#local woman discovers its fun to play with friends!

[2baddiesfanfics]

Let Destiny Decide (Final Chapter)

Pairing: Kafka x Himeko

Tags: Angst, Exes, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering

Summary:

As much as she's tried, Kafka still can't seem to leave Himeko alone. When she sees her with another woman in an intergalactic newspaper, she's determined to discover their relationship. Will she get the answer she's been longing for, or regret seeking it out?

Read on Ao3

Chapter 3: The Future I Yearn For

Kafka stared down at her reflection in the glass of whisky that sat before her. The last time she’d drank out of anger seemed like a century ago. That fateful night - the first time she and Himeko had acted on their complicated feelings for each other - stirred up emotions she’d rather let go of.

Unfortunately, seeing that snapshot of her in the local paper speaking to some unknown woman had sent her into a self-destructive spiral. Thankfully the article accompanying said photograph revealed the location of where it was taken.

The planet of Tranquilia was well known for its many natural hot springs and opulent spas. She wasn’t sure if it was the booze or the explicit images her mind was concocting, but her face felt like she had entered a sauna.

Ah, fuck ‘er. She’s doing it on purpose. She always has. Crinkling the flimsy newspaper in her fist, she was determined to forget what she had seen. Well…maybe not completely. She had followed her to the planet, after all. She didn’t even know if she was still here. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a stranger saddling up next to her.

“Hey there. What brings you to Tranquilia?” The woman before her didn’t hold a candle to Himeko, but she was drunk. And horny. So, she’d entertain the opportunity and see where it went.

“I felt like indulging my senses,” she replied, her voice dripping with suggestion. 

“Oh, ho. Then I’m happy to tell you you’ve come to the right place,” the woman replied, her fingers gently tracing the rim of her glass.

The corners of Kafka’s mouth twitched upward in a smirk. “That so?” She leaned forward, her words grabbing the stranger and pulling her closer. “Perhaps you can come to my-” The Stellaron Hunter stopped mid-innuendo.

“Kafka? What the fuck are you doing here?” Himeko’s cheeks were as red as her hair - whether it was out of jealousy or anger, she couldn’t tell. The girl from the photograph stood a few paces behind her.

Oh, this is gonna be fun. She stood and walked toward the leader of the Astral Express, the woman she had been teasing previously now all but forgotten.

“Himeko,” she purred. “What a coincidence. I see you’ve been missing me…so much so that you’re apparently seeking solace in the arms of…your new friend there.” She tossed a nod toward her unnamed companion as she reached forward to brush a loose strand of hair behind Himeko’s ear. Himeko promptly swatted her hand away.

“Shut up, Kafka. For your information, I’m strictly here on business,” she replied with a scowl.

Kafka let out a throaty chuckle, more than willing to play this little game with her. “Come now, princess. Don’t be like that.” She was closing in on her, ever in pursuit of her prey. “I’ve missed you…” Her sweet whispered words weaved a spell she knew she’d never be able to resist.

“Kafka. I’m serious. Stop,” Himeko ordered, gripping her shoulder firmly.

“Forget little miss whoever the fuck that is and come play with me,” her breath hot on her ear.

The resounding sound of Himeko’s open palm landing on Kafka’s cheek echoed throughout the room.

The Stellaron Hunter’s eyes blazed with crazed intensity. “You know I love it when you play hard to get. How long you here for?”

“As if I’d tell you.”

With a shrug, Kafka shot back, “Suit yourself,” and walked back to the bar to continue her prior flirtation. “So, where did we leave off, sweetheart?”

Fuming, Himeko sat at the far end of the bar with her associate trying her absolute hardest to ignore her ridiculous attempt to get to her. The longer her meeting went on, the more she realized there was no way she was going to be able to focus.

“I’m sorry, Rin. I’m a little shaken up. Why don’t we pick up this conversation tomorrow?” She requested with a gentle smile.

“Of course, Ms. Himeko. You know the IPC values any information you can provide. I’m here for another few days, so there’s no rush. Enjoy the rest of your night!” And with that, she headed out.

The red-haired leader of the Astral Express wasn’t proud of what she was about to do. But after two glasses of red, she no longer cared. This was how it was and always would be. She’d try to run as far away as possible, but Kafka sucked her right back in, like a black hole.

Summoning every ounce of courage, she rose from her stool at the bar, grabbed her room key card out of her bag, and strode up to her.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” she commanded as she slipped it into the breast pocket of the Stellaron Hunter’s coat.

Without hesitation, Kafka downed the rest of the amber liquid in her cup, pulled out a stack of credits, told the stranger to buy herself another drink, and rushed after her.

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

No sooner than Himeko had started to undress for a bath did she hear the click of the automatic door open and shut. Quickly donning a silk bathrobe, she walked out to face her.

“You sure don’t waste any time, do you? Are you that desperate for human interaction? Certainly seems like it with how you were drooling over that woman at the bar. Pathetic.”

Kafka scoffed, leaning against the wall so as not to betray the fact she had her fair share of alcohol that night. “You’re one to talk. Mind telling me who the fuck that was following you around like a Diting aboard the Xianzhou Luofu?”

Himeko’s anger got the better of her. She stomped over to where she stood, hoping to sound more intimidating than she felt. “And why would you care, Kafka? You never have. You certainly had no issue up and leaving me the first time. Now you decide you want back in my life? It doesn’t work that way. I only invited you to my room so we could hash this out in private. I don’t need you embarrassing me in front of the IPC.” A lie, but she’d never admit it.

“Ohhhh, so that’s who that little bitch was. I know you said you wouldn’t get into bed with a Stellaron Hunter, but the IPC? You’ve hit a new low with that one,” she said with a grimace.

“Shut your mouth, Kafka. You’re drunk. Grab a spot on the couch, sleep it off, and leave when you can form a coherent thought. I’m going to bathe and go to bed.” To punctuate her stance, she boldly slipped out of her robe, kicked it to the side, and sauntered to the bathroom.

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

She had never been more grateful to be staying on a planet known for the healing properties of its water. It felt divine as she sunk below the liquid – she could hear faint traces of a jazz album playing on the in-room phonograph. Her body ached from attending meeting after meeting the previous day. Truly, the last thing she needed was yet another run-in with her past mistakes. Mistake? Was that how she really felt? Or was she simply trying to convince herself that was the case?

When she re-emerged, she nearly choked.

“What do you think you’re doing? Get out!!”

Kafka had already half-stripped, her fingers swiftly traveling down the line of buttons that kept her shirt on.

“Will you stop yelling already? It’s not like we’ve never seen each other naked before. Calm down. I just want to soak.”

When she finished removing her clothing, she walked to the edge of the tub and slid down far too close for comfort.

“Opposite side, Kafka,” Himeko warned, feeling the skin of the Stellaron Hunter’s back slip against her chest. Kafka leaned back and rested her head on her shoulder with a contented sigh.

“Oh, I don’t think you actually want that. If you ask me, you didn’t put up much of a fight. I think you want this,” she teased as she placed a gentle kiss just below the base of her neck.

Himeko had to steady herself to ensure she wouldn’t stutter. “Behave yourself, or I’m kicking you out.”

“You really are no fun, are you? Why do you have to take everything so seriously all the time?”

Suddenly, Kafka felt Himeko slide her arms around her waist, pulling her close to her tightly.

“Kafka, tell me. Why are you really here? You were the first to leave. Now you follow me everywhere I go. And I’m not just talking planets, here. Every second of every day, no matter what I do or where I travel…I see you. Hear you. Feel you.”

For once, the Stellaron Hunter was at a loss for words. A part of her was expecting yet another fling and flee. But she was serious. She could hear it in her voice.

“Princess…I…you know this is what we do. I’ve got a script to stick to. Every once and awhile I’ll deviate, but I can’t…stay.”

“Then why won’t you just leave me alone? Let me move on, Kafka.” She could tell Himeko had broken into tears. Even she wasn’t sure what she was constantly running from. Was it the future in general, or a future where Himeko was in danger because of her? She led a perilous life, and if she got her caught up in whatever future Elio had seen…

Her hands sought those that were wrapped around her. “Trust me, Himeko. If I could I would,” she whispered.

“What’s stopping you? Why are you so obsessed with the future Elio sees? Why not try to make your own…with me?

Kafka untangled herself and rose from the tub, stepping gingerly onto the bathroom mat. Grabbing a towel off the rack, she wrapped it around herself, a meager shield against a question that remained unanswered.

“Don’t you dare run away from me again!” Himeko shouted as she pulled a towel for herself. “Answer me! Why are you so fearful of coming back to me?”

Kafka turned on her in urgency. “Because I’m scared of what Elio showed me! There are myriad futures out there, Himeko. Too many end with you getting hurt because of me.” She looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

“Kafka, I-“ Himeko reached for her, the same hand that struck her earlier now stroking the lingering burn that remained. “I don’t care.”

“…what do you mean you don’t care? I CARE. That’s why-“

“That’s why what? Just say it.”

“That’s why I keep coming back. We may have parted ways, but I can’t move forward without reminding myself you’re still here.”

Himeko shifted closer, her arms encircling the Stellaron Hunter’s neck. “I’ve been here, Kafka. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll be damned if some mysterious director of fate is going to tell me otherwise.”

Kafka closed in, her face so close Himeko could smell the remnants of whiskey hot on her breath. Warm. Inviting. Intoxicating.

“Are you saying you’re still willing to make a future with me? Regardless of what may come?”

“I’ve always said humanity never conceals its desire to control the heavens…and I’m no exception. Our fates are not set in stone, Kafka. We make our own, Elio’s scripts be damned.”

Kafka lunged forward, capturing her lips with hers. Their towels forgotten, she lifted her with ease and carried her to the plush bed that was much too big for only one person.

“You sure…you weren’t expecting company…tonight?” She asked snidely between kisses.

“You…really do…talk too much,” Himeko replied. “Especially for someone…who was about to…fuck a woman nowhere near…as beautiful as I am.”

The Stellaron Hunter’s laugh reverberated against the tender skin of her neck as she muttered, “Too much time away from you must have lowered my standards.”

“Damn right,” Himeko replied smugly. Tired of her commentary, Kafka reached up and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Shhhh. You wouldn’t want to ruin such a sweet reunion, now, would you? The only thing coming out of that pretty little mouth of yours should be my name,” she chastised, her voice muffled between her cleavage. The hot wetness of her tongue against her breast made Himeko sigh with bliss.

Working one taught nipple between her fingertips, she toyed with the other, licking, sucking, biting.

“Ahhh…Kafka…”

“Much better. Now…admit you missed this. Missed me,” she demanded. Stealing a glance at her lover’s flushed face. Seeing Himeko submit to her would never grow tiresome. She was at Kafka’s mercy and enjoying every second of it.

“Sure sounded - fuck - like you were the one - haaaa - who missed me. Roaming across the galaxy because you - hnnnn - thought I was screwing someone else…” she gasped.

Kafka’s lips traveled down her toned stomach, tasting every inch of her skin. The sounds Himeko was making while trying to string together an intelligible sentence stoked the fire that ran through her veins. She longed to savor the wetness that now surely pooled between her thighs.

“Open wider for me, love,” she requested. Watching her expose herself further nearly made her want to stroke herself, but she maintained focus to ensure she adequately showed Himeko how badly she wanted her.

Positioning herself comfortably, she peppered kisses everywhere but where Himeko desired her to be.

“Kafka…please…now…”

“Don’t be greedy, baby. Let me treat you right,” she taunted as she lazily traced her opening with her finger. The leader of the Astral Express whimpered, a wordless plea for more. “Are you going to take it like a good girl?”

“Yes, I- oh, fuckkkkkk,” she screamed as Kafka plunged two fingers into her. Between the squelching sounds of her arousal and the obscenities Himeko uttered, it became increasingly difficult for her to keep a steady pace. She buried her face into her, the scent and taste of her driving her mad.

“Kaf…too intense…going to…”

“Not yet, you aren’t,” the Stellaron Hunter teased. Removing her fingers, she rubbed Himeko’s clit in rough circles, bringing her to the edge.

“KAFKA! FUCK!” With the jerk of her hips that signaled her orgasm, Kafka bit the juncture of her thigh hard enough to leave a brand.

Mine.

Kafka moved up to straddle the waist of her conquest as she watched her chest rise and fall quickly. The other woman looked her up and down, noting her body was marred far more than she remembered during their last tryst. Himeko smirked when she eyed the Stellaron Hunter’s arousal dripping down her leg.

“Seems I’m not the only one who enjoyed that.”

“What can I say? You simply drive me mad with desire.”

“Well, while I sit here and recover from the result of your madness, how about I lay back and you show me how much you really miss me?”

Kafka shook her head in disbelief. “My, you’ve gotten bolder since we last did this, hmm?” She said as she slowly moved her index finger across the swollen bundle of nerves that sat between her thighs. Her gasp caught in her throat as she watched the leader of the Astral Express hungrily devour her movements.

Placing her other hand behind her for support, she carefully leaned back and spread her legs further to give her a better view as she moaned Himeko's name. The woman beneath her slid her fingers up the inner part of Kafka’s thighs and rubbed soothing circles as she observed her thrusting in and out of herself. Deciding she’d tortured her enough, she moved her hand up further, stopping to press her thumb against Kafka’s clit. The Stellaron Huner jolted and moaned at the welcome sensation.

Himeko sat up and took a perked nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, matching the pace of her thumb below. Kafka increased the plunging of her finger as she felt her lover cease her ministrations and grab her wrist.

Letting go of Kafka’s breast with a sharp “pop,” she purred, “I’m sorry…who said you could finish?” She brought Kafka’s slick-coated finger to her lips and slowly inserted it into her mouth, lapping off the juices suggestively. A growl shook her body but was cut short as the Stellaron Hunter felt two of Himeko’s fingers penetrate her soaked entrance. The leader of the Astral Express pulled her forward, kissing her sharply.

As Himeko’s tongue slid into her mouth, Kafka could taste herself on her lips. She moved her digits faster, mimicking the pace of her erratic breathing. Kissing down her neck, the crimson-haired woman’s teeth pierced the pale skin she’d admired for so long. When she pulled away, she left a patch of slow-blooming violet bordered by scarlet.

Kafka threw her arms around Himeko, her nails tearing her back to shreds. “Princess… going to…”

“You’ve been a good girl. I’ll allow it,” she murmured as she bit down on her shoulder. With a few more flicks of her wrist, Kafka contracted around her fingers and she spiraled down from the height of her ecstasy.

Neither of them moved. This was hardly the first time they’d taken out their complicated feelings in a flurry of gasps and moans. It seemed like every instance of them coming together ended in someone saying something the other didn’t want to hear.

“I still have a job to do, you know. I’m Elio’s next-in-command. That doesn’t mean our paths won’t cross. When he and I first met, he told me, ‘As for the future that you yearn for - I will realize it,’” she whispered as she held her so tightly she could hardly breathe. “Himeko…you are the future I yearn for.”

[deannacornell]

The Hopeful Master Gardener

I'm so excited to share with you that I've FINALLY begun my journey to becoming a Texas Master Gardener. I kind of consider myself an accidental gardener or a lucky gardener. Because if it worked - it was either an accident or a complete stroke of luck. My mother could grow anything - but we also lived close to the coast with lots of rain, humidity and sunshine. I think she could've grown anything anywhere. She definitely had a very, very green thumb.

You might ask "what exactly is a Master Gardener?"

"The Texas Master Gardener program trains and supports a network of volunteers to provide horticultural-related information within their communities.

The Texas Master Gardener program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the diverse needs of the individual communities it serves. By combining statewide guidelines with local direction and administration, the program offers the flexibility necessary to keep it a vital and responsive organization that serves all of Texas.

Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers and gardens. They are enthusiastic, willing to learn and to help others, and able to communicate with diverse groups of people.

After completing special training in horticulture, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through their AgriLife Extension office to provide horticultural-related information to their communities."

Quoted from the Texas A & M Agrilife Extension Service.

There was an application process, a fee, a background check and a phone interview to get into the program. I'm in! Classes started in early January and so far my head is spinning with all this new knowledge. I'm so grateful to be learning and happy to share. There is 3 hours of class time and 3 hours of Zoom meetings each week (January through April). Then we will have to perform 100 hours of volunteer service to be certified.

The first thing I can say is what we all actually already know - foundation is key. As in SOIL. If we don't start out with the right foundation (insert your favorite cliche`). You get the point.

So I will be very busy (if the wind ever stops blowing) amending my soil in my flower beds as best I can. I worked in them yesterday, which happened to be a beautiful day, and there are a bunch of perennials making their appearance already. That is always so fun to discover.

The first lecture was given by a lovely woman by the name of Mrs. Harrington and the title was Yes, You Can (garden in the panhandle). She was a fount of knowledge. She does a lot of container gardening, hence she has perfect soil. She also had absolutely stunning flower beds. I plan on adding some containers in my flower gardens and paying special attention to what grows well in our heat and wind. My favorite in my flower beds right now is Gaura. I've called it whirling butterfly flower for quite some time, but it hasn't held it against me. Other names are Beeblossom, Whirling Butterflies and Wand Flower. Wand flower is so fitting because they grow tall and wispy and "wave" in the wind. They are super hardy and have spread and performed beautifully for three years in my less than desirable soil. That's Gaura below - the beautiful white, wispy flower. They spread as well! There is also a dwarf gaura variety that has a dark red leaf and pink flowers. It grows well here also.

What can we do right now while we wait for the weather to play nice?

Start working on your soil (cotton burr compost is your friend)

Plant onions and potatoes.

Start some seeds inside and you'll be way ahead of the game!

Put down pre-emergent grass and weed barrier on your lawn

That's all for now. I hope you'll follow along and in the meantime go play in the dirt!

~ Deanna

[meatloafhoagie]

GH: Rev'Amped Character Descriptions!!

God of Rock (Morrison Tesla) - he's a trickster god who sets the heroes up on their wildest rock adventures. He begins as an antagonist.

Echo Tesla (Goddess of Rock) - the doting wife of Morrison - but so much more, as we will discover in her arc, where she becomes the host of three deceased legendary woman rockers from time to time who guide her. She is strong, intelligent, and serves as a mother figure to the rockers.

Violet (Princess/Daughter of Rock) - so she will be the rhythm guitarist from GH: Aerosmith except I will age her down to 17 and ditch her male gaze-y outfit. She will be the cynical teenage daughter of the two rock dieties who wants to start her own band outside of her already up-there status. This band will be called the Chuck Taylor Club.

Johnny Napalm - a 31-year-old punk rocker from Eastbourne, Johnny grew up as a rebellious child who never got along well with others. The 1970s anarchist punk scene, however, changed and saved his life. He is rowdy, headstrong, a tad bit argumentative, and a true anarchist, but he is also very caring and respectful towards his friends. He shows a deep concern for human rights. His rock journey will be to overthrow the processed pop sound system and keep punk alive in the modern day.

Judy Nails - a 23-year-old alt/prog rocker from Ontario, Judy was born to be a good girl - but crafted to be quite the opposite. The most pivotal moment of her life was when she got kicked out of her Catholic high school. Her journey will be to escape the limitations set for her by her conservative parents and rock like never before - with the help of Pandora. She is sweet but could break you so quick. She is confident, down to earth, and everyone either wants to be her or be with her.

Izzy Sparks - a 25-year-old glam rocker who was born in South Africa but was raised in the US discovers his destiny after finding David Bowie records in a local record store after he moved to Chicago, Illinois when he was just 7. He returns the favor by converting to unconventional glam!! His arc will be all about doing his own thing despite every odd, and letting himself have fun!! He is a pansexual icon who people can't help but smile at! He's full of energy and knows how to rock so hard the world caves in.

Pandora - a 24-year-old goth rocker whose youth is shrouded in mystery (except for the fact that she was born to an Irish father and a Filipina mother), Pandora's story begins when she converts to full-fledged goth in a violinist family. Her arc will be similar to Judy's in the way that she is also trying to escape the limiting ideals placed upon her all her life. She will also play the role of Judy's girlfriend. She is quiet and shy, uttering maybe two sentences an hour, anxious, and is at times nonverbal (a huge contrast to her whimsical stage presence), but can really open up to others if she's close enough to them.

Axel Steel - a 36-year-old old school metal rocker whose story isn't just a sex, drugs, and rock n roll story, Axel is the single father of seven-year-old Ellie - his heart. After divorcing his wife for cheating on him and juggling playing both the mother and the father to his child, Axel rediscovers the old school metal he grew fond of in his high shool days - and sets sail, picking up the guitar at his age and shredding!!

Xavier Stone - a 29-year-old modern rocker from Gary, Indiana finds his guitar hero journey after the death of his beloved mother and famous rockstar, Casydi Stone. He wants to repay her inspiration by picking up the guitar. He is a huge rock music nerd but he's also defiant and proud of who he is and his rocker roots.

Casey De'Mon - her last name is canonically Lynch, as we all know. However, I've changed it to De'Mon for this AU because i really like the double entendre of its nature and how it pertains to Casey herself (and "Lynch" just doesn't sit right with me). Casey is a 26-year-old hard rocker/southern gothic rocker whose ambitions consist of disproving the sexism placed on her and showing the world that she is not afraid to get her knuckles bloody and hands messy when it comes to the guitar. She is loud, rowdy, southern, headstrong - but I also want her to have a secret vulnerable side that is unlocked due to how close another individual is to her.

Midori - a 21-year-old rocker hailing from Setagaya, Japan has a duality to her: she shreds like a metal maniac and dresses in the cutest fits. She is sweet and kind and environmentalist - but you'd be an utter buffoon to underestimate her or her character. Her mission will be to shred like the most prestigious legends in rock - and show that she can do it too, with her humble upbringing and cute fashion choices that oppose her playing style.

Lars Umlaut - 41-year-old Scandinavian metal/black metal rocker Lars is on a mission to summon the darkest forces in Scandinavian metal and bring them together for one thing - to enhance his own rock powers like never before. Despite his scary appearance...Lars is actually a kind man, shy and quiet.

This is what I have so far!! I am open to suggestions and when I get better at drawing comic panels I will give everyone detail-by-detail chapters using this AU plotline!! Please stay tuned and feel free to give me suggestions for these characters!!

[pavithraraj]

Day Care In Kannivakkam

About the send of message and around the innovative school:

It is a pleasure to tell the message for innovative kids, Bright future for all futured younger’s. The one fabulous place for interactive and innovative in chocolate kids plays school.

The happiest, friendliest place for kids, every morning and every day for worth to joy in only for chocolate kids.

The innovative is provided by safe and comfortable place for learning and full of good environment.

Smarty programs:

Toddler (1.5 – 2 years) – creating a safe and welcoming environment.

Pre-k program (4-5 years) – the guidelines of the local school district.

Preschool (2-3 years) - Balance of self –directed

Before /after school (6 years)-available for all children enrolled in elementary

Kindergarten (3-4 years)-exceptional teachers enable smarty to offer

Outdoor play time –A small class size and teachers enable smarty to offer.

Programs for preschool:

Celebrations and camps Preschool In Kannivakkam

·       Annual day celebration

·       Women’s day celebration at kezhakottaiyur and urapakkam school

·       Community helpers camp (baker , electrician ,driver ,post woman)

·        Field trip at post office

·       Summer camp

·       Annual day celebrations

·       Grandparents day celebrations

·       World environments day

·       Colors day celebrations

Ø  The capacity of knowledge is present in all children. Every child has its own individual talent which demands proper achievements and appropriate development of some knowledgeable children’s.

 Ø   Education is to build character and to enable people to lead moral lives. We discover every student skill to come out of ignorance and lead them to the path of self knowledge.

 Programs:

·       Summer camp programs

·       Nursery programs

·       Daycare programs

·       Kindergarten programs

·       Chocolate kids innovative school encourages

Daycare in developments and knowledge:  

Ø  Days are filled with busy for educations, investigations, and discoveries. Children’s are through art, music, movement.

Ø  The explore for modern science they develop motor skills, coordination while running, Jumping, hopping, swimming, throwing and catching in the gym.

Ø  Demonstrate an emerging love of reading and writing using growing literacy skills during read aloud, shared readings, reading groups, and writing centers.

Ø  Children’s use language to share, Day Care In Kannivakkam communicate and interact with friends.

Ø  The children have to practice literacy skills in real life situations.

Ø  They enjoy Books, entire stories, games projects and songs based on curricular themes that are provided to extend a whole group setting.

Ø  We facilities action based knowledge in a fun filled environment to simulate your children’s development.

[reformedmercymain]

My support duo and I are literally unstoppable

[justbelievinginmagic]

I Need U - Chapter 1: Chase ‘em

a super-slow burn hyyh / bangtan universe au ft oc x taehyung, oc x seokjin, yoongi x jungkook, ot7 & oc being pals.

series summary:  Song Nari still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. How was she here? Stuck in a world that felt more like a nightmare than reality. How did she end up here - wishing at a lookout point above the rolling sea in the dead of night besides a high school friend that she hadn’t seen or talked to in over a year? How did she end up here after all she did was chase down the seven delinquents who graffitied her car to give them a piece of her mind?

chapter summary: A traffic jam was the last thing she wanted right now - or so she thought.

warnings: implied/referenced drug and alcohol use, explicit language, Bangtan Boys are delinquents, oc is kinda angry-dumb, run mv havoc.

wordcount: 4.4K

A/N: hi this chapter has been rewritten & reposted as of June 2022. Its been a year since starting to write I Need U and I want so badly to finish it. So I started to reread it (since i did take a hiatus away from it and lost the voice of the characters). I discovered rewriting bits just to tighten up their relationships/experience/etc was really fun so here we are lol. If you have been reading I Need U for a while, major plot points will not be changing as of now - but these chapters are rewritten for more clarity. you wont be missing out on anything if you dont reread them but their relationships/personalities are a bit more fleshed out.

series’ masterlist

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A traffic jam doesn’t often change your life.

Traffic jams are the worst usually. That’s what Song Nari thought as she groaned out at the sight of rows and rows of red brake lights. The tunnel she was stuck in gleamed in a hue of rubies and amber light; the night sky at the end of tunnel seemed so far away. Her fingernails tapped against the side of the steering wheel with a rising tempo; each jab of her nails into the wheel dug deeper and deeper until there were a series of crescent moons in the dark worn leather.

The day had been horrible – and this traffic jam was just the cherry on top of a terrible sundae. First, it had been a surprise exam. Nari had been so focused on her mathematics exam that she hadn’t remembered her history class had an in-class essay. It was frustrating; she can still feel the flush of her cheeks and churn of her stomach at the announcement. Nari had wanted to hide or cry or throw something at a wall. She could already hear her family once she received the grade (“This grade, Nari-ah?” Disappointment that sliced her skin. “Your sister did so much better in school. You need to work harder. How else will you get into a good university?”)

A surprise exam couldn’t just be it, no, then there was work. Her part-time job at the local ramen shop was typically boring - except for today, of course. Customers seemed to just know when someone is feeling bad. One middle-aged woman criticized her for being not “cheerful enough” while taking her order. Then, they hadn’t tipped. Nari could feel the anger boiling at her bones – like she was the very ramen broth being reduced in a pot in the kitchen.

After cleaning and locking up the shop alone, you’d think life would be looking up with the closing of the day. But then, there was this. This stupid traffic jam.

A fucking traffic jam on a Thursday night.

She twisted her neck this way and that, cracking it as the radio played in crinkled, poorly transmitted sequences. This tunnel was notorious for blocking radio signals – and despite being a modern teenager, Nari’s phone had a low battery she couldn’t risk worsening using it for music. Her AUX cord dangled tantalizingly nonetheless. Cars were restless, edging closer and closer to bumpers that were barely moving.

And then, the cars began to honk.

Nari huffed out a sigh. Honking didn’t do anything; didn’t these people know that? She was only sixteen – a fresh new driver – and she knew that. The honks were a cacophony of noise, mixing unpleasantly with her shitty radio transmission. Both rising and rising in her ears until her hand shot out to turn off the radio with a thud. Her finger hurt from the force. Her head ached even more. Her other hand rose to rub at her forehead; a day’s worth of sweat and smudges of half-worn off foundation came off as she lowered her hand. Can’t this day end? The noise only grew, honks blending together into a rumble of a monster’s roar. Was there an accident or something?

Breathing roughly from her nose, Nari tried to peer around the cars in front of her, her head clanking against the glass of her driver-side door’s window. The spring-time chill clinging to the glass helped the beginning of her headache. Her eyes were hurting from the light – her contacts felt dry. All she wanted was to be home in her bed. But instead, she was here, stuck in what felt like an isolation in the universe, a time-loop of a traffic jam.

Glancing out, she couldn’t see anything around the car in front of her – too jam packed like sardines in a can. Her eyes fell shut for a moment in frustration. She could feel it building up like a pressure cooker. Her patience was running thin.

There was something else among the honking competition outside suddenly. Her eyes flashed open at the sound. It was yells, shouts, screeches. Panic struck through her – what was that? Pressing her face closer to the window, she finally caught a glance.

Teenage boys. Six of them to be exact, running throughout the cars. Weaving back and forth with crowing laughter. They were tossing things into the air. Her brows furrowed as she tried to spot what it was, eyes bugging when she realized it was food. Chips and fries. Drinks were thrown onto windshields.

One of the boys – with orange dyed hair – jumped atop a car, tossing the remains of his chips roughly at the car windshield before standing tall and proud. A friend of his with pink hair handed a take-away cup to him, his face falling into what Nari could only make out as a dazed nonchalance before he sloppily poured the remains of the drink of the windshield. He lazily dropped the cup near immediately afterwards.

Nari was shell shocked. Her mouth parted in a perfect ‘O’, and her eyes blinking once, twice. What the fuck was going on? Why – and how – were they doing this? They were going to get arrested.

Another boy – one that seemed taller and with a too eager look in his eyes – crouched down to spit his drink into one of the cars’ open windows in a large plume of sugary spray.

Quickly, her gaze moved to her car locks. Her hand shifted to flick at the toggle, making sure they were locked tight. As soon as her gaze rose back to the anarchy in front of her, she let out a scream, flinching back in her seat.

One of the boys, a teenager with shaggy hair that was also dyed a bit – was it electric green at the tips? – was pushing himself onto her car’s hood. Her old car creaked and rumbled, but he didn’t care as he leaned forward, over the windshield. His fisted hands came rushing down onto her windshield’s glass with a thud. He let out a loud “boo!”.

He wanted to spook her, and when he saw her surprised, wide-eyed face and her little jump, he was granted what he wanted. Her lips were a pout, and her dark brown eyes glistened wide with shock. He let out a laugh, hazed eyes falling shut for a moment as Nari looked on bewildered. He was high enough that everything seemed harmless yet like he was in control even as he felt the car’s metal moan beneath his weight. His smile was wide and boxy, looking chaotic and wild on his face.

While she was scared, frightened by the chaotic scene, Nari was still utterly angry. This – this – was keeping her from going home. A bunch of dickhead teenagers who wanted to cause chaos for fun while they’re high on whatever drugs they found in a back alley. There was a spark of bravery – or stupidity – in her veins at the thought. Her face quickly fell being that of a doe-eyed victim into something scrawled into a scowl. Her eyes bore into his face. His laughter was still overtaking him, shaking his form. His half-mooned, pupil-blown eyes bore tears of amusement.

When he finally got another glance at her (he was itching to see that sweet innocent look of surprise again), he didn’t expect to see the mean glare. His tongue licked at his lower lip, tasting strawberry soju that still stained his lips. He was about to throw her a smirk when she startled him. His eyes widened as he watched – and felt – her slam down heavily on her steering wheel’s horn with the palm of her hand. The noise was loud and piercing, but there was already a blur of sounds among them. Honks, cheers, curses, hoots, and hollers. The boy with green highlights in his dark hair could feel the thrum of the horn beneath his hands and knees though.

And he laughed again. It felt like a challenge in his dazed-out brain. Everything about the situation was fun and free and playful to him; after all, he felt like he was on top of the world for once in his life. How this stranger looked - her glowering glare, the cock of her brow as she continued to press down on the horn of her steering wheel – it felt like a challenge to that autonomy.

He'd show her.

Tilting his head in challenge, he simply smiled, close lipped, before he reached into the inner pocket of his white leather jacket and pulled out something. At first, she feared the worse. Eyes widening a smidge more into the near doe-eyed looked (that if he was being honest, he liked). Nari’s heart raced in her chest. What if it was a gun or something? Gun violence was rising in Korea again – enough that she carried pepper spray on her key chain and her sister had lectured her on safety. Surely, a couple of teenagers wouldn’t have a gun.

And she was right. It was certainly not a weapon, but the sight of it made her trickling fear roar into an anger once more. An anger that made her hands tremble, her nose scrunch. The type of anger that tempted her to jump out of her car right then and there.

He wouldn’t dare.

Quickly, with laughter tumbling from his lips again, the boy began to spray something on her car. Spray paint. Bright red spray painting spattered and dripped. A large X was drawn over her windshield, blocking part of her view.

The can must’ve been near-empty with how it sputtered and splattered about messily. He didn’t mind though, dropping it lazily off her car with a clank. Instead of standing like his friend had, he leaned closer, looking down at her through a mostly-unpainted part of her windshield. The smell of aerosol paint burned his nose pleasantly as he ran his tongue over the back of his teeth. Cocking his head, he raised his brows at her and smiled. Their eye contacted lasted a moment too long, her nose flaring with her anger.

What the actual fuck? What does she do? Did this really just happen? What could she do? Honking can’t fix any of this bullshit – he just ruined her car with paint. Nari’s mind was in a spin, fueled by her anger and bewilderment. They never taught you how to handle a teenager spray painting your windshield – while you were behind the wheel – at driving school.

His boxy smile was prideful as he watched her anger blur into wide eyed shock. He had won. Won what? He – and she – didn’t know; he just knew he felt good. It felt good to cause trouble.

The shaggy, green-tipped hair man slid off her car with little grace considering how high or drunk he must’ve been. He offered her a wink of his eye before he began to turn away to join his other delinquent friends. She then noticed the truck that was blocking the way – T-boning the traffic to a stop.

Nari never handled her anger well – never could let an argument end without her having the last word. Without much thought (except that they were retreating), the teenage girl rolled down her window. The smell of aerosol paint lingered in the air, a sharp reminder (besides the huge fucking ‘X’ on her car) of what just happened. Leaning her head out, watching as her vandal slung his arm around the shoulders of a staggering boy, one wearing a black leather jacket and had minty blue hair, she decided with how bad her day was that it couldn’t get worse.

“Fuck you,” Nari shouted at them.

The spray paint boy heard a feminine voice pierce through the horns and shouts of his friends and looked back over his shoulder. Leaning out of the car he had climbed upon and spray painted was the driver girl with the angriest scowl on her face and a middle finger brandished towards him. He laughed, letting his older friend tug him along towards the large black truck that was blocking the way.

Taehyung felt alive.

“The cops are on their way!” Another driver with their window down cried out, spurring the boys to begin to run.

Nari watched as the black truck, a new black truck with mud already on its big wheels, revved up and reeled around to being to drive off. Tires squealed as the boys ran alongside it. Some hopped up onto the open bed of the truck as it drove past. Others who were stumbling drunk ran alongside it. Nari noticed how the license plate was covered up. Someone in that group of delinquents had a brain cell it seemed. (Just one though.)

Nari was a smart girl – she studied often; she worked at her part-time job dutifully. But she was frustrated. Angry and stressed and frightened. She wanted to yell into the open air. She wanted them not to get away with it. Because she knew those fools would get away with this. It was late; they had hidden their license plate; they were driving away.

She knew it was stupid what she wanted to do – but this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for her. Nari was going to follow them. She was going to give them a piece of her mind, something!

When traffic began to move (after all, the car that had been the problem was gone), she was zooming in the direction the truck went. All Nari could focus on was finding that stupid fucking truck. Tonight.

Admittedly, she didn’t know how she found the car sitting in the dark near the train tracks. Maybe it was fate or stupid luck. But she couldn’t stop the cheer of triumph leaving her lips. Because it had taken an hour. An hour of driving about, keeping her eyes peeled for a black car in the dark of night. The entire drive only fueled her anger. Every time she saw that stupid ‘X’ covering her driving vision, all she could feel was a rush of rage. Seven idiots. They couldn’t have gone far – they hadn’t. The moment she spotted the muddy side road with the hint of tire tracks, she had to check.

Nari was sure her mother was worried sick. Her shift had ended hours ago; it was past curfew on a school night. She had heard her phone buzzing on and off all night in her backpack in her trunk until it went quiet – probably running out of battery life. At this rate, she knew she was going to be grounded, but if she was going to already by punished, she was going to succeed in her self-given mission: giving these assholes a piece of her mind.

The dark road gave way to a large clearing – with shipping containers scattered about. A warm glow shined against the matte varnish of the containers. There was a half-made camp in front of the dark black truck (that still had its license plate covered). And there were seven boys lounging about the campfire, lulling into sleepiness from fading drunkenness and/or highs.

Taehyung, sporting his ivory-white leather jacket still, had been munching on a bag of chips he’d stolen from Jungkook’s backpack. Namjoon, now wearing his baseball cap low over his pink hair, fiddled with the logs in the fire, nudging them this way and that way with a long stick. Jungkook, bundled up in a soft (and not-at-all-threatening) sweater, was resting his head on Hoseok’s lap, feet propped up on Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi – with his mint hair messy – was fiddling with his lighter, the flame bittersweetly licking his thumb’s skin with every ignition. Hoseok’s once eager face was now exhausted as he stared into the fire sleepily while Jimin with orange hair tossed rocks into the fire, lightly laughing whenever he managed to knock into Namjoon’s stick. Seokjin – the get-away driver – was going through the photos he had taken earlier that day with his new polaroid camera. Some were good; others were shit; it was difficult to take photos when they were all collectively drunk or high or even just buzzed off the energy of each other. He sighed occasionally as he dropped one into the crackling fire – watching as the flame licked away at the image of Yoongi and Hoseok’s blurred figures.

There was a comfortable cozy air around them even with the chill of the spring midnight creeping in. They almost didn’t hear the other car pull up they were so comfortable, but the bright headlights did catch Taehyung’s attention.

“Woah, woah, woah, shit,” the boy mumbled out in shock as he spotted the new figure approaching their hideaway. Even in the back light of the headlights, he recognized her. And the car in the distance – with the large ‘X’ on its windshield – yeah, he recognized that.

“Fuck!” Taehyung cursed out as he scrambled and stumbled over the broken concrete slab they were sitting on.

“Tae, what’s wrong?” Jungkook queried, brows pinching together until he followed the older boy’s gaze.

Anyone could tell she was angry. It was clear in the way her fists were curled up and the way she was stalking up to them. Fuck, without even knowing who she was, they all were quick to be careful. Especially with Taehyung’s coward-ish behavior. The group of boys moved to try to get up – Jungkook’s feet kicked against Yoongi’s hand as he moved; Jimin reached out to shake at the still hazy Hoseok. They had to run, run, run.

“Oh no way, not this time!” Nari growled out.

She was quick, running up to the group before anyone could go anywhere. Even more, she grasped Taehyung by the wrist – no way could she forget his face nor his way too shaggy hair with the green tips.

“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you, huh?” Nari bit out, struggling to keep a grasp on the squirming man.

Another man – with a baseball cap on – tugged him out of her grasp. This guy was tall, lanky even, with pink and bleached hair spilling out from the sides of his hat. Her glare shifted to him. Namjoon didn’t flinch from it, but he did let out a breath. Her eyes were burning with rage. What the hell did Taehyung do? This couldn’t be a scorned girlfriend or one night stand – Taehyung didn’t do that.

“It was just for fun; I’m so sorry,” Taehyung apologized immediately; fear flickering over his face.

“Fun?” she repeated incredulously, taking another step towards him. “You fucking spray painted my car.” Taehyung quickly scampered to hide behind Namjoon, gripping onto his forearm. Her teeth bared in her frustration as he repeated a quiet “I’m sorry” again.

It was almost funny to Namjoon. Taehyung was a delinquent. A “jail bird” even. He ran from cops, flipping them off every other day. Yet here was a teenage girl yelling at him, and he didn’t have the balls to argue back. He was raising his hands in surrender.

Where was his ego now, she wanted to ask? Where was the challenge in his eyes? This guy was so different from the bastard who spray painted her car. Nari continued to glower up at Namjoon and Taehyung.

Never, ever, did Taehyung expect her to find him. Especially with the high and alcohol out of his veins. The liquid courage of drugs and too much strawberry soju was gone and now all that was left was a tired sixteen-year old boy who didn’t want to fight. Taehyung hated fighting with a passion. He’d rather run.

“It’ll wash off,” Namjoon countered, trying to soothe Nari.

His lanky form gave off an aura – as if he was bulkier and stronger than he was; maybe, more mature. Taehyung was partially covered by him, peering over at the crazy girl who followed them. Namjoon’s brows raised up pleadingly; his hands rose up as if calming a frightened animal.

How the hell were these the same boys who made a traffic stop to cause chaos? In fact, they were all looking at her like she was the wild one. Was she in an alternate universe or something?

“You didn’t answer my question,” Nari snapped, looking over at Taehyung again. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What do you want us to say, huh?” the mint-haired guy called from his spot. He looked oddly at peace with the situation, minus the loud yelling. He was sitting, lounging back on his forearms. “We were stupid?” he offered, as if there was nothing else to say.

“And high,” a smaller voice piped up – the orange haired boy, Jimin. He – at least – looked concerned about the situation.

“You were assholes,” she corrected. “It wasn’t just me you screwed over. You’re lucky no one else had the fucking time or balls to follow you. You’re lucky the police couldn’t be damned with tracking you done because you covered your license plate. Next time, take your “fun” and shove it up your asses. Some of us can’t afford to fix the things you fucking damage.” She pointed harshly at Taehyung. “Next time you feel like playing God, go play on the train tracks or some shit.”

They were promptly shut up by her. Namjoon and Taehyung had been in jail before – for fights and vandalism charges. Jungkook often was in fights – even if the others didn’t know. They weren’t exactly a weak group. They weren’t even particularly good kids; they caused more chaos than good-will. It was fun for them.

But never did they have someone follow after them and tell them off. Never did someone ever stand up against them so valiantly. Their mouths were open in shock. There was a bit of credit that had to be given to the mystery girl – even if she was acting crazy.

Nari let out a breath. It felt great to yell; she had wanted to yell at the top of her lungs the entire day if she was being completely honest. Her chest heaved a bit as she glared at the group of shell-shocked boys.

With adrenaline and elation still pumping through her veins, she took a step forward. Taehyung gripped Namjoon’s arm a bit. Frightened… as if she was going to harm him. Namjoon’s gaze hardened despite the internal panic racing through him. Shit, was he going to have to fight a girl? He never wanted nor had fought a girl before! He didn’t want to.

Yet all Nari did was reach down for a blanket resting on the ground, dirt tumbling from the fabric as she shook it out. The group’s glare became curious. Silence overtook them; the only noise in the air was the crackling of the fire and the hum of her engine idling.

“What are you doing?” One of the boys piped up, his voice indignant but fairly weak. She didn’t even glance at him.

Stepping up onto her car tire, she wiped at the red paint, smearing it about. Trying to haphazardly fix it. The paint had mostly dried by now, but it still smeared and smudged onto the green blanket.  She worked at the paint more around the vision of the driver, but it was still futile. Her windshield looked like a murder scene, but she hoped it’d get her home safer than the ‘X’ would’ve. A few moments passed between them as she finished her work.

Hopping down from the tire, Nari tilted her head, a mimicry of how Taehyung looked at her earlier tonight as he spray-painted her car. She stalked back over to them, looking far less angry after her “revenge” and yelling fit. Lazily, she dropped the paint-covered blanket in front of them.

“There,” Nari muttered out.

There was one of the men who looked offended. His brows crinkled up in the middle of his forehead, his nose crinkling with them. She looked each one of them in the eye. While most were simply staring – still with a partially surprised look, some didn’t. The man in the soft blue sweater looked terrified with the biggest doe eyes she’s ever seen. The orange haired boy looked equally intimidated with his soft- looking eyes and plump lips pouting a bit. Another was glancing away, biting his lip. The one with mint hair stared at her with unaffected eyes. Pink hair and Spray Paint boy were still close together, staring at her in surprise.

She huffed, her hands unraveling from her fists.

“If I ever see you do this shit again, I will call the police or kick your asses or something,” she muttered out, pointing fiercely. Her threat admittedly was half-hearted. Nari wasn’t a fighter – an arguer, an angry person perhaps. But she wouldn’t harm anyone. Her hands were red with spray paint smudges; the red paint smeared onto her hoodie haphazardly.

There was an odd rush of power – probably similar to how Taehyung felt earlier in the night – doing this. Standing up for herself. But as soon as she turned away, as soon as the adrenaline began to wear off with each calming breath and step she took, things changed in her head.

Her heart raced. She just told seven guys she’d beat them up. What if they call the police on her? Her skin was burning hot in the cold night hair as she trekked back to her car. Her keys were still in the ignition, the engine rumbling low. All she did was hop in, a shaky breath leaving her as she looked on through her red tinted windshield. With headlights in their eyes, she saw the seven boys glancing between each other. Their mouths moved faintly, but with her door shut with a firm slam she couldn’t make out the words.

All she knew was that she had done what she had done. And it was time to get the hell out of here. Oddly enough, she was similar to them – running away after bold actions. Maybe that’s why there was an odd reverence in the boys’ eyes as she shifted her car into reverse and pulled out onto the dirt road to get onto the main highway.

“What the fuck was that?” Nari breathed out, elation and anxiety clashing together in a whirlwind.

Little did she know, Taehyung – staring after her car – murmured the same exact thing with a far different tone.

[luxekook]

chapter one.

⇥ pairing: jungkook x reader; eventual bts/ot7 x reader

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, kissing, hickies, drinking, tatted jungkook, nipple piercings

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter One

Fall of Junior Year – 8:57am

I curse every single decision that has brought me to this very moment as I power-walk across campus, sweating under the already blistering sun. Campus in August could easily be compared to a swamp given the amount of unearthly humidity, and I'm pretty sure I currently qualified as the local swamp thing.

The only positive feature in my morning has been the table of free coffee and doughnuts staffed by Student Government. The first day of the fall semester always seems to be accompanied by frantically wide-eyed freshmen and celebratory freebies. However, air conditioning is the only thing I would be celebrating today as I finally reach Tyson Hall – the destination of my 9:00am class.

As I rush to my classroom with one minute to spare, I slump into a seat in the far corner – my preferred location for people-watching out of the large windows and for getting away with doing homework for other classes.

Familiar faces surround me, an unsurprising observation given that this is our mandatory research seminar as psychology majors. I notice my friend Jenni sitting in the opposite corner, eyes glued to her phone screen.

Opening my laptop, I shoot her a text to come sit with me. Her head whips up, black braids moving every which way as she immediately piles up her things and hustles over, “(y/n), I forgot you were in this seminar! I just switched over from quantitative research because I couldn’t take any more statistics – or Dr. Harding.”

Dr. Harding is the dean of the psychology department and has been teaching here for ages. Feared by most psychology students for his tough grading and intimidating persona, he’s actually a huge softie – something I discovered by going to his office hours and seeing all 85 pictures of his grandchildren hanging throughout the room.

“He’s not that bad, Jen.”

She scoffs, “You would say that because you got an A in statistics like some sort of wizard. Besides, Dr. Newman is so much nicer.”

Jenni has an excellent point. Dr. Newman is the main reason I chose this seminar. As one of the most respected researchers at our university, she’s known for her qualitative studies on gender across cultures. I consider Dr. Newman to be a real badass woman and I lowkey stan her.

I turn to reply, but Dr. Newman begins taking attendance and class begins.

Fifty minutes later, Jenni practically drags me out of the classroom, “I cannot believe she kept us the whole 50 minutes. Is she aware that it’s syllabus week? It’s practically law to just read over the syllabus and then dismiss class. This is outrageous– (y/n), are you even listening?”

“Hmm?” I totally had tuned her out, focusing on the number of students flooding the quad. I had missed this – the rush of students heading to class, the yells of people greeting each other from entirely too far away, the buzz of excitement over potential parties…

“Unbelievable. How did I forget you have this whole weird-ass feminist crush on her?” Jenni forges forth, “It doesn’t matter. What are you doing tonight? You’re going out with us, right? Luna and I want to go to Hannigan’s.”

Since the three of us had all turned 21 over the summer, we finally could legally go to the bars in town. Hannigan’s currently holds the top spot on the list of bars that most of the upperclassman frequent. It’s a popular Irish pub downtown known for its cheap beer and mixed drinks.

It’s also BTS’s unofficial hangout – a fact that makes me slightly uneasy. After learning who the higher-ups are in BTS, I have taken to avoiding them like the plague. It was a relatively easy thing to do since the spring semester tended to be less focused on rushing and recruiting for fraternities and sororities.

But now it’s rush season, and I’m pretty much fucked. There will be no avoiding seeing BTS’s president Kim Namjoon out recruiting with his vice president Min Yoongi and his social chair Jung Hoseok. There will also be no avoiding pledge master Taehyung leading around new BTS pledges like a mother duckling. And don’t even get me started on how Kim Seokjin, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook will be popping up everywhere to advertise the latest BTS bash.

Sighing, I figure that the chances of actually bumping into them at the bar will be slim, given that it will most likely be super crowded and I can easily blend in.

I turn to Jenni as we keep walking towards our next classes, “Yeah, I’ll go to Hannigan’s. Are you going to come over to get ready at our place?”

Luna and I had moved into a cute little off-campus apartment over the summer. As it turned out, it’s cheaper to live off-campus than on-campus if you look hard enough. We also had it pretty good location-wise being just a few short blocks from both campus and downtown.

“Yes!” Jenni replies, slowing to a stop out front of the science building, “I’ll be over around 8 with tequila. I’ll text you later. I’ve got to go to neuro-psych lab now,” she rolls her eyes, “Hopefully we won’t be kept the whole time.”

Waving, we part ways, and I shake my head.

Tequila never leads to anything good.

Hannigan’s – 10:54pm

Fate seems to be on my side for once in my life. As soon as Luna, Jenni and I walk into Hannigan’s, my eyes are drawn to the back table where the BTS usually sits. It’s empty.

It’s practically an unspoken rule that no one else can sit there, and even though the bar is packed with all other tables accounted for, that one remains vacant – and for good reason.

Greek life essentially has a cult following around here. The Greeks provide status for those who are into that whole exclusivity thing. They also provide the best parties because of the size of their houses and because the university will never complain about one of their best sources of revenue.

I didn’t to rush a sorority way back in freshman year because I couldn’t feasibly afford it. The dues were way out of my price range, considering I was already paying for my education on my own. Luna, on the other hand, is in Epsilon Xi Delta (EXID) and consistently makes me and Jenni tag along to different Greek parties with her.

"Come on, bitches! Let's get some drinks," Jenni drags me and Luna through the packed room towards the bar that is already encircled by a crowd of thirsty students.

Tonight’s plan is simple – stick together, have fun, scope out cute seniors. Having already taken some shots before we left (saving that coin), we’re definitely feeling ourselves, flaunting our outfits like we didn’t spend a good hour picking them out earlier.

I had settled on a black t-shirt dress with a checkered flannel tied around the waist and some black Doc Martens. Luna and Jenni had tried to convince me to wear heels with them, but I knew syllabus week was a marathon – not a sprint. My feet would thank me later, and theirs would be crying.

As the bartender slides us our beers, the opening beats of Cocky AF by our badass queen Megan Thee Stallion blast through the speakers dispersed throughout the bar. Turning immediately to each other, we clink our beers together, take a sip, and head to the makeshift dance floor.

We squeeze and push our way through the masses until we reach a spot towards the back where the crowd has thinned out a little more. Within seconds, we’re in motion, hips swaying in time to Megan saying ‘bitch, I look good and you know that’.

Shaking out my hair, I get in the zone and lose count of how many songs we dance to. Eventually, our beers empty and Luna turns to me, “Another?" She accompanies her shouted question with an unnecessary charade of shot-gunning a beer in case I couldn’t hear her. I roll my eyes, laughing while I nod in response.

“Save our spot!” Jenni yells and disappears into the crowd of dancers with Luna towards the bar.

I continue dancing on my own. Swaying my hips, I decide to put my hair up to try to cool off a little in the sweltering bar. The music shifts into a new song, this one slower, more seductive, a favorite of mine – Lost in the Fire featuring The Weeknd.

As Abel’s angelic voice flows over me, a pair of hands slide over my hips from behind me. I start to pull away, but then I notice – the hands are tattooed. And for some reason, that hot little fact makes me relax into the large body behind me.

Those tattooed hands tug me back even more, bringing me flush against him as he falls into time with my movements. God, this guy can dance – a rarity these days.

His body is all hard muscle and heated skin. His mouth is hot against my neck, alternating between kissing, sucking, and biting. My skin buzzes. Fuck, I haven’t felt this way since–

Turning my head slightly, I can make out the vague outline him and it confirms my sinking suspicion... He’s a BTS boy.

"Hey, noona," he murmurs in my ear, his lips brushing over it as he speaks.

Fuck my life, I think as I shiver involuntarily in response. Spinning to face one of Satan’s henchmen, I toss my ponytail over my shoulder and jut a hip out in both defiance and defense. But really nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Jeon fucking Jungkook, the golden boy of BTS.

He somehow looks like he’s gotten even bigger since the last I saw him playing pong against Taehyung at that party – information that I cannot even comprehend. His left arm is completely tattooed, along with a few smaller ones dotting his hands. I glare at them, blaming those hands for throwing me off.

“Like them?” Jungkook waves his fingers in front of my narrowed eyes, “I got them this summer.” Smirking lazily, Jungkook makes his own perusal of me – taking extra time along the way.

His jaw flexes as his eyes turn molten, “You’re killing me, noona. Tae didn’t mention…” He trails off, swallowing hard.

I follow his gaze. Oh fuck. I had forgotten I decided to forego a regular bra tonight because I wanted to show off my piercings. Just having a thin bralette under my dress, my pierced nipples are definitely noticeable under Jungkook’s heavy stare.

Refusing to give into him, I square my shoulders, “Yeah, I got them this summer, too. But, I don’t see how that’s either your or Taehyung’s business.”

At my words, Jungkook rips his eyes away from my tits to finally meet my own eyes again, “Oh, but it really is our business. Tae said we’d like you and I agree.”

His voice is low and rough, and I swear I can feel it washing over my body, making all of my synapses fire in response.

“We?” I choked out. In full panic mode, I spin and try to leave, but I barely make it a foot away before getting stopped by a now-familiar tattooed hand wrapped around my wrist.

Luckily, a crashing sound echoes from the back table where the other BTS boys must be, and Jungkook lets out a string of curses, “Fucking hell, listen I have to go make sure no one’s hurt, or Joon will kill me. Stay here, okay? I’m not done with you, (y/n).”

His hand rushes up to the nape of my neck, pulling me into him. Our lips fuse together in a brutally hot kiss, his tongue slipping against my bottom lip for a fraction of a second.

And then he’s gone – disappearing rapidly through the fray to manage whatever trouble his frat has gotten into.

I stand there, shaking fingers on my lips wondering what the actual fuck just happened.

“Hey, sorry we took so long! This bitch cut in front of us and I swear she ordered for the entire fucking population of North America—”

Luna smacks Jenni’s arm, cutting her off, “You okay, (y/n)?” Luna peers closer at me, “Holy shit, is that a hickey?  We were only gone for 10 minutes!”

My hand flies to my neck as both Jenni and Luna grab me, dragging me to the slightly quieter back alley of the bar. As they conduct the second Spanish Inquisition, I spill the details on what happened.

After a moment of silence following my explanation, they both start talking at once:

→ Jenni: “Hell yes, girl, go off! Jeon Jungkook is fine as fuck…” → Luna: “(y/f/n) (y/m/n) (y/l/n), have you lost your damn mind…”

→ Jenni: “…I’d hit that in a heartbeat. I’m so proud!” → Luna: “…Do you not remember last semester? Are you high? Oh my GOD, did he drug you?!”

“Stop!” I slap a hand over each of their mouths, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you guys are impossible. I am not ‘hitting’ anything, and, no, he did not fucking drug me.”

Sighing, I continue, “It was a lapse in judgement, okay? I remember last semester more than anyone, but he’s just so powerful and I don’t seem to have any common sense around BTS.”

I take my hands away from their mouths and immediately Jenni asks, “Wait, what happened last semester?”

Luna slings an arm around my shoulder, “Come on, let’s go get pizza and a six-pack from Ralph’s. We can go out another night this week.”

“Take-out from Ralph’s?” Jenni’s eyes widen comically, “This must be major tea. Let’s go.”

Instinctively, we clink our beers together for the second time that night and chug the remainder of our bottles in true broke bitch fashion (never leave paid-for beer behind).

With that, we trek back through the door and out of the bar. We finish our night filling in Jenni with our less than savory experience with the infamous BTS fraternity last semester.

But, as I lay in bed for the night, I can’t help but wonder if Jungkook had looked for me that night after I left… Or if he told Taehyung...

taglist (message me to be added):

@catsandstrawberries​ @h5naaa​

[zosonils-art]

i would very much like to hear about cool woman <:D

and hear about her you shall! the coolest of infodumps under the cut

cool woman was built to help with ice drilling, either gathering samples or setting up for research projects. she's designed to resist severe weather that would usually make drilling efforts harder or more dangerous, like blizzards and hailstorms, so that she can work unimpeded in conditions that would usually slow down expeditions considerably. while she's less involved in the research itself, she often takes measurements and does initial analysis in the field, and she's super interested in anything her human teammates discover! this bot could tell you so much about paleoclimatology

she's incredibly confident, although she tries not to come off as arrogant or narcissistic. she's determined to be the best version of herself she can be, and that means learning from her mistakes. cool lives by the belief that everyone has the potential to do great things and be happy with who they are, and takes it upon herself to help everyone she meets get there. she loves meeting new people and learning about what they do and what their interests are, and her kindhearted nature lends itself well to making friends, although her energetic personality can be a little intimidating without knowing that she has only the best intentions. her forgiving nature means she tends to give more second chances than people deserve, although she has the self-respect to recognise when she's being taken advantage of. she's deeply compassionate, and in particular can't stand to hear anyone put themselves down, almost invariably stepping in to remind them to be kind to themselves. i want to be her friend so bad

when she isn't hard at work drilling ice or congratulating her coworkers on a job well done, she likes to spend her spare time outside! she enjoys going on walks, especially in new places where she hasn't met the locals or had a chance to go sightseeing yet, or just relaxing somewhere nice while her solar energy recharges. she's also a casual but enthusiastic fan of sports, mostly of the winter variety, although she also likes to watch skateboarding. [tragically, being a 150+ kilogram robot made of solid ceratanium makes it dangerous or impossible for her to participate in some sports, but she's just as happy to cheer human players on!] her absolute favourite sport is ice hockey - she often plays in non-contact, non-competitive games, finding it a good midpoint between fun and challenging, and has made several friends ouside of work through it

cool often works in harsh conditions, and is designed to deal with them as well as a robot possibly can. her heavy build prevents her from getting thrown off by strong winds, and she's completely waterproof so that melted snow and ice can't get in and damage her internal components. the simple anime shades visor design of her eyes is more resistant to damage from things like hail than more 'realistic' optics, and she never fully opens her mouth unless it's to drink an e-tank [again, to stop snow from getting in and damaging her body], leading to her persistent grin. she has drills instead of hands for maximum precision, although unlike most robot masters with similar designs, her drills can split into three individual segments that function as somewhat crude fingers. while her fine motor control is a bit janky due to the minimal sensation and finesse of these psuedo-hands, they give her the ability to set up delicate equipment without damaging it, and function well enough for other hand-related tasks that she's rarely bothered by them

she's weak to molten shard because of its sheer heat - she's so hyper-specialised to deal with the cold that she has almost no protection against the opposite end of the temperature range. she's also built with blunt-force trauma from hail and the like in mind, whereas molten shard is a piercing attack, which she's way less equipped to deal with. while she's sturdy enough to withstand a little of the damage from its explosion effect, a direct hit can quickly tear through her armour and cause her systems to overheat. aside from molten shard, though, she can shrug off most physical damage like it's nothing, having trouble mostly with energy-based weapons that again she just isn't built to deal with

her stage starts in the research station she worked in before being reprogrammed, then eventually makes its way outside, throwing in some ice physics and maybe a gratuitous snowboarding segment or two. instead of trying to compromise an important industry or hold a particularly important building hostage, she specifically sets up the area to test mega man's abilities and personally challenges him to come face her. she's no pushover in battle, being quite agile for her size and resisting the extra damage from a charged shot, but ultimately her lighthearted view on things doesn't change and she's still more emotionally invested in having a fun time than actually hurting mega man. the reprogramming artificially boosts her self-confidence up to a more arrogant level, but she's mostly as kind and friendly as always, aside from the whole taking over the world thing

cool was pretty fun to design because i started with just her name and worked everything else out from there. basically everything about her is derived from the initial idea of a robot who's cool in both the ice-themed sense and the totally radical sense. since she started as kind of a joke character, at first she was going to be little more than an exaggerated parody of the 90s, complete with the obnoxious ego and bad puns and telling you to stay in school and not do drugs. over time she lost most of the unsympathetic attitude and outdated slang and evolved into a much more genuine, good-natured take on the Cool Guy trope. looking back at the original idea, i could not be more glad that i decided to change her completely

also very much worth noting, she's a trans woman! this was just a development gag at first [the very early notes for the infinitely worse 90s platformer mascot type character refer to 'cool man,' but i changed my mind pretty quickly], but after i reworked her to not be terrible it ended up being a significant part of why she has the outlook on life she does in-universe. her transition worked out really well thanks to both the support and positive affirmation from her friends at work and her own determination to find an identity that made her happy, and the experience firmly cemented her belief that anyone can achieve self confidence with hard work and some friends to support them. she's been met with enough kindness to believe that everyone deserves as good an ending as she had, so she makes a point of being the supportive friend in that equation wherever possible. obviously there's more to her character than just being trans, but it's still an important part of her identity

this post is getting lengthy and it's taken me far too long to make it, so i'll wrap up the cool infodump here! thank you for asking about her! as always, here are unfiltered and transparent versions of her artwork for your viewing pleasure

[traeumenvonbuechern]

June Wrap-Up

1. Can't Take That Away (Steven Salvatore)

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice. Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

2. Sanditon (Jane Austen)

Written in the last months of Austen's life, Sanditon features a glorious cast of hypochondriacs and speculators in a newly established seaside resort, and shows the author contemplating a changing society with scepticism and amusement. It tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, who is transported by a chance accident from her rural hometown to Sanditon, where she is exposed to the intrigues and dalliances of a small town determined to reinvent itself - and encounters the intriguingly handsome Sidney Parker.

3. The Witch King (H.E. Edgmon)

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

4. One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

5. Between Perfect and Real (Ray Stoeve)

Dean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now––not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?

6. The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

7. Boy Queen (George Lester)

Robin Cooper’s life is falling apart. While his friends prepare to head off to university, Robin is looking at a pile of rejection letters from drama schools up and down the country, and facing a future without the people he loves the most. Everything seems like it’s ending, and Robin is scrabbling to find his feet. Unsure about what to do next and whether he has the talent to follow his dreams, he and his best friends go and drown their sorrows at a local drag show, where Robin realises there might be a different, more sequinned path for him . . . With a mother who won't stop talking, a boyfriend who won't acknowledge him and a best friend who is dying to cover him in glitter make up, there's only one thing for Robin to do: bring it to the runway.

8. Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle.... But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

9. Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

10. Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé)

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

11. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (Cat Sebastian)

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires. In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying. Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit. But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?

12. Weekend Girl (Alex Powell)

Ashley Kingston is a genderfluid university student with a major crush on attractive and charming Nolan. He seems just too perfect to be true. What happens when Ash meets Nolan while dressed as both a man, and a woman? And even more confusing, what happens when Nolan seems enamoured of both versions of Ash? A twisty-turny romance filled with fun and shenanigans.

[natromanxoff]

I wasn’t sure about posting this at first but as it is already shared publicly and I have come across with it on Pinterest, I decided that it would be okay. So here is a story of a fan about Jim Hutton:

“ON 23rd of March, there was a Queen Tribute band concert in Goresbridge and my boyfriend told me that Jim would come as well. He admitted that he had arranged with Stephen for Jim to come along. The concert was in the pub called The Spirit Store. What a great name for spiritual meeting, I thought. When I entered, Jim sat at the table with Stephen, Jascqueline, her sister Valeria and other family friends. There was nowhere to sit, so we just stood by the table for a while. When I looked at Jim, he appeared somewhat fragile and tiny, like a man who could easily be overlooked. He didn´t look anything like those photos portraying him in the books.

After a while, there was a free seat by the table and everyone, including Jim, moved in order for us to sit down. It was just one place and my friend Mike wanted to take it. He got up fast but they all stopped him. Jim measured Mike up and down and told him, "Perhaps you should let the lady sit here, you cavalier!" Embarassed, Mike got up from his chair and offered it to me. I got the honorable place alongside Jim. Being a woman sometimes has its advantages! Jim welcomed me with heartfelt "Hi". At first I was nervous, but after a while I felt relaxed and enjoyed Jim's company. I was aware of his behavior, gestures, laughter, and tried to absorb his energy all at once. It was easy to talk to him about anything and everything.

I wanted to know the man Freddie loved so much, so I guess I started giving him many questions.

"Jim, are you still in touch with Phoebe?" Jim looked at me closely and began to talk to me with interest. "I haven´t really been talking to him for a long time. I know he had a hotel in Dubai, then he sold it, and he's in Prague now. He also bought something overthere and I think he's going to settle down there." When I heard about Prague, I jumped up excitedly and told him that I was from there. He smiled a little, though the coincidence like this didn´t overwhelm him as much as me.

He relished glass of Budwaiser and smoked Ultra light Silk Cuts. He offered me one and lit it up for me like a real gentleman. It seemed he wanted to continue talking. We both made fun of the ultralight effect of his cigarettes, which would probably piss off every orthodox smoker, Freddie for sure! He then demonstrated jokingly, how to properly smoke them. He inhaled all the smoke by sucking in his cheeks and widening his eyes, as if he should soon burst like an inflated toad. None of us resisted and we both burst into a mad laughter. I told him about my visit to Munich and meeting Barbara. He smiled and listened, then he rolled his eyes up to heaven and stated that she is one hell of a crazy woman. I totally agreed, and added, that also alcoholic one. It was surreal to talk about mutual aquaintances together, people we both knew. I also mentioned my visit to New York club and I could see how he returns nostalgically into his memories. Then I also tried to make him remember my friend Allison, who told me about him in the first place.

"About nine years ago she visited you in London". He couldn´t remember and admitted, that since then a lot of people have passed through his life and many of them he never saw again.

I continued. "She showed me several of your photos and in one of them you were holding Freddie's portrait that you bought at the auction". Suddenly he jumped up and said he knew whom I mean.

I showed him my miniature box containing a stone and talked about it with almost patriotic pride. "It's a stone from Logan Mews that I had to dig out from under the threshold of his house, because there was nothing else to take." Jim laughed out loud, this time without any hindrance and doubt that I was totally crazy. I also laughed because I knew I sound like nuts. He remarked with smile from ear to ear that I was pretty crazy. "Yeah, I'm crazy, and I'm proud to be. Who isn´t...and by the way.....why not?" I smiled at what I just said, because that´s what Freddie would say, to defend himself. Jim then talked about the medallion that Freddie had given him for his birthday. He said, there were three miniature pictures inside. "The first is that of Miko ", he said gently, looking up at me to make sure I knew who he was talking about. "In the other one is Freddie" ... he continued with kind of fervor and love. Something deep inside me shivered. "In the third one," ... he didn´t answer yet, when I jumped into his monologue ...."Tiffany," I blurted out.

"My mom's photo," he finished his sentence. (and I prayed he didn´t register my answer).

It was nice to hear him remembering like that. He opened up in front of me the way I never dreamt of. I think it was nice for him to share these beautiful moments and to talk about things that meant so much to him. "This rock is my good luck charm. I have been listening to Queen since I´m twelve and I also work in the Fan Club's office. We celebrate his anniversary every year. When I went here, I was kidding with my friends that I might meet Jim Hutton in Ireland... and here you are, sitting right next to me. That´s my dream come true", I said all emotional.

"How do you know Stephen?", he inquired after while.

"I go out with Vinnie and they are good friends" He eyed my boyfriend and indicated that he knew who he was.

"I was annoying the two of them and was constantly asking them to bring you", I smiled.

"Oh, Jacqueline wanted me to come, alright" Jim smiled at the thought. Then he talked about the music talent competition, in which they were selecting the best imitators of Queen.

"What music are you actually listening to?" I wondered.

"I have no favorite, I'm listening to almost everything. Even a radio".

"And do you still have Zig and Zag?"

He only sighed and said in a sad voice that they had both died since then.

"And do you have any other cats?"

"Yeah, I have seven others now," Jim smiled. This number didn´t surprise me. The old habits are hard to kill.

"Do you still keep up the gardening, Jim?"

"Constantly," he said with a loving smile and amusedly showed me his hands dirty from the clay and covered in sores. For God's sake, he must have been gardening a few minutes before going to a concert!, I thought to myself. A complete garden maniac.....

We were joking on the account of the band that was supposed to start playing long time ago, but somehow did not. He told me it would be nice to get drunk, so we didn´t know how terrible they were. That really made me crack up. He could be so funny.

He joked and emphasized to everyone around the table, that instead of a concert he could have been at home watching his favorite movie. In the same breath, he admitted that he was curious about their performance and that he hadn´t been out in ages.

He leaned over to me and confessed, that now he lived a life completely cut off from the rest of the world.

"We are basically the same, I am basically like him. Now I just enjoy loneliness and privacy. I don´t go out anywhere except my garden". I immediately knew whom he was referring to in his speech.

I said that I had discovered his house in Palatine and apologized when I saw his slightly concerned look. I said I was just little curious.

He then recalled a few of his encounters with the fans. One day there was an unknown car with a couple of strangers that arrived to his house. They came all way from Vienna and they found him by questioning people in a town! Not a hard thing to trace him, he said, as every cab driver in the area knows him pretty well. One local newspaper even published a photo of his house, and although they gave a wrong address, a lot of people had found him.

That made me laugh, because I knew what it means to be a devoted fan.

"On the other hand, it's nice to know that someone is constantly looking after you and giving you the feeling that all this is still alive," I added with a smile.

"Jim, do you still have your Volvo?"

"You mean the one that Freddie gave me?.....No, I don´t have it few years now, I´ve swapped it for a new one," he smiled.

He was all too gallant all the time, always lighting my cigarette.

He also wondered how long I would stay in Ireland, so I said that only another half a year.

"And you wanna come back here?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'd love to. I'm trying to find a job either in Carlow or Kilkenny," I said enthusiastically.

Then I fell silent, looked at him and assured him "Definitely."

Each time he looked up into my eyes, I saw an incredibly nice person in front of me. Something in his silent expression suggested that he had suffered great deal of pain in life, but that he was now completely reconciled with his fate. Still, in his eyes shone a spark of unrelenting humor. In his company I forgot all about the world. I was happy to be able to make such an affluent and warm contact with him. The longer we knew each other, the closer we were.

When he wanted to go to the toilet, Stephen told him that the men's toilets were behind the bar and the ladies in front of the bar. It sounded like he wasn´t quite sure which one would Jim prefer.

But Jim didn´t care much and set off to the men's. I admit it made me laugh a little.

Then we continued our dialogue. I mentioned that I read both his and Phoebe's book, but that I couldn´t find his book anywhere in the stores. He confirmed that it´s out of print at the minute.

When I told him that I had stolen his book at the local library, he laughed and said that I should have asked him and he would have given me a copy, but he only had Italian version.

Finally, the band started to play. Everyone in the pub stood up and whole lot of us - as we were tucked in at the back, climbed onto the window ledges. I stood next to Jim, who remained seated.

He looked a little bit run over. I knew he was surrounded by the loneliness and I watched him with sadness. I lacked much power or words to comfort him. It was only after some wonderful songs that we both joined and got up. He could not remain sad in such a loving and friendly company for ever.

When he noticed the enormous, life-vibrant energy that only Queen music could produce in conjunction with a crowd of people singing, I think he forgot his personal pain. I could see pride in his face. He stood up and watched the band. Then he addressed me and made me come up onto the ledge above him to see better. I would not listen to anybody else, but from him it didn´t sound like an order. He wanted me to get the most out of it and it pleased me. Then we sat back and drank. Jim seemed to be getting cheerful and livelier. The more he drank, the more cheerful he was. The guys ordered him Red Bull with vodka. When I asked him if it was vodka, he claimed it was white lemonade! He put a warm glass of "vodka" on my hand, so I almost jumped out of my skin, which he thought was terribly funny.

Whatever he did, he looked at me as though I was the only person who knew what was behind his looks. His faces and funny grimaces reminded me of Freddie. He had a lot of subconsciously inherited poses and gestures from him. Even in his laughter I could detect an influence of Freddie's strong personality. He simply marked all people around him. It was not the same contagious and stormy laugh, but there was a spark of resemblance.

His niece Jacqueline, Valerie and Stephen, danced all the time on the ledge and Jim was pulling them and wrapping himself in between their legs, hugging them, clinging to them, and messing around like a little boy. It was a wonderful sight, as he was so happy and childish.

After some time, Jim lost himself in a crowd of concert goers, so I went to look for him. Without his company it felt such a sad place. It was as if he had fallen through the ground, which made me very nervous. Finally, I found him by the entrance table, where he was joking away with one old blonde, not too different from frivolous Barbara Valentin. I asked him for a photo together. At first he looked impenetrable but as soon as I threw a sad eye and smirked, he brightened up and agreed as if saying "You know you can, anything for you, darling"

His niece Valerie took our picture. He then whispered to me that he hopes I´ll send him some pictures later.

After that he announced that we are going back inside to listen to the band.

I saw them from close-up and I must say that it was much better to just hear them. They looked rather too comic with all their wigs. It was something that would make Freddie laugh too.

I told Jim that they don´t look very natural,which he agreed with, but he said he couldn´t complain about their music. He was totally right, because musically they weren´t bad and the singer had a very authentic voice.

Inside, everybody was dancing and Jim joined in and circled around them like a rogalo.

The whole pub vibrated with intense and loving energy. There was no one who would be bored. Jim then threw himself in the arms of his two nieces, who gently caressed him in his hair and embraced him. He let them take care of him, now vulnerable like a little lost child all of a sudden.

There was something deeply touching about it. He had closed his eyes and sadly lowered his head, as if his tears flowed deep inside, in his invisible world. I realized at this stage, how much he really loved Freddie. I was looking at him and I had a desire to caress him and comfort him but instead, I had to stand aside.

"You can have everything and yet feel alone", Freddie once said. But I was glad Jim had his family and friends around him, who cared and protected him. Jim was going through sorrow and joy,both at the same time, it seemed.

During one of his many shananigans, I caught him messing around with his niece's boyfriend.

He sat him on his knees and imitated sexual intercourse. It would seem offensive and utterly crazy to someone who didn´t know him. But we all did. Jim was laughing like crazy and when he finally looked at me, he seemed a little embarrassed by his behavior and gave me a look that said"I hope you won´t tell on me to Freddie"...but it was hard to take him seriously.

We both smiled conspiratorially at each other. In that sense, our relationship no matter how short-lived, was special. We understood one another in thoughts. He winked at me a couple of times, tapping my beer like an old buddy.

In one moment in particular, Jim leaned over me and whispered: "You as a fan have right to be crazy, but them" ... pointing at our dancing group of friends ... " they are fucked up", he said with smile and he began to knock his finger against his forehead. An international gesture that doesn´t need an interpreter!

Jim then went to the toilets for a while, and I, like a stray sheep, followed him through crowds of oblivious dancers. He was somewhat drunk at that time and barely retained a balance. He staggered a little like a broken tree. No surprise after god knows how many Red bulls and vodkas! I was bit afraid for him, so I supported him inconspicuously by both shoulders from behind. He went to the toilet and cared too little to even close the door behind him. If anyone was looking, he would see Jim Hutton pissing in a toilet bowl in his bright canary shirt.

At that moment they played the most touching song of all, These are the Days of our lives .... I stood by the door and listened, watching the band and waited for Jim. I don´t know why, perhaps because of the fate that brought me here, I suddenly felt terrible sorrow. I was sorry for Freddie and Jim. Tears poured into my eyes. I didn´t cry, but was very close to it. Jim suddenly appeared next to me and noticed my face. "What about those tears? I hope you don´t cry", but at this stage I was lost for words. His concern made me sad even more. Something inside me forced me to caress him. I hugged him gently around his neck and put my head on his shoulder for a moment. I wanted to let him know that I am very sorry about what happened to Freddie. He did not resist. He knew he wasn´t the only one in the world who was missing him. I looked into his eyes, and I told him a sentence that I didn´t know why I said, but I strongly felt it..."Jim, he's here, he IS here." His expression was rather confused at first. "Do you believe me?" ... I said this with a seriousness and a certain degree of self-assurance that he froze for a while. He looked thoughtful. He knew what I was talking about.

I seemed to only confirm his inner conviction. He didn´t say a word. He wiped my tear away with the edge of his hand and without warning, took me firmly by the hand and led me through crowds back to our friends. There was a lot of care and love in his touch. The music was just playing and Freddie just sang "I still love you" and I knew he did.

I didn´t want to leave, but I knew I said everything I needed to. I could not leave without saying goodbye. It would be a sin after all this to just disappear into eternity. I interrupted him from the conversation with someone else, leaned over the table and said, "Jim, I'm leaving now, so I want to say goodbye, it was great pleasure meeting you." I smiled as much as my heart allowed me to and shook his hand. He stared up and thought for a moment, and then, without any hesitance said, "We do not see each other for the last time." I didn´t know at this time how true his words were.

I thought I did not understand well, so I asked again, "sorry?" and he repeated patiently and more resolutely, "I shall surely see you again," while taking my hand into his hands and kissing it gently.

He left me in amazement. I stumbled out from there perplexed but still I could hear him talking about me to someone there. He probably said he hadn´t seen a bigger nutcase in a long time, assuming from his cute teddybear smile. Gosh I loved him so much!

The next day I learned from my friends that Jim was looking next morning for his jacket that he had forgotten in his car. Few days later, I've sent him the promised photographs. Jacquie confirmed that he called in to say he had received them allright.”

2001

“...And then I returned back to Ireland in 2004.

I had the opportunity to welcome Jim to my own home in Carlow sometime in 2006. He was Stephen´s surprise. When the door opened up, I didn´t see him at first.

Then his head popped out from the side of the door and with a laugh he emerged a bit later. He hugged me like we hadn´t seen each other for million years. What I felt at that moment was indescripable. My dear Jim back in my life and in my own house!

We all sat in the living room, Jim settled down on the sofa, I was sitting on the ground and absorbed the precious moments because I knew time spent with him was only borrowed time. Then we watched Queen videos and talked about Freddie as if he were in the next room. It was so surreal. Me and Jim agreed that our favorite video was Scandal, and he just added that Freddie didn´t like it very much because he couldn´t make any creative input in it, although he loved the song.

Then we talked about his illness, about him taking up to 40 pills a day to sustain his health and he also explained the difference between AIDS and HIV, as many people still didn´t know. We have talked so much and - above all - we laughed all night, almost at everything. It was so easy to succumb to his funny personality once again and to his heartfelt laughter. He made jokes about fancying my ex-boyfriend, whom he lied on top of on the sofa. Long time ago, I´ve sent him a letter explaining to him how Freddie has impacted my life. But I've forgotten I´ve ever written it and now I was faced with the horror that I actually have sent it. I hoped he has forgotten about it, but when Jim and I met in the corridor of our house, I couldn´t but apologize to him for that letter, and for being so daring. To my surprise, he looked at me softly with his tired eyes and assured me that my letter was absolutely fascinating. Then we were interrupted by Stephen, who was just leaving a toilet and the conversation was cut short at that point. Unfortunatelly I would never have the chance to find out what was the next thing he was about to say, because I noticed he wanted to continue, if he weren´t interrupted.

When we were saying goodbye at the door, he treated me as an old friend. He simply kissed me on the lips, which utterly shocked me and made me laugh at the same time.

He invited us back to his house to have a little party, but my ex-boyfriend was not in the perfect mood and so we politely declined, which I will forever regret!

About a year after that I bumped into Jim several times in the city where we both lived, or we exchanged text messages whenever I needed to advise what room flowers would be best for our new house. Sometimes I learnt about how he´s doing through my ex-boyfriend, who used to hang out with him and drink few pints in a night bar. Once my ex confessed how Jim told him that I was a great person and he should be happy to have me. They must have been talking about me!!!!

Then I met Jim one night in the nightclub, where he was with his friends. He spent most of his time sitting in the lounge smoking a cigarette, having fun with younger girls. Wherever he was, you heard his laughter. That night my ex-boyfriend arranged for Jim and me to have a dance together.

Jim was just dancing on the dancefloor with some older woman. I remember he had his jumper tied around his waist. I just got onto the dancefloor, he looked at me all serious and pulled me close to him. It was some tediously slow song that I can´t even remember, I just know that we were staggering from side to side like two handiccaped penguins and that made me laugh hysterically.

He was such a clown! Now, however, I consider this moment as one of the most precious memories of him. It was my night.

Back in 2009, I have learned that Jim was diagnosed with cancer. My ex-boyfriend told me how concerned Jim was when informing him. He said, he wept. At that time I didn´t know how serious the situation was and I hoped Jim will get better in no time. I believed the doctors would somehow help him out of it. I saw him a little later at work when he came to our restaurant for breakfast.

I almost served him as another customer, but when I realized it was him, I pulled myself back into the kitchen and let the other girls serve him. He never noticed. I was in such state of shock. I didn´t know what to do, how to act and what to say. He was so thin, just skin and bone. His face was sinking, his eyes full of pain, a small tube leading from his nose to the oxygen device he carried in his backpack and a small canvas hat on his head. I couldn´t believe this was Jim, whom I have remembered being so full of life and joy only half a year ago. I wanted to cry like never before. I also felt embarassed by my own cowardly reaction. I wished more than anything in my life to hug him and say I loved him. I wanted to wish him a happy Christmas. But I was scared of my own tears, which would not help him in his situation.

I wrote him a message on the phone, but he didn´t respond. And then I got the terrible news. Jim died and somehow I also missed his funeral. I took a first taxi and went at least to his months Mass and visited his grave, bringing him daffodils and little white lantern with candle. It was so hard for me. His relatives stood above his grave. I said my prayers in a minute of silence. The air didn´t move and the moon was full in the night sky. It was dark and cold all around but I didn´t care.

I wanted to see him laugh and mess around like he used to. It was as if another star had disappeared and fell to the earth. If only life could last forever.”

2006-2010

Credits to Seraphiel’s blog. Please don’t repost without credits.

[echo-three-one]

The Bounty Hunter - Part 2

A man in a new town. On the hunt for the most elusive fugitive of all time. Watch him discover more about the town and the general mess his assignment brought him.

Trigger Warnings : Implied sex, violence and such. This is the Wild wild west, what would you expect?

Also leave a comment in the tags if you enjoy it. I swear, It fuels me to keep writing.

Part 1 /Part 2/ Part 3

Part 2 - Karim, Night Raids and Red Flannels

Alex had no other plans for the rest of the day so he decided to lean on at the back of the Saloon to smoke, to ease off the tension he's feeling. Barkov is going to be one of the hardest hunts he's assigned to and the solid lead from the mohawked bartender felt particularly right. He tried to conceal the feeling of nervousness as he inhaled the cigar, and released a puff of smoke in the air.

Tomorrow, he's going to check out the abandoned mines. A few days of planning would soon follow as he would soon face his greatest adversary yet.

"Hey." The same intimidating familiar voice from back inside the saloon called. Alex took another huff of his cigar and tossed it on the ground, stomping on it.

The woman, known as Karim, stopped in front of him, her arms rested on her hips. Alex took off his hat and nodded to her.

"Howdy." He said, smoke plumed from his mouth.

"Listen, new guy. I don't know who you are or what you're doing here. But I'm getting a strong feeling from you that you're trouble. So before you attempt to do anything, I'm just saying that the moment you disturb this peaceful town, you're going to be in a lot of trouble." She warned, her voice was intimidating.

Alex shot a friendly glare at Karim, but her shoulders were still stiff. Guess it doesn't work on all females.

"Look, uh. Karim, was it? I'm just here to enjoy the sights. I heard that this town once boomed with tourism so I traveled here." He raised his hands in surrender.

"Huh. By the looks of it, you're also a bounty hunter. And I doubt that your sole purpose is just vacation." She raised an eyebrow.

"Nevertheless, I'm keeping an eye on you. Any report the Sheriff will receive against you, and I'll personally kick you out of this place. I've had enough with the pillaging and you're just another problem." She added, as she went back inside the saloon. Alex was left to stare at her figure leaving the area.

He was left wondering about the pillaging, is there any way Barkov was involved in all of this? Or is this something else entirely? He was convinced this town held secrets of its own and he had a bad feeling about this.

He wanted to know more of the town, considering that he'll stay here for quite longer and as soon as he entered the inn, he was greeted by a pair of lovely eyes. The receptionist smiled at him, her stare never changed since he got there yesterday. Alex approached her, put down his hat and asked.

"If you don't mind, how long have you been working here?" The woman giggled and reached for his chin. He knew it. There was definitely something going on here.

"Funny story, cowboy. I own this place." She muttered, almost suggestively as she aggressively leaned in for a kiss, catching Alex off guard.

~

Alex sat by the bed's headboard, one leg up as his arm rested on it while staring at the dark outdoors. The glow of the moon illuminated his face as he was deep in thought.

"I always think men deep in thought are the sexiest thing ever." The innkeeper mused as she slowly got up, pulling the sheets to cover her body.

"Hmm" Alex chuckled as he felt her lean on his shoulders, her left hand trailed on his firm and hairy chest.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked, the tone in her voice was notably filled with curiosity and Alex didn't mind sharing.

"Was just thinking about the raids. When and why it happened." He said, turning to her who was busy admiring his physique, fingers dancing on each of his abs.

"Oh, those." Her fingers stopped as she left his shoulder. Alex felt like he triggered something in her, making him worry about asking.

"Well, it started around a year ago. This town was ransacked with everything. They would wreck the place, as if looking for something, but everytime we came back after evacuating, none of our valuables would get stolen. They'd just flip the whole place upside down. Even our money from the register would still be intact." She told Alex.

"Around that time, Karim and Sheriff Price stepped up and tried to defend, but they would always arrive by surprise and they'd beat us up without question." She frowned.

"That's why we have that huge bell there. The convoy could be seen from afar, giving us time to evacuate. Then the rumors started rolling that this town was abandoned. Tourism went down, the only thing keeping this place afloat are the people who didn't get the news of it being abandoned. And honestly, you are the only one keeping this inn afloat for this week." She said, Alex frowned at the situation this town was in. No wonder Karim felt tense upon his arrival.

"Then Karim came up with an idea. If a local would capture the greatest fugitive known ever, the bounty could boost back tourism. I know it's a long shot, and she barely caught a few ones but we have hope that she'll bring back the name of this town." She said, leaning back to Alex again. Her voice was filled with hope. And Alex now realized how Karim acted toward him earlier.

"Got any horses I could rent tomorrow?" Alex asked her.

"She's not for rent, but she could use a few rounds." She chuckled.

"Thanks… uh." Alex replied, stammering knowing he didn't get her name.

"It's Kate. Short for Catherine. You never bothered to ask." She giggled.

"Well in my defense, everything happened in a flash." Alex replied as their lips started to get closer.

"It's not my fault you're… magnetic." She mused, tapping his nose.

"Me? How so?" Alex asked as Kate straddled herself on Alex.

"What about that lovely girl from last night, then?" She mused, her forehead rested on his as her hands gripped his biceps tight.

"She was too drunk from all the drinks. I'd feel bad if I left her alone there." He replied confidently, his hands grabbed her waist. Kate just smiled and met Alex's lips, kissing each other under the faint glow of the moon.

~

"Are you sure she's fine with this?" Soap's low register was worried as Alex prepared the horse.

"Yeah. Hundred percent. Why? What's wrong with this horse?" Alex shot an inquisitive glare at the bartender, who happened to be off today. And they happened to wear the same red flannel and orange neckerchief combo.

"Oh nothing. Isabelle doesn't really go out that often like the old times. Guess she was ready to put her back to the road." Soap muttered, putting on his hat. Alex once again shot the same glare.

"Isabelle?"

"The horse. It's Isabelle. Kate got her when she was a pony. I remember playing with this pony as a kid. Endless hours of fun. He chuckled, taking a trip to memory lane. Alex somehow caught wind of Soap's relationship toward Kate.

"Soap." He tried snapping the man back to reality.

"Yeah?" He shook his head. "The real name's John by the way. Soap's only when I'm in that bar." he informed, making Alex nod.

"So John, you and Kate…?" he asked. John shot up an awkward glare, his hands shook dismissively.

"Oh no no no no. Never." He said shyly. This made Alex raise his eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"She's just a friend. Alex. I liked her at some point but it was best to remain someone close but not so intimate. Especially after her Dad died, imagine if I, her only closest friend, would show what I truly feel and lose her, where will she cling to?" He muttered. Alex thought of the situation. It wasn't in his authority to barge in to John's life choices, but considering that he's capable enough, and he knew what his choice meant.

"Okay. Now, lead me to that abandoned mine."Alex said, with enthusiasm as John rode his trusted horse.

"Alex, it's this way." He called, as Alex turned and followed John, making their way to the mines.

"Tell me more about the raids." Alex quickly caught up with John, thanking Isabelle for being a good girl.

"Well I scout the big bell every thursday. Did it last night hence I'm off today. But when the bell rings, most townies are advised to hide in their basements. We tried fighting but it's no use. These raiders don't give a shit about human lives." Soap grieved, continuing on to the mine.

"Since you insisted this would be a tour, on your left is Fool's Rock. It's the biggest single piece of rock you'll ever find in this area. Little is known about what rests on top of it as no one has ever made it that far." Soap pointed as Alex turned to the rock, all dusty and glimmering orange from the sunrise.

"How far is this abandoned mine?" Alex asked.

"Not far from the canyons. It would take about an hour or so. Hope you brought water." He chuckled as his horse sped off, causing Alex to quickly catch up on their way to the mines.

[To be continued...]

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

[samwrights]

I’m sorry but ukai with a breeding kink😳yes PLEASE

I swear I saw another ask that asked for Ukai with an impreg kink

*ahem* anyways—WOW this one was a doozy but holy shit did I have fun writing it. 11k words you guys. 11. K. It is a lot so grab some cocoa or coffee and a blanket because this is a read. It even has to be split into two parts because I hit the fucking text limit, BUT this also means there is no actual smut in this portion. You can find that here.

If you guys need some ear candy, I recommend the following:

Day N Nite (Crooker’s Remix) by Kid Cudi

Pursuit of Happiness (Extended version with Steve Aoki) by Kid Cudi

Breaking Me by Topic

C’Mon by Ke$ha

Flannel by The Cardboard Swords (it has to be sad somewhere)

Magic in the Hamptons by Social House

Fun fact: Ke$ha was actually the primary inspiration for this fic and for DJ!Ukai. God bless her.

Warnings: language, nicotine and alcohol consumption, implied drug use, implied emotionally abusive relationship, breeding/impreg kink, dirty talk, rough sex, risky sex, road head, slight dub-con, praise, multiple smut scenes, 3rd person POV reader-insert—because the word ‘you’ just didn’t seem to fit.

Without further ado, please enjoy the filthy depths of my brain followed by a relatively happy ending that I’ve titled, “Between the Lines’” :-)

“You’ve been more tired lately, and you’re showing up right when practice starts. Is everything okay?” Was the question that Takeda had asked Ukai Keishin that haunted him for years to come. Sure, he had wanted to gain more independence from his parents, wanted to start being more adult-like and take over the mortgage and the bills so his parents could finally rest. At the age of twenty-six, it seemed like a good idea at the time. With four years passing, however, Keishin was so damn tired, but it wasn’t like he could just stop working.

He was still tending to crops every morning, tending to the shop, coaching for Karasuno, but in the four years time, he had adopted one more job on the weekends—Ukai Keishin was a local nightclub DJ. He’d discovered the job opportunity one fateful night that he was out with his friends from the neighborhood association. To this day, he was still unsure of why he was approached with the job, especially considering he didn’t know the first thing about being a DJ, but the woman who had offered him the position had taught him everything he needed to know.

It turned out that he had a natural affinity for the position, seeing as he was still at it years later under the alias Spira. Ukai kept telling himself that he would quit the gig eventually because there was no way he could continue working four jobs—it was inhuman and the money didn’t even really matter to him. Okay, that last one is a lie; his DJ gig has been a substantial contributor to his savings funds to the point where he was even able to afford a newer, larger, (and slightly) used SUV in full compared to his tiny, old yellow beater. Even his mortgage bills were starting to look less daunting with the current cash flow.

Who needs sleep anyway? Ukai survived and thrived off of nicotine and caffeine anyway. Besides, sleep was the last thing on his mind whenever he set foot into the club. It was impossible to think of anything other than the writhing bodies of sweaty, young adults that were already drunk or high or were practically fucking each other with their clothes on. Perhaps that was part of the reason Keishin felt the need to quit this job—he was envious. Envious of the fact that he never got to indulge in his youth like these kids did; he started working and helping his family out right away after college. Sure, he went out here and there, but these twenty-something-year-olds were living their best life, while he was thirty and catering to their whims.

To say he was a bit bitter would be an understatement.

Bitterness aside, however, it did him good to see the youth enjoying exactly that—their youth. They got to do as they pleased between exams and becoming functioning members of society and, while he was jealous, Ukai was proud to be able to contribute to their pleasure.

He’d arrived to the club early, as he often did, to try to grab a drink before he was due for stage time. Ukai was thankful the bartenders knew him enough that he didn’t have to verbally order considering the music was too loud to hear him in the first place. A rum and coke manifests itself in a small, plastic cup that the blonde raises in thanks before weaving and bobbing around the various partygoers. For the most part, he’s successful in dodging the flailing bodies as he mutely notes the very upbeat remix of some female pop artist playing.

But only remotely successful as Keishin attempts to salvage his drink from spilling as he raises it over his head as one of the partygoers is pushed into him. “Hey, careful!” He snaps toward the younger, [hair color]ed woman. She only looks half-offended by the scolding, but otherwise unperturbed. If anything, the dominating expression on her face was confusion.

“Coach Ukai?” He’s surprised to hear both his given name and his title, let alone coming from a club patron, as they all knew him as Spira. Recognition slips his mind entirely—he’s never met this girl in any way that he can remember. Certainly, he would never forget crossing paths with this beauty, even if she was dressed in a similarly juvenile fashion to the other ravers. Tight crop top tee cinched together by a knot at the midriff, with army green high-waisted shorts attempting to cover the bare skin, face painted with makeup, glitter, and sweat; even underneath the garb, she brought forth no recollection. “Uh, d-do you remember me?” It’s a challenge to hear over the music, but she presses forward close enough that her lips are right in Keishin’s ear.

“Can’t say that I do,” he yells right back into hers.

“Karasuno class of twenty-twelve, I was Sugawara’s girlfriend.” Oh.

Oh.

Now he remembered, vaguely, but he doesn’t ever remember her looking like this. The last four years had been incredibly kind to her, in more ways than one. Back in her Karasuno days, [name] had always looked pleasant, for lack of better term. But there was always a lifeless, matted, dull glaze to her eyes that screamed she was searching for something more. While it was still somewhat present, there was a substantial joyous air around her. It looked good on her. However, as much as Ukai wanted to stay and admire, he had to go get set up for the evening. Or rather, that was the excuse he used when he said he would catch her after the show. “[name], did you know who that was?” The woman in question gives a nod, confused at the sudden star struck gawks that her friends held.

“Uh, yeah? My ex-boyfriend’s volleyball coach?”

“No dude, that was the DJ, Spira.”

“What?”

Being the closing act meant a lot of different things to Ukai Keishin. On the negative spectrum, it meant he was going to have to tend to crops as soon as he finished cleaning up his set. That also meant he wasn’t going to get to go to bed until nearly eight in the morning after his shift at the farm. Yet, for him, the positives greatly outweighed the negatives. For Keishin, watching the audience lose themselves in euphoria, albeit probably a drug-induced one, just hit different for him. It was a sense of satisfaction that only came from a select few activities, with coaching volleyball being the other major contributor. There was just something about the way the crowd was overwhelmed and screaming the second underground remixes of old Kid Cudi tracks with his own twists overtook the speakers that granted Keishin a sense of enlightenment.

For him, being a DJ allowed an audience to flow and vibe with the journey of his life and all its constant up and down motions while under the guise of anonymity. As Spira, Ukai opened up the complexity and conflicting feelings of his inner mind and brought it to fruition through his mixes. He felt that in his soul, he’d done his art of storytelling justice. The audience felt it. Hell, his mom at home probably felt it. Perhaps it was one of the main reasons this dingy, hole-in-the-wall club kept asking him to come back every weekend.

His mind wanders further as he clutches an electronic cigarette in his hand, mixing beats on the turntable while taking hits of nicotine in between. He wonders if the girl he had ran into just a few minutes prior had been frequenting here as often as he had. Then, thinking back to what little information she supplied earlier, Ukai’s mind drifts off to the former third-year setter from when he first started coaching. Sugawara was a nice boy with a firm, almost parental, hand that walked dangerously along the lines of being a partner and being a control freak. When it came to his relationship, things had to go his way. And while his girlfriend that came to every tournament was much more outspoken yet easy going, she was opinionated and didn’t shy from confrontation.

Now that the coach had given it more thought, it was a wonder that one tolerated the other at any point in time. If anything, Ukai imagines the two of them would typically be at each other’s throats. From the few times he had interacted with her, she was always more free spirited and couldn’t be weighed down by any one else’s opinion, but seeing her now was different—she was in her element in the dingy, dark club with the glitter on her cheekbones refracting light off of her face. There was laughter and true, unabashed joy on her face. She had a light of her own—like she was ray of sunshine in the center of a storm.

Three hours past midnight when the club closed was always Keishin’s sign to leave, regardless of the countless attempts to attend the after party he’d been invited to. He had to go to work, after all. Sure, a part of him had always been a little green with envy at all the DJs that got to hook up with club patrons after, but after being at this gig for a few years, he figured that the right girl for him would eventually come to him if he continued working on himself. After all, he didn’t want to just have a string of one night stands with a bunch of fresh adults that could barely function after the small drop of Malibu rum—he was too old for that.

“Uh, coach?” [name] felt strange calling him that, but she didn’t feel familiar enough with him to address him otherwise. He was halfway in his car, the blonde ready to leave for the weekend to go back to his regular day-to-day work. “You coming to the after party?” [name] asks when Keishin only looks at her in question, cigarette hanging betwixt his dry lips.

“No, I actually have to go to work right now.”

“Oh,” she doesn’t mean to express her disappointment, but it slips anyway, “guess I’ll catch you later then?”

“Uh, yeah.” A tight lipped hybrid of a pained grin and grimace crosses her wet, gloss covered lips. Without another word, Ukai closes his car door, a little more brusquely than he intended to, before backing out and leaving the young woman to her own devices. His mind wanders once again with him humming absentmindedly to the soft acoustic punk playing over the car radio. His eyes are focused on the passing greenery, the cars that are weaving and bobbing off the freeway—hell he even noticed the way the tendrils of the sun are just barely starting to peak over the horizon because it reminded him of her. A thought he banishes immediately because he feels creepy for even thinking that.

Yet no matter how much scenery flitted through his honey eyes, his mind keeps traveling back to one thing, or rather one person, only.

Goddammit.

On Monday’s practice, Ukai Keishin’s mind is flooding and drowning in memories of his first year as the volleyball club’s coach. It was as if his mind was coercing him to attempt to reach out to the girl that plagued his mind for the last forty-eight hours or so. Though, he had no way of contacting her. Instead, with every step along the wooden floors, he can remember the way she would walk Suga to practice, almost physically seeing her standing in the doorway to kiss the third-year setter goodbye. As if he could see her sitting underneath the third window from the left, quietly doing homework and exchanging small talk and airy laughter with Kiyoko and Daichi. As if he could see the same sunny smile she gave in the audience from Saturday night at the club between the lines of the woodwork in the floorboards.

It was a repeating pattern day in and day out that was beginning to make Ukai question his sanity.

“Hey, man,” his assistant coach and fellow Karasuno alumni, Tsukishima Akiteru, places a hand on his shoulder and looks at him in worry. “Are you okay? You’ve been out of it all week.” In what world did a week translate into three days, the older blonde coach didn’t know.

“I’m fine, just tired,” Keishin all but bites back. He didn’t want to admit his conscious had been running rampant with thoughts of a girl he’d briefly met at a club. It felt almost as disturbing and perverted as it sounded in his mind.

“The team’s worried about you. Why don’t you take an early weekend and get some rest? We’ll see you back on Monday, yeah?” Normally, Ukai would have vehemently refused. However, his circumstances were far from normal and he was gracious for an assistant coach he trusted wholeheartedly to do the work that needed to be done. And so, Ukai heeded Akiteru’s advice and went home before practice even began on Thursday afternoon.

It was slightly disorienting for him to go home and nap, but he was incredibly thankful for the gift. Waking up just before he was technically supposed to start his shift at the shop, Keishin jumps into a cold shower to bring him to life before heading downstairs. A bellowing yawn passes his lips through his teeth as he starts his evening. Maybe his team was right—he really did need a break. Thankfully, he knew that the second the doors to the Sakanoshita were locked, he was done for the evening and wouldn’t need to reawaken until three the following morning. Just a few more hours until then, he thought.

With it being a slower evening as well, Ukai was able to kick his feet up on the counter as he always did, pull open the newspaper from earlier in the morning and casually flip through. Briefly, he considers giving up one of his four jobs because this was something he missed doing. But consideration aside, he was far too in love with the cash flow and the thought of paying off his mortgage to entertain the thought for long. Maybe one day, he would finally sell the Sakanoshita store or quit helping on the farm—

“You still work here?” Huh. Her voice sounds different when it isn’t drowning under the speakers of a nightclub.

“I do own this place, you know.” Ukai snarks at the woman who’d been consuming his brain for the last week. She looks different without glitter reflecting off of her unreal cheekbones or the heavy layers of foundation and eyeshadow. Even more than before, Keishin definitely recognized [name] now. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Shopping,” she snorts as if it were the most obvious thing, “why else would I be at a store?”

“Dunno, maybe you’re just here to see me.” Ukai responds without skipping a beat, turning the page of the paper to play into his guise that he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised at [name]’s presence.

“Uh...actually...” her voice is quiet, prompting the coach to quirk a brow and fold up the paper he was now pretending to read. It wasn’t like he could focus on anything right now outside of the woman standing before him, spearated only by a thin counter. Without talking again, his brown eyes lock with hers, silently goading for her to continue speaking. “I-I just...I don’t know. It was just really weird to see you at the club and then to find out that you’re Spira on top of that. I haven’t seen anyone from Karasuno since I graduated and—“

“Woah, kid, breathe.” Ukai interrupts her before she can continue spewing word vomit at a hundred miles an hour. “So what if I’m Spira? Though, you better not tell anyone that. My stage name is a secret between us, alright?” For a moment she’s quiet, gears turning in her head. The secrecy didn’t make sense to her because, if anything, he should be proud of the fact that he’s rather well known in the underground electronica scene. Or at least, she was in his stead, because [name] would have been proud of Ukai regardless of whatever occupation he held.

She supposed it came with the territory of having an unrequited crush on the coach years ago, that continued well beyond high school and even university, back when she was still dating Sugawara Koushi. It was the reason she had even bothered to come sit in on his practices and partially the reason she would come to his tournaments and matches. Not that she didn’t want to be supportive of her then-boyfriend—it would have been a fight had she not—but seeing the hot older coach was definitely a bonus in her book. “But why?” She offers, not wanting conversation to end despite her not having actually bought anything.

“If the school ever caught wind of me doing that, I could lose my position as the coach. Some shit about Karasuno’s image or whatever.” [name] gives a small nod, fidgeting subconsciously, as an attempt to shake her nerves and anxiety, by sifting through various candy bars that were in front of her before grabbing her favorite. Without a second thought, she peels the wrapper before placing the candy between her lips, the puffy pink skin greatly contrasting the chocolate coating. “Ya gonna pay for that, kid?” Ukai irks, his honey brown eyes steeling over in irritation. The nickname she’s given hits the final nail on the coffin and seals away [name]’s trepidation. Instead, her own sass comes out to join the fun.

“Nah,” she hums playfully, the chocolate-covered wafer cookie crunching between her teeth. “Quit calling me kid, coach. I’m a lady,” the irony isn’t lost on either of them as she speaks with her mouth full.

“Still a kid, kid. And quit calling me coach, I’m not your damn coach.” The familiar, grumpy attitude of his brings [name] back to the Ukai she knew back in high school. In a mix of nostalgia, warmth washes over her as the haughty tone in his voice sent shivers down her spine like it did a few years back.

“Sure thing, coach,” she teases again before tossing the wrapper of the stolen candy bar into the nearest bin. “You’re at the club tomorrow, right?” The question adds a bit of context and confirmation to Ukai—it seems she knew when Spira was performing, meaning she must have been a patron for a decent amount of time. Part of him wonders how she never realized who he was before, another part wonders how he’s never noticed her considering she could make all traffic stop if she stood in the middle of a freeway. At least, that’s what looking at her did to his heart.

“Yeah?”

“Maybe this time, you’ll join us at the after party.” Without another word, [name] pushes herself away from the counter she’d been leaning on while talking to the blonde man. With Akiteru giving him the weekend off, he actually entertained the thought of attending this time. Even if her invitation was rather blasé and indirect, he didn’t see the opportunity of him attending one presenting itself any time soon. He may be old, by his own standard, but there was a unknown allure to the thought of showing up to a wild party with a woman that was so adamant of his attendance.

Or rather, adamant in his mind. Whether she actually wanted his company remained to be seen, but the curiosity was gnawing at him, and was something he would have to unearth sooner rather than later.

Having an entire night, or a day’s worth, of rest was a rather disorienting, yet pleasant feeling for Ukai. After tending to crops and returning home in the early hours of the morning, the blonde coach was able to catch a solid nine hours of sleep before his shift at the Sakanoshita store with another chance to nap before he needed to head to the club. Despite knowing he had the ability to do so before another restless night, his mind felt the need to keep him awake and alert. Even after showering and styling his blonde tresses into their usual mane—mundane acts that usually came to him automatically—he was hyper aware of the slightest unruly flyaways.

Ukai Keishin was nervous.

He didn’t know what to wear or if there was a dress code or if anything he typically wore would be deemed worthy of an after party. A part of him wanted to leave it alone and let him sport his usual white track pants and tight, maroon muscle tank, but that part of him immediately drowns in the ocean of his anxiety. Another string in his brain prompted him to dress up just a little bit to help him look the part—it had nothing to do with impressing a certain club patron, no—he tried to convince himself. A miserable attempt, but still one nonetheless.

Eventually, he settled on crisp, dark-washed jeans that hugged his muscular legs without being suffocating, paired with a vibrant, crimson muscle tee that hugged his biceps all the same. Ukai still felt a little out of place in the attire, as he often had back when he first assumed the alias Spira, but headed out the door of his apartment before his conscious could dispute it.

He was early again, even more so than normal. Desperate for a drink to calm his nerves and replace his blood with liquid courage, Ukai worms his way around to the bar, signaling the attendant for his usual. Rum and coke in hand, the DJ stands off to the side, hiding like a wallflower, while he studied the sweaty, dancing bodies. Did he know why he was looking for her—no. Maybe partially to tell her she owed him for the candy bar, maybe to tell her he was joining in on the after party this time around.

Maybe to just see her.

Keishin banishes the last thought with a shake of his head before skulking off to the attached patio to smoke. Pulling a cigarette from his pack and a lighter from his pocket, the flame torches the end of the filter at the same time the blonde inhales. Forcefully pushing the smoke out past his lips, Ukai takes a hearty sip of his drink until it’s nearly gone. He was going to need something stronger tonight.

“Is it that time already?” The older man’s head snaps to the voice that had been haunting him subconsciously.

Part of him wishes he didn’t look.

As if to play into her question, [name] checks the large, rose gold watch on her right wrist—an incredibly stark contrast to her outfit for the evening. Maybe it was a hunch when Ukai felt that he had been underdressed, as if his intuition knew that she was going to be dressed to the nines in a black skater dress. Even with a modest neckline, the lace cut out detailing on the sides of the dress accentuated her curves impeccably, playing well with the volume of the skirt, while the open back she was sporting dipped dangerously low.

It took everything in Ukai to not throw every milliliter of restraint and inhibition out the window and fuck her right then and there.

Taking a lengthy drag of his cigarette to hold himself back, Keishin inhales deeply, the smoke billowing past his lips emerging densely and grey in color. “I’m a little early—needed an extra drink today.” The man manages to choke out, downing whatever is left in his little plastic cup for added emphasis.

“Need another?” [name] chirps politely; almost too politely as if to deliberately dispute the salacious thoughts flooding the coaches mind.

“I can get—“

“I owe you anyway,” she reminds him, alluding to the candy bar she had eaten without paying for from the previous night. “Pick your poison.”

“Double rum and coke.” He concedes. [name]’s lips twitch upward slightly at the corner before she plucks the empty cup from Ukai’s hand. He doesn’t miss the way the shellac on her nails grazes against his skin, leaving the whispers of contact to run warm. Immediately, the blonde man uses the nearly dead cigarette between his teeth to light a fresh one—heaven or hell knows he needed the nicotine right now.

Given the silence, Keishin takes the opportunity to absorb his surroundings. From the general direction that [name] initially came from, she wasn’t around any of her friends or really anyone that he knew. That was good at least; there wasn’t anybody else that knew of his presence. [name] returns, two clear plastic cups in her hands and surrenders the darker of the two to the man awaiting. “Hold mine for a sec?” Without thinking, Keishin holds his cigarette between his left index and middle fingers, his drink in the same hand, while taking hers. To his surprise, she pulls out her own pack of menthols and a torch lighter, setting the leaves ablaze before taking her obvious vodka cranberry back.

“You took up smoking?” The older of the two asks in surprise, noting the way her lipstick leaves the slightest bit of residue along the brown filter. [name] gives a shrug.

“Surprised you didn’t notice it sooner, coach. I’ve been smoking since second year.” Ukai gives a roll of his eyes at the use of this strange pet name he’s been dubbed by her. But he thinks about it, thinks about how Suga must have felt probably knowing that she did. Thinks how it just added to this strange, sassy yet happy, wild and free exterior she now had. And [name] notices instantly the very same look Ukai had in his face when he was trying to strategize, trying to figure out a way to navigate a conversation with his team about becoming better—she knows what’s coming next. “Yeah, yeah, I know I should quit or whatever. Suga lost that argument a long time ago.”

“Can’t really tell you what to do when I’m just as guilty.” Ukai gives a laugh—one that is embedded with bitterness and envy at the mention of the third-year setter—yet is just as vivacious as he is. A sound entirely different than she’d ever heard leave his lungs before. She likes it.

After finishing his smoke, Keishin gulps down a hefty swig of his drink before patting [name] on the shoulder before announcing his departure. “I’ll see you inside,” the girl, woman, calls out thoughtfully as she gives a small wave with her cigarette filter between her fingers. Ukai doesn’t verbalize the same sentiment. He doesn’t want to slip up and admit he’ll be looking for her.

But it’s painfully obvious that he is when he takes over the booth. Unable to hide the fact that with every chance that he looks into the audience, he’s searching for that black skater dress that hugs her all too perfectly, [hair color] locks swaying as she moves in the crowd. Ukai can’t hide it at all—not behind the turn table or new remixes meant to get the crowd moving.

He can’t hide the urgency he feels to find her outside in the crisp evening air, smoking on the back patio of the club after his set. [name] is talking and laughing with her friends while thin grey smoke billows from her open mouth before her eyes land on him. Some of her friends take notice to the tension and their shared gazes, some of them whispering his alias in excitement. But [name] just smiles knowingly, if not a little cocky, because she can see that urgency, that desperation, that Ukai was trying to hide. “Wait, [name], do you know Spira?” A bystander asked. Clearly, they weren’t present the last time this was brought up.

“Yeah, I may have met him once or twice,” the woman in question snickers as she strides over closer and closer to the aforementioned DJ.

“Cute,” Ukai sneers teasingly at her jab before instinctively reaching for the half-gone cigarette she pulls to her stained lips. At first, she thought he was going to put it out, considering their little conversation from a few hours ago. Instead, the volleyball coach puts the filter to his own lips, noting the damp fabric probably from her freshly applied lipgloss, and takes a drag. It tasted like watermelons and mint.

“Cheeky,” [name] returns, plucking her cancer stick back from the blonde man. While her friends are still behind her murmuring about the familiarity between the two of them, Keishin and [name] are lost in their own little world. “So since your set is over, and considering you’re still here, I’m assuming you’re joining me for the after party? Or do you have to go to work again?”

“I told them I’d be out of town this weekend,” Ukai tries to play it off as nonchalantly as he could, ties to swallow it down his nerves with rum and nicotine. It proves rather difficult considering the coy smile on [name]’s face is wearing and cracking through his resolve rather quickly. But at least, to him, he could confirm his mind was not playing tricks on him and [name] was just as adamant about his attendance as he initially thought. Even more so with her next statement.

“Cool. Your car or mine?” It took him a minute to process her words even—lust thickening and constricting the flow to his brain at the vague question. Ukai was getting far too ahead of himself, but goddammit how could he focus when the fabric of her skirt hit her mid-thigh and framed her like a Venetian goddess—“I don’t mind driving there.” She adds to coax him away from his silence.

“Nah, I got it. We’ll take mine.”

“Lead the way,” [name] chimes sweetly as she wraps an arm around the coach’s forearm. The physical touch is everything he’s been fantasizing about for the last few days—hellfire and brimstone and sunlight and goddammit why did he wear jeans that were only getting tighter and tighter?

Ukai opens the passenger door to his SUV, supporting the woman as she clambered in cautiously so as not to stumble from her heels. Getting settled in, the coach surrenders his unlocked phone to allow her the entirety of his music library. The irony of the DJ surrendering DJ rights to the passenger was not lost on either of them. Much to his surprise, [name] put on soft acoustic punk as he usually did on his way home from the club. The kind of softness one would turn on to accompany the fragile pitter-patter of rain against the windshield. “Cardboard Swords?” Ukai asks in surprise, more than familiar with the band.

“Flannel is a favorite of mine. I’m kind of surprised it’s in your library.” She adds after she begins directing him to this evening’s party location. From the corner of his eyes, he can see the way her full lips are moving along each word with expertise. He sees the way her [eye color] orbs soften slightly and he can tell this song hits home for her.

She’ll never say why—she’ll never tell him this was the song that helped her move on from Sugawara Koushi while restoring her inner peace.

But Keishin is no fool. He can tell that this is physically hurting her—crushing her soul into the leather seat of his car and, instinctually, he wraps a large hand around hers that’s resting in her lap. “I came out tonight to have fun with you, so don’t you go getting sad on me.” He means each word with innocent intent, yet he cannot ignore the almost hidden, salacious drip to each syllable and neither can she. How could she when his touch sent volts of electricity through her skin?

“Right, right,” she says in a conceding tone, switching the audio to something much more upbeat and a little flirty. “Why did you agree to go out tonight?” If Ukai had an answer, then it died on his lips as he let go of [name]’s hand to reach for another cigarette. The process of lighting the tube, inhaling, and exhaling bought him an extra minute to come up with an excuse; her doing the same giving him another thirty seconds.

“I don’t know.” It’s a blatant lie—a lie that [name] believes all too easily—but Ukai can’t bring himself to admit the truth. He can’t admit out loud that she’s the only thing that’s been on his mind all week or that he jumped at the opportunity, created one even, to be able to have a one-on-one moment with her. Keishin can’t admit that he can tell there are intricate webs spun in her mind and that all he wants to do is untangle them one by one.

And he certainly can’t tell her that even the mere sight of her sends his brain into overdrive and all he wants to do is repeatedly fill her over and over with his seed until she is entirely his, inside and out in mind, body, and soul. There was no way in the nine circles of hell that Ukai Keishin was going to admit to his sinful thoughts.

“It’s just up here.” [name] points with gaunt fingers, cigarette between them as her voice is half choked from inhaling her own smoke. Mirroring the man’s actions earlier, she indulged in her own nicotine habit to quell the budding disappointment from Ukai’s lackluster response. They drove up a slight winding hill and as the trees pass by, the itch for her truth and her history was gnawing at him. He wanted to know why this rambunctious party girl invited him all week to these elusive after parties. Why Flannel ate away at her insides like it did his. Why did her and Sugawara breakup?

But he decides against it for the moment.

“Where are we?” Ukai asks. There’s cars all lining the sides of the road of varying worth—he felt even more out of place than normal with his older SUV, even if it was an upgrade for him, considering the large number of luxury vehicles.

“Bevelle’s house.” [name] says simply, pointing to an empty space in the streets as she throws the butt of her cigarette into the road. The casual way she name drops the owner of the club makes him gawk, catching flies in his mouth had there been any at the hour. With a satisfied, cheesy grin, she hops out of her seat and walks in the grass to meet Ukai on the other side as he clambers out of the vehicle as well. In familiarity, she grips into his forearm once again as they walk towards the forest mansion.

Keishin wasn’t sure what to expect when the two of them walked in, but a home full of people screaming his pseudonym and her name was not on that list. Younger hordes had surrounded [name], greeting her warmly and telling her how glad they were to see her again for the evening. Others were approaching Ukai, telling them how rare and a momentous occasion that the infamous artist Spira was amongst their midst.

“Glad to see you could join us, Spira.” His boss and club owner, Bevelle, approaches the mismatched couple. Bevelle was an alias used by the middle aged woman, her real name unknown to those that didn’t know her know her, and was once upon a time her stage name. While she had chosen a quiet location in the Miyagi prefecture, Bevelle was quite known in the underground scene. Granted, Ukai didn’t know any of that when he’d taken the job. If anything, it was all thanks to her that he was able to learn for his own success as well as granting him the opportunity to learn in the first place. “Good to see you too, trouble.” Bevelle affectionately goes to muss at [name]’s hair, to which she only replies with a cheeky grin.

“How do you know Bevelle?” Ukai presses his lips towards the ear of the woman still hanging onto him as she expertly leads the way to the kitchen. The car ride left her feeling slightly uncomfortable, ashamed even though she would never admit to that, and she knew she definitely needed a drink after it. Part of her was heavily rebuking herself for trying to pry into his mind by asking why he came along, even more so when she put on the one song that shattered her heart every time she heard it. It just excited her that he had it in his library, that he even knew who The Cardboard Swords were, and that he enjoyed the same obscure taste in music as much as she did.

“She’s a close family friend!” The chirp that [name] gives isn’t entirely convincing, like she isn’t telling the truth. Regardless, Ukai washes down his doubt with the beer he was handed, figuring she probably had her reasons. And as soon as the plastic is in each of their hands, [name] downs the contents immediately, hoping to drown out the nerves ebbing from her stomach with vodka. She should have been ecstatic—her old high school crush, her unrequited crush, was here with her, drinking side by side but she can’t help but feel the tension between them—sexual or otherwise.

Just as the two of them down their second round, a piercing voice cuts through the thicket of the masses, calling out her name and capturing her attention. “It’s your song! Come on!” A shrug and a smile crosses [name]’s features as she’s all but dragged away to a different part of the mansion. Much to his surprise, she grabbed onto Keishin to drag him along as well.

The two of them are presented with a myriad of sweaty, rolling bodies—much more gone than Ukai had ever seen at the club itself. It was oddly...sensual, if it could be called that, to see the fluid movements between party goers. Sensual, intimate, strange—all of them could be used interchangeably at this moment.

[name] is dancing with another woman, mouthing all of the words to the current pop song while bobbing and jumping around excitedly before her eyes lock on his. She’s in her element now. All sunshine and smiles like Ukai had seen from on occasion from years ago or most recently at the club, but they’re directed at him for once as she pulls him closer onto the dance floor. The taunting beats and repetitive call of “come on” and the way [name] loosely wraps her arms around his neck as she dances brings Ukai to the realization that this was the end of the line.

The end of the line, because Keishin can’t hold himself back anymore.

Not with the way her hips are grinding against is and she’s laughing warmly and heartily at his slight discomfort and her teeth are glittering off the lights in the dark room like stars in the night sky. Not with the way her head is thrown back and her dress drops low enough to flaunt the expanse of bare skin of her neck and collar bones that are just begging him to sink his teeth in. Not with the way her [eye color]ed orbs are locked with his as she sings along with the music, oddly enough alluding to some form of confession of her feelings.

He can’t fucking take it anymore.

The large hands he has on her hips move just under her arms to hoist her up, [name] instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist to keep her balance. Their eyes are locked, honed in on each other with the rest of the party melting into the background. With her deepest, most wild high school fantasy driving her actions, she grins. “Hi,” is all she says before Ukai cranes his neck back to cover her lips with his.

His kiss is everything she imagined it would be after years of pining. The smell and taste of smoke and wood floods her senses as his tongue laps at the watermelon lip gloss on her bottom lip before seeking refuge within her mouth. His hands, now wrapped around her thighs give intermittent squeezes, either to keep them grounded in reality or just because he needs something to clutch at—she’s unsure of which. In response, her manicured fingernails tangle into his messy blonde locks. Their kiss pours out their desperation, laying it all out on the table for the both of them to see clear as day.

The only thing that prompts them to break apart is the ending of the song.

“You wanna get out of here?” Ukai asks as he tenderly puts [name] back on the ground. As if he weren’t just making out with her moments ago, the motion is delicate and gingerly and almost loving.

“Not yet,” there’s a knowing, smug lilt in her voice as she turns on her heel and throw herself back into the throng of party people. Or rather, attempts. While she’s attempting to flee, Keishin snatches her wrist, pulling her closer until their chests are flush against each other.

“Nuh uh,” the blonde man tuts, “you’ve been asking me to join you at a party all week, now here I am. The hell makes you think you’re leaving my side tonight?” [name]’s grin only grows wider.

“I’ve waited for years for this opportunity, coach, so if you think I’m not gonna have fun with it, you’re dead wrong.” The word ‘years’ constricts the man’s heart—forces his pupils to blow into dilation with her modest, yet blunt confession.

“Years?”

“Years,” she repeats, “ever since that first practice you stumbled into the Karasuno gym as the temporary coach. Why do you think I came to every single exhibition match and tournament? Or came to study and do homework while you guys had practice?” This girl was grinding at every steel line of self-control that was left in Ukai’s body because every word spilling past her lips added an additional ten volts to the sexual tension between them.

“We’re leaving.” He bites out despite the delicate tone. Wrapping his hand around hers once again, Keishin tugs her along time dodge the party goers that threw the two of them curious glances, wondering why they were quick to leave shortly after their arrival. Just to tease him further, [name] almost wants to offer a rebuttal and tell him that they should stay longer and enjoy the show. However, she knows she’s done enough waiting and if he was taking her home, she wasn’t going to argue.

While urgency and desperation was their game, Keishin didn’t cut corners when it came to presenting himself as a gentleman as he helped [name] back into the car. Hormones be damned—he was still going to help a lady into the passengers seat. “You never did tell me why you finally agreed to come out tonight.” She says quietly, as if the two of them hadn’t been making out and dry humping a few minutes prior. “And it’s clearly not because you knew I had a crush on you all throughout third year—“

“Don’t act like you’re the only one with feelings in this.” Ukai grits out, speeding much faster back home than he did on the way to Bevelle’s house. Paying that no mind, [name]’s ears perk up at his own wayward confession. When she asked for clarity, a rumbling groan shakes his chest as he patted down his pockets in search for his nicotine sticks. “I didn’t recognize you the first night at the club because you look different now. Happiness looks good on you.”

“Happiness?” She echos confusedly, turning to face Ukai fully after lighting her own cigarette.

“You used to always look content back then—just barely content and nothing more. And I can’t stop thinking back to those days because you’re this ball of sunshine, kid, and I can’t stop wondering what the hell Suga did to you to dim your shine that badly. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week.”

[name] is quiet for a moment at his own rendition, his own version, of a confession and she’s stunned. And she can’t tell if she wants to cry or kiss him because this is not that way she ever fantasized this conversation going. It was going better than she dreamed. Better, because the words that Ukai is saying adds an entirely new layer to his amped up personality—he wasn’t just the sexy volleyball coach that she used to pine over. He was a person with deep rooted feelings for justice in the sense of wanting to understand how someone could inflict damage to the innocent and he wanted to rectify said injustices. He wanted to know how someone like Suga could try to dampen her sunlight instead of allowing her to thrive and bloom.

She wants to kiss him, she decides, but since he’s driving, she settles for placing a chaste one on the corner of his mouth. “Serves you right,” she jokes when she pulls away, “it’s been a long four years for me. It’s your turn to suffer.”

“Trust me, this car ride is torture enough.”

[ next ]

[pavithraraj]

Preschool In Kannivakkam

About the send of message and around the innovative school:

It is a pleasure to tell the message for innovative kids, Bright future for all futured younger’s. The one fabulous place for interactive and innovative in chocolate kids plays school.

The happiest, friendliest place for kids, every morning and every day for worth to joy in only for chocolate kids.

The innovative is provided by safe and comfortable place for learning and full of good environment.

Smarty programs:

Toddler (1.5 – 2 years) – creating a safe and welcoming environment.

Pre-k program (4-5 years) – the guidelines of the local school district.

Preschool (2-3 years) - Balance of self –directed

Before /after school (6 years)-available for all children enrolled in elementary

Kindergarten (3-4 years)-exceptional teachers enable smarty to offer

Outdoor play time –A small class size and teachers enable smarty to offer.

Programs for preschool:

Celebrations and camps Preschool In Kannivakkam

·       Annual day celebration

·       Women’s day celebration at kezhakottaiyur and urapakkam school

·       Community helpers camp (baker , electrician ,driver ,post woman)

·        Field trip at post office

·       Summer camp

·       Annual day celebrations

·       Grandparents day celebrations

·       World environments day

·       Colors day celebrations

Ø  The capacity of knowledge is present in all children. Every child has its own individual talent which demands proper achievements and appropriate development of some knowledgeable children’s.

 Ø   Education is to build character and to enable people to lead moral lives. We discover every student skill to come out of ignorance and lead them to the path of self knowledge.

 Programs:

·       Summer camp programs

·       Nursery programs

·       Daycare programs

·       Kindergarten programs

·       Chocolate kids innovative school encourages

Daycare in developments and knowledge:  

Ø  Days are filled with busy for educations, investigations, and discoveries. Children’s are through art, music, movement.

Ø  The explore for modern science they develop motor skills, coordination while running, Jumping, hopping, swimming, throwing and catching in the gym.

Ø  Demonstrate an emerging love of reading and writing using growing literacy skills during read aloud, shared readings, reading groups, and writing centers.

Ø  Children’s use language to share, Day Care In Kannivakkam communicate and interact with friends.

Ø  The children have to practice literacy skills in real life situations.

Ø  They enjoy Books, entire stories, games projects and songs based on curricular themes that are provided to extend a whole group setting.

Ø  We facilities action based knowledge in a fun filled environment to simulate your children’s development.

[halloweentv]

Netflix Halloween

v.2020

A list of Halloween themed shows and movies available on Netflix streaming that you can play for Halloween! Enjoy!

Stranger Things

S2e2 Trick or Treat, Freak

After Will sees something terrible on trick or treat night, Mike wonders whether Eleven is still out there. Nancy wrestles with the truth about Barb.

Hubie Halloween

Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem (and its Halloween celebration), Hubie Dubois is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it's up to Hubie to save Halloween.

Cobra Kai

S1e3 Esqueleto

Daniel volunteers to chaperone the Halloween dance so he can keep an eye on Sam. Johnny tries to recruit more students for his new business.

A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting

Recruited by a secret society of babysitters, high school student Kelly Ferguson battles the boogeyman and his monsters when they capture Jacob, the 5 year old boy she’s watching on Halloween.

The Babysitters Club

S1e2 Claudia do the Phantom phone calls

The spooky spirit of Halloween sweeps through Stoneybrook. Meanwhile Claudia explores budding romance and struggles to connect with her parents.

F is for Family

S1e4 F is for Halloween

Frank secretly torpedoes Sue’s shot at a real job and a bully leaves Bill afraid to don his costume.

Harvey Girls Forever

S1e3 Harveyween

Lotta faces her fears to save her friends on Halloween night.

The spooky tale of Captain Underpants Hack-a-ween

When Melvin tries to cancel Halloween, clever best friends Harold and George create their own spooky holiday—and it’s a huge success.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Chapter one: October Country

While Greendale readies for a Halloween eclipse, Sabrina faces a crucial decision and Harvey makes an unexpected decision.

Legends of Tomorrow

S3e4 Phone Home

The Legends jump to 1988 to capture an anachronistic Dominator and save young Ray from being killed.

The Flash

S6e4 There will be Blood

Barry's efforts to prepare Cisco for Crisis are derailed when Cisco schemes to save Barry's life instead; Ramsey Rosso uses his deadly new abilities to save his own life, while sacrificing his humanity in the process.

Supernatural

S4e7 It’s the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester

Investigating two mysterious deaths in a small town, Sam and Dean discover a witch is sacrificing people to summon a dangerous demon. 

Riverdale

S4e4 Halloween

Halloween comes to Riverdale bearing VHS tapes and creepy dolls of unknown origin.

Scream: The TV series

Anthology series that follows a group of teenagers being stalked and targeted by a masked serial killer. Halloween episodes: S1e9 tm”The Dance” and S3e3 “The man behind the mask”

American Horror Story

Murder House

S1e 4&5 Halloween Part 1 & 2

The ghosts can leave the house on halloween night. Tate runs into some ghosts from his past.

Coven

S3e4 Fearful Pranks Ensue

the witches raise the dead on Halloween

Freak Show

S4e3&4 Edward Mordrake Part 1 & 2

the freaks don’t want to perform on halloween in fear of a ghost coming to visit.

Hotel

S5e4 Devil’s Night

John receives an invitation to attend an exclusive Devil's Night Soiree, while Alex tries to diagnose Holden's strange condition.

Parks and Recreation

S2e7 Greg Pikitis

Leslie enlists the help of Dave and Andy in order to catch a local teen vandal. Meanwhile, Ann struggles to make her Halloween party fun and gets help from an unlikely source.

S4e5 Meet n Greet

Ben is mad when Andy and April decide to throw a Halloween party at their house without asking him. Tom emcees an event for Leslie’s campaign but manages to also promote his company. Meanwhile, Ron and Ann give Andy and April an unusual wedding present.

13 Reasons Why

Tape 2 Side B

Its Halloween in the present and Clay strikes back at someone who wronged Hannah. In the past Hannah thinks someone is stalking her. 

Fuller House

S2e4 Curse of Tanner Manor

DJ attempts to throw the scariest Halloween party for Max. Stephanie works as a zombie at a haunted house.

Carmen Sandiego

S3e2 The Day of the Dead Caper

Carmen tracks a you g art thief on Dis de Muertos.

S3e3 The Haunted Bayou Caper

V.I.L.E. crashes a costume party hosted by a celebrity chef at his spooky mansion.

House of 1000 Corpses

Two young couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of murder end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.

Star Trek TOS

S2e7 Catspaw

Kirk and the crew land on a planet with a spooky castle and witches.

Pac’s Scary Halloween

Sinister Dr. Pacenstein schemes to swap bodies with Pac during a Halloween party.

Pac Man and the Ghostly Adventures

S1e21  A Berry Scary Night

Count Pacula attempts to drain the last yellow orb in Pac World on Halloween night. 

S2e12 The Shadow of the were-pac

Pac and his friends are confronted by spooky space ghost pirates. 

Cult of Chucky

Chucky has some scores to settle with some old enemies.

Charmed

S3e4 All Halliwell’s Eve

The sister’s go to the 1600’s to save a witch and her baby

S8e6 Kill Billie Vol. 1

While the Charmed ones are dealing with paparazzi and Halloween, armed and ready to vanquish, Billie inexplicably freezes and is flooded with childhood flashbacks when she sees her latest demon target, the Dogan.

Charmed (2018)

S1e3 Sweet Tooth

When Macy learns of a mysterious death in her lab, she informs her sisters, and together they devise a plan to flush out the demon; Maggie volunteers to throw a Halloween party at her house.

Lucifer

S2e6 Monster

Guilty and self-destructive, Lucifer clashes with Chloe during an investigation, leading her to team up with Dan instead. Meanwhile, Amenadiel bonds with Charlotte, and Maze takes Trixie trick-or-treating

Gossip Girl

S4e9 The Witches of Bushwick

Chuck throws a Saints and Sinners masquerade party.

Power Rangers

S1e25 Life’s a Masquerade

Isn’t set on Halloween but has a cool Frankenstein monster in it. and costumes.

S1e53 Trick or Treat

Kimberly goes on a Halloween game show…cuz those exist.

S2 e21 Zedd’s Monster Mash

Tommy faces some real Halloween monsters after he’s kidnapped by Goldar. 

Power Rangers Samurai “Party Monsters” and “Trickster Treat”

Power Rangers Megaforce “Raising Spirits” 

Power Rangers Dino Charge “The Ghostest with the Mostest” and in Dino Super Charge “Trick or Trial”

Big Bad Beetle Borgs

S1e24 Bye, Bye Frankie

Frankenbeans escapes into town on Halloween night, then the monster Grenade Guy is ordered to kidnap him.

Goosebumps

Good show for the season but the Halloween episodes in particular are

Specials “The Haunted Mask” Carly Beth’s scary mask begins to change her.

Specials “The Haunted Mask 2” A boy’s creepy Halloween mask won’t come off and begins to harm him.

S2e15 Attack of the Jack O'Lanterns

Jack O‘Lantern aliens terrorize some trick or treaters. 

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

Two young friends find a magic book that brings a ventriloquist's dummy to life.

Creeped out

A series of spellbinding, enchanting and intriguing tales that will bring chills to the back of the neck. Different characters must navigate their way through the unexplained.

Dreamworks Spooky Stories

“Scared Skrekless” Shrek and Co tell scary stories

“Monsters vs Aliens Mutant pumpkins” Ginormica and co battle mutant pumpkins!

Dreamworks Spooky Stories Vol. 2

“Monsters Vs Aliens: night of the Living Carrots” Picks up right after the previous special

Also included another MVA short, Megamind, and Shrek.

Glee

S2e5 The Rocky Horror Glee Show

the class attempts to out on a performance of Rocky Horror for Halloween. 

New Girl

S2e6 Halloween

Jess gets hired as a zombie at a haunted house.

S3e6 Keaton

Jess hosts a Halloween party and a Michael Keaton batman costume helps cheer up Schmidt.

My Babysitter’s a Vampire

S2e10  Halloweird

In a total “not rip off” of Buffy, a mask makes people turn into real-life versions of their costumes.

The Vampire Diaries

S1e7 Haunted

Matt takes Vicky to a haunted hous ebut the night takes a terrifying turn

The Office

S2e5 Halloween

Downsizing leads corporate headquarters to order Michael to fire somebody by the end of October. Michael procrastinates until Halloween, when he still has not decided whom to fire. When he decides to fire Creed, Creed manages to convince Michael to fire Devon.

S6e8 Koi Pond

While on the way to a business meeting, Michael falls into a koi pond. The staff tease him so he holds an anti-bullying seminar. Pam and Andy go cold-calling to stir up some new business; they reluctantly use clients’ mistaking them as a couple to their advantage.

S7e6 Costume Contest

Michael freaks out when Darryl goes over his head by taking an idea to corporate. The employees partake in a Halloween costume contest in the office. Meanwhile, Pam tries to get the truth from Danny about their dating history.

S8e5 Spooked

Erin works to make a spooky, non-childish Halloween party, with help from Gabe. Dwight becomes friends with Robert’s son, and Pam and Jim debate the existence of ghosts. Meanwhile, Robert tries to figure out everyone’s deepest fears in order to culminate a ghost story.

Super Monsters Save Halloween

The Super Monsters use their powers to get their neighbors in the Halloween spirit, then help a nervous friend see there's nothing to be afraid of.

Super Monsters: Vida’s first Halloween

The Super Monsters share their Halloween traditions with Vida, then get invited to a Día de los Muertos party in the Howlers' backyard.

Super Monsters: Dia de los Monsters

The Super Monsters celebrate Día de los Muertos in Vida's hometown with her magical family, some new monster friends and a spook-tacular parade!

StarBeam: Halloween Hero

Greedy Captain Fishbeard is stealing everybody's Halloween treats for himself, but StarBeam and Boost have some tricks up their sleeves to save the day!

Monster Family

Dracula's spell turns a woman and her loved ones into a vampire, a mummy, a werewolf and Frankenstein's monster.

Highway to Heaven

S2e5 The Devil & Jonathan Smith

Jonathan recruits a con artist's help after Jabez Stone tricks Mark into selling his soul in order to save a little boy's life, but The Devil has another agenda - acquiring the soul of an angel.

S4e5 I was a middle aged werewolf

During Halloween night, Jonathan helps a little boy get over his fears (and in the process get even with his older sister).

Curious Creations of Christine McConnell

Christine McConnell, an artist and baker lives in a mansion full of monsters and ghosts. She loves to create morbid looking desserts like gingerbread haunted houses, caramel spiders and bones made of pretzel sticks, peanut butter and white chocolate.

Hotel Transylvania

S1e13 The Legend of Pumpkin Guts

Mavis and her friends learn the true meaning of Halloween

Scooby Doo Mystery incorporated

S1e17 Escape from Mystery Manor

When the gang goes on a quest to find out what happened to the original Mystery Incorporated group, they find themselves trapped in the underground Darrow Mansion.

Community

S1e7 Introduction to Statistics

Jeff must choose between a date and honoring a promise to Annie.

S2e6 Epidemiology

Halloween at GCC is ripe for zombie-inspired nightmares.

S3e5 Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps

Britta discovers that an anonymous psych quiz proves that one of her friends is a psychopath.

Sleepy Hollow

Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.

Sister, Sister

S3e7 Halloween

Though grounded Tia and Tamera take Ray’s car in search of a Halloween rave.

Moesha

S3e9 Halloween part 1: Kim’s Revenge

A three-way phone call among friends leads to hurt feelings for Kim, who overhears more than she bargained for concerning a Halloween-costume contest.

S6e7 The Nutty Moesha

While trying to juggle studying, taking care of her family while Dee's away and planning for her Halloween party, Moesha, along with Niecy, starts using energy-raising vitamins that have some peculiar side effects

The Parkers

S2e7 Scary Kim

Kim pulled pranks on Halloween on her friends. Her friends gets her back by pulling a huge prank

S3e7 Mummy’s the word

When Kim,Stevie and T rent out a woman's house for a Halloween party Nikki has to save the professor when they find out she plans to turn him into a mummy

Liv & Maddie

S1e5 Kang-A-Rooney

Joey ends up crushing on Liv in a kangaroo costume while practicing how to talk to girls.

S2e3 Helgaween-A-Rooney

A magic amulet creates a frightening triplet for Liv and Maddie named Helga.

S3e4 Haunt-A-Rooney

Liv and Joey travel to New York for Halloween

S4e3 Scare-A-Rooney

Liv takes Ruby to a spooky dinner and runs into an old acquaintance.

All Hallows’ Eve

As Eve celebrates her birthday on Halloween night, she discovers she's a witch and accidentally summons an old relative, who has nasty plans for the town.

Girlfriends

S1e6 The Remains of the Date

Joan plans an elaborate scheme to get revenge on William for the latest in a series of Halloween pranks. Toni is put off when her date asks her to engage in a threesome--with a stuffed animal.

S2e7 Trick or Truth

Toni winds up suffering a huge breakdown after she discovers Greg took her back only to get revenge on her.

Sam & Cat

S1e16 #DollSitting

On Halloween, Sam and Cat are hired to babysit a doll, with unusual and creepy results. Cat also thinks she may have accidentally turned Dice into a monkey with a magic spell.

Gilmore Girls

S6e7 Twenty-one is the loneliest number

Since Rory was a tyke, the Gilmore girls have planned her 21st birthday: in Atlantic City, sipping martinis, playing 21. But with the estrangement, Emily plans the birthday party -and it's soooo not Atlantic City.

NCIS

S6e6 Murder 2.0

In the days before Halloween, a rampaging serial killer posts cryptic clues online, which the NCIS team must decipher before he strikes again.

S7e5 Code Of Conduct

The NCIS team is called to investigate when a practical-joke-loving Marine turns up dead on Halloween Eve in an apparent suicide. Plus, DiNozzo and McGee share some of their favorite Halloween memories.

Criminal Minds

S6e6 Devil’s Night

The BAU go to Detroit to catch a man who burns his victims alive during the pre-Halloween celebration Devil's Night.

S10e6 Boxed in

A child reappears one year after he went missing -- but the team must work quickly when a trick-or-treater disappears under similar circumstances.

[for-dramas-sake]

My Favorite 2020 Dramas plus a few Honorable Mentions

In no particular order...

To Love

It’s not over yet, but already this is one of my favorites of modern Chinese dramas. The writing alone makes the story excellent in that it keeps you on your toes in every episode and keeps you engaged with the characters. Told from the two main leads’ POVs, it is a story of an undercover cop and a café owner who fall in love in the middle of his mission of a drug bust. It is a tale weaved from hard choices, complicated characters, and seemingly real life characters. It’s also a beautiful drama: full of color, excellent cinematography and lovely music.

I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to try out a underrated mature drama. I say mature for content (mainly for violence and drugs) as well for structure. This is NOT a bubbly, good-spirted drama. There is angst, pain, and conflict.

Qing Qing Zi Jin

I’m going to say it and mean it: My favorite drama of the year! I love it and have claimed the main leads to be “my babies” forever! The story is set in the Tang Dynasty of a mountain gang leader who comes to the capitol city to study at school not only to solve the mystery of ten years prior but to gain notoriety and fame. And let’s not forgot the love his life, a super strong (I mean that literally) girl who is a little shy at first, but then gains some backbone to go with those strong arms of hers. 

It’s sweet, charming and lovely. And while that might sounds more like the perfect date, it’s not. There is plenty of drama infused: a jealous older sister, a cruel stepmother, a scheming royal, the truth of the FL’s mother, the secret of the ML’s true identity, as well as so much more.

I love every single episode and which it had ten more than its 40 episodes. 

You Complete Me

Another modern drama that is so underrated! This is less violent and emotionally complicated as To Love, but it does pack a wallop of feelings. It’s another revenge story (third one in a row, I might have a preference for these kind of dramas). The male lead wants to take down the rich businessman who was the cause of his father’s demise but on the way he falls in love with the man’s daughter. 

It’s the most life-like drama so far on this list in that it’s very business-minded. There are quite a few scenes just discussing business tactics, money transactions, and meeting scenarios which all fly over my head. I can see that is a turn off for a lot of people, but believe me that it’s not all numbers and figures! There is a lot of story behind the suits and briefcases. The female lead is my favorite of the year: she’s a total badass who wants to earn her own way and won’t let anyone help or hinder her. She’s fantastic. If anything, watch the show just for her.

Note: I’m a sucker for the trope “I Did _(insert revenge act here)__ But Then I Fell in Love with You”. It’s the whole Good Girl and Bad Guy trope, and I love it so. The ML isn’t 100% bad, per say, but he does not have good intentions towards his enemy. 

The Journey Across the Night

Yet another modern drama! This one is full of mystery, intrigue, and darkness (more so than To Love). Unlike the other dramas, this one is not about revenge. But Like QQZJ, The ML is searching for truth as well as going to school. He is studying psychiatry under this creepy professor and hunting for answers. His mother and older brother both were diagnosed with schizophrenia when they turned 24 and he searches to learn how to prevent his own eventual dissent into madness.

This is a psychological, thriller drama but it’s not as scary as you might think. It’s pretty tame as horror dramas can go, but there are several creepy scenes and a few sketchy characters. The ML is a nice guy (do they exist anymore?) who doesn’t believe ghosts, but he manages to get pulled into a new mystery along with his friends a lot. The FL is a bubbly, loud girl who takes an instant liking to the boy. She confesses to him quite a lot over the show and it’s quite cute to see him blush.

This drama does not have a story flow (other than the ML and his quest). It is developed by the several mysteries the ML and his friends solve which is very interesting. Every mystery impacts one of characters differently which gives more insight into them as well their interaction with each other. Friendship is a major theme in this show. It’s thrilling ride with plenty of mystery, but bring your tissues! 

Oh! My Sweet Liar!

What an adorable costume drama also set in the Tang Dynasty. This is a family grounded story set around the rich and powerful Li family. The FL is a painter who infiltrates the Li Mansion to paint “the four arhats” for money. She encounters the eldest son who doesn’t trust her from the start. But things take an interesting turn when she suddenly announces that she’s pregnant with his baby! 

It’s a comical, fun ride that is lead by a sweet couple as well as the second lead couple who are childish but also adorable. It’s the least dramatic of the dramas listed so far with its ML falling in love rather quickly with the FL and a powerful family that’s not quite as domineering as imagined. But it’s a sweet story.

Need a pick-me-up? I recommend this one. 

Under the Power

Crime fighting in the Ming Dynasty!  It follows the trope of silly, but headstrong FL and the brooding loner ML. The girl is member of the local constabulary and she wants to fight against all injustice. The boy, a member of a special government enforcement team, endures her until he falls in love with her (wink wink). 

The story follows the female constable and the government official teaming up to solve the case of the Disappearing Government Funds (play mysterious music here). They encounter multiple crime cases, battle different evil forces, even dip their toes into almost magical scenarios along the way. And they fall in love, of course.

It has its charm in the main couple’s cat and mouse interactions and slow burn love story. She comes from a poor background and he comes from the a government official lineage. They are night and day, but they click in a delightful way. Plus, there’s a ton of cool fighting scenes and a few likeable side characters too.

Eternal Love of Dream (aka the Pillow Book)

A fantastic follow up to the much-loved Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms with an appropriate story for everyone’s favorite minxy fox and the immortal who came from a rock. I love this story mainly because it gives depth to the shallow as a kiddie pool Feng Jiu from Ten Miles (I’m sorry, but she was not a favorite). She was such a crier that you needed an umbrella for a lot of her scenes. And Dong Hua was there too.

But then you actually see them have character and story and drama and a love story! And the chemistry is *chef’s kiss*. This drama is near perfection for its all mentioned previously except for a few minor things like it drags in some parts, a few side characters are boring (or the actors were switched from Ten Miles so I don’t quite care so much) and then it gets kind confusing in some parts.

Overall, a great fantasy drama with a well deserved ending. 

...and now for a few honorable mentions!

Twisted Fate of Love

I’m on episode 11 so far and not quite fallen hard for it yet. I love Feng Xi (the scheming!!!) and all his questionable choices both to get Dong Yue and to get a promotion. But I don’t like Dong Yue much. She’s a weird mix of innocence and fighting spirit that I just don’t buy just yet. I will keep watching for their eventually love story.

The Heiress

The scheming! The secrecy! The playacting! The love story! I like it all, but it’s just not enough to get on my favorites list. I did say previously it as my favorite girl-disguised-as-a-guy drama, but it’s not my FAVORITE drama this year. Still very enjoyable!

General’s Lady

A surprisingly fun drama with a cute couple! I’m about 16 episodes in and would like to finish it one day. I do like how the couple is married very soon and have to work on building their relationship over the courses of the show. It’s refreshing from other shows that have the reverse.

Dating in the Kitchen

Cute, cute drama! I probably would have put this on my favorites list but I haven’t finished it yet (I’m so behind in a lot of dramas). It touches on the older man/ younger woman genre, which is so rare is chinese dramas. And it’s done well. Not cringe-inducing because the two leads have beautiful chemistry. And there’s lots of food.

And that’s my list! I hope this inspires some of you to watch some very good dramas as well as stretch outside your comfort zone. I know I went out of my usual bounds of historical dramas and fell in love with some amazing modern dramas. Here’s hoping 2021 will bring lots of fun dramas for us to discover!

[drops-of-moonlights]

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: INTERLUDE 6 (Season 6.5)

Or, in which I give the basics of what I’ve changed about the story for the AU. It was originally way more descriptive but if I kept it in that style I would have finished in 2039 and I ain’t got time for that. Let’s cover the small crisis that happens between S6 and S7! It took as long as it did because Life interfered.

WINX AU INTERLUDE 6 - Distant Legends, Sudden Troubles

A week later, after receiving the call from the Order of Mana, the Winx and Roxy (alongside Daphne and Faragonda) arrive at the Council of Mana’s headquarters in Roccaluce.

Once inside, they’re brought to a larger room seemingly made of crystal, and see that all 9 keys are on top of a small pillar of the same crystal. A lot of magi are around.

They spot Eldora along them all, looking annoyed, and when they talk she tells them that the Order wants to make a new transformation out of Pleiadix.

She cynically elaborates that they didn’t like that there was a form they weren’t in charge of, but a Paladin corrects her that it’s to ensure the Legendarium can never be open, even on accident, again, and that she herself agreed to this plan.

Eldora mutters under her breath that she wasn’t given much of a choice, but then formally adresses the Winx’s presence - as they are the last users of Pleiadix, they are the ones that should run the ritual to ensure there’s no issues with it.

A few minutes of preparation later, and everyone arranges themselves in a weird formation, the Winx at the center, a magic circle appearing under them.

Chanting begins, and the Winx plus Roxy focus on their keys, Eldora focusing on the remaining two. The Keys slowly seem to lose their magic, alongside their color, and an incredible surge of magical essence starts to form around everyone.

With a final chant, the essence seems to light up and explode, and a magical shockwave is felt all over the universe.

The Order of Mana then announces this is the birth of a new form - Mythix, and requests the Winx and Roxy to discover how to earn the form.

Everyone is incredibly confused at all this, but Bloom agrees to it, saying that it might be interesting as something to do over the summer. Everyone can pick up that she’d like to occupy her mind on other stuff as she’s still hurting over Selina, and so they agree.

The magic shockwave seems to stir something up in the wind, and stray magic seems to be coalescing, acquiring a vague humanoid shape.

The next day, on Red Fountain, everyone attends to see the graduation ceremony, excited that their friends are now free from Red Fountain. Team 3Q is given extra honors thanks to their help during the last crises the System has fought over, and they are offered positions as teachers in Red Fountain whenever they please for their actions.

Everyone cheers, and after a couple more speeches, a big party is thrown, the Winx and friends reuniting. They all celebrate and chat, and they ask the guys what are they going to do now.

Brandon answers that they’ve been thinking about that for a while now, and they decided to stick together living in Magix for a couple more months before deciding on joining a Guild of warriors as a group or not.

They keep chatting (with Sky helping Stella and Diaspro in trying to cheer Bloom up, but it's not fully successful). Everyone says their goodbyes and decide to rest in their homes for a week before starting the whole Mythix deal.

It’s two days later, on Melody, that the Soniata takes place on Caden, honoring the Hexer Sonia of lore. Musa has a fun time with her dad and brother, and ends up surprised at Galatea also being there, having managed to escape the palace and enjoy some time with local stories on the other side of the country. Musa then tells her the full legend, but as she does that, dark shadowy beasts start to attack.

Musa and Galatea transform, while Jian dons armor and Huan tries to help him evacuate the premises.

The two fairies manage to make quick work of the beings, but end up slightly overwhelmed. At the sight of a couple more families about to be attacked, they both come up with a plan.

Both of them join their magic, Musa starts to play a lullaby on her sword, mimicking the legend, while Galatea begins chanting a long spell, acting as an “amplifier” to Musa’s music. This manages to slowly make all the remaining shadow beasts fall asleep, and with the chance, both fairies unleash a convergence, destroying them all.

A rush of magic envelops them both, and suddenly, they got new forms - Galatea’s perfect control over the voiced ritual earnt her Glissandix, while Musa unlocked Mythix due to her parallelisms with Sonia’s tale, even her sword undergoing a transformation, looking far more detailed. A shadow seems to grumble, before vanishing again.

That night, Musa contacts the rest, telling them of her findings and how she believes it’s tied to stories of their realms or that they know, and that the shadow things she fought felt familiar.

Bloom compares them to the creatures Campana and Venomya used, but Musa says they felt different, much more recent.

Two days later, Flora is on a date with Helia, who came to visit for a couple days, when they hear about the urban legend of a ghost haunting a nearby abandoned hall. Flora, with what Musa said in the back of her mind, tells Helia to go with her to said place after their date is over for help.

After a few hours, they reach the hall, finding Krystal as well, who came to check the place out as a Princess - the Hall was part of the ancient Privamerian royal state, and the rumors concerned her.

They all explore the place for an hour or so, before a sudden apparition shocks them all in the large stage, a shadow of a man seemingly dancing near a large dead tree.

Everyone transforms and goes up to it, other shadows rising and starting to attack them, but Helia and Krystal fend them off while Flora approaches the main shadow, fans at the ready.

The shadow doesn’t seem to move, and looks around, seemingly sad at the dead tree. It then extends a hand to Flora, confused.

Helia keeps fighting the creatures, but Krystal recalls the full story and tells Flora to take the shadow’s hand and to dance, as she rises up and starts to cast a spell on the tree.

Flora is even more confused at this, but trusts Krystal and starts to dance with the shadow, being guided and using her fans as support.

Krystal focuses all her energy on the tree, slowly revitalizing it and making it grow again, as Flora and the shadow dance around it, twirling.

The dance comes to an end as the tree comes back to life fully, lush and gorgeous, and the shadow seems to smile, as it dissipates into yellow specks of light, all traces of darkness gone. Both Flora and Krystal flashed but for a second - Flora earning Mythix, her outfit now vaguely dance-ready, and Krystal getting Arborix from her effort in revitalizing the tree, covered in hydrangea-looking petals.

Krystal then tells her the full story - during the war, a tree was discovered growing in the hall, and a man had been taking care of it keeping it healthy amongst the ruin. However, a faction of the soon-to-be-called Dolona snuck in and destroyed the place, killing him and the tree. The man was apparently still trying to care for the dead tree, and the shadow manifested his repressed anger in the creatures that attacked them.

Late that night, Flora relaid the info to the rest, confirming Musa’s suppositions, and is surprised to learn that Bloom and Roxy have also obtained Mythix.

Bloom obtained it after a royal meeting, having heard rumors that the city was suddenly assaulted by a dragon made of shadows, and after some research with Daphne they confronted it - Daphne recalled a similar tale of a priestess of the Great Fire Dragon having to fight a rival god in the Fire Dragon’s place, having used just a pair of swords - and after the shadow dragon broke Bloom’s bow, she used the two halves augmented with the small Light magic she knew to slay it, her bow also transforming with Mythix and forming a pair of twin swords that can join to become a bow again.

Roxy meanwhile got it via saving Artu from a group of shadows that suddenly kidnapped it, having to be stealthy and facing off a shadow that disturbingly looked way too much like her mother for her to be comfortable, as well as a small knife she had just in case turning into a detailed dagger.

A shadow seems to get even angrier, and a small burst of energy seeps into Astrael, Solaria’s capital, as well as the capitals of Zenith and Andros.

The next day, while out with Nova and Riven, Stella catches wind of the reappearance of The Twilight Maiden. Nova is confused, and Stella elaborates that it was a ghost story that arose shortly after she moved away - the ghost of a woman killed by her lover, who during twilight supposedly whisks away a girl so they don’t suffer her fate.

They go around their day until sunset arrives, but they realize the whole street went quiet all of a sudden, and after inspecting an alleyway following a weird sound, Nova suddenly vanishes.

Both of them panic for a bit and start looking for her, and after a while both transform into their respective forms to look for her in the sky, Riven finding a dark shadow figure up above, as well as some sort of dome over them.

Both rise to meet with it and find a woman-like form, with an angry expression and see Nova, unconscious, in her arms.

Stella tries to get closer but the shadow throws a blast at her, and Riven gets the same treatment, though harsher. Both Riven and Stella assume the shadow is the Twilight Maiden, and so end up using Riven as a decoy while Stella tries to rescue Nova.

Riven then proceeds to taunt the shadow, driving its anger further and further until it drops Nova and starts to chase after the warrior, Stella catching her with a spell.

After leaving the still unresponsive Nova on a nearby roof, Stella takes the distraction and starts casting both a light spell and a healing spell, trying to “exorcise” the spirit controlling the shadow after what Flora told her of her Mythix earning.

The Maiden almost catches up to Riven and does damage one of his wings, but by the time she feels a strange warmth around her it’s too late - Stella fired the spell and completely engulfed her, a short scream followed by a sigh as her shadows faded completely.

Stella then slowly flies down, exhausted, earning her Mythix and her staff evolving once more. She then notices Riven’s armor malfunctioning and tries to catch him as well.

Nova wakes up moments later and everyone then finds a couple other girls near the same place, probably caught by the Maiden, trying to help them as well as they can.

After all this, she relays the info to the rest, and finds out Aisha also got her Mythix, having to fight The Deep One - a massive jellyfish of Mareian mythos that once destroyed Andros in antiquity, her meteor hammers evolving as well following the pattern of everyone else’s weapons.

This means Tecna is the only one without Mythix yet, and at the same time everyone realizes she isn’t in the call, wondering what could have happened to her.

On Zenith, Tecna is currently locked in a random room, after a sudden burst of energy drove most of the equipment in the Grand Palace, the main presidential office of the country, completely out of control. 

She had sent a couple of her assistants to check on the Magic Animals helping on the place and then started to investigate, before some of the machinery started to actively attack her, taking refuge on a random room.

There, however, she found three shadows that matched the description of the other Winx’s experiences, and instinctively transformed, aiming her gun to them. One of the shadows seemed to get annoyed, but another calmed them down and the last one made a gesture, as if they wanted her to follow them.

Not having more options, Tecna did, and after a bit she found a massive hall, covered head to toe in computers, at the center a massive control panel. The shadows seem to focus on the panel, and seem to try to communicate with Tecna. Tecna glances at one of the monitors and sees several dungeon-like structures, the people in them languishing. She finds a file in the computer, detailing many attempts at revolution, the people attempting them thrown into these dungeons, the main computer running them all.

Tecna, while shocked, isn’t really surprised - she knew she couldn’t have been the first person to try to rise against Datacorp, but it is still disheartening and terrible to see these people still suffering. She tries to turn off the machine, but it seems to lash out.

The shadows alongside her recoil in what she assumes is fear, and as the machine seems to start commanding different objects in the room to fling themselves at Tecna, something similar must have happened before, and assumes this is a failsafe mechanism installed by the Council.

Tecna keeps dodging and starts charging a spell with her gun, and asks the shadows to help her if they’re able, assuming they also want to destroy the thing. They start disrupting the commands thanks to them being non-corporeal, and after a few minutes, Tecna manages to fire off the spell, destroying the machine and somehow earning Mythix, her gun getting retouches.

The shadows start to flicker, and through broken speech manage to tell Tecna they were the leaders of the last attempt at a Zenithian revolution, perishing in prison without no one ever knowing about their existence. They tell her that she managed to do something that was considered impossible, a myth, and thank her before completely disappearing.

After recovering her energy and making sure everything else is working properly, she contacts the Winx again, and after thanking them for worrying about her, tells them she also got Mythix, and so if everyone has it, they should go back to the Order and tell them their findings.

The apparition gets even angrier, and it seems to be starting to manifest a stronger spell.

A few days later, everyone goes back to Lake Roccaluce, ready to inform the Order of their findings, before suddenly being attacked by the shadows again.

With Mythix, the shadows seem to go down even faster, and Roxy and Bloom seem to register its magic signature as that of Acheron’s. Everyone else questions how can that be given he’s dead, but Musa points out that Darkar was similar in that regard.

Acheron then reveals himself fully, a literal shadow of his former self, seemingly in an eternal Energix and his face twisted into anger and hatred. He keeps up the assault, and after a bit, the Winx and Roxy start to feel tired of fighting.

They start to brainstorm ways to defeat Acheron once more, and they come to the conclusion to try and disrupt his form, similar to what they did with Darkar once he went insane, and set up the plan.

Roxy and Bloom rush in to distract him, angering the shadow enough to focus solely on them, while Musa takes down any straggler creatures and Flora, Stella and Tecna start to form a convergence. This seems to work for a while before a couple shadows tackle Tecna, but they’re quickly dealt with when Eldora and a couple of the Order of Mana magi arrive, wondering what was taking the Winx so long.

They take over the distraction job, and with no further setbacks, the other 4 join the 3 Winx and combine the convergence, erasing Acheron once more, all the shadows disappearing.

A bit later, now in HQ, the Nymph spearheading the Mythix project both congratulates the girls on discovering the ways to earn Mythix while also apologizing for causing Acheron’s comeback, confusing everyone else.

They elaborate - when doing the ritual to create Mythix, it seems the magic shockwave was powerful and familiar enough for Acheron’s still lingering soul to also be affected, turning him into a ghost, and while reduced to basic instinct and emotion, he still wanted revenge on the Winx for killing him in the first place.

However, unlike Darkar, who was the fusion of two consciences and Auras, Acheron was still just one person, so he had to rely on pulling energy from elsewhere to try and attack, leading to the events that earnt everyone Mythix.

They still admit that Acheron’s temporary revival helped further their goal so it wasn’t something completely bad, but immediately retract when they catch Eldora and the Winx’s expressions, and dismiss them all to be free to continue their break.

As they’re leaving, however, they are surprised by Faragonda, who wants to talk to Roxy in private for a special project she wants her help with, and that can also act as her thesis if she so desires, but it must be a secret until the new school year starts.

Roxy agrees, curious as for why she would be needed, and bids goodbye to the rest, who start to go back to their realms to have an actual, proper vacation for once, their last breaks being incredibly hectic.

In a cave system in Magix, meanwhile, a Fairy seems to have heard about Faragonda’s plans already, and starts to make interesting preparations...