’re befriending

bc i think since he’s really really close to jisung, he doesn’t want you getting closer to him bc you like his idol side alone

and he doesn’t want jisung getting close to you just because you’re his partner either

if you had high hopes for each other and ended up kinda falling face-first into the ground bc it was nothing like you had imagined—

he’d be so broken

because he loves you so much :((((

so like, if you can get past the teasing and annoying barrier he’s putting up, he’ll be more than happy to have two of the most important people in his life being buddies

so get ready for it

if you’re the type of person to go batshit crazy when you drink, oh boy, oh boy

so you and the dreamies are just having dinner when lele feels like it’s the perfect time to disclose some of your drunken adventures

“hey y/n”

“yeah babe?”

“remember that time you got really really drunk on vodka and candy and wanted to call your mom”

“chenle the hell don’t talk ab—”

“but then you tried using the microwave as a phone”

“...”

“...”

“or that other time you were equally as drunk and watched the make a wish mv and cried because you noticed the height difference between xiaojun hyung and lucas hyung”

yeah so now’s the part you get up to chase him around the dorms and try to land a kick

BUT WORRY NOT, HE’LL MAKE SURE TO EMBARRASS JISUNG JUST AS MUCH

he likes doing that when it’s just the three of you though

so picture this

movie night the girls boys

chenle would 100% pick the most terrifying horror movie he can find so that he could see jisung clinging to whoever’s closest to him

and then right before a jumpscare, he’d whisper like

“jisung”

“w-what”

“why don’t you do that thing you were doing while you slept last night”

(honestly, i’d be mildly scared if i heard lele say this with no context at all)

and then the jumpscare happens and jisung is nearly fainting and crying at the same time

but chenle is laughing

and trying to get out what he wants to tell you between wheezes

“he-he” <dolphin wheeze> “hE WAS SINGING CHEER UP BY TWICE WHILE SLEEPING” <more wheezes>

and look this is just gonna go on for weeks until you and jisung are over it

and stop being weird and awkward around each other

lele needs you two to be bros ok

so be bros

once you do adapt to being pals with your bias i think chenle would take the teasing down a notch just to make you more comfortable

and like he’s so happy now the three of you can hang out and there’s just no tension

happy chenle is the thing i love the most i swear to gods

and if you don’t adapt to it?

well,,,

i honestly think he’d be pretty disappointed, cus it means to him one of you isn’t ready to fully embrace the weirdness within????

and like what u scared of

jisung is a weirdo, what about it, so are you

either that or he’d think you’re maybe being judgemental

so yeah please accept jisungie and your dumbass boyfriend

then everyone can be besties

i love thinking about the three of you as just this hellbound chaotic trio

because chenji already wreak havoc wherever they go as the two of them

but now that you’re coming along,,,,

no neo would escape from your pranks ever again (and even members of other groups lmfao watch out sehun, i’m talking to you)

and it’s so incredible infuriating in a good way that it just turns to be endearing

you’re cute as fuck so no one gets actually mad with the shit you pull????

which is dangerous, someone should really keep an eye out on the three of you 

we don’t need sm to be on fire

well we kinda do cus they’re pretty bad but not my point

i said somewhere above that chenle would tone the teasing down but i don’t mean he’d stop

bc c’mon guys

he’s chenle

no limits here

but sorry, i really cannot write jealous!chenle cus his heart is just too pure and filled with joy for him to be jealous for real

last scenario?

chenle after a comeback stage: ya y/n, i was gonna ask how was my performance today but you were probably more focused on jisung’s arms right

jisung is choking on water somewhere behind you

Jisung

it’s maknae time <plays i.n’s maknae on top>

i don’t mean to picture jisung as being like

ridiculously innocent or just downright naive because i really dislike it when people do that

he’s a literal 19 yo and jaemin himself has said he’s not as innocent as we think lol

however

i do see him as being quite new to all things love 

i think you’d probably be his first partner and with first relationships comes a lot of other firsts

first kiss maybe, first time holding hands, first time being jealous….

first time being jealous, yes, focus on that

i don’t think jisung would be aware that like

you not biasing him is even a possibility

cuz you’re dating

doesn’t that come along????

ah poor baby i love him

if you biased chenle i think he’d be just

disgusted and weirded out but okay?? you do you i guess???

he’s comfortable enough with lele to not feel intimidated

but if it’s another member

ESPECIALLY one of the oldest ones

i think it would be a blow straight to his confidence 

you biasing ten, kun, taeil, taeyong, doyoung or johnny and maybe yuta would make him feel a bit hesitant and concerned

his first thought would probably be that you don’t like being with someone as young as him

and who knows, maybe you’re even younger than him, maybe you’re the same age, but what if you actually like older guys??

what about him then???

and jisung doesn’t mean to feel so worried and insecure, ok, pls understand where i’m coming from

first relationships normally take like a very long time to build trust and acceptance of the other person’s feelings bc it’s literally a whole new world for you

and that goes extra hard for jisung because he is so fucking whipped for you it’s still hard to believe you like him as much

and it absolutely does not cross his mind that you’d cheat on him with your bias, GODS NO

he really respects you and his hyungs 

so no, never

that’s not a thing that can happen

but you realize you’re too good for him and maybe see he doesn’t fit your ideal type?

well, yes, that’s what he’s thinking

probably goes straight to chenle or renjun (he talks about renjun so much asjahj) to vent and ask for advice

i think they’d be surprised to see what’s going on inside his pretty little head because it’s so obvious for everyone that you just adore jisung

and they do tell him that

however, i don’t think it would completely calm his nerves, and again, this has nothing to do with not trusting you

it’s just that

his hyungs are so cool…

HE CAN’T HELP IT OK

would probably try to mirror your bias (i’m saying it’s taeyong for the sake of what i’ve imagined ok) and like

grasp onto some of his qualities?

so in his mind taeyong is: nice, sweet, caring, amazing, perfect, smart, perfect, sexy, mature and did i mention perfect

i can see him trying some new rap styles that mimic tyong’s a bit???

like would lowkey learn his raps from cherry bomb and superm’s one and listen to recordings frequently to pick up on how taeyong does it

i think he’d also just change the way he acts in general to dodge a bit from his maknae image

so now he tries to speak with a more formal-ish language and learns random facts about things you like to seem more intelligent???

“good morning y/n, you look as beautiful as one of voiello’s paintings today :]”

“wait i thought that was a pasta brand”

he’s just trying to show you he can be mature and serious if you want him to

long story short, he’s not acting like himself (not that he’s childish, he’s just out of it) and you don’t like it, so you ask about it and wait for him to feel comfortable with sharing

when he does talk about it breaks your heart so much :((

you’re going to need some patience to try and show him you’d choose him, and not your bias, even if you had the chance

they’re completely different people and you love him BECAUSE he’s jisung, not for any other reason

please reassure him so he can go back to acting like his authentic self, i think it would be such a relief for him too

your words and affection are obviously enough for him, but if it ever happens that he feels especially low and insecure again, it would help if your bias talks to him too

and taeyong wouldn’t have a problem with it

actually, scratch that, taeyong probably knew what was going on all along

he just has that motherly 7th sense (ay) that is even more acute with the dreamies cus like 

127 has him, wayv has kun, but dream has…

the dreamies

and that, my friend, is terrifying

anyway he’d come to talk to jisung asking like “what’s wrong buddy :(“ and sungie would be a bit ashamed because it sounds so silly when you say it out loud

of course tyong wouldn’t judge him, and he just really has to tell jisung what is it you and he are always talking about

it’s him

“when they come around to talk and hang out here it all goes back to you, jisungie. they can’t spend one second without mentioning your name

it’s so cute; it’s always like ‘oh jisung would love this’ or ‘jisung likes it that way’

so please be kinder to yourself and let yourself see that they’re in love with you, not with me and not with any other member they ever mention”

jisung would feel 10000000% better

and smiley

and giggly

and oh my god do you really talk about him that much

LOOK HE’S BLUSHING

would just go over to your house immediately and hug you, burying his face on your neck from behind you

and not let go

ever again

the whole situation just teaches him a lot about accepting your love for him and not questioning it 

shut up i’m not crying

---

final notes: this was my first work after the humanity series and it was so fun lol i think next up is probs gonna be an ideal type scenario for ot23 (but if i really write it i’m gonna post it by subunit and its gonna be way shorter than this, don’t expect 23K words at once lmao)

if you’ve enjoyed this fic please consider reading my humanity series, which is a zombie apocalypse au with kun <3

[incorrectcats]

If you're still doing the ask thing, pouncival and electra? thank you!

Omg sure! Thanks for sending me this ;;

Pouncival

Why I like them

Everything, because he’s a good boy and deserves a big hug. But, now seriously, he’s super cute and fun, and every time he’s on camera I feel blessed. He also has some amazing acrobatic skills and I love that for him hehe.

Why I don’t

He can be a bit annoying sometimes, let’s be real. But I still love him.

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

His dramatic backflip when Tugger appears dvsnlksd

Favorite season/movie

1998

Favorite line

Only if he had lines...... Lol

OTP

I don’t ship him much, ngl. I had some cute hcs for him and Electra for a fic I never wrote buuut that’s it, honestly. Not much.

Brotp

With the Kitten Squad! I also hc him and Plato having this kind of dumb bubbly dude and serious grumpy friend and I love that.

Head Canon

He has a crush on every queen he knows and on Tugger too, although he’s still not sure if it’s a crush or he just wants to be like him.

Unpopular opinion

I know that people tend to hc him as a kitten, like... A child, and I personally don’t sns. I think he’s older, like around 19 or something like that. 

A wish

For him to get more attention!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

Idk, I hope he never gets cut off of the production. Also, please let’s not forget Pouncival in favour of Carbucketty, I prefer the first one lol

5 words to best describe them

Youthful, dreamy, playful, lively, persistent

My nickname for them

Pounce!

Electra

Why I like them

To be honest, I don’t pay her as much attention as she deserves, sorry ;; Anyway, I think she’s a lovely young lady and I like how, despite looking shyer than other cats her age, she’s still playful and fun!

Why I don’t

Not very relevant, I guess.

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

Her background interactions with other cats!

Favorite season/movie

1998 and 2019-2020 Vienna!

Favorite line

... Does she have lines...?

OTP

Same as Pounce, I don’t really ship her with anyone. Although maybe with Etcetera, they could be cute ;;

Brotp

With the Kitten Squad! I also hc him and Plato having this kind of dumb bubbly dude and serious grumpy friend and I love that.

Head Canon

Although she’s shy, once she gets comfortable she can be as loud as the rest kittens and loves to show her own dance skills.

Unpopular opinion

The same as Pouncival! Not a child to me.

A wish

I’d like for her to be more relevant ;; Oh and she should meet StEx Electra!!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

Mmmmh, I really didn’t like her Broadway 2016 makeup, so I wouldn’t like it to be back lol

5 words to best describe them

Introvert, calm, reasonable, reflective, sweet

My nickname for them

Lexy, Lecci... Idk fbcshkfhk

[the-sanders-sides]

indian american (desi) roman

hi! i relate to roman and ive been seeing posts like these and i got inspired!!

part 2

his name is actually rohan, but he started going by roman in middle school partly as a pun by his friend patton, and partly because “there are like six other kids on our street alone named rohan. i need to stand out! out there in the real world theyll never expect me, the desi kid, to be named roman!”

his parents both immigrated to the US when they were kids and his family followed the ~American Dream~

he grew up in an asian community and rarely saw non-asians until he was in middle school 

he does dramatic retelling of ztv hindi dramas and thats where first he got into acting

he’s short and furious

his grandma always said it’s cuz he doesnt drink enough milk 

he tries to explain to her genetics so basic that even he could understand

his grandma doesn’t believe genetics. it’s the milk.

his cousins back in india rave about cricket and soccer to him

he doesn’t get the appeal of either sport, nor he understand the convoluted system of cricket

once he was old enough to realize this, he began to despise how even though the constitution says freedom of religion, public schools still make the kids do christmas activities and thanksgiving and easter activities that are mandatory. bc if it theres truly freedom of religion, then shouldnt public schools, a governmental, public organization be fully secular??

he is very upset at the christain centric & abrahamic religion centric  view of the world that the schools teach, and how they dont even talk about anything that isnt an abrahamic religion (not even in history class!)

on diwali in high school he sneaks into the administration room and takes over the school PA system to talk about diwali and hinduism and how the world isnt just abrahamic religions

speaking of diwali

he is in LOVE with doing rangoli and always does more and more elaborate ones each year

he tried to help make bhatura once. he was not allowed in the kitchen afterwards

“it’s okay that youre that bad at cooking as long as you marry another indian person who can make you these things, otherwise, ill teach you until you can out-cook me” said his grandma

there was a family reunion once and he didnt know anyone there

he met some cousins for the first time when he was sixteen. it was like theyd known each other since they were babies.

he always feels insecure about doing bad in school because of how high a value his culture places education and knowledge but he cant seem to understand anything

when he was younger his grandma told him if he didnt pass math theyd change his last name from an indian one to the name “smith”

he passed math for the sole reason to not become a white person (because yes roman, thats what happens when you change your last name, dumbass)

his other desi friend told him in her dramatic indian accent that her mom said “youre an A-sian, not a B-sian” in regards to her grades

he couldnt stop laughing for a good ten minutes

when he came out as gay his parents, while not really understanding because being gay wasnt really talked about whn they were growing up, they were extremely accepting

“did you actually think we were gonna be like those christains who kick their kid out because it goes against the bible?” “...” “rohan! learn your own religion! have you even seen the karma sutra?!” “dad, ew”

he is fluent in english and can understand hindi but has trouble speaking it back

his cousins in india tease him and his siblings for their desi accents when he speaks hindi

when theyre teenagers, his cousins teach him hindi swear words

“okay so kuti is, you know, female dog, and then you know how theres motherfucker in english? well in hindi we’ve got bhenchod”

“ASFDGF SISTER FUCKER?? ARE YOU FOR REAL?? OH MY GOSH THAT IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN MOTHERFUCKER I LOVE IT”

he loves doing kathak dance and loves how it integrates sound with the movements and he took classes in it and can do it perfectly

even if he is a partial disgrace for his bad grades, his commitment to kathak, ztv impressions, and indian flute saved his reputation (and also those skills landed him a professional theater role fresh outta high school)

he’s also the biggest defier of the “indians are good at school especially math” stereotype because someone once asked what 2+3 is and he said 1

it wasnt his proudest moment, yet he was proud of himself for breaking down stereotypes, one dumbass moment at a time

speaking of stereotypes

whenever people are racist he just shouts at them and insults them with his Superior Confidence and also to defy stereotypes that indians are just socially awkward nerds who cant defend themselves (looking at you big bang theory)

once he was walking with a friend and they were talking in a mix of hindi and english and some jerk asses laughed at them and were like “hey curry munchers!” and then bowed in a super offensive way while saying “namaste” and pronouncing it horribly wrong

he responded by yelling back at them “we’re in america! speak english!” and that shut them up. 

he pretends that being called racist stuff doesnt hurt him, but when he’s alone he lets it show and oh boy

oh fucking boy is he sad because he hates himself and actually lets everything thats said to him get to him even though he doesnt show it and his self esteem is very fragile

he is absolutely in love with vardaan arora’s music, mostly because he is also gay and indian (and very attractive)

he obsessively watches || Superwoman || (aka lily singh) because oh dear are there a dearth of desi creators and actors and stuff and her videos are so relatable and funny

speaking of which

despite his huge resume and experience and overall amazing ability to act, he is yet to get his big break because he declines most major roles he gets because he refuses to portray racist and stereotypical depictions of indians

and also because no one is really race blind and they wont hire an indian lest it become an “indian show”

his grandma is happy in the end because he does settle down with a nice, smart, indian boy who can cook and counteract all his dumbassery ;) ;) ;) *cough* logan *cough*

all in all, he loves his culture and his family (even the family members he’s yet to meet)

[rqs902]

ahhhhh im so happy naicha is back!!!!

apparently he’s the only member of blackace who is capable of talking to girls LOL but his interactions with sis are so fun!! he’s definitely the type to be like fun in casual but all business when it comes to the stage. 

the way they cut the blackace rehearsals it feels like they’re trying to make naicha look bad, but then you literally get all the blackace kids commenting like “we love naicha” LOL such contrast to the angsty background music they put on while naicha is leading dance practice lol... but despite the editing, I feel like you can tell he’s not actually like yelling at them because he’s super mad or thinks they’re incapable. (which is what i feel like it could appear like, to people who are not familiar with him or his friendship dynamic) i think it’s just that naicha has a naturally loud / nagging voice (LOL) and then he sasses them during practice because he knows they wont take it as actual insults and instead will take it as motivation that he knows they can do better. for example, long ge like smiling the whole time that naicha nags him, and then literally saying he doesnt think naicha’s expectations of him are too high. 

hearing naicha talking about bringing out individual members’ strengths like long ge’s just.. ahhhhhh brings back all the tuo xian mu ou and afo feels!!!! this is what I love about him. his leadership style is really focused on the group and bringing every individual up to strengthen the group as a whole. he was the leader who cared the least about promoting himself and putting himself in the center. he doesn’t care about being in the center. he cares about the group as a whole and the stage as a whole, and I missed his loud mouthed gabbing and harsh love leadership style.

I AM SO HAPPY AND SO NOT SURPRISED AND SO GRATEFUL that as soon as naicha comes back, their individual skills are so strongly highlighted through this performance and i love it!!!! i love how he instituted a significant dance break to really highlight the dancers’ abilities, because that’s literally half (4 out of 8) of blackace’s appeal and they have yet to really demonstrate to people that they!! have!! amazing!! dancers!! and i love how even after aj doesn’t choreograph the dance, he still gets to really wow people with his dancing at center stage!! and ofc as soon as naicha comes back, he incorporates chen shun’s notable fast rap yesss!!!! and he even incorporated a notable vocal part for pinlin!!! taking advantage of pinlin’s valuable vocals!!! yesss!!

also im not surprised at all that this stage is completely different from the previous stages, which were very much AJ’s style. rather than electronic-y dance music, naicha’s stages on afo were usually more dramatic and theatrical. I like both styles tho. aj’s stages feel very street, very modern, very slick. naicha’s feels like a stage production. Naicha’s style does fit long ge well because he knows long ge so well and trusts and knows that long ge is an excellent performer who can excel with the correct backdrop. as his former team leader, im sure that this went into his consideration when planning for this stage. Im not surprised naicha didnt plan the stage around pinlin being center because it just seems like he doesn’t believe in “one center” as a concept in general LOL. plus no one in txmo had the stage presence and attraction ability that pinlin has, and unfortunately that means naicha has yet to optimally utilize pinlin’s potential as a center. 

I’m glad they all respected pinlin to give him the center role last time, knowing that he deserved it. I’m kinda not surprised tho that pinlin and naicha are clashing a bit now. naicha was like the underdog on afo who no one expected to win but you couldnt help but respect anyway because of the way he designed his stages with such care for every other person on his team. pinlin was the shoe-in who always had the spotlight on stage. their general approaches to the stage are so different. and not in a AJ vs naicha type different. AJ and naicha have different styles of a similar approach, but I feel like pinlin and naicha are just completely different. like how pinlin saying he’s more of a “regular idol” and is different from the rest of them. (ngl style-wise, its always been “the dancers” vs everyone else when I look at blackace.... and then it doesn’t help that everyone else besides pinlin and wang di were either in AJ or naicha’s teams... so.... they’re naturally gonna be closely associated in my mind to the dancers’ side than pinlin’s side) AJ is easy going almost to a fault, but naicha is not the type to take any crap. and pinlin has been stubborn ever since super idol lol so I can imagine there being some conflict between the two. conflict that was not nearly as prominent before naicha arrived. 

naicha going on weibo to literally type out an essay to explain himself and the evil editing tho..... imagine how much hate he must be getting and how frustrated he must be as a result. im sad people are complaining about the way he designed the stage because thats literally one of his strengths. but on the bright side, he knows it too. he defended himself logically and with detailed explanation and I respect that. and I respect that he was like “if you dont get it, you dont get it” because he knows some people are just hating for sake of hating and hes not gonna bother. honestly i think the part distribution seems fair?? it seems like there’s relative good close-up screen time for all the non-dancers and if anything maybe huadi doesn’t get to stand out much?? but he looks really good here!! and so does wang di!! also side note this hair style on pinlin makes me think of super idol LOL

but anyway.... im hesitant to see what happened to pinlin in the next ep :c sigh

[readymades2002]

AUGH i could make a million posts abt this fhsfkjdfs i took some notes on what i did remember in between everything ill collect those now 

jimmy had striped socks on and it was STUPIDLy endearing...............i love u they were SO peppy and jaunty!!! their HOPS...their DANCING...their VIBES..........SMORCH

they also have a sticker of themself on their keyboard stand! queen of self esteem

mcbc just went "JIMMY!!!!! :D" in the middle of a good sax solo I think and wandered over to admire them, and to hold his mic off to the side of their sax since they already have a sax mic but he had to make REAL sure you could appreciate their skills.... they also did the 360 hug for hey homies it was VERY cute im Bad Up To My Nonsense appawently 

they DID fight a demonic minion and the Poodle People and jimmy straight up irish whipped mcbc into a bunch of dog people THANKS babe!!!!!! they were also throwing towels after the Weird Dogs when they were vanquished they’re doing their FUCKING best 

mcbc leapt off the stage during that fight for reasons incomprehensible to me, perhaps the panache of it all, or the adrenaline, and jimmy had to come over and help him back up onstage goofy........IDIOTS......

while mcbc was hanging out with the crowd, someone asked if he could give this high five to Jimmy and then high fives him, and jimmy came closer and accepted the high five but also knelt down to high five her themself................ I'm soft, i AM soft, let it never be said i wasnt soft 

THEY PLAYED YOUR LOVE IT'S FINALLY RICKY'S BIRTHDAY AGAIN...... my sibling bruised my arm when we realized what they were building to...mcbc was like “aint he cute!!!” afterwards and later had a moment of going “hey so why is ricky the best drummer on the planet actually” AWH...

"i stand up to bullies every day. especially you, commander" - ricky, canonically

mcbc corpsed a LOT he had a great time! we had a few Moments bc I was in the front row and he was very smiley and when I got too excited and had to giggle and cover my face he noticed and was very cool about it... love him thank u autistic rights

crashes cousin smash/Phil Din/I BELIEVE chainsaw was filling in for him tonight as he has been on this tour! jimmy kept pointing at him and nodding impressedly during the basslines esp the ICONIC super show one it was sweet. also if you havent listened to the super show theme in a bit go listen to it and pay attention to the bassline because it fucks 

he brought a message from crash, also, and it was just Groove Is In The Heart and it was a treat. thanks chainsaw probably and thank you crash i miss you and love u Mwa 

JIMMY DID THE SLIDE WHISTLE NOISES FOR GROOVE IS IN THE HEART ACTUALLY HER RANGE...........AUGH im gonna pass out im so in l*ve 

they got TWO of the pizza inflatables back on stage before The CHild Throwing and jimmy got to hold both of them for a bit and they were just engulfed by pizza im gonna blow up i love them so fucking much

(mcbc voice) george lucas pizza body :\  (jimmy singing back) george lucas pizza body~

mcbc was discussing with the gal theyd called onstage for the Throwing Of The Children (who had already been taken onstage and gotten sharpie on her face as the opening band chose her as their new leader and was thus a little too freaked out for this, which mcbc was very kind about and very crossly told her parents telling her to just do it to Back Off before letting her go back and bringing up someone else) and asked if she'd like to go first or second and made EXPLICITLY clear that she will have a choice in this matter! she declined to go first and then mcbc nods, turns to the boy who will also be crowdsurfing, and very flatly tells him he does not have a choice GEE.....THANKS, /DAD/ 

(mcbc voice) i am going to throw you, onto that piece of pizza.  (boy voice) - (boy voice) 0_0? (mcbc voice) AND THE CROWD IS GOING TO CATCH YOU

THEY PLAYED LOOK AT ME IM A WINNER /AND/ DOIN SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE EXTENDED VERSION OF SHOWTIME THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I COULD DO ANYTHING GGGHGHGH LOVE THAT FOR THEM

THEY ALSO PLAYED CHEMICAL BOMB IN 2019 WHICH I STILL CANT FUCKING BELIEVE HAPPENED GHGKJFGUUUUUU.......jimmy was very quietly doing the “maaaaayyyyybeee”s after the song was over and im just *swoons softly* i AM soft god dont look at me. god. god i love this fucking stupid band so much

eaglebones was VERY cheeky tonight! Mischievous! he kept going >:) and sticking his tongue out and he was having fun im glad i love u bastard fool

this WAS foolish too bc mcbc helped eaglebones hit a beach ball using his guitar as a bat twice and he almost knocked one of the lights down doing it fhdsjkds he was like AAAAYUUUUGHHH after it happened GOOFY. GOOFASS. FIVE LAWSUITS WALKING

at one point I looked away for five seconds and looked back and saw mcbc tumbling out of the audience back in front of the stage completely on his back like a pill bug, absolute madman

mcbc was actually talking abt how they used to have a trampoline onstage for pool party so the kids could party on it but THEN a legal happened -_- *this was a joke dont worry they have done MUCH more wild stuff than that*

“america, land of lawsuits :(”- mcbc, 2019 

everyone in this band (mcbc don't look) is so FUCKING talented its bonkers HONESTLY LIKE MCBC TOO TRULY he isnt TALENTED talented but he just like....GOES for it and he is so weird and dramatic and hammy its genuinely a big inspiration but everyone else in this band is so fucking good at what they do i LOVE that for them

lichrally as soon as the concert was over and they started taking the stage down i started crying fhdkjds my mom and sib came back from the merch tables and were like HUH?!?!?!?!?! and i had to be cool about it but like I WAS JUST...BAWLING mom was all “you REALLY like seeing them huh???” and i was like “*autistically* y-yea :’|” 

IT WAS..........WONDERFUL. I.....................................................LOVE BAND

[enigmasalad]

Of Benders and Bonding Chapter 1

Roman didn't know how Patton convinced Logan to check out the circus with them. Okay that was kind of a lie. Patton probably used his puppy eyes, blinked a few times and said “please” in a childish manor. It seemed Logan could not resist the puppy eyes. Of course Roman couldn't either. It would be like kicking a puppy and Roman liked puppies. But yeah, the three of them were sitting in the stands of a circus. Patton was going on and on about buying candy and a few other things for the kids he looked after at home. “Im sure they would like some candy. Of course I would like candy too. Can we buy a lot of candy so everyone can have some?”

“Patton we're too far away from home. By the time we got home the candy would be expired. Plus you and the children don't need as much as you're saying.” Logan said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well there's a post office in town! We can box it up and have it send through express mail!” Patton said.

“Patton, as much as a fantastic idea that is, I doubt we can pay for express mail. Perhaps when we do some work and collect some bounties we can send the children candy from one of the shops?” Roman said. He didn't like having limits but sadly money was one of them.

“But Roman it's circus candy! Circus candy is different than regular candy! Its more fun!” Patton said.

“I don't think there Is a difference.” Logan chimed in.

“Well candy from festivals and circuses do seem more special.” Roman thought.

“Exactly! And my- I mean the children definitely deserve some special candy. It may not erase whatever they've gone through but it might add some joy! Plus who doesn't like candy?” the air bender said.

The earth bender raised his hand.

“I thought we were friends Logan! Best friends!” Patton cried. He sounded like he was betrayed.

Just then someone dropped a small bag into Patton's lap. Roman looked up to see a person in a black hooded jacket start to walk away. “Sir you dropped this!” Patton called out.

“Keep it.” the stranger called back as he went through a small guarded door.

Roman turned to the other two and shrugged.

“Perhaps he heard us talking. Maybe next time we should be a bit quieter.” Logan said as he examined the bag's contents. From the clinking sound, the fire bender could guess it was coins.

“Oh what a nice guy! I hope we can find him and thank him!” Patton said.

Soon the lights dimmed and a spotlight shown on the ringmaster. The old man greeted everyone and told them the typical “you will be amazed” speech. Roman was honestly a bit excited to see what would be going on. Perhaps he could draw inspiration from it for his drawings and stories.

“Oh! Also I forgot to mention this. There's a villain who wants to take over this circus! If you spot him let us know. He wears all black and has a thundercloud on him!”

Roman rolled his eyes slightly. This man was a poor script writer and his acting wasn't all that good. However the crowd seemed invested. The first act was the “hero” of the circus and he was the strong man. Next was a man and woman who were animal tamers. Then a few acrobats of both genders did things such as tight rope walking and the trapezes. Roman found himself slightly interested in the other firebenders who juggled things like flaming batons and flaming swords. Seriously the blades were on fire. Patton was cheering when one of them spat out fire near the crowd. Roman glanced over at Logan, who was reading a book. The earth bender could care less. Finally after the last act the Ringmaster came into view again.

“That was our wonderful circus! I h-”

The lights dimmed. The Ringmaster acted confused as he looked around. Roman internally cringed as the Ringmaster pretended to panic. However he was focused on silk lowering from the ceiling. Then a hooded figure was behind the ringmaster and there was smoke. When the smoke cleared the stranger from earlier was in center stage. The Ringmaster was “gagged” and in a cannon. How did Roman not notice the cannon?

“Roman! It's the guy from earlier!” Patton whisper yelled.

The unknown person pulled the jacket off of himself dramatically and crossed his arms. On his skin tight gymnastics leotard was a thundercloud.

“Fools. You thought Strongman could find me? Fat chance. This is my circus now!”

Roman had to admit, this guy's acting was better than everyone who had performed. Patton was very interested. He kept saying “oh my goodness, oh my goodness”.Logan lifted a brow and looked from his book.

“Now witness the last act you will ever take part in Ringmaster. Strongman can't save you now.”

The villain then snapped and music came on. It was obvious his act was aerial silks now. The man slipped off his shoes and began climbing the dark purple silk. He would wrap it around himself and fall, spin, do the splits in mid air and so many other things. And the whole time he was doing it in a slightly seductive or memorizing manor. It was almost like pole dancing, minus the pole. He was incredibly flexible and oddly attractive. Roman was sure under all that dark eye shadow and white foundation there was a nice guy underneath. However every hero story needed a villain.

“Oh wow! He's really good! I can't do the splits!” Patton said.

After one last spin and a drop the man got down from the silk ropes and the music stopped. The crowed cheered at the performance.

“See Ringmaster? They're cheering the loudest for me! My powers are working on them.”

The villain then walked over to the cannon and stood next to it. A smirk spread on his face.

“For my encore  I will send this man into the sky. He will be shot from this cannon and will never be seen again!”

As the villain laughed maniacally “Strongman” came.

“Not if I can help it Doctor Gloom! You may be flexible and smart, but there is one thing you do not have!” Strongman said.

“What is that you boar?”

“Super strength!”

With that Strongman picked Doctor Gloom up and carried him offstage. Everyone laughed and cheered as the villain kicked and pounded the man's back in an effort to free himself. After the two were gone the ringmaster got out of the cannon and took off his gag.

“Doctor Gloom may be scary but he isn't good at tying knots. Anyways thank you for visiting our circus! We hope to see you again soon!”

The crowd made their way out of the exits. However Patton didn't want to leave yet.

“We still have to thank Doctor Gloom! Plus he was cool and I want to ask how he could do the splits without it hurting.”

“Well he went backstage where patrons like us cannot go. Lets just go to the hotel room and end the day.” Logan said as he closed his book.

“Nonsense Logan! That man did a good deed and must be thanked! Plus his acting skills were better than everyone's! I must let him know he was a good villain.” Roman said, agreeing with Patton.

“The guards aren't there Logan? Pleeeaaase?”

Puppy eyes.

“Fine. No more than five minutes. Then we are out.”

Patton cheered and immediately ran towards the backstage curtain. Roman laughed and followed, leaving Logan protesting and having to follow. They carefully looked around to see if anyone saw them. Luckily they weren't noticed, so they entered. Patton let the way down the hall where a large amount of light was coming from a room. They peeked in and saw Strongman and Doctor Gloom talking.

“Virgil you needed that money! You needed it to get out of here! No person deserves to be owned!”

“Chill. Those people needed it more than I do. Besides I'll be fine.”

“But-”

Just then the Ringmaster entered through another entrance.

“Bai can you give Virgil and I a moment? Thank you.”

Strongman looked at Virgil (Doctor Gloom) for a moment and left. After he left, all hell broke loose.

“Boy I didn't buy you off of your father for lousy performances!” the Ringmaster said.

“Whatever. Slavery is against the law. All I have to do is tell someone and you'll be gone.” Virgil said, a frown on his face.

“You wouldn't dare. You have nowhere else to go. Besides what place would allow blood benders to work and live? You'll be alone until you die. Maybe if you were lucky you'd land a job as a prostitute. I own you Virgil. You cant do shit.”

“You dont own m-”

Virgil suddenly fell to the floor holding his cheek. The Ringmaster then kicked him hard. That was enough for Roman. He got up and rushed in. He stood protectively over Virgil and pointed his sword at the Ringmaster.

“You will not lay another hand on this man understood? You will let everyone you bought go and turn yourself in. If not I will have to harm you.” Roman said, his expression becoming more firm.

“Who the hell are you? What does that matter no one will believe you.”

Logan then stood up and walked in ever so calm and collected. However his face was stern, borderline intimidating.

“I would listen to him. He and the emperor of the Fire Nation are close. As many military and government authorities and I.” Logan said.

The Ringmaster was quiet now. Patton came in and helped Virgil up and held him protectively. Like a brother protecting his sibling from a bully. The only reason why the dark strange performer wasn't running away was because he was too stunned.

“I call bullshit.”

“Well then I assume you shall wait until authorities come and break up your circus? Have it your way.”

“We'll be taking Virgil somewhere better than this. Shame on you. I hope you never sleep well ever again.” Patton said. To be honest that was a pretty intense thing to come from the air bender.

The group made their way out the back, Roman keeping vigilant just in case the Ringmaster came after them. When they were out Virgil fell to his hands and knees. He was shaking and if one looked closely one might see tears.

“What do you guys want from me? I don't have anything else to give to you.” he said. “That's a rude thing to say to your heroes.” Roman said.

“You were having a serious problem so we fixed it. Easy as that.” Logan added while pushing his glasses up.

Then Patton spoke. “Virgil is it? Hi I'm Patton. The guy in green is Logan and the guy with the sword is Roman. We wanted to help you.”

“I could've helped myself.” Virgil grumbled. Tears were still falling.

“Well looks like you got out early. Here, we'll  follow you to get your things and take you to our hotel room. We'll let you eat, have a shower, rest  and then you can do what you want. You can leave and do your own thing if you want. Go back to your family if you have any, chase any dreams you have..”

Virgil seemed to tense at that. However Patton continued.

“If you don't know then maybe you can travel with us until you know! We'll visit other places so there might be somewhere you want to be. The world is big you know!”

Virgil looked up with Patton and blinked.

“That...sounds nice.”

[ash818]

could you write a little tiny(or super long-i dont mind) ficlet about one of Jon and Tish's snug harbor kinda sorta dates from before they started dating. maybe a little funny one or maybe one of them does something that makes the other fall a little harder.. prettyy please??

Tish learned to dance standing on Papa’s shoes.

On nights when he and Maman shared a bottle of wine with dinner, Maman would tug him to his feet and command the speaker, “Jouez-nous Louis Prima, s’il vous plaît!” She grinned at Papa and twined his arm around her waist. “Ce soir, nous avons besoin de Louis, ne penses-tu pas?”

Playful as he was in those days, Papa dipped her dramatically and then started to spin her across the floor. Tish knelt backwards in her chair to watch, until, laughing, Maman invited her to cut in.

“No shoes, no shoes!” Papa protested, because he knew little Laetitia thought he sounded funnier in English. “Take them off before you stand on me.”

Giggling, she plopped onto the floor and unbuckled her scuffed pink sandals.

“All right,” Papa said when she stepped barefoot onto his loafers and took his hands. “You know how to be Ginger Rogers?”

She shook her head.

“You do everything I do, but backwards. And here we go!”

There were other nights when Maman finished that bottle alone, and after she died there was no more dancing. But Louis Prima was no less real for that.

Tish has not thought of it in years.

Between sets at Snug Harbor, Jonathan Queen sinks stiffly onto the bench seat along the wall and stretches out his bad leg. One second he grimaces in pain, and the next he smiles up at her. “So where’d you learn to do this?”

“Dance?” She takes a seat next to him, because it seems more polite than hovering. “I did theater in high school, and you learn all kinds of things for shows. Cinderella is the reason I can waltz.”

“You can waltz?” He looks her over in a way she’s not sure she likes, and he goes back to rolling his ankle. “Of course you can waltz.”

Tish draws herself up to take offense, but then she realizes that the smirk is really more of a fond smile. Instead she says, “Are you in pain?”

“It’s just muscle cramps.” He props his ankle on his knee, digs his fingers into his calf, and starts working his way down toward his Achilles’ tendon. “They rub right out.”

She feels a sudden and inexplicable urge to do it for him, so strong that she actually leans forward. Then reality reasserts itself, and she freezes at the edge of the bench seat.

There is nothing strange or inappropriate about wanting to take care of him. He has risked his life protecting her more than once, and all she has given him in return are a few mugs of sweet steamed milk. It would absolutely be strange and inappropriate to kneel at his feet on the dirty barroom floor and work her hands up his calf. Dear Lord, please don’t let him see her burning cheeks in the dim light.

“Time for their next set,” Jon says, eyes on the band as they take the stage again. “You want to go again?”

After two songs, it is clear that the muscle cramps have not rubbed right out. His rhythm falters, and though it would probably be unnoticeable to a casual observer, Tish nearly falls out of step with him. Compensating for an injury is hard on the rest of the body; in the brief moment that her arm loops around him for an open position, she can feel the sweat at the small of his back.

“I’m a little bored with this song, to be honest,” she says, the next time he pulls her into closed. “Do you mind if we sit down for a bit?”

“Sure. You want another drink?”

“I think I would. But excuse me for a minute first.”

In the restroom mirror, she dabs sweat from her neck and pins a few loose curls back into place.

When she suggested dancing as physical therapy, she did not think it through much farther than, “We’ll spend an hour goofing off to innocent sixties pop.” She failed to imagine the breadth of Jon’s hand on her shoulder blade. She did not anticipate the smell of his soap or the roughness of his fingers. She swallowed hard the first time she stepped in close and found herself eye level with his buttons.

He once collapsed from blood loss right into her arms, and her attempt to catch him quickly devolved into a controlled descent to the floor. She should have remembered his sheer size, at least.

She pulls a tube of lipstick from the pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt, and she reapplies. War paint, as Jon called it. British Red always steadies her nerves.

She has danced with co-stars who grabbed her by the inner thighs for lifts, or who bent her back dramatically for stage kisses. There is really no need to be so adolescent about Jon Queen’s calluses.

She returns to find him flirting unsubtly with the older woman on the barstool next to him, who seems more amused than interested. As Tish comes within earshot, the woman snorts into a laugh too undignified to be anything but genuine.

Jon seems to count that as a win by itself - just charming someone for a few minutes. It’s an interesting side of him. Brash, loudmouthed Jonathan Queen has at least some small part of him that looks very young and very earnest and says, “Like me, like me, like me.”

“Oh, there you are,” he says, pulling out the barstool for her. “Morgan, this is my friend Tish.”

“Hey, there,” Morgan says with a broad, knowing sort of smile. “I was just telling him he should think about letting you lead. You might teach him a thing or two.”

It is a familiar joke. The conversation will go flat as day-old Coke if Tish tries to explain that leading and following are very different skill sets, that she can’t break with her left foot anyway, and that she wouldn’t have the first idea what to do with a Jon prepared to move on her say-so. Instead she says, “What makes you think I haven’t been?”

Morgan pats Jon on the shoulder. “Oh, you watch yourself with this one, honey.” She gets to her feet, and she raises her drink to someone across the room. “It was nice to meet y’all. Take care.”

Tish takes the seat Jon saved for her, where a beautiful cocktail already stands gleaming with condensation. A candied orange slice floats in it, dusted with cinnamon. She has had two already, and this one is likely to make her silly.

“I stole a few sips,” Jon confesses. “It was just as good as it looked.”

It is the kind of thing he does to his sister - assuming the right to drink from her glass and eat from her plate. Tish gestures to the Collins glass in his hand, bristling with mint. “Then let me try. Fair is fair.”

It is what Abby would say.

Jon looks prepared to laugh when Tish takes a sip, so she braces herself for something bitter and horrible. Instead - “I can’t even taste the alcohol.”

“That’s because there is none,” he says, taking it back. “I’m driving you home, remember?”

This is a perfectly sensible answer, and there is no reason to melt over it. He has every incentive to drive sober regardless of whether she is in the car with him, and this bare minimum of adult responsibility is not for her benefit.

“It was my father who taught me to follow a lead,” she says before she can stop herself. “As soon as I was tall enough.”

Jon’s expression freezes, and then he very deliberately shifts toward her on his barstool. “It’s, um. It’s hard to picture him doing that.”

It is not difficult to imagine, had events played out two degrees off-angle from their actual course, that Jon might have shot Papa. It is not difficult to imagine taking him dancing and wanting to rub his sore muscles anyway. “I don’t mean to convince you that he was a good man, but he wasn’t always… what he became. There was a time before Maman died when he could be very - there was a time when he let me dance standing on his shoes.”

Jon nods for her to go on, though he cannot quite smooth away his opinion of Abel Cuvier. His jaw, his fist - something always clenches resentfully when Papa is mentioned.

“I think he liked the idea that I might grow up to be a dancer. He was always generous about lessons and shoes and costumes, and the one recital he was able to attend was some of the most lavish praise I ever heard from him.”

The line between Jon’s eyebrows softens. “Yeah? What’d he say?”

Maman beamed in the front seat on the way home, just listening to Papa’s glowing review. “He called me a little swan, and he couldn’t wait to see me en pointe.”

“With the toe shoes, you mean?”

Tish nods. “He didn’t get his wish, in the end.”

“What happened?”

How to put this delicately? “Oh, adolescence. It became pretty clear that I was not going to have the ideal ballet body type.” She hesitates, and then she tells him the other, more honest half of that story. “I might have stuck with it anyway, but then Maman died, and I lost interest.”

The line between Jon’s eyebrows has reappeared and deepened, but she feels no judgment in it this time.  “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she says, so quietly that the band must drown it out.

“If it’s any consolation, random strangers in bars still think you’re hot shit,” Jon goes on. “That woman who was here a minute ago asked me if you dance professionally.”

Tish laughs. “No, she didn’t.”

“Swear to God.”

“Then she must not have seen many professional dancers.” But she can feel herself glow with the compliment, so she lifts her glass to hide a smile in another sip.

No one would describe Jon as sensitive, but it is surprisingly easy to tell him things. She has trusted him with her safety since the mask came off, and now, time and again, in small ways, she finds she can trust him with the things that are most difficult to explain. If she were just a little drunker, she might even tell him that sometimes she misses Papa.

“Hey, are you hungry?” Jon says, pushing his half-empty glass away. “I don’t mean for bar food. You want to go to Sukho Thai?”

They ate dinner at his parents’ house just a couple hours ago, but if he needs another meal to satisfy his staggering caloric requirements, she’s happy to tag along. “I could be in the mood for a spring roll.”

Somewhere in the middle of sipping jasmine tea and watching Jon ruthlessly hunt down a stray noodle, it occurs to Tish that this entire evening - drinks, dancing, dinner - strongly resembles a date. Had Jon flirted with her instead of a stranger on the barstool next to him, then there would be no other interpretation.

“Best physical therapy ever,” Jon announces, leaning back in his chair. “I’m going to fire that torture technician with the exercise ball.”

Tish casts her eyes down and sets her teacup aside. Had this been a date, it would be in her all-time top five.

“You all right?”

“One drink too many,” she says quietly. “I think they’re catching up to me.”

He chuckles and pushes his plate toward her. “All right, lightweight. Have some carbs and finish that water.” And he starts glancing around for the server.

When Jon drops her off in front of her apartment building a little after midnight, she leans across the center console to kiss his cheek. “Thank you so much.”

His smile looks a little bemused. “Yeah, of course. You want to do this again next Friday? It’s Eighties Night.”

No, she does not want to go on not-a-date with Jonathan Queen again in a week. Yes, she wants him to hold her comfortably in closed position again, and she wants his hands to move her through a spin, and she wants him to smile at her just like this. Her imagination shies away from what comes after that.

Nothing needs to come after that. After all, it is only dancing.

“Next Friday,” she agrees.

She glances back on her way to her front door, and she catches a glimpse of him rubbing absently at her lipstick print on his cheek.