#ive settled on the name for now. it has a decent enough ring to it :3

[flutteringfable]

bnha fantasy au blurb because i have it on the brainnn

featuring kento because of course it does. since the canon fantasy au seems primarily based on western folklore, to get kento to fit in im just gonna have to squeeze in a tiny bit of japanese folklore. bc. yknow. kitsune.

kento is a kitsune who guards a well known shrine outside the city. he spends almost all of his time there, since priests in the city don’t take too kindly to his presence. he does, however, sneak around at night to visit taverns and do some trading and shopping.

one afternoon, kento catches wind of some new visitors passing through; the barbarian prince and his dragon companion. kento has heard plenty about them (mostly about the prince’s quick temper), but he’s curious to know if the rumors are true. so, he decides to take a risk and visit the city a little earlier than usual to see if he can spot them.

unfortunately, while he’s sauntering about and browsing the shops, kento is seen by a woman who recognizes him as a kitsune and accuses him of stealing products from the shops. he tries his hardest to defend himself, to no avail, and is instead hit by a weak spell she casts in his direction.

it does little to hurt kento, but he lies stunned on the ground for a moment. he prepares to fight back or teleport, but is instead covered by the large shadow of a person who’s leapt in front of him. he looks up to see a man with draconian features standing above him, wings outstretched.

“oi, kirishima! the hell are you doing?” a voice growls from somewhere in the surrounding crowd. “this ain’t our fight; get back over here!”

kento hears a rumbling growl from the half-dragon (supposedly kirishima) in front of him. “no, i’m not letting this guy get hurt!” kirishima’s voice softens as he addresses the woman who had attacked kento, reassuring her that kento had done no harm.

eventually, the conflict dissolves, and kento quietly dusts himself off and sits up. he’s surprised to see kirishima now looking at him, crouching down to make sure kento is alright.

“i’m really sorry i caused you so much trouble,” kento mumbles, embarrassed. “i don’t normally leave the shrine so early in the day, but i was hoping to see the visitors the whole city has been gossiping about. just my luck that i ended up like this.”

“no worries!” kirishima replies. “i’m just glad you’re okay! i would offer to treat you to a meal, but kats— ah, prince bakugou probably wouldn’t let me. he’s stubborn like that.”

wait. “prince bakugou…? OH GODS—“ kento leaps to his feet, fidgeting awkwardly as if he was unsure of how to properly address the other. “i’m so sorry, i had no idea! if anything, i should be the one treating you two to a meal, as payment for the trouble!”

kirishima laughs, replying, “hey, easy there. no need to get all formal. it’s really no issue, even if prince bakugou might disagree. it’s reassuring enough to know you’re alright— uh… sorry, i don’t think i caught your name.”

kento introduces himself, still burning with embarrassment. “my name’s kento sasaki. i’m the guardian kitsune of a nearby shrine, but i tend to visit the village at night to get things done. since… well, you saw what happened. people don’t take super kindly to kitsune around here.”

“well, i guess you got lucky then, since i take kindly to pretty much everyone!” kirishima beams, and kento notes his incredibly sharp teeth. “can’t say the same for bakugou, though. he’s… not exactly the most friendly guy.” the dragon pauses, glancing about to make sure no one was listening. “don’t tell him i said that.”

kento laughs. “of course not. well, thank you for the help… kirishima, was it? i heard your prince say your name earlier, i think. thanks for protecting me. i’m not a huge fan of fighting, since i feel like it sort of tarnishes the already bad reputation kitsune have around here.”

“no worries,” kirishima replies. “i’m always happy to help!”

“making a new friend, stupid scales?”

kento jumps, startled by the new voice. standing next to kirishima is a grumpy-looking blonde with a fur-lined cape. is this…?

“ah, yeah! this is sasaki, he’s a kitsune!” kirishima seems undeterred. “sasaki, this is prince bakugou!”

bakugou glares at kento for a moment.

“sorry for the trouble,” kento apologizes again, shrinking under bakugou’s piercing gaze. “but kirishima is a really good companion, i imagine. i hope you both take good care of each other.”

“‘course we do,” bakugou scoffs. “you think i wouldn’t look out for this idiot whose heart’s too big for his own good? he’s always sticking his neck out for people like you; it’s stupid.”

kento bites back a laugh as kirishima elbows bakugou. “don’t be rude to him! you’ll leave a bad first impression.”

“whatever, stupid scales,” bakugou retorts. “‘s not like we’ll be coming back to visit or anything.”

“still!” kirishima huffs, crossing his arms. “sorry about him, sasaki.”

“no worries,” kento replies warmly. “it was an honor to meet the both of you. forgive me for prying, but where will you two be headed after this?”

bakugou opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by an overeager kirishima. “we’re visiting my family in the southern mountains! i haven’t seen ‘em in ages, i’m super excited to go back again!”

kento raises his brows. “oh? i’ve heard about the dragon tribe there; i guess now that i’m looking more closely i can see the resemblance. i hope you enjoy your reunion, kirishima. maybe when you two make your way back through the city, i can treat you to a meal. consider it a thank you from me.”

i’m so normal about them. i don’t have any more writing energy atm, but maybe i’ll make a follow up with shorter general headcanons about them in the future <3

[echoalyssa]

Used | JJ Maybank

gif by @anakin-skywalker

WARNING : There IS heavy mentions of rape in this. Please proceed with caution and don’t force yourself to read it if you can’t. If this is a trigger to you, DO NOT read this. I love all of you and please don’t ever hesitate to come to me if you are ever struggling or need someone to talk to.

The fire crackles warmly ahead of you, the Pogues had decided to camp out around a fire on the beach tonight and of course you joined. Plus it was probably mandatory. With how many Kooks there were, the Pogues would have to show up to hold their ground.

You’re leaning back against a warm chest, his button up shirt was never actuall buttoned. He has an arm over your shoulder, tangling his long fingers with your own, his head resting atop yours because of the height difference. He laughs at something that John B had said and you smile, solely because of how comforting the laugh of him had become. As well as the soft rise and fall of his chest and the fact that if you turned your head and pushed against him, there you would find the soft rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat nestled in his chest.

His other hand is holding a beer but occasionally he’ll release the bottle with a couple of his fingers and brush them across your hair. Today it fell loose around your shoulders, wavy from the time you had spent in the water with little braids scattered throughout. When you first began braiding your hair this way you would add little silver rings in the braids to make the look fancier but had quickly abandoned the idea with how fast they would fall out and get lost during your excursions with the Pogues.

Kiara says something and John B swats at her but you’re not entirely sure what she had said. You’re too lost in the way that JJ’s fingers are dragging down your wrist and playing with the different string and twine bracelets around your wrist. One of which JJ had made for you, it was probably the worst, design wise, that was on your wrist but it meant the most to you and it held up.

JJ takes another swig of his beer and then groans when he finds it empty. You giggle at his exasperation and push yourself up from your spot on the ground. You rotate to one side, your body having locked up and become stiff, and then the other.

You pluck the beer can from his fingers and then bend and press your lips to his. His fingers slide into your hair and he pulls you in, his tongue sliding into your mouth as he deepens the kiss for just a second before turning you around in the direction of the drinks. His hands linger on your hips and you know that he’s admiring his view before you knock his hands off your hips and stick your tongue out at him.

“Beautiful” He throws in your direction and you flush.

You pick your way across the sand in the direction of the cooler, suddenly feeling the urge to get a drink for yourself as well as your boyfriend. A cooler breeze blows though your hair and swirls around your body. Goosebumps immediately show up after the path that the breeze had taken. You’re wearing a black crop top and denim festival shorts, a bandana around the wrist opposite from the bracelets.

You’ll have to steal your boyfriends shirt, knowing he’d give it to you without a mind. Being that he was so warm all the time, he wouldn’t notice the cool breeze.

When you get to the table there’s a Kook boy there.

“Hey baby!” He quips.

You wince, clearly he didn’t know about your relationship with JJ... or maybe he did and that’s why he was trying to use a nickname like that.

“Just two beers” You say, as politely as possible, trying not to cause any problems with any kooks.

He glances around, trying to figure out where you had come from.

“Are you new here?” He asks and you shake your head.

He reaches below the table and grabs two beers then pops open one and hands it to you. “Want to come hang out with me and my friends?”

And if he didnt have such a douche bag personality he may have been a decent looking boy. You smile at him again politely, “I’ve got to get back to my boyfriend”

A muscle in his cheek twitches and reaches for you bottle, grasps it for a fraction of a second and then pulls back and hands you the second beer. “Okay okay, I get it. See you around?”

You nod and quickly head back to your boyfriend, settling back into his arms. You hand him his beer and then raise yours to your lips. The strangeness of the previous situation is weighing on you and you down the beer in almost two sessions. John B is ogling you, very confused as to why you have suddenly decided to chug your drink and JJ is laughing and cheering you on.

Normally you can hold your alcohol pretty well, but today the world is already spinning. You feel fuzzy and giggly and you suddenly have to pee. “Ive gotta peeeeeee” You say, turning your head and literally licking JJ’s cheek. He swats at you and pushes you in the direction of the woods. Normally he offers to come with you but today he’s engrossed in his conversation with Pope and just lets you go.

You stumble into the trees, giggling and running your fingertips across the bark. You’re stumbling farther into the woods than normal. Normally you just go in far enough to squat and pee where nobody can see you but you’re so entranced with the way the world is spinning, it’s just so pretty.

“Hi again pretty girl.” You spin, confused. And see the boy that had given you the beer. You should be suspicious but you’re just giggling, bent over at the waist.

He moves closer, and then you feel his hand in your hair. You try to jerk upwards but the world is slowing now, it shouldn’t be. You had only had one beer, something doesn’t add up here but you can’t think, your brain is moving too slowly and you’re sinking to the ground and he’s getting so close. And then... the world blacks out.

~~~

When you come to you aren’t sure where you are. It’s cold, freezing actually, and you can hear a voice yelling your name.

“Y/N! Where are you?!”

The voice belongs to your boyfriend, you would know that voice anywhere despite how slow your brain is working.

The edges of your vision is blurred and then you hear your name again and JJ is running towards you.

There’s a look of horror on his face but you’re drifting back out of consciousness again and he’s gone.

~~~

JJ runs toward his girlfriend, his mind racing. He can see her lying on the ground, she’s not conscious and he can see that. But he can also see the bruises that have appeared on her skin, he can see that her shorts are gone and she’s lying bare. He knows this isn’t her doing but he can’t bring together the words to his mind of what this is. He knows she’s been drugged and used. But he doesn’t want to believe it. He wants to pretend this is a nightmare, where he can just wake up.

He’s used to being knocked down, he’s used to the abuse and the horribleness of life but he’d always been able to protect you, up until now.

She’s been... she’s been raped. And he knows it. He rushes to you, tries to cover you as best as possible before he’s running back to the pogues, yelling for their help.

~~~

You wake up again in JJ’s bed. It’s familiar and warm, but the effects of the alcohol have worn off now and your brain is finally working and you’re sewing together the pieces of what had happened.

It comes rushing back in a flash, you don’t remember it actually happening but you remember getting the beer from the Kook, you know that he had grabbed your drink unnecessarily. You remember heading into the trees to pee, and then losing consciousness. And then you remember JJ calling for you, seeing him run to you and you remember the feelings of your body and it clicks in you.

And you let out a rough sob. Bending over the side of the bed and dry heaving as the realization hits you like a ton of bricks.

The door flies open and your boyfriend emerges in the doorway and you sob again, scrambling away from him. He’s your boyfriend and you love him but you can’t be around him, not with how violated you feel. Not with the way you can’t even look at him, hear his breathing, see the way his body is moving.

This Kook had ruined you, and left you to pick up the pieces. No man or woman should ever do such a thing as this. You’d just never thought that it could ever happen to you.

[flymyhp]

Birds to Spellbooks Pt. 3

Pairing: George Weasley x Hufflepuff!reader

Summary: George and y/n spend the Yule Ball together, as friends. At first.

Words: 3,288

Warnings: Muggle song, yikes!! Same as last time, so much fluff it makes me sick. Enjoy!!

A/N: (Weird writing a character in who’s name is hannah when that’s my name) Sorry this has taken so long, ive been dealing with a lot. But here’s the last part! I made it a little longer than the first two as an apology. 

Tags: @wintrrrsoldier

The day of the Yule Ball, y/n was lying in bed staring up at the yellow fabric above the bed. Every other Hufflepuff in her year had already left for breakfast. She couldn’t get her legs to move. Nerves upset her stomach and overcrowded her thoughts. Of course she’d been comfortable around George last night, but being dressed up had her worried that he wouldn’t see her the same as he did last night. She didn’t want him to think any less of her.

Breakfast would be half over by now and she knew people would be asking where she was. Since she was seen with George so often now people had finally stopped teasing her and actually apologized. She had a decent group of friends. That is except for a couple of Slytherins, and a few people from other houses. But it didn’t bother her too much and she now had people that would stick up for her instead of joining in.

George had met her after their classes apart and walked her to her next, and they’d spent the afternoons together. But today was different. She forced her legs to move and set off to her wardrobe to fetch her robes. She sighed and took out her dress she was sent by her parents. An off the shoulder, off white long party gown, with dark gold accents. It fit her well, but her stomach did flips as she looked at it. Would it be enough? 

She put the dress back and grabbed her jumper. Straightening up her tie, she made her way to the great hall. The nerves in her stomach heightened when she saw him sitting at the Gryffindor table. They settled down a bit when she sat down with her friends. 

“Y/n! Finally out of bed, are we?” Cedric Diggory exclaimed, offering her a plate. She took it with a kind smile and picked out a very small breakfast, she wasn’t sure if her stomach would allow her to eat. Cedric gave her a smile and nodded over to Cho. 

“Aren’t you guys nervous?” Y/n started, picking her food apart with her fork. 

“A little bit,” Hannah Abbott started. “I’m mostly just excited, didn't get much sleep last night. I was looking at my gown. I can’t believe we’re having a dance, I thought only muggles got those.” She kept looking over her shoulder at Seamus and giggling.

Y/n couldn’t turn around to look at George. She wasn’t sure if he even knew that she was here yet.

Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face Ginny standing behind her, smirking. “For you.” She handed her a parcel, attached to it was a note.

Happy Holidays, bird! Decided to wait until the ball to see you, as is tradition. That’s a wedding tradition, but all the same, I didn’t want you to be worried that I don’t come around today so that’s why I sent this. I hope you like it. I’m excited to see you. You don’t have to write back or anything I just wanted to let you know. 

All my love, Georgie.

Her cheeks lit up along with her smile. A little embarrassed, she took the wrapping off of the parcel. Inside she found a flower bud. She picked it up, a faint ringing noise came from it and it shook in her hand. It grew in her palm into a yellow rose. 

“Isn’t it just so cute?” Ginny sat down next to her.

She held the rose in her hand, admiring it. It had also sprouted a pin on the back of it for her dress. Turning her head to find George, his face lit up when their eyes met. She smiled shyly at him and he winked at her. 

Leaning in to make sure no one heard, Ginny began, “I shouldn’t spoil it, but apparently he has something else planned.” Y/n’s heart raced with the same feeling she got when he first asked her, thinking it was a joke. 

“Like what?”

“Well, I didn’t hear all of it, but you won’t be spending the night in your dorm after the ball.” She raised her eyebrows at y/n. Y/n furrowed hers. “That’s all I know, it’ll be wonderful though. I’m going with Neville.”

With a breath of relief, breakfast was over. The rest of the day for Y/n and her friends was spent in the common room, 

“This is going to be perfect!” Hannah clapped from outside the girls dorm, the girls were showing off their gowns for a before-the-ball get together. Y/n was the last to be changed.  She wasn’t as nervous showing her friends as she was seeing George. She opened the door, Hannah and Susan Bones turned to face her. Hannah’s hands went to her mouth and she bounced up and down on her toes, Susan gasped. 

“That’s absolutely gorgeous! That must’ve cost loads!” Susan gushed, feeling the fabric in admiration. 

Y/n looked down. “It’s a hand-me-down. My mother’s.”

“It’s perfect. George won’t be able to stand when he sees you.” Hannah said, a proud smile on her face.

The three linked arms and strutted their way to the common room. The boys began clapping and howling at them jokingly. The girls laughed and unlinked their arms, striking poses.

“Lucky guys, those three are.” Cedric admitted, chuckling and offering them sparkling water. 

The next hour was spent joking around and dancing to music in preparation for the night. With only an hour left, the girls went back to their dorms to do their hair and makeup. 

They all went with a very natural makeup look. Hannah put her hair half up half down, Susan tied hers in a bun with a braid. Y/n let the girls do her hair.

“I’m thinking curls, Susan?” Hannah started. Susan agreed. Y/n prepared herself for whatever they decided looked best. After a long 20 minutes, “Ta-da!” y/n was able to turn herself towards the mirror and look. 

Her hair was curled, the sides pinned in the back with a diamond pin. The last thing y/n had to do was put her rose on her dress. She smiled looking down at it.

The girls didn’t want to be late, so they rushed toward the common room where the guys were waiting to head to the great hall. They all set off in a group. Y/n’s nerves settled in her stomach as they drew nearer. Turning the final corner where everyone was entering, Cedric nodded towards them and joined Cho. Susan also set off to the dance to find Seamus. Hannah and Y/n, with their arms linked, began down the staircase. 

Fred and George were standing with Angelina, who mid-laugh caught y/n’s eye and nudged George with her elbow and nodded up to her. Y/n’s heart raced in her chest, she focused on the steps and Hannah’s arm steadying her. 

“Confidence.” Hannah whispered to her. She watched as George turned to face the stairs and looked up at her, his mouth hung open slightly.

Fred laughed at George’s expression, but George couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “Gorgeous.” She couldn’t hear his whisper. She did her best to keep her eyes off of him, she didn’t want to fall. Or him see how red her cheeks were.

Chin held high as Hannah told her, they stopped at the last step right above the twins and Angelina. George offered his hand to y/n, she bowed slightly and turned her head to Hannah. “Don’t have too much fun.” Hannah said with a wink and went to find Seamus.

Y/n took George’s hand, who kissed it and helped her down the last step. He put his hands on her waist and looked over her face. “Hello, beautiful.” 

“Hello.” She said shyly. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered looking at him. “I like your outfit, Georgie.” She took in his gold vest that he matched with Fred. 

“Thank you, darling. But I must say, it doesn’t compare to you.” His hand found his rose on her dress and he smiled. “Do you like it? The yellow is for friendship, did you know?” 

“It’s beautiful. I didn’t know, but it fits, considering we haven’t made anything official.” She looked down at it.

He unpinned it from her dress. “I know, but I figured tonight would be a good transition.” 

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly at his words. “To what?”

He held it in his hands and smiled. “You should know, at least since last night by the lake.” He waited to see the look on her face. Her eyes lit up slightly, her chest rose faster and she smiled. He covered the rose in his hands, and opened them back up. The rose was a deep red now. 

“George-”

“I’m sure you know, a red rose symbolizes love.” He held the rose in his hand. “But I should ask you formally.” Her eyes grew wider, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She knew at this point that George Weasley loved her. He’d never said it verbally but she knew. “Y/n. Will you be my girlfriend? Officially.”

She nodded before she could get any words out. “Oh George, you know I will.” He pinned the rose back on her dress and cupped her face in his hands, bringing her into a kiss.

When they pulled back, he held his arm out for her to take. They entered the great hall together, where everyone was awaiting the champions and their partners. They stood next to Fred and Angelina.

“You look beautiful, y/n” Angelina leaned over to tell her through the noise of everyone talking. 

“Thank you! You look gorgeous as well.” She gave her a bright smile.

“Finally did it, huh George?” Fred threw at his brother. 

George knocked his shoulder to Freds. “Been waiting a long time, couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” He replied. 

Y/n smiled to herself at their conversation. 

Soft music played over the crowd of students as the champions entered with their partners, arm in arm. Shouts and claps towards the champions grew louder than the music. They were the first to dance as tradition. Harry was the only one who seemed slightly out of place. Y/n felt bad for him, being only fourteen and having his name pulled from the goblet of fire. She knew from the very beginning he didn’t put it in, just based on how he acted when it happened. 

The champions danced first, other couples joined in once some of the professors began dancing. 

“May I have this dance, love?” George asked, offering his hand again.

“Always.” She replied, taking his hand.

He led her closer to the side of the floor. They’d been taught the dance so they didn’t have to worry about not being able to. George had his hand on her waist as they were supposed to, only he was holding her tighter and closer to him than recommended. He couldn’t help it, he wanted her as close to him as possible now that they were together. She didn’t mind in the slightest, she enjoyed it. 

He spinned her and watched her skirt and hair twirl with her, her smile made his heart leap. Lifting her into the air in sync with everyone else, she laughed. Everything was perfect. 

The dance ended and they were left to get drinks or food if they wished, or keep dancing. 

“I need something to drink, and then we can continue.” Y/n started off towards the tables and George caught up to her and grabbed her hand to walk with her.

They met Harry and Ron with their dates, looking dreadful.

“Aren’t you two going to dance?” Y/n asked them, her hand wrapped tightly around George’s arm. 

Harry looked up at her and then to Ron. Ron shook his head. 

“C’mon Ronnie, won't you waltz with me?” George pretended to dance to pick on his little brother. He laughed and y/n pulled on his arm. 

Ron looked threateningly at his brother. “Piss off.”

“Sorry guys, I’ll see you later on.” She gently shoved George off in the direction of the drinks. She leant down slightly to them. “Loosen up guys, it’s a dance. Don’t leave the girls hanging.” She winked to the four of them and started off towards George as the three-excluding ron-gave her a small smile. 

George was standing with Fred as she approached the two of them. He had a cup of water in his hand and a cup of what looked like blue fruit punch in the other, but who knew at Hogwarts. 

“I didn’t know which you’d prefer, so I got you both, I’ll drink whichever you don’t.” He held out the two cups. 

“If I don’t like the blue one can I have the water? If you don’t mind drinking after me.” She asked.

“Not at all, here, love.” He handed the drink to her.

It tasted like raspberries and blueberries, it sparkled under the bright lights. “ It’s wonderful, have you tried it?” 

She handed it to him and he tried it, he decided he’d throw the water away and get more punch. 

“Where’s Angelina?” Y/n asked Fred.

“Gone to the bathroom, should be out soon.” He responded. 

George took a sip of his drink and wrapped an arm around y/n’s waist. “They’re not actually dating, just friends.” 

Y/n stuck out her bottom lip. “Shame, they’re cute together. But I guess we did come as friends to begin with.”

“And we’re definitely cute together.” He chuckled. Angelina came back and the two of them decided to sit for a couple of minutes after the four of them chatted a bit more. “Ready?” George asked y/n.

“Away we go, prince charming.” She laughed and the two of them walked back to the center of the hall to dance. As they got there though, Baby I’m Yours by Arctic Monkeys began playing.

It wasn’t as slow as some of the others, but George held her and spinned her nonetheless. Strangely, he knew every word. Even stranger, he could sing, and he sang to her as he held her close and kissed her. 

“I’ve said this before, but I don’t want this to end, Georgie.” She mumbled into his chest, his hands wrapped tightly around her waist. 

He kissed the top of her head before replying. “I don’t either, bird. And I’ve said this before, but things will be better now. This won’t be the last time I dance with you, and it won’t be the last night we spend together. I’m sure Ginny’s already told you, but we aren’t going back to the dorms, me and you.” 

“Is it a surprise, or can I know now?” She lifted her head up to look at him. 

He kissed her and replied, “Surprise.” 

She smiled and grabbed his hands as they swayed. He lifted his arm and spun her once more. The night went on and they continued to dance, barely stopping. When most everyone had cleared out they were in the back still swaying to the last slow songs.

“I don’t want to be kicked out, so I think we should go.” George started, that wasn’t the biggest reason though. He was mostly excited for the rest of the night. 

They led themselves out of the great hall, they didn’t want to leave but George firmly believed that their next destination would be even better. 

He helped her up the staircases, leading her to what looked like the highest point of the castle. Thankfully, the staff was still in the great hall supervising the remaining students. 

“The astronomy tower?” She gazed at the view as they made it up to the very top.

“You can see the lake from here, too. I saw how you looked out into it.” He told her, leading her to the edge.

Her eyes couldn’t decide what to focus on, they landed up at the stars. “It’s absolutely perfect.” 

He watched her as she watched the sky, admiring every feature she possessed. “You’re absolutely perfect.” 

“That makes two of us.” Her hand on her chin, she gave him a grin. They stood like that for a little while longer until she broke the silence. “George?”

He didn’t care that she knew he was staring at her, he felt comfortable around her. “Love?”

“I’d like that confession now.”

Finally, his head hung slightly and his cheeks glowed in the moonlight. His hair covered his eyes slightly, so she moved it from his face and brought his chin up to look at her. 

“I was hoping you’d want to hear it, I’ve been dying keeping it from you.” He began. “For years, and especially recently, thoughts of you play in my head. Over and over, from holding you, to kissing you, to nights like these. I’ve beat myself up over you for so long and now I have you. It’s hard to wrap my head around.” Her eyes got lost in his and his voice. “I’ve never felt like this. And I believe you’re the only person I’ll ever feel this way about. I don’t care that we’re seventeen, we’re young and stupid, but you’re my person. I pray you always will be. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you, and to keep you safe and happy. You do enough to make me happy just by smiling. It lights every part of me up and my heart can’t take it. This past month, you’ve been everything to me, you’ve kept my world turning and you always will, darling.” He paused for a moment. “And,” His hand went to his pocket. “I have something else for you.” 

She was, once again, rendered speechless. She couldn’t find the words to say. 

Out of his pocket, he pulled a necklace. A copper chain with a ‘G’ charm. 

“It’s not exactly a promise ring, but we can call it a promise necklace.” He held it in his hand in front of her. “I hope it’s not too soon. I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you smile. Even if it wasn’t because of me. I hope from now on it will be.” 

All she could do was look from the necklace to him. Once she took everything in, she reached up to his face and kissed him, with everything she had she poured her heart into it as he had just done. 

“You are everything to me in this moment, George, since last night, you’re the only thing I’ve wanted. You’re right, darling, you were right last night. Things will be better. On my darkest days, you’ll be my light. On the best days it will be because of you. It’s soon for all of this, of course. It’s sudden, but that’s why it’s called falling. I fell in love with you last night, George. When I smile, it’s because of you.” She picked the necklace up from his palm, and looked at the ‘G’. 

He moved her hair out of the way and hooked the chain around her neck. 

“Even better.” He smiled at her. “I can’t wait for the rest of my life, as long as you’re in it.” 

She agreed, grabbing his hands and putting them around her and placed her head on his chest with tears in her eyes. Now she knew what above the bare minimum was, George had set the bar higher than she knew to be possible. He’d never settle for anything less and neither would she. 

[what-the--curtains]

Alliance

Chapter 2 – The Decision

(Mando x f!reader)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summary: The child taken, his ship destroyed the only one who can help him? A woman he sold into slavery several months earlier.

Notes: Wow wow wow! Thank all for the likes im glad ive gained some interest lets hope I can keep it! Comment or message to be added to the tagged list!

Tw: mentions of dubcon/sex, depictions of violence and coarse language

Tagged list: @crazycookiecrumbles

Word count: 3.7k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7 months later

Mandos POV

Using all his wits and a touch of charm the Mandalorian had managed to make his way to a nearby town. Once there he’d likely be able to hitch a ride or win some kind of ship in a game of cards. He didn’t need a good one, just something to get him to Navarro. He makes his way to a more upscale bar, hoping its clients would be more lucrative with their belongings. Scanning the gambling hall he chooses his target carefully, opting for a rich looking idiot who had been trying to impress the man next to him since the Mandalorian had walked in. He takes his seat at the round wooden table amongst a variety of lavishly dressed characters. He had to find the child as soon as possible. If he wasn’t with the empire yet there’s no doubt he would be soon.

“Deal me in” He says, taking a seat between an Iktotchi and an Ortolan.

“Not so fast, what's your buy in?” the dealer asks.

“How about that helmet?” The Ortolan pipes up.

“No.”

“The creature then?” the Falleen across the table ponders reaching out to touch Anya, who had been at his side when Grogu was taken and has refused to leave it since.

“No” he says, batting her hand away and tapping on his shoulder piece “Will this do?” The dealer nods and they begin. In the second hand he ends up winning a ship from his target who was seemingly unbothered by the loss as he nonchalantly tosses Mando the keys, before leaving the table.

Twirling the key on his index finger he makes his way to the bar, hoping to gain some insight on how to go about finding Grogu.

“Quite a game, didn’t know Mandalorians played cards.” The older humanoid bartender stated, shining off a glass. With no response he speaks up again. “Can I help you with something , give me something to tell the kids if I helped out a Mandalorian.”

“If someone was looking to find something lost where would he go?”

“You have any idea what this thing is?”

“Yes.”

“Any idea where it is?”

“No.”

“Tell you what, there was a woman, from a forest planet somewhere on the outer rim. Hair as white as snow, an old language on her body, a face that’s hard to forget. She helped me find my youngest after she was taken by smugglers.”

“Vryssa?” The Mandalorian says slowly, causing Anya to perk up.

“Aye that’s the place. You’ve been?” the barkeep ponders.

“Thank you, here” he says handing over a portion of the credits won in his game of cards to the speechless keeper.

Exiting the bar shaking his head in disbelief, of course the one person who could help him track the kid was someone with a personal vendetta against him. At least he knew who he had to find and where to start looking. Opening the doors to his new ship he gives it a quick once over. It was roomier than the razor crest, but not by much, too fancy for his liking in all honesty. Nicer amenities though and a decent sized bed which Anya had made her way onto, it would be a better place for when he gets the kid back. It had an armoury, but nothing in it, at least not yet. He closes it and makes his way up to the ship's cockpit. Decent enough system, more of a flashy ride than a functional one, made for a decently skilled pilot by the looks of it. Locking in the coordinates for Coruscant he begins his search.

For two weeks he attends black markets around the galaxy until one day he sees him, the man who had bought you. He follows him cornering him in a nearby alleyway.

“What do you want Mando?” The Kel Dor responds.

“I’m looking for a woman.”

“Aren’t we all?”

“She was bought by you a few months ago. Not jogging your memory? White hair, eternal blood.”

“Oh. Her difficult one, had to break her in a bit.” The choice of words was less than favourable to the Mandalorian, but in favor of time he brushed by it.

“What happened to her?”

“ Sold her.”

“ To who?” He says getting impatient

“Gladiatorial ring on Geonosis , she was a big hit, sold her for twice what I had paid, moved into the big arenas quickly. I’ll take you if you want.”

“No, give me the coordinates.” Mando says

“Should be easy enough for you to get her. She's been broken in well, nice and obedient if you know…” He knocks the guy out before he can finish the sentence.

R-16, Geonosis, Outer Rim Territories

Stepping out of the ship it doesn’t take long for him to figure out where you are. Large projections of posters with you line the street, apparently you were fighting today. The sounds of the arena increase as he gets closer, as does the crowd of people awaiting the show.

“A Mandalorian, you here to see the fight? Gonna be a good one. Fan favourite tonight the huntress.” A native geonosian exclaims.

“Is she the girl in the picture? The white haired one?”

“ Yes, and if you like what you see I’m sure a piece of that armour will get you a night with her, I’ve heard the trainer sells her off after fights.” The Mandalorian nods and heads off “How much for a ticket” he ask the seller,

“100 credits”

“For a fight?”

“For today’s fight? Yes.” Begrudgingly he pays the fee and enters into the dome. It is enormous, the revenue it brings in must be astronomical he thinks as he takes his seat.

Your POV

It hadn’t been an easy few months, but you were still alive. The handlers knew if they bled you all at once the value would decrease, and after having you fight and win over the fans, keeping you alive became more economically sound than killing you. Your most recent trainer, an older Duras named San Korliks, had gotten you into a slightly more dubious but very lucrative business. Turns out the rich love nothing more than spending the night with a victor. Between the fights and the suitors you’d have enough saved to live comfortably once you were out. Yes you were close to buying your freedom, 12 fights and a few more rich idiots and you’d be out of here. You’d find a planet with plenty of sand and water and settle down living out the rest of your days in peace. You could hear the crowd cheering from your cell, San would be here for you shortly. You stand up smoothing out the red tunic that had seen better days. It was shorter than you’d like and impractical for fighting, but your handler was right sex sells and it had kept you alive thus far. You move to the drawer of the cell, though tightly watched it was decently large and relatively comfortable. More wins meant better quarters. You pull out the gold plated armour clipping the chest plate, arm bands and shin guards into place before lacing up your worn down brown leather boots. Moving over to the small mirror you dip your hand into a bowl of burgundy paint smearing it down your face and onto your neck then around your well defined biceps. You're admiring your work when you hear a knock on your cell door.

“C’mon darling let’s give them a show” San says, he was nicer than your previous trainers, probably as you were bringing in the big bucks. You walk over to the cell door, he opens it and guides you to the enormous door that would soon open up to the arena.

“Try to let a little blood get spilled tonight, we need to sell some.” You nod, cracking your neck and stretching out your arms. “I also have some suitors lined up, high payers.”

“How many more till I’m out?” you question.

“ Just a few more darling, promise.” He says squeezing your shoulder. You hear the crowd chanting in the background as San leaves. You grab the spear left out for you, tossing it from hand to hand to gage its weight. You bounce up and down on your toes shaking out your body and calming your mind and preparing for whatever they were planning on throwing at you tonight. You repeat the number of days until you're free in your head. You could do this, you’d done it a hundred times now. Not that the killing gets any easier, but in order to survive you had to forgo morality. The doors open and the crowd erupts in applause as you enter waving to the adoring fans.

Mando’s POV

The loud speaker blares out over the crowd “ Tonight a special event, the huntress will take on not one, not two, but four opponents! Now to make it a fair fight, only one will be allowed to challenge at a time, but we have a lovely admixture of beasts and an extra special surprise for you all. The return of another fan favorite. Hang onto your seats folks, this is going to be a night you won’t soon forget” Four versus one, Mando thinks, as he watches you enter the arena, the odds definitely weren’t in your favour. He was prepared to jump in and get you out himself if he had too, you were his only chance at finding the kid after all. He hears a rumble of applause as a door across from you opens revealing a Rancor. He watches you closely, noticing how unphased you seemed by it. In no less than a minute he sees the spear fly from your hand hitting the creature right in its jugular killing it instantly. Not bad, he thinks, but it was just a Rangor, yes they were big, but they weren’t known for being strategic fighters. You pull the spear out of its neck, the crowd cheers seemingly alerting you to the presence of the Nexu that had appeared from the door behind you. It leaps towards you and he watches intently as you tuck and roll out of the way, spear still in hand, thrilling the crowd even more.

He wonders how much of the fight is a performance and how much of it was real. You and the Nexu circle each other, seeing you plant your feet he finds himself curious as to what your next move will be. You kick the dirt up causing the creature to charge again, as it leaps you take a knee lifting the top of the spear up, slicing the creature open causing its guts to fall down on you earning more zealous applause from the arena. He sees you stand up lifting your arms to get the crowd chanting, more showmanship. “What can you tell me about her?” he asks the couple sitting next to him. “Never lost a fight, and she’s beautiful, you need anything else?” They reply. He sees you wiping the creature's guts off your face when a door opens and a Terentatek appears, where the hell did they find one of those things the Mandalorian thinks. He sees your shoulders deflate, more so in annoyance, than fear based on the look on your face. It’s obvious you weren’t expecting a creature so large. After a few dodges and spear swipes the creature has you cornered, he sees you look side to side searching for an out, but there isn’t one, at least none he can see. Its mouth descends on you, seemingly engulfing you whole. The crowd is silent, it’s only then he notices he’s out of his seat. When had that happened? A glimmer suddenly appears from the creature's head as it gets brighter; he sees the spear had sliced through the Terentateks thick hide. The creature collapses and the skin on its head separates as you appear victorious. He sits back down observing you closely as you walk back towards the door from whence you came. The announcer's voice starts up again.

“Now for an extras special treat we’ve brought a fan favourite out of retirement, the demon slayer!” Just then the door opens and a Deveronian in head to toe black armour emerges wasting no time in launching his attack. He throws a dagger which catches you in the arm, the crowd erupts, the sight of your blood enticing them. He watches you intently as you bend over retrieving the knife off the floor and tossing it to the audience. Your opponent’s armour was thick, with very few openings in it. The crowd was getting excited, noticing that you had lost the spear to the Deveronian who had thrown it behind him.

You were the more skilled fighter, but the demon slayer was larger and stronger. He watches you try to make a pass. He thinks you’re in the clear but the opponent grabs you by the hair pulling you back into him as he brandishes another knife bringing it up to your throat. You bite down on his hand giving you just enough time to wrestle the knife from him no doubt slicing your hands open in the process. He doubts that this part of the fight was showmanship, both you and your competitor were evenly matched. It was anyone’s game. Your stunt had given you enough time to retrieve your spear. Just as he thinks you’ve gotten the upper hand he sees a mace extend out from one of the slayer’s sleeves, it sparks with electricity. If it so much as hit you, that would be it. The Mandalorian can feel his heart pounding finding himself wrapped up in the atmosphere of the arena as the creature approaches you swinging the mace. It wraps around your spear, the crowd is silent, they think it's all over, but looking at a nearby screen Mando makes out what appears to be a small smile on your face.

The mace wraps the spear and you pull back on it, hard, drawing the Deveronian in closer. As the electricity hits your arm you release the force from the pulling causing the spear to plunge up in-between the opening between the Devaronians chest plate and helmet killing him instantly. He sees you drop to your knees catching the falling opponent whispering something before laying him down on the floor. The crowd erupts in cheers, flowers and money are thrown to the ground, before picking it up he sees you circle back to each opponent kneeling on the ground for a few seconds before rising and moving on to the next.

“C’mon Mando” the people beside him say “blood auctions this way”. He follows them, but half the auditorium seemingly had the same idea and he was too far back to reach you. He sees you standing with your trainer as the blood spilled during the fight was sold to the highest bidder, the crowd intermittently grabbing at you. You’re quickly shuffled out the room. The Mandalorian exits through a back door, as he does he sees your trainer speaking to a Sephi. He hangs back, close enough to hear the conversation, but far enough away so as not to be noticed.

“Room 801. She’ll be ready for you in a half hour.”

“Perfect, makers, where will I go when she’s free? No one has ever compared to her” the client laughs.

“She’s not leaving, at least not for a while. Far too good for business at the moment. Hope’s what keeps her keen though. I oblige in her fantasies, so she can oblige yours ” The Duro gives the man the key and heads back into the arena. The man exits the alley bumping into the Mandalorian.

“Watch it Mando.” The Sephi says, pushing by him. As he pushes by, Mando snatches the key and makes his way up to room 801.

Your POV

“Hey San, how'd the rest of the auction go?” you ask, wiping off as much slime as you could in the small sink. “Good. I’ve put your cut in the bank for when you’re out. We have a client room 801, penthouse, he knows you apparently.”

“Half the galaxy knows me” you murmur “Do we have to tonight?” you ask, wanting to get out of your gear and go to sleep.

“C’mon he’s rich and not bad looking.”

“Fine” you sigh, not like you had a choice anyways. He chains your hands together and leads you up to the penthouse suite, at least you’d get to sleep in a large bed, maybe get a shower with decent water pressure. He unchains you and ushers you into the room, closing and locking the door behind you. You rub your wrists and crack you back stretching out your arms, you hear a cough. Weird, you think, clients were usually brought up after you’d had time to settle in. “I'm sorry I wasn’t expecting...” you say in your sweetest voice turning around. The tone is quickly dropped. The client was none other than the very person who had landed you in this situation.

“YOU” you shout, not thinking twice before charging at him, slipping a knife out from one of your arm bands and lunging for the Mandalorians neck. He grabs your wrists before they can make contact with him, bending them back causing you to drop the knife on the floor. He tries to restrain you causing you to panic accidentally using the force to throw him back against the wall. He crashed into the wall landing on the floor with a soft thud probably wondering what the hell’s just hit him. His hands quickly shoot up in the air, as you pick up the knife again pointing it at him.

“If you think for one second I’m going to sleep with you, you have another thing coming you stupid tin can, you’re lucky ...” you start but he cuts you off

“That’s not why I’m here.” He says quickly.

“ What?” you say, lowering your knife, but not your guard.

“ I’m here for your help.”

“ YOU want MY help? Makers you’re funny, you know I didn’t know Mandalorians could tell jokes.” you say sitting down on the bed across from him as he cautiously stands up, hands still in the air.

“I’m here to get you out” He offers.

“Why? what do you want from me?” you question

“Your help, the child he was taken I...” he pauses, you feel the sadness emanating off him, but you hold the knife true. “I need to find him before the others do, they’ll kill him.”

“Well should have thought about that before you lost him.” you say snarkily. Standing up you make your way to the door.

“Please, I can get you out of here.” He starts, you turn on your heel.

“Newsflash, I’m making my own way out of here just…”

“ ...a few more fights” he finishes for you. you look at him confused. “There never letting you out of here I heard your trainer he’s not letting you go. Something about being too good for business.” Was he telling you the truth? With the helmet covering his face it was hard to tell. From what your grandmother had told you, Mandalorians rarely lied, and deep down something was telling you to trust him.

“Bastard” you mutter moving away from the door. “Well i'll find my own way out.”

“Please” he says, taking a step towards you, causing you to lift the knife up again. “You wasted your money coming here, leave.”

“I didn’t pay”

“What?” you respond and he looks over to you . “You’re not the client?”

“No” he says dryly, as if the answer was obvious. The tension is cut by a sudden knock at the door.

“Shit, you have to hide” you say dropping the knife and pushing the Mandalorian in the direction of the bed.

“Where should I hide behind a curtain?” he deadpans

“I am not in the mood for jokes right now, get under the bed” you say lifting up the bed skirt.

“No”

“Yes” you say pointing ferociously under the bed.

“No”

“Fine, but you have to go somewhere or we're both screwed.” You say turning around to get the door. As you open it you start “look I can explain.”

“ Explain what?” The Sephi asks, pushing past you taking a seat on the bed. “You’re performance out there was almost as enticing as you” you turn back to close the door looking around the room in an attempt to locate the beskar clad man. “We’ve met before, remember?” he asked, as if you would.

“Hard to forget such a lovely night.” You lie, sitting down next to him realizing you were going to have to talk your way out of this one. “Listen, tonight’s been rough, and I want to be at my peak performance for you, we can reschedule for another night” you say stroking his cheek. The Sephi grabs your wrist, harshly. “ No, I paid for it now so I’ll get it now” . Just then you hear a blaster go off and the guy drops. The Mandalorian appears from behind the curtain

“Seriously.” you say, “I was going to deal with him”

“And I wasn’t going to sit and watch it happen,” he responds re-holstering the blaster.

“They’ll use this to keep me here forever” you say, more sad than angry.

“They were doing that anyway” the modulated voice says. “Come with me” he says reaching his arm out, “now or never”.

Standing up, you push past his hand and walk over to the dead client laying on the floor. Kneeling down you rummage around for his wallet before throwing it to the Mandalorian.

“Let’s get out of here” you say

“Here” he says, taking off his cape and offering it to you. You wrap it around yourself.

“I look like a goddamn Jawa” you say, making note of how long it looks on you.

“Come on before your handaler comes back” he says. The two of you make a swift exit, creeping through the back alleys until you reach his newly acquired ship.

[gohyuck]

Love and War Act I - LDH

theater kid! hyuck with some enemies to lovers realness

word count: 3.2k

warnings: a lot of swearing and a lot of hatred, possible nsfw in future chapters

notes: in part based on this post

part of a series: yes, this is part 1

in which you really, really, really can’t stand lee donghyuck

Act I, Scene I: An Introduction of the Situation

You’ve never hated a musical more. 

In an effort to ‘generate student interest in the arts’, Neo Culture Tech’s very own Mr. Taeil Moon, head of the fine arts department at what can only be described as a STEM college preparatory school, had put word out that this year’s fall theater show would be an entirely student-produced musical. Whether it was to elevate NCT’s arts up to the level at which they’d have to get the same funding as the robotics team or whether it was to truly cultivate creativity, nobody was sure. Still, the play persisted. From the actual dialogue, to the songs and their composition, to the dances choreography, everything was to be a bona fide effort from students across the school, not just in the theater department. Before anyone could say anything, the band and orchestra students were forced to create and compose scores and songs while the choir kids had to write lyrics for their semester project. The dance team had to choreograph everything and the art students were told they’d be making the posters for the show.

All of this, of course, was to come after the actual play had been written by the students in the Theater IV: Theater Productions class. 

If only you’d stayed in Theater III. 

Regardless, every good story starts from the beginning. And at the start of this one, there was a group of 13 potential starring roles in the tragedy? Comedy? Romance? Of Mr. Moon’s Theater IV musical production.

The official Theater IV roster was - and is - as follows:

(Name) - (Nickname)

Julia Choi - (Lia)

Renjun Huang

Lucy Hwang - (Yeji)

Somi Jeon

Chaeryeong Lee

Donghyuck Lee - (Haechan)

Jeno Lee

Jaemin Na - (Nana)

Jisung Park

Joanne Shin - (Ryujin)

Hussey Shin - (Yuna)

Chenle Zhong

13 is a decent amount of people able to give input on a play - from characterization, to plot, to underlying themes, there’s a place for everyone. If all of you worked on it, it could’ve been done at the speed of light, with ample time for revision and practice. Playwrighting wouldn’t have been harrowing. In fact, the project seemed fun at the beginning, and it was something you were genuinely looking forward to. After all, you genuinely liked everyone in your class… or, at least, almost everyone. Still, with 11 other people besides you and him, you would have ample buffer for the brain damage you were sure he would inflict upon you simply due to proximity. 

You forgot entirely about Murphy’s Law.

Jeno, Renjun, Somi, and Chaeryeong were the first to opt out of writing the play, gently reminding Mr. Moon that they were tech theater students, and would much rather design and build the set. It didn’t take long after that for Jaemin, Ryujin, Jisung, and Yeji to choose choreographing with their dance teammates over being playwrights. Yuna was quick to state that she’d rather make the posters in her art classes, and both Lia and Chenle decided that writing lyrics in choir would take up enough of their time as it was. 

At the start there were 13. 

You were happy, looking forward to talking about settings with Somi and comedic effect necessities with Jaemin. You weren’t only in theater to act - you were in the program in order to satisfy your need to create. Creating an entire play from nothing made you more eager than anything.

That is, until 13 dwindled down to 2 with alarming speed. 

Act I, Scene II: The Devil Incarnate

“Her royal highness is finally here!” Donghyuck faux cheers as you walk into your English Literature class right before the bell rings. The smirk in his tone is not lost on you, though you do mentally revel in the fact that nobody laughs at his stupid declaration. His seat is to the right of yours, but that doesn’t keep him from angling away from the board just to prop his feet up onto your desk. You don’t grace him with a response, only rolling your eyes before shoving his sneaker-laden feet off your desk none too ceremoniously and dropping your backpack onto the floor beside you as you slide into your seat. 

“What,” He starts, evidently hellbent on annoying you at 8 in the morning. You don’t turn to look at him, though you can distinctly see his shit-eating grin out of the corner of your right eye. Donghyuck leans towards you, his face coming far too close to you for your own comfort. You hope he’ll get the hint from your silence and leave you alone, but he continues speaking, much to your chagrin. “No snarky response from our resident ice queen today? Is your tongue frozen solid, princess?”

“Call me princess one more time, and you won’t even have a tongue left,” You threaten, still facing forward in your adamant refusal to look Donghyuck Lee in the eyes. He lets out a short laugh and leans back, finally properly settling into his own seat, pleased at his success at pissing you off. Before either of you can try to insult the other again, Mr. Suh rushes into the room, his Staff ID askew around his neck and his glasses sliding down his nose. The door flies shut behind him, and you straighten your back. 

Class has officially started. 

“You were only three minutes late today, Johnny,” Beomgyu calls from the back as your teacher is getting himself settled, and you turn to see your classmate holding up his watch, mirth in his eyes. “It’s a new personal record.” 

As if cued, the rest of the class bursts into a round of applause, with Donghyuck whistling with his fingers beside you. Mr. Suh - better known simply as Johnny to his students, due to him being fresh out of his undergrad - can’t help but chuckle at your class’ antics, doing nothing but shaking his head and pushing his glasses up onto his face. 

“Alright, before I get called down to the front office again, let me fill out attendance,” Johnny says eventually, finally sitting down at his computer. While he starts calling out everyone’s names you rifle around in your backpack, searching for your copy of The Taming of the Shrew, the book you’re all currently reading in class. Though it has some… questionable moments and themes, you can’t help but love it - you daresay it’s your favorite required reading book yet. Just as you find it, Johnny says your name. 

“(Name),” He says, and you straighten yourself out, your copy of the Shakespearean play gripped firmly in your hand. “I’m h-” 

“She’s here. Didn’t you feel the frost when you came in?” Donghyuck beats you to it, and you finally whirl around to glare at him, raising the hand holding the book up high as if you’re about to beat him with it. 

“Donghyuck Lee, I fucking swear -”

“Alright, alright, alright,” Your teacher raises his voice, coming to stand between the two of your desks. “I’m going to ignore the swear word this time because Haechan’s being annoying -”

You lean back to meet Donghyuck’s eyes, sending him a smirk that directly contrasts his wince. 

“- But you know better than to let your emotions get the best of you on things like this.” Johnny finishes, his words now aimed at you. You sigh, lowering your book to rest on your desk and slouching back into your chair. 

“Now behave, you two, got it? Act like actual people for once.”

The snickers of your classmates behind you cause your face to go red, and your anger at Donghyuck flares up again alongside your urge to crawl into a hole and hibernate. Still, through a furrowed brow and clenched teeth, you nod your agreement.

“Yes, Johnny.” You say at the same time Donghyuck mutters a “Sorry, John.” Both of you slide down even further into your seats. 

Neither of you say anything to each other for the rest of class, though you make sure to send scathing glances his way whenever your eyes seem to meet. To his merit, he manages to flip you off effortlessly every time Johnny turns towards the board. By the time class ends and you’re packing up, the two of you are seething silently, anger emanating off of your persons. Donghyuck jostles you on purpose on your way out of the room, but before you can give him a piece of your mind out of Johnny’s earshot, he’s halfway down the hallway on the way to his next class. Still, you train all your angry thoughts in his general direction, praying he’ll trip and fall flat on his face, or something.

Jeno, who’s just walked out of the classroom next to yours, makes his way to fall into step beside you as he always does. He follows your red hot gaze towards Donghyuck, who’s currently leaning against a locker and talking to Renjun. 

“You shouldn’t let him bother you so much,” Jeno finally says, and you roll your eyes before looking up at your friend. “It gives you too much grief.”

“He shouldn’t be bothering me so much.” You counter, and a small smile crosses Jeno’s face as he shakes his head in both amusement and disbelief. 

“I guess you aren’t wrong.” He acquiesces as he pulls open the door to the chemistry classroom, letting you walk in before him. The two of you share a lab table and you pull his stool out along with your own as you orient yourself.  

“I still can’t believe you and him are friends,” You tell Jeno as he sits down beside you. “You’re so you and he’s so… him.”

“We have, like, 90% of our interests in common, (Name),” Jeno laughs, knocking your shoulder with him. “If the two of you stopped going at each others’ throats for even a moment, you might even learn to like each other.”

You can’t help the fake gagging noise you make at the suggestion, and your friend rolls his eyes at you, though not before laughing. As the rest of your classmates start filtering into the room, the two of you switch smoothly to another topic of conversation - “Can you believe Moon’s making us do all of the play stuff this year?” “I don’t know, Jeno, it seems kind of cool to me.” “I mean me too, but damn… imagine the hours I’ll be putting into set design this year.”-  all thoughts of the devil himself banished from your mind. 

Act I, Scene III: Murphy’s Law 

You’re almost at the door, deep in conversation with Hyunjin about a protest she’s planning when Mr. Jung calls your name, stopping you in your tracks. 

“Yes?” You ask after motioning for Hyunjin to go on to lunch without you. You haven’t done anything wrong that you can think of - not recently, you note, remembering the time you really had almost set Jeno on fire - so you can’t help but be confused about why he needs to talk to you. Before you can ask, your teacher holds out a slip of paper for you to take.

“The note Jaemin delivered earlier is for you. He said it isn’t urgent, so I figured I’d send you during lunch instead of during class.” 

You relax your shoulders almost instantly before taking the bright orange piece of cardstock from Mr. Jung’s grip. You head out of his room - though not before thanking him - and unfold the note immediately after walking into the hallway. 

Please come see me at your convenience! - Moon :)

♕ ♕ ♕

You get to the black box room before Mr. Moon does, causing you to lament not buying your lunch before coming to meet him. As you wait, you pull out your book, determined to at least do something with your time at the moment. Katherine and Petruchio are in the midst of hurling insults at each other when the sound of footsteps startles you out of your book, and you lay it down beside you just in time for Donghyuck to walk in and drop his backpack onto the floor by the door, his eyes trained on the phone in his hand. 

Wait.

Donghyuck?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Your tone is biting at best. He looks up from his screen in surprise, though his expression quickly morphs into one of clear disdain once he sees that it’s you who’s speaking. 

“Got a message from Moonie. What the fuck are you doing here?”

You hold up your orange slip, only just noticing the identical one hanging between two of his fingers. His eyes dart down to his own again before back up at you, seemingly still waiting for a response. 

“Same here.” You respond, and he sneers at you. Donghyuck looks like he’s about to say something - likely hurl an insult that’s completely unrelated to the situation - but, with spectacular timing, Mr. Moon walks in through the door, a large soda in one hand and a fast food bag in the other. Donghyuck finally sits down, his backpack still by the door. 

Your theatre director places his food on the desk in the corner of the room before leaning against it, placing his hands against the edge of the table for balance. He surveys the two of you, both of you on different sides of the room, for a moment.

“I guess you’re wondering why I’ve called you here,” Moon finally says, his words directed at you both. You nod while Donghyuck says a quiet “Yep.”, neither of you looking at one another. Moon nods himself before pushing himself off of his desk, reaching over to grab ahold of his rolling chair. 

“Come,” He looks at both of you, nodding towards the center of the room. “Bring your chairs in.”

You stare at your director for a moment before sighing, careful not to let Mr. Moon see you rolling your eyes. Reluctantly, you stand up, grabbing your chair and moving to sit in front of him. Donghyuck follows suit, managing to put as much distance as humanly possible between you while staying close enough that Mr. Moon won’t reprimand him. 

“You both know how your Theatre IV class is meant to be the ones writing the musical itself, right?” 

The two of you nod, and you can’t help but wonder what direction Moon might be going in. There’s thirteen people in your class - why is it just you two he’s called in?

“Out of everyone in the class, you two are the only ones that aren’t either tech theatre students or double dipping when it comes to fine arts.” Your director continues, his words coming out slower than usual. It almost feels as if he’s trying to force the two of you towards the conclusion rather than telling you what he means to himself. Still, you know your expression is one of confusion. Mr. Moon winces almost imperceptibly before sighing and leaning back, rolling back-and-forth ever so slightly with his chair. 

“When it comes to this year’s musical, students can only work with one of the departments, because having anyone work on two parts of it would be way too much work,” He finally says, leaning towards you and Donghyuck again. Silence falls over you as you furrow your brow, trying to figure out what Mr. Moon might mean. 

It hits both you and Donghyuck at the same time. 

“There’s no way I’m working with just him -”

“Moonie, c’mon, do you really hate me this much -”

“Stop.” Moon says, his voice rising easily in volume. He puts both of his hands up in emphasis, and you realize you’ve leaned further forward than you’d realize. You settle back into your seat, though not without returning the scowl Donghyuck is sending you. 

“If I didn’t think the two of you could do it together, I would’ve just written the damn thing myself,” Your director says, glancing sharply at both of you before continuing. “You’re my two best students - you both know this. I’ve seen you put your differences aside to act together on stage. This shouldn’t be any different than that.”

You stare at Mr. Moon for a long moment, weighing your options. You can say no, you know you can - though he’ll advise strongly against it, Moon will ultimately let you back out of the musical’s production if you ask - but your ego refuses to let you. That, and you’d been genuinely excited to work on it before, and you’d rather die than let Donghyuck, of all people, take something you care about from you. That, and you don’t trust him to write a good play worth performing. You’ll be damned if the fine arts department has to count on him in the end. Hell, you’ll write it by yourself if you have to.

“Fine,” You say, raising a hand up to rub your temples out. “But I’ll only play nice if he does, too.”

“You act like I’m the one who finds it difficult to interact normally with other people.” Donghyuck scoffs, and you shoot him a sharp glare. He returns it evenly for a beat too long before finally tearing his eyes away and hanging his head. You watch as he runs a hand through his hair and throws his head back, groaning loudly as he does so, almost as if it pains him to say his next words. When he finally looks forward at Moon again, he sighs before speaking.

“I’m in,” He declares, throwing you an unreadable look. “Let’s get this over with.”

Moon’s face lights up immediately, and, for a moment, you don’t regret what you’ve just agreed to.

“Brilliant!” He claps, standing up from his chair. “We can discuss it together as a group during our next class, but I’m glad we have this sorted out. Now,” He says, moving his chair back over to his desk before settling back down in it. “I have to eat lunch, and I’m guessing you both do too. Scram.”

You get up, placing your chair back from where you got it before gathering your things. Donghyuck avoids looking at you, and you return the courtesy. He gets to the door right before you do, stooping down to pick up his back. Both of you wave goodbye to your director before stepping out into the hallway. 

“When should we meet to talk about the planning and shit?” You ask, keeping your tone as steady as possible, though you know your eyes tell your feelings. Donghyuck rolls his eyes outright. 

“How about we figure that out in class? I’ve talked to you enough for the time being.”

You make a sound of disbelief, flipping him off as he turns to walk away from you. 

“You’re a grade A dickwad!” You call, staring at his back. 

“Whatever, you frigid bitch!” He yells back, not bothering to turn around and look at you. 

You sigh once he’s out of sight, dropping your head into one of your hands.

This is going to be a lot harder than Mr. Moon thinks it’ll be.

[dontxlook]

hey look, it's IVY JOHNSON! she’s a TWENTY-FIVE year old originally from PORTLAND. i heard she’s pretty DEFENSIVE, but i think she’s so AMICABLE at the same time. while she’s terrified of being harmed, she’s perhaps more afraid of people finding out WHEN SHE WAS SIXTEEN SHE SNUCK HER BOYFRIEND INTO HER HOUSE AND HER DAD ACCIDENTALLY KILLED HIM THINKING HE WAS BREAKING / ENTERING. she had no idea what she was getting herself into when she moved to wrenbury.  ➸ phoebe tonkin, bisexual, female + she/her PENNED BY MJ

ivy johnson intro –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

full name: ivy jane johnson

nicknames: ives, ivybelle

dob: july 5th, 1995

place of birth: portland, or

occupation: ex-coffee shop employee

sexual orientation: bisexual

appearance; standing at 5′8, 120 pounds, ivy finds herself feeling more frail nowadays than she does strong. though she has no reason to not workout, eat whatever she wants, just generally indulge, a piece of her does not allow her to delve into the happier sides of herself, thus leaving her more on the thin side. her style is big hoodies, big jeans, converse or vans. ivy doesn’t wear jewelry except for a ring that was shaped into a moon (a gift from her previous boyfriend). 

personality; (+) amicable, virtuous, empathetic, resourceful (-) defensive, withdrawn, outcasted, pessimistic

aesthetics; tear soaked pillows, under eye bags, restless nights, apologetic, broken glass, oversized sweaters, messy buns, band-aids, heartache, meaningful tattoos

bedside table; cellphone charger, ibuprofen

biography: murder tw* depression tw* When Jared and Lisa Johnson found out that their daughter was going to be born the day after the fourth of July, they thought she would be just as much a firecracker as the celebrations the day before had predicted. They couldn’t have imagined just how much of a handful the young girl would turn out to be. The wildness within her ran from her untamed locks to her dirty bare feet. It couldn’t be helped, she was a wild child raining down loud laughs and intense hugs. She was loved beyond belief. 

Though there was a little Johnson that came after Ivy, it didn’t matter to her where the attention went, in fact, she thought that the more attention that was on her little sister, the more she could get lost in the world, find her own way around. Though her parents were more on the side of free love and hippy music, they allowed her to roam free and discover parts of herself that might not have otherwise come to the surface. They thought that all little girls should make their own marks on the world. 

School was a struggle for Ivy. The more she wanted to rebel, the more she was repressed down into herself. She was given red lights, her sticks were moved, and her apple had fallen far from its tree more than she could count. Jared and Lisa were brought in multiple times and told they needed to have her tested, needed to settle her down, needed to do all these regimes with her to get her in order. If they didn’t she wouldn’t get out of Kindergarten. So the free love parents that praised her willful attitude before, now squashed every free feeling she had for the foreseeable future. 

Rebelling against her parents proved to be worthless as Ivy grew older, she began to find her place among stacks and stacks of books. In the pages of dystopian novels, she could disappear and escape to places she could only dream of. Ivy would spend hours upon hours in the library just curling up to read her favorite authors. That was where she had met Jack. In her freshman year of high school, she had found the person her soul had wanted to be with. How many teens could say that? It started with sideways glances and notes pushed over to the other, but the relationship grew to sneaking kisses in between the stacks and hand holding through school. 

Her parents, now strictly a khaki and button up family, enjoyed Jack’s company at the dinner table, but advised their daughter that she was not to seriously date until she was a junior. The rebellion in Ivy’s throat grew day-by-day the more her parents told her she couldn’t see Jack, couldn’t go to the movies with Jack, couldn’t do anything with Jack. One night, Ivy had had enough. Because Jack lived decently close to her, she texted him to come to her house and she would sneak him in. That night Ivy told Jack she loved him and kissed him until 3 am, when eyes were prickly with sleepiness. Just as Jack was exiting through a side window, Jared Johnson heard a noise, gathered his newly purchased firearm, and fired at the perceived burglar. 

Ivy’s father was charged, but was not convicted. The guilt, shame, and sadness that hung over the Johnson household was palpable from streets across town. Ivy began taking classes online instead of going to school, and her parents removed the door to her room after a counselor suggested she may be depressed. 

As her life slowly shifted, Ivy began to develop nasty habits of snapping at anyone who would dare enter her room or disturb her peace. It wasn’t fair that she had to live this life without Jack in it? Time went on, wounds grew scabs, and eventually Ivy graduated high school and joined the workforce. As she took a few online classes through the local community college, Ivy began to feel as if her life was finally getting back on track. 

Between saving her money from living at home and working nonstop to get away from her family, Ivy had saved enough money to leave Portland and not look back, at least not for awhile. With a newly minted Bachelor’s Degree in English, Ivy began her new life with a trip to North Carolina...

wanted connections; friends; my girl needs someone! anyone! to befriend her. though she may be a tad prickly on the outside, her heart is truly gold. the person who gets her out of her shell; whether it’s talking weird and random facts (things that calm her down when she gets too in her head) or just the constant prodding, this person gets ivy to open up. a love interest?; homegirl has had one boyfriend and that didn’t go so well. though she is bisexual, i think it would be interesting to see what sort of relationship could form after the tragedy of her last one.  an enemy; someone who doesn’t get ivy and who she is? maybe rubs ivy the wrong way from their actions?  open; i’m very open to any and every plot! this little sad bean needs a hug pls!

[whatspriceofthe]

OMORC XL Air Fryer 6QT(w/Cookbook), 1800W Fast Cook Air Fryers Oven Large Digital Oilless Cooker w/Quick Knob & Touch Scre... https://amzn.to/3jPYHkx #Air_Fryer #AirFryer https://amzn.to/3jPYHkx - OMORC XL Air Fryer 6QT(w/Cookbook), 1800W Fast Cook Air Fryers Oven Large Digital Oilless Cooker w/Quick Knob & Touch Scre... This is our 1st air fryer and it was an Amazon Recommended product so I felt good about buying it. I really like it, as it cooks fast and the food turns out so appealing, both in appearance and in taste. Crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside for all foods Ive cooked with it. That said, this Omorc, while large enough for the two of us, it does have a limited capacity compared to some others on the market. While perusing recipes I came across another Amazon recommended air fryer, the kind that resembles a large toaster oven which has over 2x the capacity and it also has a rotisserie function which can spit roast a whole 4 pound chicken. In fact it is a 7 in 1 oven, roaster, air fryer and some other functions which would come in really handy. An example of its capacity is, our Omorc 6qt can handle about 8 chicken wings while the toaster oven shaped 7 in 1 can handle 20!Ive found that clean up can be a chore with the Omorc. The basket gets baked on bits that really stick, so I purchased perforated parchment paper which helps, but still gets some really baked on bits. My clean up now consists of wiping the non-stick pot, reinstalling the dirty basket, and soaking the two in soapy hot water. After an hour, cleanup is a breeze! The baked on bits usually comes from chicken wings.Two of the photos include a couple of real taste treats, namely, avocado fries and seasoned chickpeas! (And of course the obligatory chicken wings).Not at all sorry about buying this, but if I could choose again, Id buy the toaster oven shaped one. Air fried fish to perfection. My only complaint is that I wish I would’ve bought this sooner! Very good quality, and does a great job cooking the food. The knob function makes everything so easy! Drumsticks come out perfect and easy to just throw in there and set the timer until ready so there is no need to constantly keep an eye out and turn constantly! Takes about 35 minutes at 400 to cook drumsticks. I thought it would cook faster but the end result make it worth the wait. I have also cooked thick chicken breast and the come out tender and somewhat juicy. I fully recommend this air fryer. It's definitely a family size and will take up a good size footprint on your counter. I researched for a long time and finally picked this one. It was picked because of its large size since I have a family of 6. Everything we have cooked had been fantastic. And the fact that you can reheat up fries chicken and it gets crunchy again is amazing. Bacon, wings, Brussels sprouts, onion rings and so much more cooked in it. The clean up is easy you just click the little safety button and the 2 pieces separate and wash right up. After having many friends show me the benefits of an air fryer and watching how easy they were to use I decided to bite the bullet and purchase one. I decided on this unit by OMORC and I was not disappointed. I have cooked veggies and even steak and chicken wings. I love this nifty convenient miracle cooker here. What cant it cook. and it is super easy. nobody can go wrong. and the food literally tastes amazing. Love the size of this thing. Actually it was bigger that I thought it would be. Cleanup is definitely a plus. I dont know what else to say except. OMG, where has this gadget been my whole life, seriously. I dont have to spend hours in the kitchen anymore. Love it. If you are considering this item. please do. its a "worth it purchase. Arrived in a matter of a couple days too. I waited a month to write a review because I wanted to be honest. I own a Black & Decker Crisp & Bake air fryer/toaster oven and it was a complete disappointment as an air fryer (pretty decent for a toaster oven though). I own an Instant pot and it has its uses but I really wanted a “real air fryer”. I researched several and settled on this based on size (I have 2 giant teenage boys and a very picky husband) and good reviews. Easy to operate, easy to clean, food cooks evenly, and it’s not too loud. It IS pretty big so if you’re short on counter or cabinet space, this might not be the model for you (see picture compared to my 8qt. Instant pot for reference). But, for my family, bigger i... by Shopping Reviews

[weepingfanchild]

IV: Lie

He watched the cars pass by with a droopy expression and pursed lips. His coffee was taking a while.

If he knew that Taehyung would call him up at that time of the morning, he would have cancelled this meeting. He would have just went home and slept, because unlike Taehyung he actually has a decent sleep schedule. If he knew that he'd look like a mess he would've gone and at least took a shower and not just put on what ever dress shirt was left in his car. But he didn't know so he's now here, waiting for his second cup of coffee to be served while angrily munching down on a cookie.

Jimin felt like he knew what this meeting was about. He felt like he knew what they were going to tell him, or show him rather. Another picture of another girl with a profile that was impressive for them. This wasn't the first or second time that happened and he was used to it.

Another five minutes passed and his coffee was finally served. His caramel macchiatto was the same color as his hair, a mix of brown and milky. Jimin always has his coffee sweet. He never liked to taste the bitterness of it. People would always ask him; "Why do you take your coffee like that? You can't even taste the coffee anymore" but he would always respond with; "It's my personal preference and none of your business." but of course he would say it with his usual politeness and a smile.

It was around 7:15 when he finally saw a familiar black Bentley Mulsanne pull up behind his silver Aston Martin DB9 GT. He knew who was sitting in the backseat of the luxury sedan but he knew not to expect her to come out of the vehicle. The chairwoman does not want to waste her remaining strength and energy on walking into a place only so she could leave. And as expected, a tall man in a black suit came out of the front passenger seat carrying a folder.

Jimin smiled to himself as he sipped on his sweet beverage. With his chin down, his eyes followed the man as he entered the cafe and approached him. He stopped right behind the chair opposite Jimin's, and formally greeted him with a perfect right angle bow. He quietly placed the folder he was holding on top of the white cloth covered table. "Have a seat," Jimin invited.

"That won't be necessary sir," the man spoke, "I was only told to hand this to you."

Jimin snickered at the politeness being shown to him as if he wasn't used to it. "Does the chairwoman not have anything else to say to me?" he questioned mockingly.

"No sir," the man immediately responded, "the chairwoman trusts that you know what to do."

Jimin let out a sigh but only nodded in response. "Tell my grandmother she shouldn't worry about it, I'll do what she says."

"Will do sir," the man said as he bowed again before he walked out of the cafe heading back to the sedan that contained the chairwoman. Jimin turned his head towards the backseat of the Bentley and as if they were seeing eye to eye, he bowed his head to his grandmother. He watched as the car drove away from the cafe and towards the inner part of the city.

Jimin rolled his eyes at what just happened. He knew it, he was right again.

He reached for the folder and looked at it's contents. He smiled at the picture of a smiling girl in front of a clean white background. She looks just like the rest of them, he thought. The girl was named Choi Heeyeon according to the profile that came with the picture. She is the youngest daughter of the head of a pharmaceutical company, the leading one in the country. There were other things written about her on the profile but Jimin has read everything he needed to and couldn't care less about the other things. He took another look at the girl in the picture. Perfectly placed hair, groomed everything and a clean ass smile. Hell she probably also has barbie doll proportions. To anyone else she could be the perfect girl. But to Jimin, he's seen enough perfect to deem Choi Heeyeon as normal.

Also included in the folder handed to him was her phone number for him to contact her personally. Probably to make it seem like he was really interested and that this whole thing was his idea. He's done this too many times to not know how this goes. He knew what to say like the back of his hand.

He picked up his phone and dialed Choi Heeyeon's phone number. It took three rings before she picked up.

"Hello?" her voice sounded confident, like she knew exactly who she was.

"최 희연씨?" (Ms. Choi Heeyeon?)

"May I ask who's speaking?"

"This is Park Jimin," he knew he didn't have to say anything else.

"Oh!" he heard her girly giggle across the line, "why did you call?"

"I called because I really must ask you something," Jimin started the game.

"W-what is it?" she played along without knowing that she's playing.

"Can I take you out to dinner?" here it goes...

"Uh- tonight?" she sounded so excited Jimin almost felt bad.

"If you're free," Jimin was advancing, "I mean, you seem like a pretty busy lady."

Here comes the killing part...

"O-of course! I'm free tonight! I'm free this week, I'm free every night!" she said with such speed and conviction that Jimin couldn't help but internally laugh at her enthusiasm.

Knock out, he thought.

"Is that so? I'll just text you the details then, " he continued, "Can't wait."

통화 종료뒴. (call ended)

•••

The temperature of the water that was hitting his back allowed him to relax and put himself at ease. Around two more hours were left before his date with Choi Heeyeon and he didn't want to even think about going on another arranged date but here he was, getting ready for one. If only he could tell her straight up that he wasn't interested and that she could go home so neither of them would be wasting their time, but he wasn't that guy. If you wanted an honest one you should've called up Taehyung, the man says what he wants. Jimin on the other hand will play along with you.

Jimin is a liar.

People often mistake Taehyung for the mean one and Jimin for the nice one but they're severely mistaken. Jimin liked to think that it was the other way around. No he wasn't straight up mean and he's not calling Taehyung an angel but anyone would take honesty over lies any day.

If Taehyung didn't like you he'd tell you right away because he knows that you can't do anything about it. What are you going to do? Pick a fight with Kim Taehyung? You must be some kind of crazy to argue with that brat, Jimin liked to say. With that big of a bank account and an ego that was bigger, you can't get even with him. But you have to respect his honesty. If you looked funny, he'd tell you. If you sounded dumb, he'd tell you. If you're embarrassing yourself, he'd save you from further humiliation by telling you how embarrassing you are. He had the confidence and the mercy to do so, but Jimin does not.

That's why Jimin was a liar. Because he wasn't like Taehyung.

Jimin doesn't have the heart to tell you the truth even if your life depended on it. He didn't want to be 'that' guy. He's too selfish. He'd rather have you ruining yourself in front of his eyes than to ruin his reputation which is, the good guy. Sure he'll open doors, pull out chairs for you and have good manners, but that's just because of his upbringing. That wasn't his personality. Jimin is the kind of person that'll talk to you with a smile but roll his eyes at you when you turn around. He's the kind of person that will tell you want you want to hear but leave out what you need to hear on purpose. Jimin is a filthy liar.

But sure, he's the nice one.

He turned the knob to turn the shower off, then proceeded to dry his hair with a towel. The steam from his shower fogged up the mirror so he used his free had to wipe a part of it. The vision he saw was of his physique but not of himself, the mirror couldn't show him. Just like how being naked doesn't make him vulnerable. Seeing him naked doesn't mean you're seeing him entirely. His body was the wall that guarded everything else about him, the wall you can't break down.

•••

Dressed in all white and riding his silver Maserati Ghibli, Jimin looked nothing short of heavenly. It was now exactly 7:00 pm, just in time for his "date". Jimin was never late because he never wanted to be late, it showed bad manners and he didn't have those.

As he was driving up the elevated road towards the driveway entrance of The Cloud Tower I, he seemed to notice the car he was following. The gate security let them in without asking for identification which meant that whoever was in the car was a regular here but Jimin didn't recognize the vehicle. He brushed off his curiousness. He'll know about it later.

He pulled up in front of the entrance and stepped out of his car. Everyone that worked there no matter how high of a position always bowed a perfect bow at the sight Park Jimin. He needed no introduction here. The Cloud Towers knew him all too well.

He kept his subtle smile all throughout his walk from the driveway through the lobby and to the lifts. He prepared himself for his night. He wasn't nervous he just wants to get this whole thing over with. The elevator opened its doors and as soon as the doors opened at the fourteenth floor, Jimin was greeted by a perfect bow from the man in charge of the guest list, his name has never been on that. It never needed to be. He smiled as he acknowledged the gesture. He spotted the table where he will be sat for a portion of his night. He saw Choi Heeyeon already sat and looked settled down. She must've been here early.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," Jimin apologized with his good manners, "Have you been here a while?"

"No, its totally fine!" she chirped, "It's only been an hour I guess I was just too excited." she seemed really fine for someone who waited for an hour. But if you're waiting for Park Jimin, an hour isn't that much.

"You should've came in late," Jimin started as he settled himself down on his chair, "pretty girls always come in late, and are always forgiven."

The reaction he received from Heeyeon was the reaction he was expecting and always received. She was probably already rubbing her thighs together under the table as Jimin looked through the wine menu. He smiled to himself.

"Do you have anything in mind?" He asked her who seemed to be drifting off in a daydream

"Huh?" she answered a little startled by him.

"Do you have a suggestion?" he asked again, "Which wine shall we drink? Do you have any preferences?"

And as if she couldn't speak she just rapidly shook her head in small motions. Jimin let out a small laugh. "Okay then," he said while gesturing for a waiter.

"Valserrano Rioja Crianza,"he just simply said to the waiter while handing him back the wine menu. Heeyeon looked so amazed by Jimin but if she could read his mind she wouldn't be. She was wasting her emotions on him and he felt sorry for the poor girl. She's probably already planning the night they'll have her in her head, but the truth is that was far from what will be happening in reality. He could've told her even before their night started and should have not gotten her hopes up, but Jimin was a liar. And Heeyeon, just like everybody else, never even knew.

He glanced at his white gold Rolex as the Rioja lingered in his mouth. 7:46. It hasn't even been an hour and he was already tired of Miss Choi Heeyeon. He watched as she bit her last bite of food because that was what he was waiting for. He didn't expect that she would be like this. He expected getting his ear talked off but he was faced with her roaming eyes and jumpy responses whenever he tries to initiate a proper conversation.

He couldn't take this anymore.

"I think its time of us to call it a night," Jimin tried his best to keep his good manners. He nodded his head a little and smiled at Heeyeon. Standing up from the wood framed chair, he ran his fingers through his ash blond hair and proceeded to walk towards the elevator that will get him the hell out of here. He stopped in front of the lift to ask for his car from the valet when he felt somebody snaking their arms around his own. He turned only to find Heeyeon looking up at him and smiling. Jimin raised an eyebrow. What the hell is she doing?

"What is it?" he managed to blurt out, "Is there something wrong?"

She suddenly looked as confused as him. "Aren't we leaving together?"

Man, was that Rioja too strong for you little girl? Jimin thought. He didn't know when and how he'd given her the idea that they'd be doing that, or that. But good manners are always important to Jimin.

"Look darling I'd love to," He started, "But I have some place to be," Lies.

"Oh that's fine!" Good, Jimin thought, "I can just come with you!" What?

Jimin gently removed her arms from his with his free one, and smiled at her politely.

"Don't you think you've had a little too much wine?" he said as he placed his hand on her head and ran it down so it landed on her shoulder, "I would drive you home, but your chauffeur would be useless if I did."

"It's okay!" she said with her eyes gleaming as if that just gave her a brilliant idea, "I can tell him to go!"

"But I don't know where you live," Jimin said, beginning to feel irritated, but still kept his smile, "good night Heeyeon."

The elevator doors opened and Jimin gestured for her to get on. Please get on, he thought. Good thing she did, much to Jimin's relief. The doors closed as Jimin was waving goodbye to Heeyeon who looked rather shaken. Jimin let out a relieved breath as he turned to the man who called the valet for his car, the man was laughing slightly. He was used to this scene, Jimin has brought enough girls and he knew how it goes. Jimin laughed along. "Your car is out and ready sir," he said with a slight bow which Jimin mirrored as his thanks.

Just as the elevator doors opened, Jimin heard a faint giggling from behind him. He turned to see who it was.

"How long have you been here?" Jimin questioned her.

"The whole night," she answered.

"So," she added to her answer, leading up to another addition, "can you drive me home instead?"

Jimin snickered as he entered the elevator. "Sure," he said, "hop in."

[academiakrp-blog]

SCHEDULE: Japanese, Korean A2, Math A2, Science A1, Radio Broadcasting, Weight training

DONGNAM SCHOOL NEWSPAPER, 05.01.17: New student Henry Kang has officially joined the third year class! Henry is eighteen years old and has been reported to be caring, dedicated, and friendly but also passive, naive, and oblivious. Let’s welcome Henry to the school and wish him a good year!

OOC:

Name and pronouns: andie, she/her

Other muses: n/a

Time zone: PST

IC:

Muse name: Kang Hui Ko / Henry Kang

Birthday (or age): Mar 21st, 1999 | 17 (turning 18 this year)

Faceclaim: Jackson Wang

School: Dongnam

Grade: Third Year

Desired clubs: None yet

Positive traits: caring + dedicated + friendly

Negative traits: passive – naïve – oblivious

Proficiency: Henry is best known for his skills in foreign language, math, and sometimes science.

Electives: Radio broadcasting & weight training

Biography:

                  Potential tw for mentions of some abuse and alcoholism

I.

It all begins in Hong Kong. His parents meet and fall in love, their families approve. It’s as close to a true love story as one gets around here. But they don’t want to stay in China. This is not the place of hope, dreams, and wonder that it was for their parents. America is too much of a stretch, but its northern neighbor seems as good a place as any. And his father already has a job offer from its capital. His grandparents don’t like the idea of their family parting, of not getting to see their future grandkids as often as they’d like, but minds are made up. Paperwork is drawn up, tickets attained, and soon the chilly embrace of Toronto, Ontario is welcoming two new residents – and a third is on the way.

II.

Canada is cold and unforgiving, but his parents’ hearts are warm, and young child Kang Hui Ko, known more simply as Henry Kang, either doesn’t mind or notice the cold. Perhaps he’s simply too young to care. Or perhaps, even more likely, he is too busy yelling nonsense, dancing to children’s shows, racing other kids, and making his parents laugh to notice. They quickly learn that nothing soothes him when he’s upset like music – all kinds. He coos and giggles and sings to them all. Every word of every cartoon can be heard jumbling together in his friendly soprano when he’s home, and even the teachers at daycare (and later preschool and kindergarten) say he is one of the most friendly children they’ve ever met.

III.

Henry is a young student with a competitive streak miles wide. In the classroom, the teachers call him “bright” and “eager,” always ready with his hand in the air when a question is asked, or to pose one of his own. On the playground, he plays with the others in challenges for pieces of their lunches, but always fairly, never one to cheat his way into his winnings. Even when his baby sister, Kang Qi An (Anna), is born, Henry doesn’t complain. He shares his time, his toys, and his parents’ love with the swaddled little girl who cries so much his ears ring. As he gets a little older, he even learns to help his mother with her. And it turns out to be a good thing, too, for when Qi An is three, his father’s company closes their Toronto branch, and life turns on its head.

IV.

For the next two years, home is hard, but his mother promises it will be over soon. She works late, taking odd hours cleaning jobs with a maid service. During the long hours after school when she’s not home, Henry takes care of Qi An, putting all of those times he helped before to use. He heats leftovers in the microwave, plays with her, tucks them both into bed. Sometimes late at night, if sleep has not taken him into its clutches, he can feel his mother’s lips against his forehead, hear her weary voice whisper thank you and I love you and I’m sorry.

His father is a different story. His father drinks. His father is angry sometimes and deathly quiet others. The loss of his job has not settled well with him. Mother says it’s because they left everything in Hong Kong to come here and now all they built is gone. Henry thinks it’s just because his father is lost, but he doesn’t say so, not anymore. He tried that once and got bruises that turned purple-blue-yellow and an earful of loud words for it. Mostly, he is just glad Qi An is too young to become a target for their father’s more awful nights, and the one time she says something that sets him off, he stands in for her.

V.

The last year that Henry attends middle school, a miracle happens. After much searching and suffering, his father gets a job offer. It’s far, far away in Seoul, South Korea. Of course by now both Henry and Anna know enough geography to know it is real, but it still sounds like a fairytale land. It’s nearly halfway around the world, and so far removed from everything they know. But what can they do except stuff their brains with the Rosetta Stone-provided vocabulary? Besides, mother reasons, now we will be close to your family again. With a heavy heart, his small, cold world on the Eastern borders of Canada is packed into cardboard boxes, and shipped off to Korea.

At first, he thinks that this was a mistake, a stupid idea, and wonders how his parents could do this to him. He barely knows enough Korean to form basic sentences, and certainly won’t be able to survive in high school. They register him with a decent school that has sports and teaches his parents’ mother tongue, the only touch of familiarity in a world so vastly alien. The teachers are surprisingly helpful, and by the time his first year rolls to a close, Henry is not quite as displeased with his new home.

These days, he has come to realize that Korea isn’t quite so different from Canada after all. The language is different, but winter is stubbornly cold, and there are friendly faces here too. Despite his struggles, he’s managed to come out more or less on top, and as he moves into his third year at Dongnam Secondary, he actually looks forward to what will come next. Anna doesn’t cry, his mother stays home, and his father has laughter lines around his eyes again. The only true problem he’s faced with now is the question of university. His parents say they’ll help him go wherever he wants, that he can study whatever he wants to. First, though, he has to actually decide what that is. But he’s still got time!

…Right?