#like this senior class is special to me. they just are. and yet to dwell too much on that in my speech (a temptation) actually has all sorts

[chihomichannel]

i wish you all the happiness in the world

| pairing: oikawa tooru x short female! reader | summary: In which you loved each other for all this time but timing was never on your side | genre: angst, fluff, suggestive, kinda smut but not really | warnings: MANGA SPOILERS, cursing, alcohol, NOT EDITED ‘cause i’m tired | word count: 6964 words | a/n: hi hi! this is my first haikyuu ff. hope you like it! ヾ(＠^∇^＠)ノ i have to say though, i’m not really satisfied with this smh. it’s more like a summary of an entire fanfic i’ve thought for oikawa siiigh. this also was kinda rushed by the end ‘cause i wanna post it already jhbksdjna

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You treasure your time back in childhood. Whenever you think back to those days, you would be reminded of the times you spent with Oikawa and Iwaizumi by your side. Still young and ignorant to the world other than your own little bubble, you played around and made memories that even years later, you could still remember what you felt back then. What it felt like to pull on your sister’s hair and the terror that went with it, what it felt like to accidentally injure yourself after you tried copying that one commercial you saw on TV, what it felt like to trip over your own feet as you dived head first to receive a ball for the first time - and with all those times of stupidity and utter fun, Oikawa and Iwaizumi was always there. You don’t even remember the first time you met them. All you knew was that they were already a part of your life for as long as you could remember.

You and Oikawa are next-door neighbors and Iwaizumi lives just right around the corner by the end of the street. For everyday that passed by, you three were always joined at the hips. You can’t even remember a time in your childhood that you weren’t with either of the two. Or maybe it was because it was so long ago that you don’t remember everything now that you’re a bit older.

But a distinct memory of Oikawa forcing both you and Iwaizumi’s pinkies to his as he shouted in promise “Someday, we’ll make it all to nationals!” Nationals. What a fancy word for such young dreamers.

But hence, when you reached the age of kindergarten, your parents made it a mission and a promise to always, always enroll the three of you in the same school. They thought your friendship was cute and special. Even everyone in the neighborhood found your little group endearing. They could never imagine one without the other two or either of the bunch. You would always be three and that would never change. At least that was the ideal reality that everyone imagined for you three.

Though that ideal friendship remained true for years and years. But in your final year of middle school, that was when everything shifted its course.

It was when Oikawa and you were alone in between the two gyms that separated the boy’s volleyball team and the girl’s volleyball team. You were a setter, a genius setter. And during that time, you didn’t know the animosity Oikawa held towards genius volleyball players. So when he told you “You’re a really great setter” And with the small smile accompanied by those fluttering words, a great wave of pride swelled in your chest to hear such a comment from such a great setter, a tinge of pink painted across your cheeks.

You let out a small shy “Thank you” Your eyes stuck on the ground with your hair hiding your reddening cheeks. You didn’t notice the slight quirk in the corners of his smile. Too busy with your head in the clouds, you failed to notice the envy that flashed through his dark chocolate-brown eyes.

While you were busy pining over your new realized feelings, Oikawa was also busy over his conflicting feelings for you. You were his friend, his best friend along with Iwaizumi. So why does he harbor so much jealousy towards you? It was him who got you into volleyball in the first place. It was him who dragged you out of bed every morning for as long as he could remember just to play volleyball. But seeing you do so much better than him, even when he would never face you on the court, he couldn’t help but feel insecure in your presence.

He thinks he could do more, be better and surpass every living genius in the world of volleyball. He wants to be the best. He needs to be much much better. And with the green-eyed monster controlling his need to be the best, without knowing it, he held a resentment against you.

And you, none the wiser of your friend’s bitterness towards you, you found more reasons to be around Oikawa more. More than you already do. Which to be honest did not help calm the growing storm Oikawa harbors in his heart. You always just seem to be everywhere and seeing you always reminds him of what he’s lacking. Feelings of guilt, envy and your sudden overwhelming presence is what drove him to finally snap. To finally pull the trigger and kill whatever’s left of his fondness towards you.

Iwaizumi had told you that Oikawa has been pushing himself much more than normal. Oikawa has been losing his cool and Iwaizumi has explained the pressure, the constant need to be better and the inferiority Oikawa feels towards players like Kageyama and Ushijima. But neither you nor Iwaizumi knew you were one of those Oikawa felt inferior to.

So one late afternoon, the sun has set and the sky is minutes away from dark. Hours after classes were dismissed and the rest of the players had been sent home, you entered the boy’s volleyball gym alongside Iwaizumi to see that Oikawa is still hell-bent on practicing.

You frowned. You could see how exhausted he was but still, he stood on his two feet, determined. Before you could even call out his name, Kageyama caught your attention as he made his way to his senior “Oikawa-san, please teach me how to serve”

As if something inside him snapped in half, Oikawa’s hand flew towards Kageyama only for Iwaizumi to catch his arm in time “Get a grip you moron!” Stunned silence echoed through the gym, only heavy breaths and wide eyes spoke volumes of what just happened. “I’m sorry” Oikawa relaxed and Iwaizumi let him go. But his eyes, he was just as shocked with his actions as much as everyone was.

“Kageyma, I’m sorry but we’re done for the day” Iwaizumi’s spoke and with that, Kageyama walked away, eyeing Oikawa warily as he passed him by.

“Tooru?” Your voice caught his attention. You being there sent him in overload and before he could stop himself, before Iwaizumi had the chance to stop the words that flew out of Oikawa’s mouth, he snapped once again. But this time, there was no stopping it.

“You!” He bellowed, you flinched “I hate you! I hate you and your presence and everything that is you!”

“Huh?” “Wha-? OI!”

“-Why are you always everywhere? Why do you have to be a part of my life? You’re always in my eyes! You’re always there and I am sick of it!” Oikawa huffed, tears brimming on his eyes. You’re already crying.

“You like me don’t you?” 

He knows

“-Well I don’t like it! Stay away from me will you! You overwhelm me!”

He knows

You clenched your hand, shaking.

“-WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE A SETTER?!” With a frustrated cry, Oikawa dropped to his knees and suddenly, you realize.

‘He hates me’ You thought. You didn’t even dwell as to why when you ran out the gym. You heard Iwaizumi call out your name but you ignored him and ran. You ran and ran until your lungs forced you to stop, tumbling down to your knees as you sobbed in the empty road under the street light.

You can’t understand for the life of you. Had you been mean to him? Have you done something wrong? Or is it because he knows you like him and he doesn’t feel that way towards you. Maybe you made him uncomfortable. His mother doesn’t really help as she always gushes about how you should be her future daughter-in-law. You had overwhelmed him and now he hates you.

It was only the night before Monday did you remember what he last told you.

“WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE A SETTER?”

‘Ah’ you thought as you realized the roots of his new found resentment towards you.

Oikawa has always been ambitious and successful at whatever he sets his mind into. But he was no genius and his skills were practiced, it did not come naturally. You remembered those times he ranted about Ushijima and how unbelievably strong he is. And Kageyama and how he’s younger yet so much better than he is. And then there’s you.

He had never complained about you. Or at least none that you knew about. You should have realized when people started calling you a genius. You should have noticed the change of his demeanor towards you. How he doesn’t smile genuinely anymore. How you weren’t actually friends anymore. 

You didn’t love volleyball and maybe that’s one of the reasons why he hates you. Or maybe that’s the exact reason why. You don’t even love it yet you’re so good at it. No wonder he was frustrated about you. He’s not just envious about your skills, he’s also frustrated to see you obtain something he wants when you’re only half-hearted into the game. It was a reminder that no matter how hard he pushed himself, there would always be some genius that would trample over his hardened efforts.

You couldn’t believe how fast you could go from liking someone to hating them the next.

You avoided him after that incident. You avoided him like the plague. You still talk to Iwaizumi though but not as much as before. You distanced yourself from them and before you knew it, you had graduated.

Over the summer, that was when people noticed the shift in the dynamic of your friendship. The three became two and you’re now only one. You don’t leave your house, not even when Iwaizumi called out your name for an hour because you knew Oikawa would be there.

Oikawa did not make any effort to reconcile with you and it annoyed you to no end. It was always Iwaizumi acting as the mediator but eventually, even he gave up. It was tiring to force two people to reconcile when neither party wanted anything to do with the other.

It doesn’t mean Oikawa didn’t feel guilty. His guilt was one of the reasons why he exploded and it was also guilt that made him ashamed of facing you. You were a precious friend, a childhood friend, a person who’s known him for so long. A person who knows him better than his family and yet he pushed you away. 

And now you won’t come back.

At the opening ceremony in high school, he waited for you. He thought that he would make peace with you. Apologize once and for all. You were already in high school for god’s sake. You had let the whole summer wash away the broken pieces of your friendship with no way of reconciliation. You had wasted a whole summer and Oikawa’s determined to bring everything back to where it was. Even if it meant to pick up all the pieces of the broken fragments of your strained friendship. He would do so. Because you’re precious to him, more than you nor he could understand.

But you never came. And at once, all that courage and determination in him was also washed away.

You went to Karasuno for high school and swore your soul to the gods that exist that you would never ever step foot into a volleyball court ever again. You had decided to quit on volleyball. Sure, you were a genius at it but you didn’t love it. At least not as much as some people you know. But that promise was also thrown away when Sugawara, a classmate, begged you to be their manager.

He was resolute and you were annoyed. And so you rejected his offer. Though that did not stop him from pestering you, begging you down to his knees which is why you found yourself watching a practice match held in the school’s volleyball gym.

‘They’re weak’ You thought. You didn’t really care as you watched the team pathetically lost. You could not stress enough the difference in power between your school and the away team. It was truly and utterly pitiable.

You had heard about the tale of the once powerhouse that is Karasuno and you wondered what happened. You learned that your school had once managed to make it to the nationals so why is the team so weak now? No coach, no manager, just players.

You were already leaving, indifferent to your school’s volleyball team when your ears perked up on an insult, an insult that sent you to overdrive and before you knew it, you were screaming. You screamed at your school’s team. You screamed a vow, a vow to get them to nationals once again. And so beyond your belief, you were on the court once again. Though this time, you were only at the side.

It was in the Interhigh Tournament did you and Oikawa look at each other once again. His eyes were wide while yours was determined, glaring at him as if challenging him. He knew of your abilities and how well you could use that to coach others. He knew you could use that to examine opponents and use that knowledge against them. You were a genius that way. And so seeing you in the opponent’s team as their manager made him nervous. Just because you were a manager doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be able to help the team technically.

But how can you help a team that doesn’t want your help in the first place? It was only you and your other fellow first years that were bitter when you lost in the first round. Your seniors seemed to accept that your team just wasn’t good enough. And the frustration sent you to silent tears as you questioned your decision of being involved in volleyball again.

And Oikawa, being the ever jackass that he is, used the opportunity to tease you. An excuse to talk to you. And imagine the delight he felt when you gave him the attention. And so started the rivalry you never imagined you would have with him.

You thought that maybe if he hadn’t chosen to tease you that day, you would’ve quit the volleyball club. And maybe if he hadn’t teased you that day, you would have probably never talked again.

Three years passed and it was your last year at high school. With the addition of promising first years, you faced off against Aoba Johsai in the Spring Interhigh Qualifiers. Karasuno won and would face off Shiratorizawa for the finals. You should be glad, ecstatic even. So why are you sad? Why are you mourning for your childhood friends’ loss? Why won’t you look away from the opponent and celebrate with your team?

But how could you when you could see the two special people in your life fight off the tears that threatened to stream down their eyes. And the night after Karasuno beat Shiratorizawa, you thought ‘Nationals’ 

You were the only one who made it to Nationals. And you weren’t even a player.

The thought of that stupid childhood promise left a bitter taste on your mouth.

๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪ ٬     ุ๋ ⸱ ๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪  ๋࣭

The high of the nationals died down once it was over and you and your fellow third years now focus on studying for the finals and upcoming university entrance exams. It was dismissal time and having no volleyball club activities any more, you head straight home, parting ways with Sugawara at the intersection.

You sighed. The sky is orange with hues of pink, purple and blue painting the sky gradient. You had arrived by your house’s gate when you heard the ruckus of voices. Male voices. So you turn and lo and behold, it was Oikawa, Iwaizumi and number 2 and 3 from what you could remember.

They turn to look at you and their ruckus dies down. You turned your back at them, already opening the gate when Iwaizumi called out your name. You turn your focus back at them “Would you mind tutoring us?”

“Please, she’s bad at math” Oikawa commented. You felt a nerve pop out of your neck “You bitch, you suck at everything but volleyball!”

“Excuse me, I’m in class 6-” “Doesn’t matter”

Iwaizumi could only sigh as Matsukawa and Hanamaki watched in amusement. ‘So you’re the famous childhood friend’ they thought.

You and Oikawa stared down at each other, neither backing down. For added effect, you crossed your arms which earned a snort from the setter “Please?” Iwaizumi pleaded. With a sigh, you looked at your friend “Fine. I’ll just tell mom first”

Why did you accept? You didn’t know. But you knew you didn’t mind being around Oikawa now. Though you don’t really trust him, not anymore.

Your mom was surprised to hear you would be going to Oikawa’s house. It’s been years and she could not hide the glee on her face as she practically pushed you out of the house. With a deep breath, you made your way to his house.

The door opened to his mother who, like your mom, albeit a bit more enthusiastic, was ecstatic beyond relief at the sight of you. She asked you continuously without giving you any chance to reply “Did you finally make up? Are you friends again? You’re talking again? How splendid! Why did you stop talking in the first place? I was so sad. I missed you so dearly. It wasn't the same without you”

She kept on beaming and you only replied in awkward chuckles, not wanting to kill her joy and tell her you still very much held a grudge against her son. But fortunately, she left you to the company of the four boys who sprawled all around the couch, bags thrown at the side with the television on in a music channel. A girl group is performing.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be studying?”

“Shh, Miho-chan is singing” Oikawa held a finger on his lips. You could only grimace at their focus on the girl group. Maybe you should go now.

But before you could even turn around, Iwaizumi had turned off the TV much to the boys’ protests “Fanboy later you horny scumbags”

“You know I’m here, right?” You say and Iwaizumi sent you an apologetic smile.

“You don’t count as a girl anyway so it doesn’t really matter” You felt your heart drop at Oikawa’s comment. You frowned, dropping your books down on the coffee table with a slam. The three boys jumped, startled. They were sitting down on the floor when you did that.

With a huff, you sat down at the end of the table while Matsukawa and Hanamaki sat beside each other and across from them sat Oikawa and Iwaizumi “So-” You cleared your throat as they looked at you in synchrony “-what is it you need help in?”

๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪ ٬     ุ๋ ⸱ ๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪  ๋࣭

You looked up to the digital clock hanging on the wall. 8:47 pm, it read “Aren’t you guys gonna go home?”

Oikawa is fast asleep on the coffee table, head resting in his arms. Matsukawa has given up on his practice test and Hanamaki sat spaced out. It was only Iwaizumi whose focus is still on his notes. Even you gave up 15 minutes ago, feeling your head ache as the words start swirling incoherently in your mind.

You received a hum of reply, everyone focused on their own little worlds. You sighed, closing your book and tucking in the notes in your bag in a hurry. You stood up, groaning at the ache that has built up on your legs from hours of sitting. The others noticed this and copied your actions, slowly standing up and slinging their bags on their shoulders “You all should rest for the day. Just continue tomorrow”

Iwaizumi did not budge from his position and you walked out of the living room to the front door, Matsukawa and Hanamaki hot on your heels. Once you were outside, you were about to bid them goodbye when Hanamaki beat you to it “Hey, I’ve been thinking. Why didn’t you go to Seijoh?”

Matsukawa hit Hanamaki in the back of his head, earning a hiss from the latter “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that”

“Why? Did they talk about me?” Your smile was sad it could come off as a frown. The two boys looked at you sheepishly and you chuckled, turning away from them as you unlocked your gate “We’ve heard the three of you were close and that something happened. They didn’t really elaborate. You’re a really touchy subject” This made you laugh

“Damn” You turned back around to face them to see that they’re still on the same spot, waiting for your response. But you only gave them half a smile, bid goodbye and entered your house.

The next day, you slept through your alarm. Only waking up when your mother woke you up with a screech. And so you skipped on breakfast, snatching a biscuit from the top of the refrigerator and dashed out of your house. Only to be met with Oikawa getting on his bike, obviously late like you are.

“Shouldn’t you be at morning practice?” “Shouldn’t you know that 3rd years don’t go to practice anymore?” You rolled your eyes.

“Geez, how could I know? I don’t go to your school, dumbass” Oikawa pedaled to match your pace “You sound like Iwa-chan, chibi-chan~”

You held your tongue, though your frown failed to conceal your annoyance. Oikawa gazed at you, pursing his lips as you refused to look at his way “Hop on, chibi-chan. No matter how fast you go, you’ll still be late with those tiny legs of yours”

“Can you shut up?!” “What? Is that your best retort? How lame~” You kicked the wheel of his bike sending him trembling out of balance “Hey!”

You huffed. You did not sign up for so much annoyance so early in the morning. You groaned, head looking up at the sky in exasperation when Oikawa blocked your way “Please, please get hit by a truck” Oikawa looked offended

“Ouch, chibi-chan. Just hop on already, you know I’m right” He gave you a grin which only aggravated you more “No”

“Don’t be so stubborn, little girl” “I am not little” “Your height says otherwise” “I’ll kill you!”

Both of you were locked out of the gate that day.

Your review with the four boys continued everyday after school. As well as your morning walk to the school being bombarded by Oikawa. When he learned what time you go to school, Oikawa made it his mission to walk with you. Always biking at your pace as he ranted on and on much to your dismay. You had begged Iwaizumi to go to school with the two of you since Oikawa doesn’t give any signs of giving up on you. But Iwaizumi only gave you a grunt for a response, mumbling about respecting his sleep.

And came one Friday morning, 2 weeks left of school and 3 days before university entrance examinations. Oikawa is waiting by your gate as always and hopped on at the sight of you “Morning, chi-bi-chan~”

Closing your gate, he waits for you to walk but was pleasantly surprised when you sat on the back of his bike “Huh?”

“Bike” You said and so he did. He began telling a story about Iwaizumi tripping in front of his crush, elaborating on what happened that day. And you, you were uncharacteristically quiet. 

Usually, you’ll banter with him. And so when you called out his name, Oikawa could feel that you were about to say something heavy. So he continued rambling, zoning out your voice and filling the air with his words.

“Tooru” He paused, his heart thundering against his chest. It has been years since he last heard you call him by his name “Yeah?”

“Why are you acting like we’re friends” Oikawa let out a strained smile but you didn’t see

“Damn, that hurts y/n-chan” He said in jest but you could hear the genuine hurt in his voice. Oikawa felt your hand tighten as you clutch on the back of his jacket.

“Tooru-” You leaned your head against his back ‘-it’s weird how this makes me feel happy but hurt’ You thought

“Tooru-” ‘-I’m glad we’re talking again’

Oikawa could feel his heart go erratic, longing for whatever that is on your mind. Voice it out, he thought. Voice it out. But you don’t

“Tooru-” ‘-how come I still like you?’

That night, everyone is staying over at Oikawa’s house except for you. It would be weird considering you’re the only girl and your parents didn’t let you. But here you were, shivering in the cold as you knocked on the window outside Oikawa’s room. He was there because it was him who called you out at 2 in the morning, begging you to come. You shouldn’t have come but you couldn’t really resist him. Not even after all these years. Not even after convincing yourself to move on from him.

You’re whipped and you’re annoyed by it.

‘He’s a jackass’ You think as he holds your hand to support you down ‘He shouted at you. Never apologized, rejected you before you even had a chance to confess. He’s an annoying son of a bitch’

Your heart flutters when you stumble against his chest, Oikawa holding you by the shoulders to steady you “You’re cold” He says, his breath raining down on your hair. His breath was hot and your cheeks turned warm.

You fought the urge to look up at him but when he wrapped a blanket around you, your eyes unconsciously made its way to his face to see he was glowing red despite the darkness of his room.

“The others are in the living room” He says, pulling you down with him on his bed. Shuffling of sheets echoed around the room as Oikawa dived under the blanket. He had his arm under you while his other pulled you to his chest. He kept his arms around you, his chin on your head as you flushed yourself to his chest.

You could feel his heart, beating its way out of his chest. His heart slowly lulling you to sleep. He called out your name. You reluctantly pulled your head away from his chest and looked up at him “Hm?”

Oikawa bite his tongue, mulling over the words in his head. Should he tell you right now? What would your reaction be? He doesn’t want to hurt you again. He doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. He doesn’t want this moment to stop. For the world to pause and let him hold you close to him.

He thinks it over - deciding he should tell you soon. But not know. Not when your cheeks are red, your half-lidded eyes glossy as you gazed at him longingly. Oikawa leans in, planting a soft kiss to your forehead that tells you exactly what he feels. You could feel yourself shrink under the affection.

You didn’t notice that you fell asleep. Did not know that his eyes scanned every nook and crevices of your face. How beautiful you looked to him. How you would always be the prettiest in his eyes. How he looked at you so utterly and deeply in love it hurts to know that the time is ticking.

Oikawa brushes the strand of hair on your face, pushing it behind your ears in an agonizingly slow pace. He takes his time feeling your skin, placing his lips on your forehead and falls asleep with your warmth wrapped against his.

After that night, you and Oikawa grew more affectionate with each other. Sure, you still banter. That would never change. But there was a shift in the air and you knew there was something in there. But neither of you admitted anything. Still friends but much more than just that. Nothing was official and no one acknowledged the elephant in the room.

And you were glad it was never official. Because after graduation, Oikawa’s mom threw a party for him. A graduation party. A farewell party.

It seems like night brings out the intimacy that the morning shies away. Oikawa had led you to the playground behind your house. You remembered playing here with Oikawa and Iwaizumi, practicing volleyball as always.

You climbed up the slide and sat down at the top, letting your feet dangle on the edge. Oikawa sat beside you, his long legs dangling down beside yours. You studied the difference and smiled to yourself.

“I’m going to Argentina” He says, refusing to look at you. His hands are pulled into a fist, trembling. You placed your hand on top of his, his shaking stops as he finally looks your way “That’s great” You said, and you mean it.

He smiles at you but it doesn’t reach his eyes. So you held his cheeks, head tilting to the side “It has always been your dream, Tooru. I can’t believe it’s finally happening”

“It’ll be hard” You snort “Of course. It’s Argentina dude. Japan is still miles away from their skills” Your eyes glint at that, giving Oikawa a determined smile “But we’ll beat you, just you wait”

“I’ll win first” And he means it. You laugh, hand dropping from his cheeks “I’ll look forward to it”

Oikawa gazes at you with so much adoration in his eyes. You were the only person who didn’t tell him his plans were stupid. And he loves you for that.

“I love you” he was the first to crack. Your cheeks turn red, expression shy at his intense gaze “I-I love you too” You stutter, a bit overwhelmed.

Oikawa chuckles “You’re cute” His words don't really help to die down the red in your cheeks. In fact, it only worsens it “Shut up” You grumble indignantly and he laughs.

“Hey, will you be my girlfriend?” At this, you looked at him with a sad smile.

“We can’t” Oikawa knew your answer before he even asked. But he didn’t expect the pain would hurt that much.

“Can’t we try?” His voice is painful and it broke your heart to see him so broken “Tooru” He looks at you pleadingly and he speaks

“I think I've been in love with you all this time. But to be honest-” He bitterly chuckles “-I was envious of you more than I liked you"

"And that's why it's a no" you smiled sadly.

"You love volleyball, Tooru. More than anything else. More than you. More than me" The atmosphere was somber. Until a thought passed by your mind and you tittered.

"More than milk bread" The both of you giggled.

"Yeah...more than milk bread"

Neither of you moved. Not even when the sun rose from its sleep and in a few hours, he'll leave.

He'll leave.

And you have to let him go. Even though he's right there beside you. So close yet so far away. He's there and he loves you. But for his dreams. For him.

You let him go.

And then he's gone. On the other side of the world, thousands and millions of miles away from you. And you regret the three years that could've been so much more if the two of you hadn't been so stupid and so prideful.

And just like that, years and years passed. Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi left abroad and only you stayed. Though you did move to Tokyo and worked at a hospital for a few months until the opportunity to work as an assistant manager and physical therapist for MSBY Black Jackals came up. You could only thank the stars for connections. In this field, you only get a chance if someone in it knows you. And luckily for you, you know a ton of them from your years as a manager back in high school. 

It’s 2021 and 8 years have passed and you remained in contact with Oikawa. Though you don’t talk as much as you two now have your own separate lives. He has volleyball and you have your athletes. And of course, during the course of those 8 years, the both of you had dated several people. Some long term, some not so long. And inside those 8 years, you’ve finally convinced yourself you’ve moved on from Oikawa Tooru.

The olympics is this year and along with Iwaizumi, you were pulled in to be a manager and their physical therapist. You had made quite the reputation in the industry. What with your genius mind for volleyball, opponent teams that know you fear your analytical skills and your ability to use that knowledge for the benefit of your team. Really, all professional volleyball teams want you. It just so happens that it was MSBY Black Jackals that called you first.

Oikawa doesn’t know that you and Iwaizumi are part of the Japan team. And so when his team emerged, ready to face old rivals, Oikawa swore his eyes jumped at the sight of you and Iwaizumi.

Your heart swelled with pride, lips outstretched to a big smile. You’re proud of him, so so much.

You could only yelp when Oikawa sprinted towards you and pulled you and Iwaizumi in a tight hug. It’s been such a long time since you saw each other. And a thought passed by your head.

The three of you didn’t make it all in the nationals, but you sure did all go to the olympics.

When Japan lost and Argentina won, you didn’t find it in yourself to be sad. Instead, you were happy. Ecstatic. Euphoric. You’re so proud of everyone, of your teammates and rivals. To have made it this far, they were truly beyond just amazing.

๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪ ٬     ุ๋ ⸱ ๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪  ๋࣭

“You could stay with me” Oikawa says nonchalantly as he takes your bag from your hand, the hubbub of the crowd ringing in your ears as you exit the airport “My car’s right here” He tells you as you near a red sports sedan. Unlocking the car, he placed your bag at the backseat as you sat at the passenger's seat.

You’re in Argentina for the weekend for a seminar for sports physical therapists. Just two days, sure nothing could happen for such a short time.

“Nah, just drive me to a hotel” Oikawa gazed at you mischievously

“What? Afraid I’ll do something?” You threw a box of tissue at him “Shut up bitch” He laughed, taking a seat before starting the car “So you are” 

“Please” You scoff.

You ended up staying at his guest room.

His house is in an apartment - a kitchen, a couch, a TV, a fucking gym, and pictures on the wall. His apartment is surprisingly cozy, you noted. 

You dropped your phone on the bed, collapsing in fatigue. Your eyes were about to flutter shut when Oikawa’s voice boomed in the room “You should shower. Ya stinky from the flight” You rolled your eyes.

You reluctantly pushed yourself out of bed, passing by him and snatching the towel from his hands. You noticed he already changed into a shirt and shorts. You could see the outline of his muscles, lining down his chest. His thighs in view, you tried hard not to stare.

But of course, Oikawa being the ever asshole that he is, comments “Take a picture! It’ll last!”

Once shower was over, you fell down beside him on the couch, the television on in the sports channel. It’s Schweiden Adlers against Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets. You smiled thoughtfully at the sight of Ushijima and Goshiki on TV.

“What time tomorrow is your seminar again?” Oikawa asks, passing you the milk break from the coffee table. You took it “8 in the morning until 5” He hums, bread down his throat.

“Wanna go out after? My practice ends at the same time” You yawn “Sure”

True to his words, he picked you up from the university 30 minutes after five. Oikawa took you everywhere, to the beach, to a restaurant, to a park, even to a club. Which is probably why he’s dragging your drunk ass to his apartment at 1 am.

You slipped from his arms and landed on the floor with a thud “Shit” You heard him curse under his breath as he hurriedly closed the door behind him. You felt arms curl around yours causing you to giggle “That tingles”

“How can you get drunk from 2 glasses of vodka?” He mused but you only giggled at him. Oikawa glanced at the clock, 1:42 am. Sighing, Oikawa put a hand under your knees and back, carrying you bridal style to your room.

“Tooru” You exhaled, your hot breath sticking to his face as he laid you down gently on the bed. Gulping, Oikawa turned away, grabbing the blanket to put it over you. He felt your hand enclose his cheek, forcing his gaze to you.

Your cheeks are red, illuminated by the moon that is the only light source in the room. Your hair is a mess and your breath stinks of vodka. Your eyes are closing, hands collapsing on your side as you exhale, dropping your head on the pillow. Oikawa notes the way your eyelashes squint and the mole in your left eyelid. And suddenly, Oikawa felt like he was eighteen again.

You could feel his breath, hear his heavy breathing and you flutter your eyes open. You shrink under his gaze, lips parting unconsciously and Oikawa fought with all his might not to kiss you right there and then. His eyes are half-lidded, filled with desire, longing, and love.

Love. Suddenly, you’re not so drunk anymore.

“Tooru” You breathed out in a soft voice. As if something in him snapped, his lips zoomed into yours in a passionate heated kiss. You moan, slinging your arms on his nape, pulling him closer to you until he was in between your thighs.

“Tooru” You slipped out when he removed his lips on yours only to kiss you again. You could feel the heat of his skin on yours as you pulled and pulled him closer as humanly possible. 8 years flashed through your eyes and all you could think about was how good it feels to have his lips nipping on your neck.

He moans your name, fingers combing through your hair in a desperate attempt to feel all of you. He’s wanted you for so long he couldn’t think straight when he felt your hands dig under his shirt, the cold of your hands digging into his back. He groans, kissing you again in the lips before letting you slip his shirt off his shoulders.

You hum, pulling away to kiss his collarbone, hands feeling his chest down to his abdomen. You felt him tug your shirt and you giggled into his chest, taking your shirt off only for Oikawa to roam his hands on your back, to your front then to your chest. He pressed a soft peck on the flesh of your breasts that wasn’t covered by your bra and he looked up at you and asked “Are you sure?”

“Yes” You exhaled and that was all it took for Oikawa to push you gently deeper to the bed, enjoying the feeling of his fingers working its way down to your legs. He took off your pants, Oikawa took a deep breath at the sight of your cunt. He goes back up to you, nuzzling his head into your neck and whispers “God, the things you make me feel” He airly chuckles.

You took a hold of his cheeks, kissing his eyes, his nose then his lips “I love you”

“I love you too”

-

“God, I’m nervous” Oikawa starts, jumping lightly as he holds your hand. You rolled your eyes but a smile plastered on your face. You grin at him and he continues “I’ve been an idiot for a very long time-” He pauses and smiles

“-still am” You snort “-but a tad bit better now that I’m with you” A soft, endeared smile crept onto your lips

“I won’t say that I don’t regret all those years that I could’ve been with you. But we both know that was crucial and all that matters is that now I’m with you” His eyes shone and his lips creased into a smile that reached his ears

“I promise to never leave you,” he pushes the ring into your left ring finger “-not even death can do us apart” You hear your family and friends laugh in the background

“I will bother you every step of the way-” you could not help the roll of your eyes “-and love you for the rest of my life”

“Actually, scratch that. I’ll love you even when I die. I’ll love you in my next life. And the one after that, and the one after that. No matter how many times I reborn-” Oikawa takes your hands to his lips, eyes fluttering shut as he pressed his soft lips on your knuckles

“-I vow to find you and love you. Like I’ve always had and always will”

For all of your life, Oikawa Tooru has been a constant even at times you wish he wasn’t. There was a time you loathed him, a time you missed him, a time you forgot him, and a time you realized you will never stop loving him.

And as you stand before your creator, in front of your friends and family, promising to love each other till the end of time. The sound of “I do”s and cheers reverberating around the hall, as he kissed you with a tilt of his head. 

You fell in love all over again.

i suck at ending lines ajhbsnckl. i’ma edit this later when i ain’t tired AND hungry

[elsewhereuniversity]

I made a deal with the fey. The deal was that I could have any power I desired. Powerful, isn’t it? The fey I made the deal with is a particularly hungry one, and it’s a wonder that I got out of there alive. My part of the bargain, is I had to supply zem with bodies. Exactly 20 human bodies, no more, no less, no substitutes. What we did not specify, however, was whether the souls had to be connected to the body. So, being the way I am, I had to come up with a solution that would save both me, and the 20 people I had to kill.

Given my newfound powers, I’d gone back to the University, and for about a week I did nothing. Then, I disappeared again, until someone would notice my absence. My roommates noticed first, and when they came looking in the forest, I almost couldn’t take them. That would be cruel, would it not? Yet, I had to. Surely they would understand? They’d come to know me somewhat, this shouldn’t be so far off the mark they would think I’ve been taken. So I did, I took their bodies to a safe place. I had come up with a power that would let me take and hold their souls, which is what I did. I kept them in little jars until their new bodies were finished.

The new bodies were made of cherry wood and fabric and moss. Cherry wood makes such nice bones, and fabric is a much nicer skin texture, the moss is just the filling in the cake. Buttons for eyes, and flowers for hair. None of it would wilt or die, they could grow like humans. I made them look as realistic as possible with few exceptions, I wanted them to have a normal life after this. They had no blood, but I did give them organs, lungs, stomach, intestines, genitals, etc. Even a brain. The only difference is that none of their body was human.

My roommates were furious with me, and I apologised over and over and over again, but I could not give them their old bodies. Instead I could give them powers, which I think made up for the incident, but it was still quite awkward when I came back and had to explain to their teachers that yes, these were the same students. I gave them nerves, and emotions, and control over their bodies. It was hard and exhausting work, and I realised I had to do this 18 more times. What nights weren’t spent studying and doing homework for classes, were spent creating. No body was the same, each was unique and used different materials. Only my victims knew it was me.

After the 7th, I think the knights noticed the changes, noticed how often I left and brought back a slightly different person. Two of them came for me the next time I disappeared, I could tell they were young. They thought they could save everyone. I felt so awful, I gave them bodies wrought from iron and silver, silver for skin, iron for bones, twigs for hair, moss once more for else. I made them powerful, in thanks for the bodies they leave behind. 13 left.

Mud, grass, moss.

Vines, gold, moss.

Clay, yarn, moss.

Glass, wood, moss.

Button eyes and stitches, seams and tears and hair that doesn’t feel right.

Eight left.

I loved all my creations, I care for each person who tried to save me from a fate that was not my own. They mean the world to me. I hated the burden I’d wilfully taken, I feared for my life every time I saw that Being. Yet I did not need worry, for I would be alright, I was not forgiven nor forgotten, but I was alright.

The last was a senior boy. He came to me, a friend of a friend of a friend. He asked me for a new body, he said he hated his own. His voice was high, he looked close to tears. I asked him why, I got no response, I thought I could understand. I had given myself several new bodies throughout my time at Elsewhere, it’s why I asked for the power. I did what was asked of me, I would owe him nothing, he would owe me nothing, he would get a body he could love, I would get a body that would get me out of this deal. We worked together on it, I let him help me sculpt it. Clay for skin, hickory wood for bones, vines for organs, grass for veins and nerves, moss for hair this time, dark paint for colour, it was my best piece yet.

When it was finished I kissed his old body goodbye, as I had done for each before, as a final loving blessing to welcome them to their new body. Because I was thankful, thankful that they had lent me their bodies without their permission, and hopeful they would not hurt. He was more special, I cared for him. I never saw him after he hugged me with his new self, tears flowing as he left.

I live alone now, in a bustling city I dare not share the name of, in an apartment that fits just right. My rooms are covered in plants, I have a cat and she is wonderful, art adorns the walls and I’ve become somewhat of a safe haven for people like me. In almost every aspect of my identity there is someone I can relate to, and can help, and that’s what I do. I go around the sparse places, I wander alleys and skate-parks and libraries and parks at night, where I know they will be. I do not trick or manipulate anymore, they all come to me, and they all get a full explanation of what will happen. I still make, but I make differently. There is a very specific range of people I make for, they are unloved by most, they are loved by me. I think I would have been a good Knight on campus, had I gone the route, but the danger was frightening, I realise now that what I was doing was far worse. It does not feel good to dwell and worry of the past, and I know I will never get those bodies back, the people that I hurt. My clients, you could call them, do not need to worry about losing their body, or seeming unnatural in the world, thankfully. I am happy, and living.

I think I’ve become a bit of a legend on campus. They still call me The Body Thief.

x

[obithoes]

days like this: ino yamanaka

warnings: angst, brief mentions of breaking up, fluff that the end

authors note: it’s been so long since i’ve written anything but can you tell how sad i was when writing this? also a big thank u to @kikyozoldyck for helping me structure this

word count: 1052

It was was late you knew that much, but you also knew she wasn’t sleeping yet. You were at her house for your monthly sleepover. Focused on the ceiling above you, you were contemplating the feelings you’ve been feeling for the girl to your left.

Exhaling sharply you spoke into the silent room “I love you Ino... and not in a bestfriend type of way either or like a sister either. I...I love you.” Your voice was shaky and it cracked at the end, you were terrified of her rejection. At a weak attempt you tried to blink away the tears swelling in your eyes.

It wasn’t until you felt warm arms wrap around you that you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. Ino barried her face in your neck, allowing time to pass before speaking. “I love you too” She kissed your cheek before snuggling back into your neck. That night was the first time she fell asleep in your arms.

Days like this made you wish you could travel back to that night and stay there forever. The night you gave your heart to your best friend — now girlfriend of six years. You and Ino were what most considered to be high school sweat-hearts. Dating since 10th grade up until now, your senior year of college.

You adored Ino, ever since you first laid eyes on her. You met in 6th grade, both of you attending as new students. The similarity caused you two to gravitate towards each other. Ino’s outgoing personality blending together with yours is the reason you two became best friends. Your friendship carried on up until sophomore year of high school until relaxing you were head over heels for the blonde.

The reminisce of your teen years occurred frequently on days like this one. The two of you were having a bad day, on top of the relationship issues you were having. In the end you both exploded on each other, que the screaming match ending with you storming outside the car after Ino voiced that you should just break up since you “clearly didn’t have time for her anymore”.

Senior year had been killing you. More pressure was put on than usual this semester, resulting in your study time doubling. Not to mention the cost of tuition was raised by a thousand. In addition to that you’ve been making payments on a recently purchased item. There was no way you would be able to afford tuition unless you picked up another job; which is exactly what you did.

You wanted to keep everything a secret until the time was right. Three months into your second job you realized just how much of a strain it was putting on your relationship. The combination of both jobs, plus full time classes resulted in you spending little time to no time with your girlfriend.

Seldom arguments, morphed into monthly, turning into weekly, and so on. It was exhausting, you hated lying to her but the thought of having another argument made you sick.

After dwelling in your thoughts for an hour, you retreated back to the car from leaning back against the hood. Closing the door you turned towards girlfriend wincing at her tear stained appearance. In that exact moment you hated yourself more than anything else, the women that trusted you with her heart was crying over you.

“We can’t keep doing this. If you can’t explain to me what’s been going on with you these last four months then maybe —“ Ino cut herself off with a choked sob, her hands rapidly wiping her tears away.

Climbing over the console you slid into Ino’s seat, placing her on your lap. With her head resting against your neck you lovingly rubbed her back.

“I never intended for this to happen us. I was only trying to do something special” Your voice was low, meant only for her to hear.

“Four months ago I picked up a second job. I’ve been wanting to do something real special and this job helped with that.“ Being met with silence you continued.

“I never meant for things to get like, I was planning on quitting the job in January. If I would’ve told you you would’ve hounded me with questions and ruin my plan, since you know how much of a horrible liar I am” You were met with snort at the end of your words, a small smile cracking your lips.

“I remember how much you loved valentine’s when we were younger. It’s been your favorite holiday for as long as I could remember. Always going all out on gifts, the ever classic romantic you are” With your arms still wrapped around her Ino twisted her body to meet your gaze.

“I tried to beat you this up coming valentine’s day but it looks like you win again” With a small laugh you pat your pockets down.

With furrowed brows Ino watched as you dig in inside the oversized jacket you were wearing.

“Ino I’ve loved you for half my life and I will love you for the rest of it. No matter how many times we argue you’re the only person I dream of coming home to” Ino let out a small gasp, being met with the sight of a small square box in your hand.

“I’m apologize for lying to you these past months, I was only trying on making this special, but then again every moment with you is” Opening the box you extending it out towards Ino.

“Ino Yamanaka every second I share with you leaves me in euphoria. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other then you. So, if you’ll have me will do you me the honor of marrying me?”

Throwing herself into you Ino wrapped her arms you sobbing into the crease of your neck.

With your rubbing her back the two of you remained in that position for some time. Pulling back Ino kissed you slowly, almost as if she was persevering the moment. Your noses bumped when she pulled away. You took of the fresh tears on her face, thankful they weren’t ones of pain.

“You’re such a idiot” She kissed you again before continuing “Of course I’ll marry you”

[angellesword]

Silver Dust

Summary: Yoongi proposed to you and you're contemplating whether to say yes or no.

Pairing: Songwriter Yoongi x Gender Neutral Reader

Genre: Fluff, fluff, and fluff.

Word count: 6.7k

Warnings/ author's note: I wrote like a whole ass song using Cypher pt.4 beat lmaooo, kissing, minor smut, mention of rape, abuse, killings, and corruption.

<<< The first meeting >>>

The first time you met Yoongi's eyes wasn't really that special.

There was no sign of your heart skipping a single beat, if there was, you're 100% sure he's not the reason behind it because 1) you pretty much believed it's just the effect of drinking three shots of espresso in one sitting. 2) You were damn nervous since your prelim grades were already out.

You didn't even feel any butterfly in your stomach, nor did your world light up—and this, to be honest, was understandable, especially when Yoongi's eyes were dead as fuck. You figured that if it wasn't for your shared seven am class, he would probably still be lying in bed.

"The professor said you're my partner for this project." Even the first time you heard his voice wasn't special.

If there's one thing that made Yoongi Yoongi, it's his monotonous voice. At first, you thought he just didn't like the idea that you two were stuck together to work on a project. (Again, it's understandable) You also found it ridiculous that your professor actually paired you with a stranger.

Well, it's not like you knew Yoongi. Unless knowing his full name counted. But really, it's inevitable since the two of you went to the same classes since freshman year (you're a senior now) apart from that, almost all your professors never failed to voice out their adoration for him.

You first heard his name when your history instructor made it very clear that Min Yoongi's works would be his "standard" when it came to grading your individual projects. In short, if Yoongi got an A, you and your classmates should also either get an A or an A+ or else, you're considered 'failed.'

It’s kind of fucked up, really. Most of you knew that Min Yoongi was a monster when it came to collecting As. Unfair. All he did during class lectures was sleep and yet, he still managed to be number one.

Huh. It must be awesome to be God's favorite.

There was also this one time when one of your professors, Mr. Bang, cried when he asked Yoongi to read his essay in front. The smart boy was reluctant at first. He despised exposure, that's for sure. However, the professor's so persistent that Yoongi obliged just to make the annoying instructor shut up.

You're actually glad Mr. Bang managed to persuade Yoongi. His speech about finding yourself and being happy made Mr. Bang and almost everyone in your class cry. Yoongi transformed into a completely different person the moment he started his speech. Monotonous Voice? Gone.

You figured that yes, your heart didn't skip a beat when you first caught his eyes, but boy did your heart hurt when those simple words leaving his mouth turned into a piece of art.

<<< Your one brain cell >>>>

The second time you met Yoongi's eyes was in front of his house. The two of you decided to work on your project at the school's library, however the place was loaded with students cramming their paper works and you just couldn't bear to hear another person aggressively typing on their laptop anymore. You were sick of it.

"Uh, hi?" you awkwardly smiled at the blond man in front of you.

You weren't quite sure how to react when he was just staring at you blankly. Yoongi's lips were pursed together and that alone made you uncomfortable.

"We were supposed to meet at the library..." He raised his brow as if he wanted to know how the hell did you know where he lives? And were you a fucking stalker?

"I..." You instantly trailed off when he narrowed his brow more. Man, he sure was intimidating. The lack of spark in his eyes made you wince. The man in front of you had thick, low set brows—making them appear almost completely straight. (Poker face alert)

You swallowed the thick lump in your throat before trying to form a coherent sentence.

"There...people. I mean, the library is packed with uh, people."

"So you just decided to show up in my house?"

His question made you quiver. This was such a wrong move. Of course you couldn’t just knock on his door like this; you two were not even friends!

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know any other place and I..." You heaved a deep sigh. "I saw your friend Jeongguk and he told me where you live—“

"Right." He cut you off by opening the door wide. Of course it had to be Jeongguk. That little shit really knew how to annoy Yoongi.

"Holly peed on the couch so there's no way we can work there. Is my room okay to you?" Despite not seeing his face, you instantly knew that Yoongi's question was directed at you. He was leading the way inside his house and you're behind him, quietly following where he's going.

Yoongi's house was not that big, but it's a lovely and comfortable place. Unlike your dorm, you felt at home here. It's probably the indoor plants that made the place more alive. You suddenly wondered if he's living with someone. Did the love of his life stay here? Or did he have a roommate? You're adamant that he lived alone; otherwise all these plants would probably be dead.

You weren't really a judgmental person, you're rather logical. Yoongi slept during class hours; he couldn't be bothered by moving a single inch, too. You guessed that he hated any form of activity and maybe, that included watering plants.

You were about to ask him if he lived alone when your voice had been overpowered by loud, boisterous bark.

"Oh! Hello there, little guy..." A giggle escaped from your lips when a small dog went your way to lick your exposed legs.

You squatted in front of the puppy so you could pet his furry head.

"Holly, no!" Yoongi called the attention of the brown poodle, but it couldn't care less. The dog named Holly still continued to ask for your affection.

"Holly!"

You almost whined when Yoongi took Holly away from you. You're sure the puppy hated it too. But Yoongi told you that his pet needed to learn his lesson first. The naughty dog really peed on the couch right after his bathroom training. Yikes!

Yoongi let you inside his room after your little encounter with Holly. The vibe of his room contradicted the overall theme of the house, but you had expected it to be this way nonetheless.

His bedroom walls were painted dark blue, too dark it's almost close to black. There's nothing much in his room except a single bed, a study area with lots of technical devices, and oh!

Amusement danced in your eyes when you noticed different manga books on his shelf. You didn't think that Yoongi was the type of person who would dwell on such things, but what really caught your attention was his album collection.

"You like Epik High!?" you couldn't help your enthusiasm when your eyes found the band's album called Shoebox resting on the black metallic shelf near his bed. Damn. Shoebox was your best-loved album of all time! You liked all songs by Epik High, however nothing could ever top the said album for you. Your ultimate favorite song had to be Amor Fatti. That song slapped, though its meaning was often misunderstood by many.

Yoongi only spared you a few glances from the moment you showed into his house, this time, however, he was looking at you intently and for the first time, you saw him smile, a shy one at that.

"Yeah...they're the reason why I write songs..." He whispered, too soft you barely heard it.

You even blinked. Did you hear him right?

"Oh, you're a songwriter?" You flashed a loop-sided smile that made Yoongi's cheeks red.

"Uh, well...it's just what I like to do during my free time."

You nodded and hummed, your eyes were still busy roaming around his room when an idea popped in your mind.

"So why don't we make use of your talent and write a song for this project?" You caught Yoongi's eyes again, but this time, it didn't look dead, truthfully, his pupils dilated when he heard what you just said.

You instantly defended your suggestion.

"I mean, we don't really have a plan, and now we have. I think you're pretty good at it so it'll make our jobs easier. I can sing, don't worry..."

You hated saying that, though you didn't have a choice. You needed to convince him that producing a song would be such a good idea.

Your professor said you needed to make something, anything that would elicit a reaction from him and your classmates. This was a psychology class and your topic for midterm was all about emotions. Mr. Kim Seokjin, your professor, was tired of doing all the talking, especially because your class was unresponsive, so to save his voice (and brain cells probably) he told the whole class that the remaining meeting for midterm would be about his students showcasing their talents that wold, like what you had said, gain extreme emotions from your classmates. It's actually easy except that you're paired with someone you were not close with. On top of that, the presentation of the project shouldn't exceed ten minutes, and lastly, it should be personal.

You spent days thinking about what you and your partner could do, but your brain cells weren't cooperating since you only had two of it, the first one was sleeping and the other only knew the words "Nothing, bitch."

And so now that your former brain cell decided to wake up and save you from your misery of being stupid (even if it's just for good three minutes) you're willing to take it.

Before your 180 seconds ran out, you immediately started blabbing words to convince Yoongi to produce a song with you.

And guess what? Your convincing power must be really good (or maybe you're just as annoying as Mr. Bang and Yoongi just wanted you to shut up too) but hey, at least Yoongi agreed!

<<< Weirdo >>>

The third time you met Yoongi's eyes—well, it's not really the third time. You had actually lost count on how many times your eyes locked with each other. Sometimes, it's a conscious act, but most of the time, it's not. You guys would just find yourselves staring into each other's eyes when you didn't know what lyrics to write next.

Producing a song was not as easy as what you thought it would be. It had been three weeks since the two of you started this project. Yoongi's room had been your workplace ever since. He had the equipment you needed plus it's easier to meet here since your dorm was just meters away from his house.

"My damn throat hurts like hell!" You groaned before collapsing on top of Yoongi's bed.

The past three weeks you spent with Yoongi made the two of you start a beautiful friendship. Admittedly, it's not really beautiful since most of the time; you're bickering at each other. You and Yoongi were so different from each other. He liked starting his work early because he wanted to finish it early. You, on the other hand, were his exact opposite. You're the play now, work later type of person and Yoongi hated it so much. While he practiced delayed gratification, you sat there and ruined everything.

You were always on his bed, cuddling his pet Holly. That's most likely the reason why it's only been two days since you two finished the song. It took almost three weeks because of your procrastinating ass, and now, you suffered. The two of you only had a week before you performed this in front of your class. Yoongi was pissed off at you for the reason that you still hadn't finished memorizing the lyrics and your voice was already strained.

“If I ever see you drinking cold water again, I will fucking drown your ass on that water as I behead you, and then I will freeze your head." Yoongi warned as he joined you in bed.

"Ohhh, morbid. I like that..." You shrugged your shoulders and then you buried your face on his chest—making him groan in irritation.

"You weirdo, get away from me!"

"No..." You laughed because Yoongi was the weird one here. He told you not to touch him or stay close to him, but at the same time, he's wrapping his arm on your waist.

You wondered if this was okay, it's just been three weeks since the two of you had been formally introduced, and yet, you found comfort here. On his bed. In his arms.

You smiled to yourself, yes, Yoongi was a weirdo, but so were you.

<<< Namjoon’s Party >>>>

What you considered as the fourth time you met Yoongi’s eyes was also the first time he called you by your given name.

“You feel so good…” He moaned your name on your neck, his hands were tightly wrapped around your waist—enjoying your body heat.

You suddenly thought if dragging Yoongi into this party was the best idea. Right now, you had no freaking clue how to act. You’re drunk, but not too drunk to not think about the consequences of this night. But damn, you’re just a human. A horny human! How could you possibly stop Yoongi when he’s using his soft lips to paint bruises on your neck!?

You could just push him away and you knew that, though you were also aware that your mind and heart wouldn’t want that, not when you liked what he’s doing to you.

“Namjoon’s party sucks.”

“Just not your crowd, weirdo...” You chuckled. Oh, thank heavens for Namjoon. He was one of your childhood friends and frankly, the song you and Yoongi produced wouldn’t be finished without the help of Namjoon. So when that friend of yours texted you to come to his birthday party, you immediately agreed. Fortunately, you didn’t have to force your one brain cell to wake up just so you could convince Yoongi to go with you.

This wasn’t what Yoongi likesd he hated parties because he didn’t want to talk to stupid people and drunken people were stupid people. Perhaps the only reason why Yoongi was here was because he couldn’t turn down Namjoon—not after all your friend’s genius advice.

“I hate this place.” Yoongi added, he’s now looking at you with sparks in his eyes—or maybe you’re just drunk. Too intoxicated to feel and see anything other than the fact that Yoongi’s already grinding at you.

You huffed; suddenly offended by the clothes you’re wearing. Were you supposed to wear this when all you wanted was to feel Yoongi’s touch on your bare skin?

“We’re here for Namjoon—”

“God, can’t you take the hint?” Yoongi cut you off by pouting.

You blinked. Did this weirdo just pout? And oh, his lips…his lips were hot….hot against your own mouth.

“Yoongi….” You breathed, your eyes were too hazy to see his gummy smile.

“Let’s get the hell out of this place…”

That night, you once again lost count as to how many times you met his eyes. You also figured out that his eyes looked best the most when he’s down on his knees, facing your hips.

<<< The Performance >>>

You were expecting to meet Yoongi’s eyes as soon as you opened your very own one; however panic and fear consumed your whole being that you immediately ran out of Yoongi’s room. You’re too frightened to let him see you that you hurriedly put your clothes on and left his house.

It’s not like it was going to change the fact that you slept with your classmate in Psychology, however, you were scared. Scared to see his eyes back to being dead when just last night, the moon and the stars were there, staring at you like you’re not just a dust in this universe, but the whole universe.

Besides, you had one logical reason: you needed to pick up your costume for your upcoming performance with Yoongi. Taehyung, your designer friend was only available till nine in the morning, so you literally had to run like a lunatic right after you woke up from your cozy sleep on Yoongi’s bed.

Your outfit was perfect. Damn, Taehyung really had a talent when it came to this. Your confidence level was boosted just by wearing the clothes your great friend designed. You thought you’re finally ready to perform the song you and Yoongi produced for one month.

You were so ready, but your heart was not…

Just…where the hell was Yoongi? It had been two days since you last saw him. You hadn’t heard any news from him since you left his apartment the day after Namjoon’s party. Was he mad at you for leaving? Or did he even care?

You had fifteen minutes left before Mr. Kim Seokjin, your psychology professor, marked your grades zero.

“Fucking Min Yoongi, where the hell are you?” You grimaced when your call was directed on his phone’s voicemail.

You had two options: fake death so you wouldn’t have to perform, or kill Mr. Kim Seokjin. (They wouldn’t probably notice if you stabbed your professor on his side since most of them were busy preparing for their own presentations.)

But just as you’re about to resort to your latter option, Yoongi’s familiar scent immediately attacked your nose. You looked back only for you to cancel killing Mr. Kim Seokjin and just choose your former option.

God, how could it be possible for you to still want to stay alive when Min Yoongi was killing you with his looks? Gone was his light blond hair, but you’re not complaining since his now black curly hair was much much better than the previous one.

“Sorry I’m late. Holly peed on the couch again…” His multiple earrings looked too damn good on him. You’re silly; you’re fucking silly because you worried for nothing. Yoongi was still Yoongi, and the sparks in his eyes were still visible.

“It’s okay, we still have time…” You smiled as if the thought of murdering your professor didn’t just cross your mind. Oh well, nothing else mattered when Yoongi was here, right?

Mr. Kim Seokjin said that you and Yoongi would be the last performers for this day, which meant you still had at least half an hour left to stare at Yoongi like a vampire wanting to drink blood. But time flies fast when you’re busy with something. Thirty minutes ago, you were just ogling at your partner, right now, you were in front of the class, spitting fire with your partner.

The first verse of your produced song was rapped by Yoongi. Scratch that, Agust D was in front of you and not Yoongi. Your partner told you that he preferred to be called Agust D whenever he was performing his rap song.

Robber! Robber!

Sorry bae

Killer! Killer!

Sorry bae

Addiction—diction--diction

Sorry bae

“Oh! The court’s case you got away?”

Your partner smirked before proceeding to the next verse. You, on the other hand, stood there to hype the crowd.

You always get away

I’m sorry bae

You smoke cocaine but get away

Justice won’t be served

I’m sorry bae

Everything, everything, everything

Unfair

You were nervous. The next verse was assigned to you. The plan was that you only had to sing the chorus part, though Yoongi had another idea. He wanted you to go out of your comfort zone and try something new. So here you were, rapping.

You commit the same sin

Sorry bae

Your silence they love it

Sorry bae

I see same pigs on the senate

Boring bae

Your vote they bought and they’re not

Sorry bae

Nothing’s new but rich people’s car are

Brand new

Sorry bae

You can’t be illiterate coz they take advantage

Before you know it, you’re one of the reasons

Why innocents are salvage

Politicians know your name

But after the election they act like they don’t know your name!

You and Yoongi both performed the chorus part. It looked like the crowd was enjoying your presentation because they also started shouting and hyping you up.

They love, they love, they love themselves

They know, they know your sufferings

But they don’t they don’t and will never care

Youth wake up, stand up, we should fight the state! Brr!

The following verse was rapped by Yoongi again. You took your time to feel yourself as you discreetly watched the reaction of the people in front of you. A whole month of stress and worry seemed to pay off. You even locked eyes with Park Jimin, one of your most-respected classmates; he cheered for you and that was enough for you to successfully perform the next verse.

I wanna get job (job, job, job)

But I can’t get on the spotlight

Yeah I wanna have a good life!

But my parent’s wings are cozy

I just wanna hide

It’s okay I have time

My trust fund won’t end

So I can still live

And breathe while I finish this game

Called being “dependent”

All night, all day

All night, all day

Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care!

The next verse was easy to execute since you and Yoongi both rapped it. You were facing each other and suddenly, you forgot that there were eyes watching you. Min Yoongi caressed your cheeks once. You smiled as you sensually rolled your body.

Who plays by the rule?

No one!

Who wants to grab a woman's hair?

Husband!

Yoongi slightly pulled your hair this time. You grimaced, but you still continued rapping.

He has mistress so the wife’s depressed

He forgot about their kids but that’s okay

She can cover up for him like how

She can cover her bruise and play cool

As she says “I love him, anyway.”

You moved away from your partner. Your mood instantly changed as you approached the next verse. This one’s challenging to write. Your heart was breaking as you sang.

The other woman on the street has been pulled

By the stranger claiming she’s wet like a pool

She should be thankful since this will feel like

a dream come true

Lick it lick it right, you can take it, right?

She cried and cried and cried, that should be a sign

But “High five!” he told the other man

As the woman cried, her voice is too loud

So they killed her that night.

You let out your frustration by growling and jumping. Min Yoongi was also lost in his own world as he rapped—raising his middle finger from time to time.

They love, they love, they love themselves

They know, they know your sufferings

But they don’t they don’t and will never care

You’re horny, you fucked up! Go on and hate yourself! Brr!

It’s Yoongi’s own verse again. His mood shifted too. If you weren’t part of this performance, you would probably just stare at him. Goddamn, Min Yoongi had his own way of expressing himself.

Back back to the killings!

Your guns check

Call me when you need a gunman I can kill

Even for a dollar

Hashtag no conscience

I don’t believe in God so hell sounds okay

I’ll be with my gang gang

So hell won’t be boring!

The demon you summon

so money won’t be your worry

Payday, paycheck so I can have that rolex

He pointed the rolex on his wrist. It’s not an authentic one, but that’s not the point. Clearly, he just wanted everyone to see that there were other ways to “look cool.” However, many people still chose to listen and be their own demons.

Click clack to the bang bang

Your time has run out.

Click clack here’s my gun

I’m so high on drugs

I see you as a rat

They can control me with money

So you take these four shots

Your life is like a fruit fly

“I can’t understand. Why is it so easy for them?” This was Min Yoongi’s question to you. He asked this while you two were writing the following verse. He hated a lot of things, though he could forgive and tolerate some of it easily. However, he clearly told you that he could never treat someone right if that person used violence.

Click clack to the bang, you and you

Wait your turn

Shit! You little boy

Come here look at the blood

How? You’re asking me?

I don’t know, you’re a man you should know how

He also told you how much he hated this unfair world. He respected women more than ever, but Yoongi was an advocate of both equality and equity. Why can’t boys cry? Are we robots? These were some of his questions too.

If this is the kind of world we live in

I don't wanna live at all

If I exist for your pleasure

then I refuse to accept this call

You joined Yoongi singing the last verse of the song.

They love, they love, they love themselves

They know, they know your sufferings

But they don’t they don’t and will never care

Yo’ human, are you human? If yes then help us save this place!

By the time you finish the song, everyone’s clapping their hands and cheering for you and your partner. You swore you even saw Mr. Kim Seokjin wrote “100” on your paper.

You smiled. The performance was over, contrarily, the attraction you felt for your partner was only starting.

<<< Kimchi and Other Sauces >>>>

The first time you met Yoongi’s pleading eyes was during dinner time. After your performance in Mr. Kim Seokjin’s class, your partner said that the two of you should celebrate this success. Of course you immediately agreed, but that did not mean you were willing to spend money.

“I swear to God, Yoongi…if you ever bring me to a fine-dining restaurant, I will fucking kill you.”

You were not joking. You had student loans to pay so you couldn’t afford to spend a hundred dollar for a fucking spaghetti and sparkling water.

“Chill, you weirdo. We can just—” He stopped mid-sentence because a brilliant idea just popped into his mind.

“What? You’re not planning a yacht dinner date, are you!?” You started freaking out and the uneasiness you felt only intensified when Yoongi smirked.

“Actually, I was planning to…you know…maybe…make you eat my cum.” He simply shrugged his shoulders.

He said it so casually that you just stared at him. Was he serious or were you supposed to be laughing now? You could feel your blood rushing. You were so confused. Excited. Worried.

After what it felt like forever, the staring contest with Yoongi finally ended. He offered his hands and of course, you immediately took it. The both of you rushed toward his big, black motorbike. Yoongi only brought one helmet so he told you to just wear it. The ride to his house wasn’t that far, anyway.

The both of you were in a hurry. Countless profanities were thrown at him for driving hastily; Yoongi even parked his motorbike in a reckless way. Still, you two couldn’t care less, especially Yoongi. How could he? Huh, definitely not after you stroked his cock while driving. That’s really not a smart move, at least not when Yoongi’s mother welcomed the both of you just as Yoongi opened his apartment’s door.

“Eomma! What are you doing here?!” Clearly, your partner wasn’t expecting to see his own mother. It’s pretty obvious since Yoongi’s jaw dropped and his neck was slowly turning red.

“You brat! Why wouldn’t I be here? This is my house!” You knew you weren’t supposed to laugh, however it’s hard to control yourself when Yoongi’s being hit by his own mother while he was trying to cover the bulge on his pants.

“Eommoni! Please! I have a guest!” Yoongi got away from his own mother by hiding himself behind your small frame.

“What—oh!” His mother’s eyes widened when she saw you. She seemed surprised to see Yoongi bring someone. Of course, Yoongi had never brought his friends home. Not even once. At this point, his mother was actually convinced that her son was allergic to human beings.

“I didn’t know that Yoongi is friends with someone as charming as you…” The frightening aura of his mother was completely gone. The older woman engulfed you into a tight, warm hug as she asked your name. You answered her with a smile on your lips.

Yoongi’s mom led you in the kitchen. Actually, you tagged along with her. She wanted to prepare a meal for you and her son, but of course, you couldn’t just sit still and look pretty. As a sign of respect, you needed to help her. Besides, you loved kitchen works, though you’re pretty sure cooking hated every fiber of your being.

The older woman just asked you to set up the table because according to her, she was always in charge of cooking. She also told you to be prepared because you’d surely forget your name once you tasted her award-winning Sam Gae Tang or that chicken soup with ginseng. Hoseok, one of your best friends, made the best chicken soup so your standard was kind of high. For you, nothing could beat Hoseok, but we’ll just have to see.

“Please be kind to my mother…”

Yoongi’s voice and eyes were pleading as he sat beside you. The food was already prepared and the two of you were ready to eat. You were just waiting for Yoongi’s mom to finish washing her hands.

You just raised your brows at the man beside you, clearly not understanding why he’s pleading because really, you knew how to respect elders.

Yoongi sighed.

“My mom is a terrible cook. Her soup tastes like shit, man…” Yoongi shook his head like a traumatized kid. He even bit his lower lip.

You’re about to say something, but you heard his mother’s footsteps, meaning, if you spoke, she might hear you, and so you just kept your mouth shut. You’re expecting Yoongi to do the same, though he just leaned on your shoulders—his eyes were still begging.

“Please, baby? Just put a lot of kimchi and other sauces on your soup to get rid of the awful taste. Can you do that for me?”

You simply nodded. That night, you realized that Yoongi was willing to do everything just to make someone he loved happy. Days, weeks, months, and years passed and you still admired how every time you had dinner with him and his mother, Yoongi would urge you to put kimchi and other sauces on your chicken soup.

At this point, you were convinced you loved Min Yoongi. You had always loved cooking, hell, you were willing to lose your bachelor’s degree if that meant you would be good at cooking, because…

You, just like Yoongi’s mom, were a terrible cook. But Yoongi never complained nor did he ever put kimchi and other sauces on the food you cooked just for him.

<<< Silver Dust>>>>

The first time you asked Yoongi why he liked looking into your eyes was when the both of you were having a staring contest.

The wind was unbelievably cold tonight, clearly, you weren’t expecting to freeze in the middle of a summer night. The annoying weather led you into thinking if climbing on top of your boyfriend’s house’s roof was a good idea. Sure the stars were pretty, but you felt cold. Too cold.

“Do you know the story about the Window and the Mirror?” Yoongi asked out of the blue. He also pulled your body closer to him—making you grimace. The texture of the roof was hard on your back. You shook your head, why did you choose to lay on the roof without any blanket again? Sometimes, your choices in life were really questionable.

“Nah, what happened?” You’re never a fan of stories.

Yoongi sighed. He pulled you closer to him until your face was buried on his neck. Damn. He smelled like smoke and sex.

“Well, for starters, my father left us…”

Yoongi’s words monetarily made you stop breathing. You had known him for years now, but not once did you ever talk about his father. You were aware that his father left him and his mom, though you didn’t know the story behind it.

“My father was a good man and he always tells me he loves my mother more than ever. For the longest time of my life, I believed him. He never looked into anyone’s wife. He never had a mistress, but my father is selfish.”

You just hummed to let him know that you were listening.

He cleared his throat.

“Mom just wants a simple life and that’s why we never left Daegu. This is my home. Our home.” Yoongi’s grip on your shoulder tightened, he looked up in the sky—the stars were prettier when you were in Daegu.

“My father doesn’t like to be here, though. He loves the city. He craves city life. Ever since I was young, he kept telling my mom that they should move to Seoul. Abeonim hates farming. He calls our strawberry farm disgusting. Said he should become a CEO and not a stupid farmer.” Yoongi laughed bitterly. He could still remember the way his father said those words.

“And guess what? He fucking did. Min Hyun Sik, chief executive officer of Bighit Company…” Yoongi cackled and you gasped.

Min Hyun Sik was his father? That guy was like the richest man in South Korea! You wanted to confirm this news that he just dropped, however, you couldn’t move because Yoongi’s grip on your shoulders was so tight.

“He became someone with power by leaving my mother and I.” Yoongi repeated as his eyes darkened. He no longer found the stars pretty. For him they were just lights—shining to hurt his eyes.

“He just left a note like that was going to be enough. He didn’t even say sorry. The only words written on those notes are him telling me to go to University using the money he left.”

You bit your lower lip. His grip was really, really tight…

“He wants me to go to college so I can follow him in the city, and so I went to college. But it’s not because I want to follow him. I enrolled just so I can fucking drop out during my last year.”

You furrowed your brow. If that was Yoongi’s original plan, then how…how come he’s a college graduate now?

“That was the plan before I met you…” Yoongi’s grip on your shoulder loosens, giving you the opportunity to look into his eyes.

He smiled at you.

“So, the story of the Window and the Mirror?” He offered and you just nodded.

“There’s this rich man—”

“Richer than your dad?” You asked. He laughed.

“Fucking richer than my dad…” He left a chaste kiss on your mouth. You giggled. “Anyway, the man went to see a rabbi, some sort of Jewish teacher. Of course the rabbi asked him what he wanted and the rich man said he doesn’t know what to do with his life anymore.”

“Uh, duh? He should give us money!” You butted in again. Yoongi kissed you once more just to make you shut up.

“Unfortunately, the teacher didn’t tell the rich man to give you money, weirdo. The Rabbi just led him over to the window and asked him this.” Yoongi cleared his throat. “What can you see through the glass?”

“And what’s the response of the rich man, Mr. Min?”

“I can see men coming and going and a blind man begging for alms in the street.” Yoongi answered you. “The rabbi seemed content with his answers, so this time, the teacher led him into a large mirror to ask him another question...”

“What is the other question?” You pressed.

“The rabbi asked him this, baby…” Yoongi pressed his lips on your mouth before proceeding to the story. “When you look in this mirror, can you tell me what you see?”

“And?!” You pressed again.

“I can see myself…”

“Obviously.” You rolled your eyes. You just wanted to know the sense of this story.

“And you can’t see the others. Notice that the window and the mirror are both made of the same basic material, glass. You should compare yourself to these two kinds of glass. Poor, you saw other people and felt compassion for them. Rich — covered in silver — you see yourself.”

“Oh,” was all you could say.

Your boyfriend smiled at you.

“My father chose to look in the mirror and I almost did the same. I almost dropped out of college just because I want my father to see that having a degree is useless. But, baby, if I actually chose to drop out, I wouldn’t have met you. I wouldn’t be able to give my mother a better life. I wouldn’t be able to afford to hire a cook and who knows? If I drop out of college, I would probably still be eating my mom’s shitty chicken soup.” You laughed at that.

“I am just saying, I like to look into your eyes because it reminds me of a window. It made me see a lot of things—new opportunities. Because of you, I stopped being selfish. You removed the silver in the mirror; you turned the silver into dust.”

“I fucking love you!” This time, you initiated the kiss.

You kissed Min Yoongi so hard that when you pulled away, he’s desperately gasping for air.

“I fucking love you too.”

<<< The Proposal >>>>

After reminiscing some of your unforgettable moments with Min Yoongi, you finally looked into his eyes.

Yoongi proposed to you and you’re contemplating whether to say yes or no. Your boyfriend despised the crowd, but here he was, down on his knees—shakily holding a ring on his hand.

You examined his face. His lips were quivering, for the first time; you saw how vulnerable he looked. It’s as if his whole life depended on this, and to be honest, it did. Yoongi couldn’t imagine life without you.

“Baby, are you gonna say yes or no?” Yoongi knitted his brows together.

You chuckled. Typical, Yoongi.

“Please stand up…”

Your boyfriend looked at you with confused eyes. His heart started beating so fast he’s very sure it would explode.

“B-But why? Don’t you want to—“ He stammered.

“Just stand up, Yoongi.”

With a heavy heart, Yoongi followed what you wanted. Deep inside, Yoongi was already murdering his friend, Jeon Jeongguk. He just told Yoongi that proposing in a strange, busy city would win your heart.

You two were currently in New York, New York. Strangers were watching you, and Brooklyn Bridge served as your backdrop. Jeongguk said that if Yoongi proposed in a place where no one knew you, then it was a sure win because your mother wouldn’t be able to stop Yoongi. Your childhood crush or ex wouldn't be in the picture too so it was another win for Yoongi. But your boyfriend was starting to regret his decision. He shouldn’t have listened to Jeongguk. What did that dipshit even know about love?

“Yoongi, are you listening?”

“Huh?” Your boyfriend’s train of thoughts were suddenly halted when you spoke.

“I can’t believe you. I just said yes!” You shake Yoongi’s shoulder. It looked like he was still out of his mind and that made you anxious. What if…what if he decided you’re not worth it anymore? What if he didn’t want to marry you anymore?

“Baby, I can’t believe you too. Please give me your hands!” Yoongi exclaimed.

“Oh!” You exclaimed as well. What the hell! You were so apprehensive that you zoned out too!

“We’re both weirdos, do you know that?” Yoongi shook his head after putting the sparkling ring on your finger.

You laughed.

“Oh, just shut up and kiss me.”

“Gladly.”

[theundergrounddrabbles]

MiruReeSuu (request)

“Nee Miru! Let’s hang out!” The call was only from one other person who she had truly despise yet liked as a person. The truth could never be hidden that since Sayaka had left the school that she was the next senpai people adored. Unfortunately she was also the one that peers had subjectively questioned as a human. Miru knew of the other people but they were on a different path than she was and could only be kept to their own kind while she had been one to accept the role of the former leader. “Not tonight... I have... I have to work on my projects.” Miru responded, turning upon not only the voiced but another who stood with a half-smile. “Who is she?” Standing at eye level, Miru was seeing another person. The thought haunted her a bit that she had turned down an offer with a fellow student was a bit awkward on her end when she stepped up. “Yokono Sumire. Nice to meet you.” She introduced herself in a neat manner where the other had grabbed her sleeve. “Mou~ Suuchan wanted to come as well.” The other girl moaned when she poked the chest. “Ouch!” Miru knew of Reechan, Jonishi Rei, sister of Kei, the oddest of her class. She left to pursue other things and the only person who would have forced her hand if her younger sister didn’t have her way. Sayaka was well above it since she would play off her boyish charm towards anyone.  Still, Miru was not that. She was quite the one to be left to her own devices as to present herself in a manner where it wasn’t ladylike. Kei knew it as well when she had tossed the idea to have her sister come. Her wide-eyes appearance was innocent at first but leverage soon played onto Miru when she was available. Then again, she was unnaturally busty for an eighteen-year-old. Rei wasn’t Kashiwagi special. She was still noteworthy for something that the members were known for, their chest size. The day that Kei had given her sister away, Miru was stuck to her. Her partner at the time, Fuuko was in limbo with her life and for the one night upon days of Rei turning legal, she was next to the twin peaks of small watermelons. “Suuchan... I don’t mean to be rude but she is taking you down the wrong path. Her sister was evil with this. Rei likes me because her sister forced me to hang with her. Also, maybe you should be with your kind.” Miru lectured her thoughts when the female tilted her head. “I know. I was curious.” She replied softly. “It’s a lie that you’re working on something.” Rei pointed out. “You just want to avoid me.” “It’s called rest. Added you have toys.” Miru spat. “You promised to have fun often.” Rei smirked. “Doesn’t mean all the time. I can work around that by being busy.” Miru argued when Suuchan stepped up. “I wanted to hang with Reechan.” She sighed. “See.” Miru pointed out. “The other thing is... Rei mentioned thy she knew of a cool senpai who likes entertain guests.” Suuchan added. Kneading her forehead, Miru waved towards them as they walked down the street from the campus to the complex nearby. She took a discounted room for her seniority and it wasn’t huge but it was furnished before the start of the semester. She took them to the fifth floor to the apartment near the stairwell as both panted entering into the room. “You live in a small area.” Suuchan exhaled. “I like it. Also, Reechan has her first time here as well.” Miru stated closing the door. “Eh? First time?” She pondered. “Sex. I might as well say it here since she dragged you into it. I’m not surprised she couldn’t find any other person.” Miru explained when Reechan jumped onto the bed. “Sex? I thought a male and a female...” Suuchan thought, when Miru pointed towards the floor. “Yeah... no males. Still, she has been quite vocal since her sister forced her upon me after that fight I had with my ex.” Miru explained, reminding her of the wound of the decision to leave. “She has a large chest.” “I see... that’s a different thing. I’m curious.” Suuchan smiled. Suuchan pulled the jacket off her body and Miru instantly bit her lip. There were many things that she had found odd about the school although it was coincidental about their busy sizes and now being the smallest of the trio was the anvil upon her mind. “I... I can put the jacket back on.” Suuchan stuttered. “Never mind. You have a large chest as well. It’s fine.” Miru knew what it meant. However, the show was going to happen with Rei in the room but without a sense of privacy, she grabbed the stack of clothing near the bathroom and stepped inside. Revealing the truth about herself was difficult with others beyond the older members. She flaunted her body. Only other one was Sayaka’s mate, Miyuki. That was one where the show was easily found among the opposite sex and the amusement was sought after when they would be together but Sayaka was also shielding her as well when she would wear the shorter skirts. The long shirt with hot pants was normal with Rei around but the caution was now the inconvenience of the other person where she kept her bra under as she stepped out. “We can start.” Rei announced as Suuchan went to the bed. Miru was amazed about her obedience. Not too many would take the lead presented by Rei but she started the embrace when Miru had pulled the chair from the corner and watched the pair upon her sleeping area. She had an extra futon for visitors but in the sense of the situation, she had seen a start where she could observe her partners before deciding on the extra bedding.

 Rei pushed her partner forward and crimped up her shirt to the white bra underneath. She pushed her face onto the valley, hearing Suuchan’s groans. Miru held back her responses as to how Reechan got her. Her face crawled up to her lips as they locked and Reechan straddled over the body with her hands gripping onto the shirt and pulling it over her head. Miru acknowledged for one that Kei had never thought her to be dominant and even in these events she was confident because she had experience rather than the power to do so.

 Suuchan threw the shirt onto the ground and helped Rei out of her clothing to the florescent pink bra that held the two huge orbs and swiftly turned to the clasps behind her and slipped it out to the large snowballs which she threw Suuchan’s hands onto them. Miru smiled upon the events when Reechan had turned her head as the smile dissipated. Suuchan gently moving the large boulders in her dainty grasps brought a light cry from her as she quickly broke it off and moved Suuchan into a sitting position and unlocked the back to the bosom that was comparable to Reechan before tossing her to the bed and sitting on top of her.

 “I think Miru would touch herself if she didn’t think about it much.” Reechan commented audibly.

 “You are just horny. I can touch your chest to comfort you. Kei gave me her blessing.” Miru spat back as she grew curious of her partner.

 She couldn’t hold back much to the other as she was open to touching the pair of anyone who were massive in her eyes. Miru watched intently with Suuchan locking down her wrists as the angle brought both their chests together and pushing them together as they locked into an embrace. It was odd to witness such ideas when she stood and walked over to take a seat next to them, lifting Suuchan’s head up. She snatched the pair in her hands as the soft breasts overfilled her grip when a slight snicker came from Reechan.

 Miru knew her temptation would kick in as she leaned in and gave her peck on the lips. The taste was odd but sweet in her mind when she took them away and massaged the pair in her hands when she guided her off the bed and stood her up. Miru moved her hand down to the hip, scanning for the side and pinched down before lowering the zipper with her skirt falling to the floor. She broke the embrace to spy over to Reechan with her hand between her legs. Miru smirked back when Reechan had joined them with her skirt to the floor.

 “For someone who doesn’t know sex, you do know how to kiss.” Miru grinned.

 “That’s normal since I’ve heard what happens.” Suuchan admitted. “Sayaka was quite the beauty and even when Miyuki left, I heard she was concerned dearly for her and kept her chastity from men.”

 “Miyuki told us that in private. She was quite anxious when she left. It was troublesome to know how she actually felt. Sayaka had told us that even talking to her was quite difficult at times when she was wanting love.” Miru shook her head. “As for you, I can teach you upon Reechan or I can make you feel my soul.”

 “Is it a big difference?” Suuchan dwelled as Miru nodded. “Reechan.”

 The odd person from the conversation lowered her underwear to the floor. Miru pushed her onto the bed with her legs parting and noticing the two pairs of eyes upon her crotch with Miru moving her fingers over the slit, sliding them along the area with the fingertips parting them open for the third. Miru instructed her to go onto her knees and took to the back of Suuchan with her hands gravitating back to the chest.

 “Think of it as kissing her lips right here.” Miru whispered.

 She followed with the audible cry from Reechan. Miru circled the hardened tips with her pointer before slipping the hand down to the forest, reaching the top of her sex and sliding it over the cliff. The breasts were like sponges as she could squeeze them and never lose their form. Miru continued to tease the area before Suuchan had pulled back and moaned out into the room as Miru withdrew her hand.

 “Okay… first thing is to make sure it is lubricated. Like this.” Miru instructed, putting a finger into her mouth.

 Copying her senpai, she heard Miru mention for the entry point and with a little assistance, she plunged into the canal with the muscles convulsing and locking the digit into the body. The loud wail from Rei was a good indication as Miru whispered the next set of instructions to move it in and out of the canal. She observed promptly as her body warmed up to the scene. Miru pulled the long shirt over her head and reached back to pull the hooks off to the appearance of her smaller bosom to the duo. She was never afraid of size yet the plushy pairs of the two was a surprise, climbing onto the bed as she pressed up to the lips. Miru felt the passion through her moans as Rei let it come out through her mouth, pulling back with the yelp escaping out into the room. She slid off and moved Suuchan away as she took to Reechan’s location.

 Suuchan yanked down the last piece to the patch of black on her front as Reechan took to the woman. Miru placed her hand between her legs with the tepid reaction of her actions. The moment had haunted her of being lustful for her yet Suuchan was obedient as Rei thrusted her finger into the sex. Miru rubbed the area as she had thought about the efforts when she heard Rei’s voice calling out her pleasuring and lowered her underwear to the floor. Compared to the two, she liked to keep it trimmed and climbed onto the bed with her hips towards Suuchan’s mouth.

 Miru ran her fingers down the top part as she felt the breath upon the slit, kissing the area lightly with her cries echoing through her body when Reechan allowed Miru to test the canal when Reechan took to the side and instantly straightened her back. The sudden jolt ran through her body with the digit wiggling inside the canal and the jerky motions. Miru slid it in and out with the lust dripping out like syrup along her butt, occasionally licking the area to keep it lubricated when Reechan had pulled Miru’s head up and withdrew the finger to concede to the next stage.

 The extra futon was pulled out by Miru and Reechan and placed sloppily onto the floor when they each took a corner. The three laid onto their right sides as the women parted their legs for the incoming intrusion and moved in unison upon the entry. Miru taking Reechan and Reechan having Suuchan gave all three a sex to work upon as they adjusted to their paces. The ebb and flow of the muscles reacting to each thrust gave the third a chance to understand the changes and when to change her pacing upon the other two.

 Miru reminded herself of the younger Jonishi’s twitches and moved with the pacing while she felt the finger within her body digging which tickled her inside. The body shivered as the body spilled lust. The lack of experience brought a different level of awareness onto to her body as the other two were on their back with their heads flat on the floor. Miru spun her body into a sitting position as she glared down at the two.

 “You guys should go home.” Miru scoffed.

 “Not like this.” Reechan moaned.

 “I’m not worried about your bodies being sensitive.” Miru snickered.

 The duo scrambled for their clothing to be put on as they ran out swiftly. Miru waited until they were away to walk over to the bathroom and glared at the mirror. Suuchan gave her body an unusual feeling and taking to the seat, the emotional release flushed out as she reminded herself of the two women with the large bosom in her apartment.

[dorigvbcorvis]

THE FRENCH HORN

A Second Season Glee Story

SUMMERY Dalton takes a special interest in their new mid-session transfer student: Kurt Hummel, after he out performs nearly everyone who has ever taken their entrance exam.  Dalton wants to fast-track their student using an holistic approach and by making Kurt see a counselor, making him take more exams, and asking him to add more CVs.  While Kurt agrees on Dalton’s French Club, where he really wants to shine is in theater and the only Performing Arts Club  around is the one located at Crawford Country Day School for Girls.

NOTES: Story picks up right after Schue comes to see Kurt for gift advice for Sue in S2E10 A Very Glee Christmas Prompt: Kurt’s French Horn tee-shirt.  Kurt wore this shirt twice and I wondered if he ever played the horn.  Then wondered why he stopped,  This story answers both

CHAPTER 1: An Unexpected Visit 

Kurt sat back down in the common room - he propped his head up by planting his elbow firmly on the solid oak desk - Chuffed with himself he then let out long bashful sigh.  Kurt couldn’t believe what just he did…but just like that he did what he did.  In the most candid-as-a-matter-of-fact way possible Kurt admitted to his former teacher that he was in love.  But for as bold and progressive a move this was for Kurt, Mr. Schue didn’t stay long enough to hear the boy’s name or how impressively the boy could sing.  -NO-  Mr. Schuester only came to Dalton for gift advice …and as soon as Kurt said winter tracksuit and where to find one …Schue was turning for the exit.  Kurt convince himself not to dwell on how things had always been kept short between Kurt and his former teacher… He knew he wasn’t Schue’s favorite.  Hell, just showing up at Dalton was more than Kurt could bring himself to expect from the man.   The difference was rather than dwell on how things were - Kurt now had a growing list of things he could better occupy his mind with- Like his duet with Blaine for one.  

Kurt found he could also amuse himself on how in the most extraordinary change of fortunes he had left a school that didn’t much challenge him; not in the least! - and exchanged this for a school that did challenged him almost in every sense of the word.  The beauty of Dalton was the rewards kept coming.  Gone were the days of dumpster tosses, slushy facials, and Korosfski’s threats - Replaced now with guys who didn’t hate him for “destroying the curve” when he did well on tests.  Kurt also felt he had landed in a school where he could ‘be out’ at being both gay and an atheist and he wouldn’t hear the stray derogatory comment come at him from behind his back, but the crème de la crème above all these new found things was that he liked a boy and there were good odds the boy felt the same way back “…Oh crap!!!” Kurt suddenly blurted out.  An all together different thought occurred to him.  The skeptic in him made him wondered if he was simply imagining the flirting during the duet? There was flirting wasn’t there? Kurt sighed even deeper - He wasn’t sure anymore and yet for the first time in the 17 years of his young life he wanted this to be real and reciprocated.  

Maybe it was just that with his growing doubt what also came was the sobering reason why he was still in the common room, alone, and at this late hour - AND this wasn’t to dream about a boy -OR- take a running inventory of changes to his life. - NO - It was instead to play catch up with his classes and this meant he really did not have the time for the beautiful tenor with the hazel eyes.

Kurt’s mid session transfer to an academic prep school meant all but one of his classes were now AP; and these AP classes were not only harder but he also had to start from three modules behind and play catch-up…and then until he caught up he was to remain under 'Academic Suspension’.  Kurt didn’t like this last stipulation because it meant he was off limits to certain of Dalton’s perks - Like off campus privileges and The Library that he had only seen once while on his tour of Dalton.  The library was to remain off limits until his academic suspension was lifted.  At McKinley libraries were the safe zone where the Korosfski’s of the world never dared enter …and it was here Kurt became an avid reader devouring whole reading lists at any given chance …so if Kurt wanted into the library at Dalton - the only answer he had was to work hard at changing this status.

Currently it was Unit 3 of AP World History. History had always been one of Kurt’s better subjects and he would be all caught if not for how Charlemagne was proving dull and tedious.

Kurt cracked his book open to find where he had last left off when he heard his name spoken aloud. Kurt immediately looked up half hoping it would be Blaine asking again for another duet for which Kurt would gladly crater to - It however was Wes Seong.  

Wes was a tall good looking Asian senior.  The young man’s strong level-headedness meant he was entrusted with the task of being a liaison between the students and the faculty. Kurt addressed Wes only as “Head Warbler” - Kurt would have been just as correct to call Wes in some Harry Potteresque nod  'The Class Prefect’.

Kurt watched as Wes stood there in front of his make-shift work desk looking back-and-forth between the main doorway and then back at him - That was until Wes finally spoke up:  "Was that the Director of The New Directions who just left?“ Wes asked with the kind already known assurance that negated an answer.  And for Kurt the way Wes asked also left him feeling as if he had broken one of Dalton’s Cardinal rules regarding after hours guests and worse he did so with a rival of The Warblers - And now he was going to hear for it…about both probably.  

"Mr. Schuester? Kurt uttered, with a voice that was both wavering and elevated; there was no escape Kurt knew he had been caught.  "He just stopped by to say hello and ask about gift advice - I-I did not ask him to come.” - The way Kurt stammered and the way his eyes flashed showed his fear. He didn’t want to screw up so soon - And especially not while academic suspension was being held over his head.

“Relax Kurt. It’s okay.  Besides it’s Christmas time…The powers that be here are a lot more relaxed with guest rules.”

“So it’s okay?” Kurt now asked timidly.

Wes smiled - “Yes,”  He affirmed.  "I only asked because I thought he was the same man who shook my hands at Sectionals.  I am actually here on another matter,“ Wes said, shifting his focus to look at Kurt more directly.

The worry in Kurt’s stomach remained like a weighted balloon.

"Yeah,” Wes said, admitting there was this other thing. “I just had a conference with many of your instructors….they wanted to know how you were doing - They wanted to ask me if I thought being a Warbler was too much for you to handle.”

“What did you tell them?” Kurt asked alarmed that the next words spoken would be asking for him to quit.

“Only that you are as good student as you are a welcome addition to The Warblers.”

“I don’t think I understand,  Why ask?” Kurt stated with a frown.  "Did any of my teachers think I should quit?“ Kurt asked now visibly hurt.

Wes shook his head no.  "Most of your teachers said they enjoy having you as a student - And they also said how impressed they were at how you were nearly caught up in all your classes.

"What then? What would make them ask that question?”

“I think they only worry that you might burn yourself out”

“I am okay-  I can pace myself”

“I believe that.  But they did asked for me to check up on you - I would have said no but I also sort of see their point.” Wes suddenly paused, and his shoulders dropped with a sigh.   “Blaine as you might know came here under similar circumstances he had to repeat his first year here…he would be a junior same as you…but things happen.”

“Yes, Blaine told me about what happened; and what some guys at his last school did to him.”

Wes winced; he didn’t want to think about what it was like for either boy to be bashed and threatened.  Wes instead pulled out a business card and handed it to Kurt

Kurt read the name on the card: “Richard Thompson PsyD” he saw M-F hours listed on the back of the card.

“Kurt, Dr. Thompson is one of the onsight counselors here - He wanted me to let you know he’s available if you need to talk. He said No hurry just swing by when you get a chance but do stop by.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Nothing that I know about - I think Thompson just wants to let you know Dalton is here for you.”

“You would tell me if there was something else”

“It might be about what happened at your other school,  it might also be..,”  Wes stopped abruptly and didn’t finish.

“Might be what exactly?” Kurt now demanded.

“As you know Dalton Academy is designed to prepare you for college.  Right?”  

Kurt half nodded this well known fact

“The way your instructors were talking about you, they said you could just about name your college - Dalton has been known to fast-track students into Ivy League or other colleges with prestige.  I think Dalton lives for boasting rights or something.  But if this is what they want - Dr. Thompson would be the man to see about that.

"Ivy League?  Me?”  Kurt said shaking his head no.  Kurt’s heart was set on Julliard, he wasn’t sure what help Dalton could do there.  Kurt flipped the business card to look at both sides.  

Wes shrugged his shoulders.  "It could only be that he wants to see you as a guidance counselor - he was mine last year.“

"I thought Mr. Allen was my guidance counselor?”

“Allen is good - If it’s about setting up what classes to take and what programs to follow - But Thompson might be a better fit, considering why you are here and everything.”

Kurt now let out groan recalling how…  "The last time I was asked to see the guidance counselor it was because Miss Pillsbury saw me with one of her pamphlets on suicide prevention.“  

Kurt’s confession caused Wes’s eyes to widened - He had no idea how bad it must have been if killing one self was ever a consideration- Watching Kurt then laugh it off was just as disturbing.

[with a giggle] "I spent the next several weeks in her office trying to convince her I would never have gone through with it, and how I especially would never have done anything like that to my dad.”

“I think you should make an appointment.  Trauma is nothing to mess with.  When we moved here from San Francisco it was because my mom was car-jacked - it took moving halfway across the country and three years of therapy for her to get enough nerve to leave the house.  I think you should at least see Dr. Thompson - See what he wants.”

Kurt silently fumed feeling like whatever the reason he wasn’t really being given an option in any case.  He flipped the business card over again to look at the hours listed - concluding that he would go - but only so he could later say he went.

“Are you about finished in here? Wes asked, changing the subject completely. "It’s my turn to lock up.”

Kurt nodded and gathered up his books - For as much work he still had left to do in World History…he no longer was in the mood for studying.

Some how Wes understood the turmoil that was going off in Kurt’s head.  "I wouldn’t sweat it Kurt,“ Wes said with a sympathetic smile. "With what I heard from your teachers - And then I think Miss Perron your French teacher…is itching for you to join the French Club as soon as you can.”

“They’ll have to lift my academic suspension first.”

“Maybe that’s why Thompson wants to see you.”

Kurt left the common room and he headed for the dorms hopeful this was indeed the reason this guy Thompson wanted to see him.

***

END NOTES: I could not find a credible source for “Montgomery” as last name for Wes.  In my story Wes’ last name is Seong.  He is a Senior his DOB year is 1993.  His family is originally from San Francisco - Wes has attended Dalton since his Freshman year. Blaine Anderson DOB year in my story is 1994 (not 1995 as stated in The Glee Wiki) He transferred to Dalton in his Sophomore year but the events leading to his transfer to Dalton and its aftermath with his dad proved to be too much him for him to handle and he had to repeat his Sophomore year.  I have his DOB as April 8, 1994 Kurt Hummel whose DOB is May 27, 1993 means he started school late or at some point he stayed back a year. In all of my Glee FanFictions Kurt repeated the third grade with the reason that the death of his mother caused him to miss school and fall behind.  He stayed back a year also in part to his dad thinking Kurt was too small for his age.

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

2:00PM Water Cooler 7/31/2019

Digital Elixir 2:00PM Water Cooler 7/31/2019

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Trade

“Trump’s Bid to Dismantle Global Trading System Poised for a Win” [Industry Week]. “Thanks to a U.S. veto on new appeals judges, the WTO’s dispute arm is expected to start slipping into the institutional equivalent of a coma at the end of this year. That has set off a scramble by the European Union, Canada and other countries to set up a temporary alternative allowing the use of arbitrators rather than three-judge panels to hear appeals. But by creating that system, WTO members may be giving Trump and aidesーwho, like him, have deep-rooted skepticism of multilateral institutionsーthe very thing they want. Arbitration would above all provide the flexibility the U.S. is after, Vaughn said. It would see disputes treated as individual cases, avoiding the precedent-dependent system the WTO appellate body has become.”

“Inside the lose-lose trade fight between Japan and South Korea” [Nikkei Asian Review]. “[There is a] growing ‘Boycott Japan’ movement spreading across South Korea. South Koreans have also stopped buying cars, beer, cosmetics and just about anything else bearing the label ‘Made in Japan.’ Some are even canceling their summer holidays…. Well-organized protests are not uncommon in South Korea, and they tend to pass relatively quickly. But these boycotts — which in South Koreans’ minds are tied with the emotionally-charged issue of wartime labor and a sense that their most successful companies are under attack — may be different. The movement kicked off shortly after the decision by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration on July 4 to tighten controls on exports of three chemicals essential for making semiconductors and flat panel screens used in smartphones and TVs. By choking off supplies of the chemicals — Japan’s market share for two of them stands at more than 90% — the Abe administration was essentially taking aim at the engine that powers South Korea’s high-tech economy.”

“USDA gave almost 100 percent of Trump’s trade war bailout to white farmers” [New Food Economy]. • Deceptive headline erases class: “The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has documented that the program has disproportionately helped wealthy landowners and a recent analysis by Donald Carr, a senior advisor for EWG, argues that the MFP has deepened the disadvantages of black and minority farmers.”

Politics

“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51

“They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery.” –Frank Herbert, Dune

“2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination” [RealClearPolitics] (average of five polls). As of July 30: Biden continues rise at 32.2% (32.0), Sanders flat at 16.2% (16.2%), Warren up at 14.3% (14.0%), Buttigieg flat at 5.6% (5.5%), Harris up at 10.8% (10.5%), others Brownian motion. Sanders opens a little daylight between him and Warren, for the first time in two weeks.

* * *

2020

Delaney (D)(1): Naughty, naughty:

so someone edited John Delaney’s Wikipedia page

pic.twitter.com/dFMHiz15XD

— Sarah Flourance (@BookishFeminist) July 31, 2019

Gabbard (D)(1): “Tulsi’s Last Stand?” [The American Conservative]. “Gabbard has been perhaps the most interesting Democrat running for president and Wednesday night could be her last stand. She gets to share the stage with frontrunner Joe Biden, like Hillary Clinton a vote for the Iraq war. There is no guarantee she will get another opportunity: the eligibility criteria for subsequent debates is more stringent and she has yet to qualify…. Gabbard has so far been unable to penetrate this madness despite being young (she’s 38), attractive, telegenic, a military veteran, a woman of color, and an articulate, passionate opponent of the regime change wars that have brought our country so much pain.”

Warren (D)(1): The liberal Democrat enforcers are coming for Warren:

Maybe Warren really believes that single-payer is the only way; if so, I’ve misjudged her policy acumen. Either way, that was a bad night for someone who should be leading the progressive charge 7/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) July 31, 2019

The Debates

“Sanders, Warren battle centrists in testy debate” [The Hill]. “But on Tuesday night, the moderates came out swinging at Medicare for all with grave warnings about the electoral consequences.” • Oh.

“The Centrists Did Not Hold” [Jeet Heer, The Nation]. The Deck: “Both the moderators and centrist Democratic candidates failed in their attempts to gang up on Sanders and Warren during Tuesday’s debate.” • So we’ve normalizes the idea that the moderators are not refs but players? One more reason to get the networks out the debate business. More: “The fusion of entertainment with politics continued apace with CNN orchestrating the Democratic primary debates as a professional-wrestling donnybrook. Led by Jake Tapper, the CNN hosts consistently tried to get the two factions to attack each other, while bizarrely elevating John Delaney for much of the debate.

“The Middle Ground Did Not Fare Well in the Democratic Debate” [Jacobin].

“‘Do or die:’ The pressure is on struggling 2020 Democrats to break through at Detroit debates” [McClatchy]. “With the leading candidates increasingly separating themselves from the rest of 2020 Democratic presidential primary field, this week’s second set of debates are shaping up to be most crucial for the bottom half of the pack who are dwelling in single digits and struggling to raise money. It’s those campaigns that are preparing to take a more aggressive posture in Detroit as they fight for survival ahead of a traditionally slow summer fundraising period and stiffer requirements to qualify for the next debates in the fall…. The next debates aren’t until September, when polling and donor requirements for entry will tighten. Seven candidates have indicated they’ve already crossed the necessary thresholds, with at least two others claiming they are close to doing so.” • Hence, beyond ideology, the aggressiveness of Hickenlooper, Delaney, et al., and the relative quiesence of Buttigieg and O’Rourke, who have already made it to the the next debate round. I would expect the same dynamic to be in play in tonight’s debate as well.

2019

“California Aims to Make Trump Release Taxes by Requiring It for Primary Ballot” [Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine]. “California governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation making disclosure of five years of income-tax filings a condition for appearing on the state’s presidential-primary ballot, beginning next year.” • Here the Constitutional qualifications and requirements for the Presidency. Article II, section 8:

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

I don’t see the grounds on which California gets to add additional qualifications for a Federal office. Further, the additional qualifications are blatantly aimed at a political enemy of the California Democrat power structure (California is a one-party state). What happens a tit-for-tat struggle begins with states dominated by Republicans? We won’t have national elections any more. Back to the article:

But the latest bill passed on a strict party-line vote, and Newsom signed it on the grounds that because of its size and stature, California had a “special responsibility to require this information of presidential and gubernatorial candidates” (it will apply to candidates for Newsom’s own job after 2024).

This is a 21st century states’ rights argument, except only for large states. Where is it written that any state has “special responsibilities”?

Realignment and Legitimacy

“DSA Members, America’s New Left” [New Left Review]. “But the five dsa members, all from California chapters—and spanning a range of positions, from neo-Kautskian electoralism to libertarian party-building—offer a vivid sense of the debates agitating the group’s membership base. How will dsa convert its newly acquired supporters into political organizers? What fields of activity should it bestow its (still limited) resources upon? Most pressingly, how should it relate to the Sanders 2020 campaign, and to the Democratic Party as a whole? Can the long-term goal of building an independent working-class party be reconciled with dsa’s current practice of running candidates on Democratic ballot-lines?” • Interviews with five DSA members. Interesting!

“No, Professors Aren’t Discriminating Against Conservative Students” [Pacific Standard]. “The idea that left-wing college professors are both brainwashing undergraduates and discriminating against conservative students has emerged as one of the most consistent right-wing lines of attack against American higher education over the last few decades. While conservative undergrads, like many types of students, may often feel isolated, a new working paper led by a public policy professor who tells me he’s a ‘lifelong Republican’ suggests that any evidence for bias in grading against conservative students is at best minimal and most likely absent.”

Stats Watch

Chicago Puchasing Managers Index, July 2019: “[T]he lowest reading in 4-1/2 years” [Econoday]. “New orders sank deeper into contraction with employment falling into contraction for the first time in nearly two years and to its deepest level of contraction in nearly 10 years… Though conclusions are difficult to draw based on uncertainties over the make-up and size of Chicago’s sample, the drop in this report could reflect trade-tension issues.”

ADP Employment Report, July 2019: “ADP estimates that private payroll growth in Friday’s employment report for July will rise 156,000” [Econoday].

Employment Cost Index, Q2 2019: “Wage pressures are flat and will not stand in the way of a Federal Reserve rate cut that is expected this afternoon” [Econoday]. “The lack of acceleration in employment compensation readings hints at available capacity in the labor market.”

State Street Investor Confidence Index, July 2019: “Global institutional investors continued to reduce their exposure to equities and were even more risk averse in July” [Econoday].

Tech: “Privately Owned Scooter Companies Don’t Have a Future” [Jacobin]. “Nearly two years ago, dockless e-scooters started appearing on the sidewalks of major cities across the United States, eventually fanning out to Europe, Asia, Australia, and beyond. In most American cities, the companies didn’t bother getting permits or checking their services would be legal; they just dropped off their scooters.” • Scooter economics seem quite similar to ride “sharing” economics, i.e. not and never going to be profitable.

Manufacturing: “The CEO of one of the world’s largest airlines said Boeing needs to get its ‘s— together’ as the ongoing 737 Max crisis hits the carrier’s profits” [Business Insider]. “The CEO of one of the world’s largest airlines said that Boeing needs to get its “shit together” as the ongoing grounding of its 737 Max planes extends beyond predictions and the carrier’s profits take a hit…. Ryanair, the biggest low-cost carrier in Europe, had ordered 135 of the 737 Max planes, with the first 58 of those planes due to arrive by summer 2020. The airline was the fifth-biggest in the world by seating capacity in 2018, and is the world’s largest airline by number of routes.”

The Biosphere

“Whose fault is plastic waste in the ocean?” [Deutsche Welle]. “Because plastic is so tough, it can last for centuries without breaking down. That means plastic made in the past, mainly in richer nations, has accumulated, often in the ocean. Experts say this, along with the lack of data on plastic from marine and other sources, makes blaming individual regions for ocean plastic unhelpful.” •

“Geoengineering is very controversial. How can you do experiments? Harvard has some ideas.” [MIT Technology Review]. “For years, several Harvard climate scientists have been preparing to launch a balloon capable of spraying reflective particles into the atmosphere, in the hopes of learning more about our ability to counteract global warming…. ‘It’s an extremely high-profile institution that’s decided they don’t want to wait for the regulatory regimes to greenlight this,’ says Wil Burns, co-director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University.”

Health Care

“The Plausible Path to Medicare for All” [The American Prospect]. “The flailing second-tier Democrats in the presidential debates who attack Medicare for All and its sponsors are indeed doing the work of Republicans. It is indeed possible to get to universal coverage under the auspices of Medicare, without bankrupting the public treasury or increasing net costs to the middle class. And the coverage would be better, more reliable, and more cost-effective than even the best insurance that people now get from their employers. Today’s employer-provided insurance is riddled with deductibles, co-pays, denials of reimbursement, limits on which doctor or hospital you can use, and loss of insurance when you change jobs. Sanders and Warren are right about all that. But the transition problems are far from trivial. The biggest problem is that the people who will save money when they no longer pay premiums are not the same people who will likely pay more in taxes*. So the sponsors of Medicare for All should recognize that a better transition strategy may be the best way to disarm critics, among centrist Democrats, Republican attackers, and the press; and to reassure the electorate and make Medicare for All the big winner that it can be. The best of the transition approaches are those proposed by Jacob Hacker, with a close legislative counterpart in the Medicare for America Act co-sponsored by Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Jan Schakowsky.” • I would be more sympathetic to Kuttner if TAP and its ilk hadn’t, through unremitting effort, themselves created the need to “reassure the electorate.” I also remember the fantastically destructive role played by Hacker in the liberal Democrat bait-and-switch operation against single payer in 2009-2010. I know this is the genetic fallacy, but it’s very hard for me to believe that TAP and Hacker are operating in good faith. NOTE * So #MedicareForAll is a downward transfer of wealth? And this is a bad thing?

Black Injustice Tipping Point

“Whites get half of mortgages in Detroit, nation’s largest majority black city” [Bridge]. “Home loans are heating up in Detroit after years of a frigid lending market, but a majority of loan dollars now go to whites, who comprise just over 10 percent of the population. African-Americans, who still make up fourth-fifths of the city, are now far more likely to buy homes in the suburbs than Detroit. The findings come from a Bridge Magazine analysis of hundreds of thousands of federal mortgage records from 2007 to 2017.”

Class Warfare

“The Roepke Lecture 2019: ʺWar, capitalism, and the making and unmaking of economic geographiesʺ [Erica Schoenberger, Johns Hopkins]. Worth a listen over a cup of coffee:

(I owe a hat tip to an alert reader for this, but I can’t find the comment where the suggestion was made.O)

“The tyranny of productivity” [The Week]. “More than 100 years ago, states began listening to workers’ demands and limiting the hours employers could make people work. Later, in the 1930s and ’40s, the federal government did the same thing on the national level. And governments didn’t just guarantee people the free time to pay attention to things one might deem “unproductive” — they also helped them find unproductive things to do. Indeed, early 20th-century political leaders made playgrounds and public spaces a priority. Teddy Roosevelt, who helped create the national parks system, ensuring Americans’ access to wild and beautiful places, frequently described the power of nature in decidedly non-instrumental terms. ‘There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm,’ he once wrote. Later, during the depths of the Great Depression, workers hired by the federal government built some of the country’s most gorgeous public architecture — including, as Odell notes, the Oakland rose garden she so enjoys. But, in the second half of the 20th century, government increasingly shied away from policies aimed at anything as unproductive as beauty and pleasure and devoted itself to economic growth, instead.”

“IBU strike shuts down Alaska ferries” [Alaska Public Radio]. “In Ketchikan, approximately 30 picketing ferry workers stood on the sidewalk outside Alaska Marine Highway System terminal where the ferry Columbia was set to depart for Bellingham, Washington…. The union had warned the night before that a strike was imminent if it didn’t get a contract deal. It’s been negotiating for the past three years. An impasse last week led a majority of members to vote to authorize taking direct action.”

“These Are the Wealthiest Towns in the U.S.” [Bloomberg]. Handy map:

News of the Wired

“Daemons are the programs that run the internet. Here’s why it’s important to understand them.” [The Conversation]. “Internet daemons optimize how computers actively manage systems toward certain goals or highest-efficency states. Optimization is another way to understand algorithmic governance. It is at once a way of thinking and a way of doing. To optimize is to calculate optimal states that solve social and political problems. Optimization also involves ways to actualize these states…. The technical connotations of optimization obscures its social and political implications. For example, an optimal amount of news to include in Facebook’s NewsFeed or shorter passenger wait times on Uber are technical decisions and business ones.” • Optimization is not neutral!

“Behold, the most (intentionally) poorly designed website ever created” [Ars Technica]. • Here it is. Looks like Twitter’s designers examined this site closely.

* * *

Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Today’s plant (Re Silc):

Re Silc writes: “My 3-year-old bristly locust love southern vermont.”

* * *

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So do feel free to make a contribution today or any day. Here is why: Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I’m on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of small donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals. So if you see something you especially appreciate, do feel free to click this donate button:

Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated.

Readers, I have redesigned the image above because the composition of your Water Cooler donations has changed. For the last few months, donations have shifted to monthly donations in smaller amounts, with very few one-time donations in larger amounts. While I’m very happy to have enabled small contributions (Luke 21:1-4), the lack of larger contributions has cut into the trickle of funding from Water Cooler that I really do depend on. In other words, your contributions are way down. (Readership and comment counts have not fallen, so I don’t think Water Cooler editorial content as such is the issue, though do feel free to drop me a line if you have thoughts.)

So, I redesigned the image to emphasize one-time donations, while still enabling smaller monthly donations. And if you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to contribute, perhaps last night’s debate coverage will provide an excuse!

If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!

2:00PM Water Cooler 7/31/2019

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[fatrainbowmermaidunicorn]

I Take Your Heart On Tour with Me (Taehyung x You ONESHOT)

A/N: I have been playing around the idea of writing a fic about how it would looks like if you actually date a celebrity or even worse an idol. It must be hard to date someone who isnt always around and is well know internationally, having millions other girls showing affection towards your loved one isnt it? Then the first two requests came in and I decided to combined it. Hope this fic will do justice to what I actually want to potray <3

And as for the third ask, I was really literally writing this last night when your request came in. Seriously, I'm shooked. Are you three anon the same perrson or are you just good at reading each others mind? :D

And to everyone out there who is in a long distance relationship and survives, you guys are my hero! I cant bare to be away even for a day from my significant other. Hahah.

MASTERLIST

"Happy birthday baby," Taehyung smiles at her. His beautiful unique smile that she loves so much. That she missed. Y/N wish she could touch his face, traced and feel the warmth of his skin against hers, inhaling his scent and hearing his laugh as his warm breath tickle her ears. She wished for that every day and she hopes that it will come true. Maybe some day it will. But for now, seeing Taehyung through the frosty screen of her computer is good enough.

"Thankyou baby," Y/N smiles although tears has already visited the corner of her eyes.

"What did you wish for baby?" Taehyung asks her, a sad smile grazing his face as he saw the love of his life being so sad on her special day. He wishes he was there. To hold her, touch her, hug her, kiss her, make love to her. He missed her more than any words could have ever explained.

"I... I wish that you are right here with me. Thats all I ever really wanted," Y/N sniffled and smile softly at the screen. Taehyung raised a hand and traced the screen of his laptop, wishing he was touching her soft skin instead.

"I'm really sorry baby. I cant be there with you. But you know I wanted that too more than anything in this world. I miss you too much Y/N. I love you," Taehyung looks at her, his usually piercing eyes turns soft.

"I know Tae and its okay. One day we will be together again," she smiles, not wanting to upset her beloved boyfriend. "And I miss you so so so much and I love you very much too Kim Taehyung,"

Taehyung smile at her declaration of love. He will never get tired of listening to it.

"I know you are sad I'm not there with you on your special day baby, but I did sent you your gifts. It should arrive any day now. So I hope it will make up for me not being there, even for a little bit,"

"Thanks baby. I will definitely let you know when it arrives. And no, nothing could ever compare to you Tae, no matter how many things you sent me,"

"Aww baby. I'm so sorry," he dropped his gaze, sad. "I need to go baby. We have sound check before the concert. I love you so much. I will call you after the show like always okay. Take care baby," Taehyung leans and kiss the camera, making Y/N giggles and he waves quickly before the screen goes blank.

This is how her relationship with Kim Taehyung is. Most of their relationships are made on texts, phone calls, video calls and Skype. But its okay, because they love each other too much. Its their fourth year of being together, and its also their fourth year of not being able to celebrate each other's birthday together. While Taehyung gets to celebrate his birthday with his brothers and his million fans all over the world, Y/N will wait patiently every year on this day for him to call and wish her, all from a computer screen.

Meeting and falling in love with Taehyung is never something she could have ever imagined would ever happened to her. Sure, she have heard of their band before, but she never dwell deep into them. Who they are, how they looks like. She just doesnt have the time. Being a medical student, Y/N is always busy. But its also because shes a medical student that fate brought her and Taehyung together. They met in a hospital one fateful day, when Y/N was covering a shift for her friend who suddenly had an emergency that day. Having a practical internship at a hospital is a part of her course as a medical student, and her day has never been more interesting than the day she saw Taehyung helping a limping Namjoon entering the hospital in panic.

Y/N was the first person he saw that looks like a doctor and he screamed at her to help his hyung without knowing that the hospital is a teaching hospital and shes only a student doctor who isnt allow to act on patients without a senior doctor. Panicking and almost crying from being yelled at so harshly by Taehyung, Y/N help to carry Namjoon to an emlty bed and examined him on her own, only to find out that that the older boy is only suffering from a crack toe, a result of being clumsy and accidentally kicked the dinner table, something that Y/N now knows happens a little too many times.

Y/N was in trouble with her supervisor that day. Not only she didnt informed any of her supervisors and work on a patient all by her own, she didnt even know that the members are considered VIP patients at the hospital and was supposed to be given the VIP treatment. After witnessing himself how Y/N gets yelled at because she helped Namjoon on her own due to his excessove anger and yelling, Taehyung felt guilty and tried his best to make up for it.

Friendly visits and apology dinners turns to friendship and in a matter of weeks, Taehyung and Y/N falls in love.

Its hard for the two of them, yes. Taehyung is barely in Seoul, flying all over the world, each trip taking him months. Even when he's home his schedule is extremely pack. And as a medical student approaching her final years, Y/N has to managed between hospital duty and extra early classes, assignments, exams and even research and presentations, and their schedule often clashes. They miss each other a lot, the love and the short memories that they have of each other are the only thing that keeps them holding on to one another.

Its hard to see someone you love and miss on TV, smiling and waving, holding hands and flirting with a million screaming girls. Y/N knows they are only his fan, but still, it hurts. Even worse when their relationship is not even public, making Taehyung single and available as far as everyone in the world knows. It hurts so much, but its the price to pay for dating someone amazing like Taehyung who always knows how to make her smile even from a million miles away.

Whenever they did get the chance to see each other however, the feeling she felt in her chest is magical, amazing and extraordinary, and thats how Y/N knows that Taehyung is worth fighting for. And she hopes Taehyung feels the same way too.

Every last goodbye, every kiss they shared before Taehyung had to hopped into a plane and leave her again hurts, not knowing when will be the next time they will see each other again. But just from the smile Taehyung gave her every time before he leaves makes her believe that Taehyung will come back to her again.

/////

"Who is she?!"

"Baby, I already told you shes just the actress for our music video," Taehyung sighed. Fighting over video calls is something both of them hate. Its tiring, exhausting, disappointing and it never ends. They tried to avoid it as much as they can, always convincing one another to believe in each other and wait until they will see each other again to solve it. But whats long distance relationship without the fights and jealousy right? And just like every other couple, the green eyes monster appeared once in a while to haunt them.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you looking so smug while you wipe off the ice cream from her lips huh? And that is definitely not a part of the video!" Y/N is furious. She came back after a 48 hours long shift to rest and relax only to find the news is littered with stories and photos of her boyfriend out on an ice cream date with an actress from their video. A oretty one too, looking at him with heart eyes. Of course the internet is going crazy, shipping the two good looking couple together, hoping the ship is real.

"Okay baby. I wont lie to you," Taehyung raised his eyes and looks at her through the screen. Eyes tired and sad. "We have gotten closer and I was just so lonely..."

"What?" Y/N looks at him straight in the eyes. What is Taehyung trying to tell her? "T-Tae.. are you trying to tell me that you really did cheat on me?!".

"What?!" Taehyung leans in closer to the screen, trying to see his beloved girl teary eyes. "Baby no! Of course not! I would never do that to you,"

"T-Then what are you trying to say?"

"I-" Taehyung sighed. "I-It occured to ny mind baby... I was so lonely and I missed you so much and she was just there and seems so interested in me.. and cheating on you just occured in my mind. But I didnt do it baby! I didnt do anything about it! I didnt a t on my feelings!"

"W-What?" Tears starts to flow down her face as her heart felt pain that is new and unbearable to her. How could Taehyung even thought of doing this to her? How could he?

"Baby, please stop crying. I'm sorry baby. I'm really sorry," Taehyung himself is crying now. He knows he didnt actually cheat but what he did is just as worse. How could he even think of that when he already have the most perfect girl in the world waiting for him? Sacrificing all her chances of being in a normal relationship for someone like him. And him? At the first chance he gets, he already thinks about cheating on her? He is really a jerk who dont deserve her. "Baby, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I know that. I shouldnt even have thought of that. It shouldnt even have crossed my mind. My loneliness gets too me but I suddenly remembered you. And how you must be just as lonely and sad like I do and its all my fault for not able to be with you all the time, but yet you never thought of shitty things like me. I am so sorry baby, please," Taehyung traced the screen, wanting so much to hug her, kiss her tears away and hold her until she believes that he truly loves her and only her and he wont ever do it again. But for now, all he can do is looks at the love of his life crying through a screen, all because of him, a thousand miles away. "Baby please... I didnt do anything about it baby, please.l," Taehyung begged.

"So just because you managed to hold yourself back this time I'm supposed to congratulate you?" Y/N sobs

"I- I cant do this. I need time to think,"

"Baby dont!" Taehyung panics. Never in their years of relationship has Y/N ever shut him out or needed space from him. He knows he screwed up real bad now. He still have 4 months to go for this tour and there is no way he can wait 4 months to sort this out. He will lose Y/N for sure. "P-Please baby. Ill do anything. Lets talk this out. Now. Dont log off. Dont shut me out please. Y/N baby please!"

"I cant Tae. I'm sorry," and the screen went blank.

"Fuckkkk!" Taehyung yelled out and pushed his laptop off the table in frustration. The loud noise it made caused Jimin to rushed into the room only to see Taehyung in a distressed state.

"Tae? What happened?"

"I fucked up Chim," Taehyung sat sprawled on the floor, everything scattered around him. "I think I will lose her forever and I cant have that,"

"Oh Tae..." Jimin didnt know what else to say. He figured it must have something to do with Y/N and the rumor flying around about Taehyung and the actress. So he sits down beside his best friend and hugs him tight, rubbing his back in comfort, listening to Taehyung's cries all night long.

/////

Its been three weeks now since Y/N didnt allow him to contact her and Taehyung is going crazy. His schedule passed by him like a dream, fanmeets, shoots, practices and performances but he cant remember a thing. All he can think about is Y/N's tear stained face everytime he closes his eyes. How can he be so stupid?

Its already bad enough to be in a long distance relationship where they are apart more than they will ever be together. Trust is already always an issues for couple suffering from long distance relationship, and with what he did, Y/N has every right more than ever to not trust him now.

Scrolling through her social media is the only thing he can do when he miss her, and even that she didnt update often. He miss her. He wants to know whats shes been up to, how shes doing, hows her day, did she sleep well? Eat well? Is she stressed out? What about her patients today? Taehyung wants to know everything and he misses the way Y/N would tell it to him every day during their calls. So if stalking her social media is the only way to do it, then he will gladly do it.

"Urgh, she doesnt even update!" Taehyung grumbled in frustration.

"Have you checked her tagged photos? Someone might tagged her so you could see her recent activities," Jungkook voiced out from the other bed, not even bothering to look up from his phone. Taehyung thought for a moment and silently thank the maknae for his brilliant idea. Hopeful, he opened the tagged photos tab and true to Jungkook's words, there are a tons of pictures of Y/N's recent activities.

Y/N with her friends in school, in their scrubs, having dinner, a birthday party and so on. She looks alright, Taehyung figured as he looks closely at beautiful her face. A little thinner and her smile is not so bright like it usually does and it her eyes definitely doesnr have the twnkle it usually holds. Does she perhaps missed him too? Thinks about him too? Just as much as he is?

I'm so sorry baby...

Taehyung scrolled further and a few photos caught his attention. Its still a photo of Y/N with a bunch of friends but theres a specific guy who is always by her side and in some photos even putting his arm around her. That bastard even captioned the photos with sickeningly sweet words.

What the hell? Dont he know that Y/N is his?

Wait, obviously he doesnt know because Taehyung didnt allow Y/N to tell anyone about their relationship. Y/N is as good as a single girl in other men's eyes! Curious and feeling his heartbeat is getting faster wuth anxiousness,  Taehyung clicked on the man's profile and learnt that the man is a doctor at her hospital and he obviously have a crush on Y/N. It irks Taehyung how he doesnt even hide the crush he has on his girl!

Sinister thoughts starts to enter Taehyung's mind. Words he didnt want to believe whispering in his ears. Did Y/N found his replacement? A better man? A nicer man? Someone who will always be around for her instead of travelling all over the world for most of the year? Someone who she can tell everyone about their relationship? Someone that is a doctor? A more noble job than he will ever be as an idol?

Someone that is not him?

Is that why she is so content about not contacting him for three whole weeks when Taehyung is practically dying over here?

Guilt and sadness starts to be replaced with anger and frustration and deep down Taehyung knows he shouldnt feel this way. He should talk aboit it and ask her, not jump into conclusions. He should trust that Y/N wouldnt so that and never assume. This is how long distance relationship goes to die; assuming the worse of each other, thinking about things that never actually happened, but the pictures and captions keeps playing in his mind, making Taehyung believe Y/N did forget about him and that man is the main reason.

Well, Taehyung sighed, anger and vengence slowly seeping through his vein, if she wants to cut all communication with him, then he can do it too.

/////

Y/N tossed and turned on her bed. Something shes been doing every night ever since her fight with Taehyung. She misses him beyond anything anyond could ever comprehend. She miss his voice, his laugh, the twinkle in his eyes when he talks about things that excites him, his childishness, his beautiful smile and most of all, the warmth in his eyes when he told her he loves her.

If Taehyung thinks she can bare with being apart from him for weeks, not hearing anything from him for weeks, then he is dead wrong. There was just so many times she wanted to click on the button and call him. To just say sorry and forget everything that has happened. But her heart hurt too much. How could Taehyung even thought about cheating on her? Yeah, he didnt, but he still thought about it. Doesnt that just means he will soon enough? Doesnt that mean he will if he is given a chance?

Y/N thought about it every single day for the three whole week they are apart. She went out with friends, try to live her daily life as normal as possible, not wanting people to see how upset she was. No one knows shes dating Kim Taehyung anyway, so what is she supposed to say if people asks her why shes so down? So she pretends to be happy, and every night when she came home, her pillows will be the only thing her tears can confide into. She thought about her relationship with Taehyung. Can the relationship still be saved if they fight for it? Worked for it? Maybe it cant? Maybe its already broken beyond repair? All the memories she shared with Taehyung, even though theres not many, it brings smiles to her face and happiness to heart, and thats how she knows that its all worth it. Their relationship is worth it and shes going to fight for him.

"T-Tae?"

"What do you want?" Taehyung's voice tone is cold, something he never used with her for all the years they have been together, and Y/N is scared. What happened to him for the past three weeks? Is he okay?

"I-I'm ready to talk about what happened. Can we talk?" Y/N held onto her phone tight, her knuckles turned white as she waits for Taehyung's answer. After a few seconds of silence, he laugh.

Taehyung laughed. Like what she said is the biggest joke he has ever enconuter.

"Oh so thats how its going to be huh? You talk when you are ready? And when you dont want to you just ran off to someone else?!" Taehyung's tone is menacing and sarcastic and it hurts her so much to hear it. She misses him and this is not the kind of conversation she thought they would have. This is not her Taehyung.

"T-Tae! Its not like that! I-I just need time to process what happened okay? I was hurt. I'm sorry I shut you out. But I'm ready now. Can we talk? Please? I miss you Tae," Y/N tried to explain, her voice small, hoping Taehyung could really hear the pain and longing in her voice. "And what do you mean by running off to someone else? You know I would never do that to you,"

"Miss me?" Taehyung scoffed and lets our a sarcastic laugh. "Are you sure about that? Why dont you just go with that guy whos been entertaining you for the last three weeks?"

"Tae! What are you even talking about?! You know you are the only one for me!" Y/N cried out, confused and scared of what he is saying. Why is Taehyung accusing her of things she never did?

"Yeah? Guess what, you are not the only one for me. In fact, you are not for me at all," Was Taehyung's answer. The answer that crushed her heart, her hope and all her beliefs.

And the line went dead.

The phone slipped out from Y/N's hand, crashing to the floor. Years. They have overcome everything for years. Everything that heads their way, every bullshit thats gets thrown to them, they faced it together. Their relationship is strong, something Y/N has always been proud of... but she guess its all a lie then. Taehyung has never been like this. They always, always, works things out no matter what. But there was never an issue that involved another woman before... maybe thats what change this time.

As Y/N collapsed on the floor, her legs no longer has the strength to stand, she finally realized.

Kim Taehyung has finally found someone else. Kim Taehyung has finally stop loving her. And its the worst feeling she could have imagined she would feel.

/////

All hope that its all in her head and Taehyung will come around are lost when just two days later, stories and images of Taehyung kissing the same actress he went on an ice cream date woth circulated in the news. So, it must be true then. That is why he said what he said.

Y/N might be a doctor, but this is the first time she understands how a heart really breaks.

Blinking back the tears, Y/N hold the pen in her hand tightly, the tip poise on the dotted line. The dotted line that will take her away from this hell once she signed her name. She has been contemplating the offer for months now, not wanting to be even further away from Taehyung than she already is, but what is there left to fight for if Taehyung himself has simply forgotten about her and move on?

Taking a deep breath, Y/N finally signed the contract and send it off.

No regrets Y/N. Lets start fresh without Kim Taehyung.

/////

"Wait, are you and Y/N even broken up? Whats with the kissing?!" Jimin shoved his phone in front of Taehyung's face, the b News article clear on the screen, confused as hell. What happened between them?

"I dont know,"

"You dont know?" Jimin looks at him funny. "You dont fucking know if you two are broken up but you shoved your tounge down her throat anyway? And even get it photographed?!"

"Shut up Jimin! I-I dont know okay!" Taehyung yelled and throw his phone across the wall, breaking it in the process. What have he done? Did he really want to break up with Y/N? No, he doesnt! He never did. No matter how angry he is, breaking up with Y/N was never an option. Its a big mistake. He was sad and angry and the girl is just there. God, what has he done? How could he do this to Y/N? His precious, beautiful angel Y/N?

"Well, if hyung dont know then, he sure knows now. There is no way in hell Y/N didnt think they have broken up once she saw those pictures," Jungkook chimed in, before quickly exiting when Jimin shot him a warning glare. At the maknae's word Taehyung finally got hit with a realization.

He truly has lost Y/N for good.

And theres nothing he can do about it.

/////

"So, I think all your fans wants to know, have any of you ever dated before?" The emcee asks, making the fans in the audience squeals. As usual, all the members will give out smiles and answer no, including Taehyung. Just another interview, another show and another same old question.

"Theres just one thing that I think everyone wants to know. If you were dating, do you think a long distance relationship will work? This type of relationship itself is already a challenge, but especially when you as an idol is so busy! What do you think?"

The members starts to sneak glances at Taehyung, all knowing about the recent incident that happened between him and Y/N. Although they try to be discreet, the emcee seems to noticed and smild.

"Oh, it seems like the members are all looking at V? Is he the best in relationship advice between the members?" The emcee turns to look at him. "So what do you think V? Want to share your thoughts?"

Taehyung smiles as he remembered the time he had with Y/N, all the good times. As if he didnt unofficially announced to her that he cheated by kissing someone else. As if he didnt break her heart. As if he didnt know the broken status of their relationship right now.

"Long distance relationship is already hard as it is," he smiles. "I respect those who managed to get through it. Especially busy ones,"

"So, what do you think is the key to maintain a relationship like that?" The emcee inquires. Taehyung took a moment before answering, the good and the bad moments of his own relationship flashes by in his mind  "Is it trust?"

"Personally, I think the most important thing is love. Yes, love. I think it plays a bigger part than trust,"

"Oh?" The emcee looks at him, intrigued by his answer. "Most people who answers this will usually say trust. Its because they said jealousy and miscommunications are the number one reason long distance couple breaks up. Its not often somebody will answer love. Can you explain more V?"

"Well," he smiles, eyes twinkling, the good old days he had with Y/N plays back in his head. "I admit. Jealousy and misscommunication does play a big part. But look at it this way, when you truly love someone so much, trust just comes hand in hand. You will feel jealous, yes. But when you love her too much, you will give her time to explain. You wpukd want to listen to her, because when you love her enough, how could you even think about ending it? Whatever the reasob may be? So theres no room for that isnt it?" He looks straight at the emcee. "You know love? That feeling you have when you see that someone smile. Like everything bad in your life will be okay, will be beautiful again. You dont have to do anything but just stay beside her and thats enough for you. When you see her cry, you will feel the need to protect her, chase away her sadness. You dont feel alone, you wont feel weak because that someone will always supports you no matter what. You could be extremely busy, but you will always find time for her because you want to listen to her day and you also want to tell her about yours. When you feel like this about someone, how can distance, space, jealousy and misscommunication breaks what you have? So yes, its love. If you love someone enough, theres no distance or space in the world that could separates you," Taehyung finishes with a smile and the rest of the boys and the audience are in awe. They never thought Taehyung could feel that way. And the boys know exactly who Taehyung is talking about.

"Wow! It seems like our V has been in love before! Or better yet, is in love?" The emcee grins at him, trying to see his reaction.  "The rumor thats been floating around about you and the actress must be true then? Especialy with the kiss. Awwww. She must be the one you are thinking about hmm?" The emcee smile warmly at him and Taehyung immediately frowned. All he can think about is Y/N. Y/N is the only one who could make him feel everything he just mentioned. The only one he would do the things he just mentioned for.

"No. I was talking about-"

"V is always so thoughtful. This is just his opinion on how long distance relationship for idols should be like," Namjoon cut him off and sent him a look that means not another word from him and the leader will handle the rest. Taehyung kept quiet for the rest of the interview, letting Namjoon takes over before he slipped out somerhing stupid again and his mind spins, remembering everything that he said. He slumped in his seat. Its too late anyway. Who is he kidding? Long distance relationship and an idol will never be a good combination. Never have and never will. Maybe thats the reason so many idol arent allowed to date. To save them from heartbreaks... The interview for the show ends with a mini fanmeet session, signing autograph and smiling for photos. Taehyung puts on his best smile and is doing his obligatory responsibility when a girl about his age stands in front of him, passing him her album to be signed.

"Thank you for what you said Taehyung," Taehyung looks up from the album to the fan who is smiling at him.

"You are welcome. But for what?" He titlted his head, confused to what she is implying.

"For what you said regarding the long distance relationship. My boyfriend and I almost calls it quits but after listening to you, I think I want to fight for him. For our relationship. I mean, if an idol can do it, why cant I right? And if we cant work it out, just like you said, it just means we are not in love enough with each other then. And if we dont, whats the point of being together in the first place right?" She smiles and bowed to him before moving on to the next member.

What that particular fan said to him stuck in his head for the whole day. She was right. If Taehyung lets Y/N go now, it just means that he never really love her in the first place. And Taehyung knows he does.

He loves Y/N.

Y/N who always waits for his call no matter how exhausted she is after a 48 hours shift. Y/N who gets along well with his friends. Who accepted his conditions on dating him. Who loves him for his quirky ways and not because hes some idol. Who thinks he is the best when hes at his worse. Y/N who never fail to supports him, love him, no matter how much he hurts her.

Taehyung is madly, deeply in love with her. And he needs to fight for her now and show her he loves her before he loose her forever.

"Go to her Tae," As if he is reading his mind, Jimin suddenly quiped in. Taehyung turns to look at his friend.

"I want to Chim. But how? We have 3 more months left of this tour," Taehyung looks to the floor. Running out of ideas of what to do.

"You will loose her if you wait Tae," Jimin walked over and pat his back. Taehyung fell silent, his gaze on the ground, knowing the truth to Jimin's words. "So thats why I already bought you a ticket. Your flight leave in 8 hours. Go Kim Taehyung. Get your girl and your happiness back!"

Taehyung has always been a good boy. Obidient and and not a rule breaker, but as he makes his way to the airport, breaking all rules and contracts, for the first time in his life, he doesnt  care. Because he knows, no matter what will happen to him later, at the end of the day, if he still have Y/N's love and support, he will be okay.

He needs to fight for her. He needs to feel all the things she makes him feel again. And Y/N is the only one who could give him those feelings, always and forever.

Once landed, Taehyung rushed out from the gate, not bothering to care about the people around him abd in his haste, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Y/N?!" His eyes are wide open. How could this be? Is he dreaming right now? But her scent filled his nose and her skin thats touching him feel so warm that he knows its real.

"T-Taehyung?!" Y/N is just as shocked. Taehyung was not supposed to be back for another three months. She looks around and noticed something odd. "W-Wheres everyone else? Wheres your manager? Wheres your mask?!"

Taehyung doesnt care and grab her hand, making Y/N panics as people has start to notice that Kim Taehyung is in their mix.

"What are you doing? People doesnt know that we are together. I-I mean were together," she stuttered, eyes darting around, concious of people who are staring at them.

"No baby. I am still yours," he took her hands and kissed it, fluttering her heart. "Y/N I'm sorry. You have every right to be mad at me for even thinking about cheating. And what I said after that... thats not true. None of it were. You are always the one for me. The only one for me. No matter what happens, I will always choose you baby," he looks at her, who have her mouth wide open in shocked. "I'm sorry I let jealousy ruined us. We were so strong. Distance and space used to have nothing on us but I let them get the best of me. I'm sorry I kissed that girl. You can punish me in every possible way you can think of baby. I will willingly take it all. I will do everything it takes to make it up to you, as long as you are still mine,"

Y/N was dumbfounded.

"I-I dont know what to say. T-Tae, I didnt know that we still have a chance. I thought you are really over me,"

Taehyung shakes his head.

"Over you? That would never happen baby. Not in this lifetime. Or the next for that matter. Or ever," he chuckles. "Say you will give me a chance baby. You dont have to forgive me right now, you dont even have to forgive me ever, but please... give me a chance to prove to you how much I love you,"

"Tae.. I-"

"Wait. Where are you even going?" Taehyung just remembered where they were and how Y/N is holding her passport and having a carry on luggage with her. She is obviously on her way to board a plane. His heart suddenly filled with panic, palms turned sweaty.

"I-I'm going away as a part of a medical team... in a far away place... to help the poor and the sick..."

"W-What? H-How long baby?"

"A year, minimum,"

"A year?! And you didnt think to tell me this when we were together?!" Taehyung was shocked. This is too much to take in right now. How can she not discuss this with him first.

"I-I never planned to accept it while we were together. I dont want to be further away from you than I already is... but I figured you have forgotten about me and moved on. So I finally decide to do something for myself instead of always doing things for the relationship,"

What Y/N said hits home. Its true. Y/N is always the one who sacrifice everything for their relationship, and Taehyung will soaked it all up, thinking he deserves it just because he is a hardworking idol. He forgots sometimes that what Y/N do is so much noble and harder than what he will ever be able to do. She saves live on the daily, sacrificing time and energy for other people who sometimes cant even say one word of thanks, and she still accepted a selfish boyfriend like him. Taehyung is selfish, and he realizes it now.

He needs to let her go and maybe someday she will come back to him.

Through teary eyes Taehyung smile. "You are an angel baby. And I'm sorry I'm always clipping your wings down. This time I'm setting you free. Go Y/N. Go and live your life. For your own happiness, for what you really want this time," he smiles at her, causing Y/N to cry too. "I love you. I love you so much," he tucked her stray hair behind her ears, cupping her face. "I love you and I'm sorry. But I promise you I will wait for you. All these years you have been waiting for me as I spread my wings, cheering me on from the ground, always smiling, never once tried to bring me down. You are selfless and incredible, and its because of you that our relationship is even able to last this long. This time.... I'll be the one that going to be cheering you on. Spread your wings and fly baby and when you come back, I will still be here,"

"Y-You promise?" Y/N sobs, her shoulders shaking. Can she do this? Now that Taehyung is back, right in front of her eyes, can she be strong and leave him? For herself? Taehyung smile through wet eyes as tears rolls down his cheeks and nodded.

"I will. Because," he takes his hand and place it on her heart, "no matter where you are or where I'll be, you will always brings my heart here..." he tapped her chest where her heart supposed to be with her hand, "with you. I gave you my heart Y/N, and you have never given it back. Take care of it," he smiles warmly at her. Y/N continues to cry, hugging his hand close to her heart.

"A-And you Taehyung, you have my heart too. Forever an always, its only yours," she sobbed.

"And I'll carry your heart on tour with me baby, or wherever else I will go," he smiles and laugh. "I love you L/N Y/N,"

"I love you Kim Taehyung,"

Taehyung cups her face and leans in, kissing her with everything that he has. She might be leaving now, but he is sure she will come back to him. Afterall, he has her heart and she needs to get it back someday.

2 Years Later

"Tae! Go and open the door! It must be the pizza!" Namjoon yelled from his room. Taehyung takes quick steps towards the door, he himself being hungry after a whole day of practice. Its been two years since he last heard from Y/N, but he saw her on the news occasionally, helping people who needs it, and he couldnt be more proud to say that thats his girl. He has made an official statement after the photos of him and Y/N at the airport are released. He admits thats hes is on love, long distance relationship almost gets to him and he is currently waiting for his angel to come back from saving the world. They might not be communicating with each other,and they are a million miles apart, but Taehyung firmly believes that their feelings for each other remains the same. He is not even a bit worried. Not at all.

Taehyung opens the door, expecting the pizza man with a stack of delicious hot pizza but he gets the shocked of his life instead.

"Hi. I'm looking for Kim Taehyung," she smiles. "I think he left his heart with me and I need to tell him that its still under a good care,"

And that smile she gave him is forever going to be the most beautiful smile Taehyung will ever see.

[lovelykhaleesiii]

Definitely

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader (High School AU)

Words: 1738

Summary: Tony is the popular tech student, and the reader is a theatre geek, although with homecoming creeping closer...Who will Tony attend the dance with?

Warnings: fluff, cheesy dialogue, short time jump periods (***)

REQUESTED BY: @carolyn-stark-91 (hope you enjoy it!) 

________________________________________________

It was inevitable to know that Tony Stark was heading somewhere in life...Throughout high school he was known for being one of the most intelligent students to have ever walked these halls. His father being the Howard Stark, it was greatly expected by many of the teachers, let alone his parents that he achieved constant success. He needed to fill his father’s shoes and that was final. Nonetheless, amongst the students he was known for his notorious reputation: his sarcastic comments, his renowned ‘good looks’ which also you couldn’t deny, although unlike many of the girls in your classes you were most composed… You were morally taught that one’s appearance could never amount to their personality: one of the many lessons you stood by. Nonetheless, Tony was also favored amongst the guys of the school: everyone simply wanted to be him, and the closest they could ever achieve was simply by being with him. You on the other hand, were a much more independent, secluded individual. You had always been devoted and focused on your studies: consistently striving to be the best, which most difficult considering you shared many of the same classes as Tony. You’d always sensed that there was some sort of academic competition between you two, that Tony had been oblivious to. Despite this, it had never occurred to you that a social life was an integral part in high school. Your parents had also repeatedly taught you that working hard now would pay off in the future, and that was exactly what you had been doing since your first day of high school. Your undying interest in theatre, however, led you to meet your dearest friend, Abby. Both of you initially strangers had grown not only to becoming active members of your school’s theatre department, although Abby had grown to become your beloved best friend, as you were hers. Thus, life in high-school hadn’t been all that bad as many would warn you about.

Now that the school year was coming to an end though, that meant that the annual homecoming was edging closer in your schedule. You usually weren’t very attracted to the thought of going to these typical school events, although Abby being as persistent as she was, was adamant on your attendance.

“Come on Carolyn! You need this break, just this once. It’ll be great...Have a little fun in your life for once, will ya’?” Abby had pleaded, having begged endlessly for weeks now, simply for you to attend the dance.

“How about if I say I’ll think about it?”

“Come on Carrie! Please, at least come for me? You do realise that Tony’s going?”

“And?”

“I know you have an inkling of a crush on him...I mean which girl doesn’t?” She cheekily insists.

“Oh please, I would never...I could never. He’s that and I’m just-just this” you sheepishly exclaim, as you hastily wave your arms up and down your body.

“Carrie, let’s just make sure he knows exactly that you’ll be his greatest loss.” She reassuringly winks, knowing well enough by now, that you were indeed planning on attending the senior homecoming.

***

Days had passed since you had agreed with Abby that you would attend your school’s annual homecoming dance. By the following day, you began to question your haste decision, though knew there’d be no excuse out of this one...It was a done, sealed deal. Your anxious thoughts were in no time relieved, as the pressure of the dance, what to wear and the discussion of partners was the talk of the school. Nearly all conversations you had walked by revolved around homecoming,and your anticipation grew by the day as the date edged closer. Both Abby and you managed to make some time after school to purchase a formal dress, and you were both set for your make-up and hair appointments, although there was still only one crucial thing missing… You had no partner. Not that you were saddened by the thought of attending alone, nor pressured into arriving with a partner… You merely just were looking forward to a relaxing, stress-free night, having been convinced that it was a well deserved night.

The most heated topic discussed however, was around who Tony was planning on attending with. In your mind, in your own little fantasy that special girl would be you, thought the chances of that happening as you had calculated was minimal to impossible…

Having no sense of obligation to attend with a partner, the sheer, recurring figment of your wild imagination that evoked a sense of optimism, that Tony would one day proudly approach you, all romantic and enchanting as he was, that he’d be the one to ask you out. You felt giddy just thinking about it, however it was essential that you redeem your consciousness and acknowledge how far-fetched your day-dreams would become…

Having arrived to Physics you made your way to a seat towards the centre of the class, as you’d always had to then organise your books and pens for the class ahead. Physics was just one of the few classes you’d shared with Tony, and nonetheless it was one of your favourite subjects. Having been so distracted by assembling your stationary, you hadn’t realised that Tony had gradually made his way towards the seat in front of you…

“Hey gorgeous” you had heard the pleasant, yet familiar tone of his voice.

Looking up in sheer shock, your eyes had simply widened as your mouth remained partially agape. Before you could have even uttered a reply back, he continued his conversations with you.

“I was thinking maybe Carrie, that you’d like to come to homecoming with me? That’s even if you do plan on coming...I hardly see you attend school parties and all. Such a shame really. I want to get to know you a bit more, other than knowing you as my competition.” He’d sincerely proclaimed, finishing the sentence off with a sly wink.

Helplessly blushing, quickly redeeming your composure you had replied, “Homecoming...with me? What ever made you think of that?” You’d quizzically questioned.

“Like I said...I want to get to know you, Carolyn. You think I’ve never noticed you before, c’mon now. You’re incredibly smart, and just-” observing you up and down, making you feel even more giddy “-beautiful...I have no doubt also that you’re an absolute sweetheart.” He reassuringly smiled. “Now how about homecoming, hmm?”

Without a split second of hesitation, your pure humane instinct had kicked in.

“Definitely” you cheerfully respond.

“Beautiful… Make sure you’re ready by 6.00.”

***

“I still cannot believe Tony asked you out. Like out of the girls in the grade...You!” Abby shouted, as you both had prepared yourself for tonight’s dance, at your house since you’d conveniently lived closer to the school.

“Ouch...What’s that supposed to mean?” you insist, snapping your attention towards your friend as you’d finished adjusting your dress.

“I mean come one Carrie...Who knew he had the hots for you? You’re always just that quiet girl in class...Really does go to show that Stark is observant.” She exclaims, as her excitement enticed your anticipation.

Rolling your eyes, the pure physical act of talking about Tony and having to see him soon, somehow frightened you… You’ve never felt so under prepared, not even for an exam.

“So James is also arriving at 6 to pick you up?” you questioned’ intending on changing the topic of discussion, only to have Abby once more mention Tony.

“I bet he’ll pick you up in a fancy limo...Oh Carrie, you’re one lucky girl!”

Soon enough, as you’d both finished up for the evening, as Abby’s partner having eagerly arrived first, was the first to go. As you awaited downstairs with your parents, as they hastily took pictures of you, the sudden shock of the doorbell ringing left you paralysed senseless.

“Evening Sir, I’m her to pick up your daughter, Carolyn?” you heard Tony retort, has you watched your father’s reaching hand greeting Tony with a handshake.

Making your way over to the door, you’d insisted that you both should head off; feeling most strange as you’d never really had any another classmate arrive to your doorstep, with the exception of Abby.

“Sweetie, let us know when you’ve arrived to the school, and please-” your mother diverts her pleaing attention towards Tony “-please have her back before 12.”

“You have my word” Tony reassured, as he smiled once more, before taking your arm in his, guiding you to the retro automobile that he’d driven.

Along the drive Tony had completely surprised you. A compliment left his mouth each time he talked: explaining how beautiful he looked, how he’d never seen such beauty before and how blind he’d been to have associated himself with you from early on. You of course, after having regained your composure, you too had remarked on how handsome Tony looked in his navy suit. Many times you’d seen Tony attending formal social events, though never in person… Such a heavenly sight.

Upon arriving to school, just in time as the dance had just begun, Tony merely proved how much of a gentlemen he truly was. Opening all the doors you’d passed on your behalf, as your arm was entwined with his: providing a sense of security. Everyone was completely astonished by the two of you together...Some girls, you’d been certain threw some cold looks, which was understandable, although you chose not to dwell on it. You managed to also find Abby who unsurprisingly was already on the dance-floor, along with her partner. Meeting Abby’s comforting gaze, you felt incredibly reassured that tonight would be well, not at all overwhelming as you;d predicted. For heaven's sake, you were attending homecoming with the Tony Stark, a boy who simply yet willingly just wanted to know more about you. Despite it being all too surreal it was all that mattered for now. Disrupting your thoughts, Tony had interfered as he sarcastically exclaimed:

“It would be a shame, if the most beautiful girl in school chose not to dance with a lucky guy like me...What do you say? Shall we?” Tony insisted, gently grasping your hand, stretching it up as his luscious lips pecked its back.

“Definitely” you whispered, smiling up at Tony as you met his hearterning eyes.

Like you said...High-school wasn’t all that bad.

[candiedtoast]

After the Rain

🌧 Genre: Angst (Hurt/Comfort), Fluff, Self-Insert // childhood friends!au

🌧 Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Note: Very little Taehyung in this chapter, but I wanted to introduce some key aspects first :)) very heavy on ocs!! sorry if this chapter is boring ><

🌧 PART 1 🌧 PART 2

Childhood was a full bliss of moments, our innocence always contradicting the cold reality we might’ve faced. Summers felt so carefree back then, not having to worry about volunteer work or land a job to get noteworthy fashion for the school year. Those summer days consisted of walking two blocks or so to a day of play dates, cold sweets, and whatever you felt like pestering to Ms. Gahn.

“Taehyung, dear, please eat your pie more slowly.”

Or whatever Ms. Gahn felt like pestering to you guys.

“Grandma, why don’t you start sellin’ your pies? I bet they can make a whole lotta money.” Taehyung chobbled down the last slice of pie fairly quickly, ignoring Ms. Gahn’s request. Satisfied yet sad how there’s no more of the sickly sweet, he patted his stomach contently while staring grimly at his empty plate.

“Now, if I started selling ‘em, then they won’t be as special anymore, wouldn’t it?”

At the time, you didn’t understand what she meant. “Ms. Gahn, what would you mean by not special?”

“I make these pies for you guys to enjoy. When you create something with the thought and adoration of who’s going to indulge in it, you wouldn’t want anyone else to have it too.”

You both stared at her blankly.

“What I mean, kids, is that… well, you still watch Spongebob, don’t you?”

“Yea.” You both made a return.

“It’s like if I sell these pies, there’d always be a Plankton who’d wanna get the recipe, ‘n I’m not willing to give anyone my secret recipe.”

She stopped to give a long hard look at us as we sensed that she’s not finished.

“But that’s not the whole reason why. I don’t want to lose the special meaning for making these here pies. It’s like if everyone knew how they’d taste like, it won’t be our little secret anymore wouldn’t it? Some things are just more special if it’s between you n’ a loved one. Once you grow older, you’d understand.”

~

One bite and the McDonald’s apple pie tart was out of your mouth.

“You couldn’t have given me some of your fries?”

Natasha just chewed on the last bit of her fries with no remorse, a big wide grin spread across her face. For someone who’s athletic, she should be watching her calories. Yet she’s intaking way too much sodium and fat than recommended, with little to no signs of a food baby whatsoever. No fair.

“Don’t even try, y/n. You know how much I adore McDonalds and how Ms. Dubose would kill me to see if I’m even in near radar of fast food.”

Ms. Dubose, the boys and girls’ basketball coach, treats the juniors as seriously as the seniors. Her strictness is worth all the wins our team gets, though. You knew that the ballers understood this, but also how they’re still young adolescents who shoot given advise the other way instead of keeping it in mind. But who’d wanna give up McDonalds?

Except for their apple tarts, of course.

“It’s almost summer anyways, I have time to go on a diet when the next season is near.”

You nodded your head inattentively. “Hey Tash, what’re your thoughts on Taehyung?”

She smirked, raising her eyebrows. “On who?”

You rolled your eyes, about to discuss on the events of yesterday when a ruckus occurred that consisted of the basketball girls. A herd of them came out into the courtyard, and by the looks of it, they were heading to your table. Despite their loud voices blending into the crowd of conversations, heads were turned and people greeted them. The girls mere presence creates a stir, making you wish you were that powerful. Natasha greeted them with handshakes accustomed to the team and immediately occupied herself in conversation as they helped themselves with whatever room’s left at the table. Everyone was talking about the last game, a topic you couldn’t join in conversation since you were absent.

It’s usually like this, you and Natasha having your own time until her teammates come and join since it’s customary to talk to people you had similar interests too. Not that you disliked basketball or anything, it’s just that they were Natasha’s friends and not really yours. You found yourself joining in the small talk, but you were more engrossed on your phone that you took out after being bored from observing.

Questioning why you and Natasha were best friends was not thought on occasionally, or ever, but you couldn’t help but find it funny how despite that you’re polar opposites, you seem to get along like you knew each other since childhood. It was that kind of friendship: where the greediness lies when you want to bus home together or need attention. You remember how you’ve complained to her on why haven’t you become besties sooner, showing her the appreciation for the love and support she gives you. Natasha would always end up beating you up for being too shy to approach her at first, which always ended up with screaming and laughing like a bunch of maniacs. It was a friendship you felt like you needed ever since…

…ever since Taehyung stopped talking to you.

“Hey y/n, you coming to watch us verse the boys after school?” Mary, the leader and one of the nicest girls you knew, was attentive with your unheeding with the group.

“You guys have a game after school?”

She said it was more like a casual-with the use of air quotes-game as a practice before their big tournament coming up. Of course you knew about this game through Natasha begging you for days to come and watch, but you didn’t want the awkwardness of saying no and wanted a diversion to think upon your answer.

Concluding that maybe this is fate telling you to go out more, you nodded.

“Make sure to tape us beating the guys ass for me, okay?” Mary was ambitious. It took you with surprise though at how un-Mary like it was for her to swear. Maybe she was very passionate about feminism.

The bell rang, signalling all the students who were too engaged in lunch that the last block was about to start. You started to pack up, catching up with Natasha as you both walked to class. When you told her about your change of heart, she slapped your arm for only changing your mind now. It was a nice feeling to share a laugh and experience bliss, despite the smack you had to injure from Natasha’s powerful arm. You rubbed it gratefully though, thankful for having someone who cares about your attendance after school. Only the wish that others might feel this feeling was all the selflessness you could do, for you wanted to dwell on this feeling simply forever.

[prince-boi]

From Your Dearest

Reader x Mark

Word Count: 2,760~ish words idk I didn’t count properly, I know there’s 1,034 “i”s in this fic

Angst, Like really angsty, like get some tissues angsty. Major Angst ahead lol. Like I felt like a horrible person writing this. I want to punch myself in the face.

 (Btw I just copied and pasted half of a fic I wrote like idk last year or something and I changed the ending of the story too. So don’t get pissed and call me out if you think I’m lazy or something, mate.)

We met each other at the grocery store:

“Mum! Who’s that girl!” a small boy asked in while pointing to y/n.

“Oi! Don’t point! That’s rude Mark!” the parent scolded. The boy pouted, he only wanted an answer.

Y/n’s parent bent down to his level, “I’m your mother’s friend, this is y/n, she will be staying at your place for a little bit because I need to do some grown-up things. Is that okay with you?” Mark looked up at his mother with a questioning face, she chuckled and nodded. Mark sneaked a glance at the shy girl that was hiding behind the unfamiliar adult and held out his hand, smiling as he did so,

“Let’s be friends!”

When we entered primary school:

Our parents sent us to the same school, we knew no one else besides each other and some other kids from our neighbourhood. We all ran into our lines, ready to be welcomed into a neat classroom as the bell rang.

“Good morning students! My name is Ms Gonsha, I will be your teacher.” Little Lunch Reference.

The teacher started calling the roll, and after we started our first lesson: Art.

Paint few here, pencils shreddings were being emptied in the bins, glue was being eaten, crayons were being snapped in half.

“Art is my favourite subject” You stated happily to Mark. You and Mark had grown close to each other since the first day they met, they were a troublemaking duo, partners in crime.

“Mark! Come sit with us!” Y/n called over.

It was lunch-time and Mark was sitting on the swing-sets alone, eating his chicken sandwich. You ran over, grabbing his wrist and lunch box, dragging him back to your lunch table with all your other friends.

After you all finished eating, you played tiggy with all the other kids until it was home time.

Highschool - Junior years, a place with a cess-pool full of moody and rowdy kids:

“Boys are better than girls!! We’re stronger!”

“Wrong! Strength doesn’t make someone better! It’s obvious that girls are way better!”

Here we go again, the groups are fighting over the lunch tables. Mark could see that you weren’t having much fun in this, and neither was he. Mark wanted to get out ASAP. Sneaking over, he tugged your uniform. Grabbing your arm, he pulled you away and sitting you under a tree.

“It sucks that you’re taller than me, you’re a girl!”

“Nah, you just haven’t had your growth spurt yet.” You loved teasing Mark with your height, it was typical for girls to be taller than most boys at this age, after all, you just hit puberty.

You and Mark had kept your distance during your time in 7 to 9th grade. Everyone always seems to think that someone was dating even if they were JUST friends.

Finally, Senior year of highschool. We’re almost mature and fully grown adults, graduation on our minds:

It wasn’t a surprise that you two got shipped a lot in school. Almost the entire year level knew you guys were the best of best friends. It was obvious too, you two were the clowns of the class.

However, that was when you found out you had a disease in your cardiovascular system. A sickness that affects the function of the human heart that could lead to the grave, if not treated. Nobody knew this, not even Mark, only the people in your family.

The first time you found out, you were crushed, devastated.

Mark was always there by your side though. He never knew the reason for why you were also so upset, tired or growing weak so suddenly. It took a while to pull you out of your hole of misery, but he did.

Through this journey, you learnt many things about appreciation, value and time. You experienced many emotions, most of which were new to you. However, one emotion struck you hard.

This emotion or ‘feeling’ is the driver of passion, anger, desire, lust, insanity or spirit within many people.

This feeling is known no other than ‘love’.

Which one day lead to you leaving a secret love letter in a special someone’s locker on Valentine’s Day.

University and College, we’ve been separated, but we were only a few blocks away from each other. Is this fate that we’ve been together for so long?:

Laughing filled the dorm room.

“HAHAHAHAHA, STOP IT NOW MY STOMACH HURTS.” one of your colleagues yelled. You just cracked one your all-time joke, the best joke you had used since you were young.

Life was good, well, except for the fact that you still had the heart disease and still never told Mark how you really felt about him. It was too late for that now.

Since you guys were separated into different study centres, he managed to find a girlfriend. Well, the girlfriend found him really. It hit you hard the moment he told you, but you were happy for him, even though you felt a BIT bitter. read: very

The future - the one thing no one can correctly predict, nor can they promise success or failure. This powerful thing contains the fate that could send you to the streets or lead you to your dreams:

You were happy, we had your dream job, moved overseas and you were still young. Mark had made it into SM Entertainment. He is in a group called NCT. Not only did he debut but he did it THREE times, too!(and possibly more in future). Another thing was that he wasn’t dating anymore, the girl he went out with turned out to be a mongrel.

Cliché or not, she was a backstabber and used him to get what she wanted: to make her ex jealous. Leaving Mark dangling with insincere memories.

You still loved him. You still looked at him with all the love in the world. All the love the universe could give you. The pure, innocent, puppy love waaaay back in highschool.

Halfway through the year, you got an emergency call to go to the hospital.

“Miss (your last name), I’m afraid your heart can’t take it anymore, you still have long left. We estimate you to only live 1 more year unless we find a matching heart donor.” the doctor said in a stern tone.

There. That was the moment. The sentences that made the cookie crumble.

You broke down, your life was perfect the way it was, a loving best friend, a wonderful job, a beautiful home. What did you do to deserve this?

Later that week, you manage to find courage. After getting a grip on yourself, you decided to go to Mark’s dorm to tell him the long-awaited news.

3 knocks on the door were all it took for you to suddenly hear someone storming to the door, flinging it open.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EARLIER?!!” Mark screamed. You saw that he had tears on his flushed, rosy cheeks, glassy, swollen eyes and red tinted nose. You glanced behind him, seeing a wire bin, filled with squishy tissues, probably from runny snot and tears.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to–”

“I AM YOUR FRIEND. No. YOUR BEST FRIEND. FOR HOW MANY YEARS?! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD TELL ME THESE THINGS!” you’ve never seen Mark like this in a long time. He was broken, roaring out all his bottled anger and frustration. 

You were about to say something when he embraced you in a tight grasp.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not being there, I’m sorry for yelling….” you felt your shoulder getting wet, and lead him. Sitting him down on the sofa.

You calmed him down and consulted him. You lightened the mood a little by telling Mark his favourite joke. Light sounds of laughter were heard throughout the night.

Mark decided to let you stay at the dorms for the night.

You only had 3 months left, I promise to give you everything, even if it kills me:

You had never felt so alive for so long. Mark had shown you places you never thought you’d see, both physically and spiritually. Nothing was on your mind but what was happening at the moment. Mark had taught you how to live - to live in the present and not worry about the future or dwell in the past.

After the many adventures, the both of you had been on, Mark said that he had to start promoting with NCT again. You hadn’t seen him for almost 2 months. The first month he had some issues to sort out with his company, before meeting you again. However, it was only a short visit before he had to return to Canada to visit his family. Staying there for 1 month.

You received a letter from the hospital, saying that you were blessed. They had finally found a heart donor that matches you!! You were so happy and in complete bliss. You wanted to call Mark and tell him about the notice, but he didn’t pick up. You tried again for the next few days, he still never picked up.

The night sky shone through the window as you laid in the hospital bed. You checked your phone one last time before you decided to sleep. Then you realized Mark had finally contacted you by text.

Mark: I’m so sorry y/n, I won’t be able to make it to you on time. I hope surgery will go smoothly. Trust my heart.

I’m sorry, last goodbyes are always difficult. Please know that I’ll be watching over you:

The day finally came. You were getting your heart transplant. As you entered the operation room, you were scared, but you thought of the text Mark sent, it calmed you just a little.

When you healed, the first place you went to was Mark’s dorm. You continued knocking. Until a very sleepy Haechan swung open the door.

“Who are you, and why do you have to visit us at such an ungODLY HOUR on the weEKENDS!”

“MorNING HAECHAN!! Is Mark here?!”

No answer.

You cocked your head at Haechan’s reaction. Usually, he would’ve given you a snide remark or joke about what Mark was up to. However, this time he lowered his head. Shuffling back inside, leaving the door wide open for you to come in.

You run in the living room, not a sign of Mark. Just Jaehyun, Doyoung and Taeil watching a movie. They turned to you, Doyoung opened his mouth to say something but you heard someone call out in the kitchen. Waving politely to the three boys sitting on the couch, you headed towards the kitchen.

“Hi Taeyong, Yuta, Winwin! How are you all?”

“Hi y/n! Back so soon? Shouldn’t you be resting after your surgery?” Taeyong asked, surprised by your greeting.

“It’s all good! The doctors said that I’m fully recovered and that I should be good to go.” You happy replied.

Taeyong smiled, “That’s good! Oh, can you pass those bowl to Sicheng and Yuta? They’ve been starving all day.” yuwin

“Sure thing.” You went over to Taeyong and carefully carried the 2 bowls of steaming phở to Yuta and Winwin, who were sitting on the kitchen bench.

“Thanks, y/n!” They said in unison, before starting to scoff down the food.

“Oh! By the way, do you guys know where Mark is?” You curiously asked.

Just before you finished talking, Yuta started choking on the rice noodles, causing Sicheng to panic.yuwin Taeyong spun around, accidentally knocking over the bowl full of water and bean sprouts.

“Ah- y/n, did he not tell you?” Taeyong suddenly asked, not caring about the mess he made on the floor.

“Whats all the commotion about?” Before you could even form a response, Johnny rushed into the kitchen, “Is everything okay in here guys?... and Y/n?”

There was a long silence, the tension began building up slowly.

Taeyong bent down and started cleaning up, “Well, we were on the topic about... Mark.”

Johnny’s face dropped. His usual cheery attitude seemed to have faded away. “Oh.”

You couldn’t take it anymore, you were confused and frustrated. You now had a bad feeling growing in your gut, “Guys! I just want to know where Mark is! Did something bad happened to him while I was gone?? I’m lost...”

Straightening himself up, Taeyong signalled to Johnny to clean up whatever was left of the mess on the floor.

“Come with me, y/n.”

Slowly, you were guided into his room, then left alone. You slowly twisted the knob.

It was completely different to the last time you saw it. Lifeless, boxes stacked in neat towers, the bed covered with a large plastic sheet. His roommate, Haechan, no longer was in the room and had probably moved into a different room with another member.

You walked around the room, observing everything closely. Everything was packed up, either wrapped or boxed. You passed his desktop. His phone laid there alongside his laptop and headphones. What seemed like hundreds of pages, containing messy scribbles of passionate lyrics and doodles, stacked neatly in a pile.

You tip-toed over to his bed. No blanket or pillow, just the bare mattress covered by a plastic wrap. You checked under his bed, feeling more sentimental than ever.

There you saw his beloved guitar. His favourite pair of sneakers and a shoe box. However, that caught your eye was the shoe box. It had a ribbon hanging out from it. Letting your curiosity taking over the best of you, you carefully pulled out the box.

You picked it up carefully and placed it on his bed. Warily opening the lid, you were presented with a number of items the box contained. You looked through the many polaroids of Mark and the other NCT members. Some of them have cute little messages written behind them. Then you found a framed portrait of him in Canada, posing with his family during Christmas.

You smiled warmly, he was always close to his family and loved them dearly. You placed the frame down next to the box with the utmost care and continued exploring through the box.

You then found another framed portrait, this time it contained you and Mark. You stretched your head, thinking of they he would frame such a photo like this. It was taken on the day that he officially debuted, when ‘The 7th Sense’ was finally released to the world. In the picture, Mark was giving you a piggyback, your hair wild and tossed from the wind.

Putting that portrait down next to the one of his family. You gave one last look in the box again, seeing a familiar red card. Picking up the card, you opened it. Skimming through the message inside it, you realised that it was the same love letter you wrote to him in high school. But you noticed there was more writing on the back. This time, with Mark’s handwriting;

Hello, my wonderful Y/N!!

If you’re reading this, it must mean that the surgery went well! :D

Haha, jokes aside, I’m sorry I wasn't there to see you going in but I hope you weren’t too nervous. I’m so, so sorry, be happy and smile for me okay?

This love letter... I always knew this letter was from you y/n, I always had. I’m not as dumb as you think I am ;)

I loved you since 7th grade and wanted to confess to you so so so badly for all these years. But I was a coward I guess. A chicken, a fool, a dullard, call me whatever you want, but when I heard you had that heart disease, I wanted to make it up to you. So I made it my goal to get rid of it.

I searched for the perfect heart donor. I searched, I really did, far and wide to find one. But perhaps I’m just unlucky because I never found one. However, after I became an idol, I had to do health checks. When I got my results back, I was shocked to see that we had a match!

I informed my company and needed to visit my parents to confirm my decision, it took a while, but here we are.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes, I am your heart donor. Jeez Y/n, I thought you were smarter than that.

I may not have been the perfect best friend or your maybe future husband/boyfriend, but I least I can be with you to the end of time.

My heart will keep you going! So please, look after it and look after the boys of NCT! I’ll miss you... I hope you’ll miss me too...

From your dearest, Mark Lee♡

Fucking idk whether to cry or cringe.

[sapphicscholar]

For the high school AU, how about Sanvers celebrating some kind of milestone in their relationship (6 month anniversary, etc.) and having a nice date? Ooh, and there's a solar eclipse next week so maybe Maggie and Alex can do something special together since Alex loves Astonomy.

Sanvers High School AU Part 11 - Posted on AO3 as well

A/N: This one jumped the queue because timeliness. So enjoy and remember, if you’re going to look up at the eclipse, make sure you’re wearing certified glasses! And excuse any mistakes on California geography…I had to make some guesses about where Midvale might be.

A/N 2: This exists in the same high school AU universe as all of the rest, save for the party ones, but we’re jumping forward a bit in time to the summer after graduation (last we saw these two, they were checking out colleges together in Chapters 64 and 68). Since they got together pretty early in the school year, they’re closer to a year than any kind of 6 month anniversary, but we’ll have them celebrating their last week together before leaving for college.

Chapter Text

“And you’ll be safe?” Eliza asked, looking sternly at Alex.

“Yes, Mom,” Alex promised for what felt like the twentieth time that day. “It’s only going to be for one night.”

“You know I have to worry; it’s my job.”

“I know,” Alex finally relented. “But I promise, we’ll be back tomorrow night. And we’re only a couple of hours away if you need anything.”

“And you’ll watch out for your sister?”

“I’m perfectly capable,” Kara announced, bounding down the stairs and landing next to Alex, her duffel bag already packed and ready.

“I know, dear,” Eliza sighed. “Now when are James and Maggie getting here?”

As if on cue, a loud knock on the door echoed through the living room. “I’ll get it!” Kara yelled, bounding to the door and swinging it open to reveal Maggie and James standing together with matching grins.

“Hey, Little Danvers,” Maggie waved, stepping inside as James gave Kara a kiss hello. “Good morning, Eliza!”

“Good morning, Maggie. Are you all packed and ready?”

“Yep, our backpacks and camping gear are already loaded in James’ car,” Maggie answered, reaching out to help Alex carry her things out as well.

Once they got everything packed into the trunk and after one more round of goodbyes and promises to be safe to Eliza, they were off. Alex didn’t even fight Kara for shotgun, content to snuggle with Maggie in the backseat, even if it meant Kara got to control the music for the entirety of the trip.

“So, how excited are you for the eclipse tonight?” James asked, looking in the rearview mirror at Alex, their resident astronomy nerd.

“Very,” Alex answered. “I mean, it’d be cooler if Mom would have let us go up to Oregon to be in the path of totality, but at least we’re getting out far enough away from the light pollution of the cities and towns that it should seem pretty dark.”

“You leave for Stanford this week, Alex,” Kara reminded her sister, craning back to look at her.

“Yes, and I’m already packed.”

“Still, I’m sure she just wants to spend time with you,” Maggie chimed in. “Plus, now you have all that extra time to help me pack.”

“Ugh, fine,” Alex relented, sighing dramatically, even though she knew that Maggie’s aunt was working extra shifts that week to be able to take time off to drive Maggie up to National City University to help her move into the honors dorms and go to the Parent’s Weekend events, which meant that she and Maggie would probably do a lot more making out than packing.

“So, Alex was telling me this is the first time this has happened since the 70s,” Kara told James.

“1979,” Alex chimed in from the backseat, though she sat back, knowing she had already told them all pretty much everything she knew.

“Mhm,” Kara nodded. “And did we all remember our glasses?”

“I’ve got ours packed,” Alex told Maggie. “And I gave you yours,” she said, looking at Kara.

“I know, I’ve got them,” Kara said.

“And I’ve got mine,” James noted. “Now, do we want to play some games to pass the journey?”

Two hours of carpool karaoke, I Spy, 20 Questions, and a rather limited round of Truth or Dare later, they got to the campsite and quickly made their way to the space they had reserved at the top of the hill, right in the middle of one of the larger clearings—a space Alex assured them she had pre-vetted and would be perfect for their late afternoon viewing time for the eclipse.

“Do we race for setting up the tents?” Kara asked, arching an eyebrow in challenge at Alex.

“May the best couple win,” Alex added, offering her hand out in a bet to Kara, even as both James and Maggie shook their heads and rolled their eyes. “And no cheating, Kara,” Alex added, looking pointedly at her sister, who shook her head; she knew to be careful about using her powers out in public.

But, once the games began, neither Maggie nor James was willing to lose, so they all took off, quickly claiming their spots as they got to work on the tents.

“Pole!” Alex yelled, holding out a hand as Maggie fumbled in their bag.

“Base first!” Kara yelled to James, who had started trying to build the frame.

“I don’t know why this stupid stake won’t go into the ground,” Maggie grumbled, trying to put all of her weight into her effort and getting nowhere.

“You might have hit a root system,” Alex suggested, feeling rather proud of herself for not snapping, even if it did look like Kara and James might win. “Here, let me help.”

“Thanks,” Maggie muttered, wiping the sweat off her forehead and the back of her neck as she stepped back to let Alex take over. She had intended to start working on the frame while Alex got the stakes into the ground, but then Alex looked so good—her muscles being put to work as she got a little sweaty.

“Want a hand? Need someone to spot you?” Maggie flirted, her hands wrapping around Alex’s waist.

Clearing her throat, Alex turned around in Maggie’s arms. “If you want somewhere to do anything tonight, you’ll get your butt in gear and help me win this bet.”

“Roger that,” Maggie sighed, turning back to the bag of equipment that would theoretically create their dwelling for the night.

After another half hour or so, Kara gleefully called out, “We win!”

“Ugh, whatever, if we didn’t have trouble with the stakes, we totally would have won,” Alex grumbled, working with Maggie to secure the last of their anchors.

“At least it was a respectable second, Danvers,” Maggie tried comforting Alex, patting her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, second out of two. Now let’s get everything in our tents so we’re all ready in plenty of time for the eclipse.”

—

“Wow,” Maggie sighed, relaxing into Alex’s chest as they both watched the moon slowly slide in front of the sun, blocking out all but a small sliver of it as a premature night fell on the campground.

“Thanks for being here,” Alex whispered as she hugged Maggie closer. As amazing as the experience would have been no matter what, it felt that much better to be seeing it with Maggie in her arms.

“Wouldn’t miss it, Danvers.”

And they were both too wrapped up in each other, in the moment, to notice Kara making silent “aww” noises and pointing at them until James finally got the hint and snapped a few pictures of them in addition to the eclipse.

Alex insisted on sitting through the whole experience, even as the sun gradually reemerged—only to set what felt like moments later—while Kara and James eventually got up to go find a few more good sticks to get the fire going again.

“You two lovebirds ready to help make dinner?” Kara called from the fire she and James had finally got going.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex called back, kissing Maggie’s cheek before finally dragging herself up and stretching. “What’s for dinner?”

“Hot dogs – and don’t worry, we got plenty of veggie ones for you, Maggie,” Kara answered, beaming at Maggie.

“Could I get one of those too?” Alex asked.

“Really?” James laughed, never knowing Alex to choose the vegan option unless Maggie had cooked for her.

“I don’t need food poisoning,” Alex shuddered, earning a glare from Kara and a knowing laugh from James.

“I suppose we don’t all have Kara’s stomach of steel,” he mused.

“You’re all just jealous,” Kara huffed, helping James to get the hot dogs set up on their small campfire grill.

While Kara and James took care of cooking the hot dogs, Maggie helped Alex to mix up a pitcher of lemonade and find a few good sticks for cooking their (vegan) marshmallows later.

—

While they sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows, the conversation shifted from the scary stories they’d been telling (much to Kara’s disappointment) to the three seniors’ discussing the classes they’d signed up for, the dorms they’d been assigned to, their future roommates, and their fears about college. Knowing how close Alex would be made the conversation a bit easier on Kara, though she was still sad thinking about how lonely Midvale High would feel the following year without all of them, especially with James flying all the way across the country to go to school in Metropolis.

“So, what class are you most excited about and which one are you dreading?” James asked the group, knowing that Kara also had a bit of flexibility in her schedule as an upperclassman.

“I’m really excited about my journalism elective with Ms. Grant,” Kara offered.

“With your big teacher crush, you mean,” Alex teased.

“Whatever,” Kara huffed. “And I’m not looking forward to…hmm…oh, my math class. I hear Mr. Lauren is so boring.”

“Ugh, he really is,” James sighed, feeling himself getting sleepy at the memory. “I actually got into an elective on newsroom ethics that they’re offering in light of, well, you know, everything going on. I think it’ll be great!”

“Mhm, one day you’re totally gonna win the Pulitzer or something,” Kara gushed, letting her head drop to James’ shoulder.

Chuckling, James just shook his head. “It’s sweet that you believe in me, but let’s not get too excited just yet.”

“Whatever, you’ll see,” Kara teased. “Now what are you dreading?”

“I’m taking an international relations course with a professor who’s apparently pretty awful,” James sighed. “Hopefully the readings will be interesting enough to make up for it. What about you, Alex? Maggie?”

“To be honest, I’m kind of dreading the required gen-chem course. I mean, I like chemistry, but I feel like it’s going to repeat so much of what we did in AP Chem. It’s literally the same textbook. And it’s a huge lecture course that’s just for weeding people out of pre-med.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” James commiserated.

“It’s whatever. I’m getting to take an astrobiology seminar that should be amazing enough to make up for it!”

“Very cool!” Maggie exclaimed, loving how enthusiastic Alex got about her classes. “I’m taking this course in the Philosophy Department on the ethics of criminal law that sounds amazing! The professor worked as a prosecutor for a long time and did some pro bono defense work before going back to school for a PhD in Philosophy, and so she apparently has really great insights into it from both sides. And I’m dreading my French class. I’m just not great at learning new languages.”

“You’ve already speak two fluently, though, don’t you?” Kara asked.

“Yeah, but my aunt wants me to have a third,” Maggie explained.

“Oh, okay,” Kara nodded.

—

After a bit of stargazing, the two couples gradually made their way to the tents for the night. “Want to zip our sleeping bags together?” Alex suggested, not really wanting to be so separated from Maggie just yet.

“Sounds good,” Maggie replied with a grin, helping Alex to get their bags zipped together and giggling as she had to hunch over to change into her pajamas and not hit her head on the tent.  

Once they were finally settled, Alex let herself be pulled closer to Maggie. “I’m gonna miss you this year,” Alex finally whispered.

“I’ll miss you too, but we’re not that far away.”

“I know,” Alex admitted. “Still, it’ll be different not to see you everyday, not to eat lunch with you and take classes with you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about Stanford!”

“I know, I get it,” Maggie assured Alex, her voice soft and low. “I’ll miss you like crazy too. But I think we’re both doing what’s best for us, you know?” And she knew they were. They’d gone over their pro/con lists together, had compared all the different ways it could play out. But at the end of the day, Maggie could go to NCU pretty much for free, and their programs were better suited to her interests, while Alex already had professors at Stanford itching to have her working in their labs, and they did more in the fields she wanted to pursue.

“Yeah, I get that.” After a pause, Alex asked, her voice exceptionally quiet, “You won’t forget me, will you?”

“What? Alex, no, never,” Maggie insisted, propping herself up on her elbows to better look at Alex. “I could never forget you.”

“I mean, you’re going to a brand new place. Maybe you’ll find someone cooler, you know? And that’d be okay. I want you to be happy. But I don’t want to lose you as a friend too.”

“Alex, I love you. And you are my best friend and a huge dork and perfect for me, okay? Plus, you think I don’t worry about all of the brilliant nerds you’re going to find at Stanford?”

“You have no reason to worry, Maggie. You’re smart and driven and beautiful; no one is going to compare.”

“You’re such a sap, Danvers.”

“You started it.”

“Mm, maybe I should finish it too,” Maggie mused, leaning over and letting her lips find Alex’s as they cuddled together, holding each other tightly and letting their lips and hands tenderly map out each other’s bodies until the sun rose.  

[jimlingss]

Fluffy hoseok drabble with "call me that one more time, see what happens"?? Please ^^ ur one of my favorite authors btw

Anonymous said: Drabble game #1! um theyre not numbered so “strike 3” + “picnics are for losers” +“you’re cute with glasses” highschool baseball!au

Third Base

↳ High School!Au, Baseball!Au "call me that one more time, see what happens" - “strike 3” - "picnics are for losers" - “you’re cute with glasses" 

Words: 1.5kGenre: Fluff 

The heat is sweltering. It beams down, making you squint your eyes while you rub your disgusting forehead drenched with sweat. It’s the worst. And it especially doesn’t help that your glasses keep sliding down your nose.

His hands are curled around the metal bat, pupils narrowed into the ball. The second that Jimin pulls back his arm and pitches, Hoseok is swinging. The ‘click’ sound is perfect, a flawless swing, barely short of a home run. Strange…

Jung Hoseok never misses a home run.

But you don’t get to dwell as the ball shoots and the impact sends vibrations up his arm. He throws down the equipment and takes off running. You’re ready to catch it, taking a step forward but the ball flies to the other side into the field. Your team is screaming at each other and you can only watch helplessly as Hoseok sprints to first base….second……and stopping right at yours.

“Hoseok! Run! Run!” Jin howls out through his throat, jumping up and down to the home plate.

One of your team members are still racing to pick up the ball. You look at Hoseok, ready to watch him dart past you but instead, he crouches down with his hands on his knees - catching his breath. “Nah.” He huffs out, waving his hand. “Won’t make it.”

You have the worst luck of life.

The high school that you went to made it a requirement to join at least one extracurricular activity. You had heard that the baseball club gave out free food…so, like any sane person, you joined. Only when you were in too deep, you had found that the seniors lied. The rumours were purely used as incentive to join, a devious way to reel in unsuspecting freshmens. But okay…you can cut them a little bit of slack…they were low on members and would’ve had to shut down otherwise.

Now, you’re standing directly under the sun, without free food, assigned as the position of third baseman. Fuck. The coach had immediately recognized your quick reactions and strong arms. Before you could’ve protested, he had dragged you to the base.

However, your bad luck doesn’t end there.

“Hey there, bunny.”

For Jung Hoseok coincidentally goes to the high school as you. Though you prayed to a million gods, they simply laughed and mocked you from above. They gave you the last thing you wanted - his crystal. clear. memories of you in elementary.

“Call me that one more time, see what happens.“

He took every goddamn opportunity to tease you, calling you ‘bunny’ because of the times you used to chase down rabbits at your school (which led to a huge incident of you going off school grounds, nearly getting kidnapped until a teacher came running and the police were called. Also, another incident of you getting bit on your ankle and almost contracting rabies. But that’s besides the point).

If that wasn’t enough, he’s in the same club as you are. Now you’re forced to be with him three times a week, after school for two hours and that’s aside from the times you run into him in the hallways or see him in class.

“Aw, c’mon Y/N.” He beams at you with a huge grin, somehow energetic after practically running the entire field. “Don’t be like that.”

You dart your head to him with a glare. He winces with a pout, tightening his lips together.

The two of you watch as Namjoon steps up to the plate with the bat. This can’t end well is your first thought. The kid’s so big yet clumsy that one of the first days, everyone immediately learnt his name - how could they not when he hurled the ball straight into the coach’s crouch?

“So…..” Hoseok scratches the back of his neck. “Are you going to the picnic tomorrow?”

Right….you forgot. The club was going to have special additional practice on the weekend at some park. They called it a picnic to make things more exciting but it would be a grueling day under the sun for four fucking hours until you could munch on some sweating, squashed egg sandwiches.  

“I don’t know.” You sigh out, looking away as you watch Namjoon swing the ball.

Taehyung cries out. “Foul!”

Technically you do know. You have no choice but to go. It’s not like you’re a big enough asshole to skip out on the mandatory picnic; force another teammate to take your position. And if you’re being quite honest with yourself, you’re starting to enjoy the sport. You don’t mind at all.

By answering that way, short and spitting out the words, you’re honestly just being snippy with him. You pray he gets the message not to further the conversation.

He doesn’t. “Ha. I know right….” Hoseok hesitates, looking down at his feet as he kicks the red sand. “Picnics are for losers.”

It’s painful to watch Namjoon. “Strike one!”

“Actually…” You inhale a breath. “I’m going.”

“O-oh. That’s great! I mean….yeah…picnics aren’t for losers.”

“Uh huh.”

Hoseok is a natural at baseball. You distinctly remember him heading off to the ball field every recess to play with a bunch of his friends. While you were off on the hills, having an odd obsession with the fluffy rabbits and chasing them down, once in awhile you would stop to watch him. Whether he was pitching, batting or trying to catch - he was always good. Back then, he was a tiny boy not much taller than you with dirt stains on his cheeks. But now, he was much bigger in stature, his rounded face traded in for a sharper jawline and a pretty nose. For god’s sake, even the sweat the dripped from his forehead down to his chin made him look good. It was so unfair.

Boys like him…boys in high school should be in the middle of puberty, awkward limbs and cracking voices, blemished skin and uncertainty lingering in all actions. But here he was with a smile that shined as brightly as the sun, his skin glowing with a perfect tan…ugh. The kid’s impossible.

“Strike two!”

“Sorry.” He breaks the silence, stealing a glance at your profile.

“I thought we said we weren’t going to bring this up again.” You narrow your eyes, scowling at him. In response, he sheepishly smiles at you.

Hoseok is the sunshine, motivation and enthusiasm that makes up for the times when everyone’s miserable or exhausted. Ironically, he’s the leech of your life, your bad luck charm.

The other day, he lobbed the ball while you were unaware and it landed straight in your face. You blacked out for a good second, finding your arm around his shoulder when you reached consciousness, him dragging you to the nurse’s office. Your nose was bleeding; “one more inch and your nose would’ve been completely broken”, the nurse had said. But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the world was completely blurred. You were as blind as a bat.

Somehow with Hoseok being the curse of your life, your contacts had fallen out somewhere. It was gone. Lost. And at the time you couldn’t see shit. Needless to say, Hoseok was apologetic, bowing down to the floor and though you scoffed and brushed him off, he walked you home that day.

“Are you going to break my glasses too?” You lift a brow, deciding to tease him.

He looks down with a pout, sulking as he mumbles under his breath. “No.”

“I said it’s fine, Hoseok. You worry too much.”

“Strike three!”

Namjoon grudgingly walks off the field with his head downcasted. Taehyung runs up to the spot, taking the bat in his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” You lighten up the mood, nudging him. “Or are picnics for losers?”

He looks at you for a split second with eyes you can’t decypher, something softened and an encryption behind them as he connects his orbs with yours. But it lasts a mere one second before he grins at you. “You’ll see me~”

You internally curse your heart for stuttering.

“Yeah, yeah.” With a scoff, you wave him off. “Of course I will. When do I not see you, jesus. I swear your purpose on this Earth is to be the bane of my existence.”

“You know you like me.”

“I-I do not!” You stutter out, stomping on the ground. He laughs at the childish response. “Are you an idiot, Jung Hoseok?! How can you be so- ugh!!”

“Oh…and by the way.” He lifts his eyebrow up, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. “You look cute with glasses, bunny.”

The ‘click’ sound of the ball kissing the metal bat reverberates through the azure sky.

He dashes past you, a cloud of red appearing as his sneakers dig into the sand. Your heart pounds inside your chest but the moment is quickly broken when- “Y/N! Y/N! Catch it!”

The ball is flying through the sky, right in your direction. You can catch it. Your hands open with the baseball mitt, ready to receive but then….

You let it slip past your fingertips.

Hoseok’s shoe presses on the home plate.

He throws his arms up in victory, spinning around and flashing you a huge grin.

Damn. Worth it.

[apollosdescendants-blog]

Biography: A Man with His Dreams for His Country

         I would never have thought that knowing him in a screen could change and influence all my views in life. I was sitting in a soft reddish couch with my one foot resting on the next, when his face was flashed in a wide screen in our cabinet. He has this blackened color hair combined with white hair and a nose like Santa Claus, his also known for his dirty-mouth everytime he is speaking either in a crowd or in a press. He is the man I know whom doesn’t care of any people’s feelings, he only think what is the best for all. My dad once told me that the man in the screen is the man you won’t expect to be in that high political position. He is the former City Mayor of Davao in the year 2013 to the year 2016 and now he is the 16th President of the Philippines preceded by Benigno Simeon Aquino III, He is Rodrigo Roa Duterte or known as “Digong”.

        Never in the history of our country that we have a unique leader. His presidency has already marked in the history of the Philippines. Compared to a father with a hearty talk to his daughter, Digong was marred by doubts and criticism during his presidential campaign due to his unorthodox style and being straightforward. Yet, this kind of leadership define his administration unique. President Duterte ranked 1st of the most popular president in the world in the year 2016 and there are some traits I usually observed that influence my views in life.

         First, Disciplinarian. President Duterte doesn’t want his country experience chaos. AS he said, “All of us want peace, not the peace of the dead, of course, but the peace of living.” President Duterte only wants  the best for this country and he strongly impose to stop the drugs in this country where it is the root of crimes. Having a disciplinarian in this country is having a people with discipline. This influence me as a part of the society, that a person may have a bad traits that some people see his action as immoral, yet this trait made his people disciplined. As a student, I used to fail in class, I used to be a black sheep in the family and I used to fail my parents sometimes but this won’t pull me down as long as I am living with my dreams I would made it to the last to fulfill my dreams. Like, the President he only dream for the goodness of this country.

         Second, Simplicity and Humanity. Power and fame have not swayed President Duterte from simplicity.  I usually observed the President of his simplicity. I didn’t see him wear a luxury shirt or things he wear that have cost a single house of a poor person but instead he usually wear a comfortable polo shirt that you wouldn’t recognize him easily to be the president of this country. In life, having expensive things wouldn’t make myself less or more of being a human but for its simplicity that made me truly human and beautiful on my own way. I am a person with what I want is what I got. I cry whenever I don’t get the thing I want and doesn’t care if it is expensive or not. But he influence me, that its not about what I wear that made me unique but my personality that made me who I am.

        Lastly, Candor. Candor is a quality of being frank, open and sincere in speech of expression. President Duterte was straightforward and true to his words and doesn’t care what people think and this trait clearly apparent that oftentimes he was misinterpreted. Some people say it was harsh to say inappropriate words specially in public but it doesn’t stop him of being frank. He was my favorite leader of this country eventhough he has this kind of trait but he is the only person I know that is true and honest of every words he utter. He is a man with actions, he put his words into actions. As a human, I have made promises to some special person yet, he influence me to put my words into actions and this influence me that never fail the person you want to be believe in yourself because failing what we have promised made us less to be trusted.

       “We cannot move forward if we allow the past to pull us back. Finger-pointing is not the way. That is why I will not waste precious time dwelling on the sins of the past or blaming those who are perceived to be responsible for the mess that we are in and suffering from,” stated by President Duterte. Those traits of that man President Duterte has influence my life. As human we are given the freedom to choose and it is our will to make our own decision but a freedom with responsibility. I was influence to be a person who is free but charge with responsibility whether the result is good or bad we accept it through ourselves and never point someone in responsible of our actions. Rodrigo Roa Duterte influence me to be a good leader and a good person, not just  a person who have a family, a friends, or anything but a person who have dreams not only for himself but for the betterment of the country not just the country but the people itself. I will live with my dreams not just for myself but for the people that surrounds me.

----------

The author of this biography entitled "A Man with His Dreams for His Country" was currently studying at La Salle University- Integrated School as a Grade 12 Senior High Student taking up the Academic Track specifically in the strand of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her name was Clineth Joy Aquiatan and she is now 18 years old born on the 3rd day of August year 2000. She is quite interested in writing for she was a creative writer way back in her junior life, she also fond of playing sports and she is also interested in any adventures because she believe that there is more things that no one has ever seen what we can only see as of today.

[wordydelights]

first chapter of the first book i ever tried to write

When Galaxies Collide

11:39 AM, November 29th

As I tapped my no. 2 against the side of my desk, I could tell others around me were becoming annoyed. But, that didn't seem to bother me much. The ticking of each second passing by echoed throughout my eardrums. The day was going slower than normal.

It was torture.

I'd usually be scribbling something on the corner of my notebook by now, but the inspiration I needed wasn't present at the moment. I was just waiting for it to walk through the door.

11:43 AM

The classrooms' temperature caused my hands to numb and drift asleep.The dull environment, dry with boredom, painted the students' faces with clear disinterest. Blank sheets of paper sat on each desk, patiently awaiting to be written on, alas no one could find the strength to lift their fingers.

The teachers here refer to us as a lazy generation, concluding we only spend our time watching 'screens' all day and don't know how to socialize, on account of being caught up in our make-believe worlds. They also believe that the public school system is a well established institute for education...and our school's sports teams don't suck. So who's the real loser?

My yawning began to fog the glasses now resting on the tip of my nose. I gently removed the specs, carefully wiping them off with the knit sleeve of my sweater. I'd occasionally wear contacts but I was usually too lazy to deal with carefully shoving plastic underneath my eyelids.

I had sat in the back of the classroom, three rows to the left, giving me a perfect view of my fellow peers, the white board and the lovely scenery of the school's totally non-crappy parking lot, outside the window.

A faint sound began to tickle my ears. As it grew louder I was able to make out my name. Don't worry, I thought. Hearing your name being called is the sign of a healthy mind. Either that or I was becoming schizophrenic. But, unfortunately this wasn't a figment of my imagination, let alone a psychotic voice in my head.

"Jackson."

I snapped my head up towards the front of the classroom, like being resurrected with a sudden jolt. My eyes met the shiny forehead, wrinkled with distress of The Professor. He was a World History teacher at Oakwood High. No one seemed to refer to him by his real name, honestly, I think most of us had forgotten it.

The Professor had always made a huge deal about universities, how hard it is to get in and statistically most of us will end up at a dead-end community college with a degree in flipping burnt burgers. To make matters worse, he constantly bragged about his past employment at Harvard.

The big question he hadn't answered however was 'how he got from Harvard to a low budget public school in Forest Grove, Oregon.' Bigger question, 'how he was removed from Harvard's distinguished faculty?.'

Never once did he object to this sarcastic nickname which was used to describe his unhealthy obsession. As a matter-of-fact he took pride in it. Probably because it reminded him of the times he once had a bigger paycheck, respectful students and a school with an IQ average larger than 60. Or partly because he was an arrogant asshole, who enjoys dwelling on the past.

"Daydreaming again, I see," he said expressionless. His specialty.

"No s-s-ir," my voice cracked.

I heard snickers from multiple students around the room.

Damn you puberty.

"I was just looking for a bit of inspiration."

"Inspiration," he smirked. "How is that related to the lesson?"

My eyes darted across the whiteboard, searching for the title of today's topic, written in it's general bold letters.

The Age of Enlightenment.

"Well sir, during the Enlightenment period, inspiration was what all people were searching for."

"And have you found any inspiration?"

"Not yet, it hasn't seemed to arrive."

He squinted his eyes as if trying to read to me. Scanning my body language, then absorbing the information obtained. I knew I was about to be asked to explain to the class something complex, that I obviously don't know about the Enlightenment. It was his typical routine for making me look like an idiot, not like he had to try.

11:47 AM

As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, the words on the tip of his tongue, the door swung open. Inspiration had arrived.

"Hi sorry...you would not believe the hallway traffic."

She was on her usual time. Not too late to be counted absent, but late enough to piss of The Professor.

"Pass?" The tone in his voice was dripping with frustration.

She walked up with a certain confidence in her stride. Not the prideful, vain kind. The bold kind. Too bold. So bold it was a cover up for something dark lying within.

She pushed the hair out of her face, and flashed a smile, a fake, phony, I-hate-you smile, proceeding to hand over a crumpled up hall pass.

The Professor snatched the piece of paper out of her hand, quickly analyzed it and sighed,

"Just go sit down."

"Gladly," she'd snap back without missing a beat.

I watched as she made her way to her desk dropping the bag to the floor and whipping her classic black and white chucks up onto the empty seat in front of her, then continued to twist the stained silver ring on her finger.

Some days were better than others. She never truly disrupted class. She just threw on a show whenever she came in.

Never once did she acknowledge my presence this entire year. I doubt she even vaguely remembered me.

She had changed so much since the four-foot-three Serene Easton from elementary school.

No longer did she wear that burgundy ribbon in her hair, candy bracelets or fuzzy scrunchies on her wrists. She moved away one summer just as we were about to start the seventh grade. I don't know where or why, but I do know I bawled my eyes out for a month straight.

I just couldn't bare the thought of her not being there for me when I needed her most. I don't even really remember much of the time we spent together. It was mostly Halo dragging me along her wild goose chases, getting busted with Halo for tagging along those wild goose chases, and brief moments with Noel during those wild goose chases, probably only lasting half a second, that had been sown in my being.

I told her to write. She didn't. I told her to call. No calls received. I told her to send a damn email. No emails sent.

Her response to each of my requests was a half smile, followed by a nod and sincere look in her eyes. I was like a puppy being left at the local Humane Society, thinking, surely their owner will be back for them.

But, they never were.

Oddly enough, my parents thought it was good, healthy even, that the only friend I had was leaving. My mother was afraid I would become too dependent on Halo if our friendship sustained. And I'm fairly certain my father was becoming worried about my sexuality.

Being a young boy, who wasn't quite as athletically gifted as others and only able to maintain one friend who happened to be female, caused him to raise some suspicions. Also, my incriminating actions might have come into play. Such as, not being able to change in front of other boys or perhaps stumbling upon gay porn on their computer, but I swear, it was already there when I went to use the laptop.

Nevertheless, my family supported me through thick and thin, but at the same time, had awkward conversations about how they accept me for who I am and will always love me not matter what.

Despite my parents' 'words of wisdom,' I will never forget Halo's last words she said to me before she left.

"The story continues."

She said it cryptically, like it was my job to decode the message behind it. The mystery bouncing within the light of her eyes.

Halo had never found pleasure in saying goodbyes, as a result she would say things like 'see ya later' or 'until next time.' In her own words; goodbye is too permanent. But, this time, this saying was different. What did she mean by 'the story continues'? What was the story? Was it her life? Was I just a mere chapter or an adventure to move on from? Or was the story both of us? How we have future journeys lying ahead, just waiting to be ventured upon. Maybe her moving away was just an example of the plot thickening.

I might never realize what she truly meant, however, it gives me hope.

Lunch at Oakwood was pretty much what you would expect for your customary high school. Freshman sitting with freshman, sophomores with sophomores...yeah, you get the gist. Girls on one side, guys on the other, then a couple of mixed tables scattered across the sea of pubescent bodies.

It's a small school. Our last graduating class contained about 136 students. Out of a total population of 584.

Everyone had a place and if you didn't it's because you chose not to have one. That was just my theory at least. I'd always been that shy, quiet guy.

I had become a master of blending in, being overlooked by almost everyone was my speciality.

"Jackson, mah brotha from anotha motha!" Ravon announced as he approached the table. His feign, early 2000's, ghetto slang caused me to cringe. The buttons on the back pockets of his acid wash jeans scraped against the seat next to Aditi, as he began to sit down, creating a group of three. He advanced to unraveling his brown, paper, lunch bag, revealing his masterpiece of a PB&J.

"Hey," he pointed. "Check out that spicy chocolate mama."

Ravon drew Aditi and I's attention over towards Jasmine Baker, senior class president. We watched as she made her way over to her pretentious, intellectually gifted friends. Her hips swayed with each step followed by the sound of her high heeled boots clicking against the marble floor.

"Bow-chicka-wow-wow," Aditi exclaimed.

His thick Indian accent made it hard not to burst into laughter. I snorted.

Aditi was a foreign exchange student from India. He didn't know much English, so he would say words completely irrelevant to the topic, however, I was surprised to hear how much he had improved.

"M-m-mmm," Ravon drooled. "That's one stone cold fox."

I awkwardly shrugged, picking at the glutinous macaroni and cheese, now glued to the paper tray.

"Aw, hell nah."

Ravon stared at me with an almost how-dare-you expression slapped across his face.

"What?" I asked.

He moved closer to my face. So close, I could smell the potent peanut butter aroma permeating the air from his mouth."Did you just diss the chocolate mamas?"

"No, I just don't find Jasmine very appealing."

Which was true. I didn't find girls who covered up their insecurities with false confidence very attractive. Girls who lived for themselves instead were more my type.

I finally looked from my pathetic excuse for a meal and up at Ravon. His dark skin in piercing contrast with his coral polo shirt. He blinked twice. I couldn't tell if he was about explode into a full-fledged rant about how dissing the 'chocolate mamas' was like sucker punching his future love child Tyron. And nobody touches little Tyron. Or laugh it off, pat my back and put this insignificant feud behind us.

Ravon was an interesting character. For example, using words which were televised in the late 90's and dressing in similar fashion to a cast member from a Fresh Prince rerun.

The tension in the air was becoming too thick to breathe. Luckily Aditi broke the ice.

"Bay-gull," He exclaimed in his way of saying the word bagel. At least, so we think..

"Yes, Aditi," Ravon hesitated. "Bagel indeed."

There was something uneasy about the way he spoke, nonetheless, I disregarded it..

Out of the corner of my eye, I captured a glimpse of Halo eagerly walking towards the outdoor lunch patio. I guess I made it obvious as to what I was staring at, because I received unnecessary commentary to my vision.

"Hellooo," Ravon flirtatiously said, lifting both of his eyebrows. "Vanilla mama."

"You're obsession with comparing women to pieces of candy is becoming disturbing," I mumbled while burying my face into my palms. Through the cracks of my fingers, I spotted the back of Halo vanishing behind the corner of school, racing to the usual spot where her group of 'juvenile delinquents' sat. Gone, once again.

I spent the rest of the period listening to Ravon ramble about getting to second-base with a girl waiting in line at the mall. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I saw him there the other day groping a mannequin.

It was relatively easy pretending to pay attention to Ravon. All you had to do was nod and half smile occasionally. He was that type of person who lived in a false reality. Choosing not to believe the fact that the only people he had to speak to included someone who obviously couldn't care less and someone who didn't understand half of what he was saying.

The problem with me was that it became so hard to connect, to feel any emotion whatsoever. It's better when it's just me. My mind and I, we go well together. We agree about everything. It's really all I need. Friends come and go, leading to grief. Why waste all that energy on the expected? So yes, I'm not actually friends with Aditi or Ravon. They just happen to be people in this specific chapter of my life. By the time I'm thirty, I probably won't even remember them. Sad, but true.

I just prefer thinking realistically.

With a hop, skip and jump in my step, I was dumped on the side of the road, attempting to avoid slamming into the bright, red stop sign. I was possibly the only junior at Oakwood who still road the bus to school instead of driving their own 'set of wheels.' The stop was half a mile away from my house, which was far, but not too far to walk home. It happened to be very calm and reflective. I don't know why, but there is something about walking alone that just helps you forget all of the pesky problems in life. Cars passed by me leaving a gust of wind to be remembered by. Puddles were dispersed across the road, which wasn't quite unusual when living in Oregon. The trees were almost bare, only few Amber and ruby colored leaves attached to the claws of their branches. Every now and then I'd see someone I recognize from school, but I don't think I'd look as familiar to them as they do to me.

About a quarter of a mile away from my destination I'd pass a small white house. Its curtains closed, concealing secrets to the curious eye. It looked like your average suburban home. A welcome mat by the front door, wind chimes hanging from over its porch, and a lawn in slight need of a good mow. It definitely did not appear to be the type of home you'd expect Halo Easton to be living in.

I wasn't quite sure if she was home at the moment, there appeared to be no activity coming from within, except for the slight flickering of a light, most likely from a television screen, piercing through the closed blinds. Then again, Halo was the type of person that never seemed to be at home.

By the time I had arrived, my mother was in the front yard hauling what had the appearance of tacky couch from the 70's, from our family pickup truck. One end of the abomination was tilted against the driveway, the other leaning against the tailgate of the vehicle.

"Oh! Jackson, honey, could you come help me with this?"

Sweat poured from the top of her head, as she wiped her face with the white apron she normally used for cleaning.

I made my way over towards the hideous piece of furniture, it's yellowish piss coloring, velvet fabric, with brown and white stripes outlining it's unflattering frame.

"Mom, did you buy this?" I asked while trying to hide my horrified expression.

"No, sweetheart you know me better than that," She paused, catching her breath.

"I found it in of one of our neighbors front yards! Can you believe someone was just giving it away!?"

My mother was a hoarder. As hard as she wanted to admit it, she was. She liked collecting junk, adding to her insatiable collection of stuff she will most likely never use. I guess she thought she would sometime, in the near distant future, fix her junk up or put it to some sort of benefit, unfortunately she never did. So, now we had achieved a garage filled from bicycles missing wheels, to the largest world collection of disfigured beanie babies. Even though she was a bit crazy, I sort of admired her for it in a way. She was able to see a beauty, that no one else did, in the things she found. After all, I had to get my artistic side from somewhere.

"Ok, one, two, three, lift."

The nonexistent muscles I had in my arms, were straining. I was unprepared for the amount of weight I was now lifting. I felt my heart beating twice as fast, almost as if screaming, 'Shouldn't have skipped gym you weak bitch.'

Somehow we managed to tilt the 'couch from hell' rightside up. Mostly because I let it fall to the ground at the last second.

"Good, now help me move it into the garage."

I might've started screaming bloody murder, if my little sister Gracie hadn't opened the front door and shouted, "Daddy's home!"

Slowly, my father's blue minivan rolled up the driveway. Gracie, with a sheet of notebook paper covered with multicolored scribbles in her hands, ran towards the door of the car, excitedly tapping on its window.

My father calmly walked out, but I could tell by his constant glances over towards the new piece of furniture we now owned, which he now had to help move, was ready to burn mother's garage full of trinkets.

"Daddy look." Gracie held up her art, stained with a bit of 100% grape juicy juice.

"Aren't I just as good as Jackson? It's abstract. Just like the one drawing you guys really liked that he did, except mine has color!"

"It's beautiful," my father faintly smiled, but the reassurance in his voice wasn't very prominent.

I smirked at her jealousy of the talents I possessed. She always looked up to her big brother Landon, but he had been away at college for the past few months, so I guess I was her backup plan. However, she didn't hold the same sort of honor she had for me as she had for Landon. It was that 'middle child honor.' The type of honor that truly does look up to you, just doesn't like showing it. The type of honor that likes to bring up embarrassing moments that will haunt you for the rest of your life, steal your towel and clothes while taking a shower and eat the last bite of your favorite cereal.

Luckily, I had my revenge planned. When she really pisses me off I can finally tell her the truth about her unplanned conception.

"How was work dad?" I never usually acted this interested in my father's occupation, mostly because it involved unclogging the shit out of people's toilets, but I was trying to avoid carrying the monstrosity of a sofa to the garage.

"Eh," his common response. He wasn't the most emotional person, especially on days when he was in one of his 'moods.' This was one of those days.

He made his way towards mother, despite her stockpile-syndrome, you could tell he loved her more than life itself.

"Hey hon," he said, softly pecking her on the lips.

It was like her insanity was a part of him that he adored. The part that kept him young, helping him remember their early blossoming romance. They were complete opposites, yet each mirrored the other. Each bringing out the other's character.

As I see it, everything needs it's opposing pair. It wouldn't be whole without it.

What would the moon be without the sun, the light without darkness, bitter without sweet, grief without joy, love without hate? These forces balance each other out. My parents are like that.

My mother smiled, then began, "Hey! Oooo, do you think you could help me move thi-" mother began but was cut off.

"I'm already on it," my father laughed, lifting one side of the couch, clearly exhausted.

I started to walk into the house, the straps of my backpack now chaffing my shoulders. We had lived in this house for about 18 years. Apparently after mom found out she was pregnant once again, they figured it was best to start searching for a place other than the one bedroom condo they were already living in. They found our home thinking it would be a proper family home. Instead, it turned out to be infested with termites, gnawing away at the wooden beams supporting our ceilings. Of course, an exterminator was hired. After that slight bump in the road, a paint job and serious cleaning, it turned out to be the domicile we would spend the rest of our childhood in. All of our precious memories, which we held dear, lied within it's walls.

I raced up the stairway to my room. The house, unlike our garage, was rather neat. My Father and I had always shared a passion for order. I guess I wasn't quite as uptight as he was, although I did become slightly OCD about a backwards roll of toilet paper.

My bedroom was whitewashed with well. . .white. Colorless and bland.

It's not that I was a boring stick-in-the-mud, I just didn't want to ruin the elegance my room pertained. It was like an empty canvas, a blank sheet of paper. Having so much potential. Potential that could easily be destroyed.

My fear was screwing things up.

As an aspiring artist, you might find it odd how I'm exceptionally organized, rather dull and basic. Not all artists have to be these messy slobs, using vibrant colors, seeing things differently than others.

I saw things for the way they were.

I laid my backpack down by the side of my bed, it's zipper clanking against the metal frame. It was time for my daily procrastination. I rolled open the drawer to my drafting table. Its polished wooden frame, still held the freshly cut pine scent, regardless of how old it was. Delicately choosing a pencil from my collection. It needed to be ideal. It's lead not too stubby, so I didn't have to find the energy to choose a new tool, yet not too sharp so it wouldn't break during the process. I tried taking a few short breaths. Attempting to clear my mind.

I liked playing a game with myself. The first thought which popped into my head, I would draw. I counted to four. Not three. Not five. Four. It was the number in between, commonly overlooked as a number to count to.

Just like me.

One....Two....Three...Four.

The gears in my brain started turning, sorting through the files of my mind, seeking for the perfect thought. It scanned through the alphabet.

A...B...C...D....E...STOP!

Yes, E.

The word became clear, its letters floating about.

Emptiness.

Beginning is always the hardest part. It is the foundation for everything. All the work you do from that point on stands upon the structure you created.

The first thing that came to mind when picturing the word was someone hiding behind a mask. Disguising their pain.

I proceeded to sketch a young girl, probably around Gracie's age. Her hair, hiding half her face. Each strand, unkempt, and untamed. She was smiling, yet the crinkles near her eyes told another story. A vacant heart.

A label was printed across her forehead. Numbers, like an ID.

18, 5, 10, 5, 3, 20, 5, 4.

Each number representing a letter. Each letter forming a word. A word that was the root cause of all emptiness. Being rejected.

She could fool anyone who was gullible enough to believe her false sense of contentment. Only those who looked close enough were able to see the agony beneath her facade.

Later that evening, while shading the striking features of the girl's face, darkening her glassy, tear-filled eyes, I was called down for dinner. My creative flow now interrupted, I made my way downstairs. My family each in their traditional seats. We use to have a big fancy dinner table, for guests, but I guess after the first awkward dinner with the Peterson's, and the fact we rarely ever had guests over, we sold it and bought a table much more accustomed to the size of our family. We only had one extra seat, of course in the garage, which was for Landon when he returned from (insert school name here). I plopped into the last available chair, my nose meeting the delicious fragrance of chinese take-out.

Egg rolls, white rice with baby shrimp, teriyaki chicken and those oh-so-sweet stargoons. I guess mom was too lazy to cook tonight. Again.

But, I wasn't complaining.

It was at that moment when I realized just how starving I was. I had forgotten I didn't eat my lunch.

I commenced to quietly dip my egg roll into a small packet of 'duck sauce' or whatever the hell it was and continued to stuff my face with a bite far too large for my mouth.

"So, Jackson, Gracie, you're father and I have some news."

I raised my head, my cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk trying to store his precious supply of nuts. Haha, nuts.

Dad just sat idly by while my mother eagerly took his hand. He seemed clueless. As if he was a random passerby who had just won a lifetime supply of pastries for buying the millionth funnel cake.

"Landon's coming home for the weekend," she exclaimed.

Gracie enthusiastically shrieked like a mating dolphin from the top of her lungs.

"Not inside the house Grace," Dad grimaced.

"Jackson, honey, isn't that great?"

I guess the lack of emotion on my face and the fact I had said not a word might have given the impression I wasn't thrilled to be reuniting with my dear brother, who I had profoundly missed, or was taking his trip home for granted. No, it wasn't either of those things, I was only slightly busy attempting not to choke on the rather sizeable amount of egg roll I had just consumed. The lump in my throat felt as if it was the size of golf ball. The shells' sharp edges slowly slid down my throat.

Amazingly I was able to swallow the choking hazard.

"Yeah mom, that's awesome."

Lately my parents had been acting more attentive towards my needs, assuming I'm depressed or unhappy with my circumstances. I suppose they have noticed my increase in afternoon naps, deadpan smiles and most of my life being spent in my room.

Perhaps they thought bringing Landon back home for a little while, might help recover the 'old Jackson' whose absence had been accounted for.

Yes, I admit it. Landon leaving did make things difficult. But, it was my fault for getting so hung up on the situation. I knew he was leaving. I couldn't help but also feeling slight resentment towards Landon.

He left me. However, Landon wasn't to blame. This was a step he had to take in life. I never expected for him to stay home to tend to his emotional brothers' needs. It just gave me a taste of the truth. Even family will not always be there for you.

Although, I did begin acting unlike my common self around the time when Landon left, he wasn't the only factor that had come into play of my mysterious change in personality. I guess his disappearance was just the gateway to all of the crap I had been storing in my heart for years.

Think of it like Jenga, the more blocks you pile up, the more come tumbling down.

I was never the type of person to talk about their issues and receive perceptive insight, causing my life to magically become picture perfect, solving every single one of my problems, then rolling the credits with the Friends theme song.

Because life just wasn't that simple.

That night was probably like most. Laying in bed staring at my ceiling, weary yet unable to let loose and drift away. All that was left for me to do was think. Think about the inevitable fact that I would soon fall asleep, unfortunately I would have to spend the next few minutes, before that happens, and suffer. I guess this was mother nature's way of letting you reflect on your actions, those humiliating moments we regret, causing us the gut-wrenching feeling of condemnation.

But, there were no moments belonging to me I had to ponder. I could only ask myself, what the hell happened to her?

Halo was a mission impossible movie. There was always something exciting and adventurous just around the corner. Her motto once was there would be no rules without rebellion. She'd then emphasize the statement saying how technically she was enforcing the rules by breaking them. She was one of those people who would have an idea, not take a second longer to think about what had just entered her mind and do it. From what it seemed, her impulsiveness had not changed much or her thirst for an adrenaline rush. No, what had changed was the wholesome tone she use to have in her voice. Each word was now filled with no meaning and each action was driven from a burning desire to fill the void in her soul, only enlarging.

If only I could just find enough courage to talk to her.

But, what would I say?

"Hey, uh, remember me? Jackson Novak. We use to hang out when were like ten, and I've noticed you recently moved back into the neighborhood this past year. Sorry if you ever caught me stalkerishly staring at your house, I was just wondering if you were home and what you might've doing."

Oh yeah, she'd probably just fall right into my arms after that glorious soliloquy.

Actually she might just jackslap me in the face for even considering speaking to her. After all, she had made it very clear she either never wanted to talk to me again, or suffered a terrible case of amnesia, causing her to lose about four years worth of her memory.

In all fairness, we were young.

We have matured quite a bit since our last rendezvous. She definitely wasn't that flat chested little girl from the fifth grade anymore. So, maybe it's possible she didn't recognize me?

That's ridiculous, I hadn't changed that much. I was still rather freckled face, sustaining your basic non-aerobic physique, just a foot and a half taller and different pair of glasses. I couldn't have changed to a certain degree making me unrecognizable.

Yes, it had been about five years, I'll give her that, but wouldn't she find me the slightest bit familiar?

Maybe, her life just didn't have enough room for me at the moment. She was already busy with her other friends, she just hadn't found the words to say to me yet.

Or maybe, my special gift of blending into the crowd was becoming better than I intended.

"Yeah, that was it," I tried telling myself, sinking into denial. Even though I hadn't chosen a possible theory to which I agreed with.

It was sometimes easier to deceive yourself than accepting the facts.

But, what's the point? She's moved on.

I wanted to hate her. To hate her for planting seeds of hope. For making me wish she would look at me and smile, reminiscing on a moment we once shared. She left me in suspense, on the edge of my seat, eagerly waiting to see what her next move would be.

But, I didn't hate her. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't.

[anneedmonsonus]

A Timeless Federation Bungalow in Coolbinia

This beautiful home has just gone on the market with Nadija Begovich and Dan Broad of The Perth Property Co.

Buying a house in beautiful Coolbinia was a dream come true for then newly-engaged couple Ash and Lisa Mitchell.

Both Ash and Lisa had always loved character homes and when the chance came to buy this 1947 Federation Bungalow 14 years ago, they jumped on it.

Since then, the house has been a wonderful home for the Mitchells, their daughter Charlotte, 11, dog Rusty, a Lagotto Romagnolo (I thought I was pretty good at my exotic dog breeds, but I had to look that one up!) budgies Daisy and Petal, various fish and cute backyard frog Freddo.

The tuckpointed double brick house was the first built on Mardella Street, Mount Lawley before the suburb was split in 1953. In 1995 the house was renovated and extended with a beautiful sympathetic extension larger than the size of the original home.

A week after they were engaged, Ash and Lisa went to see the house and ‘fell in love immediately’, according to Lisa. “It was a bit beyond our price range, but as the agent said just three days later, ‘It’s only money!’ ” she laughed.

Both fans of older styles – Federation, Art Deco and MCM – Ash and Lisa wanted something that they could put their own stamp on, but with busy careers and a business, knew they didn’t have the time or tolerance to oversee an extension or major renovation. But this house, with its beautiful bones, sympathetic extension and traditional features (think soaring ceilings, sash windows, 20cm skirting boards and Metters stove) fit the bill. “It was also large, with four bedrooms and a study and two very separate living areas – one where Charlotte and I could read, play piano and relax and another where Ash could watch TV,” said Lisa.

THE MUSIC ROOM: The music room at the front of the home is Lisa’s favourite room. “It just has this timeless, classic, elegant yet cosy feel – I can lie on the couch staring at the three metre ceiling rose we installed for hours – I especially love this room bathed in the afternoon light in winter,” she said. “Although when we had the old Vulcan heater removed a few years ago, the technician said, “No wonder you felt so calm and relaxed in here– I think you’ve been gassing yourself!” Luckily the room is large and airy and the central heating now does the trick.

Close to the CBD and the arts and entertainment precinct, the location was another drawcard. Lisa, who is a Senior Statewide Consultant for the Department of Education, was at the time completing post-grad study at ECU Mt Lawley down the road and preferred attending classes to online tutorials. (Ash was in politics and is now a landscape designer). They both liked that the house was a family home, and knew the local public primary school just 500m away had a reputation for academic excellence.

“Having rented in Coolbinia during my student years, I had dreamed of returning here on a more permanent basis one day,” said Lisa. “I loved the peace and tranquility and always felt so safe – even though security on my soon-to-be-demolished rental was non-existent!

“Wandering the suburb back then I took note of Mardella Street in particular, with its imposing Art Deco mansion in beautiful grounds on the corner and a total of just 12 houses. As we are the quietest street in the suburb, many a tennis game has been played on the road out front!”

Like the rest of Coolbinia, the little street is full of trees and people take pride in their gardens. Four km from the city, Coolbinia was designed to garden suburb principles first devised by Ebenezer Howard, the English founder of the garden city movement. Howard had a vision for leafy green streets, parkland within walking distance of everyone and low-density dwellings with gardens.

I think he would have approved of what Lisa and Ashley did to their new place – they completely reworked the gardens on the 728sqm block, making them gorgeous and green with a large lawn for Charlotte and her friends to play.

BACKYARD LOVE: Ash and Lisa had a lawn put in the backyard for Charlotte and her friends. “Many a cricket match has been played on the back lawn,” said Lisa.

Lisa and daughter Charlotte on the front veranda, a favourite spot.

“When Ash made the tree change from politics to his new business, our garden became the guinea pig,” said Lisa.

“The garden was sparse and definitely low to nil maintenance. The flax grass bushes were gratefully accepted by a local primary school to form their water-wise garden!

“We had one tree in a very sloping backyard – the liquid amber was maybe four feet high. We have landscaped the area with abundant trees and hedges, limestone retaining walls, paving and new grass, and installed an outdoor bar area. The front yard needed to complement our home’s heritage – so roses, lavender, agapanthus and more trees were included to replace the native look.”

What I love about this house is that the traditional extension has been carried out with the same attention to detail as the original 1940s cottage.

Everywhere you look there is a special feature; something pretty or quaint. The original Metters stove is a feature of the dining. The ceilings have pretty details in every room; the windows are all timber-framed.

Opening onto the back garden from the cosy sitting room (part of the rear extension) is a reclaimed antique front door, with a brass slot for letters. Not a corner of this property has been overlooked – but that doesn’t mean Lisa and Ashley didn’t add their own style when they moved here.

“The house was light-filled and airy and had been much-loved – there was clear evidence of little kids 4WDing their toy cars across the walls and there was gold stenciling everywhere, even the floor!” said Lisa. “There were window treatments on just the front two windows and the kitchen walls had undergone one of the latest trends – marbling – in what I could only call ‘Tobacco Stain.’”

They repainted every room in the house (so long marbling!) sanded and varnished the beautiful timber floors throughout and replaced and added window treatments, decorative light fittings and ceiling fans throughout. “The kitchen layout was perfect – the house was very thoughtfully renovated and extended and it was so functional,” said Lisa. “So instead of reinventing the wheel we resurfaced the Oregon pine cupboards and painted the interior cupboards a pale pistachio.”

New stone benchtops were added, a new sink and an ASKO dishwasher. I really like it when people do this – look at the potential in an existing kitchen rather than gutting and redoing the whole thing from scratch – and the result is a classic painted kitchen that is custom, beautiful and perfectly suited to its character home.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

  AFTER

After deciding to put the home on the market to move closer to Charlotte’s future high school, Lisa and Ashley asked The Perth Property Co. Nadija Begovich and Dan Broad to sell it. (You can see the listing here).

One of the things Lisa and Ashley liked about Nadija and Dan’s approach is that they offer an all-inclusive styling and staging service for their clients, with the goal of presenting each house in the best way possible to show it off to its best and get a great result. (You might remember this story I wrote on them a couple of years ago). “A friend of mine in Mount Lawley used Nadija as her agent and I was so impressed to see how she styled, presented and quickly sold the home,” said Lisa. “Nadija can really see the beauty in a home and emphasises its best features so well.”

I love what Nadija and Dan do because they’re examples of real estate agents who go above and beyond – they work ridiculously hard and they do it all with a smile. While Lisa and Ash already had a lot of classic and antique pieces; it was just a case of adding in complementary elements like cushions, linens and plants. “When we style and stage, we ensure the rooms look spacious and functional and that the property has a balanced flow and is presented at ‘display home’ standard,” said Nadija.

For house-proud Lisa (who jokes that she has a touch of OCD!) that approach was appreciated. “Nadija is warm and down-to-earth, what you see is what you get,” she said. “She is knowledgeable, a great communicator and the consummate professional. We are genuine sellers, so we wanted a genuine real estate agent to represent the sale of our beloved home of 14 years. The experience so far has been exciting yet surprisingly smooth!”

Now set to make the next big change in their lives, Ash and Lisa feel lucky to have had the great memories and good neighbours they have had at Mardella Street. “Although nobody moves from here very often, at a ‘Welcome to the Street’ party last year, our newest neighbours likened Coolbinia to ‘a village’,” she said. “It really is the place where you walk across the street for a cup of sugar or some basil or next door for a much-needed wine while the kids play – and you always have a last-minute babysitter nearby!” Maya x

Thank you to Lisa, Ashley and Charlotte for having me through your beautiful home and to Perth Property Co – you can see the listing with Perth Property Co for this home online here.

HOME LOWDOWN

THE CURRENT OWNERS

Ashley and Lisa Mitchell, who live with their daughter Charlotte, 11

THEIR HOME

A classic 1947 Federation Bungalow, extended in a sympathetic style

LOCATION

Coolbinia, Western Australia

THE SELLING AGENT

The home is currently on the market with Nadija Begovich and Dan Broad of The Perth Property Co

FEATURES

Five bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms, classic kitchen, timber floorboards, 10ft ceilings, heritage features, double carport, alfresco entertaining areas, veranda, professionally landscaped gardens

INTERIOR DESIGN

Lisa designed the interiors herself

STYLING AND STAGING

Nadija styled the interiors to sell (home styling and staging is part of her real estate service)

  The post A Timeless Federation Bungalow in Coolbinia appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2019/03/22/coolbinia-federation-bungalow/