#im done entertaining that genre of ask

[if-mirrormine]

idk why but the people complaining about gralex’s name and asking to change it are lowkey pissing me off lmao.

why wouldn’t you want to experience the throwaway comments and jokes from the other characters about her name? live a little !!

<3

[jnginlov]

you’re hongjoong’s bias

when you and your group go on idol radio to promote your latest comeback, you don’t anticipate one of the hosts to be completely enraptured by you

⇀ pairing idol!hongjoong x idol!reader

⇀ genre fluff, idol au

⇀ style one shot

⇀ word count 8.6k

⇀ warnings brief mentions of idol life difficulties, food, hugging, kissing, this is basically all fluff

⇀ reactions from the gc “IM GONNA JUMP OFF A MOVING TRAIN” “Ooohhhhhhh Oh Shit” “You love to torment us with this don’t you”

note this is written completely gender neutral, all of your group members use they/them pronouns and have unisex names so you can imagine any type of group, there’s a mention of makeup but all genders wear makeup in the entertainment industry, also here is a little playlist inspired by the group in this fic if you’re real delulu like me

your group, eclipse, had been enjoying your recent promotional period, your fans, lovingly termed starlight, had been working hard to promote your latest comeback and for once your company had been able to do the same. eclipse wasn’t particularly unknown before, you’d already had your first music show win and been recognized at several korean music award shows, but this was certainly your most successful song and mini album yet. you, as the main dancer and oldest, had particularly enjoyed all of the interest from idols that had asked to do the dance challenge with you for tiktok and instagram. it allowed you to meet a lot of people in the industry who you had admired and wanted to get to know before but didn’t know how to approach. of all the idols you had done the challenge with there was certainly one that stuck out in your mind, kim hongjoong, captain of ateez and dj on idol radio.

your group had gone onto the radio show as part of your promotions, something not unusual for you all as you’d been on an episode when youngjae and young k were the hosts, as well as one with joohoney and hyungwon as djs just over a year ago. this time, however, felt very different. maybe it was the nerves from how much more attention your group was receiving that was making you feel a little fidgety in your seat or maybe it was the fact that one of the djs couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of you.

for the first ten minutes of your time at idol radio you’re scared that there’s something on your face, trying to subtly glance at any reflective surface to parse what could be causing someone to pay so much attention to you.

when yunho and hongjoong both seemed to be completely focused on another one of your members, asking something about the recording process for the album, you try to subtly place a hand on the arm of your group’s leader, nuri, sat right next to you.

as you lean away from the microphone in front of you, your leader turns to you, and you breathe out the word “makeup” in hopes that nuri will find whatever smudge caught hongjoong’s sharp eye.

unfortunately, they only shake their head, eyes darting around your face but returning to your own once they don’t find anything. they squeeze your hand gently with their own before turning back to the interview, a subtle gesture to both comfort you and let you know that they will definitely ask why you were concerned later.

as you retract your hand from nuri’s arm, you turn back to face the center of the table, which was conveniently set up so that your and nuri’s seats were directly opposite hongjoong and yunho’s, respectively. meaning that when you turn back to refocus on the matter at hand you instantly notice how hongjoong nervously looks away from you, suddenly finding the side of his co-hosts face extremely interesting.

“so, your latest mini album is called,” yunho begins, looking at the card in front of him to guarantee he doesn’t mispronounce it, “close orbit. this is the end of the orbit series in your concept right?”

nuri nods eagerly next to you before beginning their usual spiel about the members' roles in the creative direction of your group.

often times you’re deemed as the second in command, filling in the gaps your leader may miss, and therefore you’d like to think that you’re pretty good about turning on professional mode no matter the situation. however, from the corner of your eye you see hongjoong’s gaze flitting between you and nuri every few seconds and his behavior has begun to have you a bit nervous, fidgeting with one of the rings your stylist had given you that morning. you desperately try to pay attention to what nuri is talking about but, with the combination of the fact that you already know everything about what they’re saying and the heat that’s creeping up your neck as you try to push the thoughts of hongjoong’s behavior from your mind, you find your own thoughts wandering to hongjoong and his weird behavior.

yunho calls your name suddenly, once nuri is finished, shifting your attention back to the interview at hand and beginning to talk about your involvement in eclipse, aside from simply being a member of the group.

you try not to flick your gaze over to hongjoong too often, who now seems to find the cards he’s surely read over several times before intensely interesting, as yunho acknowledges your skills as main dancer and notes for the audience how involved you are in your group’s choreographic process, which already has a warmth blooming in your chest as you’re aware he’s the main dancer of his own group and you always find recognition from other group’s dancers to feel extra special, but the warmth is quickly transferred to your cheeks only a moment later.

“it’s kind of funny,” yunho starts and you tilt your head in interest as he peaks over to his co-host, “you’re hongjoong’s bias.”

from the look that takes over hongjoong’s face, a mix of shock and embarrassment, and the way he turns quickly to look at yunho with slight anger, you assume that this fact was supposed to stay secret, although you’re partly thankful that you have a seemingly good explanation for why hongjoong hadn’t been able to look away from you since you stepped into the studio.

you’re sure your own shocked expression comes over your face before you’re schooling it quickly, although you hear your maknae, star, sat right next to you, snickering softly under their hand, and you shoot star a quick side eye that seems to remove the humor from the situation for them.

“uh, thank you,” you say with a bow as low as the table in front of you allows, “it means a lot to hear that from a senior like you. thank you for your support.”

“of course,” hongjoong speaks suddenly, mirroring your bow as much as he can before stuttering out a statement about how you’re “so inspiring” and “light up the stage”. his face is getting redder by the second as he digs himself further into a hole but you can feel that your face is heating to match his own.

yunho seems to sense the way he’s pushed the interview off the rails and interrupts to bring attention back to your group entirely and your comeback.

through the next few minutes of the show, you’re noticeably and uncharacteristically distant as you now find yourself to have almost traded positions with hongjoong, subtly staring at him as much as you can manage without drawing immediate attention from your fans or members.

in opposition, hongjoong had now taken to looking at pretty much anything that wasn’t you after yunho had shared his little secret. unfortunately, maybe fortunately, you found that you can barely tear your gaze from the blue haired man across the table.

you were obviously a fan of ateez, being able to appreciate a lot of aspects about their talents and skills, but you’d never really gotten too much into the members themselves, aside from knowing who was who and what they each did. you found that as an idol yourself it could feel weird to try acting like a normal fan of a group, making you almost hyper aware of your own fans and their habits as you would try to focus on just one video that wasn’t related directly to the group’s music or performance.

this had meant that you had no ateez bias, although you knew a decent amount about the members, but now you’re rethinking your whole ideas of being a fan as an idol.

as you think to yourself, you attempt to rationalize the past few minutes, assuming that yunho was just joking around, trying to make fun of his hyung or maybe meaning something different from what your group’s fans meant when they said they biased you. however, every time you’ve managed to start convincing yourself, you’re just reminded of hongjoong’s reaction in the moment his member had said something.

your spiraling thoughts are only serving to distract you and suddenly, feeling a hand on your shoulder to bring you back to reality, you realize that they had started playing one of the songs from your album, letting you and your members grab snacks and wave to the fans through the window. the member with their hand on your shoulder, one of your best friends in the group, eunjae, looks at you with a mix of worry and bemusement, although you hear the slight smirk they wear in their voice as they ask if you’re okay.

you wave eunjae off before you head over to the window, not feeling particularly hungry, and hope that maybe seeing your fans will help to ground you, just as they always do.

as you’re waving through the window at several people with headbands of your and your member’s names you feel a presence beside you, much larger than any of your members. you turn to find yunho near you, not crowding you but obviously intentionally in your space, most likely to draw your attention without suspicion.

“sorry about that,” he says as you turn to him and he gestures toward the snack cart closer to the corner.

you know what he’s doing, trying to make it seem like you two are just talking about the food so as to not make fans question your interaction and so you follow him to the snack cart as you ask, trying not to show any of the question on your face, “about what?”

“making you uncomfortable,” he supplies. “hongjoong had asked me not to say anything but i didn’t think about the fact that he may have been asking that for your comfort rather than his own” yunho says in barely a whisper and you can see a light blush dusting his cheeks.

you’re thankful that your members had basically switched with you, greeting fans after clearing away from the snacks.

“don’t worry,” you reassure. “i'm not uncomfortable, it was more shocking than anything” you tell him, and as you say it you realize it’s the truth.

as an idol you often have to sacrifice your comfort for others but in this moment you aren’t saying it out of necessity but as the truth, and when you glance behind you at hongjoong, who’s intently avoiding all of your members as he also waves to the atiny that are mixed in with your fans, you feel something sparkle in the pit of your stomach. it’s a pleasant feeling, something reminiscent of admiration but more complex, deeper.

you’re not afraid to admit to yourself that hongjoong is attractive, undeniably handsome and, from everything you’d heard, genuinely nice to those around him. you could admire him as a leader and creative, knowing how much responsibility he had and that he still managed to enjoy what he did, but, with both of you working in the industry, dating could be next to impossible.

in all honesty, you’re not sure the last time you’d even had time to explore any sort of romantic interest in anyone, and maybe you were simply deprived of that experience so your brain was running wild with even the slightest exploration of thought. however your company had no dating ban and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to venture into that side of a normal life.

bringing you back to the present moment, yunho lets out a heavy breath and hands you a random piece of candy off the cart that you accept with a slight bow, convincing everyone that might be watching that you were talking about the snacks the whole time.

soon after your interaction concludes, everyone is quick to gather back around the table, taking your seats as your song fades out in the background. the next segment goes smoothly, yunho and hongjoong leading your group in a little game about how much your members know each other.

throughout the game you can’t help but sneak glances at hongjoong, your mind still working through the thoughts you’d had during the break. he appears to be trying hard to not notice you looking at him, but he manages to slip up occasionally and you try to send him a warm, if not slightly teasing, grin each time your eyes connect.

though your original intention with the gesture wasn’t to fluster the man, you find the way he reacts each time to be endearing, the blush returning to his cheeks and even starting to spread up to his ears. every time your gazes meet you feel that same tingle in your stomach begin to spread up to your chest, his expression each time feeding it, and you start to find a bit of comfort in that sensation as you feel like you’re getting to admire hongjoong who you’d been avoiding at the beginning of the show.

you’re starting to have a bit too much fun with this little game you made for yourself when yunho introduces another one of the songs from your group’s album and it starts to fade in, bringing an end to your antics.

this time, as the break starts, you intentionally take a moment before standing, pretending to stretch in your seat and standing slowly as you see hongjoong moving toward the fans out of the corner of your eye. you, as subtly as you can, move toward the fans and in the general direction of hongjoong, trying to get the opportunity to talk to him since he had been shying away from speaking to you ever since yunho’s little slip up. he seems too distracted by an atiny that’s mouthing something to him through the window to notice how close you manage to get.

once you’re sufficiently within speaking range, but not too close, always careful of fan suspicion when you’re in the presence of other idols, you try to casually greet him with a simple “hi” but you’re unprepared for the way he quickly flips around to face you, looking almost like a deer in headlights.

you’re both a bit stuck, just staring at each other before you hear a very obvious fake cough coming from both yunho and nuri that seems to snap you out of it and you each try to play it off with giggles and laughs, mostly for the camera and fans that had been intently tuned in to the strange interaction between the two of you.

“sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” you say as you move toward the window, pretending like it had been your intention the whole time to simply say hi to fans once again.

“oh no, uhm, i’m sorry, i don’t know why i reacted like that,” he answers shakily with a nervous chuckle and turns back to the fans as well.

for a moment you both just wave out at the fans, genuinely finding interest in those that had come to support you. after what you deem to be enough time of interaction you finally speak up.

“i’m not uncomfortable, by the way,” you mention casually, hoping hongjoong understands what you mean.

“oh, really?” he sound’s surprised, and you peak out of the corner of your eye to see that he’s trying to hold back the surprise from showing on his face.

“yeah,” you admit. “i’m actually flattered,” you add, turning to hongjoong with a soft smile before you move to the snack cart.

you miss the way his shoulders seem to visibly relax and the grin that spreads onto his face as you leave. fan’s will chalk it up to the fact that he was relieved to be a further distance from you, hongjoong being know to keep his space from the idols that come on as guests, but yunho is quick to spot that it looks more like the expression his captain wears after a satisfying performance or successful interview.

your break is quick to wrap up after that, this song being shorter than the one they’d played earlier, and you’re all back to your seats. you start to readjust in your seat, getting comfortable for the next portion of the show, until you’re passed a head mic and remember that you’re going to teach, along with another one of your members, insoo, yunho and hongjoong the point choreography from your title track.

you’re excited to be back in your element, almost forgetting everything that had happened with hongjoong as you and your member run through the choreography to demonstrate before you’ll teach the boys.

the choreography is nothing too difficult, as your company is always sure to remind you that easier point choreo is more marketable, but it involves a great deal of interaction between you and your member, them starting the section standing directly in front of you, and you manipulate them until they have to squat in front of you.

yunho is quick to decide that he will do your part, claiming that because you’re both main dancers it makes sense as well as sighting the height difference, although the height difference between you and insoo is almost negligible compared to yunho and hongjoong’s height difference, but hongjoong doesn’t put up a fight, the gaze he’d had on you at the beginning of the schedule returning with a different undertone, one you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

the choreography wasn’t particularly sexy, your group not one to lean too heavily into those kinds of concepts, but it was certainly powerful and this particular song made you feel confident, considering you got to be center for the point.

you blame hongjoong’s shift on your own perception, but his gaze certainly reignites the buzz in your stomach, now fully formed into butterflies whose wings brush against the inside of your ribs, longing to be released.

you try to shake it off and step into teaching mode, familiar comfort seeping into you as you take on the most usual role for yourself. you quickly teach yunho your part, and as expected he catches on quickly, and insoo tries to demonstrate what hongjoong should do as best they can, although their part is hard to describe as insoo often goes off of your energy and cues.

when he stumbles out of the ending squat to fall on his butt all three of you that are standing are quick to rush over to him but he just chuckles in slight embarrassment before picking himself up and you all laugh together.

“hm what about you try it with him and i can do it with yunho,” insoo suggests quickly, looking like they just thought of the best solution to hongjoong’s learning difficulties.

you’re a little surprised but agree nonetheless as yunho adds that he’s sure his hyung would be fine with that, but once hongjoong is standing right in front of you it’s not so much hongjoong you’re worried about.

you try to back up a bit, trying to give yourself a bit of distance between you two, but are quick to realize that the choreography won’t work if you’re any further apart and so just as you take a step toward the man in front of you he also takes one into you, realizing that you had both started to get too close to the table now behind him.

your hands are quick to come up to his chest before you can fully fall into him and you jump back as quickly as you can, pulling your hands away as though he burned you.

the same look of shock as when you’d come up behind him during the break is present on hongjoong’s face, and he’s glad there are no cameras that face him right now to see it, but all you can pay attention to is the warmth that you had felt on your palms at the contact between you two.

the whole interaction had felt to you like it was minutes long but in reality it was barely a couple seconds, and you’re once again trying to slip back into the dance teacher role as well as you can when you’re so acutely aware of how close hongjoong is to you in this moment. you can just smell the fading cologne he’d applied earlier in the day, a mix of linen and leather that feels like it turns your brain to mush as you try to remember what you were supposed to be doing with him standing in front of you like this in the first place.

his surprise melts to a look of concern as he sees you shake your head, hoping to clear your thoughts as though they were being physically blocked by all your senses screaming hongjoong.

“so you start like this,” you supply quickly, trying to ignore the way hongjoong won’t drop the worried expression from his face.

you need to move quickly, the man in front of you is starting to make you feel dizzy and you aren’t sure your company, or your members, would enjoy you passing out for seemingly no reason while on a live program.

normally when you dance this part, you make full contact with your member but you can’t bring yourself to touch hongjoong completely, partially fearing you won’t want to let go once you do. instead you ghost your hands along the places you might normally drag them and float over the places you might normally grab.

as you move him slowly into the final positioning you’re realizing that it may have been more torturous to avoid touching him then to just give in to your desire to connect with him, every time your skin makes the lightest contact sending a jolt up through your arms and your breath catching in your throat, if for a moment.

“so that’s it,” you nod, trying not to sound as breathless as you feel and hongjoong looks up at you almost expectantly. you’re waiting for him to move, looking back down at him, and you feel his gaze almost peering through you, like he can see every deep breath you’re taking to try to calm your heart, like he knows exactly how you’ve felt for the past few minutes as you tried to teach him the movement, like he knows exactly what he does to you.

it’s kind of funny how you could feel so small compared to a man that you’re currently looking down on but it’s kim hongjoong who’s looking back up at you, in your clouded brain it seems to make sense.

you’re not sure who speaks up but you hear yunho and insoo moving next to you, although the dull ringing in your ears hasn’t fully subsided. you feel yourself, as though in a daze, move away from hongjoong, something you’re not actually sure you even want to do but your body has decided for you.

as insoo reclaims their place in front of you, you’re suddenly aware of the fact that you’d had that entire encounter with hongjoong in front of, not just your friends, but your fans, your managers, and several live cameras. you feel redness creeping up to consume almost your entire face and you’re glad insoo is blocking you. they give you a slight look of concern and you just clear your throat, pushing the thoughts of hongjoong down until they meet the butterflies in the pit of your stomach, taking a breath to urge them to calm down as well.

the rest of idol radio seems to pass in a blur. you’re even more distant than when you were lost in your thoughts earlier, although this time it seems as though your mind is absolutely blank. if you had wanted it to shut up before, now you’re wishing for it to just go, the image of hongjoong squatting in front of you the only thing you can seem to focus on.

you don’t fully come back to your senses until you’re sat in the car that’s set to take you, and your members, back to your dorm, your schedules for the day complete, and although you thought that distance may have aided your situation you were certainly wrong. your mind has taken to replaying the moment you’d shared with him over and over, not sparing a single detail and you feel as though you’re reliving the interaction again as you practically sense the heat radiating from his skin under your fingertips.

“are you, like, good?” star asks, placed once again right next to you. you look at them with what you hope is a convincing smile as you nod gently, before turning back to watch seoul pass in a blur through the window.

that night, you and your members, seven in total, gather to eat the takeout your manager had ordered as congratulations on a good day of promotions and suddenly you feel several pairs of eyes on you.

“what?” you ask, looking between all the members that weren’t currently too focused on their food.

“what was that between you and hongjoong?” insoo asks with a smirk, noddles almost forgotten on their plate.

“what was what?” you ask, trying to will the blush that creeps up your neck away.

insoo rolls their eyes in response, seeing right through your act and very clearly remembering what they had seen when they were stood right in front of you.

“y/n’s crushing on hongjoong,” star sings cheerily before someone’s foot, likely eunjae’s, makes contact with their shin under the table and they hiss.

you scoff at the statement, trying to play dumb to the way all your members were clearly seeing through you. “i do not,” you state indignantly, taking a big bite of your food as you glare at star.

“whatever you say,” star shrugs, a teasing smirk on their face.

luckily the conversation is quick to shift away from you and you’re able to enjoy your meal without any more interrogation.

later that night, as you prepare for bed, you hear a gentle knock on your bedroom door and open it to find nuri.

“hey, what’s up?” you ask, noticing they’re already dressed for bed.

“here,” they say, holding a piece of paper out which you take from their hand with some hesitancy.

“thanks?” you state, although it’s more of a question as you wonder what’s on the slip of paper now in your possession.

“hongjoong’s kakao id,” they say with a nod toward the paper and you blush, clearing your throat quickly. “it’s fine to have a crush by the way,” they continue and your face only grows warmer. “i’d just appreciate it if you'd tell me if you end up dating. easier for me to help.”

you don’t say anything as you just nod your head in understanding, closing your door quickly and pressing your face into your hands in embarrassment.

you place the slip onto your desk, glad in moments like these that you got the only solo room, and debate about adding him. i mean, you hadn’t spoken more than a few sentences to each other, but what could really be the worst that could happen?

you try not to think about how nuri got his id, wondering if maybe they already knew each other and praying they hadn’t asked him for it just for you today, as you add him on your kakaotalk, tossing around ideas of opening messages. eventually you settle on a simple “hi, this is y/n” and send it quickly before you can overthink.

you don’t expect a reply immediately, noting how late it is, but almost as soon as you lock your phone the screen is lighting up with a message back.

hongjoong: hi

hongjoong: i wasn’t sure you were actually going to text me

hongjoong: i mean i know you told me you weren’t uncomfortable but still

a smile stretches across your lips as you realize hongjoong gave his id to nuri to give to you specifically and you scold yourself for being so out of it that he couldn’t give it to you directly.

you: i meant it when i said i was flattered

you: it’s a huge compliment to be admired by someone like you

you try to err on the side of caution. maybe he just wanted to talk to you about work, music and dance, so you tried not to be too informal, ateez and hongjoong being your senior. although you did try to hint that you were interested past a professional, and even platonic, relationship, but it had certainly been a while since you’d flirted with anyone, outside of fan service.

hongjoong: i wanted to ask you something

you: ask away

hongjoong: we have a new song coming out soon and i wondered if you’d be interested in doing the dance challenge for it

hongjoong: with me

you could feel the butterflies awaken inside of you once more, excited at the prospect of being able to see him again and the fact that he asked you specifically about doing the challenge.

you: i’d love to

you: just text me

with your agreement you both wrap up the conversation, bidding each other good night, and you go to bed with your thoughts full of hongjoong and stomach full of butterflies.

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the rest of your own promotional period flies by, successful and rewarding as the support from your fans results in several music show wins and lots of recognition from all over the world. the whole time you try to focus more on work than your recently budding friendship with the leader of ateez, but it’s hard when you find yourself just as excited to end your day and finally be able to message him as you do when you can see your fans or perform. your members have certainly noticed a change in your demeanor, eager to shut yourself in your room to be alone, and some fans have commented about how happy you’ve seemed lately. luckily, your interaction from idol radio is barely recognized, only a few of the usual shippers making theories about your or hongjoong’s behavior that other fans are quick to brush off as a reach.

hongjoong: happy last day of promotions! i hope your schedules go well today

he doesn’t normally text you in the morning but you’d been telling him the night before about it being your last day to promote your comeback and so you check the timestamp on the message to find it was sent around 3am, probably when he managed to actually get to bed considering he’d told you he was working in the studio on ateez’s next comeback.

you shoot him a thank you text back, doubting he’ll see it until he wakes up a little later in the day, and get ready to head out for your schedule.

you were performing on the show again today, a music show that one of hongjoong’s members, yeosang, was an mc on. you didn’t even think much of the fact as you arrived and got ready with your styling team, having interacted with yeosang as an mc during this promotional period already. although as you sat in the hair and makeup chair, ready for the usual routine, a light knock sounded against the door of your dressing room.

after a quick check that everyone was decent, nuri approached the door. you couldn’t see who was on the other side, nuri discussing something with them and bowing as you assume the other person handed them a plastic bag.

you were slightly confused, none of your members or staff having ordered delivery, as nuri closed the door, taking a peek into the plastic bag before heading in your direction.

“here,” they said as they placed the bag onto your lap and you gave them a questioning glance.

“what’s this?”

“from yeosang who said it’s from a friend,” they explain with a wink and you try not to blush at the implication.

nuri walks away without saying anything else and you glance into the bag, seeing a few of the snacks you’d mentioned craving to hongjoong just last night. you push around the items and find a little note, similar to that which had held his id on it, and open it in the bag to avoid suspicion from those around you.

i know how hard it can be to eat during schedules so i hope this can help. good luck today, text me when you win

you try to ignore the way your heart picks up at the thought of him caring this much for you but it’s hard when you know that you’re already so infatuated with him. his confidence in you and your group was also just so heartwarming, something that was certainly making you fall deeper for the man you’d so recently grown attached to.

you munch on the gift as your hair gets styled, a smile unable to leave your face as you debate texting him to thank him. unfortunately you don’t get a chance as you’re thrown into the whirlwind of performing and preparing for a potential encore stage, your group loving to do silly little things for starlight whenever you win.

of course, like most times, hongjoong is right and your group wins for the final time this comeback, celebrating on stage with your fans and members. throughout your encore, your mind drifts to hongjoong, how you can text him and celebrate together.

as soon as all of your members arrive to your dorm, shoes discarded in the entranceway and takeout being served on the table, there’s a sudden ring of the doorbell and half of you freeze. the other half continue on with their tasks as nuri offers to get the door, handing off the serving task to insoo who is more than happy to take responsibility.

“y/n!” nuri calls from the door only a moment later and a few of your members give you a confused look as you shrug and make your way to your leader.

“yeah?” you ask as you approach, turning the corner to see two bouquets, not too large but very beautiful, in nuri’s grasp, the front door closing as you assume the delivery driver leaves.

“this is for you,” nuri says with a grin and you don’t keep the surprise from your features as they hand you the smaller of the two pieces, noting that they are your favorite flowers and spotting the little card in the center.

y/n,

congratulations on your win today. you always look so beautiful when you dance.

hj <3

you don’t try to hide the blush that blooms over your cheeks, your mind hyper focused on the little heart at the end of the message, and turn to nuri.

“what does that one say?” you ask, gesturing to the other bouquet that contains a mix of flowers with your group’s official colors.

nuri turns the bunch to you so that you can read the card.

eclipse,

congratulations on a successful comeback,

ateez

you nod as you turn back to the flowers in your hands, nuri pushing past you to join the other members in the kitchen. you can hear them explain who the flowers are from and mentally thank nuri when they don’t mention your personal bunch.

you manage to sneak the flowers to your room before you head back out to the table for dinner, shooting hongjoong a picture and a quick thank you.

hongjoong: i’m glad you like them

hongjoong: and i meant it, you looked breathtaking today

you suppress your smile as you read his response, trying not to catch the attention of any of your members, but you glance up to see nuri looking at you with a knowing, if not approving, smile.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

you’ve been following ateez a little more closely now, their newest comeback, bouncy, releasing just last week and doing amazingly on the charts. you’d been sending hongjoong little things like snacks, coffee, and meals to keep him motivated and show your support and he’d been showing his appreciation by sending you pictures of him eating or just selfies of him during schedules.

you were certain that your relationship was headed in a more romantic direction as you both became more bold in your texts. you’d also begun video calling when you were able, sometimes just doing your own things while you were on a call together.

you were eager to possibly try taking the next step and actually go out on a date but with ateez still in the midst of promotion you understood that hongjoong’s free time was limited. so you left it up to him, not pressuring hongjoong by asking him out or even alluding to wanting to date.

“do you know the challenge or do you want me to teach you?” hongjoong had asked one night when you were on video call.

he’d brought up your promise from months ago to do the challenge and you assured him that you were still interested.

“i mean i sort of know it just from watching it a bunch, but if you want to teach me i’m not opposed,” you said with a cheeky shrug and hongjoong grinned.

“i don’t have to teach you babe,” he says with a light chuckle that sends a shiver down your spine.

that was another thing that had started recently, the pet names. hongjoong had accidentally referred to you as “babe” over text one time, rushing to apologize when you had taken just a second too long to respond, but you assured him that you weren’t upset just trying to be able to actually think again when the name had short circuited your brain.

“fine,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “i want you to teach me,” you admit with a slight wine. “there, happy?”

he chuckles again with a nod and an “okay” before you’re setting up the best day for you to meet at the kq company building, having to end the call soon after so that he can actually get some sleep.

the next few days have you on edge as you anticipate being able to see hongjoong in person for the first time since your appearance on idol radio. you even plan your outfit a day in advance, feeling almost like you’re going on a first date as you ensure your hair and makeup are perfect.

“have fun,” nuri says with a knowing wink as you leave your dorm and you don’t give them your normal embarrassed look, too focused on the excitement of seeing hongjoong.

you arrive at the kq building right on time, a staff member greeting you in the lobby and taking you to the practice room where you’ll be doing the challenge. you’d seen this same room plenty before on video, ateez dance practices being one of the few contents you’d watched before getting to know hongjoong.

“he should be here in a second,” the staff says, glancing at her phone, and you nod with a grin.

“its fine,” you assure. “thank you.”

just as you start to observe the room a little more, looking around and comparing it to your own practice room, the door opens and hongjoong enters.

even though you’d seen him on your screen almost everyday for the past week, nothing can compare to the way he looks in person, especially since he’d changed his look. atiny had been going crazy over his newly silver hair and you were no different, texting him how much you loved it as soon as you found out.

“hi,” he says with a smile as soon as he spots you.

you reach out your hand and repeat his greeting, bowing as you shake hands to imitate a sense of formality in front of the staff member.

you don’t want to let go of his hand but you pull away anyway, taking a step back to put some distance between you two and hoping to calm the urge that bubbles in your chest to take him into your arms.

“so, would you like for me to teach you the challenge?” he asks and you bite the inside of your cheek to stop the laugh that builds in your throat at the question, knowing you’d already asked him to teach it to you a few days ago.

“yes please,” you nod and hongjoong gestures so that you can move toward the mirror.

honestly, the choreography is pretty easy to pick up, especially since you’ve watched it so many times already, but you relish in the way hongjoong watches you and decide to just mess around with him a little. it couldn’t hurt to ask a few questions you already knew the answer to right?

“so, is it here or out here?” you ask with an innocent quirk of your brow, placing your left hand out, palm flat and moving it back and forth between two positions.

you see hongjoong’s eyes narrow just slightly, as he had clearly seen you get it right the first time, and you know he’s picking up on your little game. his eyes flick to the staff member in the room, noting that she’s on her phone in the corner, looking away, before he takes a step toward you.

instead of just answering your question he reaches around you, keeping his body on your right and wrapping his left arm around your back to grasp your elbow. he moves your arm into the proper place and you feel his other hand place itself on your waist. as you try to focus on anything but the way his fingers press into your skin he leans his head down slightly, enough so that you can feel his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear and across your cheek.

his proximity has your heart pounding and you almost hope he can hear it, wanting him to know that what he’s doing is working. you want him to know that this is exactly what you wanted, that you wish this is how close you could have him all the time.

“right here,” he says, barely a whisper, and just as you start to lean into him, longing to be completely consumed by his warmth, he steps away and his presence is replaced by the cool air that blows through the vent above you.

you clear your throat as you try to shake away the lingering warmth his touch left against your skin and slow your heartbeat as you go back to rehearsing the movements, for real this time.

you try to ignore the smirk that paints his face as he watches you practicing, a blush painting your own cheeks that starts to match his the longer he stares.

“okay, i think i got it,” you say after a few more rounds of practice. “what do you want to do for the outro?” you ask. “or do you just want to end it after the ‘fly’?”

you turn to hongjoong who looks around the room in thought.

“we could do the ending pose from moonbeam,” he suggests, referring to the title track you’d been promoting on idol radio, and you’re taken aback for a moment.

you’re not so much shocked that he would suggest something to do with your group but that he would choose that pose specifically. it would normally involve you and eclipse’s main vocalist, gam, standing while everyone else sat around you, leaning on each other. you and gam would be staring just past each other as your right arms were tangled in front of you in a sort of love shot position.

“oh, sure,” you say taking a moment to picture you and hongjoong in that position and your blush darkens. “i guess.”

“we don’t have to,” he says, sensing your hesitation. “we can do something else.”

you shake your head as you reassure him, “no, no, it’s fine.”

hongjoong just nods and you run through the challenge once more, practicing the final pose as well and trying to not let the proximity that the pose forces you into affect your face, of course you have no control over how it affects your heart and mind.

“great,” he says, mostly to himself, before calling over the staff member who directs you where to stand and prepares the shot.

the shooting of the challenge itself goes well, you both switching easily into professional mode even if you can see his eyes watching you through the mirror the whole time. you do a few takes, allowing the company to pick whichever they deem best, before you’re done and thanking hongjoong and the staff member for their time.

“oh,” hongjoong perks up before you can begin to head out. “i got you a thank you gift for doing the challenge but i left it in my studio.” he turns to the staff member and asks, “would you mind going to grab it?”

she nods before making her way out of the room, leaving you and hongjoong alone.

your eyes follow her as she leaves but before you can even turn back to hongjoong he’s pulled you into a hug, arms wrapped securely around your waist as he looks into your eyes.

“hi,” he greets with a chuckle, absolutely beaming as you snake your hands around his shoulders.

you giggle in response, your expression mirroring his own, as you finally get to see him how you wish you had for the entire time you’d been in his presence.

“i’ve been waiting to do this for the last half hour,” he says, practically reading your mind.

“so do you actually have a thank you gift or was that just an excuse?” you ask with a tick of your head to the door where the staff member had disappeared.

he looks almost offended as you ask, a humorous disbelief shining in his eyes. “of course i have a gift,” he says and you can hear a slight whine lacing his tone.

“of course,” you say with a chuckle and a shake of your head.

“i would’ve invited you to lunch but the staff would’ve been suspicious,” he adds, “so this is the next best option.”

“i can feed myself you know,” you joke, truly more than happy to have hongjoong buy you meals.

“not if i can help it,” he insists, wrapping his arms tighter and pulling you closer.

you don’t fight against him, your chests now pressed together as you simply wade in the comfort that surrounds you both.

you debate about leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek, wanting to feel the soft skin against your lips, but you don’t. instead you let your cheek fall to his shoulder, resting your head against him and letting the scent of his cologne wash over you.

“what are you doing tomorrow?” hongjoong asks, one of his hands starting to trace along your spine, his fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“mm,” you hum in thought as you try to remember your schedule. “we have shooting until five and then eunjae wants to watch a new movie,” you say before lifting your head from his shoulder. “why?”

he lets out a breath and his hand comes to a stop on your back, both of his hands gently holding either side of your waist. the smile he gives you seems nervous now, not quite reaching his eyes.

“i wanted to ask if you’d like to get dinner with me tomorrow night,” he explains with a gentle squeeze of your hips. “but if you’re busy we can do it a different night.”

you shake your head quickly, face red and smile as wide as your lips can manage. “eunjae can wait one more day for that movie,” you giggle and watch as his own smile grows.

his hands move from your waist and you start to pull your own arms away when his palms are suddenly on your cheeks, holding your face, and your own hands fly up to cup his. neither of you speak as you glide your hands down to wrap your fingers around his wrist gently, his thumbs brushing against your cheeks as his eyes flick between your own.

“can i kiss you?” he asks, trying to see any form of discomfort that might appear on your expression.

“yes,” you respond and before you even finish he’s bringing you into him, lips pressing against your own as softly as he can.

it barely lasts a second before he’s pulling away, his eyes once again searching your own for any hint as to how you’re feeling.

“again?” he asks with a smirk when he notices your lips still puckered and chasing his.

he doesn’t wait for your response this time, diving back into you with an eagerness that challenges your own.

his lips move in sync with yours, one of his hands shifting to the side of your neck and the pads of his fingers pressing into the skin there, sending a shiver down your spine that you're sure he notices by the way you feel him smile against your lips. hongjoong hums gently, the sound vibrating from his own chest to yours and causing you to melt into him further.

you try to pour all of your appreciation for him into the kiss, desperately grasping onto his biceps like he might just vanish at any moment. you hope that he can understand just what you’re trying to tell him, that in this moment, and every moment you’ve shared, he’s made you feel normal. when you were with him, talking to him, you weren’t an idol and neither was he, you were both just you, human and flawed, and in love.

he pulls away after a moment more, placing a few light pecks against your lips before separating completely, and you try to chase his lips again but his hold on your cheek keeps you in place. instead, he presses his forehead against your own, eyes closed as he focuses on steadying his breathing while you flit your gaze around his face, trying to commit each feature to memory.

after what feels like an hour of just existing in the comfortable silence that has engulfed you both, hongjoong pulls away from you, his eyes opening slowly as his hands return to your waist, your own grip on his arms loosening.

“so tomorrow?” he asks, biting his lip before you bring your thumb up to pull the flesh from between his teeth and he places a gentle peck against your finger.

“it’s a date,” you confirm, leaning in to place a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth.

he smiles and says, “i’ll text you,” before he takes a few steps back, forcing you both to separate and you immediately miss him even though he’s still stood right in front of you.

only a moment later the staff member from earlier is stepping back into the room, carrying a bag of your favorite delivery food and making a beeline to you.

you bow in thanks when she hands it to you before doing the same to hongjoong, showing your formal appreciation for the gesture, and the staff member is offering to guide you out of the building.

you’re quick to bid hongjoong goodbye, worrying that you might never leave him unless you go now, and the staff leads you back out the way you came in.

as soon as you make it back to your dorm you feel your phone buzz in your pocket, a text from hongjoong lighting up the screen.

hj<3: can i officially say i’m dating my bias?

↼ ateez masterlist

note this started as delusional texts in the group chat based on the specific instagram photos in the header and turned into this

tell me your thoughts

[slytherinshua]

YOU'RE SUCH A DORK

genre. fluff. warnings. kissing. pairing. taeyong x fem!reader. wc. 814. request. no. a/n. just a lil smth i wrote for @blue-jisungs but yeah this does mean that im writing for nct now !!!! im excited to write for them 🥹

“I can’t focus when you’re doing that.” You stated. It took absolutely every ounce of your willpower to not look at your boyfriend who was trying so hard to steal your attention away whether he realized it or not. His head rested on your desk, and you could just see in your peripheral vision his big boba eyes that watched you as you worked, as well as a small pout on his cherry red lips.

“I’m not doing anything.” He mumbled, and his voice came out so small and soft that you could feel your heart melting in your chest.

“You know exactly what you’re doing, Yongie.” You insisted, dropping your pencil down on your notebook. You glanced at him just in time to see his lips lift slightly into a smile and you shook your head. No matter how much your boyfriend denied it, you knew he had perfected the art of how to distract you. It wasn’t even hard— all he really had to do was look at you with those big shiny eyes and you’d be folding.

“Do you have to do these stupid exercises?” He asked, lifting his head up from the desk and stretching. You didn’t blame him for getting a little bored; watching someone work was never the most entertaining thing to do. Even if you had only been studying for 20 minutes, you were also already tired of it.

“Unfortunately.” You nodded your head with a sigh.

“You’ve been staring at the same one for 5 minutes.”

“Yeah, I know.” You frowned, “I’m just not motivated, I guess.” Your boyfriend perked up at your comment.

“I can motivate you.” He offered, shuffling his chair a little closer to yours. 

You raised an eyebrow, “How so?” Whenever Taeyong had that ghost of a mischievous smile on his face, you knew you were in trouble.

“For every exercise you complete, I’ll give you a kiss.” He layed out the rules, and you immediately had to fight back a smile. Your boyfriend was such a dork. 

You pretended to think about it for a minute before agreeing. Even though you knew that the reason he was staring at you so hard earlier was probably because he wanted kisses, his plan did sound motivating enough to work on you. With your newfound focus from the thought of a promised kiss, you looked back at the problem and easily completed it within the next few minutes.

“Done.” You turned back to your boyfriend and used your pencil to point at the neat sentences you had written out. He nodded as his eyes scanned over it and his left hand pulled your chair closer to him at the same time. 

Within seconds his lips collided with yours and you closed your eyes, savouring the feeling and taste of his minty lip balm. You pouted as soon as the kiss was over. It didn’t feel long enough, but you were sure that even if you kissed Taeyong for a whole day, you would still feel like it wasn’t enough. You went back to work on the next problem without any protest.

The pattern went on for about an hour, and each time you completed an exercise, you got another kiss. As it went on, the kisses started to last a little longer. You could only assume that your boyfriend was trying to balance out how long it took you to complete a problem with how long the kiss was. 

It was in the middle of your 7th or 8th problem when you finally gave up, dropping your pencil down and slouching back in your chair. Taeyong’s kisses had definitely helped you, but your brain was exhausted and it felt like repeatedly smashing your head against a brick wall everytime you looked at another exercise.

“I can’t do this anymore.” You mumbled in defeat making your boyfriend look up from his phone.

“Do you need more kisses?” He offered. Your frown deepened at his offer, silently wondering how you got so lucky having someone as sweet as him as your boyfriend. You nodded in response to his suggestion and he let out a laugh.

“You’re cute.” Was all he whispered before he leaned over and reconnected his lips to yours. You could feel all the stress and exhaustion dissipate from your mind as Taeyong’s lips became the only thing your brain could focus on. He was balancing his hands on the armrests of your desk chair, holding himself up as he leaned over you; and it was perfect.

Perfect until he lost his balance and fell on you.

You burst into giggles when Taeyong’s lips detached from yours and his head hit your shoulder. You could hear him laughing too after he got over the shock of the kiss being unwelcomingly interrupted by his lack of focus on keeping himself up.

“You’re such a dork.”

↳ nct 127 taglist: @kangtaehyunzzz,,

[itstheghostofmypast]

Pollen Love (1/2)

Florist Choi San x (F)Reader

Summary: The world had always been a bit too dull for the florist, a bit too rough for his petal like soft heart, stomping on it whenever anyone would deem fit - but was she any different? If so, why was she out of his reach, why did the world pluck away the flower that was supposed to put his bouquet back together?

Genre: Hurt + Comfort

Warnings: heavy self-criticism, violence, language

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4.3k

Est.Read Time: 25 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels @san-network

Banner: @cafekitsune

A/N: A two part treat till I work on my main series.

"Woah there, what happened- did the boss come at ya, at like-" he turned to check the giant clock at the opposite end of the floor, "8 am- you want me to go knock some sense into him?" he asked, pulling out a dozen tissues from the 'free tissue box' and pressing them on her nose, signalling for her to blow, only for her to smack his hand, and point at something.

"What- oh" he stared at the bouqet of blue roses wrapped in a pastel yellow paper, all tied up with a with bow. "Wait- he made a move on you?"

Snatching the tissues she blew in an extremely ungraceful manner before throwing them away, "You idiot, they're your birthday gift, take them away before I die."

His fingers touched the soft petal of a rose, smiling at the sweet gesture before turning around to hug her only to be smacked across the face with a file. Letting out a mixture of a whimper and a growl he stared at her, hand on his now pink cheek, "So many mixed signals."

"I'll kill you, wash your hands! You know im deathly allergic to pollen!" protesting she sat down on her swivel chair, crossing her legs and glaring up at him. "And what mixed signals, you should be thankful I didn't shove them up your a** for not inviting me to your birthday party."

Letting out an exaggerated fake gasp he knelt down infront of her, placing a hand on his heart, "And for that I am truly sorry, my bestfriend since childhood, but please understand how the guys wanted me to go with them to a certain club where I couldn't possibly take you."

"You shouldn't be celebrating your birthday at a strip club anyway, it's extremely unhygienic," she mumbled, glancing at the flowers and then back at him on the floor on his knees, the usual Wooyoung theatrics.

"Yet, so entertaining -"

"You're disgusting."

"But a simple man."

"Get out of my cubicle".

That was three days ago, today was a Thursday, a regular, boring Thursday so did Wooyount expect to find another bouqte in his cubicle, no. Did he find one, yes, this had been going on since Monday and at this point Yunho and a few on the others floor had begun to assume there was something going on between the two. So, like any best friend,  he decided to confront her during break.

Turning off the faucet she shook her wet hands over the sink, looking in the mirror to check up on her makeup, her ears picking up the sound of the door opening, "There you are!"

Turning to look at the all too-familiar voice before letting out a shriek and throwing the bar of soap at him, as he ducked skillfully,  being all too aware of her habit of throwing things at him.

"THIS IS THE LADIES RESTROOM."

"Well I'm having lady issues," he said before aiming the bouquet of sunflowers at her, only for her to take a step back gasping, "My lady, mind you a horrifying one, has been leaving me these bouquets when I clearly know she doen't love me enough to face death each day." as soon as he was done they heard someone flush and the last stall open, his eyes widening in fear, about to make a run for it but she grabbed his hand, "Oh no, now you face the consequences."

"So, who are you in love with?"

"For f***'s sake." hissing she face palmed, Wooyoung's boistorous laugh echoing across the tiled walls. Before them, Yunho stood infront of the sink, rolling up his sleeves as he begun to wash his hands, turning his head to meet her questionng glare to which he shrugged, "Ladies washrooms are cleaner, men use toilets like pigs and..." moving closer to reach beside her, he pulling out a few tissues, "Ya'll have tissues."

Rolling her eyes at this  statement she turned to Wooyoung, motioning for him to move, only for him to move the bouqet closer to her face, watching her nose scruntch as she covered her mouth. Muffling out a whine, "Wooyoung, come on, its nothing, just let it go, I let go the fact that you went to strip club to your birthday and didnt celebrate with me-"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU TOLD HER ?"Yunho, who was now leaning against the counter hollered. That's when she noticed it, the silence, the way Wooyoung was shaking, in...fear. No...this mf wouldn't have...could he?

"Yunho" he hissed, slowly moving back as she stepped closer to him, "You a**hole." is all that escaped him before he made a beeline for the elevator, "I SWEAR I WANTED TO TAKE YOU BUT YOU HAD YOUR PROJECT THE NEXT DAY" he yelled running into the eventor, pressing on the close button before she could jump in. Unfortunately for him, she was able to stick her hand in before the doors closed, automatically opening again.

He backed into the opposite wall, "I c-can explain." holding the bouqet to cover his face until she snatched it and started beating him with it, "YOU PROMISED TO GO WITH ME- f*** I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU WENT TO THE IMAGINE DRAGONS CONCERT WITHOUT ME!"

"IM- ow- SORRy-STOP"

The elevator stopped at a random floor and dinged, not that the two even pressed a button in this first place, they only stopped when someone cleared their throat. Pausing midscene the two- Wooyoung who was covered in petals and Y/N who was holding the dead beat bouquet,  the wrapping paper crumbled to shreds- looked the people standng at the entrance.

"Umm..."

"Everyone, but these two, are normal." Jongho explained and entered the lift, someone next to him nodding and entering. That's when Wooyoung noticed, buff dudes hang out with buff dudes, that and how his bestfriend was twitching, slowly moving behind him, trying to hide, like she was...shy? He hadn't seen her ever flinch around any other man, let alone shy away from one. It was at this point when is gaze moved from her, trailing to catch the face of the man standing next to Jongho, who was offering her a shy smile in return. He was an eight...or at max a nine...or 9.98- point is he wasn't extraordinary, in fact, when did he start working here? Wooyoung always knew everyone, and this strange, tall mountain of a man was not part of the everyone, nonetheless, the creep was disturbing his dear darling demon, which is why he chose to speak up.

"Haven't seen you before?" his words calm but with an edge to them causing Jongho to let out an exagerted sigh and the man to nod at him, an introvert huh, still had the guts to hit on her? Creep and a weirdo.

"He doesn't, I just wanted to show him the gym here." Jongho turned to face the two idiots, the lady who sends him her work in late almost every week and her scoundrel of a friend who makes sure to finish all the morning free muffins before the poor bear can reach the break room.

"I almost couldn't recognise you without the mask?" the stranger spoke in a hushed tone, causing her to dip her head even more, mumbling a, "I didn't think you would."

"You know this creep?" Wooyoung turned to her, before biting his lip when he felt her heel dig into his toe. Pretending she wasnt doing that she bowed in apology, only for him to smile at her, "It's alright, so, this is who you buy flowers for each day?" his voice as soft as the clouds, as smooth as velvet, though unknown to her, those words, the sight of her standing so close to the rude guy, watching them physically engage before the two had entered the lift had set something burning in him, anger? Jealousy?

F*** no, they were not for this moron, but would she tell him the real reason? Of course not, shaking her head, she was about to speak when Jongho cleared his throat, "Anyway, San, let's go ....and you two...stay out of trouble." with that he walked out, her frantic gaze meeting San's calm eyes, with one last dimpled smile he walked out with a "Hope to see you around Miss."

With the doors closing she bit her lip, this is not how she wanted to him to see her, this is not what she wanted him to think- wait, was he going to stop being nice to her? Or would he just treat her like any other customer? Or-

"So, that's him, huh?" his words broke her train of thought, slinging an arm over her shoulders, "That's the guy, you face death for each morning, the guy you are willing to buy for, because he got your itty bitty heart in his palm and he has -until today- not seen you without a mask, not because you're hygienic,  no, because you'd literally get an allergic attack and die?"

Sighing in defeat she rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm pathetic, aren't I?" as she let him lead them out to their floor, as fun as this was, they still had half of the day left and he had some investigating to do.

"Nah, not pathetic,  just desperate and stupid."

"Thanks, Woo."

"Anytime."

.

"You gonna do something or just stare at the weights?" Jongho asked as he got off the treadmill, noticing how his friend had been distracted ever since they got off the elevator. To be honest Jongho had brought him here because this was closer to work and San's shop, and since he'd get off work late it was easier for them to continue with their routine at this office gym, rather than the one near their apartment complex.

"Oh- no, sorry." San mumbled, sitting back on the bench, reaching to pick up a dumble, only to freeze at the next choice of words his friend spoke so casually, "Can't believe thats your masked lover."

"She isn't my lover." he hissed cranning his neck around to glare at the man who was now sitting on the bench next to him, chuckling before chugging down a whole bottle of water.

"No" sighing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "She's got you whipped, but you didn't know she was in a relationship- you're such a romantic Sannie."

"I'll throw this at you. I swear." placing the dumble back down, grumbling he got up, no longer interested in working out anymore, choosing to stretch out the tension in his muscles instead.

"And I'm surprised you never bothered asking for her name."

"Drop it." with that he grabbed his duffle bag , "I'm going to hit the shower."

"Mhmmm...so what was more distracting? Her skirt or the fact that you saw her face for the first time-" Jongho's sentence was cut halfway when a towel was smacked on his face, San's attempt to shut him up before disappearing around the corner to the washrooms.

.

Today was not a good day. Well, yesterday wasnt one either, well it was till he found out that the lady he had been saving his extra silky ribbons and prettier flowers for was in fact in a relationship, or at least what looked like one. Today, he had gotten up earlier than expected, a minute before his alarm rang, which only added to his anger. Then the water ran out while showering, so he had to stumble out of the tub, eyes closed, trying to keep his eyes safe from the suds of his shampoo, almost tripping off what may have been his own pants. After that fiasco, he had missed the bus, which meant he was late, which meant he wasn't opening his flower shop, his pride and hardwork on time. But was he upset about that or the fact that since he was late, he wouldn't be able to see her today- wait why is he even thinking of her?

In midst of his crisis he missed someone standing in front of him and bumped into them, thanking God for his cat like reflexes as he balanced himself quickly, hands instinctively reaching to grab the hand of the falling individual, pulling them up into his chest.

Her forehead bumped against his chest, his arms secure around her waist, her own palms pressed against his warm chest, the sweater warm and fuzzy under her finger tips.

"S-sorry." peaking up through her lashes, her face flushed at the sight of his curious gaze. "It's alright" smiling down at her, suddenly his day turning a bit brighter, "No mask today ?"

"W-what? Oh, " her fingers instintively reaching to touch her lips, before nodding, "Yeah, I forgot...you're late today."  eyes meeting his once more, as he gave her an apologetic smile and nodded. Never had she been able to look at him up close, sure she had seen him work before, thats how she started to develope these feelings. The way he'd be so focused, his sharp gaze to the way the tip of his tongue would peak past his pouty lips, the way his hair would fall over his forehead, caressing his eyebrows-

"I leave for three minutes."

"Oh-"

In an instant the warmth around her was gone, much to her displeasure, he had moved back, hands at his sides, no longer holding her close, much to his own displeasure.

"Morning" Wooyoung cleared his throat, before taking a sip of his coffee, eyes on the man who was staring back at him. To her, it looked like a gentle stare, but Wooyoung could see the swirling emotions behind his dark orbs, the anger, the jealousy- oh he was going to have so much fun with this.

Clearing her throat, she turned to Wooyoung, "What are you doing here?" who smiled at her, one that anyone who didn't know him would feel was the most honest smile one could see, but she knew better. He was up to no good, as he walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling hercloser, "Didn't we see you yesterday?"

San's eyes caught th visible the dicomfort that she displayed for a second, certain gears in his head working quick, fists clenching at his sides- this wasn't his matter, and Jongho had told him to stay away from this stuff or he would kick him out, this was a new start, and he wasn't going to ruin it.

"You did," averting his eyes from her face he eyed Wooyoung, scanning him, he was smaller than him, in stature and build, bet he was quicker than him though- no, he wasn't supposed to be thinking like this anymore.

"San...right?" her words catching him off guard, inhaling sharply he turned back to her with a smile, "Nodding, yes, San, Choi San." Noting how her she was mimicking a smile of her own, eyes swirling with untold stories, ones he'd love to hear, all the time.

"Wooyoung" he brought his hand forward, somewhat coming infront of her, much to San's displeasure, but he shook his hand nontheless, with a fake smile, before catching her eyes again, his fake smiling morphing into his dimpled one.

"Will you be coming in today?" he asked them, "Give me a minute I just have to open up-"

"N-no its okay, we were just passing by!" she cut him off, before looking at how the two idiots were still gripping onto each other's hands. Wooyoung was going to be the death of her.

Turning his head to look at her he nodded in understanding before he felt the idiot squeeze his hand,  only sparing  him a glance then looking at their clasped hands, an awkward silence settling between the three.

"Umm..."

"Wooyoung."

With a firm nod he let go, smirking at the way the bigger male wiped his palm with his pants, trying to be oh so discreet about it.

"Good grip" was all he said before moving to Y/N, "Let's go, love." walking ahead as she sighed, wanting to smack him so hard right now. Turning to San she bowed politely, "I apologise, he can be a handful sometimes, it was nice seeing you."

She was almost a good foot away before he called out, "WAIT!" causing her to freeze in spot, whipping her head around to stare at him all doe-eyed, his heart hammering against his ribcage, demanding to leave with her, "I didn't catch your name..."

"That's because you never asked me, silly." chuckling at his curiosity veiled with his shy demeanour, "It's Y/N."

With that she was gone, running after the a**hole, according to San, who had noticed how he was making her uncomfortable by the passing minute. A part of him wanted to go and give him a good piece of his mind, but he knew not to, he had promised Jongho he wouldn't get into fights anymore, he wouldn't let the world write his story for him.

.

"Having fun?" she hissed, entering his cubicle, noting how  she was ignored. Her source of anger was glued to his desktop, glasses at the tip of his nose, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. Eyes skimming each word before him.

"Wooyoung I-"

Words pausing at the rude gesture, a finger pointed in the air as if asking her to shut up for a moment. Huffing, she stood there, leaning against the entrance of his cubicle, arms crossed as she looked around waiting for him to finish with his dramatics for a good twenty minutes.

"Aaaand done." twirling around in his swivel chair he stared at her, manspreading, "Yes, child."

"SIT PROPERLY!"

"YES MA'AM." fixing his posture in an instance he cleared his throat, sitting cross-legged watching her lean against his desk, eyes frantically darting from her face to the screen.

"Let's go, Love?" quirking a brow she asked, "Are you trying to ensure I have no shot with him?"

"Quite the opposite, stupid one, I'm trying to ensure you do."

"You got a shitty way of showing it."

Clicking his tongue he rolled his chair closer to his desk, smacking her knee, then pointing at th screen, "Look."

Rubbing her knee she stood up, turning to look at the screen, "What- oh my god, you're stalking him- Oh he looks cute her" her words rushing out before she could bite her tongue, earning a high pitched laugh from her friend.

"Stop" whining and covering her face with her hands she peeked through her fingers, watching him scroll through the florist's shop's social media account.

This was the most fun Wooyoung had had since highschool, it had been so long since he'd seen his oh so perfect friend a mess, sputtering nonsense. "My point is, he has no personal account, and this one is recent too, its only for the shop and considering he only has male staff- this other dude - man do all buff people have like this secret club-"

"Your point?"

"Yeah sorry, my point is that he has no lady in his life, so you've got a shot."

"And pretending that we are in a relationship is going to work how?"

"He's shy and you're hopeless at this, someone has to tip the scales and be pushed to make the first move- and we all know how your first moves involve stupidity."

"I regret knowing you for so long."

"Ooooh what are we discussing here?"

The two froze at the third, new voice entering the scene, "But, I feel like people who come in late should be more concered about their work, not Sannie's love life."

"Sannie?" the two squeaked but with different tones, with different intentions.

"Yes, Sannie, San, Choi San, man who is not part of your assignments for the week. Neither of yours." he stated as a matter of fact, slowly nudging Wooyoung's chair out of the way as he moved closer to the screen, "New account, huh..." scrolling down at an inhumane speed he hummed, "So, how's his shop?"

"Nice."

"Average."

"Wooyoung, you've never been there." She sighed at his comment, "It's not average, its very nice, its pretty and colourful."

"Wow, bet saying that would get you in his pants, huh?" Wooyoung mocked, rotating in his swivel chair, smirking at the sight of her tainted cheeks- perhaps he did want to show their boss, that he deserved the raise rather than her, or maybe just embarass her because it was fun, or just both.

Luckily for her Yunho had completely ignored that  statement, instead  turned around to her, "So, you're allergic to pollen and you still go to the shop?"

As embarrassing as it was, it was true, "Yes." mumbling she stared at her shoes, instantly glaring at Wooyoung who had whispered, "Simp".

"Does...he know?" Their boss inquired, before closing the tab and turned to face them completely.

"No! God no, he'd never let me in the shop if he did, I mean he seems like the caring type and-" her words came to a fault at the sight of the two men smirking at each other, cause her to whine and slap Wooyoung's shoulder.

"WHY ME?? HIT HIM TOO!"

"He's our boss."

Huffing she turned to look at Yunho who gave her a gentle smile, "You're  right, he is the caring type, but" his lips quirked downwards, something she noticed instantly,  "He's not s pet project, so is this a little crush or do you actually like him, which brings me to my next question, how could you like someone without even knowing their name?"

"I..."her words hugged the silence that came after, staring at her shoes then at Wooyoung for some help, but he looked at her with the same look her boss was giving her, she did like him, but she didn't know a lot about him either- well technically a while ago she didn't even know his name.  What if this was a meaningless crush? There was no guarantee that he felt the same way either, what if he thought she was some annoying, clingy customer that-

A gentle squeeze of her hand had her look up from the all too interesting floor, only to find Wooyoung standing right before her, giving her a small smile. He raised his hand, watching her flinch but he chuckled, "You're crying silly..." he whispered, the thumb of his free hand stroking her tear stained cheek, watching her let out a shaky sigh.

"I- I wont- I mean I-"

"He didn't mean it like that...he just wants you to be sure of your feelings...I think they were close friends." Smiling at her he made her sit down on his chair, "Don't worry, I get it, I've never seen my demon sent to me straight from hell cry for a guy, so you must really like him, we just gotta figure out a way for you to get to talk to each other without chickening out, yeah?"

She nodded only to look at the person who cleared their throat, Yunho, standing there awkwardly, "I uh...I was only kidding, I didn't doubt your intentions....but damn...who knew I'd see the employee of the month, the holder of Woo's reigns, end up crying all because of Sannie-"

"I hate you." She hissed, grabbing a tissue box and flinging it at him, only for Wooyoung to catch it mid air, "Holder of my reigns?" He turned to Yunho who shrugged, "It's a name that stuck, most of us did think you two were an item" the taller man shrugged before looking at her sitting there in self-doubt, making him feel worse, "I, I think Wooyoung should go on with his jealousy plan, if Sannie didn't have the slightest crush on you, he wouldn't have smiled at you like how Jongho told me he did."

"You spoke to Jongho about this?"

"Yeah, well he did talk about the way San was distracted at the gym thanks to your skirt-"

"Jongho also said get back to work and not waste the first half of the day playing matchmaker."

The three froze at the new tone, slowly turning to find the bear like man standing there with his arms crossed, shaking his head, "I'll count till ten"

"Oh I'll win because I'm already at my desk." Wooyoung smirked earning an eyeroll from Yunho and scoff from her, watching the two walk out as he stared at Jongho who was glaring back at him, "Is she serious about him? He's been through enough as it is, it took us some time to bring him back on track."

"She is. I- its actually the first time I've seen her act this way, the real question is, is your boy fixed enough to treat her right?"

"Guess that's something you'll have to check for yourself....you are her...boyfriend after all, even if a fake one." With that Jongho left the cubicle, leaving Wooyoung alone with his thoughts, on one hand he was debating whether this interference was worth their time, but then again, he was right, he'd never seen her like this, not when he had confessed to her back in highschool and she had politely declined his offer, or when that guy in college asked her put publically- well, technically she had put him back in his place there and then and Wooyoung thanked God that he had the bestfriend privilege back in highschool too because if this is what she'd do to someone who tried to pressurise her due to the public presence even if she did once say this guy was cute- he'd hate to see how she'd deal with someone she disliked.

So, there were two questions that bothered him, was the flowerboy fixed enough to handle her? And did she now possesses the gentleness to handle delicate flowers?

Taglist: @edenesth @yessa-vie @marsvillee @spooo00oky @the-kpop-simp @mlysalt

[mononijikayu]

i wish— kamo choso.

He saw you both grow old together, each wrinkle etched into your faces telling stories of laughter, shared wisdom, and the occasional tears. Sitting together on a porch, watching the sun set into the ocean, you leaned against him, your hair silvered with age, eyes still bright with the love and fierce determination that defined you. There was satisfaction, there was acceptance. There was happiness.

Genre: Culling Games Arc to Shibuya Showdown Arc, 2018;

Warning/s: Emotional Trauma, Character Death, Angst, Romance, Kissing, Tragedy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Purging, Unresolved Tension, Inner Turmoil, Flashbacks, Love and Loss, Slow Burn, Closure, Depiction of Depression, Depiction of Grief, Depiction of Physical Touch, Mention of Death, Mention of Killing, Mention of Harm, Immortality, Emotional Support, Sibling Bond, Sacrifice, Supernatural Elements, Family Themes, Deep Conversations, Existential Themes, Magical Realism;

masterlist

listen: i wish by renee rapp

note: i disappeared because my internet died for a bit but i wrote this when i got service and got tagged into twitter posts about the new jjk leaks and cried so bad and wrote this. i'm posting this because im not suffering alone!!! i love you choso, you'll always be the best brother and human in the world :((((

YOU WERE A CHANGE OF PACE IN CHOSO’S LIFE. Within the enigmatic depths of the Tombs of the Star, Choso came to a profound realization about the nature of your existence. Here, amidst the swirling arcane energies that filled this sacred space, you existed in a symbiotic relationship with the very fabric of the universe. You shared a unique duality with your sibling, Tengen. You were so similar and yet so different — you fit together, almost like two sides of one coin. Choso had always believed his life, devoted entirely to the love and protection of his siblings, was an exceptional calling. Yet, encountering you, he began to see that he was not as unique as he had once thought. In fact, he considered that perhaps your dedication surpassed even his own.

Your immortality, though less celebrated than Tengen's, was just as essential. It underscored a truth often overlooked: what is an eternal life without a companion, without that shared blood and bond? Your unheralded but pivotal role sustained not just the life but the spirit of the Tombs through countless ages, making you an integral thread in the continuity of existence itself.

Your relationship with Tengen was unique, perhaps the only one they truly had. It was easy to see how it was a core part of your existence to serve Tengen. While Tengen wielded overt power, your own strength was in your subtle. Yours was gentle, tenderness — the care of a loving and devoted sibling.

Your days repeated the same. You often were the one reminding Tengen to sleep and rest. You often brought Tengen their meals. At times you sit days on end entertaining Tengen with conversation. At times you sang to them, songs so old that Choso could not make sense of the words anymore. Day in and day out, Choso saw how you lived for Tengen. How you breathe every day to keep Tengen. Choso had felt like he understood you in that sense. He was, after all, an older brother. What you did for Tengen, he had done for his siblings. He wanted to do it for Yuuji too. 

Yuki told him that you were the crucial component for maintaining the equilibrium of the world. Keeping you alive means keeping Tengen alive and well. Keeping you both alive and well means that Choso can also do well by Yuuji. That was all that mattered, he likes to think. And so, he took his task seriously. He was with you, day in and day out. Because if you didn’t exist, there is nothing for Tengen but lonesomeness. Choso didn’t know how Yuki knew all of this about you, but he thinks it's better not to ask. 

Days melded into each other under the starlit dome of the chamber, and in those seemingly fleeting moments, your bond with Choso deepened. Choso doesn’t really talk that much, he only did when people talked to him. But your words were often expressed. You often wander to dreams—whispers about what it might mean to live a truly human life, to age, to experience the mundane. You smiled each and every time, ever so warmly. In these moments, Choso is reminded how you truly are. He often gets reminded of his mother. You both have the same warmth, he thinks. 

By the tranquil pond fringed with burgeoning water lilies, you and Choso found yourselves in a peaceful reprieve from the routine duties that governed your immortal lives. The soft ripple of water under your fingers created gentle disturbances that set the floating blossoms adrift. Choso, often a man of few words, sat beside you, his gaze occasionally following the serene movements of the lilies.

"I don't think I'm doing enough for Tengen-sama," you whispered to him, your voice laced with uncertainty and a touch of despair.

"Why do you think so?" Choso asked, his features furrowing with concern as he raised an eyebrow at you.

You sighed, feeling the weight of your worries press down on you. "Tengen-sama seems so stressed lately. And I... I don't think I've done enough to help with it." The admission felt heavy on your tongue, a confession of perceived inadequacy. "But I don't think they need me. I don't think I'm powerful enough to... to help them the way they need me to."

Your words hung in the air, a testament to the inner conflict that had been gnawing at you. It wasn't just about being useful or fulfilling a role; it was about the fear of not being enough for someone who mattered immensely to you. The idea that perhaps your presence wasn't as vital as you hoped was a quiet torment that echoed the struggles you faced in your eternal existence beside Tengen. Choso watched you carefully, his expression softening as he processed your words.

“You know,” Choso began thoughtfully, choosing his words with care, “power isn't just about the ability to perform grandiose acts or wield visible strength. Sometimes, the truest form of power lies in our presence, in the steadfast support we offer.”

He paused, ensuring he had your full attention. “Tengen-sama carries burdens we can scarcely imagine, and while you may feel that your support isn't changing anything, it could very well be the anchor that keeps them steady. Being there, being constant—that's a power in its own right.”

Choso's voice was gentle yet firm, trying to uplift your spirits. “And remember, it’s not about being indispensable but about being present. You give them someone to rely on, someone who understands them deeply. That’s not a small thing.”

He reached out, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “You might feel that you're not doing enough, but perhaps for Tengen-sama, your continued presence and your care are exactly what they need. It's easy to overlook the value of simply being there, especially when you are used to thinking in terms of more direct actions.”

Taking in his words, you nodded slowly, the tension in your shoulders easing slightly. The idea that your value might not always be measurable in the conventional senses of power and strength, but rather in less tangible, yet equally significant ways, offered a new perspective. Choso's reassurance provided a comforting reminder of your role and importance in Tengen's life—not as a savior or a hero, but as a consistent source of support and understanding.

"You always seem so thoughtful," you remarked, smiling as you continued to play with the water, sending another lily spinning gently. "Tell me, Choso, what is it that you hope for in life? Beyond our duties here, what dreams do you carry? What do you wish for?”

Choso looked at the water before him, his expression reflective. "My life... it's bound to my brother, Yuuji. I want to do right by him, protect him, and ensure he can live fully. In many ways, I live for him."

Your laughter, light and understanding, echoed softly around the pond. "I understand that more than you might think. My existence, too, seems entirely woven around Tengen. I live for them, through them almost." Your smile faded slightly into a more contemplative expression. "But do you ever wonder, Choso, if it's wrong to want something beyond that? To live a life that explores the world beyond just being someone's shadow?”

Choso turned to you, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "It's a difficult question. Duty and love bind us, but it's human to crave understanding of the world, to experience it in all its breadth."

"Yes, it is human," you agreed, picking a lily from the water and examining its intricate petals. "And sometimes, I find myself dreaming of a life where I can wander freely, see the worlds beyond these walls, learn and love and perhaps even make mistakes. Just live, not as an immortal bound to duty, but simply as a person."

Choso nodded slowly, his usual reticence giving way to a more engaged demeanor. "Those dreams... they're not wrong. They're part of what makes us more than just guardians or siblings. They make us whole. And perhaps, in dreaming, we find parts of ourselves that duty alone could never reveal."

Your eyes met his, and in that moment, a shared understanding passed between you. Both of you were bound by immense responsibilities, yet within each of you stirred the universal desire to experience life beyond the predefined roles you occupied.

"Maybe, one day, we will explore those dreams," you suggested softly, a hopeful tone threading through your words.

"Maybe," Choso agreed, a rare smile breaking across his face. "And perhaps, in exploring them, we'll bring something back that can enrich the lives we dedicate to those we protect."

The time you spent together in the secluded spaces of the Star Chamber, amid ancient enigmas and whispers of immortality, became sacred. As you shared your deepest dreams and quiet confessions, the bond between you and Choso deepened, moving beyond mere companionship to something richer and more profound. This connection, once unspoken and tentative, blossomed with the ease of a well-nurtured bloom into a tender love.

Amidst the echo of your laughter, which bubbled up like a clear spring in the tranquil silence, and his thoughtful nods, a rhythm developed—an unspoken language of understanding and empathy that only you two could comprehend. Choso, often so guarded and stoic, found in you a solace that allowed him to express thoughts and feelings that he typically cloistered away from the world.

One evening, as twilight draped its violet shroud over the chamber, you both found yourselves by the reflective pool that mirrored the ever-changing sky. The water's surface danced with the light of the first stars, mirroring the flicker of possibilities that your conversations had awakened.

“You know,” you started, breaking the comfortable silence, “I never imagined that someone could understand this part of my life. The part that’s tangled up in duty and care, yet also yearns for something more… something deeply personal.”

Choso looked at you, his usual reserve softened by the topic at hand. “I feel the same. We’re bound by our roles, our responsibilities to those we protect. But speaking to you about dreams, about life beyond our duties, it’s… it’s freeing.” His voice, usually so guarded, carried a hint of wonder, reflecting his own surprise at this newfound openness. “It feels….daring……and human.”

Your laughter, light and genuine, echoed around the natural alcove. “Freeing, yes, and a bit daring too. Being human, in this way — it's hard.”

He smiled, a rare, full smile that reached his eyes. “Daring, but worthwhile. To dream with you, it makes those dreams feel possible, as if they could be more than just whispers in the dark.”

“You make them feel possible for me too,” you admitted, allowing yourself to reflect on the emotional landscape that had unfolded between you. “Before this, my dreams felt like distant stars—beautiful but untouchable. Now, they seem closer, within reach.”

Choso reached out, his hand brushing against yours, a tentative but intentional touch. “Maybe that’s what happens when dreams are shared. They grow, they take on a life of their own. They become something we can both reach towards.”

The simplicity of the touch sent a warmth through you, grounding the moment in something tangible. “And I’m grateful for that. For you,” you added, your voice soft but earnest.

He nodded, his hand gently squeezing yours. “And I am grateful for you. For this peace we’ve found in each other, amidst all the chaos of our existences. It’s a rare gift.”

The serenity that you and Choso had cultivated, a rare respite from the endless cycle of duty and vigilance, was not destined to last. In the realms where celestial fates intertwined, peace was but a fleeting shadow, easily dispelled by the stirrings of chaos. Such disturbance came in the form of Kenjaku, a figure synonymous with disruption and disorder. His intrusion into the sacred confines of the Tombs of the Star was not just a breach of sanctuary; it was a direct assault on the balance you had sworn to uphold.

Kenjaku's arrival tore through the calm like a tempest, disrupting the harmony you had momentarily savored. His motives were clear and malignantly aligned against Tengen's continued influence and your protective stance. With the air crackling with tension and the fabric of reality bending under the weight of Kenjaku’s dark ambitions, you revealed a power kept hidden from the prying eyes of foes and allies alike.

Your mastery over temporal loops, a rare and intricate skill, allowed you to manipulate the threads of time. This ability was not about mere manipulation of moments; it was about reshaping events within confined bursts, creating pockets of altered realities where outcomes could be rewritten, and destinies briefly redirected.

As you confronted Kenjaku, your hands moved with deliberate motions, weaving invisible patterns in the air that pulled at the seams of time. With each gesture, you unraveled  the immediate future, crafting short sequences where different possibilities played out in rapid succession. This was not just a display of raw power but a strategic orchestration of time itself, bending the inevitable towards a reality where balance could be restored.

As Kenjaku's menacing form advanced, the air thick with the threat of destruction, you and Choso stood side by side, united against the looming chaos. The battle's intensity escalated rapidly, with the forces of disorder clashing against the shields of time and duty you both upheld. Yet, amidst the swirling energies and the relentless advance of Kenjaku, you caught sight of the peril that Choso was about to face—a risk you could never allow to come to fruition.

Choso, sensing your sudden shift in focus, turned to you, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "What are you planning?" he asked, his voice tight with worry. He had come to understand you well enough to know when you were about to make a critical decision.

"I need to protect you," you replied, your voice resolute yet heavy with the burden of what you were about to do. "I can create a time loop, a place where you can be safe, where none of this can touch you."

Choso's eyes widened, realization dawning. "No, wait—you can't! What about you? We fight together, remember? You can't just send me away, not like this."

You reached out, grasping his hand firmly, imparting a finality that was both reassuring and heartbreaking. "Listen to me, Choso. This isn’t just about fighting together; it's about ensuring that at least one of us can survive this, and can continue to make a difference. I can manage this, but I need to know you're safe."

"But sacrificing yourself isn't the answer!" Choso protested, his voice rising with emotion. "There has to be another way. We can wait for Yuki; she might have a solution."

"Waiting could be too late," you insisted, your eyes scanning the battlefield, where the fabric of reality seemed increasingly unstable. "I've made my decision. This is the only way I know you'll be truly safe."

With a heavy heart and a sense of urgency, you began the incantation, the ancient words of time magic flowing from your lips. Choso tried to pull away, to argue further, but the spell was already weaving its complex, protective lattice around him.

"I'm doing this because I care, Choso," you said, your voice softening. "In that loop, you'll have peace, and we'll have a lifetime together, even if it's not real. Please, live a full life there, for both of us."

As the last syllables of your spell wove through the air, reality for Choso began to shift, the edges of the present blurring as a new world, shaped by your heartfelt wishes, took form around him. The chaos of battle, the tension of impending doom—all melted away, replaced by the soothing tranquility of a life envisioned with love and hope.

In this carefully crafted reality, Choso found himself in an idyllic version of the world he knew, a place untouched by the scars of conflict or the weight of eternal duty. There, the sun seemed brighter, and the air held the fresh promise of peace. By his side was you, free from the constraints of your immortal obligations, embodying the life you both could have cherished together.

Together, you walked hand in hand towards the sea, the vast expanse of water stretching endlessly before you, its surface glinting under the sun like scattered diamonds. The scene was picturesque, almost too perfect, as if it had leaped from the pages of a forgotten fairytale where every ending was happy, and every heartache healed.

In this serene world, you both raised a family—a dream so distant in your real lives, now vividly alive in this temporal sanctuary. Yuuji and Tengen, often subjects of your protective instincts, appeared not as burdens to be guarded but as children laughing in the garden, playing with others who called you their parent. The simplicity of this life, the joyous normalcy, was a stark contrast to the complexities you had both known.

As years rolled by in this looped reality, unburdened by the passage of time as it would affect the mortal world, Choso experienced every stage of a shared human life. From the vigorous days of youth spent exploring the world with you, through the tender moments of raising children, to the serene acceptance of age, each phase was a gift—a series of moments wrapped in the warmth of enduring love.

He saw you both grow old together, each wrinkle etched into your faces telling stories of laughter, shared wisdom, and the occasional tears. Sitting together on a porch, watching the sun set into the ocean, you leaned against him, your hair silvered with age, eyes still bright with the love and fierce determination that defined you. There was satisfaction, there was acceptance. There was happiness.

Even as this life was but a fabrication, a temporal construct meant to protect and console, for Choso, it felt undeniably real. He lived each day fully, the memories etched into his heart as if they were carved from the very essence of life itself. 

And as the spell reached its inevitable conclusion, with the loop designed to eventually unwind, Choso was left with the imprint of a lifetime spent in blissful peace—a stark contrast to the destiny he had been plucked from, and a poignant reminder of what could have been. This was your final gift to him: not just safety, but a glimpse of a life filled with unbridled humanity. It was joy, love, and the fulfillment of dreams that the real world could never have accommodated.

"Remember me, and live well," were your final whispered words that echoed in the looping reality, even as you turned back to face Kenjaku alone, ready to sacrifice your chance at peace for the safety of the world and the brother you had come to love. 

Outside the time loop, the confrontation with Kenjaku intensified as you steeled yourself for the final stand. The environment crackled with volatile energy, the very air charged with the raw power of clashing wills. Kenjaku, recognizing the depth of your determination, halted his advance, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.

“You think to defy me with such feeble tricks?” Kenjaku’s voice was cold, dripping with disdain as he spoke. His stance was predatory, a hunter cornering his prey.

“You underestimate the power of sacrifice,” you replied, your voice steady despite the growing storm of power swirling around you. “This isn’t about tricks or defiance. It’s about protecting what matters.”

Kenjaku laughed, a sound devoid of any humor. “Sacrifice? You would throw away your eternal life, for what? These fleeting mortals? This doomed realm?”

“It’s because this realm and its people are worth fighting for,” you asserted, your resolve hardening. “You may crave power, Kenjaku, but you’ve forgotten the strength found in selflessness. I haven’t.”

“You’re a fool then,” Kenjaku sneered, stepping closer, the ground beneath his feet darkening with corrupt energy. “To throw away immortality for foolish mortals is the height of folly.”

“Perhaps,” you conceded, a sad smile playing on your lips as you prepared the final incantation. “But it’s my choice to make. And I choose them. I choose love and life, even if it’s not my own.”

With that declaration, you unleashed the full breadth of your temporal abilities. Time around Kenjaku began to distort, warping and weaving into complex patterns that ensnared him in an intricate loop of your making. His movements slowed as the layers of temporal magic constricted, binding him with chains stronger than any physical restraint.

Kenjaku roared in frustration, his voice echoing across the chamber as he struggled against the relentless force of your cursed technique. “You cannot hold me forever! You’ll break long before I do!”

“Maybe,” you whispered, feeling the strain of your powers consuming your essence. “But we’ll win, Kenjaku. One way or another.”

As the temporal bindings tightened, you felt your life force ebbing away, each moment drawing you closer to the end. With a final look at the world you were giving up, you poured the last of your energy into the spell, cementing it with the ultimate sacrifice.

“See you in another life, Choso.” you murmured, a tear tracing down your cheek as you faced the end with a quiet dignity. The last of your vision faded just as Kenjaku’s form started to battle against your power. You didn’t know if you’ll be successful in the end, but it didn’t matter. It bought time. It bought time for Tengen-sama to leave. It bought time for Yuki to come for Choso. It bought time for Choso. It was more than enough. That’s all that matters. “Tell me all about it then.”

In the quiet aftermath, the cacophony of battle faded, replaced by a resonant stillness that seemed to permeate the very walls of the Star Chamber. The ferocity that had surged through the area moments before now seemed like a distant echo, a turbulent memory overshadowed by the magnitude of your sacrifice. 

Choso, emerging from the temporal loop, was abruptly returned to a reality far grimmer than the one he had lived in his dream-like existence. The serene life he had known with you, filled with laughter, love, and the gentle aging of shared days, dissipated like mist at dawn. Yet, the weight of those memories clung to him, a tapestry of joy and sorrow woven into his being. Tears streamed down his face as the full impact of his loss, of the life that could never truly be, settled upon his shoulders.

Amidst his reeling senses, Yuki’s voice reached out to him, a tether pulling him back from the brink of despair. He could hear Kenjaku too, the sounds of struggle as the villain fought against the temporal bonds you had sacrificed yourself to forge. The air was thick with the aftermath of conflict, with the poignant heaviness of humanity—loss, grief, yearning, joy, love. These emotions, so deeply human, washed over him repeatedly, each wave a reminder of the life he had momentarily lived and lost.

Yet, Choso stood resolute amidst it all. He bore the weight of these emotions not just as remnants of a spell-crafted illusion, but as the real and enduring aspects of the human condition. He carried them because they were now part of him, imprinted on his soul by the experiences you had given him. And he carried them because that’s what you would have wanted. In bearing these memories, in allowing them to shape his path forward, he honored your sacrifice, turning profound loss into a source of unyielding strength.

That bleak winter day, as Shinjuku was engulfed in flames, Choso found himself at the precipice of his own demise. Engulfed in a brutal confrontation, he struggled valiantly to shield Yuuji from the malevolent Sukuna, whose dark intent was manifest in the fierce and unyielding fire around them. But as the flames consumed not only his physical form but also the last vestiges of his earthly bonds, Choso’s thoughts transcended the immediacy of his suffering.

His mind, resilient amid the encroaching shadows of death, wandered back to you and the ephemeral yet poignant life you had shared in the temporal loop. Those memories, vivid and tender, painted a stark contrast to the chaos that now surrounded him. Each recollection of laughter, shared secrets, and quiet evenings spent together in a world without fear or pain stoked a deep, calming warmth within him, distinct from the searing heat of the flames.

As his physical strength waned, the spiritual and emotional fortitude you instilled in him grew stronger. With each labored breath, the pain that racked his body seemed to diminish, overtaken by the growing serenity of his approaching end. The prospect of reuniting with you, of stepping beyond the veil of life into a realm where you awaited him, brought a profound peace—a solace he had yearned for since the wrenching moment of your departure.

Amidst the dance of the flames, where the heat scorched the air and the roar of the fire echoed the tumult of battle, Choso allowed himself a faint smile. It was a smile of acceptance, of readiness to transition from the tumult of his current existence to the peace that awaited with you. In that instant, amidst the devastation, his heart, burdened with loss and battened with duty, was finally ready to come home to you.

As the moment of departure drew near, Choso turned to Yuuji, who had been both a charge and a brother in arms. The words that passed between them were simple yet heavy with the weight of shared experiences and unspoken understanding. “Thank you, Yuji, for becoming my brother,” Choso said, his voice a hoarse whisper over the crackling of the fire.

Yuji, his own eyes reflecting the flames but alight with emotion, nodded solemnly, the bond between them unbroken even in the face of impending separation. “Thank you, Aniki,” Yuji replied, feeling the tears pour from his face. “Thank you.”

Choso thinks life is enough.

Even if it was only a little while.

He smiles one last time at Yuuji.

His wish was granted now and then.

It was all worth it to him in the end.

[gettinshiggywithit]

!Double Blind!

Scenario: Chuuya’s subordinate gets hurt on a mission;what will he do to save them?

Pairing: chuuya x gn!reader

Genre: kinda angst?? Idk what to call this...

Type: oneshot

A/N: OH MY GOD THANK YOU TO THE ANON THAT REQUESTED THIS!!IM SO SORRY YOUR ASK DISAPPEARED BUT THANK GODD I READ IT BEFORE IT DID!!! I HOPE I DID YOUR IDEA JUSTICE! Please feel free to pop back in and lmk!

Gunfire rained down all around you as you lay on the ground,bleeding from your wounds.You applied pressure in an attempt to lessen the blood flow but it did little to stop the red liquid from oozing through the bulletholes.

You felt a hand slide under you and reposition you,holding you close to its owners heart and you immediately felt at peace.

You’d die in the arms of the one you loved; and that was enough.

“Chuuya...”you slurred out,your vision already turning patchy, “hey...”

He looked down at you,panic written all across his face;fear etched within his perfect pointed features.

“What the hell did you do asshole?!I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN POSITION!!!”

“Shhhh shhhh....” you say, the fog now thickening in your mind, “too loud...”

Chuuya scowled, “yeah no shitt?!”

And with that you went limp,he instinctively felt for a pulse and found it.a feint one,but a pulse nonetheless!

He picked you up effortlessly,and although he stood in the middle of a raging field of bullets cries and blood,no harm came to him,he was completely fine;his gravity manipulation having stopped all the bullets that threatened to hurt both you and him.

He looked to the horizon and saw the yokohama skyline.he then looked back to you and was almost amazed at how peaceful you looked,perhaps if he prayed then maybe you’d just magically wake up.

But chuuya nakahara wasn’t known to be lucky and so as his eyes drifted to the skyline of his beloved city,he knew what he had to do.

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

The Armed Detective Agency was having a slow day to say the least,and with nothing but Dazai's schemings to entertain them,they were more bored than ever.

"Hey Atsushiiiii," dazai began,"what if the port mafia broke down our door now?????"

"id thank them for saving us from this boredomm!"replied atsushi as he face planted right into the table.

And right as if on cue-

“ WHERES DOCTOR YOSANO??” Came the voice of the fiery ginger mafioso as he came crashing through the window,unscathed as usual.

The entire agency staff looked shocked for a second,before they all jumped into action.

Atsushi activated his ability,kunikida clutched his notebook and pen,kyouka summoned demon snow,and dazai watched without moving a muscle.

Yosano stepped into the room just then,her skirt swishing elegantly as she held a chainsaw casually in her hands.

“You rang mister executive?”she said,a creepy smile donning her usually beautiful features.

Chuuya scowled at the lot of them,but even then he couldn’t hide his desperation.

His lack of action and a witty remark drew their attention to the body in his hands and the blood on his entire body,not his blood of course,but someone’s nonetheless

Yosano put her weapon down before calmly walking over to chuuya after ordering her colleagues to stand down.

“What happened?” She asked,analysing your wounds and searching for a pulse.

“We were ambushed...she was caught in the crossfire...”chuuya said,his voice faltering towards the end

Yosano found the pulse and nodded, “bring them in,i can help them.”

Chuuya complied with her request without question and followed her into her theater where he placed you on the operating table.

“I’ll call you in when she’s done.” Yosano said as she prepared to activate her ability

Chuuya left the theater and went back into the room which held the rest if the agency members.

He stood there awkwardly,ready to defend you and himself if they tried anything.

But all that happened was atsushi asking a question.

“Who are they?”

It was a simple question with a complicated answer,so chuuya simply said,

“Someone important”

Atsushi nodded at that. And sensing the conversation was over,didnt ask any more questions.

The rest of the agency left one by one to run errands and other things,and by the time yosano came back out it was just him and her.

“You got here just in time,” she said “ a second later and it’d have been too late.”

Chuuya,who was staring at the setting sun,turned to her and said, “thank you.you have no idea what you just did...you will be compensated for your efforts I promise,and before you say anything its not from the port mafia,it’s from me.”

Yosano tilted her head to the side.

This was truly peculiar.

But she knew how important a loved one could be,so she didn’t question him.

Chuuya released a heavy breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in.

“What’s their name”

“Y/n l/n” chuuya said, “and thanks to you,” he took a step in yosanos direction, “theyre still alive.”

Yosano couldnt exactly describe the look in chuuyas eyes in that moment, but it was a sort of a mix between,relief and the remnants of anxiety and fear.

She looked at her watch and saw how much time had passed.

“They’re ready now.”

Chuuya nodded before following her to the recovery room.

And there you were,all tucked in and completely fine.

“They still need to recover,but you can take them home in two hours” and with that she left the room.

Chuuya looked down at you and your peaceful self and felt right at home

“Never fucking do that again,you piece of shit.”

Was all he said.

You groaned a little before your eyes fluttered open and scanned your surroundings.

“Wher-” you started before he cut you off and answered all the questions racing through your mind.

“We’re in the ada’s recovery room,you were about to die so we brought you to be healed by their gifted doctor.”

He made it sound as if the decision to bring you there wasn’t completely his call,because you could never know how he felt about you.never.

You processed his statement with a hum.

“Thank you.”

He scowled once again and turned the other way.

“Don’t be fucking stupid again,or ill leave you to die.”

You both knew that wasn’t true,but neither of you said anything.

“I promise i wont,boss.” You said softly.the smile on your face looking like one that was sent from above.

He then started walking towards the door.

But before you could question him he said, “doctor yosano said you’ll be able to leave in two hours,I’ll send a car for you.”

You nodded at him And with that he left.

You loved chuuya nakahara with all your heart but you were just his subordinate, and he’d never feel the same way about you as you did about him...

After his departure,you lay back down to rest and just as usual,chuuya invaded your dreams.

And that night as he fell asleep,you invaded his.

All rights reserved © 2023 gettinshiggywithit . Please do not repost, modify or claim as yours.

[lelengerine]

comfort in you

pairing | streamer!haechan x streamer!reader

synopsis | sometimes (most of the time), you just need a little pick-me-up after a bit of depressing game plot.

genre | fluff, established relationship, mentions of game character death (but nothing explicit)

wc | 1.0k

notes | so i finished watching an entire 13 hour play through of omori and i was so sad i wrote this- highly suggest playing the game for yourself tho its a rollercoaster of emotions </3 as always, lmk your thoughts on this! rts and rbs are appreciated!

m.list

solemn music plays from the speakers connected to your monitor, slowly enveloping your soul with dread as your eyes flicker between the game and the messages flowing into your stream’s chat box.

user_1: NOOOO what do you mean the sister died??

user_2: RIGHT? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??

user_3: y/n are you sure we didn’t miss a chapter??? my eyes are bawling out TT

a soft chuckle escapes you while reading what your viewers had to say, somewhat relieving you from the heartbreaking arc of the game. “i’m pretty sure this is the right track… i feel my eyes tearing up too, you’re definitely not the only one.”

a couple more messages pop up, but you decide to focus on the game’s storyline for now. 

a little girl is hunched over her sister’s hospital bed, sobbing after the realization her beloved sibling was never going to wake up after falling from the top of the staircase in their home.

a tear slowly falls down your cheek while you stay silent and continue watching, hoping your viewers wouldn’t notice it if you act unfazed. though, it seems they have eyes sharper than you think.

user_4: Y/N DONT CRY :((( NOW IM CRYING TOO

user_5: SOMEONE GET THE EMERGENCY TISSUES!!!!!

“pshh, i’m not crying, chat!” you feign with a not-so convincing pout. you clearly have a soft spot for these type of family-oriented game plots, enjoying how they touch into the lives of people and the complexities behind them.

its during times like this where you yearn for your boyfriend, haechan, more than anything, but… you’re pretty sure he’s busy streaming another game in a different room. you face falls into a slight frown thinking about it, one your chat assumes is because of the sad story coming to a close.

a white screen snaps you out of your thoughts, signaling the game had finally ended and you turn to face the camera filming your face cam. “so… what do we think?” you ask, giving a warm smile.

user_6: GOD THAT WAS TOO MUCH

user_7: thank the heavens its done

user_8: wtf just happened…

“right? to be honest- im pretty overwhelmed.” you speak, taking a sip from your water jug next to you in hopes of letting the immense feeling dissipate, but that only does little in actually quelling it. you could really use a hug from haechan right about now… it wouldn’t hurt to leave chat for a moment right? 

“i’ll just go get something quickly then we can try to unpack the plot of the game a little better.” you tell your viewers before standing up from your computer chair and rushing over to haechan’s room.

as you approach the white door sealing his room from the hallways, you hear a string of curses pass your ears. “jisung you little shit! i said to your right not your left- no, no!! YOUR left not MY left.”

slowly, you peek through the door, getting a glimpse of your boyfriend seemingly fuming over a round of overwatch, but you (and his viewers) know that’s just how he plays — and it’s quite entertaining to hear the banter between him and his friends. 

“jaemin revive me. im by the corner- JUST WHERE ARE YOU ON THE MAP??? ahhh, im screwed for real.” he whines as his screen displays that he died in game, slumping back into his chair as he waits for the next round to start. “you guys better carry this game or else-“

“hyuck?” you finally speak up, pushing the door a little more to make room for yourself to enter. haechan’s chat goes crazy after seeing you enter his room, mostly filling up with messages to greet your entrance.

“sorry… i didn’t want to interrupt but you see- this game i was playing… it was so sad and i-“ you get cut off by your boyfriend reeling you into a hug. 

you don’t even need to listen in on his earphones to hear the coos from his friends, already used to their teasings when you and haechan are together.

“let me guess, another one about family?” oh he really just reads you like an open book, his voice much softer in comparison to how he was speaking earlier. you feel so loved knowing he pays attention to the smallest details about you. 

“mhm. i just wanted a hug.” 

“and that, you’re getting.” he chuckles, rubbing small, soothing circles on your back with his thumb. 

his embrace is warm. just what you needed after an intense, downcast game. you already feel yourself fueling back up with positivity, pulling away after a couple more seconds.

“thank you.” you smile sheepishly, feeling a little awkward his viewers just watched that entire exchange from the camera resting on top of his monitor. “i should get back to my own stream now though.” you add, giving haechan a small kiss on the cheek before waving a goodbye towards his camera. 

“i’ll give you all the cuddles and kisses later.” haechan tells you, patting your head as he lets you leave his room.

“i’ll be anticipating that.” you giggle before shutting the door behind you, and returning to your own streaming room.

“chat! sorry that took so long, but im back now!” you exclaim quite cheerily, a considerable difference to your gloomy expressions earlier.

user_9: welcome back our love <3 you look like you’re feeling much better yay

user_2: yayy happy y/n is back!

user_10: y/n was in hyuck’s stream!! they were so cute :[

user_7: omg really? man i should’ve checked it out-

you flush, realizing your actions have been found out. then again, it wasn’t that difficult for someone to know what you were doing when your boyfriend’s stream was publicized just like yours. 

“a-alright now, settle down everyone.” you chuckle, “now, what did you guys discuss so far?” 

the query has your chat switching topics in the blink of an eye, something you’re rather grateful for — knowing the blush on your cheeks already gave you away long ago. still, you'd say everything was worth it for that hug.

[metanarrates]

you got that genre and gender essay for us 👀

i might talk about gender in the hunger games a different time but right now im ready to talk about genre in it (FINALLY. sorry gamers ive been in the sludge for a while)

so one of the things that really struck me about the hunger games while reading is that it did not function strictly as an action genre story during the games themselves. the genre it actually seemed to be dipping into a lot of the time is wilderness survival. this is weird, for a couple of reasons.

for anyone unfamiliar with the wilderness survival genre, the underlying conflict tends to be rather slow-movingly paced. this isn't always the case - some wilderness survival stories do have limitations that force the plot to speed up - but in the vast majority of works I've seen, the main force the main character is working against is the slow-moving course of nature. there is a lot of time spent hunting, crafting, building shelters, tending to injuries. occasionally there are bursts of action, but the story is much more concerned with the daily work of solving more longterm survival problems than it is with more temporary threats. it's typically a story about endurance rather than urgency.

now, I like the genre just fine. I would even say suzanne collins does it decently well. the problem is that it doesn't actually suit the premise of the hunger games.

the hunger games is, on premise, a death game. for at least the first two books, the main setpiece of the story is the promise of the arena. it is a televised match where children have to kill each other for the entertainment of a crowd. this isn't a crazy uncommon subgenre or even main genre for action stories - there's a lot of story potential in forcing combatants to battle to the death against their will. my favorite novel, omniscient reader's viewpoint, has death game elements. when done well, it is tense, exciting, and asks questions about the culpability of both viewer and participants. oftentimes, the story's major theme is forcing the audience think about the way they may treat violence as spectacle. this is certainly something the hunger games also wants to do.

this premise carries a lot of intrinsic tensions. in a story where people are hunting one another in order to survive, the protagonist almost always is under threat, or nearly under threat, of being attacked. the tension of potentially having to kill adds another layer of tension. the demands of audience, in a story about violence as spectacle, serves to add another layer. the protagonist always has to look over their shoulder, to make sure that their audience can't hurt them if they become dissatisfied with the protagonist, and to be sure that they can fend off attackers at any given moment. to do otherwise, at least without justifying it, would be to undermine the logical stakes the premise introduces.

the end result, when done well, is a fast-paced action story with consistently heightened tension. you'll notice that this doesn't blend well with a slow-paced genre with a consistently low but omnipresent baseline tension.

through both games, again to collins' credit, there are a lot of high-tension action sequences. katniss does spend a good deal of time fighting, running, tensely hiding out, and dealing with high-octane environmental factors. however, I was consistently a little disappointed by how quickly a lot of these sequences ended. more importantly, I was confused by how often it would lead back into katniss skirting around the woods. she spends a ton of time fishing, hunting, chatting with allied tributes, scouting, and waiting around in a cave for peetas injuries to heal. the threat of the other tributes finding and killing her slips into the background. the audience in the capitol only matters occasionally. the minuitiae of surviving in a wilderness takes up major screentime. the threats intrinsic to the actiony premise stop being an immediate concern.

this inability to follow through on the established stakes totally kills my suspension of disbelief in the gamemakers as threats. very few people would be actually interested in continuously watching days-long, unedited livestreams of teenagers hunting and fishing and occasionally kissing. it doesn't make sense as a story about entertainment, because the events on screen would simply not be logically all that entertaining. the only reason the gamemakers don't act to force katniss towards more action is that collins plainly does not seem as interested in writing action. and that's really the root of the first two books' weird genre problem.

since collins seems to want to focus on wilderness survival rather than action, neither genre can properly shine. as a reader, i'm always feeling antsy whenever katniss takes a break to nap for a day, and I'm always frustrated whenever an an action scene is cut short instead of staying excitingly tense. the action stakes never feel believable to me because it seems like they only exist when the plot remembers they should. the survival stakes just feel like a tiresome chore in a story that should have much more urgent concerns. it's just a really weird choice. why write a death game story if you're often disinterested in the stuff the premise demands?

I also don't think that the rebellion/war story is done well in book 3, for similar pacing and tension issues (that book DRAGS in ways that actively undermine what it seems to be trying to do.) but this little essay has run on long enough. this has been a really longwinded way of saying "these books struggle a lot with tension and pacing and it makes them feel weird in how they play to their supposed premises," but I did want to approach it from a genre angle because that's what I was thinking about while reading. what is genre, after all, but a shorthand to communicate expected aspects of setting, focus, mechanical structure of a story?

[musicandrockfan128]

More Ed Norton movie reviews cont.

Wrote some more movie reviews!

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

Thoughts on his acting: It was funny watching Norton turn from a devious character to a funny, sweet character who is in love. He also sings and dance, which pays homage to his Broadway experience. While the movie’s story line was not captivating to me personally, Norton’s individual story line, romancing and singing to Barrymore’s character was charming.

Keeping the Faith (2000)

My two faves Ben Stiller and Edward Norton in the same movie? Im totally hooked! Norton directed this movie, and his talent as a director shined. Norton is a character actor and how he can act as an unlikable person, to a love-sick man boggles my mind. But he pulls it off. His acting as a confused priest in love with his childhood best friend was entertaining. Norton does have a playful quirkiness to him when he acts in comedic roles, which I appreciate.

The Score (2001)

Thoughts: One of my favorite movies. In addition to owning Richard Gere in his first movie, here Norton tries to outsmart Robert DeNiro, and manages to pull it off… almost. I don’t see any other actor doing such a thing. But the acting, to the tense heist scenes, to Norton’s switch from likable Brian, to cunning Brian made his character two-fold, with more depth. How Norton plays unlikable, flawed characters in various movie genres proves he does well in not being typecasted.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

This was a better depictions of Hulk. It was scary, tough, yet had character and empathy for Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). The movie, though felt too short and scenes felt too abrupt. They should have let Bruce have more scenes, and more romance honestly. I didn’t see the power of his performance shine in this movie. It felt unmotivated to me. I would have loved to have seen Abomination and Hulk in more scenes, more scenes with Bruce making the serum from the flower in Brazil, him running away, to having dinner with Betty (as the deleted scenes showed).

Stone (2010)

Thoughts: In the movie, Norton is this lost, questioning prisoner who wants to reach enlightenment by following a new world religion-- believing God is within sounds and chanting “Hue.” He is unbearable again with his attitude, as he pushes his P.O (DeNiro) over the top with his ramblings on wanting to be better, and chit chats about his wife. Norton’s dive into his character is again realistic. I love when he plays a different character in every movie, and while he did a great job playing an annoying character, it made me appreciate Norton’s acting more.

Glass Onion (2022)

Thoughts: Rian Johnson did fantastic writing and directing the first movie, Knives Out. For this sequel movie, Norton’s presence and Kate Hudson’s funny acting were the only highlights, as the movie as a whole was alright. I liked Norton’s facial expressions, and casual acting as a know it all, but really doesn’t know what he’s doing. This role seemed like a comedic relief to the serious ones he’s done in the past and you can tell everyone had a fun time being in this movie.

Extrapolations ( Apple TV show), Episode 4 (2023)

Thoughts: From singular character, to now, a divorced father with a son shows the progression of character through the years. I would have liked to have seen him have more emotions when asking his son to come back home, to stop the climate change actions the son is planning. Also would have liked for Norton to be in more than one episode, but that’s just my bias.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPp do you think the western style promotions are still effective, especially for other k-pop acts? For BTS, the most standout appearance they’ve done so far (for local-> fan conversion) seems to be the James Corden car episode. Followed by, I think, the MTV cover for Fix You and the Jimmy Fallon BTS week. By that point, the locql is well into the rabbit hole lol. I think BTS is big enough that just their name alone sparks curiousity in locals to check them out.

I can’t say the same for the other acts??? I think for Seventeen their own show is still the biggest converter, and the other acts are still very much confined in the k-pop sphere where only fans of the genre are aware and there are comparatively still fewer fan conversions. I guess I’m asking if the western promos they do are worth it? I remember stans using Wonder Girls (or was is SNSD) going to Colbert to downplay BTS’ paving the way, but it really didn’t amount to anything more for the group and the industry, did it? I guess I’m wondering if the same will happen to the rest, if it’ll just continue to be appearances that don’t really make enough of a dent to push the industry forward???? Or are we reaching the ceiling when it comes to how much the western industry is willing to give to k-pop and how much the k-pop industry is going accomplish (outside of continued ‘fan’ achievements- like increased album sales and streams)?

Because I feel like the industry as a whole has already reached the ceiling when it comes to Korea. Their tried and true methods like having idols go on variety have shifted to groups doing their own shows (good for retaining fans but maybe bad for capturing the gp?) and doing those idol shows have been suffering these past few years. Korean GP seems to not care anymore except for the true breakouts like New Jeans and Aespa.

Im sorry I’m ESL, I dunno if I worded my point right 😭 Hipefully you understand what I’m trying to say

**

Hi Anon,

Your English is great and please don't ever apologize for it. 💜

You've said a lot so I'll try to keep my responses brief as I mostly agree with you.

"BPp do you think the western style promotions are still effective, especially for other k-pop acts?"

Yes. But not for all.

I think all your questions are related to the evergreen debate k-pop stans have on BTS 'paving the way' where a common rebuttal is that if BTS did indeed make it easier for k-pop to break out internationally and especially in the West, why aren't many groups achieving BTS-levels of success (or even anything close to it)? Why aren't many groups, despite doing US promotions, getting sizable exposure and a noticeable growth in committed fans the way BTS does?

The problem here is that, like clockwork, the k-pop industry wants to replicate BTS's success but misidentifies the cause of that success, so they try this gimmick after that tactic and then they wonder why they're not achieving the same results. To be blunt, there's no point going on a Western talk show if your music is shit to begin with or if the idols aren't good entertainers and performers.

BTS at their core, (1) actually make good music and (2) they're fantastic top class performers and (3) they have great interpersonal chemistry. (And this is before getting into world-building in their music which encourages people to dig deeper, their beautiful lyrical expression, just how oddly sweet the chemistry between the guys actually is, the fact that they write their own music and the sincerity that flows through their sound, and so on and so forth).

So, groups that have (1), (2), and (3) that go on to do Western promotions, will see more success in getting exposure that results in new fans, while groups that miss any or all of those three factors, will have less success doing Western promotions. Groups that have benefited from Western promotions include: TXT, Stray Kids, and Seventeen, and with those 3 factors, it's understandable why they're more successful.

Everything I've said above, apply to the rest of things you mentioned too. Meaning, there's little point making variety shows for idol groups, if those groups aren't all that entertaining or if they have poor chemistry anyway.

The long and short of it all is, the k-pop industry still relies a lot on marketing, fancy props, and mediaplay to promote their groups enough for those groups to survive the minimum 6-year group lifetime. But there comes a time when you cannot market and mediaplay your way out of bad music, bad performers, and/or bad chemistry. Most k-pop fans who have already bought into that culture might be fine with it, but gp and/or new converts need to be persuaded with actual quality. And there's no amount of pushing on Western platforms or individual variety shows, that will change that in the long run.

[aaltoh]

       hey rhys here once again, with a highly selective . slow activity . 𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐎 from 𝐖𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒. i follow canon for the most part, but i do also apply a lot of my own flare & hcs to the character. and generalize my interpretation to allow a wide range of interactions & flexibility.  content will include various thriller genres , adult content , violence , manipulation.   5 / 2024 .

  it goes without saying but, i do not allow minors to follow my blog, or personals. any who do follow, or interact with my posts will be blocked. i also will not tolerate those who write triggering content and media including p*dophilia, or inc*st.                  ( I.E proshippers do not interact! )

my name is rhys, they/them or she/her.

be patient with me. notifications here are awful, so i don't always see everything or catch things right away. so long as we aren't rude, it's okay to give me a little nudge if i have clearly missed something i've been tagged in.

communication is extremely important to me in roleplay- as most of my interactions are pretty plot dependent. obviously real life comes first and is always first.

if you write or interact with saccharot ( kae ), do not follow me or block me or whatever. likewise, if you write with kiingsroar ( dia ) or any of their other blogs, i ask you do much the same. i'd be more than happy to explain what happened and why i'm uncomfortable with these users. but please, i don't want them on my dash.

if you want to ship? tell me. i will never assume, or default to shipping with people. of course i practice the same, and like to make it very clear i want to explore a particular dynamic. if things wont work then that's fine! but i need clarity when it comes to stuff like that. i really go 0 - 100 on shipping, and LOVE development, and plotting.

keep in mind though, if you're just here to ship? i usually wont entertain it. i write to explore characters, and their interactions with the world and people around them. i love exploring dynamics too, but i don't seek them out. unless they're with people i've known for a long time.

at the very most, i will ship romantically with up to two? of the same muse. but i like to keep that to a minimum. as plotting dynamics is something i put a lot of care and thoughts into-- and don't want my ship partners to ever feel like they're part of a collective or not unique / important to me. IF you'd like exclusivity, tell me. i am more than happy to do that if that's what you prefer. of course, i am more than ok with writing with multiple of the same muse. and exploring other kinds of ships and dynamics to see what clicks!

please, i don't obsessively hover on dash or deep dive on people. i roleplay as a hobby, and rarely prioritize being here. if someone i interact with is GENUINELY an issue, or has done something problematic and troubling- chances are i very likely do not know. or haven't heard about it, because i really only come on tumblr to rp and post art. i am okay with being corrected, or told these things. but do not spark drama, accuse me of things im not aware of, or assume i am okay with it.

pleeeeaaaaaaaase. PLEASE... TAG REALISTIC SPIDERS.

BANNER IMAGE BY: ALICEVSELIET @ x

[loaffofbred]

Hazbin Hotel: a rambled review (Positives)

disclaimer: all of this is just a ramble or list of my opinions on the show! specifically the positives that make the show entertaining, engaging and over all fun, this is not to say the show is good or bad. this is not for convincing anyone to change their mind on any of their personal opinions, but to air out my general thoughts on the show!

deja vu? well, ive done this type of rambled review before, except for negatives. But now, i want to highlight the good parts of the show! the parts that make the show enjoyable despite its clear flaws :))

Musical

- i know, pretty obvious. but the massive hook the show truly makes is the songs! by far, all the songs are bangers and have parts that i really enjoy. the songs makes most of the characters memorable and make the audience connect to them emotionally. the musicals show so much of the characteristics of the cast, that sometimes, watching the multiple music videos will simply be enough of an introduction. props for all the hard work on the multiple bangers that shall plague my playlists!

Characters

- the unique set of personalities in the cast makes up for a lot of my love for the show. the mystery, intrigue, humor, and vulnerability that is shown piques my interest more often than not. while i would love to list all my likes for each character, ill just go with the ones that truly shined in my eyes, and that made these said characters memorable and enjoyable. first, is ya boi alastor, by far the most intriguing part of the show, and has continued to be the mystery that plague my thoughts. his mysterious and intimidating aura makes it even more interesting when we see him vulnerable. mystery is by far my favorite genre of anything, so its no surprise that his character, for me, is one of the more impactful parts of the show. next is angel dust, one of the characters that are more explored compared to others. his background, emotions, actions, and demeanor make up for a character that could have the most potential to grow as a person. he is reflective and thoughtful despite his clear facade, and him showing some sense of vulnerability in the end made him more empathetic and relatable to the audience. his strengths and weaknesses truly shined in the show. lastly, lucifer. i am super interested with how the show will tackle and explore lucifer's insecurities and apathy. what made him such an interesting character to begin with is his relation to heaven, and the family background of charlie. it brings up certain questions of origins of his behavior, such as being apathetic to the fate that sinners will face, lack of care to truly control his kingdom, and his plaguing self-doubt despite being the most powerful being in hell. his awkward personality makes up for a good contrast to his supposed reputation as the big boss of hell, its easy to underestimate him as a character due to his goofy ahh expressions and demeanor, but the final episode made it clear he wasn't someone you should mess with. anyways, im sure ive made my point, onto the next one!

Animation and Designs

- while i did criticize the show for its backgrounds and some of the designs for the main cast, they still have their positives! the careful association of the characteristics the cast has with their appearance is deserving of credit. we can see the influences and small details that make the audience ask more questions and hooked on exploring more of them. i love the expressions and animation that has widely improved when comparing it to older works, especially on the musical parts of the show. animation and visual parts that shined at most are in the first episode, fourth, lucifer episode, and finale. though there may be better ones, these are just the ones i can think of at the top of my head.

Heaven vs Hell

- ive criticized the show for its writing when exploring different parts of the narrative, especially the world. but, there are parts of it that definitely shined on its own. the relationship between heaven and hell was clear from the beginning, and was evidently strained from the start. but, what makes it more interesting is that no one truly knows how souls go to which and where, this question makes it apparent that it is not purely based on morality alone. the judgement that a soul may face isnt always moral or based on the basic moralities that heaven or hell preaches. making heaven not quite sure of how souls are led there is such an interesting concept that makes the audience question whether is it even worth it to go to heaven? or is it even earned to begin with? i like how the show continued with its narrative that subverts the expectations that most people would assume about hell and heaven, that the truth isnt always what we see in the surface. its easy to make assumptions about both in the most basic level, but its not as simple as one is bad over the other. which was a great challenge to adam's overall beliefs of heaven and hell, where its black and white, either you suffer or you prosper.

Potential

- a big part of why i continue to love and adore this show is due to its potential. it has such a massive potential to be better than what it is right now, and im hoping the show explores a lot of what it lacked in the first season moving forward. i dont like to make assumptions of a show immediately off the bat especially if theres another season coming up. so, im intrigued by its potential in exploring a lot of the questions that pops up when watching the first season. i have nothing but hope for the show, and while i see the flaws that it has on its own, im not completely detached to the idea of it improving onwards.

- extra tidbit i want to point out. its okay to like a show that is flawed! i really dont like how a lot of people make assumptions about others purely off the interests they have of the show. its okay to like certain parts of the show that i criticized, its okay to like the parts of the show that many disagree with or scrutinize (narratively speaking) . that doesnt make you a bad person for liking a media that some dont like (speaking purely off of tv series and shows), its natural, and is not out of the ordinary. some people just simply dont see the appeal, which is also okay!

anyways, thats all folks! cya!

[prodshima]

shying away after an argument

genre: angst to fluff ; hurt comfort with sakusa kiyoomi & ushijima wakatoshi

warnings: reader obviously gets emotionally hurt (resolved) but other than that there’s none! + kinda ooc sakusa.

notes: this was so rushed and idk what i feel about this since i haven’t written in SOOO LONG lmfao so enjoy ig even tho im rusty now :) also this request was months ago sorry it took so long haha.

sakusa kiyoomi.

sakusa came home extra exhausted, everyone in the team was getting on his nerves

and he wanted nothing more than to lay in bed and finally take some rest after hours of practice

so when he came home to see you waiting for him eagerly, it only made him more irritated

however, it seems that you didn't notice how tense he was considering you made your way towards him with a smile

and while you kept snuggling him and asking questions if he wanted to watch a movie after dinner

he was just too exhausted to entertain anything and anyone at the moment

“jesus can you stop clinging to me all the time? it makes me fucking uncomfortable.”

he slid into the bedroom before shutting the door close

you shifted a little in your feet, not expecting the sudden outburst.

looking back a few days, you havent realized how it was annoying for him and guilt creeps up to you for making him uncomfortable through your affection

taking a deep breath, you made your way to settle on the couch, deciding to give him some wanted space

it’s the next day and sakusa woke up feeling slightly better than yesterday. he reaches an arm over to your side of the bed almost as if it’s an instinct, hoping he could cuddle you for a while before heading to practice again, a frown across his face when he felt no trace of warmth

he drags his feet out of the bedroom, a subtle smile flashing across his lips when he finds you curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over your figure

his heart tugs lightly as he remembers how he took out his frustration on you, he knows his words stung and he feels bad, but he hopes you know he doesn’t mean any of it

when he comes home from practice, you're cooking something up, maybe dinner for the two of you— but you seemed too busy to notice him so he decides to walk over himself

"y/n, hi.”

a sudden voice breaks you out of your trance as you look up to the man with his usual stoic face.

you smile at him softly, "hi kiyoomi, how was practice?"

"t' was fine" he replies and scratches his nape as he stands before you expectantly, waiting for you to give him his usual greeting hug but you immediately avert your gaze away from him and back to the pot in front of you

he tilts his head awkwardly, he thinks it’s a little strange but shrugs it off anyway, maybe you just forgot?

when you’re both eating dinner, he makes sure to send discreet glances in your way, hoping you would initiate some kind of conversation— you don’t though and his shoulders droops in defeat

after dinner, he invites you for a movie and he thinks luck was on his side when you agreed

however, he expected you to join him and settle on his lap like usual but instead, you situate yourself on the other side of the couch, leaving enough space between the two of you

now he's getting annoyed, fingers itching to just hold you and cradle you in his arms but you don’t seem to be in the mood to, did something happen?

he thinks he's being too dramatic and tries his best not to dwell on the silence too much, but he can't help but think of what he possibly might've done to make you act this way, and then his mind went back to yesterday.

he completely forgot about that as his mind was going miles away and he almost mentally beat himself up for not realizing how much his words had affected you.

trying to be subtle, he scoots over to your side, scooping you in one fluid motion onto his lap and trapping you between his arms

you jolt in surprise before trying to wriggle out of his hold, only to fail miserably, "kiy—"

"are you upset with me? i’m sorry i didn't mean it"

you stare at him in worry, suddenly feeling bad that he’s been blaming himself all along, “hey, i’m not upset with you, okay? i promise that but i do apologize for crossing the boundaries, i promise i’ll loosen myself up!” you continue with a smile, not wanting him to worry about you first.

but it appears he knows you too well for that.

"no, my love, don’t do that, please? i want you here with me and i shouldn’t have talked to you like that so let me make it up to you.. yeah?”

and finally— finally, you nestle yourself on his lap, taking in the warmth you’ve been craving as you speak up about your own feelings

“of course omi”

ushijima wakatoshi.

you knew volleyball will always be ushijima’s top priority and that he spends all of his time practicing for upcoming matches

you've supported him through and attended all of his games whenever you had a chance to and of course you were more than proud of him

but today, you wanted to spend time with him especially since you hadn't spend some time alone together for almost a month due to his schedule

the rest of the shiratorizawa team had said that their coach gave them a free day to make up for all their hard work

and you were looking forward to have a movie date which he suprisingly agreed into (he was half asleep when you asked him to)

getting ready, you dressed in comfy pjs and prepared the snacks, and warm blankets.

you waited patiently on the couch for a few minutes

but those minutes turned into hours and he still wasn't home so you texted him with worriedly, asking him if he was almost home

after an hour, he finally called you, “i can’t come. i’ve already told you that i have to spend my time on practice and not on useless things, y/n.”

your eyes pricked as his words registered in your brain

you wanted to spend some time with him, and yet he only thinks it’s a waste.

you were used to this, basing from your past relationships so you weren't that surprised although you won’t deny that you were disappointed

because maybe you thought it was going to be different this time

why did you even expect?

understanding where this was coming from, you quickly gathered yourself and replied as you tried to keep your voice steady: “ah i’m sorry toshi. i’ll see you at home. love you.”

you ended the called not long before he can even answer, not trusting yourself enough to even hear his voice after what he just said without breaking down

you shut off your phone, dragged yourself in the bedroom and drifted off to sleep

it's been a week since and today was sunday, another one of his free days and though you wanted to ask him once again if he could stay in, you knew that he was still going to the gym despite that, so you opted to keeping it to yourself, saving yourself from further heartbreak.

your prediction was soon confirmed when you checked the time, it was already 8 PM. usually at this time, ushijima had already arrived home but ever since he’s been charged as a captain, he'd always arrive around quarter to eleven or even later.

you were completely understanding and didn't bother him as much since you didn't want him to feel like you're holding him back from doing what he likes to do

shaking your head off the thought, you scrolled through the list of movies, trying to find something to entertain you for the rest of the night as you slowly munched on the chips you bought from the grocery store earlier

but what you didn’t know is that a certain male kept all his attention on his phone, taking glances from time to time as he waited for you to spam his notifications like you usually do

but you don’t and he takes this as the aftermath of the harsh words he threw at you last week and his heart sinks to his stomach at the thought of you not being your usual self

so before heading back, he quickly stopped by a small bakery shop near the apartment to buy some of your favorite pastries and cookies, hoping you would appreciate his small gift

when he got home, the lights were off and you weren't anywhere in sight. worried, he quickly strode through the living room, only to see you sitting in the couch with a bag of chip on your hand

you stare at the sudden intrusion, not expecting the certain man to be home so early “ toshi? are you okay? did something happen at pra—“

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean it”

you blinked as you tried to keep your tears at bay, not wanting to lower your guard down so easily, knowing what exactly he was apologizing for

“i apologize for my words last week, y/n. i promise you i do not mean it and i love spending my time with you, in fact i found myself enjoying it more than practice, which is quite unbelievable.”

you laugh a little at his words, suddenly feeling a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders “you know i’m only worried about you, right?”

“i know, i’m sorry.”

“and that i love you?”

“yes, i know that. i love you too.”

smiling, you usher him to sit beside you and he stumbles as he buries his face on your chest, finally having the rest he’s been missing the whole time.

© all works belong to @prodshima — do not plagiarize, copy, modify, or claim my works as your own.

[heeracha]

ep 5. / ep 6. — the availing of promo. / ep 7.

buy one, take me. — l. heeseung

synposis: with his best friend asking him for help because said best friend was scared he wasn't "boyfriend material" enough, heeseung looks for flower shops for his best friend's girlfriend. thankfully, jake knows someone from the university who has an aunt that owns a flower shop, you. now, heeseung messages you and shyly, but shamelessly asks if he can get any promos or discounts to which you shamelessly answered him, "buy one, take me". heeseung doesn't pass on this, of course. after all, you are pretty damn cute.

pairing: heeseung x flortist!fem!reader

content/genre: college au, slowburn, fluff, angst and crack, smau.

warning(s): swearing, of course. two idiots aka heey/n. unproof read !!

note: written part !! yaaaas ,, im having too much fun with this smau ngl,, i feel like,,,, by august, we're done right away,, see u on ep 7 <3

heeseung gets out of his car, walking towards the door of the shop. he looks inside to see two people looking around as his eyes land on the counter, he goes inside as he beelines to the counter, tapping the bell once as he looks around.

“hi!” you say, popping out from below causing heeseung to softly jump out of surprise. god, you have got to stop taking him by surprise. your cheeks grow red as you look down at your phone, dialing seungmin, but he doesn’t answer. fuck, this is not what you have been expecting. you honestly thought it was the two people around that rang the bell. seungmin was supposed to pick you up so you wouldn’t be able to face heeseung after that embarrassing message you sent.

heeseung presses his lips into a thin line, looking down as his ears grow red. okay, he knows you look pretty damn cute, but he didn’t expect you to be beautiful up close. you turn around, gently grabbing the small bouquet of lilies he ordered, softly handing it to him. he gently grabs it, handing you the money. you open the cashier, taking his change out as you put it on the counter.

“uh, you know what? i rather pay the original price.” heeseung says and you look up at him.

“um, no, please, i insist. this is like a discount for…” you trail off because there was no event and heeseung looks at you with his big doe eyes as he waits for you to come up with a probably stupid lame excuse. “for knowing a student in your uni that works here.” you mumble and heeseung chuckles.

“really, it’s okay.” heeseung says as he pushes the change back to you. “um, do you work here or do you just help out?”

“i work here.” you say, nodding and heeseung nods.

“and-and… what time does your shift end?” heeseung asks and you look at the clock on the side. 

“seven.” you say. “basically, closing time.” you chuckle, your hand coming up behind your neck which is a habit you’ve grown whenever you’re shy or flustered. 

“okay,” heeseung nods. “i’ll just drop these off to my friend and come back.” he says as he turns around and your eyes widen, looking at him.

“what? why?” you ask and he turns around, looking at you.

“i availed a promo,” he said. “i buy one, i take you.”

you stare at him as he turns around again, going to his car as he puts the bouquet in and drives to pick up the limited edition books in a small rare bookstore nearby. he drives, chuckling to himself. fuck, that could have gone even worse, right?

your eyes don’t leave the door, still stunned on what suddenly happened. “y/n,” you hear as you feel a nudge on your elbow. you turn your head, seeing your aunt with a concerned look. “you okay?” she asks and you hum as you entertain the customers in front of the counter.

heeseung arrives at his shared apartment with jay, knocking on the door and jay quickly opens it with an apron around his waist. “here you go.” heeseung says as he holds the items out and jay smiles, taking them. “okay, happy anniversary.” he says and jay chuckles.

“hey, you sure you’re going to stay at jake’s? you can come back, you know?” jay asks and heeseung nods.

“it’s fine, you two deserve the alone time.” he deserves to stay away to save his heart. “i’ll go now, okay? if anything goes wrong just call.”

“thank you so much.” jay says, sighs. “whenever you need something, okay?”

heeseung nods and jay smiles as he closes the door. heeseung sighs, going down to go back to you. he should really start moving on from ae-cha. how can you even move on from someone who was never even yours to begin with? he drives, arriving at the shop to see that more people have come. he comes inside, seeing you by the counter to give them their order, receipt and change. others asking you questions about flowers while your aunt was on the other side, arranging some orders.

“hey, you came back.” you say as your aunt gives you a bouquet and you secure it with a ribbon as you give it to the customer along with their receipt and change. 

“well, i have a promo, right?” he said and your aunt looked at you as you avoid her eyes because you just know, she sensed that you did something stupid. “can i do something to help?” he asks and you hum, looking at your aunt.

“let him handle the cashier.” she says and heeseung goes around, going inside the counter beside you as he removes his coat, putting it where you put yours as he starts to help with you telling him what to do. 

au taglist [open]: @jongsaengseong @fairybangtan @viagumi @nyfwyeonjun @msxflower @cyuuupid @pluviophilefangirl @denyelee @tomorrowbymoa-together @sophhloaff @duolingofanaccount @precioussoulofmine @lhsng @deeznutsriki @starzvrse @atrirose @aalwaysreading @yabukkura @artstaeh @rrinsluvr @j4d @taeyongslilkitty @andii711 @markleepooh @poipoi01 @enhasengene @jjongsha @hannabugblog @raimbows4u @calumsfringe @kunhye @sodafy @skyvwonie @wtfhyuck @sungookie @leeis

[thepinkproof]

all eyes on you

file two

You’re a model with a dark past, when your billionaire inventor sister dies and leave behind a strange man to take care of you nothing seems to be ordinary.

Genre: model reader x yandere! android taehyung

WARNING ⚠️

suicide, smut, death of family, cursing, reader struggles with mental illness, abuse

expectation: the book is dark but it will also be comedic, 5 CHAPTER STORY, POV WILL CHANGE NEXT CHAPTER

ASK TO BE ON TAGLIST: @urbanbts @zeinailn @catsareassholes @vsmv7531 @anjcrbnll @b0fi @iloverubberduckiez-blog @sharanyasrivastava ask to be added

⏪SERIES MASTERLIST

⏩ NEXT CHAPTER

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Every since that stranger entered your house you've done everything to avoid him. This includes finding anything in your room to keep you entertained, no matter how boring it was. Fortunately, you were rich and invested in comfort and entertainment in your cozy room.

But it wasn't enough. You needed human interaction. Something you haven't felt since Karina left. Your friends who you used to hang with barely spoke to you. It seemed they only interacted with you online, whether it was liking your pictures or tweets.

Regardless you made an effort to reunite with them. You sent them a text with the following message.

groupchat

miss you girls! hangout at my place?

we live for a party y/n!

if there's alcohol im there!

halloween party? im there

You watched in horror as your phone blew up in the groupchat. You specifically said hangout, not party. You totally forgot it was halloween It was no question that you weren't mentally prepared for one, you were grieving.

"Which is exactly why you need one!" You mumbled to yourself.

A smile grew on your face as you thought of the headliners. The media would love a party, they always do.

You was obsessed with her image. You loved the way people praised and loved you.

Growing up with your parents the only time they ever paid attention to you was when they saw your career doing well. And the only attention you ever got was from random people you didn't know.

While your sister faced controversy for her products, You made sure you were the one that maintained a perfect image.

Many people thought your sister's technology was too invasive. That it was too smart for a computer. Many were skeptical to buy her home system, despite having no body or face people thought it acted too human. Some even said that the system would get too happy when they came home, or too sad when they left.

A woman even started the theory that the V system saw her husband abusing her and locked all the doors anytime he was around without her telling it to do so.

One man said the V system electrocuted him after it begged not to be unplugged.

But you never believed all the rumors, you had the V system yourself and it never acted that clingy. You figured online trolls just made it up.

When the bad press came out about the V system Karina seemed happy to hear the rumors. You always admired how she didn't care about the hate.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard the door open. Instinctively, you threw a pillow at him which he easily caught.

Your mouth dropped as he glared at you. You couldn't help to feel a little bit scared, he was intimidating.

"Don't do that again." He warned.

Your eyebrows furrowed in protest at his words. "Me? You barged into my room and didn't even knock!"

"This is my house princess. I don't need to knock when every square foot in here is mines." He defended.

"Yeah ok." You said sarcastically.

Taehyung let himself into your room, his eyes looking around your huge decorated space. You hated that he was in your area. "So you have any plans today?" He asked.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." You replied putting on your headphones. Maybe he would get the hint that you don't want him near you.

You didn't even realize he was standing right over top of you. "Don't play with me Y/n."

"Um personal space." You uncomfortably mumbled pushing his firm chest.

"What makes you think you can throw a party without my permission?" He said raising his voice.

"Why are you so mad, you can come, ya know since you already live here?" You casually replied.

"You can't have a party, you could get hurt. You know what happens at parties? People get drunk, overdose and have unprotected sex." He said sitting on your bed uninvitedly.

"I don't know it sounds like fun to me." You said trying to hold in a giggle.

His eyes soften at your smile even though he didn't like the reason for it. "You know if anyone come in my house trespassing its in the law that I can creatively get rid of them. I would hate for the green grass the lawnmower just finished to become red." He casually spoked.

Your eyes widened at him. "Your dark humor is annoying ." You mumbled.

You could feel him stare at you but nevertheless you tapped away on your phone hoping he would leave you alone. You felt him snatch your phone from your hands and immediately you reach to get it back but he held it away.

You groaned words of protest at him. "What is wrong with you? Give it back!" You screamed.

"You don't need to talk to anyone but me." He scolded but you were too busy trying to get your phone back to ponder on what he said.

"We need to discuss the rules."

"Rules? I'm 25 years old. Fuck off!" You shrieked.

"According to doctors you're not capable of taking care of yourself." He stated.

Immediately you stop reaching for your phone and sat back. "Look, I haven't had an episode since the day my sister died, and before that it was 8 months. I'm doing really well." You explained hoping he would back off.

Taehyung took her hand again, just like he done yesterday. "I know my baby that's why I'm going to take care of you as well as your sister did. It will be even better than before." He said in a soothing voice.

You eyes widen at the mention of your sister. "How did you even know her?" You asked.

He let go of your hand. "I'll explain right after you listen to my rules."

"Fine."

Rule number one, You must be ready whenever I am ready. We will go everywhere together in the public."

You immediately protested. "I have a job! Plus a boyfriend. You know how that would look."

Taehyung clenched his fist at the mention of Jin. "We both know that relationship is full of dishonesty and no love. You're going to end it and we'll be a couple. So whenever I am working a model job you will be too."

"You're a new model, those jobs are below me." You mumbled crossing your arms.

"Really? Yesterday it seemed like people was talking more about me than you."

You grew silent knowing he was right and looked at him for his next rule.

"Rule two, You have to listen to me and I must watch you take your medications."

You sighed but let him continue.

"Number three, nobody is allowed to come to this house without my permission."

Number four, if anyone ask you are my girlfriend. Before you start running your mouth do you really want the public to know i am your conservator? And being my girlfriend requires more than an act, you are mines only. There wont be nothing open about our relationship like your previous affairs."

You got up from your bed in disbelief. "What do you being my conservator have to do with an relationship? You're just fulfilling your sick fantasies and taking advantage of me."

"Maybe.... but what would the public think of you being with a different man other than Jin all the time? They would call you a cheater or ship us all the time. Think about how good for your career it would be to date me." He proposed.

Taehyung knew how much you loved publicity stunts. He watched as your face went from angry to a smirk. "This is perfect. You're hot, I'm hot! Imagine the instagram photos and how much people would love us! Oh my gosh!" You shrieked in happiness.

Taehyung smiled as he watched you. You've always done something to him, something that he couldn't quite understand.

He just loved seeing you smile, hearing you talk, and seeing you happy.

"You need to get ready. I have to go to work at your sister's company."

You looked at him in confusion. "You're taking over? What do you know about technology?"

"More than you think princess ."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You and Taehyung wore matching Celine sunglasses as the paparazzi started to crowd the two of you with photos.

To be fair you were anxious. You felt bad for Jin since you two haven't officially broke up. Thanks to Taehyung, there was no way to contact him and he will have to find out from the news.

Plus, the media would say that you've moved on too quickly. You had just met Taehyung yesterday, publicly. But none of that matters. You didn't have a choice.

Taehyung grip on your hand tightened the closer the papparazi got. You thought he might have been nervous since he was a new model. He probably wasn't use to all this attention.

But Taehyung loved the soft feeling of your skin and he hated the way the paparazzi swarmed around you, like you were some zoo animal.

It was unfair. There was more to you than your looks. What gives them the right to think they can follow you around?

"Are you guys a couple?" The papparazi kept nagging.

You looked over to Taehyung who was silent and just glared at them.

Rolling your eyes underneath your sunglasses you answered them. "Yes we are."

Listening to the reaction of the news you can tell you got their attention, exactly what you needed. But, it still didn't stop their questions.

"No way! He's a new model it's no way he can pull you that fast." One of the men said thinking you couldn't hear.

Without thinking Y/n pulled Taehyung in for a quick but dirty kiss. They started to gasp and take more pictures of them.

Taehyung didn't know his cheeks could turn red, but they did. He didn't know what to do with your affection. How could you kiss him without a warning? He felt uneasy. He didn't even get a chance to kiss you back.

Fuck! Why would you do this to him? He should have been the one to initiate the kiss! What makes you think you can just kiss him out of nowhere?

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You watched as Taehyung spoke so intelligently about tech to the board of directors. It was safe to say you weren't the only one who was shock. The board of directors looked surprised that he knew so much. He didn't look like the nerdy type.

You also wondered how someone could be so smart. He was using big words and you didn't understand a word what he was saying. It was also strange how he knew alot about Karina's technology already.

"V tech has accomplished so much groundbreaking technology but it's also been consistent. It's always been the V home system, the V camera, why don't we take all of these features and make a smartphone." Taehyung suggested.

The board of directors all stared at him but one lady couldn't hold her laughter. You recognized her from other meetings with your sister. She's been working for her every since she graduated college and kissed her way up to the board of directors.

"Excuse me but what makes you think you can walk in here and tell us what to do? We have stocks in this company and legally own percentages. We get to choose the next head of V tech, not a random pretty face like you. If you want to model and endorse the technology like Y/n use to do than sure, sit down! But we are the ones who come up with the ideas." She said standing up from her seat to be more authoritative.

Taehyung looked around at the rest of the board of directors, they agreed with her. Who did they think they were? He knew everything Karina would've wanted. He knew everything you wanted.

"Karina elected me as the new head. In fact, the V phone was her idea." Taehyung surprsingly pulled out a blueprint from his pocket with notes. You recognized her handwriting but you didn't understand how Taehyung found this. Perhaps he was looking through the basement, maybe he knew her in the past. All you knew that you had to ask.

The directors looked shock that Taehyung had proof that he was the successor. "It doesn't matter who Karina chose, she's not here right now. The V phone idea is cliché and a waste of money." The lady argued.

Taehyung's odd blue eyes bore into hers. "You're going to need the V phone to call the emergency room when I-" He started but you interrupted sensing trouble.

"Oh-kay! I think everyone needs a break so why don't we take one." You said in a loud voice causing everyone attention to look at you.

Surprisingly, everyone listened to you. They all tiredly walked out of the room, some even glaring at Taehyung on the way out.

In the end it was just the two of you in the room. It was obvious he was angry, the man looked like he was going to explode. "You seriously need to smile a little. Do you need some of my anti-depressants?"

Oh if looks could kill you would be dead right now. He looked more angry at you than the directors.

"Why did you kiss me?! You didn't even ask for consent!" He blurted.

You were taken back. Is this seriously what he was mad about? You scoffed. "Nobody asks consent for a kiss. I mean it was just a kiss, it's not that serious." You explained to him.

"Not that serious? Kisses are romantic. It's an appropriate way to show love without it being sexual because it's just a person showing their pure emotions." He argued.

You laughed at him. "It's not that romantic just two people swapping saliva."

A small gasp let out your mouth when Taehyung shoved his lips towards yours. The kiss was rough and passionate and without question you kissed back. He pulled on your lips with enough force for you to understand that he was trying to shut you up. His tongue tried to enter your mouth but you immediately pushed away.

"What the fuck! Why did you kiss me? You didn't ask!" You yelled at him.

He smirked at you contradicting your own words. Realizing you became quite flustered and embarrassed. "But you can't just kiss me!"

"I thought you said kisses weren't that serious." He mocked.

"B-But that wasn't just a kiss! That was different! That was heated and affectionate! A kiss people give before they are about to bone!" You yelled at him but he only found it amusing.

"Hmm was it? It was just swapping saliva to me." He grinned.

"Ugh! What is up with you? Why are you like this?"

"Like what?" He questioned.

You glared at him because of his unknowingness before rambling. "Well first you're so perfect looking and you steal all the attention from me. Then you weirdly have ownership of my house and life. You know about technology... how exactly? And most importantly how the fuck do you know Karina?"

"So many questions Y/N. But I will answer them. Karina taught me everything I know and made me the person I am today." He vaguely answered.

"Well that answered absolutely nothing! I have never heard Karina spoke of you." You sighed slapping your hands on your thighs.

"Oh don't stress yourself out on things that don't matter princess." Taehyung watched as you cross your arms and stared at the floor. He noticed that you were quite immature for your age. Very spoiled from the rich treatment your family has given you but also it's clear your life haven't been easy.

It was clear your sister monitored you but also let you have your way. He didn't understand why you were so obsessed with your image and career. Maybe it was a distraction that kept you from realizing the horrors of your real life, your real story.

"Oh don't frown princess. Look what I got you." Your curious eyes looked up at him. "The new V phone prototype! The public will definitely buy it when they see that their favorite model is the only one with this phone." He said in an enticing voice.

"I want my old phone back, you know the one you stole?" You complained.

"The camera quality on this is amazing and you can even talk to V on here. C'mon Y/N i know you miss him." He tried to persuade in a cheerful voice.

You raised your eyebrow at him. "How did you know i missed my beloved V system?" You weren't suspicious of him but you disliked that he knew so much about you and you knew little about him.

"Who wouldn't miss the best tech in the world?" He smiled innocently. You didn't say anything to him as you took the phone from his hands. You started to turn it on and inspect it.

"Speaking of miss, do you think anyone would miss that board of director lady if I got rid of her?" He asked you.

You shrugged, attention all on the new features of the phone. "I mean I guess not? She's only been here for about a year. Firing her won't be a problem."

"Oh you thought I meant get rid of her as in fire?" He laughed. You didn't reflect on the meaning of his words as you had already downloaded social media. It was terrible to be away from your socials even for a few hours.

"That's so cute of you. I was thinking of ruthlessly ending her life but perhaps a fire would be more decent." He added deep in thought.

Your eyes looked up from the phone in disgust. "Don't joke about killing people Taehyung. Do you want to get cancelled?"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taehyung and you both looked at the house. He clenched his jaw as he stared at the hundreds of people outside in the pool. Alcohol bottles everywhere, loud music blasting through their ears.

You however had a mischievous smirk on your face. A halloweeen party at your house! And to make it even better it was packed, your social status still remained at the top.

Taehyung sensed your excitement as you jumped up in the air preparing to run and join them but his arm held you back.

"Don't play with me Y/n. I said no parties. You're stupid for doing this without my permission." He scolded.

"Hold on Dad!" You insulted. "You took my phone away before I could call it off, this is on you. It's nothing we can do now except enjoy the party." You mischievously suggested.

He sighed as you ran off towards the party. He should've known you were alot of work.

Taehyung could feel eyes of drunk girls gazing at him as he squeezed through the crowd to get to the door. Some even offering him a dance or a drink.

He knew he needed to calm down. His anger was always something he couldn't control. He lets his head rest on the door and took a deep breath.

After feeling he recollected himself he typed the keycode in. Opening the door to finally be alone, oh so he thought, as the people started to crowd in his house.

He let out a huge yell of anger causing people beside him to look at him strangely.

This couldn't be apart of his program. He haven't felt this way in a while. He was sure he was designed to be calm, obedient and kind. But he felt the opposite.

"Why so serious?" A voice appeared. He looked at a girl who was facing him. She was quite attractive dressed in skimpy clothing. Her hair was tied in pigtails, the ends of it blue and red.

"Get it i'm dressed as Harley Quinn and you look intimidating like the Joker." She chuckled.

Taehyung glared at her not wanting to be talked to. "I'm not dressed as anything." He coldly responded.

"You look sexy as you are. Besides these costumes can be hard to take off when the opportunity arise." She flirted. Taehyung dismissed her comment as he tried to walk off.

She pulled on his arm. "Hey! Do you know who I am!" She said offended from him walking away.

"A snobby entitled celebrity like everyone else in this room." He hissed.

"Chill sweetheart. I've heard of you on the news all week. You're Kim Taehyung." She grinned.

Taehyung used his eyes to look at hers. Immediately he searched for her face. "You're Carly Cross, a supermodel." He stated.

"Oh so you do know me. Then you should know I'm at the top in this industry and if you want to be on top, perhaps you should try getting on top of me." She suggested pulling on his shirt.

He paused to gather more information on her. "You're Y/n's competition. You've been dissing her for years. Why would I ever touch anyone who dislike my girlfriend?"

Carly laughed. "Your girlfriend seems like she has no problem touching anyone." Taehyung saw her eyes looking at a scene. You were dancing on someone very seductively.

"I know you're new sweetie so let me tell you about Y/n. She's been around just like everyone else in this industry. But she's different. She's a nepotism baby whose only relevant because of her sister. Now that her sister is dead there’s not much relevancy there. I suggest you stick with me, besides I am prettier." Carly's hand started to feel on Taehyung body lower and lower every word she spoke.

Taehyung pushed her off him roughly. "You dumb fuck. Don't touch me. And if you ever speak or even think about Y/n the only thing you would be modeling is a casket."

Taehyung ignored her as she gasped in shock. He looked up and saw that Y/n was gone. It was a good thing he had a way to know where she was at all times.

In a rush, he went upstairs to where he knew exactly she would be. He wondered why she would leave the party. She seemed to be enjoying it. He hoped she was okay.

Opening the door he saw you making out roughly with some dude. You were so invested you didn't even hear or see him insert the room.

Taehyung felt his anger get worst as he saw the man visibly erected letting out moans.

You disconnected the kiss and for a moment Taehyung thought you had finally noticed he was in the room.

"I want to see how you feel inside me." You said in a breathy voice holding his face close to yours.

He connected the kiss again as you unbutton his pants. You were confused when he stopped kissing you. Suddenly his head fell on your shoulder.

He let out a moan but not of pleasure, but of pain. Opening your eyes you see Taehyung standing over the both of you.

"Is that enough of his insides to feel princess?”Taehyung said stabbing the man in his back again.

You shrieked in fear as he kept doing it. Repeatingly stabbing him as you felt blood all over you.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Taehyung please." You cried. Seeing your tears he automatically changed. He threw the knife somewhere on the floor and pushed the man’s body off of you.

His once angered face was now full of concerned as he moved his legs to straddle you. But that only made you cry harder.

"Why would you do that?" You screamed. You were now breaking down. Letting out loud sobs in fear.

"I told you you were mine. Why would you do this?" He asked with a genuine confused face.

"You're fucking sick! Get off of me!" You screamed with a hoarse voice.

"I'm sick? You cheated on me. How can you kiss two men in one day? Why did you make me do this?" He sobbed. He started to cry erratically.

You had never seen anyone cry that hard. It even caused you to stop crying for a moment. Your attention focused on him thinking for any way to get out of this situation.

Maybe it was a mistake. You could see he was obviously guilty about it. Nevertheless, you were still scared of him.

Your mouth slowly dropped as Taehyung cries become louder and exuberant. It was then you noticed his teeth together and the slight dimple forming. He wiped away his tears. He was laughing.

"I'm kidding! You didn't make me do that. I wanted to do that. I needed to." He grinned, his smile became bigger when he saw your shocked reaction.

"B-but why?" You croaked.

"The guy was very below your standards. He probably thought this was going to be the best night of his life sleeping with a pretty girl like you, only for it to be his last night." He chuckled looking at the blood on his hands.

You couldn't make out any words. You were frozen. Those dark jokes he made earlier. You paid no attention to it thinking he was just joking. How could you be naive?

A random man walks into your life, controls it, threatens you and you thought he was normal?

"Or maybe I just like the satisfying feeling killing in front of you. You should've saw your face, it was so cute when the blood landed all over you." He smiled at you.

"Please don't kill me Taehyung." You murmured barely letting your words out in fright.

He looked offended. "I could never hurt you, Y/n. I'm going to protect you princess. And if you don't listen there will be graving consequences." He leaned in and whispered in your ear causing the blood to spread more on you.

"I-I understand just please get off of me." You pleaded.

He instantly got up but you got up slowly. You turned your body around to the edge of the bed and  cringed when your feet was touching the body.

With one deep breath you stood up and avoided his stares. You took slow steps towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" His voice asked from behind you.

"I need to clean myself up." You hesitantly answered, you didn't dare turn around.

"No. Go out to the party like you are." His hand wrapped around your waist. "Blood all over your pretty white dress. You look beautiful."

Instantly you protested. "People would know what you did. I can't wear this." She would love for everyone to know Taehyung was a killer but what killer allows people to know he kills.

"It's halloween princess. You'll blend in perfectly."

So she did. The both of them did. They walked out into the party, crimson blood splattered all on their bodies.

Everyone's eyes was on them in awe, not in fear. For once you didn't smile for the cameras, you ignored them as they took pictures of you.

And on tommorow's morning news you two would be the sexist couple, people would rave over the halloween costume, they would recreate it years in the future, they would admire the two of them, wish to be them, not knowing the cold and dark truth.

[prisonhannibal]

Why don't you like true crime vids? Completely agree but im just curious what does it for you!

I don’t really want to do like a well written in depth post rn but most of it is exploitative, insensitive, sensationalized and misinformed. they spread a lot of misinformation about mental health, your legal rights and the justice system, and a lot of them basically encourage speculation about peoples personal life who have never been charged with a crime or done anything except lose a loved one. People treat other peoples personal tragedies as a puzzle solving game or something. lots of police propaganda, lots of “they asked for a lawyer isn’t that suspicious???” and “they weren’t cooperative with law enforcement” and “if you have nothing to hide….” and “he refused a polygraph test” etc. Some crimes literally will be turned into entertainment or twisted into their future entertainment value before they’re even resolved, like when a woman went missing last year I saw people talk about how they were waiting for a netflix documentary. that’s horrifying.

i’ve also seen a lot of survivors or relatives of victims say that they don’t like their cases being covered because people usually don’t reach out to them before, and the stories often get twisted and the youtuber will be like “what do you guys think? id love to know your theories in the comments” encouraging wild speculation about peoples personal life who, again, haven’t been convicted of any crime. i’ve had a couple posts criticizing true crime blow up, and i’ve personally had family members of victims contact me and share their feelings about it, and if I hadn’t already stopped watching true crime youtube, that would’ve been enough to turn me off it for good.

I don’t think true crime books or documentaries are inherently bad, but I think the popularity of it as a genre becoming super mainstream has made it more into sensationalized entertainment than actual information or awareness. some podcasts and youtubers do good work spreading awareness and working with victims families and organizations, but I’m talking about the overall trends I’m seeing, not specific people right now. I think it does more harm than good