#me as a film student who has been studying this film for the past couple months

[miss-morgans-lover]

Give me Carol (Haynes, 2015) asks, I wanna talk about it!!!!

These can be a variety of things:

Cinematography etc (be scene specific please)

Ships

Fav/Least Fav character

Opinions on characters

Opinions on scenes

Fav scene

Opinion on film in general

Any fic or AU ideas I have

And more, anything, I wanna talk about it!!!!!!!

[remina-mina]

To Show Without Hiding Part 1

The Film Studies' Gopher

Deuce Spade x Epel Felmier

Summary: After running out of hair oil to heal his damaged hair Deuce strikes up a deal with Vil to work for the Film Studies Club for two weeks in exchange for hair products. Deuce is forced to confront his budding feelings for Epel as they work together

Tags: Developing Relationship, Awkward Crush, Slow Burn, Boys in Love, Fluff (3.1k words)

AO3 Link

Every morning Deuce uses hair oils to heal his previously bleached hair. Without fail he's reminded of the smile that erupted on his mothers face when she saw him dye his hair back to dark blue.

He only started using those products after Vil lectured him during the VDC training camp. He’s thankful that Vil didn’t pry into his past or ask why his hair was bleached but the event still makes Deuce wanna bow his head in embarrassment.

Deuce has been meaning to ask Vil where to order the hair oils and that is what leads him to knocking on the Film Studies Club door. After a few careful knocks he forces himself to fix his posture, smooth out his blazer, and fix his hair. The door creaks open a crack.

“The Film Studies Club is busy” a soft familiar voice rings out from the crack. Deuce steels his will and continues on.

“I would like to speak with Vil.” Deuce declared, instinctually pounding his fist on his heart. Epel swings open the door fully and looks up at Deuce with wide eyes. He’s dressed in his dorm uniform and his eyelids have a slight shimmer that Deuce recognizes as makeup. He looks nice , Deuce stares for a moment before getting pulled out of his thoughts by Epel’s voice.

“Deuce!? I-I Why are you here?” Epel stammered, his accent slipping at the start. Deuce clears his throat and glances away from Epel.

“I need to ask Vil about the hair products he gave me during our training camp.” Epel nods and his eyes dart back to the club room. His lips press together as he thinks over his next words carefully.

“I don’t think he will mind if you’re quick.” Epel finally says, his voice is filled with speculation but he still opens the door wider for Deuce.

“Cool. Thanks Epel”. Epel once again forgoes talking and instead gives Deuce a hum of approval. Epel’s false soft spokenness reminds Deuce of the words Epel shouted to the sea. The memory sturs an emotion in Deuce that he’s not quite ready to name.

“-and if Vil gets mad I’ll just say I forced my way in.” Deuce adds at the end as Epel closes the door behind them. Although Deuce is slightly afraid of Vil after experiencing his unique magic first hand, that fear is forgotten when he sees the tension leave in Epel’s shoulders.

The clubroom is split into unofficial sections. In the corner closest to the door there's a group of Pomefiore students and a singular Scarabia student who sit in a circle of desks all with scripts and pens in their hands. Deuce smiles softly when he notices the empty desk with a script covered in apple doodles. In another corner Rook makes eye contact with Deuce immediately while simultaneously organizing props from a box. Finally, in the back of the clubroom Vil is draping fabric over a mannequin while giving instructions to another person who is also dressed in a Pomefiore uniform.

“In that particular era the sleeves were gathered while the rest of the silhouette was looser. I’ll send you reference images and here is a list of books from the library you can use.” Vil hands a post it note to the student and he gives a polite goodbye. When the student finally moves to leave all the attention turns to Deuce.

“Good Afternoon Deuce. Why are you here? You do realize the Film Studies club is in the middle of a meeting.” Vil states. His gaze is stern as he looks Deuce up and down and coupled with his perfect posture Deuce can’t help but want to shrink away under his gaze.

What would an honor student do? Deuce forces himself to make steady eye contact with Vil.

“I would like to ask you about the hair products you gave me during the VDC, sir.”

“Sure, but make it quick.” Vil gestures for Deuce to follow him and instructs the other club members to keep on working.

Deuce follows him to the corner of the room where Rook is stationed sorting through props.

“So what's this about hair products?”

“Well I really like the hair oils you gave me for my damaged hair but I’m starting to run out. I looked online for the products but it was way too expensive. Do you know where I can buy them cheaper?”

“For that brand, no, and with how horribly damaged your hair is I could only confidently recommend that brand.” Deuce glances at his shoes. Even though he tries to become an honor student his past keeps coming back to haunt him. He looks back at Vil and opens his mouth to start a polite thank you but is interrupted by Rook’s voice.

“Oh how beautiful! A freshman’s journey to self improvement halted by an empty wallet. Absolutely tragic! It brings tears to my eyes.” Rook said, Vil glances at his friend and a couple seconds pass by as a silent conversation is exchanged between them. Vil sighs and turns his attention back to Deuce.

“I’ll pay for your products.”

“Really! Thank you sir-”

“Let me finish.” Vil said, “In return for the money you will help out in the behind the scenes work in the Film Studies Club”.

“Of course! Thank you sir! I won’t let you down! Whatever you ask for I’ll get it done!” Deuce asserted with a grin.

“Alright then. I’ll have Rook find you tomorrow.” Vil shakes his head with a smile. Even though he had witnessed Deuce’s intensity during the training camp it still caught him off guard sometimes. And worried him cause no one should offer to do anything at this school.

And with that Deuce runs out the room. It’s not until he reaches his dorm room that he realizes that in his excitement he forgot to ask Vil how many days he’ll be helping out and what he’ll even do.

The moment Deuce steps out of the 1-A classroom he is suddenly pulled down the hall. Rook grabs him and drags him to the Film Studies Clubroom. In the distance he hears Ace and Grim yell.

“Where do you want me to bury your bones?” Ace snarks, reminding Deuce of his encounter with Malleus. Deuce goes to respond but Rook tightens his grip on his wrist.

“Now, now, Monsieur Spade, we don't want you to be late for your appointment.”

In a whirlwind of hallways and shortcuts that Deuce never knew existed and based on the nefarious glances Rook gave him, shouldn’t question, Deuces reaches the clubroom in under a minute. Rooks holds Deuce in place in front of Vil. He notes Rook’s harsh grip on his shoulders. It's not as if he has any plans to run away.

“Deuce, you’re able to ride a blastycle, right” Vil doesn’t give Deuce a chance to answer, already knowing the answer, “I need you to grab some fabrics from off campus and bring them back by the end of the club meeting.”

Vil opens a folder and holds out to him a paper with a list that Deuce assumes is of fabrics. He hesitates for a moment. Fabrics aren’t Deuce’s expertise, the only experience he has in that field was choosing embroidery thread for his leather jacket. When Deuce doesn’t grab the paper right away Vil raises a brow.

“Don’t tell me you don’t think you can complete the task” Vil says, angling the paper away from Deuce.

“No Sir! I am confident in my riding. I can get this done in one hour!” Deuce assures and grasps the list from Vil. Deuce receives a look from Vil for his abrasive behavior. Vil shakes his head and waves over Epel’s attention before finishing giving out his instruction.

“Alright, Epel you’ll accompany Deuce and choose the fabrics. Here’s an off campus pass. Rook will bring you a blastycle so wait right outside.” Deuce quickly glances around the room, in his confidence he didn’t notice Rook silently slipping off or maybe he wasn’t supposed to notice. Rook was a strange upperclassman.

“Be back here in one hour.” and with that Vil leaves Epel and Deuce to their assignment.

-•-

“Deuce.. Your the typ’a person to get carried away wit’ stuff right”. Maybe it's the wind rustling through Epel’s uniform or the blur of trees around them but Epel comfortably lets his accent slip in and his voice get rougher.

Deuce is certain he likes Epel without the fake soft voice. He especially likes the way Epel pronounces his name in his accent. It's more nasally and makes it sound as though his name is two syllables instead of one. Dewce .

“Well to be honest I’ve been trying to get rid of that habit of mine. I keep acting without thinking and it gets me in trouble most of the time.”

“S’can’t be that bad… Well, it didn’t help last Sunday.” Epel quipped. Deuce can’t see Epel’s face but he can hear the taunting smirk as he gently nudges Deuce’s back playfully.

“Hey! Monopoly isn’t my best game, it's all about luck. Anyway it always ends with Ace and Yuu battling it out over who can go to jail fastest.”

“Mhm.. Whateva lets ya sleep at night Deuce”

“Just watch next time we’re gonna play a racing game and I’ll show you how cool I can be!”. Epel’s head tilts back off of Deuce’s back and his breath dances along Deuce’s neck.

Deuce logically knows the wind didn’t stop whipping past them but for a moment it's as if the world is silent. All he hears is the slight pick up of his own heartbeat and the pulse of Epel’s hands gripping on his jacket. But with Epel’s voice as its engine Deuce’s world is lively again and the wind once again roars in his ears.

“Don’ forget I pick the game next time” Epel before Deuce feels him turn his head to look around, ”N’turn right on the next turn”

Deuce parks the blastycle in front of the store. Epel hands over his helmet and takes out the fabric list Vil gave him.

“Now that I think about it, why did Vil make you tag along with me?” Deuce says as Epel and him enter the store. The store is filled with fabric and patterns on various racks. There were hundreds of shades of colors that Deuce couldn’t name. He halts at the sight. Epel looks back at him and chuckles before answering.

“S’likely a test for me” Epel says,”T’see if I can recognize all dis fancy stuff”.

Then a store employee walks up to them and begins asking questions. Epel switches back to his formal school speech and answers them. Like a child at a family gathering Deuce follows Epel and carries the bags. The rest of the trip is a blur of complicated fabric names and color codes.

-•-

That is how Deuce spends the next couple of days in the Film Studies club, running various errands usually paired up with Epel. Balancing his work with the track club has been difficult but, since track is a solo sport and he makes it up by joining Jack on his morning and nightly runs. By the final day Deuce sits in the lunchroom nodding off.

“Can you stop yawning!” Ace slapped Deuce’s shoulder, shocking him alert. He dazedly looks around, blinking rapidly before he makes eye contact with Ace.

“It’s not like I can help that!” Deuce retorted, slapping his face awake. Yuu looks Deuce up and down, a frown tugs at their features. Although they’ve all been friends for months (Ace wouldn’t admit that outloud), Deuce is still sometimes nervous by how observant Yuu is.

“Is your Vil stuff the only thing keeping you awake?” Yuu asks. Grim looks up from where he’s been intensely eating his tuna casserole.

“Yeah! You’re yawning waaay too much for just that” Grim adds, before returning back to his meal. Ace watches Grim in disgust as a piece of tuna falls near him.

A silly argument ensues and Yuu’s question is left behind. However, it sticks in Deuce's mind and he thinks back to Epel. Epel’s snark. Epel’s pride in his hometown. Epel’s passionate smirk when Deuce shows him the magiwheel.

Deuce feels his face get hotter, he glances around the lunch table subconsciously, and accidentally makes eye contact with Yuu. Yuu gives him a slight smile. He goes to respond with… something but an arm around his shoulder pulls him away.

“Deuce!” Epel calls out, he gives a greeting to the others at the table before continuing to address Deuce, “Vil would like us to pick up some supplies before the club starts. Would you like to do it right now?

Even though the exhaustion plaguing his body tells him to disagree, Deuce nods and lets himself follow Epel out of the cafeteria.

“Damn. He didn’t even hesitate and that isn’t even the first time Epel dragged him away during lunch” Ace says watching them weave through the chatty cafeteria, “I can’t even get him to hurry up in our shared bathroom”

“I mean it was probably because Epel asked him. They have been hanging out more one on one ever since Deuce made that deal with Vil.”

Deuce and Epel are walking back to the clubroom when Epel pauses.

“Shit.. I forgot t’lock up the supply room” Epel suddenly says. He’s holding two boxes of props while Deuce holds one.

“I can go back and get it.” Deuce offers. Epel looks around the courtyard. They are in the outskirts of the campus and although it’s usually filled with students during lunch it’s currently empty which is a sign that lunch is ending soon.

“Hell no, you’d get lost” Epel smirks and before Deuce can respond he puts his boxes down.

“Watch the shit!” He yells, taking off down the path.

Deuce chuckles at his language before turning his attention back to the boxes. He moves all the boxes to the side of the cobblestone pathway and takes a seat next to them, leaning back against a tree.

Deuce thinks about his homework and studies and his mind drifts away. Maybe he will just rest his eyes for a second.

-•-

Epel comes back with the storage key stored away in his pocket. Instead of the overly serious energy he’s associated with Deuce he’s greeted with a domestic scene of Deuce fast asleep against a tree.

His chest feels light at the sight and a smile comes to his face. To take his mind off of his chest Epel takes out an apple he’s started carving. The repetitive movements calm him but everytime he catches Deuce out of the corner of his eye the feeling comes back.

Epel knows he should wake up Deuce so they don’t end up late but it's hard when Deuce smiles so serenely. Deuce’s eyes flutter open. Epel doesn’t dare talk and he presumes Deuce is still dazed. His eyes are fixed on Epel’s hands as they intricately carve the apple.

When the late bell suddenly rings, Epel doesn’t take the time to explain to Deuce the situation and instead just grabs some boxes and starts running. He doesn’t look back, not trusting himself to not stare at Deuce’s sleepy eyed state. Deuce catches up in no time and with his help they place all the boxes in the clubroom.

Neither of them takes time to say goodbye and both rush off to their classes.

Epel lands in his seat the moment the bell rings and catches Jack’s questioning glance. He gives him a thumbs up as he tries to catch his breath.

When Epel thinks back to Deuce's smile he feels his face heat up. He tries to focus on the textbook in front of him and hopes that his deskmate assumes his flush is from running.

-•-

“You're dismissed, Deuce.” Vil suddenly says after Deuce places down the boxes of electronics (props?).

“Yes sir! See you tomorrow sir!”

“No you're dismissed permanently” Vil takes out a bag with a recognizable insignia. His hair products.

“Wait? what do you mean?” Deuce fumbles over his words as Vil impatiently holds the bag out to him.

“You upheld your portion of the bargain, doing manual labor for the film studies club for 2 weeks, so now you're dismissed”. Just like that Vil walks away, likely to give notes to the cast.

“Oh.” For some reason Deuce couldn't find it in himself to celebrate fully. On one hand he had successfully paid off his debt, just as a true honor student would. On the other hand Deuce had started to enjoy his work. Well maybe not the lugging around boxes part but there was undoubtedly a positive.

“Did you forget this was your last day?” Epel’s voice pulls Deuce out of his thoughts. His voice was strange. Different from his false cute voice and his rough heavily accented voice. More tentative. Deuce hesitates to call it glum.

“yeah.. I guess somewhere along the line I stopped seeing it as work and lost track of the days” Deuce chuckles while turning around to face Epel. Deuce’s smile is light, glistening across his features as if it were a spell. When he takes a moment to look at Epel he’s shocked by the boy’s face. Epel’s eyes are blown wide and his mouth is slightly open as he stares at Deuce. A slight redness dusts his cheek.

"-not fair.” Epel mumbles before he blinks himself out of his stupor.

“Wha-” Deuce starts before being swiftly interrupted by Epel.

“Well anyway t’s good that I ain’t as forgetful as you” Epel smirks at him, showing a bit of his fiery personality. The redness from before has faded into a light pink. That and his teasing makes Epel look cute.

Deuce’s breath hitches. That was the positive. Rushing after class with Epel to the clubroom. Hanging out with Epel during lunch. Riding blastycles off campus together.

“I-I’ll walk ya out, gotta make sure ya don’t forget your way out, ya know” Epel fidgets with the sleeves of his blazer as waits for Deuce's answer. As if there was ever a possibility he’d refuse. Deuce nods and wordlessly follows Epel out the door.

When faced with the possibility of their routine etched in one another’s time ending Deuce doesn’t hesitate.

“Wait!”

“Hm.. is there something you need?” Epel turns back, his hand still on the clubroom door handle.

“Umm..” Deuce didn’t think this far ahead, “Yeah, can you teach me how to carve apples sometime?”

“Ya I’d like that” Epel grins, “I’ll text ya the details tonight.”

Deuce watches as Epel waves and closes the door behind him. When he’s sure Epel is away from the door Deuce jumps up and pumps his fist in the air, carefully avoiding moving his right hand that’s carrying his new hair products.

A victory! His heart is racing and he knows he will have to confront that truth but for now he’s satisfied. More than satisfied. Deuce has a hangout to get ready for.

[smilingformoney]

Since Abbie went to a muggle college, did she learn non-magical subjects on the side?

She went to muggle primary school so she at least has a basic understanding of muggle subjects, and I do think some Hogwarts subjects taught muggle skills:

Muggle Studies, the obvious one - she would have learnt stuff like science, history and literature

Potions - definitely required maths to get measurements right

Music* - I've heard from musicians that there's a correlation between music and maths

Astronomy - probably taught some physics

Pretty much every subject was heavily reliant on essay-based homework, so there would have been a lot of scope for learning reading, writing and research skills

*I know Music isn't really considered a canon Hogwarts subject but it was in the GameBoy games! and remember what I've said in the past about picking and choosing what canon to use and what to disregard -- I like to think there were actually a lot more subjects at Hogwarts, we just saw the ones Harry took and a few mentions of some that Hermione took

I did look into the Juilliard curriculum while I was researching it, and their degrees are a lot more specialised than most American colleges. My semester studying in Georgia taught me that American college students still have to do subjects they don't want to do, and then they pick a major/minor, which is mad to me. In the UK, you pick a subject and all of your modules are in that subject. You can sometimes do modules from other courses if they're relevant enough, but they're always to do with what in the States they'd call a 'Major'.

Anyway, longwinded explanation of UK v US universities to say Juilliard's curriculum is more similar to the UK system, and so all of Abbie's classes would have been music related (plus a couple of Liberal Arts classes). In fact, if you're interested, based on what Juilliard offers now (obviously might have been different in 1999, idk) she would be doing the Bachelor of Music in Composition.

So all in all, she probably did have the same skills as her muggle classmates, but she would have learnt them differently. We see some people like Ron being completely oblivious to muggle culture, but I don't think Abbie would fit in that category - she obviously knows muggle music from her own interests, she's seen muggle films thanks to Persephone's interest in them, and she would have read at least the classic muggle books in Muggle Studies class. But then she probably has random gaps in her knowledge, like she probably has no idea who the Prime Minister is or how to take a bus other than the Knight Bus.

[sustema]

Omigosh, this has been a long interval between posts. So much has transpired and taken my time away from this blog. My parents health has declined over the course of 3 years starting around the time of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and our school, Simon A. Sanchez High School in Yigo has suffered much damage during the past typhoon causing us to vacate the campus and double session with John F. Kennedy High School in Tamuning. It has been a rough transition for me and my family, figuring out our parents care and moving into a new school while figuring out the particulars of an afternoon schedule.

Other changes this year is the content I teach. Usually in the past, I would always teach a few classes of British Literature and Composition coupled with the Film Studies Course I created a few years back. This year, I am only teaching Film Studies. Although not an issue, I always preferred teaching both content areas as they compliment each other. Typically, in Literature, we read a passage and delve into the meaning of the text. This is not a nuanced skill but a straight forward process digging into who the narrator may be, the intended audience, the situation, the setting, the type of syntax and diction used and of course the overall tone of the piece. The same process is applied to Film, although the text is presented differently and the particulars of what is analyzed are different, the medium is examined just the same.

Teaching complimenting content keeps the process fresh, provides new insight as discoveries made by students in one course can be applied in the other. Sometimes the obstacles in one course can be illuminated and solved through the simple day to day exploration in the other complimentary course.

Another concern is my usual PLC partner is not teaching Film Studies. The benefit of two instructors teaching the same course allows both to approach the content differently. Such approaches can be discussed and explored to further the skills and understanding of a curriculum. In all, this has been a challenging but fulfilling year so far. I continue to look forward to the rest of the semester.

Simon A. Sanchez High School is now in double session with John F, Kennedy High School.

[whileiamdying]

Interdependent Elements: An Interview with Iranian Film Editor Haideh Safiyari

By Ali Moosavi.

When it comes to Iranian cinema, those aficionados of world cinema will probably be familiar with the names of Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi, Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. Cinephiles with a particular interest in the Iranian cinema are likely to also know Dariush Mehrjui, Bahman Ghobadi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzaei, Majid Majidi and a few other directors. Some may be aware of actors such as Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Golshifteh Farahani, Payman Maadi, Niki Karimi and a few others. The more ardent cinephiles may even be aware of Iran’s best known cinematographer, Mahmoud Kalari, a frequent collaborator with Kiarostami, Farhadi, Panahi. However very few are likely to know about Haideh Safiyari. Yet, in Iran among cinephiles she is a household name and her name on the movie promises quality. She is the first film editor in the history of Iranian cinema to be this well-known. She has edited every Farhadi film since Fireworks Wednesday / Chaharshanbe Souri (bar The Past), and has also worked on the films of Mehrjui, Ghobadi, Mani Haghighi, as well as notable young directors such as Reza Dormishian and Homayoun Ghanizadeh. Safiyari has won four Simorgh awards (Iranian cinema’s equivalent of Oscars) and a multitude of other awards. Her talent and standing have also been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who have made her a member of the Academy. One quite unique fact about her is that her daughter, Sepideh Abdolvahab is also a renowned film editor and already winner of three Simorghs.

Ali Moosavi: How did you get into film editing?

Haideh Safiyari: I studied film editing at a university established by the Iranian television. I then worked for the state TV for about 18 years, editing TV films, series and documentaries. After ten years of this I did sound editing on a couple of movies. Then I worked with Bahram Beyzaei as assistant editor on half a dozen films. While doing these I met director Ebrahim Hatamikia who asked me to edit The Glass Agency / Ajanc-e Shishe-ie (1998).

Ali Moosavi: The editing in that film was one of its key features. The film was both a big hit at the box office and with critics and brought you your first Simorgh award. What impact did that assignment have on your career?

Haideh Safiyari: I think it had a major impact and made filmmakers aware of me. I worked with Hatamikia again a year later on Red Ribbon / Rouban-e Ghermez and won another Simorgh and became more widely known. I then worked with Bahman Ghobadi, with whom I’ve done six films up to now. In 2006 Asghar Farhadi asked me to edit Fireworks Wednesday / Chaharshanbe Souri, saying that he had liked my work on The Glass Agency, particularly the fact that the film took place in a closed environment.

Ali Moosavi: In your view what characteristics should a good film editor possess?

Haideh Safiyari: In the first place, you must be very patient. You should be aware that you would have to spend a long time alone in darkness and may not get your due credit for the finished work, remaining largely behind the curtain. In the classes that I teach, I ask my students whether they are prepared for all this? Because I’ve had colleagues who couldn’t take it and went and became directors. You should also keep updated with the current cinema and regularly watch good movies. I don’t watch that many films but re-watch the ones I like, paying attention to all the details. You should also know that it is a very difficult and time-consuming job and can affect your health. I believe that as good film editor you should be sensitive to the social issues in your environment and learn from other forms of art, too. Theatre in particular is very important in making you aware of the choices you have in showing a scene. Being musically inclined is also helpful.

Ali Moosavi: In editing you are dealing with image, sound and music. What are the main challenges in mixing these elements?

Haideh Safiyari: I believe these three elements are interdependent. Some who teach editing tell the students that in order to assess your editing, shut the sound and watch the edit. I don’t think this is a good idea because the audience sees the image and hears the sound and music at the same time and is affected by their total impact. I believe that sound editing is part of the editing process and an editor should judge her work after the completion of sound and music editing, as together they affect the rhythm of the film. There may be moments in the film where silence works best and any added sound should be removed and vice versa. When I watch the film after sound has been added I feel that the rhythm of the movie has changed. As an example, when I work with Asghar Farhadi, we also make decision about the sound during the editing and these decisions will be abided by the sound editors. I remember when I met the sound editor for Everybody Knows/ Todos Lo Saben (Asghar Farhadi, 2018) at Cannes Film Festival, he told me that whatever sound they tried, Farhadi insisted they stick to the sound that was put during the film editing. Not all directors are like this and some give a free hand to the sound editor. In such cases the film editor cannot influence the final edit.

Can you talk about your work with Asghar Farhadi which has continued over the years?

Haideh Safiyari: I feel very fortunate to have this long association with Farhadi because I find it very easy to work with him. I can honestly say that in the six films that we have worked together, we have not encountered any problems. Editing his films is hard work and usually takes about four months but as we have a great relationship, I enjoy the work. I think he knows me very well and makes decisions based on this knowledge. For Fireworks Wednesday (2006), Farhadi was present at all the stages of editing, which was done after the shooting was completed. For About Elly / Darbare-eh Elly (2009), A Separation / Jodai-eh Nader Az Simin (2011), The Salesman/Foroushandeh (2016), A Hero / Ghahreman (2021), I was editing as he was shooting the movie and after the completion of the shooting we had a rough cut of the film. He then joined me at the editing suite for preparing the fine cut. A couple of difficult scenes that I recall were in Everybody Knows. One was matching the music to the dance in a scene and the other was separating the different sounds in a fight scene involving Javier Bardem. Our experience of working together helped me to resolve these problems. Our discussions start at the script stage and continue throughout the shooting until the completion of editing. Sometimes I might suggest something during shooting and we discuss it.

Ali Moosavi: Does he continuously sit in the editing suite while you’re editing or leaves you alone to do your work?

Haideh Safiyari: When I am putting together the framework for a scene, I prefer to do it alone. Then I show and discuss that framework to the director and on that basis we move forward. On Fireworks Wednesday I explained this to Farhadi and he said that since he likes to see how I put the framework together, he would stay in the editing room but will not interfere with my work. In my subsequent work with him, I did this alone. On A Hero, every 2-3 nights he would come into the editing room and would look at a few scenes and we would discuss them. It’s possible that sometimes, from the performance of the actors viewpoint,  he might wish to view the other takes in addition to the one I selected. I have developed a system which enables him to quickly compare the different takes.

Ali Moosavi: One of the duties of a film editor is to maintain the rhythm that the director has intended. The directors you work with have different rhythms. For example, Reza Dormishian films often have a very fast rhythm and Farhadi a much slower one. How do you deal with this challenge?

Haideh Safiyari: During shooting, if a scene is critical where an important event takes place in it, Farhadi normally shoots that scene in one shot without any cuts. For example the scene in A Separation where Nader (Payman Maddai) throws out Razieh (Sareh Bayat) from his house was shot in one uncut sequence. Watching the rushes of that scene had such an effect on me that I started crying and walked around the room. When I edited that scene, I felt that with the cuts it didn’t have the impact that it initially had. But it had to have cuts to maintain the rhythm. Sometimes we may prolong a sequence, or make it shorter, start it halfway through the action or end it halfway. These happen during the fine cut. Regarding the five films that I have worked with Reza Dormishian, he includes a lot of small details and based on our common understanding he knows how I will edit them. For example in I’m Not Angry! / Asabani Nistam (2014), the camera is always moving and in a shot we may see a pill or a mosquito. This is part of his style of filmmaking. Whereas Farhadi’s films are entrenched in reality and do not include any external explanatory things. Even when you read his scripts, you cannot suggest inserting a flashback because that does not exist within his framework of filmmaking. You cannot also suggest any shots which would act as descriptive. Everything must come from within the story. For example, in The Salesman, the shattering of the light bulb in the bathroom comes when the light is turned on. These are two different methods of film making and the editing must follow the same style.

Ali Moosavi: Some directors shoot a lot of coverage and some cut in the camera while shooting. What are the editing challenges for each of these methods?

Haideh Safiyari: The first filmmaker that I worked with was Bahram Beyzaei who cut in the camera. He knew exactly what he wanted and did not shoot from many different angles. As you know, Hitchcock also worked this way. We also have other filmmakers who work like this. Farhadi on the other hand, in order to maintain the feel of the scene and providing the editor with more choices, uses many long takes. We follow each filmmaker’s method.

Ali Moosavi: Editing has sometimes been classified into two types: visible and invisible. For example, the editing in Farhadi’s films could be termed invisible while those in film such as I’m Not Angry, A Hairy Tale / Maskhareh Baz (Homayoun Ghanizadeh, 2019), or in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022) could be called visible. What are your views on this classification?

Haideh Safiyari: I don’t believe in the adage that good editing is that which is invisible. I think that sometimes a “visible” edit can help to generate the mood and the effect that the director intended. Using a “hard cut” is not only to jump from one scene to another. Sometimes you can use it within a scene, if it suits it. Farhadi’s films are full of cuts. For example, the dinner scenes in About Elly or in A Hero, where you may have ten people at dinner, in a three-minute scene you have to show all those present and each person’s reactions, as it may benefit the story later on. Therefore, the scene is full of cuts and these have to be very fluid. Each shot must follow the previous shot and have some element of the next shot. For example, in Hatred / Boghz (Reza Dormishian, 2012), the scene where Hamed (Babak Hamidian) is angry and goes on a bridge and takes drugs and in his mind goes over all the things that Zhaleh (Baran Kosari) has told him, we have to create the mind of someone under the influence. Someone who doesn’t even hear correctly and is imagining weird things. We therefore make it like a dream or nightmare. Walter Murch has said that people believe what they see in the movies because they dream. Some scenes in films are like dreams and have no logical basis. Someone may be standing in a room and in next scene he is in the middle of a highway. Some scenes are constructed to resemble a nightmare.

Ali Moosavi: Have there been scenes which both you and the director loved but had to leave on the cutting floor because it wasn’t in sync with the rhythm of a film?

Haideh Safiyari: Yes, I’ve had many such cases. In Turtles Can Fly / Laposhtha Parvaz Mikonand (Bahman Ghobadi, 2004), there was a very good scene where Agrin (Avaz Latif) is on a mountain edge. It was a very difficult scene to shoot but we had to cut it out due to the length and rhythm of the film. In Life with Closed Eyes / Zendegi ba Cheshmane Baste (Rasoul Sadrameli, 2010), Taraneh Alidoosti plays a girl who has a dual life. There was a sequence where in an excited state she decides to accompany a strange man. They go to the high rise building where he lives and in the exact moment when she wants to exit the lift and enter his apartment, her jacket gets caught in the lift’s door and she regains her composure and quickly runs down the stairs. We cut out the whole sequence from the movie. I remember suggesting to the director to restore this scene as it provides another dimension into the girl’s character. I remember being very sad about losing that scene.

Ali Moosavi: What has been your most challenging work so far?

Haideh Safiyari: (Thinks for a moment) I think Everybody Knows.

Ali Moosavi: Because it was in a foreign language?

Haideh Safiyari: Yes. Even though I had a Spanish assistant who was also a film editor. I also had a translator because I didn’t know any Spanish and the film did not have Persian subtitles. I was just reading the script and would check each scene’s dialogue with my assistant and show the edit to him to find out if the overlaps and reactions during the dialogues are correct. But when you are not familiar with the nuances and small details of a language, it can be very challenging. The film itself was a difficult one to edit. Another challenging film which has not had a public screening is Furtively / Yavashaki by Reza Dormishian. Each frame is composed of a photo and together these photos create the movement in the film. It was an unusual film and it was like working on a miniature.

Ali Moosavi: Has there been any edits that was done as a result of your suggestion to the director and gave you great satisfaction?

Haideh Safiyari: Yes, I’ve had quite a few of these. The kite running scene in About Elly was filmed in a way that Elly goes from point A to B and returns a couple of times. When I edited it, I used all the different takes and put say six of the point A to Bs together and thus prolonged this part of the walk but the return from B to A was kept short. This gave the feeling of a kind of deliverance and getting away from that environment for Elly. I recall that when Farhadi saw the edit he liked it a lot. Now if you watch the film carefully, you’ll notice that the background in this scene is constant but it gives the appearance of someone getting further and further. It is one of my favourite pieces of editing. Also, in The Glass Agency in the scene where Haj Kazem (Parviz Parastui) bangs his head against the glass and all the slow motion shots have a white frame, this effect was a result of experimentation during editing. Initially we tried a black frame and were not satisfied. Then we created the white frame by overexposing some frames and that worked really well. Another one is in Turtles Can Fly. The opening scene where the girl falls down was somewhere else in the film and I suggested to Ghobadi to put it at the beginning and he liked that. If I think about it there will be other instances.

Ali Moosavi: The directors that you have worked with have all been critically acclaimed filmmakers. Was this your decision or they selected you?

Haideh Safiyari: Well in my profession, we have to wait for the offers of work!

Ali Moosavi: But you have not worked in the mainstream commercial cinema which is dominated by comedies. So do you prefer to wait for an offer from a director you admire?

Haideh Safiyari: Yes, this is true. I have turned down some offers which were quite lucrative. Because I felt that I really couldn’t work on them. I don’t want to belittle them but if I don’t believe in something then I cannot do a proper job on them.

Ali Moosavi: Many of the top editors in world cinema have been women: Dede Allen (The Hustler, Bonnie & Clyde, Dog Day Afternoon, Night Moves), Thelma Shoonmaker (Socorsese films), Anne V. Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, Elephant Man, In the Line of Fire), Sally Menke (Tarantino films), Verna Fields (Jaws, What’s Up Doc?), Susan Morse (Woody Allen films). Do you think that women possess certain qualities that makes them suitable for this profession?

Haideh Safiyari: My personal feeling, which may not have any scientific backing, is that I think we have always lived in patriarchal societies where women have been used to being in the background and they were comfortable with not being very visible. But now things have changed. In my editing classes the boys outnumber the girls.

Ali Moosavi: Many editors later became directors, such as David Lean, Robert Wise, Hal Ashby, to name a few. Do you have any aspirations of becoming a director?

Haideh Safiyari: About twenty years ago I wrote a screenplay that I still like. When I wrote it, I felt that I could make it myself. I also have a treatment for a documentary and lately an opportunity has developed where I may be able to make it. That is also an important and loved project of mine and I even think about how I would edit it. I want to direct it so that I can edit it the way that I want. I would like to have a go at directing but not as a fulltime profession. I chose editing because it’s something you can do alone and far from the madding crowd. A director must be strong in spirit and be good at man management. I have neither the spirit nor the management ability.

Ali Moosavi: Editors also seem to have a longer career; Thelma Schoonmaker at 83 has just recently completed editing Scorsese’s latest film.

Haideh Safiyari: Yes, I also believe that I can stay longer as an editor. Although I have back pain and heart trouble, when I’m editing, I forget all these problems.

Ali Moosavi: What is the longest time you’ve spent in the editing room in one go?

Haideh Safiyari: 48 hours. I slept on the sofa in the editing room for a few hours and then carried on.

Ali Moosavi: You and Sepideh Abdolvahab may be the only mother and daughter who are both film editors. Did you encourage her to join this profession?

Haideh Safiyari: I am very happy about this because we often talk about our work and I like this relationship. But Sepideh initially didn’t like the work that I do because I often had to stay out till very late editing and she would be left alone. Once somebody asked her what do you want to do when you grow up and she said I will definitely won’t become an editor because editors’ children are left alone! But anyhow she decided to study editing at college and told me that she wanted to become my assistant. I said come and I will teach you the ropes. So at age of sixteen she was my assistant on Marooned in Iraq / Gomshodeh dar Aragh (Bahman Ghobadi, 2002) and then assisted me on Portrait of a Lady Far Away/ Sima-ye Zani dar Doordast (Ali Mossafa, 2005) and lastly on Under the Peach Tree / Zir-e Derakht-e Holou (Iraj Tahmasb, 2006). Then she was offered to edit Friday Evening / Arse Jomeh (Mona Zandi Haqiqi, 2006) and she went her own way and at age of 23 won her first Simorgh for Mainline / Khoon Bazi (Mohsen Abdolvahab and Rakhshan Banietemad, 2006).

Ali Moosavi: What have you been working on lately?

Haideh Safiyari: I worked on a documentary which I like very much called Bread and Roses (Sahra Mani, 2023) which is about the lives of three women after the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan. It will be shown at the Special Presentation in Cannes Film Festival and I will be going there for that. Before that I worked on The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand (Vahid Hakimzadeh, 2023) which is an adaptation of Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972).

Ali Moosavi: It was also remade last year by Francois Ozon (Peter von Kant).

Haideh Safiyari: Interestingly Fassbinder’s ex-wife saw our film and liked it a lot and told our producer that she preferred it to Ozon’s film!

Ali Moosavi has worked in documentary television and has written for Film Magazine (Iran), Cine-Eye (London), and Film International (Sweden). He contributed to the second volume of The Directory of World Cinema: Iran (Intellect, 2015).

[qianoir]

IT3D 2 - Galaga vs. ET

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: college students!WayV x Chinese fem!reader

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: non-idol au, college au

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 18+ (Do not interact if you are under 18)

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: heavy cursing (censored), mentions of sex, nudity, love octogon, foreign humor, overbearing parents

♡ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.2k

𝐓𝐚𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭: @eggbutnotyolk @d1nne @fanficbitchwhowriteskpop @staysstrays

Preview < 1 < 2 < 3

Your stomach started to churn during the lesson so you pulled out a handful of white rabbit candy from the front pocket of your bag. There was more candy than school supplies in your bag so you generously handed a few each to Xiaojun and Kun, whose empty tummies thanked you greatly. The professor soon closed the lecture and the three of you headed out together.

"I don't suppose either of you guys have dance next?" You ask the two boys with a slight laugh.

Both shook their heads. Kun pulled out his schedule, "I have biology." Xiaojun was searching for something or someone behind you as he spoke, "My next class isn't until 2. I'm gonna go try to find one of my other friends. I'll see you guys later?" Kun and you farewelled Xiaojun’s take off.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the dance studio." Kun offered his arm, which you accepted. "You know where dance class is, but you aren't in it?" Kun shook his head, "One of my friends takes dance, as well. He got so lost this morning, I had to help him find the hall."

"Wow I wish I had a friend like you four hours ago.." You told him, remembering Xuejiao and her useless a.ss. Kun smiled, "He should still be in there. He has like 3 dance classes mixed in his schedule." You took note of this and unlinked your arm from Kun's as he delivered you to the dance hall. "Thank you for walking me."

"No problem. I'll catch you around. Good luck!" Kun waved good-bye as you walked into the studio. Immediately, you were hit with shocking sound waves and saw a few very skilled dancers performing some contemporary urban routine. You walked along the far wall to the back corner of the room to put your stuff down then unpacked your dance clothes and walked into the dressing rooms.

Dressing rooms in China are usually very strictly organized to separate genders. The room you walked into did not clearly decipher what gender it was made for, so you could only hope you chose the correct one. You turned a corner housing unoccupied lockers and.. a man fully clothed in ballet attire.. thankfully. The beautiful Asian man looked up from fixing his tights.

"I'm so sorry I thought this was the women's dressing room!" You stuttered, blushing in uncomfy embarrassment.

The man chuckled at you and stood up straight. "You're fine. Everything on this campus is co-ed." He said with a small eye roll. "Oh.. that's a little.. discomforting.." You said, dragging your eyes to the floor to avoid staring at the beautiful man's beautiful body.

He pointed to your dance clothes. "You're taking ballet?" You nodded. "So am I. The class is about to start.. you should get ready quickly." He walked past you, out into the studio.

The strange encounter gave you chills. You wondered if he was the friend Kun mentioned. After all, he was the fourth Asian guy you had seen today. Am I just like a magnet for cute Asian boys?

Taking his advice, you quickly got dressed and slipped out into the dance room where the instructor was already giving his new term speech. You tried to attract as little attention as possible as you walked to sit in an empty space on the floor, which was a little further ahead from the boy you previously met.

"So enough about myself, let's go around the room and have each of you introduce yourself and tell us about your dance background. Starting with blondie over there." The instructor points to a pretty girl with dyed blonde hair.

"Hi, I'm Hyo Yeon Kim, I'm from Incheon, South Korea and I have been dancing mainly hip hop since I was seven years old."

The class claps and this continues for every student. Then it's his turn. He sits up straight and waves around the room as he introduces himself.

"Hi, I'm Sicheng Dong. I'm from Wenzhou, China and I have specialized in traditional Chinese dance since I was 10 years old."

So Sicheng is his name..

Suddenly, the studio door bursts open with a petite Asian boy panting like he just ran the Great Wall.

"S.. sorry.. I'm late.. I slept through the alarms.. I never set." The boy fixes his dance clothes which were thrown carelessly over his body.

"That's ok, son. Come in and introduce yourself and tell us about your dance history." The instructor motions for him to join the group. The boy suddenly has so much energy and brightly greets us, waving his hand high in the air.

"Hi everyone!! My name is Chittaphon “Ten" Leechaiyapornkul! I'm from Bangkok, Thailand and I have been dancing since the womb!!" Everyone laughs at his personality, except Sicheng, who just rolls his eyes, but still smiles at the bubbly boy. Ten takes a seat on the floor next to Sicheng who offers him a hi-five. I guess all the Asians keep it tight here, huh?

"We're almost done, you there, go ahead." The instructor points to you and you straighten your spine before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Y/N. I'm from Hong Kong and I have been dancing contemporary ballet since I was eight years old."

"Very good, Y/N. I think you will fit in nicely with our ballet class." The instructor nods at you before addressing the whole class, "Right, so we will continue to get into actual dancing in the next class. Thank you all for showing up, even if not on time." Everyone turns to Ten who just smiles cheekily in return. "Class dismissed."

You pick yourself up from the floor and decide to wait until everyone has changed to change yourself, since the idea of co-ed dressing rooms still doesn't sit well in your mind. While you wait in the corner, Ten and Sicheng walk towards you.

“Y/N, right?" Ten asks. "Yes, that's me." You smile. "We should hang out sometime! We have a whole clique of native Chinese friends you could be a part of."

"Actually I think I may have already met some of them. Do you know Dejun Xiao and Kun Qian?"

Ten nods enthusiastically. "Wow small world! I'll add you to a group chat with all of us. Give me your phone!" Ten takes your phone from your hands and starts typing your number on his own. The device is suddenly buzzing with new message notifications as it is returned to your hands.

"I can't be late to my next class- we can meet up later! See you, Y/N!!” Ten rushes out of the studio, leaving you and Sicheng alone in the corner.

"Sorry if he scared you. He can be a bit hyper." Sicheng says with a small grin. You wave him off, "It's fine. You should go change now."

"Are you waiting for me to change so you can be alone in the dressing room?" You stay silent. "If you've been taking dance classes since you were eight, you should learn that going out of your comfort zone is essential." Sicheng teases, but offers another option, "There is a better place to change if you're that uncomfortable with it, come on."

Sicheng leads you into the dressing room where you are met with various colors of boobs and a.ss cracks. You just look up and let Sicheng guide the rest of the way. You hear him giggle at your flushed face. You arrive at a spatial closet that is filled with hi-tech film equipment. "This is one of the theatre storage closets. Xiaojun and I hang out here a lot."

Sicheng looks around the room while you stand there, bag in hand and ready to change. His eyes land on you awaiting awkwardly in front of him and he realizes, "Oh sorry! I'll leave you to change." Sicheng apologizes and rushes out of the closet. You laugh at the quirkiness of the cute boy and start getting dressed up again.

Walking out of the storage closet, you see Sicheng waiting in the empty dressing room. He holds up your schedule as he notices you coming out. "You dropped this and I couldn't help but see you're free for a couple of hours. I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me and the rest of the guys in the group chat Ten added you to? My treat." He says, handing back your schedule.

You stuff the paper back into your bag, "I would love to."

"Awesome. Let's go."

The two of you walked around the campus and met up with five other Asian guys by the sculpted fountains, three of them being Xiaojun, Kun, and Ten. Xiaojun and Kun noticed you immediately. "Hey nice to see you again. I see you've met Winwin and Ten." You look at Xiaojun confused. "Winwin?"

"That's my nickname." Sicheng blushes. "You can call me 'Win.' It sounds manlier." He puffs his chest a little.

“Y/N, this is Lucas and Hendery. Hendery is from Macau and Lucas is from Hong Kong, like you!" Kun introduced you and Lucas gave you a hi-five, "Waaah what's up, little Hong Konger!?" You laugh as his hi-five pulls you into a bro-hug, where your face painfully smacks into his hard chest. "It's been a while since I've met someone from my hometown. What are you doing in America?" Lucas asked you.

"My parents wanted me to attend an Ivy League to become the best doctor in Hong Kong, so here I am with painful irony." You answered. "Cool, cool. I'm studying animal biology. I love animals, especially puppies."

"You are a puppy!" Ten calls out and everyone agrees. "We actually have a dog and two cats hidden in our dorm, but don't tell the DA." Lucas puts a finger to his lips.

"GUYS LOOK WHAT I JUST SCORED! THEY'RE GIVING OUT FREE CONDOMS!!"

The annoying, orange-haired, Taiwanese kid from your chem class ran to all of you with like 20 unopened condoms in his hands. All of the guys facepalmed and you just rolled your eyes at more of his immature behavior. Yangyang’s eyes fell on you and hid all of the condoms behind his back as he screeched, "What the hell guys!? Why did you invite a chick to hang out with us?? We can't have a girl knowing our manly secrets!"

"B!tch, you and I both know those aren't going to fit your 5’8” a.ss." You motioned to the golden X-tra large rubbers hiding behind his back. The guys except Yangyang laughed when his face started turning red, proving the accuracy of your assumptions.

"You two know each other?" Asked Xiaojun. "We have a.. history." Yangyang narrowed his eyes at you, stuffing the condoms into his backpack without breaking visual contact. "Get over yourself. We only met this morning." You scoffed. The young boy stuck his tongue out at me like he had done once before.

"Let's go eat. I'm starving." Hendery groans.

The group walks to the dining hall where different restaurants are catered to the students and staff. It was decided to eat at a Hawaiian rooftop grill. You sat near the edge with a great view of Manhattan. Winwin sat on your right with Lucas and Kun next to him. Xiaojun sat across from you with Hendery and Yangyang on his side, and Ten at the front of the long table. You looked over the menu placed in your hands.

"Get whatever you want, ok?" Win told you and you complied with thanks. The guys ordered a bunch of food for the table as well as for themselves; you ordered a simple ahi tuna poke bowl.

Upon the food’s arrival, Kun starts a conversation. "How is everyone's first day going?"

"My professor hit my wrist with a ruler because I said Galaga sucked." Yangyang answered. "You had it coming. You think ET: The Video Game should have made a comeback." Xiaojun attacked.

"None of you fools gave ET a chance." Yangyang crossed his arms and looked away.

"My calc professor ate an egg and bacon biscuit from Tim Hortons, then fell asleep." Win said as he stuffed his cheeks with macaroni salad.

"Did he ever wake up?" You wheezed and asked him.

"No."

"Hendery what's on your neck?"

"He got that good-good on the first day- my man!" Yangyang said with his cheeks full.

"Some kid in my aerophysics class launched a bottle rocket into my neck. It really hurts." Hendery replied, rubbing the sore area.

"D.amn."

...

"This dude in my psych class kinda packing no homo." Everyone groaned at Xiaojun’s comment, Ten just smiled and beamed him up.

Everyone finished eating and you offered to pay for yourself, but Winwin wouldn't allow it. You all walked back to the fountains you had met up. Yangyang, Hendery, and Kun left for their next class together. "What do you have next?" Win asked you. "I have biology." You replied.

"Oh you're with us!" You looked over at Lucas and Ten. Turning back to Winwin, "I'll see you later. Maybe we could have a movie night sometime this week, just you and me?" He proposed. "Sure. That sounds fun. Also thank you for buying me lunch, it was yummy." Win smiled at you. "No problem. I'll text you tonight." You nodded and parted ways with the lovely boy who walked with Xiaojun- the other lovely boy.

You walked off with the three Chinese boys, not looking forward to biology, but glad to spend the hour with your cool new friends.

To be continued…

*DA = dorm advisor

𝘲𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘳

[fantastic-bby]

GOT7 as college professors

Pairing: - 

Word count: 3.1k

Genre: Headcanon | It’s kinda crack I’m ngl

Warnings: - 

Masterlist

Jaebeom

Teaches music and film production 

Dresses very casually (oversized shirts/hoodies and oversized pants)

Gets mistaken as a student a lot 

Has a picture of all of his cats on his desk 

Intimidates students at first glance, but all of them agree that he’s actually one of the chillest professors on campus once they spend time in his classes

Always late to class 

Which is one of the reasons that made the students realise he’s more on the vibey side 

He doesn’t seem to have anything planned when he walks into class 

Places bag onto the table, sits down, looks at everyone and pulls his phone out to play music while he teaches 

He’ll ask them what they wanna learn before he actually even starts the lesson because he’s interested in what they think about the course

When he’s not in class, he’s usually seen with Youngjae and Mark

Avoids talking to BamBam and Yugyeom because he knows that they’re just gonna bully him the entire time 

Always eats at on-campus café that has a pet daycare for anyone who needs to leave their pets while they go off and do work

He spends his time there petting the cats 

The students who own the cats are in love with him because of that 

They come in and it’s like 

“Professor Jaebeom…?”

“Oh, is this your cat? She’s so cute”

They stand there and watch him play with their cats if they didn’t already love him before, they love him way more now

The entire music and film production department is IN LOVE with him 

The students, the other professors, the janitors

They all love him 

They think he’s the sweetest man ever 

Until someone treats his class like it’s ass

Then Jaebeom goes OFF 

The entire class is quiet 

Completely stunned 

Because he is a n g r y 

The student who was purposefully being an ass is staring at him like O-O 

Because no one really expected him to lose his cool 

But if you treat Jaebeom’s class like it’s not worth your time, he will get so mad 

Wouldn’t hesitate to kick you out if you shit on his hard work 

He doesn’t want to let one single person being an ass affect the whole class, so he’ll try to move on from them as quickly as possible

“If you think my class is not worth it, then get out. You chose to take this course, so don’t go around wasting other peoples’ time”

Mark

Teaches mathematics

Dresses in smart casual most of the time, but occasionally dresses fully casual 

Has gotten mistaken as a student a couple of times 

Has a picture of Milo and his family on his desk

Intimidates students because he’s more on the quiet side 

But some of them have seen the way he acts around his friends, so they’re a little bit more comfortable around him 

Cries at graduations

Always arrives to his classes on time except for that one time where he had to clean Milo’s crap off of his carpet

The students actually like him a lot 

He’s very patient with them but has the tendency to get a bit more strict 

Always has his plan ready by the time he’s in class 

Understands that not everyone likes maths and that’s why he’s pretty patient 

Takes his time with students who have a hard time understanding the formulas

Spends his time in-between classes with Jaebeom and Youngjae

Students will see them chilling at the skatepark or at the pet café

Youngjae’s usually just watching them do tricks whenever they’re skating

“Youngjae, do a trick”

“Hyung, I can’t skate”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t try” 

Has most of the campus fawning over how school he looks on his skateboard because he uses it to get around the place 

“Good afternoon, Professor Mark”

The group of students burst into giggles the moment he waves while skating past them 

Is honestly one of the coolest professors on campus 

Even the other professors agree that he’s cool as hell even if Mark won’t admit it 

Usually seen talking with Youngjae about their precious fluffy, white, dog babies usually arguing about which dog is cuter 

Only for Yugyeom to pop in with a picture of Dalkyum 

They stare at him before completely ignoring him because the argument is about two tiny fluffy white dogs 

Then BamBam and Jaebeom come in talking about cats instead and the two of them just give up 

Rarely gets angry in class 

Has once blown up only because someone was being rude to another student in his class 

“Why don’t you do the whole class a favour and just stop being an asshole?” 

The student shuts up immediately 

He gives them a glare before moving on with the lesson 

If he hears them starting shit again then he’ll lose it 

“Dude, if you’re just gonna sit there and shit on someone then just leave” 

That’s enough to get the student leaving the class out of embarrassment because no one had ever gotten Mark pissed off enough to tell them off twice in the same lesson 

Afterwards he just pretends nothing happened and continues to teach the students like normal 

“Who doesn’t understand this concept?” 

Jinyoung

Teaches literature and philosophy 

Campus DILF 

Always dresses formally and has never gotten mistaken as a student before 

Has one single picture of him and his friends from when they went to Italy together on his desk

Everyone’s scared of him 

Who wouldn’t be? 

His resting bitch face makes students scared of attending his lessons sometimes 

Has made a few students cry just by looking at them when he was asking a question

Usually ends up staring at them like :| but can’t do anything about it because his face is just like that 

He wasn’t even angry, he was just… looking at them

Spends most of his time with Jackson but also looks like he tries to escape him half of the time 

Jackson calls him in the middle of a lesson and Jinyoung’s slightly concerned because he thinks something is wrong

“Jinyoung, did you look at the picture I sent you? It’s funny!”

“Professor Jackson, I’m in a class” 

The students find their dynamic really cute 

But it doesn’t make them less scared of Jinyoung 

He walks around campus with so much confidence and ass 

The entire campus fawns over him because they think he’s such a hottie 

He usually denies the attention whenever any of his friends see a student being a bit friendlier towards him

The student in question literally bends over his desk and flirts with him

He kinda ignores their advances because he’s professional like that 

Treats all of his students equally and knows all of their names 

Pays extra attention towards the ones that struggle with the course because he knows how difficult it can be to have to fully understand either literature or philosophy

Has never yelled in class, but the students can tell when he is angry 

Knows exactly who’s paying attention and who’s not because he’s really good at reading his students

Whenever someone disrespects him or the course he’s teaching, he turns around slowly, clicks the cap back onto the marker and gently places it onto the desk 

“What poem are we currently analysing?”

“Uhm…” 

If they get it wrong he gives them this very blank look that has them pissing themselves because they’re already halfway through discussing this one single poem and they’ve spent about two weeks on it

“Wrong. Get out.” 

The student hesitates and Jinyoung lets out a heavy sigh which has them just scrambling straight out of the class 

He picks his marker back up and turns to the giant whiteboard

“For those who don’t bother to even pay attention, we’ve been studying this poem for the past three lessons. Now, can someone tell me what I’ve covered in this lesson alone?” 

Jackson

Teaches sports science

Is literally the most friendly professor on campus 

Gets mistaken as a student all the time because 1. He’s always mingling around the students and 2. He barely ever dresses formally 

Everyone on campus just absolutely loves him because he’s so easy to get along with

It makes his lessons very comfortable to be in 

The students love how he jokes around all the time 

Acts completely unhinged sometimes and likes to bother his friends in the middle of their lessons 

Mostly barges into Jinyoung and Mark’s lessons because he knows the others will barely pay him any attention

“Mark hyung, I learned a new trick”

Straight up does a backflip in the middle of Mark’s classroom

“Professor Jackson, you’re so cool!”

The students love him so much

Basically, everyone on campus knows who he is and everyone just loves him because he’s everywhere at once 

No one minds whenever Jackson shows up unannounced because he usually ends up leaving a mark on the students that has them more excited 

Spends his time with Jinyoung where he’ll drag him to the gym

Will be sitting on his desk, cross-legged by the time students come into class

Will start his class with a joke just to get the students to feel more comfortable with engaging

Every student has had a crush on him at least once

Has had a few students walking into his classroom with gifts and trying to ask him out 

But he just laughs and declines politely 

During graduations, he gets a lot of ‘thank you’ gifts from his students

His heart just melts whenever he gets surprise cards on his desk from students basically telling him how much they enjoyed his class and him in general 

Has the tendency to get distracted in the middle of a lesson but is also able to get back on track really quickly 

Has gotten angry in class once 

And when Jackson’s angry 

He is

A N G R Y

Would full on yell if he needs to

It’s usually a student that’s bullying another student

He can take disrespect to him, but he does not tolerate disrespect towards his students 

“Treat my students like that one more time and you’re not allowed to step foot in my class ever again” 

The person in question is just frozen 

Because, my god, how much of an asshole do you have to be to piss off Jackson 

“Actually, no, get out of my class” 

Jackson won’t ask twice 

He’ll just glare at the student until they leave and when they’re gone, he checks up on his students to make sure they’re okay

“Did they do anything else to you?”

“N-No, sir”

“If they keep bothering you then just let me know. I’ll handle it” 

Youngjae

Teaches performing arts 

Dresses in smart casual 

His smile and laugh lights up the whole classroom 

He’s very gentle with his students and they all appreciate him for that 

Has about four pictures of Coco on his desk 

Will show everyone pictures of her in a cute dress he bought 

Will also brag about how well trained Coco is 

Sometimes arrives to class late because of Coco 

Basically, he loves his daughter and he makes sure everyone knows that he loves her 

He even brings her to graduation because some of his students end up growing attached to her

The students love how calm and chill he is 

Tells a lot of dad jokes that everyone laughs at because they don’t want to make him feel sad or awkward 

Will cheer up everyone and anyone 

Spends his time with Jaebeom at the pet café because that’s where Coco is when he’s on campus 

Sometimes brings her to class with him 

Gets vvvvv flustered if any of the students flirt with him 

Like

Super flustered

He’s blushing all over and he’s completely shocked that they’d mustered up the confidence to approach him that way 

But he always turns them down

Once had his class ended because he tripped over a marker that rolled off of his desk 

The entire class just watched in horror 

Stood up with an awkward laugh before gathering his stuff and bolting out of the classroom because he’s embarrassed

“Professor Youngjae, you didn’t have to run out of class like that…”

“Hahaaaaaaaa” 

Pretends the whole incident didn’t happen

His class is really chill to attend 

Youngjae just wants his students to feel comfortable in his class so he puts in the effort to do so

Tries to be as early as possible to have everything set up before his students show up

Loves all of his students 

Of course there are a few bad seeds here and there, but Youngjae rarely ever gets mad 

There were a couple times where he would scold them for a half-assed assignment or a disruption in class over something really dumb 

But if someone really pissed him off, he wouldn’t blow up 

Youngjae’s not as scary as his members but only because he’s more open with his softer side 

So if he feels like someone in class is either being a disruption or is hurting someone, he doesn’t exactly blow up

He’s very calm about it 

“I’m emailing the counsellor about this”

“I don’t need a counsellor”

“I don’t care if you ‘don’t need a counsellor’. If you’re being an asshole, then you need a counsellor”

BamBam

Teaches fashion design

Is the most stylish person on campus 

Wears all of his gold to class

Doesn’t have physical pictures of his cats on his desk because he has his cat family as his phone wallpaper 

However, he does show off any awards he’s gotten from designing clothes for celebrities in his office 

Has every eye on him when he’s on campus because of how well he dresses

Usually brings his students out for graduation dinners

Is known as the campus stylist 

Students sometimes come to him for fashion advice even if they’re not in his class the college staff do this too

Spends his time with Yugyeom where they spend their time at each other’s office or just walking around campus together 

Will be seen together whether its on campus or off campus

They walk around campus like they own it because they’re that powerful together

Students are intimidated by him at first because he looks so… expensive, but once they actually attend one of his classes they realise that he’s got a heart of gold and is super easy to talk to

His class is extremely chill 

But can also be a bit chaotic sometimes

BamBam’s a really professional person that does very well with trying to make sure the people around him are comfortable

He allows a small bit of chaos to fill his classroom because it relieves any tension 

And by chaos, it’s allowing Jackson  to come in and basically teach the lesson with him 

What’s a sports science professor supposed to know about fashion designing?? 

BamBam just sits back and watches while Jackson stares at the sketch of a model that’s being projected onto the screen 

“So, uhh, you need to make sure they have… sleeves”

“And?”

“Uhh… the dress is ugly?”

“Anyone in the class can answer what the problem with this sketch is?”

A student raises their hand and BamBam nods to allow them to answer 

“Sir, the colours aren’t that nice together. The green is too bright and just doesn’t go well with the pink at all”

“Correct”

BamBam’s style also helps when he’s conducting a lesson 

Uses his own outfit as examples

“See this white blazer? This outfit wouldn’t be as eye-catching without something contrasting my black turtleneck ” 

Does not tolerate assholes 

Students aren’t exactly scared of him

Has a handful of admirers, but no one’s mustered up the courage to actually talk to him about it because the one time someone did

BamBam kinda 

Laughed

Then he felt bad about it because he realised they weren’t joking

Because he’s so young, it's easy for students to relate to him 

But when he gets mad at someone who starts to disrespect him, oof 

BamBam isn’t scared of swearing in his class and neither is he scared of lashing out if he feels like he needs to

Especially if someone is intentionally disturbing the other students because they’re being an ass

“Get the fuck out of my class” 

“B-but, sir”

“Another word out of that mouth and you’re not seeing me for the rest of the semester”

Yugyeom

Teaches modeling 

Has pictures of him and his friends and Dalkyum on his desk 

Dresses casually most of the time but asks BamBam for good outfits for when he needs to show examples to his class 

Bambam likes to style him up every once in awhile which helps Yugyeom a lot

Spends his time with BamBam the two of them make a very powerful duo

They’re only so powerful together because when you combine Yugyeom’s modeling with BamBam’s style, you get a pair of the hottest professors on campus 

Is on time for his classes but sometimes is late because he spent the previous night having dance competitions with Jaebeom and Jinyoung

His class is actually really strict 

Because modeling means having really good control of your entire body to be able to express what you’re trying to model for 

Yugyeom takes it very seriously

Students are very intimidated by him 

They know when to be playful with him and when not to and during class is when they have to be professional

Is really friendly with the students when he sees them around campus 

Allows only Jinyoung into his class because he knows that the others would end up causing chaos if they’re together 

Sometimes lets him model for his class 

“Hyung, could you pose for my class, please?”

Is very professional with his friends if he’s conduction a lesson 

But outside of it…

“Hyung, you looked like a vulture when you entered my class”

“I’m never modeling for your students ever again”

Is more on the quiet side like Jinyoung is 

His looks can kill 

He doesn’t have a resting bitch face like his hyung has, but he knows how to intimidate using his face

And he uses it against his students whenever he needs to

He’s also not that scared of going off either 

But it’s more of the very quiet kind of angry

Will not hesitate to kick someone out if they’re not cooperating 

“Get the fuck out of my class before I physically go over there and kick you out myself”

Which is why a lot of the students are very scared of him whenever he’s teaching 

He doesn’t tolerate any kind of bullshittery and if he feels like you’re half-assing his class, then he’ll go off on you 

But if he thinks that you’re just struggling to keep up, he’d be more than happy to help 

Is very kind and very patient if someone needs extra help understanding something 

Because he genuinely wants them to succeed 

“Is there something here that you don’t understand? I can get one of the other students to help tutor you if you’d like” 

[rosy-cheekx]

Hypothetically

 @aspecarchivesweek Day One: Wish

I wish to make you happy.

Jonathan Sims/Georgie Barker

This was it. Jon fiddles with the pale green collar of his shirt; eyes focused resolutely on the version of himself in the mirror that hung on the wardrobe in his student flat. Tonight’s the night I’m going to ask Georgie to…

He shakes his head to himself, wincing at the end of that sentence. He knows what he’s going to do tonight, what he wants to do tonight, what difference does vocalizing it make, even if it’s just to himself?

Glancing down at his watch, Jon chews his lip. He was meeting Georgie at the bar in thirty minutes. The bar was ten minutes away…He should probably leave now, right? In case he needed to find them seats or use the loo or if the walk ended up taking longer than the dozens of times he’s been there before? He doesn’t want to be late, that would just make everything worse-

Huh. He’s pacing. Jon forces himself to stop and stands in the middle of his bedroom, wrapping his hands around his sides, thumbs digging into his back, feeling his diaphragm push his ribs out and in as he breathes, focusing on the solid movement of his body. Why am I so nervous? His therapist had talked to him, years back, about identifying sources of his anxiety. He hates that it works, hates that it means confronting his own brain and acknowledging his faults.

Is it the bar? No. This bar, The Addison, is one of the few pubs Jon actually enjoys. It’s always got a bit of a draft so even in the busiest nights it never feels like the heat of the room is inescapable. Jon’s not the biggest fan of beer, per se, but he can knock back a pint with the best of them, so long as he has something in his stomach first, and the pretzels and beer cheese The Addison makes are his favorite. The thought of them make his stomach growl.

Is it Georgie? No. He has a lot of strong feelings for Georgie, feels comfortable being himself around her. He drops his stuffy academic persona and can be his regular, less-stuffy-but-still-academic self, the one who speaks to her flatmate’s cat in a higher-pitched voice but still with proper Queen’s English, because “they deserve to be treated with respect, don’t you Madame?” She cares about him, too, he knows that, and he’s enjoyed their months as friends and the past few weeks they’ve been a couple.

As a couple…He feels a twinge of anxiety in his chest that makes him flap his hands instinctively, a quick stim to ward off the impending doom building in his belly. Ah. Found it. He and Georgie have only gone on a few dates: a coffeeshop on a Saturday morning, and a movie night in Georgie’s flat, an evening which had been planned to be a movie marathon of Georgie’s favorite bad horror movies, the B and C rated films that were truly just a vehicle for half-naked women sprinting down alleyways and gratuitous fake blood effects. Any excuse for them to laugh over popcorn and predict the plot points, except Jon had fallen asleep partway through the second movie and had woken up the next morning on Georgie’s couch, a worn fleece blanket over his slumped form. But this? This was a proper night-time date, involving alcohol and a walk home and, Jon was sure, a “mind if I come in?” and it would be different because it wasn’t a friend he was talking to, it was his girlfriend and there were expectations and he was a virgin and didn’t want to disappoint her because he knows Georgie is experienced and she deserves to have a good time and it’s his responsibility as a boyfriend to do that, even if he’s terrified because he hasn’t before—

Woah. Jon takes a deep breath. That was a lot. He did a full Sims, as Georgie would say, letting things snowball in his head until he explodes. He closes his eyes, wringing his hands again, just a gentle flutter at his sides. It’ll be fine. She’ll understand. She has up to now. Georgie has understood his weird studying habits, his deep aversion to spiders, his need to be early everywhere, his sudden shutdowns and stimming habits and how he loves to be held and touched. She can certainly handle him being a nervous virgin.

Jon slips a condom in his wallet and then, hesitating, tears off two more and throws them in. In case he messes up the first time. Checking his watch, he sees its quarter to eight. If he leaves now he’ll only be five minutes early. Perfect.

--

The Addison is a healthy dose of busy on a Thursday night in late autumn, the hum of conversation and music floating over Jon is just the right amount of chaos for him to reach equilibrium, feeling enthused by his nervous energy. He’s sitting at the bartop, spinning the cap to his beer bottle, watching it whirl, whirl, whirl, clattering on the stained wood and spinning all the while. It’s entrancing.

Georgie is speaking to him now. She smiles warmly at him and feels his stomach flip. God, she’s gorgeous when she smiles. Her hair’s in braids this month, pink and orange weaved tightly together, contrasting with the tight black turtleneck dress she wears. He catches himself staring at her profile, the planes of her face animated as she tells him a story about her professor and his alleged vow to fail her this semester. His face is warm. See, he soothes himself, you are attracted to her. You’re just nervous.

“Jon. Jon?” Georgie’s eyebrow is quirked up and she’s smirking at him, like she’s caught him in a lie. “Everything alright? You’re staring.” Jon feels another rush of blood to his cheeks, prickling at how exposed he feels to have been caught up in his thoughts about her.

“Oh-uh, yeah,” he nods, hesitating before reforming his own features into a smile. “I-I was just thinking. Well. How nice you look tonight.” Georgie isn’t immune to compliments, he knows this for certain, and its reaffirmed as she ducks her own head briefly, smile shifting from teasing to soft.

“O-Oh. Thank you, Jon.” She sips her drink, preferring something a little harder than Jon’s beer, usually a vodka cranberry she can nurse throughout a night or throw back when she needs a little something more in her bloodstream, fogging her mind. “You look really nice too, you know. Your green shirt is my favorite.” She gestures to the button up and he nods absently, glancing down at it. When he looks up, her face is close to his, hand weaving into the curls by his ear. He sighs and leans into the touch, feeling a shiver run through him when they kiss. He tastes the cranberry on her lips, vodka on her tongue, her liquid courage enthusing him as well as her (not that she needs any excuse to be bold, really), and makes a choice.

When they pull away for air, he grins wildly at her, the face he makes when he knows he’s about to a very Not-Sims thing. When the bartender makes his rounds again, a pale man in a black button-down, Jon orders his own ruby-red drink. Georgie’s eyebrows meet her hairline as he does so, folding her hands together. “Who are you and what have you done with Jonathan Sims?” The chuckle behind her voice balances the sternness of her words. He just grins at her and takes a sip of his newly-acquired vodka and cranberry juice, the dry flavors curling on his tongue and making his head feel light and warm after even half the glass.  

-

Jon is drunk. It doesn’t take a genius to see that. He knows he’s a lightweight and even the divine soft pretzels he’s been munching on since his arrival can only handle so much. He’s finished his second hard drink on top of the beer and is feeling properly light and airy. Like a cake, he giggles to himself. He’s having fun, chatting with Georgie about life and cats and uni and their plans for the future. Jon’s entertaining a couple of options, a few research jobs in London, and Georgie is poking his side, making him laugh as she teases him about his studying skills being useful for something more than exams.

“At least I have studying skills!” He says, pushing her off his side, linking their fingers together to inhibit her from poking him again. “You can’t ride my coattails forever, you know.”

“I won’t have to! It came in today.”

“What did?” His thoughts are clouded, edges of anxiety smoothed over into something more ignorable.

“My microphone! So I can start my podcast about spooky shit, remember?” Georgie squeezes his hand and finishes her own drink, far along as Jon in liquid consumed but not nearly as affected as he is. “I’m going to uncover the world’s mysteries and teach my faithful audience about the supernatural. I’ve got the title nailed down, too.” With her free hand she paints a banner in the air. “What the Ghost. ‘Cause it’s like ‘what the fuck’ and I can talk about all sorts of weird shit.” Georgie swears a lot, and more when she’s tipsy.

“Can I see it?” The words are out of his mouth before he can think them through. “The-the microphone, can I see it?”

Her eyes widen and she nods, “Oh, yeah of course! I haven’t been able to test it out yet, so maybe you can help me.”

Jon insists on paying. So does Georgie. They resign to splitting it, each vowing to pay next time and knowing they will never outsmart each other.

-

Jon doesn’t realize how drunk he is until he’s walking the five minutes to Georgie’s flat. Tucked into her side, the air is cool around his face, the wind an icy hand cupping his cheek. Everything feels smeary, liquid, warm. Hands in the pocket of the peacoat he knows he bought for the aesthetic and not to keep him warm, he fingers his wallet, feels the circular outline inside, and feels…nothing. Good. He can do this.

He’s always loved Georgie’s flat. It is warm, all orange and yellow lamplight, houseplants, and a cosy cluttered look. Her roommate exists only in residuals, the sneakers she leaves by the door and the dishes she does at odd hours more proof she exists than anything like conversation. Jon respects that. Georgie’s room is a lot like the rest of the flat, which means it’s a lot like Georgie herself. Warm, dark, soft, and scattered, with hidden elements of cat hair no matter how many times she cleans. Jon throws his coat over his desk chair and collapses onto her bed, reveling in how her pillows feel under his back. He takes a moment to greet the weird smile-faced stain on her ceiling before sitting up, watching Georgie fold herself next to him and open a carboard box, taking out a chunky black microphone with a USB cable. She brandishes it like a sword, before angling it to her face.

“This is BBC 4 with breaking news,” she intones into the microphone, putting on a crisp RP accent and lowering her voice an octave. “Ghosts and ghouls have been discovered at King’s College, Oxford, residing as university professors. News anchor Jonathan Sims has the story. Sims?”

Jon presses back his giggles and leans into the character, accent already pretty close to the posh voice she puts on. “There’s been an error, actually. They’ve been the students all along. Journalism student Porgie Parker has been found out to have been a ghost. These discoveries were made after her boyfriend, English Literature student…Bonathan Bims, realized she had never picked up a textbook because she couldn’t! Her hands went right through them!” By the time he’s gotten to the word textbook, Georgie has pounced on him, microphone forgotten as she wrestles him to the bed, alternating between poking and tickling him until he lets the bit trail off, voice a mix of giggles and pleas for her to stop.

When she lets off, Jon abruptly realizes the intimacy of their position. She’s straddling him, her hands pinning his wrists to the plush pillow behind his head. They’re both breathing hard, cheeks flushed, and smiling.

Jon isn’t sure who started the kiss, but it doesn’t really matter. His arms are wrapped around Georgie’s neck and her hands are cupping his face, cool to the touch, nails lightly scratching his jawline. The bed is soft and Georgie is warm, pressing in from all sides, and it feels good. This he likes.

She kisses along his jawline and he feels heart rate pickup, flexing his hands (when did he curl them into fists?) as she presses against his neck. He wishes vaguely she’d put her hands back in his hair, he likes that soft feeling of pressure on his scalp. The smile on the ceiling is smirking at him now, the curve of the water stain looking more vicious than it had earlier.

Her hands are on his chest, she’s unbuttoning his shirt. Her hands feel too cold now, the shiver running through him one of anxiety, not desire, and Jon is sitting up before he knows what he’s doing. Fuck. Georgie, the saint, backs off him and kneels beside him on the bed. Jon’s hands flit to the undone buttons, fingertips circling them, suddenly unsure what to do.

“Are you okay, Jon?” Georgie’s voice is softer, eyes searching his face as she wedges her hands underneath her knees. He watches her wrists, the swing of her braids as she cocks her head, anything to avoid her eyes.

“I-” he gestures to her vaguely. “Y-You know I haven’t before, right?”

“Oh. Oh.” Georgie nods, understanding maybe a little better than he expected. “No offense, but I kinda figured, Jon. Not in a bad way!” She backpedals. “I just figured, you know, there’s no rush.”

“I mean, there’s a little of a rush,” he admonishes under his breath. At her hum of confusion: “You know, the whole-” he gestures again, as if he could pluck the word from the air. “-third date…thing.”

“Jon,” Georgie sighs his name, voice soft and so patient, a voice he doesn’t think he’s heard used anywhere else. “There’s no rule saying what we have to do when. Or how. Or ever, for that matter. It’s no one’s business what we do except ours.” She reaches out a hand, waiting for a slight nod, before taking his thin hands in her own. “Is that why you drank more than usual today?”

Jon nods, feeling a sag of relief spread throughout his body. “I just- I want to make you happy.”

“You do make me happy, you twit. That’s why we’re friends and it’s why I’m dating you.” She presses a kiss to his knuckles. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t need sex to be happy. Is it fun? Yes. But not necessary.”

Jon frowns, chewing on his lip and eyeing the window of her bedroom, tracing the rectangle with his eyes over and over again. “I-hmm.” Georgie watches him search for words; she knows how he ticks well enough to know they’re coming if she waits. “What if, hypothetically, I never had sex with you? Ever.”

“Well,” she gave his hands a light squeeze. “Hypothetically, I’d be totally okay with it, though I’d ask if you were asexual and make sure we had appropriate boundaries.”

“Huh?” The word draws him back to her face, the deep brown eyes that search his own. “Asexual. Like, no sex?” She nods, again, ever-patient. “Huh. Asexual.” He drops the pretense. “Maybe.”

Asexual. The word felt good as he rolled it around in his mouth. He traced the letters with his fingertips in cursive against his thigh as Georgie let go of him, rolling off her bed to pull on sweatpants and a t shirt instead of the dress she was wearing 

“Let’s look into it, if you want. Together.” Georgie grins at him now, rye and warm. “I will have to ask you if want hypothetical crisps, because I’m hypothetically fucking starving.”

[blankdblank]

Poke Pt 5 - Graduation

…

Names bled on and on in the coliseum shaped event center where your ceremony was being held after having giggled your way through the excited hugs and chatter of your adopted brother who now sat filming from his seat still smiling. Underneath the crimson robe and silver sash you had settled on a black sleeveless blouse with a floppy ribbon bow in the front that bled to blush to match the dress slacks you had on that bled from black at the waist to blush on your hips and hung in circles around your nude colored wedges entirely.

Speeches from the school officials had already been given and more than a few glances at the small barrel beside the podium were stolen until with diploma in hand after everyone else had accepted theirs you listened to Cindy give her speech as Salutatorian. Waiting off to the side of the stage once you tied the ponytail of your curls not held in the braids down the sides of your head to help heel them in control.

Tucked in your trembling hands pressed to the front of your legs was the diploma and framed plaque stating that you had been granted one of the six offered scholarships matched by the medal on the ribbon around your neck. You wanted your mask and with a glance at Eddie you couldn’t help but grin and giggle to yourself at the weird face he made your way even with view of the anxious and curious Avengers who sat to the side of the three teenagers who sat whispering about the project with phones ready to film the demonstration.

Cindy stepped aside and gave you a comforting grin tapping her finger on the mug rested on the podium you had almost lost three times in the back halls before the walk out to take your seats. Up to the podium the Dean walked with a smile stating, “Thank you Cindy. And now our Valedictorian, Pluto Pear has not just a speech but a demonstration of a project she has been perfecting in the final semester of her time here at Midtown. And we are so proud to say she chose our school to attend after immigrating to the United States from her studies in Sweden and Russia.”

He smiled your way in his step aside to his own seat after another glance at the barrel on your step forward to the round of cheers and excited whistles. Forcing out a grin you said, “I think the one thing that my teachers can agree on is that I tend to ramble when not on a crisp outline, so when I was told I was expected to come up with a speech things got a bit on a tangent. I went from about five sheets of torn up ideas of motivational things to try and say obviously my mind went to what we could aspire to do, which I am halfway anticipating myself to end up with a fancy hat shop in the end thanks to my indecisiveness on which way I’m going.”

Chuckles rippled through your classmates and you said, “Which had my mind wander naturally as it was Christmas time talks of Howard Stark and his son both personally flying in the big tree for the lighting ceremony easing the usual transportation nightmare we’ve faced for now on half a century. And I came up with these.” You said lifting the rings that had been laid on the top of the barrels lid after settling your diploma and framed plaque on the podium.

Eyes scanned over the rather unimpressive rings that with a shift of the camera across the monitors that closed in on your upper body and the rings allowing Tony to use his enhanced glasses to try and analyze the rings himself from his seat that from the distance he got confused at the lack of known metal in them. “There’s big money and hassle in transportation of agriculture and if we could just get the plant from the ground to the location it’s going to be planted in.” Your eyes dropped from the crowd to the rings and the handheld calculator like controller you pulled from your pocket that had the matte grey rings of sideways laying circles that upon its green glow inside they now took spiral shapes in their rotation around the charged reaction almost like a double helix from a distance. The colors soon rippling to a spectrum of colors enough to fill out a pastel rainbow, the reaction that had Loki mutter in Ancient Asgardian, “Thor, I may be incorrect in my assumption-,”

Thor in awe replied, “That’s a rainbow portal. She’s tapped Yggdrasil.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd while you were watched using your fingertips to expand the rings to about two feet around. And in a couple waves of the controller one ring floated a couple feet off the ground next to you on one side of the podium and the other above your head on your right a few feet away. The mug with cow patterns on it was lifted and you said, “I started with a couple mugs, which are now broken, but I finally got the field right for the exit.”

From your palm the mug flipped at the fling of your hand to spiral in its drop to fall through the hoop that sparked up and was mirrored by the beam of rainbow light that shone out the other ring aimed at the ground the mug fell through to hover a couple feet from the ground. Tight and sharp MJ’s hand gripped Peter’s sleeve shaking his open mouthed self as she squeaked out, “She did it! Beam me up Scotty, right there!”

Ned open mouthed said, “Someone from our school built a teleporter. This is beyond cool!” his comments died to excited comments from the entire crowd.

In their silence you said after fetching the mug, “Which, it’s a mug. Where’s the fun in that? I forgot to bring my daisies for a living example, so-,” Shrieks of excitement and gasps came in a surge of people to their feet watching your spring over the ring that expanded to morph around your body which vanished in a poof of your gown and lift of your cap from your stubborn curls fighting it all day.

You appeared first, expected but shockingly so at the same time, to fall from the ring on the other side. Awkwardly to one knee you forced the landing, as if you couldn’t naturally stick it and the place erupted as Tony stood open mouthed still recording your downward gaze and muffled giggles at the response to the project. To your side the cap dropped to a hover and was grabbed by you and put on again. When your eyes rose out of the beam you stepped and rose up again to fetch the controller that in the spark of the ring you had leapt into had it hover to be lowered into the barrel of salt to douse the reaction. “And that’s what the salt is for.”

To your side the second ring hovered and began to spark while being lowered in the barrel you added the lid to again and said after another giggle when the crowd had silenced again. “So this year aliens fell from the sky, none of us really know what to do with that news and I might end up with nothing more than a fancy hat shop to my name when I earn my headstone, but who knows where we’ll be. Because that’s all we really have in the end, the limits we set for ourselves for the stance of impossible. Thank you so very much for working with my randomness all of these years I will never forget the impression each and every one of you have made upon the school and my experience in it.” You gave the cheering crowd an anxious wave and lifted the diploma, plaque and mug you set on the barrel you hoisted up to your hip and smiled at the still awe struck Dean and staff on your way to your seat to sit partially hiding behind your barrel.

Pats and excited hugs came from the students around you in the rain of graduation caps all the way back to the back halls you went and waded through a barrage of requests for pictures out to the front hall. There both the Princes smiled proudly as Eddie scooped you and your barrel up in a tight hug the teens followed with their own hugs between questions and excited chatter.

“Let’s feed you!” Eddie said and out to the front entrance where the cars Tony had ordered were filled to take you to the high end eatery that took up the whole floor of a hotel. A place Tony assured your brother was open to ‘substitutions’ on the menu after his having heard from Peter about your troubles on school trips and places to eat before.

“You can leave the barrel over there.” He said gesturing to an empty table where you also left the robe, sash and the medal you removed to hang over one of the chairs. With a free swipe of his phone Tony read the results of the scan he took of the contents, namely the ring and asked, “That wasn’t electricity, and, the barrel is giving off oxygen. How’d you do it?”

“There’s stronger forces on the planet than electricity.”

“It’s not radioactive, and it’s in a barrel so solar and wind is out.”

Thor said, “Shieldmaiden Pear has tapped into the strength of Yggdrasil.”

Tony looked at you saying, “Eggs, you powered the rings with eggs?”

Loki said in his glide of your chair out to usher you away from the nosy scientist in the politest of ways. “Yggdrasil is the tree that joins the nine realms.”

“Photosynthesis is far more powerful than people give it credit.” Crossing to his side you lowered to ease onto the chair the Prince slid in closer to the table at Eddie’s side then Loki strolled around the table to claim his own seat across from yours.

“Flower power, and here I thought we were getting somewhere intelligent.”

Loki says, “You should listen to her. She’s the first mortal to have grasped the concept of harnessing that power source or even recognizing it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t be ridiculous. Flowers?” Stark said taking his own seat while the others took theirs and Peter stole a glance at his friends who settled on your other side past him.

“People plant sunflowers and mushrooms in radioactive zones to neutralize the radiation. People never knew electricity existed for a huge chunk of our history, they used to drink radium before they realized how potent and dangerous it was. Mint and blackberry plants can take over civilizations if not kept in check. You have no idea what power you water in those tiny bright colored pots on your windowsill. You harness that you can change the world in a way that can’t be governed or restricted or hoarded to be used against your enemies. Countries keep drilling for energy when all they need is to just think outside of the box. It’s so much more than Mother Nature at work here. Every seed knows what to do, how?”

He shakes his head, “In their DNA I would assume. Same as us.”

“And like us we have a power center. Our brains. Theirs is just smaller. This whole planet down to its molten core is alive.”

MJ said, “Just like that DR Who episode with the flying space whale.”

“Exactly. We need to stop electrocuting the Pilot of this ship and let it take us to where we’re going.”

Loki, “Finally, someone brilliant on this planet. Only took six thousand years.”

“You know people aren’t going to believe you right?” Banner said in a reach for the wine glass of water left on the table in front of him.

“Oh they will. And they’ll start burning the planet down to make sure they keep control. Because there’s nothing more dangerous in the history of our race than a human who feels like they are close to being powerless. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Tony looked you over with a purse of his lips for a moment. “They’ll believe me. Then like so many brilliant minds before me one day I’ll just be gone, or discredited and branded as deranged.”

Bruce asked, “So how does some mystical tree link to those rings?”

Thor chuckled, “The rings are a Rainbow Portal similar to our Bifrost transportation system.”

Tony asked as the waiter offered out the menus to each of you, “She can go to other planets with those rings?”

“They only work about a mile apart right now.” You said lowering your eyes to the menu your fingers blindly flipped open.

Thor, “Mainly due to the current setting I would wager. However it would merely be a matter of linking the system to one of our gateways and the distance could be heightened exponentially.”

Tony said, “But she could go to another planet?”

Bruce asked, “And you came up with that from a giant Christmas tree?”

“More or less.”

Tony, “How?”

“Not saying, or selling it. Not to who will have access to it through you.”

“Ah,” he said and gave a nod, “Very bold statement.”

MJ said, “She’s got a point. You help the government who will want to use it, next thing we know another Hiroshima happens without any alarm system to warn the targets.”

Tony scoffed and Eddie said, “No shortage of History proving that logical response,” he looked to the Princes asking, “They ask you about the Bifrost yet and how it works?”

Thor, “We refused to grant access. The planet is not prepared for this technology.”

Bruce teased, “And yet a child figured it out.”

Loki said, “Yggdrasil trusts very few gatekeepers. Were anyone to steal the technology from Miss Pear they would find them uncooperative, and that mile limit is the stretch between root channels where the power is the strongest.”

Bruce, “So the tree won’t let anyone else use the rings?”

“Not a soul,” Thor said.

And Tony asked, “Why her?”

Loki answered, “She listens. Clearly.”

Tony looked to you as Bucky said, “You must really love plants, build that to just move them.”

Peter said, “You know there are Mother trees, who adopt whole forests of smaller trees. And their roots can stretch and tangle for miles around the trunks. Trees share nutrients and food they get from sunlight even if they grow in the shade of taller trees. They talk and help each other.” Everyone looked at him and he said, “If people were like trees we’d be living in Eden. We have to protect the trees, and if we can move them safer, could help everyone.”

Bucky asked you, “So you’re going to study plants?”

“Among other things. Did you go to school, internet says Steve went to Art School?”

“I was actually in study to be a real estate agent. Which seemed to be a good way to earn some scratch back then.”

“You gonna pick it up again? I’m sure the team could help you find something to sell. After all they have the Captain in propaganda infomercials for our school to try and compel us to be our better selves.”

Steve glanced away out of embarrassment as Ned and MJ started parroting their favorite clips back to him that had Bucky smirk and eager to hear more on what his friend had been up to for a living while they were apart.

Steve asked, “You have a job for school?”

“I usually keep four during summers and two part time jobs the rest of the year.”

Bruce said, “Can’t imagine the scholarship will help much. What did you get?”

“Ten grand. It’ll help me pay for the rest of my Bachelor’s Degrees, and maybe half of one class into my bigger degrees.”

Tony said, “So I would assume you would be in need of a paid internship then? With a certain intelligent entrepreneur who has a lab at his disposal.”

“I think I might not be the person you would want to hire. I rarely share my ideas and tend to change designs of others to improve upon them.”

Tony, “And how would you improve upon my super suit, for example?”

“I would certainly reverse the audio pulses it emits into your body and those around you.”

“My suit doesn’t give off pulses. I’ve tested it.” He replied and you nodded turning the page in the menu after you had given your drink order to the waiter. His eyes scanned over you and he asked, “How did you test that theory of yours?”

“You aren’t very good at keeping your suit to yourself if you didn’t want other people scanning it. Even videos on YouTube show the signs.”

Bruce said, “The other guy doesn’t like being near your suit very long, could be something there.”

The delivery of drinks had their argument over what it could be stop as he noticed Eddie’s hushed conversation with you and pat of his hand on your hand rested on top of your lap. The motion had Tony’s eyes linger on you while you gave a brow twitching butcher of the Chef’s favorite dish to fit your own preference that had enough of a reaction to cause the Princes to do the same and see how obedient the Chef would be to Stark’s paycheck. And when you were alone in the room again he said, “I suppose now would be as good a time as any. You now have 50 grand to go to your schooling.”

“I’m not selling you anything and I have enough jobs to fund my way.”

“You would prefer to struggle your way through years of debt and then be lost to the abyss of not having a job and applying to the few locations possible?”

“Your grandfather worked a fruit stand and his wife worked in a shirt factory when they came to this country.” That had Steve and Bucky glance between you, “I’m gonna carve my own future. I’ll be fine. Builds character. Thank you though. I know you won’t miss it but all the same, no thank you.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he scoffed, “You obviously don’t know the worth of even a grand.”

“Coming from the Billionaire who could change the lives of everyone in this country and still have ample funds to retire on above Middle Class, you’re the one who doesn’t know what it would mean to someone who needs $20 to make it to Friday. I can work, I have some savings. Put your money where it can be useful to someone who doesn’t.”

“And who says it won’t be useful with you?”

“Who says I won’t just donate it to underprivileged schools to tide some teachers over when their checks are bound to be cut yet again thanks to that new bill Senate is pushing?”

“Who says I haven’t already donated to teacher salaries before?”

“There would be more schools named after you if you had. Big name like yours pays attention to the little people suddenly everyone cares, for a few minutes at least.”

“You don’t want some of that attention?” He asked and you shook your head. “You gave that presentation.”

“I’d have flunked an exam if I would have known I’d have to give a speech at all to run in third.” Making Bruce chuckle at the shared hatred of public speaking.

Thor broke the stalemate and asked, “Shieldmaiden Pear, which one of your parents does your brother resemble most?”

Eddie smirked and laid his hand across your lap and smiled when your hands settled around his forearm when he said, “I’m adopted. Found this one in the park, some assholes had roughed her up. Took her home and patched her up, never could get shaken free.”

Steve asked, “They catch the guys who did it?”

Eddie said, “Venom ate them. Got caught in a trap at the wrong time.”

Loki drew your eyes to him when he said, “Yes, the Symbiote. Known to be quite fond of children, and it is no bit of chance that him and that Misique character have grown close. Only way to find peace with their race is to allow them to find a host and then form a familial bond. Otherwise they decimate the population of the planet they are dropped on.”

Natasha asked, “Venom’s an alien?”

Bruce, “Symbiote? Like a parasite?”

Thor, “No more a parasite then your Hulk. Mutually protective entities who share the same physical space.”

Steve, “Alien, and he’s been here for years. How many more of him are there?”

Ned, “No wonder Misique was so skilled in taking the bad aliens down.”

Across the table in the flurry of chatter while you sat quiet a glance at the brothers was stolen. The blonde who gave you a puffy cheeked smile and Loki, who mid answer to Bucky shifted his gaze to follow the source of the gaze and looked over your face when you finished chewing your bite and lifted your glass of raspberry tea. A couple bites later and he looked again when the chair across from him was empty and Natasha took the chance to slip out behind you.

On the other side of the incredibly upscale stall she turned at the sound of your steps to the sink beside hers with a smile. “Impressive job today. And for the record I am proud of your want to build yourself up. Not easy, I’ve been there more than once. Plus you aren’t wrong, those rings out of your control would only spell disaster.”

You smirked through washing your hands and you asked, “How likely am I to end up with a check shoved into my pocket when I leave?”

“Fairly likely. Maybe not in your pocket, you impressed him. No matter what he says.”

Back to your seat you went and continued listening until it was time to gather your things and head for the car that Tony opened the door to saying, “You should take the money. Change your mind let me know. And we’ll get you as many degrees as you like.”

Loki said in his turn to say farewell after his brother had, “Celebrate today. You gave a fine demonstration to the other mortals and have discovered things far beyond their capabilities. Continue your research.”

“Thank you. And I know it was a bit of a lengthy ceremony.”

Thor chuckled teasing, “Clearly you are ignorant of the monotony of Asgardian Royal processions which can take up to half a day on occasion.”

“Not sure how I’d be anything but ignorant on anything royal. This planet or otherwise. Enjoy your day hope it turns out magnificent, Your Majesties. I’ll be off to take my barrel of salt home.”

They chuckled and nodded their heads to Eddie in his dip into the car behind you, eager to get you home and celebrate on your own. Off to the side however Tony asked Peter, “What was that with the tree bit at the table?”

Peter answered, “Bumble told me. We watched Prom night drives home together.”

“Pete, don’t go down that path.” He sighed and Rhodey stepped closer with the others.

Rhodey asked, “What else she say?”

Peter, “Said she’s been looking in to SHIELD, said there’s spies,” that had faces drop and he continued, “She’s got PTSD. When she moved here what happened to her parents, she saw stories in the press about people hurting kids and she started having flashbacks.”

Natasha said, “She did say she was in therapy now.”

Steve asked Rhodey, “What’s PTSD?” quietly to not interrupt the teen.

Peter said, “She’s not a bad person, she’s just healing from some very bad stuff. And she’s trying to help people, maybe not the government, but the people.”

Tony said, “And just why hasn’t she said anything about that to me then?”

Reluctantly the teen said, “She said you haven’t been hurt by the system yet and you still trust it.”

Tony said, “So I trust the system and there’s spies in the organization that’s defending our country and possibly world. Sure, let’s distrust that.”

Bucky said, “If I wanted to bring down SHIELD I know where I’d get hired.”

And Peter said, “Hey, that’s what she said too.” He looked to the car that MJ called out from and he said, “Just give her a chance, she just needs some friends. Helped to save the world. Could be great for the team.”

Tony sighed and said to himself, “That would be useful, if she could be a team player.”

Pt 6

All –

@sherala007​, @mariannetora​​, @jesgisborne​, @knitastically​, @catthefearless​​, @theincaprincess​, ggbbhehe4455, @lilith15000​​, @alishlieb​​,

Not nsfw(smut) - @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore​

X Loki - @pastelhexmaniac

[link4eva]

Kiro’s Satisfaction Date Translation (完满之约) [CN] Part 1/2

Hey, everyone! I have a couple of short but important notes to give before reading.

I don’t actually know any Chinese so this translation was done through the power of Google Translate.

This translation contains spoilers for Kiro’s 2021 Birthday Date in the CN server. So if you wish to not be spoiled, please don’t look below the cut. There is a R&S to go along with this date which has been translated by the lovely @keliosyfan​ . I’ll put the link to it here! I definitely recommend reading that first before reading this date.

I tried posting this date earlier but Tumblr doesn’t seem like it can handle all the Kiro goodness in one go. So, this date is split into two parts to try and manage that. You can find the second part here! The call that comes with this date can be found here!

Hope you enjoy!~

*Spoliers for future content below!*

The melodious violin sound filled the lecture hall.

Kiro closed his eyes and the tip of his left finger pulsed gently on the strings of the violin, pulling out beautiful notes.

I stood behind the cameras in the last row of the lecture hall. As I was looking at him through the camera, I couldn’t pull my gaze away.

Kiro’s birthday was finally here, but this year, it is a bit more special.

He was invited by his high school alma mater to come to California for a special performance on his birthday.

And this also happened to be the site of Kiro’s special live birthday broadcast.

Kiro: I am very happy to be back today. I know that you must be very sleepy listening to the song just now, so….  

Kiro raised the corners of his mouth, turned his head back and nodded slightly to the pianist on the side, and then lightly plucked the strings with his right hand; a crisp echo coming through.

Kiro: Let’s be happy. 

The brisk piano sounded, and “Canon” flew in through everyone’s ears between Kiro’s fingertips and the plucked strings.

The students sitting in the lecture hall opened their eyes wide; it was almost as if the notes were like tiny birds flying around in the soft sunlight. *Took some liberty here.*

But this was just the beginning.

Whether it is “Caprice 24”, “Carmen Fantasia”, and other classical pieces, or adaptations of popular songs--

They were all under the influence of Kiro’s fingertips, full of vitality.

It seems that the light of the entire world is focused on him at this very moment, bright and dazzling.

The last piece performed seemed to be a little different from the ones previously. Kiro looked a little cautious. He looked at me from a distance and a smile slowly appeared on his face.

Kiro: The last piece is one that is special to me. It’s a bit rusty as I haven’t played it for many years. 

Kiro: I hope you don’t mind.

He raised the bow, quietly stood still for a few seconds, and then began to play the first few notes.

The tune of this piece is very slow. It seems a bit lonely without the piano accompaniment.

Perhaps no one knows the meaning of this song except for Kiro. We are all his sharers, listening to him tell a story with only a melody.

Listening to this piece, I quietly looked at Kiro’s face and thought of the gift I had prepared for him. I fell into deep thought.

Soon, the piece was over.

Kiro bowed very formally and finally sat on the edge of the stage amidst the applause with his legs swinging in the air, holding the violin and looking at the audience in front.

Kiro: In fact, your principal invited me to come, hoping that I would tell you about my experience and give some advice.

Kiro: But I think you guys don’t want to listen to all that! After all, when I was a kid, I didn’t really like listening to other people’s suggestions. 

In the end, his mumbling was infinitely amplified by the microphone, and the students sitting below laughed together.

Kiro: It’s everyone’s first time coming to this world. Just be happy and be yourself. 

Kiro: I never felt that I was such a special person. Although, everyone would laugh at me when I said this.

Kiro: But I always think, I just have the most love and precious things in my life for me.

He lowered his head and looked at the violin in his arms then hummed a song and looked up in the direction where I was.

Kiro’s whole body seemed to be bathed in the sun, and his smiling eyes met mine.

Kiro: I don’t know if you have encountered it.

Kiro: For me, it has always been with me in countless moments of silence. 

Kiro: It illuminates me and gives me the courage to keep going forward. *Took some liberty here.*

Kiro sat there quietly, peacefully, and sincerely.

Kiro: Today is my birthday. Thank you for your blessings. I also want to share this blessing with you.

Kiro: I wish you all find what you love the most, and stay true to yourselves.

Kiro: I wish that you will always be yourself.

[Second Part]

Kiro: MC, how did I do just now!

After making sure that the students had left, Kiro jumped off the stage and rushed to me.

The bangs on his forehead were drenched with sweat and they stuck together, revealing those bright and beautiful blue eyes.

MC: It can only be said that it is better than the best. As expected of Kiro! 

After hearing my compliment, his eyes curved with a smile like a bear eating honey. He wiped the corners of his mouth with satisfaction.

Savin contacted the school club week, filming and other activities that Kiro participated in during this California trip.

I calculated Kiro’s limited time and pulled him into a corner.

MC: Happy birthday, Kiro!

Kiro: You wished me so early this year. And it also seems that you have something secret to show me.

MC: Actually, I did prepare some special birthday arrangements ahead of time.

MC: But after seeing your performance just now, I suddenly changed my mind.

Kiro was taken aback when he heard me and blinked in confusion.

MC: Last year, you used the treasure map to let us relive all the precious times together. (MC’s referencing Treasure Hunt Date which will be released April 6 on the ENG server)

MC: So now, I really want to ask what Kiro wants to do on his birthday today.

MC: This time I’ve come back to visit the school where you studied. Here are four years’ worth of your past and memories.

MC: Is there anything that Kiro did not realize at that time, or what Kiro wants to do here?

MC: I can help satisfy you. 

Kiro stood firmly in front of me with the bright light hooked onto his face, quietly showing the heedfulness and expectation in his eyes.

Kiro: ….Really?

MC: Of course! Today is your birthday, so naturally, you are the most important on your birthday!

MC: So, I will accompany you in whatever you want.

Kiro smiled.

He tiptoed backstage and took out his violin bag. After exchanging glances, we looked towards Savin and retreated towards the door.

As soon as he stepped out the door, Kiro took my hand and staggered out of the lecture hall.

(Cut to outside)

I didn’t know where Kiro was taking me. But as long as he is holding my hand, I am willing to accompany him wherever he goes.

Kiro ran ahead of me, turning his head back with a smile.

Kiro: Actually, when I first came to California, I was not used to many different things.

Kiro: So for my first birthday here, I was very impressed with all the choices. At that time, I had a lot of things I wanted to do. But in the end, I didn’t do them for various reasons. 

Kiro took my hand and pulled me around the corner across from the playground on the campus. He pushed away a tree branch that was casting a shadow and came to stand under a high wall at the edge of the school.

Kiro: First, I wanted to do this--

In my confused state, Kiro stretched out his right hand pretentiously and raised his palm in the air.

Kiro: Skip class. 

The air seemed to stand still for a few seconds. I looked at the high wall, then turned my gaze back to Kiro who was eager to try and couldn’t help laughing.

Kiro: Okay, I know it’s a little immature.

Kiro: When I was in class, the school was super strict. When I made a wish on my birthday, I had one wish in mind--

Kiro: “Ah! I really want to skip class.”

MC: Have all the big stars ever had this idea?

Kiro: Kiro was not a big star back then, and that big star was also an ordinary person. 

Kiro looked at the high wall with excitement, the scattered sunlight fell on him through the lush green leaves.

I seem to be able to see Kiro, who was 14-years-old, laying his head on the desk, looking at the sky.

The sky is so wide; it seems like you can go anywhere.

MC: It seems a bit difficult to climb but we can try.

I was about to try. Kiro had already stepped on the small holes of the wall, stretched out his arms methodically, and climbed onto the wall in the blink of an eye.

MC: ….?!

Kiro: Sure enough, it’s not as difficult as I had imagined. I will teach you! 

While talking, he jumped back down silently and came back to me.

He pointed to the hole in the wall and demonstrated it again in front of me.

Following his direction, I stepped swiftly on the wall like a clumsy gecko.

Kiro: Miss Chips, give me your hand.

I raised my head and habitually stretched out my hand in response. In the next second, I felt that I was being strongly pulled and I fell into a warm embrace.

MC: Why were you so scared of skipping class?

Kiro: This is just the beginning.

The distant school building faced Kiro’s back. He raised the corners of his mouth and winked his left eye at me.

I suddenly thought of myself; 14-year-old me and 14-year-old Kiro.

I’m in Loveland City and he is abroad in California.

I dozed off at my desk in the warm afternoon, and he was probably humming a gentle tune among the stars.

At that time, we hadn’t become adults and we were separated by a distant time; like two parallel lines that would never meet at all.

But these two lines seem to overlap at this moment.

Kiro: I’m ready to climb.

He whispered in my ear, and before I could react, he gently pulled me towards him and hugged me.

MC: Kiro! Kiro, you….! 

Kiro: In fact, I have imagined skipping class many times.

Kiro lowered his face and the sun was behind him. A golden outline was drawn on his body.

Kiro: But none of this is what it is today.

As he lightly pushed his foot, I couldn’t help but hug his neck tightly.

At that moment of flight, the whole world was silent, leaving only two intertwined heartbeats with similar rhythms to be heard.

Kiro: Sure enough, MC’s existence can revive my imagination. 

[Third Part]

Kiro: The next thing is-- 

In an empty fast food restaurant, Kiro bought two “actually real” meal sets and sat with me in front of the window facing the street.

Kiro: Eat junk food! 

MC: Pff, why are all the things you wanted to do so cute?

Kiro: It’s okay, just laugh if you want, hmph.

Kiro: Since I debuted, I hadn’t touched any junk food. Potato chips were the first things I had finally eaten when I first met you many years later.

MC: Well, what did you do when you were craving junk food?

Kiro: Restrain, hold back, pretend there was a gun to my head. *Translation came out a little weird here so I hope this is right.*

He muttered, opened his mouth and took a bite of the burger, and sighed particularly contentedly.

MC: Why don’t you restrain yourself now then? 

Kiro: It’s different now. 

He answered without hesitation and quickly finished the burger.

Kiro: Because you are here.

MC: Are you trying to say that I seduce you into committing food crimes? 

Kiro: That’s right!

MC: You!

Kiro: But of course it is more than that.

Kiro: Because you are here, it’s okay to indulge a bit. 

He propped his head with his right hand and looked at me sideways. A spot of light fell on his defined eyelashes like he had a secret full of mischief.

With a straw in his mouth, the soda gurgled. As it gurgled, it seemed to have filled my heart at the same time.

MC: Then I will help you sneak some more snacks in next time?

Kiro: Although that sounds very exciting, I still want to have more opportunities to be handsome in front of you.

Kiro: Compared with “snack-loving Kiro”, I’d rather you have “handsome Kiro” in your heart. 

He snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming.

Looking at him like this, I subconsciously followed along and laughed.

MC: Of course you are the most handsome Kiro in the world!

We were sitting in front of the shop window; I was eating a burger and Kiro was telling me about his time in California.

Some difficult lectures to sit through, baseball games he had to participate in, exquisite violin decorations, yellow balloons from children….

He traced the past for me, like an old movie that spans over a long period of time.

Under the immersion of time, with some nostalgia mixed in, the pictures in the memories appear more vivid and beautiful.

After leaving the restaurant, Kiro rented a car and waited on the side of the road. 

(Cut to the highway)

We are cruising along the highways of California and the endless highways spread to the distant sky; it was almost as if we could reach the edge of the sky.

I suddenly thought of a memory from when I first came to California a long time ago and Kiro seemed to think of the same memory as me.

Kiro: I have checked the car, again and again, this time. It will definitely not break down! (He’s referencing his Los Angeles Date which is a sweet and funny one. Definitely recommend. It’s been released on the ENG server already.)

MC: Are we going to Santa Monica this time?

He shook his head mysteriously at me and jingled some special keys in his hand.

Kiro: This time, I want to take my dazzling pearl to another dazzling place in my heart. 

The scenery along the highway was quickly left behind by us. It also seemed that the time that was always moving forward quickly and impossible to stop was left out of the scenery.

The tides rolled on the coast and the seabirds used their wings to draw a neat arc in the air, in the sea and the sky.

There is a boat anchored quietly by a small port beside a bay.

(Cut to beach)

After getting out of the car, Kiro took the girl by the hand and moved towards the coast. The sea breeze blew her hair gently. He had never felt that his heart had been so at ease.

Here, the excitement is like a flood. And with it is more peace of mind. *Translation came out wonky here.*

The girl stood in front of him, watching him quietly.

At that moment, he seemed to see the blossoming of his dreams.

Many years ago, he had seen himself on a stage amongst the stars.

And now, it is once again full of his entire world.

The third thing is--

He said softly in his heart.

Bring my favourite person in the world to my home in California.

I watched Kiro raise the corners of his mouth, the brilliant light fell into his smiling eyes, but he didn’t speak.

MC: Is coming here the third thing you wanted to do?

Kiro: Bingo! The third thing is-- 

Kiro: Come to this bay with you.

MC: Liar, you didn’t know me at the time, how could you think of coming with me?

Kiro: Of course it is because I reserved a place for you very early on.

MC: Then I am really honoured! Let me guess, this was your secret base in high school, right?

I looked at this “secret base expert” confidently, but he shook his head unexpectedly.

Kiro: This is my home. 

Here is Part 2! 

[hansolmates]

jjk; angel’s trumpet [08]

summary; one second, your life is flashing before your eyes and the next, you’re transported into a world exactly like your own. but the jungkook you meet in this world isn’t a renowned singer or your former almost-lover, in fact he has no clue who you are and why you know him so well. as you work to find your way home lost and confused, you conclude that you’re either dead or in the middle of the most wicked drug trip of your life. pairing; idol!jk x reader (f), alternatively film producer!jk x reader genre/warnings; fluff, angst, supernatural, idol!au, non-idol!au, alternate universes, themes of fate, language, alcohol consumption, in this chapter–mentions of sex, a panic attack w.c; 4.5k a/n; can’t believe there’s one more chapter after this! (+the bonus chapter!) its such a bittersweet feeling to close this all up so i hope u all join me in my w2!jk sobbing party im making matcha cookies rn so i can wallow

[07] [08] [final] -> masterpost

Jungkook’s worried. 

After he left your apartment, he dove himself into his work and tried to get you out of his head. Somehow he ended up from his living room table to his bed, bleary and with a pen jabbing him in the cheek. He doesn’t know how he feels right now, and has micro analyzed every bit of your relationship in between breaks.

He fell fast, and loving you (as much as it scares himself to admit) was so easy it hurt. It’s why it’s so hard for him to accept that you would betray him like that. What could he have possibly done to deserve this? If you had just admitted your issues from day one, this crisis could have easily been averted and you would be with him right now. 

But that’s not why he’s worried. Jungkook wakes up the following day around 10AM, noting the dozens of messages and unanswered phone calls from Jimin and Taehyung. 

According to Taehyung, you’ve been missing for three days. Off-the-grid type of missing, to the point that Taehyung is debating on whether or not he should call the police. 

The first day you didn’t come home, Taehyung chalked it up as you spending the night at Jungkook’s. The second day however, he visits the library where your office hours are held only to find your usual table empty and your students upset over your lack of contact. 

“Here,” Doyeon had said, pointing to the vague email you sent. Taehyung skimmed through the barebones message, mentioning that you had to take an indefinite leave and that the students can email Professor Kim Namjoon if they still had lingering questions. 

Taehyung notes the sincere apology at the bottom, and how you tack on that “you are a wonderful group of students and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.” 

Almost as if you aren’t planning to come back. 

He could hear Taehyung deflate on the line, knowing that Jungkook has no idea where you are either. 

“Did you…” Jungkook scratches his head, sitting at his kitchen table, “did you check her room for a yellow notebook?” 

“What?” Taehyung asks, “I checked her room yesterday. Y’know the weird thing is? Her room is clean, like clinically clean. There’s nothing on her desk, the sheets are washed, and her clothes are all folded and put away. Usually it’s like a whirlwind in here.” 

“Yeah,” Jungkook replies, remembering how your room is usually quite lived in, with warm sheets and a candle glowing. 

“Why aren’t you more stressed out, dude?” Taehyung says, and Jungkook instantly feels guilty. “Your girlfriend’s fucking missing, are you gonna get up and help or not?” 

“Y-yeah, I’m just a little shaken,” he manages to reply, thinking about how you tried to explain to him the other night. He pinches the bridge between his brows, regretting not letting you have your word when refusing to listen to you. Maybe if he heard it, things would have turned out differently.

Taehyung sighs, “Yeah, it’s a bit of a shock. She really isn’t like this normally, but I trust her. If you can, maybe contact Jung Hoseok? I already visited Kim Namjoon and he doesn’t know anything, but he’s the only friend I know that could have any idea.” 

Jung Hoseok. He remembers that name frequently in your notebook. Not as frequently as his, but enough to have a good idea he could be involved in your sudden departure. 

“Okay, I’ll visit him today.” 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

The tables that you usually occupy for study groups are painfully absent of your presence, noted by your stressed out students that are hoping you’ll show up unexpectedly. 

Thankfully, Hoseok is working today. Jungkook eyes him from the doorway of the playroom, seeing Hoseok carefully distribute plates of snacks as a movie plays on the flatscreen. He looks like a preschooler himself, decked out in a sunflower yellow bucket hat and denim suspenders. Jungkook tries to see if there’s anything strange emanating from Hoseok, like if he also has secrets to hide, but feels nothing of the sort.  

“You’re really creepy, Mister,” the door swings open to reveal a little girl, tugging impatiently at his cargos. 

Hoseok makes a face at Jungkook, rolling his eyes. “God, just come in. You’re scaring my children.” 

The little girl practically shoves him inside, forcing him to sit at the playtable on the very end. She then hands him a plate of cheddar Goldfish and strawberry fruit snacks, a toddler’s delicacy. Hoseok makes a show of telling the children to be quiet, focusing on the movie’s “historical elements” and “symbolic imagery” but they don’t understand any of that and just want Hoseok to move so they can watch Mulan. 

Jungkook feels like he’s being crushed in the too-small chair and Fisher-Price table, munching absentmindedly on his Goldfish. Hoseok is playing on his phone, not sparing him a glance as he texts someone. 

Jungkook swallows, wishing he had some milk to down the snack. “Uh, are you texting y/n?” 

“No,” Hoseok replies coolly. 

“Well, do you know where she is?” 

“I can tell you where she went,” Hoseok replies eerily, plucking a fruit snack from Jungkook’s place, “as to whether she’s still there or not, I’m not sure.” 

“I’m sorry, but are you mad at me?” he whisper-hisses, not wanting to disturb the children enamoured at the front of the room. He’s tired of the secrecy and blurry answers. 

“Yes, I am,” Hoseok snaps just as quietly, leaning in to get into his face, “I’m mad because I believed in you.” 

“Believed in me?” he gapes, “you don’t even know me!” 

“I may not, but I believed you’d trust y/n at least. She’s a victim too, y’know.” 

A victim? 

“Look,” Jungkook puts some space between them, afraid he would get too heated, “just tell me what’s going on so I can understand. I know I messed up, but I feel like I’ve been in the dark for God knows how long.”

Hoseok bites his lip, “It’s really not my story to tell. Y/n didn’t want to tell you right away because she wasn’t sure of the circumstances. She wasn’t sure even if she was supposed to tell you.” 

Jungkook watches the expressions morph on Hoseok’s face. He sees the faith in his gaze, as he holds his phone expectantly, as if he’s also waiting for a sign that you’re okay. Jungkook suppresses a sigh, looking at his own blank screen. Shaking his head, he manages to smile knowing that so many people believe in you.

So why can’t he? 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

You hate this. Three days ago you felt peachy keen, ready to transcend into your own universe and live your life to the fullest. 

Now three days later you’re sitting at the wine lady’s cottage, waiting for the past two days for her to show up. 

“How long does she need to go on this ‘spiritual retreat’?” you admonish, looking on angrily at the same waitress that has served you for the past two days. 

“I don’t know,” the waitress has grown tired of your presence, waiting all day in the little restaurant for the owner’s presence, “until she feels more spiritual, I guess?” 

It annoys you further that this waitress has the spitting image of Sehlyung. It’s weird to see her with natural pin straight black hair, always loving the pretty blond-white color and sacrificing her hair health for the bright hue. Every time she sees you still in the same spot, she makes it a point to roll her eyes and walk a little louder. This version of her is just as temperamental, unwilling to budge. 

You groan, shamelessly annoyed as you drop your head on your arm. “And are you sure there’s no angel’s wine in the bar? I’m willing to take the risk of switching lives with my third dimension-self at this rate.” 

The waitress eyes the one empty bottle of soju that decorate your side of the bar, chalking it up as a drunk episode. “No,” she says flatly, jerking her hand out. “Now, please pay and leave. We’re closing up, but I’ll give you a call if she decides to show up late. Since y’know, you’ve left your number here despite our protests.” 

“Can I stay until you’re at least done cleaning—” 

“No.” 

You narrow your eyes, snatching up your half-finished bottle of soju before tucking it in your purse and offering up your credit card in exchange. You know you’re not in the right mind, but you’re pulling at strings at this point and you don’t know what to do. 

After a couple paces of shaky walking and trying very hard not to appear tipsy in public, you plop yourself onto the beach, overlooking the shore. You place your backpack next to you, taking off your shoes and dipping your toes in the sand. 

You glare hard at the moon, despite the distance the big ball of extraterrestrial rock is bright and full. It reflects in the ocean and bathes you in it’s grace. 

Sighing at its beauty, you take a swig of your soju as your feet wade in the water. The touch of the ocean is glaringly cold, but your body feels warm and the contrast is appropriately jarring. You feel stuck between two worlds, your body in one while your heart is in the other, desperate to find the bridge to bring you home. 

What exactly was the goal in bringing you here? Did you need a break from your real life? Did fate want you to remedy your relationship with Jungkook? Were you supposed to rewrite the wrongs you committed in your other life? 

You snort, taking a long swig. It's easy to see how well that went. 

You miss your life back home. As much as you love the one your alternate self has made here, nothing compares to Sehlyung’s humor and dirty jokes. Nothing compares to the look on Beomgyu’s face after getting a sentence translation correct. Nothing compares to the way Jungkook looks for only you after a concert, desperate to give you a hug and an affirmation that he did well. 

Just as you are about to sing to the moon and beg for a reprieve, a body plops themselves next to you, snatching the bottle from your hands. 

“Y’know, normally when people run away, they leave a mysterious note.” 

You frown at Jungkook, who looks absolutely ethereal as he stares at the moon. He’s glittering in his denim jacket and black jeans, as if he’s part of an intimate moment in a slice-of-life film. You have half a mind to grab your phone and yell at Hoseok, but it’s far too late since your location has already been revealed. 

“What are you doing here?” you ask, trying not to snap when Jungkook pours the contents of your drink into the ocean. “Hey, I paid for that.” 

Ignoring you he says, “I’m here to take you home.” 

“I don’t have a home here,” you snap, and you mean it. 

Jungkook digs a hole for your bottle, letting the sea green grass sit in the sandhole. He turns to you, looking weary and worried. You try not to feel worried over the slump in his chest, or the way he looks like he ran a marathon to find you. 

“Then where is your home?” he asks gently, resting an arm over his knee and turning to face you. 

You curl up further into your body, hoping you’ll shrink if you press your legs close enough to your chest. “It’s not here,” you mumble into your knees. 

“Tell me where,” and you don’t shove him away when he puts his palm on your thigh, coaxing you out of your shell. “I’ll listen this time.” Deathly slow, you lift your head up, letting him catch your stray tears and spread your body with warmth. He scoots over to you, the rough sand making it difficult as he tries to wrap his arm around you. The both of you let out a breath, missing each other’s touch. “I’m sorry,” he says, the apologies melting into your temple, “I should’ve listened from the beginning, and been more patient. It’s my fault you’re all the way out here.” 

The oceans crash against both of your feet, the water eager to swallow you whole. 

“Two months ago I got into a fight with you, the other you,” you start, and Jungkook doesn’t budge, and you’re thankful he doesn’t attempt to bombard you with questions, “it wasn’t a stupid fight. It was something building for a long, long time. And I came home drunk. One second, I was two seconds away from being sideswept by an incoming truck, and the next second it’s daytime and it’s you that nearly runs me over.” 

He rubs small circles into your shoulder, and you almost hum at his touch. You miss Jungkook so much. 

“The Jungkook I’ve told you about isn’t dead,” you explain, “he’s—and I’m, we’re from another universe.” 

And between you, Jungkook, and the moon you profess your journey. Starting from the anxiety you felt from the first week, how you holed yourself in your apartment until Namjoon had to whisk you out, to your relief when Hoseok believed your crazy ideas. Halfway through you decide to piece your theories within the story, your last conversation with Jungkook, coupled with the angel’s wine and explaining how scary it was to see your matching tattoos and the meaning behind them. 

“But, I wasn’t trying to fall in love with you so I could go home,” you admit tearfully, feeling the weight of the night on your shoulders, “it, it just happened naturally. It made me believe that in another world, we would’ve worked out. Just like he said.”  

“I believe you,” he says firmly, exhaling. The whole explanation, understatedly, is a lot to take in. But he isn’t going to reject it, in fact as absurd as it is it makes far more sense than you planning out a Jungkook-inspired sci-fi novel or questioning your sanity. “I—I didn’t want to at first. It was easier to say you were crazy but, it doesn’t seem like the case. The way you saw me that morning we met, I could see how much you cared for me—him—us?” he scratches his head, unsure of how he should refer to himself in the situation.  

“I don’t blame you,” you shake your head, “Namjoon wanted me to see a doctor.” 

“It must’ve been hard,” he states, “seeing so much of him in me.” 

“You are him,” you retort, looking up so that your noses are touching. There’s pain in both your gazes, equally upset at the circumstances. “I’m sorry you got the short end of the stick. I wish you could’ve met me, the other me, under normal circumstances.” 

“Remember what I said before?” he asks, lifting a hand to brush your hair behind your ear. “I said that our meeting was fate. And now I believe it more than ever.” 

You laugh, leaning your head against his shoulder. “Y’know, Jungkook believes in fate too. He used to joke about hearing the bell when he found ‘the one’ like in Kimi No Na Wa.” 

Jungkook grins, “That guy of yours seems pretty cool,” he jokes, “let him know that in our case, the bell was my horn because I didn’t wanna run you over.” 

The whole situation is confusing, but you’re thankful that Jungkook seems to be at ease now that all your cards are laid out. 

“So does your Jungkook do film too?” 

“Uh,” you choke out a cough, “he’s actually a singer, dancer, producer, and films when he has the time. Mostly singer, the main one in a K-pop group. With Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin.” 

He gapes, “Kim Seokjin? The actor Seokjin? Damn he’s like, super fine—” 

“God this is so weird.” 

“So how many figures are they making a year? In the hundred-thousands, like six-figures?” 

“Er, more like eight,” you squeak, “and then some. But you put a lot of your money into donations.” 

“Damn babe, you downgraded,” Jungkook jokes, and you smack him playfully on the arm. “So that’s how you got the song, huh?” 

“Still With You? Yeah,” you say, running your hands through the soft sand, “it’s weird to live in a world without your music, byproduct of my job. It happens to be a big part of my life,” your eyes glaze over the ocean, “I missed hearing your voice.” 

“Y/n,” Jungkook threads his fingers through the sand to find your hands, “I’m really, really sorry I doubted you.” 

You disagree, “It’s a crazy situation. I don’t even know if I’m really sane at this moment,” you chuckle, “I mean, the time went by so fast. I would be paranoid because for you, it’s like being in a new relationship. I didn’t think it would be so easy to love you all over again like that.” 

“Neither did I.” Jungkook replies warmly, and he smiles when he sees you gaping. He leans over to press a kiss to your lips, a feeling long-missed. “And a little part of me knows he feels the same way, too.” 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

It’s almost 12AM before you return to your apartment, dripping wet because neither of you anticipated the sudden spring shower. You tumble in like wet noodles, giggling like children in hushed whispers as you struggle to find the lightswitch. 

The lights blare on for you, Taehyung’s fingers hanging by the toggle. His hair is wet from the shower, and he looks like he sees a Christmas miracle when he wraps you up in his arms, despite the protest of you being dirty with sand and salt. 

“You dummy, don’t ever scare me like that ever again!” he sobs into your shoulder, and you return the embrace as you pat his head comfortingly. 

“Sorry Tae,” you say, “had to do a little soul-searching.” 

Jungkook rolls his eyes, more like world-searching if anyone were to ask his honest opinion. But Taehyung is looking past your body to mumble a teary ‘thank you’ to Jungkook, and he nods his head politely. 

“Well next time you soul search, you better call.” 

“Done and done.” 

Satisfied that you are going to stay the night and not budge, Taehyung returns to his room. He gives you a good scolding however, and he makes you promise that you’ll give him the full story over breakfast. 

After that bump, Jungkook and you can’t keep your hands off each other. You two shower the grime off your bodies, taking turns shampooing and scrubbing. Even after you’re clean and towel-dried, Jungkook’s fingers fail to untack from your skin, pushing you eagerly to your mattress as he presses kisses along your clothed body. He’s singing against your skin, waxing poetics about how beautiful you are and how much he loves you. 

“Jung—koo, Jungkook,” you say breathlessly, running your fingers through his damp locks, “Taehyung’s in the other room, we can’t be loud.” 

“Don’t,” kiss, “give,” kiss, “a fuck,” Jungkook pants, large hands trailing over your soft skin, memorizing every inch of you, He presses his length against your thigh, insistent, “if this is the last time, we’re going off with fireworks, baby.” 

And with that, you relent. It’s nothing short of electric, the way he takes great care but great power into your pleasure. He takes his time, as if it isn’t the first and last night, tracing every inch of your body because he doesn’t know what the future entails for the both of you. 

You’re equally stung like live-wire, wracking with pleasure as he seals his affirmation to you with sweet nothings, bodies pressed against each other feverently like they’ve always meant to be. Every bit of contact is purposeful, unbridled and overflowing with affection. 

When you’re done you’re both sweaty and almost painfully content, acceptant of the ambiguity of your futures. 

“Jungkook?” you ask, holding his hand tightly.

“Yes, pretty girl?” 

“Will you… fall in love with me again?” 

“Is that even a question?” he balks, leaning forward to peck your nose. He smiles at the way you scrunch your face. “Your office hours are 1-3PM, Mondays and Thursdays in the general library. If you’re not there, you’re teaching the History of Neuroscience in the ARC building on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:20 to 12:10. I also know where you live, so.”  

You don’t care how sweaty you are, and tuck your head underneath his chin, needing to be closer. 

“I will find you,” he promises, “hopefully not under my bike the second time around, but I’ll take what I can get.” 

“You’ll have a lot of explaining to do, y’know,” you sigh into his chest, feeling it rumble as your hair dampens. Your hair has dried long ago from the shower, but you know Jungkook’s trying hard to be strong as he cries into your crown, “you should leave before I wake up, just in case.” 

“Hoseok and I will handle it,” Jungkook assures you, “we’re like the Power Rangers, defenders of space and time.” 

“Alright Red Ranger, make sure you’re at least clothed before I wake up, then.” 

He pulls away lightly, seeing your equally red-rimmed eyes and ruddy cheeks. Both of you bump arms as you try to wipe away each other’s tears. The moon continues its power over your bodies, the only source of light in the room. Despite its movement since your time at the beach, it continues to illuminate the room and make the moment glisten with the rhythm of time. 

“You really think this is the end for us, huh?” his voice cracks, his hands cradling your face. 

Stretching to reach him, you press a kiss on every available centimeter of skin on his face. His forehead, his cheeks, his chin, his lips. You take care to kiss the tears away, silently wishing nothing but the best for him. He immediately melts into your touch, and he gives you a teary smile. 

“It’s not the end,” you assure, “it’s our beginning. Thank you, for loving me.” 

Jungkook nods, pressing a long, sweet kiss to your lips. “I can’t wait to fall in love with you again.” 

The two of you sleep like that, not with a goodbye, but with a promise. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

W1. 

When you wake up, it’s loud. 

The transition is jarring, painfully so. Gone are your soft flannel comforter, replaced with dry, scratchy sheets that are a poor excuse for bedwear. Your hands are heavy, bounded by the fluids snaking into your bloodstream. Your eyes are crusty and bleary, taking in the plain white and wood room. The sharp sound of the monitor reverberates in your ears, a high-pitched reminder of your slow vitals. 

Everything is painful, confirming that in fact you did get hit by that truck. You give props to your alternate self for dealing with this for the past two months. 

Your eyes dart around the room, taking in the night sky and the full moon looming above you. The only other person in the room is your baby niece, who is just short of five years old. She has since ceased coloring at her little table, her little mouth gaping open like a pufferfish. You make eye contact with her, and she nearly spills over her 64-count Crayola pack as she throws herself off the chair, running over to reach for your hand. 

“Auntie!” she cheers, the biggest smile on her face, “you’re awake! Mama said you were hibernating like bears do, and that you would probably wake up by spring time. She was right!” 

Although it pains you to smile, you manage to squeeze her hand in return. You open your mouth, the inside feeling tacky and gross. “Ah-ah,” you grimace when no sound comes out, just rasps and ghosts of what once was your voice. 

Your niece’s face crumples, and she lets go of you. “Imma go get mama, she’ll bring help!” 

She leaves you alone to succumb to the beeps of your monitors and the pain in your bones. Your fingers grapple the paper-thin sheets, and your gaze drifts to the moon. You think of Jungkook, sleeping blissfully in bed, holding you with so much tenderness and care. In a matter of what felt like minutes since you fell asleep in his arms, disappears just like that. 

The doctors and your family find you hysterically crying, the monitors going crazy as you hyperventilate yourself into a stupor. You feel like you’re choking on air, whatever little tubes in your body restricting access to fully express how torn and conflicted you’re feeling all over again. The medical expertise does work to evacuate your family, chalking your reactions up as your trauma catching up to you and the shock of the past two months hitting you full force. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

It’s nearly 3AM when the music cuts out with no explanation, and Jungkook is annoyed. He just got that set down and he finally felt confident in adding facial expressions, but the manager killed the music and now his head is spinning. 

He’s heaving, hands on his head as he tries to get his body back to equilibrium. He watches intently as Namjoon immediately takes the call, not even bothering to leave the studio to answer it. The rest of the members watch as Namjoon’s expressions morph into happiness, combined with short “yes”es and “I understands.” 

Namjoon makes eye contact with Jungkook first and beams, “She’s awake!” 

What originally felt like a hot and stifling room, immediately dissipates into an air of relief. While not all the members may not know you personally, the thought of a fellow co-worker on the road to recovery is enough to ease their exhaustion. 

“What?” Jungkook doesn’t hide it, and collapses on the floor, thoroughly spent for today. “Is she okay?” 

“Well, she actually just passed out. But she’s conscious.” 

“What, why?” Jimin asks, rolling a water bottle over to Jungkook. 

“Doctors say she woke up in a panic, started freaking out when it sunk in that she’s been in a coma since winter.” Jungkook’s heart squeezes painfully of the thought of you scared and feeling trapped in that small hospital bed. 

“Well, can we go see her in the morning?” Jungkook says hopefully, biting his lip. 

“We can’t,” Namjoon confesses, looking down at his shoes in disappointment, “at least not right now. y/n was apparently terrified. The doctors think she’s suffering from some form of PTSD, because she can’t recall anything that happened after she got hit. Her guardians are sending her to a facility for her to process her trauma. It’s in the countryside, and she’s not allowed visitors until she’s fully recovered.” 

Just when Jungkook thinks he has you back, you’re already far from his reach. He should be happy, knowing that you are well on your way to get better. He’s thankful enough that you’re finally awake. But the small, selfish part of him wants to visit you, and comfort you. 

Whether you’ll let him or not is your choice, but this time, he decides he’s going to fight for you. 

[dickspeightjrs]

Do It For A Dollar (au / 1.5k words / college student!cas / actor!dean)

Prompt 18 from my ‘30 Destiel Prompts’ for @breathingdestiel

ao3 link

The warm heat of the New York summer clings to Castiel as he walks along to his favourite coffee shop. (It’s his favourite for one simple reason - it’s cheap and he’s a broke college student.)

Despite the air conditioning of the shop welcoming him in when he arrives, Castiel decides to take a seat under the awning outside. As a student, struggling to pay for college, and all the other costs that come with simply being alive, Castiel has to find entertainment in the smaller things in life. One such entertainment is buying a coffee and sitting, just watching people go by. 

It’s a beautiful day outside so there’s plenty of people for Castiel to flit his eyes over as they walk past, going about their days. He’ll likely never see them again and that thought alone fascinates him immensely. The idea that your life can seem so huge and overwhelming and yet there’s seven billion of them walking around the planet at this moment. Seven billion perspectives. 

Castiel’s eyes follow a bobbing balloon, clutched in the hand of a small child babbling to his mother. As the balloon disappears out of eye shot, Castiel’s focus is snapped to what looks like a couple of trailers pulling up and some guys with cameras jumping out. It looks as though they’re filming something across the street. 

That was something Castiel had found it odd getting used to about living in New York. There was always some movie or show being filmed around the city. If he didn’t see it himself, he always heard about it. He’s at college to study film after all. 

He squints against the beating sun, to try to get a better look. People watching is sure to get a whole lot better if the people he is watching are celebrities. 

A couple of minutes pass and Castiel is starting to lose hope that he’s actually going to see anything before he leaves. He’s just about to get up from his seat when he chances a glance across the street again. 

It seems something must be starting as there’s a rather hyper looking man holding a microphone and talking into a camera. The man must be introducing someone as he suddenly holds out an arm to bring someone into shot. 

Oh god, it’s Dean Winchester! That man is a legend in film and he’s only thirty. Castiel had been hoping that they’d study some Dean’s movies and performances in his classes. There is so emotion Dean can’t portray with intense accuracy and believability. His latest movie was a heart-wrenching story in which he played a monster hunter who fell in love with his angel best friend, only for them to be ripped away from each other in a scene that left Castiel breathless. 

The man with the microphone is now shouting things at people on the street, while Dean seems to just be standing next to him. Castiel can’t quite make out what the man is saying but members of the public seem to be bewildered and are walking away quickly from the mad man - Castiel can’t say he blames them. 

Both men suddenly pick up the pace, jogging down the street until they stop abruptly and a microphone gets put in another strangers’ face. This person looks confused until they do a double-take and spot Dean. Finally, Castiel thinks, everyone should know who Dean is. The stranger says something that makes Dean throw his head back with a belt of laughter. 

Gosh, that man is truly beautiful. Castiel doesn’t imagine they’ll come over to his side of the street and he is definitely much too nervous to pretend to casually cross the street as if he had no idea what is happening there. Instead, he decides that, if Dean is still around after they finish filming whatever this is, he’ll pluck up the courage to go over and say hi. (To brag about it in class tomorrow, if nothing else.)

“Would you kiss Dean Winchester for a dollar?!!?” Castiel hears the hyper man’s voice shout to the next unsuspecting member of the public. He snorts to himself. There’s no doubt, he would do a lot more with Dean for a lot less than a dollar, if given the chance. 

Whatever game the two men seem to be playing carries on for a while longer. Castiel sits and watches them film for a while, plans to leave forgotten in favour of watching Dean. 

Dean looks like a nice person. When the microphone man shouts at people and even pushes some away, Dean always makes sure to catch them before they leave and give them a hug or handshake. And Castiel can’t help it every time Dean laughs, he lets out a little laugh too, though he covers his mouth so the people enjoying their coffee around him don’t think he’s strange. 

Eventually, it looks like filming is winding down. The camera guy drops his camera from his shoulder and walks off back to one of the trailers. Now the spotlight is off him, the mad man’s energy has left him and he’s just taking in quiet tones with Dean. They must be saying goodbye because Dean claps a hand on the guy’s shoulder and shakes his hand before heading towards the trailers too. 

Castiel drinks the final drops of his coffee and Dean doesn’t return. Figuring he’s missed his chance to say hi to Dean (not that he’d have worked up the courage anyway), Castiel picks up his things and throws his coffee cup in the trash. At least, he got to see one of his favourite actors in the flesh, not many people can say that. Plus, he couldn’t stay for longer, he’d already spent too much on coffee to keep his seat outside, which wasn’t good for his student budget. 

Compared to the walk to the coffee shop earlier that day, the weather is now cooler under the setting sun and Castiel relishes the reprieve from the heat. His mind begins to wander to other things, mostly his new short film he’s got to work on for school. 

Just as he’s about to cross at the end of the street, he hears someone shout from behind him.

“Wait!” 

Castiel frowns and turns to quickly look over his shoulder, though he’s not actually expecting the person to be shouting to him.

Only, when his eyes fall onto the source of the voice, they immediately go wide in shock. 

Dean Winchester is standing in front of him, green eyes filled with… nerves?

“Uh,” Dean says, as if he wasn’t expecting Castiel to actually turn around, “I noticed you watching us film from across the street. And I guess I just wanted to say that you look cute when you’re laughing. You shouldn’t hide it.”

When Castiel’s brain finally decides to reboot itself, he replies. “I was only trying to hide it because I didn’t want to look like an idiot.” 

“I’m sure you could never do that, man.” Dean says, a small smile creeping at the corner of his mouth. 

Castiel blushes and looks down at the pavement. 

A comfortable, happy silence falls on them. 

But then, Castiel frowns when he sees Dean reach into his back pocket. He tilts his head in confusion.  The confusion doesn’t clear when Dean pulls out a dollar. 

Castiel gives Dean a questioning look. 

Dean clears his throat and holds out the dollar to Castiel. “Would you kiss Dean Winchester for a dollar?”

Castiel makes an unattractive snort of laughter at Dean’s gesture. He places his hand over Dean’s and gently pushes it away. 

“I don’t need a dollar to want to kiss you, Dean.” He whispers, finding courage from the kind eyes Dean is showing him. “Plus, it’s a little crowded on this street, and people are starting to watch.” He flicks his eyes around them where some people have started taking their phones out to film Dean Winchester talking to this random guy on the street. 

Dean deflates slightly under the attention. 

“But,” Castiel says and notices Dean brighten up again, “if you wanted to find somewhere more private and, perhaps, put that dollar towards dinner, maybe we could talk a little more about that kiss.” 

Dean’s smile could rival the beaming summer sun. 

*  *  *

Two years later, Billy Eichner (turns out shouty microphone guy had a name, who knew?) presents them with a gift at their wedding. 

Unbeknownst to them until that moment, some of the crew had noticed Dean run after Castiel on the day they met and they’d filmed what they could from afar. 

All their guests chuckle when they see Dean try to offer Castiel a dollar to kiss him. Dean groans and hides his face in Castiel’s neck. Castiel runs a comforting hand down Dean’s back. 

“In your defence, it was incredibly adorable.” Castiel says. 

“Ugh”, Dean groans, “that doesn’t help, Cas.” He lifts his head to look at Castiel in the eyes, pouting like a sulking child.

Castiel smiles at his grumpy husband, and places a soothing kiss to his lips. 

Yes. He definitely didn’t need a dollar to do that for the rest of his life. 

-

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it Ivana! Sorry it took so long, I had a whole other idea before this but scrapped it because I couldn’t make it work lmao

If you’re not familiar with ‘Billy On The Street’ go look it up on YouTube. It’s hilarious. 

-

TAGS: @eccentriccas @starrynightdeancas @credentiast @imbiowaresbitch @starclaire @cockleslovesdestiel @bend-me-shape-me @destielfactory @dea-stiel @wendeano @wingsandimpalas @aggressivedean @flowersforcas @chill-legilimens @pancakesofthelord @saltnhalo @caslikescoffeeandfreckles @assbuttboyfriends @jhoomwrites @breathingdestiel @simplymisha @thekingslover @aelysianmuse @2musiclover2 @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you @50shadesofsubtext @destielle 

(let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from the tag list, we don’t have to be mutuals!)

[shima-draws]

Hi hello I’m here with (half of) another ridiculously complex crossover AU here we go

Legally Blonde AU where Izuku is a semi-famous actor working part time in his father (Toshinori’s) studio while also going to college and majoring in Theatrical Production. His childhood friend and longtime boyfriend, Bakugou, has been dropping hints for the past few weeks about proposing to Izuku. Izuku, naturally, is absolutely thrilled, and has all the support of his friends and peers.

On the night of their big date, Bakugou breaks up with Izuku, saying that he's not "serious" enough for him, and that he only follows the path that was laid out for him and isn't ambitious enough to suit Bakugou's tastes in a lifelong partner. Bakugou tells Izuku he's going to UA, a famous law school that pumps out graduates that support professional heroes. Izuku is totally devastated, and shuts himself up in his room for weeks, becoming depressed.

After a pep talk from his friends, who are part of the production crew with him (Ashido, Hagakure, and Nejire), Izuku decides that he'll chase Bakugou to UA, and with Tsuyu's help, promptly starts studying for it. After making the cut, Izuku yells at Ashido for sending in a production video of him on set as his personal essay--because that shouldn't count!! Izuku hurriedly calls the admissions office and as they prepare to reject him, he gives an honest speech about love and how important it is for a lawyer to be compassionate and hardworking. He gets accepted!

On the first day of class Izuku bumps into a couple of already accomplished law students--Shinsou, who is extremely hardworking and ambitious despite his background, and Hatsume, a girl who's won tons of awards for her groundbreaking inventions and their contributions to hero society. With them is Todoroki, a recent graduate working as a teacher aid/intern under the infamous Aizawa, one of the most legendary lawyers in their era despite his tendency to only take certain cases for underground heroes. Izuku makes a stumbling, awkward yet somewhat eccentric introduction, and Todoroki is immediately smitten despite sensing that Izuku probably isn't cut out for UA.

Izuku bumps into Bakugou before their first class, and pretends that he forgot that Bakugou also attends UA. In their first class Aizawa ruthlessly weeds out the weaker students and intimidates the hell out of them by quizzing them with difficult cases. Aizawa tells them that he has a very big internship every year that accepts four students--and they're practically guaranteed a job after graduation. Izuku is called out for not having done the reading before class, and Yaoyorozu, an upper class, somewhat prissy girl, suggests that he be kicked out of the lecture hall.

Todoroki sneaks out during the lecture and comforts Izuku, saying that he'd been kicked out of class before too, and suggesting that Izuku study properly so he can be prepared next time. Yaoyorozu comes out next and Izuku confronts her about what she'd said, and she truthfully states that he has no place at UA if he's not willing to dedicate himself to it fully--that everyone else had gotten there through hard work and WANTED to be there, seeming to know that Izuku had made it in with different intentions. She idly wonders if Izuku's even capable of studying with that fluffy head of his (it's not meant to be an overly rude comment but Izuku takes it that way). Izuku's heart shatters when he realizes that Bakugou and Yaoyorozu are dating, because apparently they’d interned together before over the summer and Bakugou had been impressed by her intelligence and ambition. Izuku is encouraged by an imaginary production crew of his friends. Izuku decides if he's going to be serious he needs to start off by shaving his head LOL because according to Yaomomo it's the scruffy hair that's one of the big obstacles of winning Bakugou back.

Izuku swings by a salon and meets Uraraka--who immediately discourages him from getting a buzzcut, saying "Those fluffy locks of yours are a godsend and you should NOT sacrifice them to look like a military trainee. Trust me." Uraraka gives him a huge pep talk while also sharing her past failed romances, wishing she can find an athletic guy to be happy with, and encourages Izuku to go after love while he still has the chance, as himself. After that, Yaomomo happens to walk in with Jirou, and the two of them discuss a party they're going to at the end of the week. Izuku shyly asks if he can come. Jirou whispers to Yaomomo to tell him it's a costume party, which she does. Uraraka excitedly says she has the perfect thing for Izuku to wear.

At the party, everyone is dressed business casual. Izuku comes in wearing a slutty bunny outfit and is immediately humiliated. (Yaomomo feels kinda bad esp since she didn't really think he'd dress up--and definitely not like THIS.) Izuku steels his nerves and flirts with Bakugou, who is like "Why the hell didn't you wear this kinda shit while we were dating" and Izuku slyly says, "Well, you never asked, did you?" Bakugou reminisces a bit on their childhood and Izuku says they can go back to the way things were. Bakugou calls him out for saying so, especially given how he looks right now, and at this rate he'll be lucky to even make it through the semester, let alone get Aizawa's internship, which Izuku apparently wants to do despite not having any real conviction. Yaomomo steps in and Izuku snaps at her for the false costume party tip. Yaomomo suggests he leaves before he embarrasses himself further and brings shame to their class. Izuku says his costume was inspired by Usagiyama, a famous hero, and asks if she's an embarrassment too? The whole party gangs up on Yaomomo as Izuku leaves in tears.

Todoroki finds him on a bench outside wearing a very suggestive costume, freezing his ass off, miserable, and crying. Todoroki asks him why he came to UA in the first place--and Izuku reveals his full story with Bakugou. Todoroki lends Izuku his sweatshirt and says he can't feel sorry for him because he'd grown up in worse circumstances--his mother left his father when he was young, leading them to a life of near poverty, and that he's been struggling to support them both. His goal is to become a successful lawyer that can support honest heroes, and buy a house that his mother can live in comfortably. And, most importantly--win a case against his father to protect the both of them for good. Izuku thinks that's very sweet--but it kind of seems like Todoroki has a chip on his shoulder...and Todoroki says he does, and that he's going to take advantage of every opportunity he's given and work as hard as hell to become successful, and not just for himself. He's had to work two jobs on top of having class just to make it this far. Izuku asks how he does it--Todoroki tells him that he works nonstop and doesn't take the time to break, have parties, or spend hours distracting himself with films or theatrical productions. (Izuku feels a bit guilty at this LMAO) Izuku asks if Todoroki's willing to help him out--and Todoroki, strangely enough, agrees to do so.

Todoroki escorts Izuku back to his dorm, and notices that Izuku has barely touched his law books. Izuku admits it's been hard for him to really get into it, because coming from a theater/film background means that all of his studies are practical and on hand, and not from a book. Todoroki says he needs to get over that--and starts throwing out all of Izuku's posters and theater memorabilia. Izuku FREAKS LOL and Todoroki's like "You need to remove all distractions if you want to do this right".

I will write the rest tomorrow if enough of ya’ll wanna read the rest...LOL SORRY I’m so wiped out I gotta go to bed but anyway yes. Fun AU idea. I’m a slut for Tododeku crossovers apparently, ESPECIALLY this one because Elle and Emmett’s romance? Soft AND God Tier

[canarygirl1017]

Ghosted Chapter 2

Pairing: Reader / Jungkook, Reader / Taehyung (past relationship, friends to lovers to friends)

Genre:  College!au, fluff, angst, supernatural drama, smut, friends to lovers, emotional trauma, hurt/comfort

Length:  9, 806k words

Warnings:  language, episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, sexual themes in later chapters.

Summary:  Living in a world full of things only you have the ability to see, growing up with Jungkook has been your island amidst the chaos. But when your best friend makes an impossible request, your friendship is fractured, and your sudden decision to cut ties and move abroad changes everything. Three years later, Jungkook is thriving at university as he begins his junior year. He’s a star athlete, member of a popular fraternity, and every girl’s ideal boyfriend. He tells himself that he’s long forgotten you and the friendship he never had a chance to mend – that is, until you show up on campus as a transfer student with new friends in tow. It’s been three years, and everything has changed, but the biggest change is you. Your new found determination to use your abilities to help the ghosts you used to live in fear of, no matter how dangerous it might be, makes Jungkook fear he’ll lose you before he has a chance to fix what he broke. College AU. 

Disclaimer: Just for funsies, I don’t believe in real-life shipping. But I like to write, and I like fandom, so here we are. Please do not duplicate this work or repost anywhere else without permission.

Read Chapter 1 

Chapter 2

Gettis University, and the surrounding town, were as full of creepy feelings and shadows as you’d expected. The strong presence of the otherworld could be felt as soon as you got within a couple of miles of the city limits, and the hot spots you’d passed as you drove through town would likely test your abilities in ways they’d not been tested before.

You paused in the great room of the old house where you’d be living for the next two years. It was a Victorian style home and though light, bright and newly renovated, you’d already felt the presence of something that you’d need to run out before you all slept that night.

You turned when you heard Yeontan’s little nails tapping on the floor behind you. You scooped him up and buried your face in his soft, black and tan fur. “Hi baby. Did you have a good walk?”

“He did,” Taehyung said as he walked in. “It’s good that we have an enclosed garden out back, but he loves the park down the street, too.”

“This house is way too big for two people, Tae,” you said, your tone admonishing. “What are we even going to do with all this space?”

“Well, we need space to set up an office for Namjoon and Chloe, plus the paranormal group they’ve been in contact with here will probably be over. We need extra bedrooms for when my parents visit because now that we’re back in the country, they probably will. And it was the only house near campus that also has a guest house for Joon and Chloe to have their own space.”

“Well, I’ll leave it to you to figure out what you want to do with all these rooms,” you said, knowing he probably did have some kind of plan for them. He’d need an office for himself since he often worked late on photography and art projects, and he liked having a home gym. “I’m glad your mom arranged to have it furnished before we got here. We just need to move in our personal things.”

“Yeah, Joon is sorting boxes outside.” Taehyung closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders. “I’m kind of sensing something here. Dark spirit?”

“A weaker one, but yes,” you answered. “We’ll deal with it after we get Joon and Chloe set up, and then we’ll hang talismans.”

While Taehyung couldn’t see the things you saw, with the rare exception that a spirit was strong enough to break through the barrier of the otherworld, he was sensitive to their energy. It was something that had wreaked havoc in his life before he met you because he didn’t understand why he had such dark and negative feelings all the time. When he’d started getting into trouble and drinking too much, his parents had sent him to England to attend boarding school with his cousin.

You’d known as soon as you saw him that he could feel the spirits that hung around him even if he didn’t know what they were. And so, one day after classes, you gave him one of your talismans and told him that he’d sleep better if he put it next to his pillow. You could tell by his raised brows that he thought you were kind of crazy, but he’d fallen asleep looking at it that night and finally slept better than he had in years.

At first, it had been weird to talk to someone other than Jungkook and Mrs. Kim about your abilities. You kept expecting him to think you were nuts and exit stage left because even your own mother had never believed you. But Taehyung never thought you were crazy. Even when you started exploring your abilities, looking into the resources you’d gotten from Mrs. Kim, and making contact with others whose work lay in the paranormal realm, he’d never acted like you were a burden, and he’d never abandoned you. His support had given you the strength to keep going on an increasingly scary and dangerous path.

While your academic focus was English literature and linguistics, Taehyung was most interested in art, photography and art history. Taehyung’s parents had expected him to return to California and perhaps study art at Berkeley or apply to NYU’s fine arts program. Instead, he’d followed you to Oxford when you were both accepted.

You had the support of a team now as well. During your Oxford years, you’d met Namjoon, a grad student who had been doing research on paranormal abilities as an unsanctioned side project while also studying experimental psychology. His girlfriend, Chloe, had a background in engineering and computer science and a similar interest in recording paranormal activity.

With their help and that of Mrs. Kim, with whom you’d remained in touch, you’d gradually built a network of contacts – people who were able to see the otherworld as you did, sensitives like Taehyung, and those who sought to understand the paranormal world. One of Mrs. Kim’s contacts, an elderly Chinese man named Mr. Lu, also had the ability to use Taoist amulets to banish spirits.

And not just spirits – you’d been stunned to learn that demons also inhabited the otherworld. You finally had an explanation as to how the ghostly man in the library had hurt you that night. While the strongest of the ghosts in the otherworld could also harm you if they gathered enough energy, burning someone with a touch was the specialty of low-level demons.

You had worked hard for the past couple of years to hone your abilities. It was a surprise to find that many of the spirits who inhabited the otherworld were harmless. They neither sought out human contact nor attempted to cause harm; they merely drifted in the remnants of a world that felt familiar to them, or they sought comfort by occasionally observing loved ones who remained among the living.

Some were nuisance ghosts who enjoyed playing pranks, but they were quite easily dealt with and did little to cause lasting damage. A small percentage fell into the realm of dark spirits – vengeance ghosts who were still angry at their manner of passing were some of the strongest ghosts and could pose real danger to people. Similarly, places that had seen evil acts committed, or mass deaths, were often portals of darkness which attracted demons and dark spirits alike.

Aided by Mr. Lu, you discovered that you had untapped potential to help spirits cross over to the light, as well as the power to harness dark spirits and banish them from the otherworld. Demons were trickier, but you were getting better at dealing with them. It had taken you time to recognize the power you held, but as you got older and it grew stronger, and as you became less afraid, you could feel it inside yourself – a little ball of light that you could coax forward and wield at will.

Learning to wield that power had not come easily. The burn mark on your arm wasn’t the only scar you carried on your body now either; you glanced down and traced the long, jagged mark that ran the length of your left arm from your inner elbow to your wrist. Strong fingers suddenly clasped yours and you looked up to see Taehyung looking at you with worried eyes.

“You can still change your mind about this,” Taehyung said softly. “We both know that being here is dangerous for you. If your friend still cares about you, he wouldn’t want you doing this for him.”

“I’m not just doing this for him, Tae,” you said truthfully. “I’m doing this for me. Because I have regrets about how and why I left, and I can’t keep running away from my past. There’s Jungkook, yes, but also Jin, and Jimin, and Emmie and Robbie. My mom. I ran away from everyone, thinking I was better off alone, and they were better off without me. Now I have to consider how I can merge my old life with my new one, at least enough to repair those relationships.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then at least I’ll know I tried,” you said with a smile. “I know I can’t go back to how things were, but maybe there’s a way forward.”

Taehyung suddenly pulled you close, wrapping his arms around both you and Yeontan. “You know I’ll help you any way I can.”

Leaning your head against his chest, you nodded. “I know. I just hope your parents don’t hate me for dragging you to yet another university where you never intended to enroll.” It was one of the best universities in the country, and it did have an excellent fine arts program, but it wasn’t even on Taehyung’s radar before you applied for transfer.

“Hey, my parents love you. They credit you for getting me on the straight and narrow path, and even though I told them we’re not dating anymore, I’m certain my mom is still planning our wedding.”

Taehyung’s parents were Hollywood A-listers. His mom had a long film career that had eventually transitioned to television, and she was the popular star of a long running cable drama. His father was an English filmmaker who’d won two Oscars and now spent most of his time on documentaries. Taehyung had no interest in acting or film, but with his fine boned features, dark wavy hair and almond shaped, deep brown eyes, he did a handful of modeling assignments every year that fueled his interest in photography and fashion.

You pulled back and kissed his cheek before lifting Yeontan to give him a lick, making him laugh. “Come on, we should go help Joon and Chloe sort boxes and get things set up. Then I need to have a chat with this little spirit lurking about the place.”

___________________

 You woke the next morning feeling refreshed after a deep, dreamless sleep. You and Tae had helped Joon and Chloe set up their equipment in the room designated for their office. Then you’d made up the beds and begun the arduous task of unpacking and organizing personal items. By the time the sun set, you’d been ready to tackle the dark spirit haunting the house.

Like most weak spirits, its energy grew as night fell, and you’d caught it at just the right time before it gathered enough energy to put up a real fight. Still, using your Taoist amulet drained your energy too, and you were exhausted by the time your dinner order arrived. The last task had been to hang talismans at centrally located windows and main entrances, both in the main house and in the guest house, concealing some among the curtains and hiding others behind the artwork that Taehyung’s mother had selected for the house.

Though you still thought the house was too large for you and Taehyung, you couldn’t deny you were happy to have a tranquil bedroom overlooking the garden, and you owed Tae’s mom a phone call to thank her for having it decorated in your favorite colors. The walls were the palest of lavender with cream trim, and the cream, padded headboard of the queen-sized bed dominated the far wall. The light purple of the silk duvet was accented with splashes of cream and sage, and the bed held an array of pillows in similar colors.

Dramatic, arching windows were draped in swathes of delicate cream fabric tied back to let in the light. Comfortable sage armchairs created a cozy reading nook in the corner, and a large area rug in an irregular but complementing color pattern covered the hardwood floor. She’d thoughtfully selected artwork for the walls – an abstract floral design here, a water landscape there. Considering the negative energy that you felt so strongly in town, you knew this space would go a long way towards helping you feel calm, focused and centered.

You’d been too tired the night before to take note of the spa-like retreat that was the adjoining bathroom. Its marble floors and tiles had been warmed up with sage accent colors and a teak wood double vanity, while a claw foot tub sat in front of the large window that faced the far mountains. You eyed the tub longingly before opting for a quick shower, enjoying the rainfall effect.

After drying your hair and applying light makeup, you put on a lemon-yellow sundress, a gossamer thin white cardigan, and clasped your gold locket around your neck. Then you selected the gold watch and earrings Tae had given you for your birthday the week before.

You had one suitcase left to unpack and set it on the bed to sort through its contents – mostly fall and winter clothes that it was still too hot to wear. You paused when you got to the bottom and saw the black hoodie. You’d found two of Jungkook’s hoodies in your room before you left for England. You left one of them in the box that you’d told Emmie to take to him when he returned from camp. The other, you’d thrown into your suitcase a few minutes before you left.

You remembered the night he gave it to you. A few weeks before Christmas during your sophomore year, Jimin’s parents had gone away for the weekend and as he always did when they were away, he threw a party. You were sixteen, and Jungkook had decided it was time to try beer.

Hauling his drunk ass home later that night was quite the experience.

You snorted with laughter as Jungkook stopped beneath a streetlight and did part of a girl group dance that Jimin had dared him to do earlier. But he’d forgotten part of it and had been stopping every few minutes on the way home, trying to remember.

“Damn it,” he said, frustrated as he shook his hips, arms up, and then paused. “Are you sure you don’t remember it?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t do it in front of Jimin’s drunk friends or here on the street,” you replied. You tugged his arm. “Come on, if we miss curfew your mom is going to kill us.”

“Nah, as long as we’re together, she doesn’t really worry. She knows we’ll take care of each other.”

“It seems like I’m the one doing the work tonight,” you said with a grunt as he leaned into you. “Geez, you are heavy.” Once he hit his growth spurt, making him nearly a head taller than you, he’d also started putting on muscle.

“But you love meeee,” he sang, spinning you in a circle.

You couldn’t help laughing even as you stumbled sideways again. “I think we need to sit and let you sober up a little. We still have about thirty minutes.” Since you were staying at Jungkook’s tonight, and you were only going to Jimin’s house, his mom had extended the curfew until midnight.

You’d reached the halfway point, a large park that connected your neighborhood to Jimin’s, so it wouldn’t take more than ten minutes to get home. The park was well lit and safe as well, rarely home to any spirits. You guided Jungkook over to the swings and helped him sit before sitting in the one next to him.

“Remember when I fell out of this swing?” Jungkook asked as he started swinging.

“Of course. You just had to get as high as possible and then jump.” He still had the mark on his cheek where he’d hit the ground. “Even when we were kids, you were never afraid of anything.”

“I am scared, sometimes,” he said after a moment.

“Really? Of what?”

“Of things that can hurt you. It’s the only thing I’m really scared of.”

You looked over at him to see him staring up at the sky, a lot more sober than he’d been a few minutes ago. “You never told me you were scared before.”

He scuffed his boots against the ground and then pushed off again. “I have this dream sometimes, or a nightmare, I guess. You’re in the water and something comes for you, and I can’t get to you in time.”

You had that nightmare too, which is why you never went near the water after your encounter with the water ghost. “I’m sorry.” It was the first time you’d realized that he was carrying the weight of your personal horrors, and you felt the guilt creeping in.

“It’s not your fault. I just wish I could take it away, you know? Like, I wish I could be the one to see them and you could be safe.”

“I wouldn’t wish that on you, though.” You twisted your swing sideways, back and forth, and then leaned back to look at the sky. The moon was almost full and very bright, and it reminded you of the moon in the storybook you’d read to Emmie earlier that evening.

“I love you to the moon and back,” you murmured, leaning back further.

“I knew you loved me,” Jungkook said, laughing.

“Funny. The moon made me think of that book I read to Emmie earlier.”

“Well, I love you. To the moon and back, and to Saturn and Jupiter, and back to the moon…”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay. I love you too, to the moon and back.” You shivered as you stood up, holding out your hand. “We should get going.”

Jungkook stood and unzipped his black hoodie. “Here, put this on. I’m getting kind of hot anyway.”

You pulled it on and zipped it up. He laughed at you when you had to roll up the sleeves, his nose crinkling in amusement.

As you started walking again, Jungkook said, “I love you to…. infinity and beyond!”

“Shhh, God you’re loud. Please please be quiet when we get to your house.”

You ran your fingers over the soft material as you thought about that night. You’d worn the hoodie home the next morning and you’d just never given it back. It had become a type of security blanket over the years.

You carefully tucked it in a drawer, slipped on your sandals, and went to look for Taehyung. He wasn’t in the great room or the kitchen. Next you checked the downstairs master suite he’d claimed, but he was already up. Grabbing a cup of coffee, you walked past the guest house and out into the back garden where you spotted him sitting, legs crossed in a meditation pose, on a bench near the far wall.

He opened his eyes and smiled at you as you approached him. “Good morning. Feeling better?”

“Much.” You sat next to him and watched Yeontan nosing around the bushes. “I think I’m going to drive to campus and look around, get a feel for any hot spots. Do you want to come with me?”

“I can’t. The guy is coming to finish the water features.” Since water often served to deter spirits, Taehyung had enlisted a gardening company to install a water feature that ran along the walls of the back garden. The work had begun before you arrived; natural rocks had been carefully placed in a design that would create waterfalls flowing into small pools on either side of the garden. “Once they finish up today and get the water going, I think those pools will be deep enough for koi fish.”

“That will be pretty.” It was a lovely garden. Several trees provided shade, the lawn was expertly manicured, and lush flowerbeds and carefully pruned flowering bushes presented a pop of color among the greenery. “The water will make it cooler back here too. We could add a table and some lanterns and hang out here in the evening.”

“Are you okay going by yourself?” he asked, pushing his wavy hair out of his eyes as he whistled for Yeontan. “You could take Tannie with you.”

“Probably a good idea since they’re coming to finish up back here.”

“Hey.” Taehyung reached for a lock of your hair and tugged it gently. “Don’t confront anything by yourself. If you want to wander around, get your bearings, then fine. Just please don’t follow anything or let anything follow you until the rest of us are with you. This place is… dangerous. We need to be really careful here.”

“I know, don’t worry.” You reached for his hand and threaded your fingers together. “Thank you for coming with me, even though I was afraid to ask you. This would be so much harder without you here.”

You collected Yeontan’s leash and other essentials and drove to the main university parking lot, which was central to the sprawling campus. Yeontan trotted happily next to you as you took note of buildings. The Gothic architecture was a sharp contrast to the bright, late summer sun beating down, and you imagined the campus took on an entirely different aesthetic at night.

There were also plenty of hot spots. Dropping pins as you walked, you wondered exactly what type of spirits you would encounter here. You expected the usual vengeance ghosts, but you occasionally got impressions of something much, much darker as you walked. You dropped yet another pin as you passed the building that housed the pool and athletic departments. Mindful of your promise to Taehyung, you didn’t explore further.

When Yeontan got tired, you picked him up and followed a group of students chattering away with each other about classes beginning soon, upcoming mixers and welcome back activities. Soon you found yourself at a park that abutted a large, sparkling lake. You didn’t need to get too close to sense something in those waters, and so you kept a healthy distance as you turned your attention to the group playing baseball in the field.

And then you saw him. Jungkook wore loose black shorts, a white t-shirt, and a backwards black baseball cap as he stood with a group waiting for their turn at bat. From the people talking around you, you learned that it was just a friendly game between rival fraternities, which explained the number of girls hanging around.

This was your chance to talk to him – to let him know you were here. To explain why you had left. Seeing him again brought a wave of longing, and with it the familiar anxiety you felt when you thought of him.

“Oh, such a cute dog!”

You turned to see a very pretty girl about your age wiggling her fingers at Yeontan. Her dimples flashed when she smiled, and her eyes were such a clear shade of blue that you wondered if they were contact lenses. Her auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she held a sign supporting Pi Kappa Alpha.

“I’m Sera,” she introduced herself. “And who’s this?”

“Yeontan,” you replied. “And I’m y/n. You can pet him if you want. He’s very friendly.”

“Are you new here?” Sera asked, scratching Yeontan’s head. At your surprised look, she nodded at the brochures sticking out of your open bag. “I recognize the welcome package.”

“I’m a transfer student from Oxford,” you confirmed, shifting the wiggling Yeontan in your arms. “We just got here yesterday.”

“Are you off campus? I’m in the Alpha Omicron Pi house.”

“We have a house – the old Victorian on Elmhurst Street.”

“Oh, I noticed they were renovating that house this summer. I grew up here,” she explained. “My parents live three streets over from you. That’s a big house – did you move here with friends?”

“My… friend, Taehyung, came with me,” you said. You weren’t dating anymore, but your relationship with Tae had fallen into something between friend and boyfriend, a kind of ambiguous realm you both were still feeling your way through. “And two other friends, Namjoon and Chloe, are living in the guest house.”

“That’s cool that you all came here together. I guess this will be a big change from Oxford. Hey, so tomorrow there’s a big welcome back picnic happening here around noon. My sorority is co-hosting. Why don’t you and your friends come? I can introduce you around.”

Your eyes drifted back to the field to see Jungkook up at bat. As expected, he hit the ball with a loud crack and took off running around the bases, making it to home before the outfielder had even retrieved the ball. He high fived a guy on his team who you recognized as Jimin when you saw his profile. Someone shouted Jungkook’s name and he suddenly looked in your direction.

Slipping your sunglasses back on, you let your hair fall to cover your profile. “I have to get going, but I’ll ask my friends about it when I get home.” With a wave at Sera, you turned and began walking back to your car as quickly as you could without drawing too much attention to yourself.

“Hope to see you tomorrow!” Sera called after you.

______________________________

 Jungkook ran the bases with ease and did a shimmy on home base before high fiving Jimin.

“Such a showoff,” Jimin said with a laugh.

Jungkook grinned and glanced over at the crowd watching when he heard his name called, waving at Jimin’s girlfriend, Ayeong, and her friend Erin, who was waving her Pi Kappa sign enthusiastically. Then a girl in yellow caught his attention. He froze as the girl turned her face away before he could see her clearly. She was holding a small dog as she talked to Sera from the A O Pi sorority. Then she was hurrying away.

Jungkook didn’t realize he’d started walking in her direction until Jimin caught his arm. “Where are you going? You’re pitching.” Jimin followed his gaze, a troubled expression on his face. “I know that girl kind of looks like…”

Jungkook cut him off. “Let’s get back to the game.”

He tried to concentrate on the rest of the game, but he was agitated now, and pissed off. He’d promised himself two years ago that he’d stop looking for you in crowds and chasing the shadows of girls who looked even vaguely like you. That girl might have the same hair, and she might’ve been wearing one of those dumb, useless little sweaters you always liked, but she wasn’t you.

The problem was that now his head was full of you, and he did his best to push you back out like he always did when something reminded him of you. His team won, but he didn’t enjoy the victory, and he was silent in the car as Jimin drove back to the house they’d just moved into with Jin, who was enrolled in the theater program as a grad student.

“I’m glad you finally got permission from your coach to move off campus,” Jimin said. “I guess it helps that you’ll be living with family, so he trusts you not to get too wild or slack off on training.”

Jungkook leaned forward and turned up the radio, a signal that he didn’t want to talk.

Jimin sighed but fell silent. When they pulled up to the house, he jumped out and headed inside to find Jin had started painting the living room. He went straight through to the kitchen, ignoring his brother’s greeting.

“Hey, the least you could do is pick up a brush and help!” he heard Jin yell after him.

Jungkook got a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long drink. He could hear Jimin talking to Jin now.

“There was a girl at the game who looked kind of like y/n,” Jimin said in a low voice. “Plus it’s that time of year – you know how he gets.”

“Her birthday was last week, and his is coming up soon,” Jin said. “Not that he’s ever in the mood to celebrate it anymore anyway.”

Jungkook ignored them as he walked back into the living room and picked up a brush. “Let’s get this finished. Remember we have to go early to pick up the coolers and ice for the picnic.” He and Jimin belonged to the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and they were co-hosting the welcome back picnic with the A O Pi sorority.

He let Jimin and Jin talk and concentrated on painting. He wasn’t going to think of you anymore and that was that. You hadn’t been back to the U.S. in three years – the last he’d heard from his mom, you opted to attend Oxford University. You’d cut everyone out of your life, and he wasn’t going to waste any more of his time thinking about the past.

That night he dreamed of you.

He stood at the edge of the lake, wading in when he saw you drifting further out in front of him. It always happened the same way; you would smile and stretch out a hand to him, and then you disappeared beneath the surface. And no matter how many times he dove under the water looking for you, you were just gone.

Jungkook woke in a cold sweat, gasping, heart pounding. He switched on his bedside lamp and sat up, glancing at the clock to see it was nearly four in the morning. Running his hands through his hair, he breathed deeply and willed his heart rate to slow.

He hated that fucking nightmare. He could tell himself all day long he wasn’t going to think of you, but then this would happen. He told himself that you were fine, wherever you were. If something terrible had happened to you, he would have heard about it from your mom or his mom. Your life wasn’t his business anymore.

Jungkook was sleep deprived and cranky the next day as he helped set up for the picnic. Students were arriving on campus now, and there were a lot of mixers and activities planned for the next week, many of which he was expected to help with because Jimin was a social butterfly who kept volunteering you both.

Ayeong and Erin were there as well, and he did his best to avoid Erin, whose crush on him was starting to make him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he didn’t want a girlfriend and she definitely wanted a boyfriend. The last person he had seriously liked was Grace, and they’d broken up before senior year started. Since then, he’d kept his relationships casual – maintaining his grades and baseball took up most of his time anyway.

An hour into the picnic, he was sitting in a shaded area with Jimin and Ayeong when a little dog ran up and panted at his feet. He smiled as he leaned over to pet the little ball of black and tan fluff. “Hey, little guy, who do you belong to?”

“That would be me – sorry.” A tall man with dark wavy hair approached holding a leash. He leaned down to clip it on the dog’s collar. “He doesn’t usually run away like that, but I think he’s excited about all the new people.”

“Cute,” Jungkook said with a grin as he scratched the little dog behind the ears. “What’s his name?”

“Yeontan,” the man replied with a smile. He held out his hand. “And I’m Taehyung.”

Jungkook shook his hand. “I’m Jungkook. This is Jimin, and that’s Ayeong.”

Taehyung’s smile faded. “I should get back to my friends.”

He was leaning down to pick up the little dog when Sera joined them. “Hey, it’s Yeontan!” She stroked the dog’s head and looked over at the man holding him. “Let me guess – you must be Taehyung?”

“Have we met?”

“No, but I met Yeontan at the game yesterday when I met your girlfriend.”

“Ah, you must be Sera.”

“So where is y/n? I haven’t seen her yet.”

Jungkook’s head shot up at the name. “Y/n?”

“Oh, there she is!” Sera waved at a girl who walked over to join Taehyung.

Since your eyes were on the dog, you didn’t notice him at first. “Oh, thank God. Bad Tannie!” You reached for the small dog and dropped a kiss on his nose. Behind you were two more people – a tall man with silver blond hair, and a woman with long, brown hair threaded with blue streaks.

It was a surreal moment seeing you again. You were wearing a dark blue, silky sundress and what looked like the same thin white sweater he’d seen you wearing the day before. Your wavy hair was held back from your face with little clips, and your gold locket hung around your neck just as it always had. The little dog yapped and licked your cheek, making you giggle, and you smiled up at Taehyung, who placed an arm around your waist.

“Oh, shit,” he heard Jimin mutter next to him.

That got your attention and when you glanced over to see him, you froze. Your eyes held his for several moments. Then you took a deep breath and said, “Hi, Jungkook.”

Sera was looking between you, her expression curious. “Do you know each other?”

When Jungkook didn’t answer, Jimin said, “We all went to school together until y/n left for boarding school senior year.” He stood up and walked over to give you a hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”

You smiled at him gratefully. “I’m happy to see you, too. I was going to call or something, but we’ve only been here for two days.”

Jungkook felt his jaw clench. He said nothing as Jimin introduced Ayeong, who seemed uncharacteristically shy as she greeted you and Taehyung.

“This is Namjoon,” you said, gesturing to the blond man. “And his girlfriend, Chloe.”

“I heard you guys moved into that big old Victorian house,” Sera said to Taehyung. “I was telling my mom about it when I talked to her last night. She’s an interior designer, so she was interested in how it had been updated.”

“You should come by some time,” Taehyung told her.

The way Taehyung kept looking between you and him told Jungkook that he knew who he was. That meant that you’d known he was here before you came. You’d probably seen him at the game yesterday and you’d still scurried off rather than talk to him.

He watched Sera lead you and Taehyung away, introducing you to other friends. You looked over your shoulder at him, but he averted his eyes rather than meet your gaze.

Jimin cleared his throat and looked at Namjoon and Chloe. “Are you students here too?”

Namjoon shook his head. “I met Tae and y/n at Oxford – I was in a psych grad program there. Chloe and I are researching paranormal activity, so we tagged along when we heard they were coming here.”

Jungkook felt Jimin looking at him again.

“Huh. Well, that’s interesting. It’s supposedly the most haunted campus in the country, so good luck with that,” Jimin said.

Namjoon and Chloe wandered over to join the group of people you were talking to.

“Are you alright?” Jimin asked quietly.

Jungkook tried to swallow down the hot anger he could feel building. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Do you guys know who that is?” Ayeong asked incredulously. “That’s Taehyung Kim. As in, son of actress Jinah Park and Oscar winning director John Kim. He models for big designers a few times a year – he has a verified Instagram account, too.” She tapped on her phone for a minute and held it out to Jimin.

Jimin scrolled silently for a few seconds. “He’s also a photographer?”

“Yeah. I think he’s had at least one showing in New York under the name Vante. It was a photo of your friend that got me interested in photography – about two years ago?” She took the phone back and scrolled for a minute before handing it back to Jimin. “That one. He called it The Sighting, and it still gives me the chills when I look at it.”

Jimin looked at it and then handed the phone to Jungkook. He took it and looked at the photo, a landscape shot of you next to a river. You were in profile, but the angle showed a haunting, pensive expression on your face as you stared across the water, arms folded across your midsection, your hair lifted by a breeze.

The Sighting was a good name for the photo, and he wondered what you had seen that day. After a moment of hesitation, Jungkook went to the thumbnail view of Taehyung’s Instagram page. It was full of you.

Some of the photos were more artistic and some were just little snapshots of happy moments. It was obvious that you had spent most of your time with Taehyung over the past three years, and that anger he’d felt earlier came rushing back. You couldn’t be bothered to let him know you were alive, but you could take cooking classes and adopt a puppy with the perfect Taehyung.

He carefully passed the phone back to Ayeong before he did something crazy like hurl it into the lake.

When Ayeong was distracted by a friend she was talking to, Jimin scooted his chair closer. “Seriously, the level of anger you’re repressing right now can’t be healthy. Can you please just talk to her? Maybe she had a good reason for not coming back until now.”

“I’m not interested,” Jungkook replied.

“You are so full of shit right now,” Jimin said evenly. “You told me that it was your fault she left to begin with. You were going to fix it, you said. Well, here’s your chance.”

“She’s not my fucking problem anymore, and I don’t care,” Jungkook snapped back. “So drop it.”

A quiet gasp made them both look up to see you and Taehyung standing a few feet away. You stared at him, a flush creeping up your neck betraying your emotions. There was something in your eyes that made him feel small in that moment because he knew he’d hurt you.

Without a word, you turned and walked away towards the lake. Taehyung shot a furious look in his direction before following you.

Jungkook spent the remainder of the afternoon battling conflicting emotions. He was mad at you, but he was also mad at himself for still getting angry about something he’d spent two years telling himself was over and done with. He was hurt that you’d just shown up like this with no warning and with new friends, evidence of how you’d replaced him.

He was also confused about why you’d come to this university when you had to know how dangerous it was for you. Jungkook couldn’t see or feel what you saw and felt, but here at Gettis, he occasionally got an uneasy feeling. It was enough that he’d hung a talisman at the window of his dorm, and he’d put up more at the house he shared with Jimin and Jin.

And now you were down by the lake like one of his nightmares come to life. As mad as he was, he was also fighting the urge to physically drag you away from the water. You’d been down there for an hour with Taehyung, Namjoon and Chloe. Thinking about what Namjoon had said – that he and Chloe were interested in paranormal activity – he had to wonder if you’d deliberately chosen to come here because you were looking, too.

He reminded himself again and again that it wasn’t his business, and what you did shouldn’t concern him now. He dredged up his anger to dispel the fear that curled in his stomach when he watched you walk to the end of the pier and lean down to touch the water before looking back at Chloe, who was looking at something on a tablet.

Jungkook guessed he had an answer – you were definitely here looking for something, and you displayed none of the fear that he’d expect, either. And somehow that scared him.

He was still sitting and watching you when Jin arrived.

“I guess Jimin called you,” Jungkook said.

“Where is she?” Jin asked.

He nodded down to the lake.

_____________________________________

 “The readings here are insane,” Chloe said. “Look at this, Joon.”

“I see it.”

You closed your eyes and pushed out with your mind, searching. You heard the water ripple a few feet away – it could be mistaken for a fish, but you knew it wasn’t. Taehyung knew it too and crouched behind you to wrap one arm around your waist.

“Even after everything I’ve seen you do, these water ghosts are still the scariest,” he admitted as he anchored you.

They used to be the most terrifying to you as well, but you didn’t feel the same fear you used to feel when standing near the water. You were still scared, at least a little, and very alert to the danger. However, if it hadn’t broken you the night you went down to the lake alone three years ago, you supposed it wouldn’t now.

You could feel that Jungkook was still watching you, too. You didn’t need to look at him to know he must be wondering what you were doing down here. After all, the same fears that haunted you used to haunt him as well.

You’d been so nervous to see him, but once you were standing in front of him, you couldn’t deny the burst of happiness you felt. He looked the same in some ways, but there were little changes you committed to memory; he’d grown a bit taller, and he’d filled out even more. He’d lost the remaining roundness in his face, replaced by defined cheekbones and a sharp jawline. His hair no longer swept across his forehead, hiding his eyes, now replaced by an off-center part that exposed his strong brow.

You’d both grown up during these three years, though it was clear that he’d nursed a deep anger toward you. Maybe you deserved it, but it still hurt to hear him refer to you as a problem – one that he didn’t want to be a part of anymore.

“Y/n?”

You looked over to see Jin standing on the pier next to the lake edge. Taehyung released you as you stood and took a few tentative steps in Jin’s direction, wondering if he was angry, too.

Then he held his arms open, and you felt tears rush into your eyes. You closed the distance and wrapped your arms tightly around him. He just held you for a couple of minutes, petting the back of your head like he used to when he knew you’d had a bad day. His tall, solid presence instantly calmed you.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“I’m maybe a little mad, but I missed you too much to show it right now,” he said. “I’m glad you’re back.”

You finally pulled back and wiped your fingers under your eyes before looking up at him. “I thought you were still in L.A.”

“I was there for a couple of years. I did a couple of commercials, had a few walk-on roles. Mostly I just saved money so I could apply to the theater program here. I finally got in.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you said, squeezing his hand.

“What are you doing down here?” Jin asked. He looked concerned as he glanced at the people behind you. “This lake can be dangerous from what I’ve heard.”

You quickly introduced him to Taehyung, Namjoon and Chloe. Jin raised his brows when you mentioned that you were living with Tae, but he didn’t comment.

“Tae and I both transferred from Oxford,” you explained. You debated how much to say, but then added, “Namjoon and Chloe are working on a research project related to paranormal activity. There’s no better place for that than here, so they decided to come with us.”

“I see.” He looked out at the water for a moment and then held out his hand. “Come walk with me.”

As you walked around the perimeter of the lake, you noted that Jin put himself between you and the water.

“Can you really see ghosts?” he finally asked.

You stopped and stared up at him. “Did Jungkook tell you?”

“No,” he said. “You forget how many times over the years you slept over. I can’t even count how many blanket forts I built for you two on the living room floor once you were too old to share a bedroom, and if you remember, I usually slept on the couch. I heard you two talking more than once.”

“And you believed it?” you asked doubtfully.

“No, not at first. I thought you two had overactive imaginations because of what happened to you at the lake that time which, I admit, was hard to explain. But then I saw how you were after the library fire, and after that night we found you at the lake, I guess I wondered.”

You sighed and looked out over the water. “Even my mother doesn’t believe me, Jin. The only people I could talk to were Jungkook and Mrs. Kim.”

“So, it’s true.”

You nodded and met his gaze. “The otherworld is real, though not many people are aware of it. Some people are sensitive to that negative energy – Taehyung, for example. He can’t see them, but he can often feel their presence. And then there are people like me, who can see and interact with them.”

“Then why would you come here?” he asked. “This place even gives me the creeps sometimes. You used to jump at every shadow that crossed your path, and now you’re strolling near the lake looking for what? Water ghosts?”

“More than one,” you replied. “I was trying to feel them out and see how many are out there.”

He looked at you incredulously. “For what purpose? I remember hearing you and Jungkook talk once about how they sometimes followed you. Isn’t this dangerous for you?”

“They recognize me as part of the otherworld, so yes, they often follow me,” you replied. “But I haven’t wasted these last three years, Jin. I’m still learning, but I’m able to use my power in ways now that I couldn’t even comprehend before. And with all the hot spots here, I think this will be a good place for me to test my abilities.”

“So what you’re telling me is that you and your team of ghostbusters over there are here to look for dangerous ghosts,” he said. His laugh turned into a groan, and he wiped a hand down his face. “You and Jungkook are going to give me gray hair before I’m thirty.”

“Please don’t say anything to your mom,” you told him. “I don’t need her or my mom thinking I need a psych admittance.”

“That’s debatable,” Jin muttered. “Jungkook is too mad and stubborn to admit it right now, but he missed you too.”

You looked back over at the water. “He made it clear I’m not his problem anymore, and he’s right. He was kind of trapped in that world with me for ten years. I don’t blame him for opting out.”

“Is that why you left?”

You shrugged but didn’t answer.

“Stubborn, the both of you,” he said with a sigh. “He waited for you to come home that first year and then he tried to forget you. Do you know he hasn’t celebrated his birthday since you left? Like clockwork, August rolls around and Jungkook is a walking wound for a few weeks, snapping at everybody. He can push you out of his head, but he’s never been able to push you out of his heart, y/n, even if he thinks he did.”

Tears blurred your eyes as you stared at the water, and you forced them back. “I can’t force him to listen to what I have to say, Jin. Maybe he’s right and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

________________________________

 Jin spent the afternoon trying to reason through everything you’d told him before abandoning reason. That evening he called his mom and asked if she had Mrs. Kim’s contact information. If his mother was curious as to why he needed it, she didn’t say anything. She simply told him that she’d look for it and send it to him later.

When he got off the phone, he saw that Jimin and Jungkook had walked in with the pizzas they’d picked up.

Jimin looked at him curiously. “Why do you want to talk to Mrs. Kim? I don’t think I’ve seen her since before your grandmother’s funeral.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because y/n is here hunting ghosts. From talking to her this afternoon, I think she probably still talks to Mrs. Kim, and I’d like to know exactly how worried I should be.”

Jimin gaped at him. “Wait, what? She really sees ghosts? I thought Hanna and Lily were full of it when they started that rumor back in elementary school.”

Jin looked at Jungkook and then back at Jimin. “You didn’t know?”

“No.” He shot an accusing look at Jungkook. “Did you know?”

Jungkook was staring at Jin. “What do you mean she’s here hunting ghosts?”

“I mean exactly that. There are multiple water ghosts in that lake, by the way, so I’d advise you both to stay out of it.”

Jimin still looked stunned. “Water ghosts.” He visibly started. “Wait, is that what happened to her at the birthday party? And why she wouldn’t go near the lake again?”

“Apparently.” Jin grabbed a plate and loaded three slices of pizza on it.

“But then why would she be down at this lake if she thinks it’s full of water ghosts?”

“See, she seems to think that she can fight them now or something. She said she’s still learning, but it sounds like she’s here to test her learning curve by hunting ghosts in one of the most haunted places in America. And I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”

Jin watched his brother while eating. Jungkook stared at the pizza on his plate, brow creased. He might try to hide it, but Jin could see he was worried.

Jimin was still trying to put all the pieces in place. “That fire at the library was always weird. Was that a ghost? Because it would explain why she stayed locked up in her bedroom if it was. And those lucky talismans? I noticed you hung a few up here, Jungkook. I thought they were just things you got from your grandmother.”

“They’re not lucky talismans,” Jungkook muttered. “They keep away spirits. Things feel weird here sometimes, so I hung them up just in case.”

“I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me about this,” Jimin said with a reproachful look. “I wouldn’t have told anyone, you know.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Jungkook pushed his plate away and stood up.

“Hey.” When Jungkook looked at him, Jin said, “I don’t know what happened between you and y/n three years ago, and I get that you’re still mad, but I’m going to need you to pull your head out of your ass and help me out here. Because she’s still family even if you’re mad at her, Jungkook. I need you to help me make sure she doesn’t get hurt or worse doing whatever it is she’s planning on doing here.”

_________________________

 Jungkook tried not to think about you, but after Jin’s revelations, your new ghost hunting hobby was damn near all he could think about. Telling himself it wasn’t his problem anymore was one thing when he thought you had the sense to steer clear of the otherworld, but it was harder to convince himself when he was worried you were actively seeking out trouble.

Jin had mentioned that your boyfriend was a sensitive – someone who could feel but not see the spirits. He supposed that explained how you ended up together, and he obviously supported your newfound insanity. He still couldn’t believe you’d gone down to that lake and touched the water, knowing that it was full of water ghosts. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the force with which that ghost had yanked you into the water all those years ago, and that was only one ghost. Even though Taehyung had been anchoring you, he knew that would be useless if multiple ghosts came after you at once.

Jin had called Mrs. Kim and left her a long voicemail, but he hadn’t heard back from her yet. It had been two days since he’d seen you at the picnic; Jin had gone to visit you at your new house, but Jungkook had refused to go. He still felt confused, his emotions too raw to deal with you.

Jungkook wasn’t in the mood to go out, but Jimin dragged him down to the pool in the athletic building that afternoon.

“You need to work off some aggression,” Jimin said. “I’m tired of you snapping at everyone, and so is Jin.”

They hit the locker room first to change and then walked to the pool room. Once classes started, it would be in use more, but it was peaceful at the moment. Jungkook set his bag down on a chair, noting one other bag there, though no one was around. Then he saw your gold locket.

“Is that someone in the water?” Jimin suddenly asked.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he scanned the water and finally saw the dark shape at the bottom of the pool. “No.”

Jungkook hit the water and dove deep, fear giving him the extra push he needed to reach you within seconds. He jerked you into his arms and swam up. When he surfaced and started pulling you to the side, he was relieved to hear you coughing.

You clung to the side and coughed again before wiping your face.

Jungkook was livid as he climbed out and then lifted you out of the pool. “Are you out of your mind?”

You pushed your hair back and looked at him. “I wasn’t drowning – at least, not until you surprised me, and I inhaled water coming up.”

Jungkook barely controlled the urge to shake you. “You were at the bottom of the fucking pool, y/n! Are you fucking crazy?”

“Don’t curse at me,” you suddenly shouted back at him. “I can swim just fine now. I didn’t need you to jump in and play hero.”

“Whoa, okay you two need to calm down,” Jimin suddenly cut in. “If you weren’t drowning then what the hell were you doing at the bottom of the pool? Because the last time we saw you, you were scared to death of water.”

You walked over to your bag and pulled out a towel, wrapping it around yourself as you faced them. “I learned to swim more than two years ago. Sitting at the bottom of the pool is something I do to practice holding my breath. I like to see how long I can stay down there.”

“What if something was down there?” Jungkook asked, jaw clenched.

“I’m not stupid,” you shot back. “There was a water ghost here, but I got rid of it yesterday. It’s perfectly safe to swim here now.”

His attention was suddenly caught by the long, jagged scar on your left arm. He didn’t even have to ask to know you had gotten hurt doing something dangerous. Something like you were trying to do here. Jungkook thought his head was going to explode. “Are you listening to yourself? Are you trying to die on this campus?”

“What’s going on?”

He turned to see Taehyung coming from the direction of the bathrooms. He didn’t look happy to see Jungkook there, and in his current mood, the feeling was mutual.

“Nothing,” you said. “I want to go home.” You slid your shorts on and pulled a t-shirt over your head before fastening your locket around your neck.

Jungkook held out an arm to stop you from walking by him. “I thought Jin had to be wrong when he told me you were here hunting ghosts. Because that’s just crazy any way you want to look at it, and there’s no way you’d be stupid enough to go looking for that kind of trouble. Right?”

You stared up at him, and the stubborn tilt of your chin made his heart sink. “I think I’m not your fucking problem anymore, Jungkook. So whatever I am or am not doing, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Watching you walk out with Taehyung, he wanted to hit something. He settled for kicking his bag off the chair and then sat, raking his hands through his wet hair. “Fuck.”

Jimin sighed and sat next to him. “Maybe yelling at her isn’t the way to go, Jungkook. She’s not a child, and we have no idea what she’s experienced the last few years. It’s obvious that she’s not the same girl we knew who was afraid of everything, and maybe she has reasons for that.”

Elbows propped on his knees, he clasped his hands behind his head and tried to calm down. “You have no idea what kind of danger she’s putting herself in, Jimin, because you found out about this a couple of days ago. I lived with it for ten years. What she’s doing? She could die.”

Jimin stayed quiet for a minute. “I can’t pretend like I understand because I know I don’t. You two have ten years of secrets – that’s a lot. But it doesn’t change the fact that she has her own secrets now. Three years of secrets, to be exact, and the only way you’ll be able to understand who she is now is if she’ll talk to you about them. I’m just saying yelling won’t accomplish anything.”

Jungkook stayed by the pool when Jimin left, thinking over his friend’s words. Talking to you without getting angry seemed an impossible task at the moment. It would require him to dig at the wounds you’d left him with, to forgive you and ask for forgiveness in return. You had years of hurt and issues to hash out, and frankly, he didn’t know if he was ready for that.

His other option was just to stay away from you, but now that you were back, he didn’t know if he could do that either. And beneath it all, there was his deepest concern – how to keep you safe while he was figuring it out.

A/N – Hope you liked the update! I also updated the Ghosted playlist if you want to check that out. I put a link in my Master Fic List. My asks are open if you have any questions about the story, and I’ll work on getting Chapter 3 up as soon as I can. Yoongi and Hobi will be introduced in the next part as the U.S. liaison to y/n’s ghostbusting team, Hobi rather reluctantly lol.

Tag List:  @ggukkieland  @jikooksgirl19​  @waves-and-woods​  

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 11

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 11 - Reason

Are there really people in this world that, no matter who you ask, no one has any information about him?

The weather forecast says that today’s temperature will go above 30 degrees for the first time this season. At noon, the white and scorching sun reflected off of the marble floor tiles outside the main building of the school. Lin Yan and Yin Zhou were sitting on the stairs relatively speechless. They spent the past three hours of phone calling around to find the address of the small Daoist priest. Lin Yan stayed up all night. The lack of sleep for many days made the world confusing and blurred around him. His senses were all fuzzy. He buried his face in the palm of his hand and he rubbed his forehead. He raised his head and exhaled.

"I've asked everyone. I was on the same project team with him, in the same research program, in the same dormitory before, his friends. . . He seems to have no friends, and he doesn't seem to have any relatives nearby. How do we find him?" Yin Zhou put his phone down. He grabbed the balled-up piece of paper on the ground, spread it out and read it again: "He has no class this week, and they have all gone to prepare materials for the thesis topic. Do you want to go back to the small temple to ask?"

"Please, you didn't see what happened yesterday. It was like a News Years' celebration from hell. I'm afraid that if I go back, the monk will take the peach wood sword and smack me three times over." Lin Yan said weakly. "You check first, I'll watch from behind."

"Hey," Yin Zhou poked Lin Yan sneakily, and there was a small white flash on the edge of his glasses: "What did you do with the ghost in the end?"

Lin Yan curled his knees into a ball and replied reluctantly: "I've already told you eight hundred times. We watched the nightlife of Wudaokou for the rest of the night."

"Watched the nightlife? Were you drunk?" Yin Zhou drew close to Lin Yan. "So, are you enemies turned friends? Is the fighting done? Should I expect any relationship in the future now?"

"Please watch what you're saying. He's watching now." Lin Yan raised his head lazily, blinked his eyes vigorously, rubbed his temples vigorously to keep himself awake: "No kidding, he disappeared at dawn, but I could feel that he was still there. The strange thing was that he didn’t seem to understand what I was saying to him. The monk said that the ghost wouldn't remember being a human being. He was basically. . . just like an animal."

"You have to find A-Yan quickly. I'm afraid that something will happen to him." Lin Yan said: "And he must know more than we do."

Yin Zhou slapped his thigh vigorously: "I always hang out with the three-dimensional people and get dragged into messes like this."

"Hack into the files of the school's dormitory. Students are supposed to register their new address when they move out. Maybe there's a clue there."

At 2:30 in the afternoon, Lin Yan and Yin Zhou appeared in front of an old five-story house on Dadong Road.

This city had many similar-looking buildings. Land prices were soaring day by day. Developers couldn't afford to dismantle them. Residents had no money to move. Over time, older houses like this one had become ugly scars in the cluster of new buildings. The old-style design had poor lighting. Even in broad daylight, it was dark and damp. The grey paint on the wall had peeled away, exposing the brown-red brick wall underneath; the dusty bicycles and broken furniture had piled up in the alleyway, never cleaned. From time to time, a mouse would hop past, staring at the intruder's whereabouts vigilantly in the dark with its small eyes.

"Shouldn't this place be demolished?" Yin Zhou stared at the address on the note in disbelief, and then looked up at the old residential building that seemed to be crumbling: "If you live here, you won't be able to run away if there's an earthquake." Lin Yan felt a bit guilty. He had heard that the little Daoist had been in a bad family situation and had been relying on part-time work to subsidize his tuition, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad. He shouldn't have kept quiet when he was kicked out of the dorm. As a result, he could not live in a dormitory and pay 1,000 yuan a year, so he left to rent a house in a place with little money.

The two cautiously walked through the small alley. Lin Yan pulled away a spider web hanging above his head and asked Yin Zhou's back: "What's the number of A-Yan's house?"

"0023" Yin Zhou patted the dust off his jeans and looked up at the surrounding house numbers in confusion: "But this should be the bottom floor."

"The basement." Lin Yan said in a deep voice.

The old corridor was full of rubbish, and it was so dark that he could barely see the blue and gray stripes of the stand-up collar T-shirt on Yin Zhou in front of him. There was a damp and mouldy smell in the air. He didn't know why, but Lin Yan suddenly remembered this one thing he saw in a movie. In a ghost film called "The 4th Floor", the woman in white at the end of a creepy corridor tilted her neck, and her dark hair showed two dark eyes. Lin Yan shook her head vigorously, trying to get rid of the fantasy in his mind. He couldn't help but laugh at himself. He must be really sick because all he could think of were ghosts all the time.

Yin Zhou stopped and pointed to what Lin Yan had said before. He saw a simple door at the end of the corridor with the number 0023 slantingly engraved on the door. Just as Lin Yan was about to knock on the door, Yin Zhou cut him off and put his ear on the door.

"Someone's talking." Yin Zhou frowned and adjusted his glasses: "I can't hear what they're saying. . ." He raised his finger to his lips and made a silent gesture. Seeing Lin Yan hesitate to listen, Yin Zhou grabbed him. He yanked his collar forward harshly. The soundproofing of the old house wasn't very good. They could make out intermittent voices inside through the door panel, speaking slowly, and occasionally letting out a low laugh or two.

"There's A-Yan's voice. Does he have guests?" Lin Yan murmured and turned back. After thinking about it, he felt that listening through the wall wasn't ethical, so he pulled Yin Zhou back and muttered: "Don't listen. People will think we're trying to rob the place."

The door was suddenly pulled open. Yin Zhou lost his balance and tumbled forward a couple steps. He propped himself up on the door frame to stand firmly, and explained embarrassingly: "Hi, hi, hello, hello, I thought no one was coming."

There was no response, the doorway was pitch black, and the sound of the door panel swaying slightly echoed in the empty corridor, "Squeak--"

A slender hand was holding the door frame, and a pale face flashed in the darkness. Yin Zhou came face-to-face with him, widened his eyes and cried out, "Ghost!" Then he hurriedly backed into Lin Yan. Lin Yan hadn't expected it, and he didn't have time to see what happened. Whatever happened, they both retreated instinctively. Yin Zhou stepped all over his feet, and the two fell into a shameful ball on the ground.

A timid male voice rang from above his head: "Brother Lin Yan?"

The light turned on, and the person standing at the door was the little Daoist A-Yan.

When he entered the house, Yin Zhou couldn't help but anxiously mutter. He followed Lin Yan reluctantly and walked into a small spotless two-bedroom house with simple furnishings. A white candle was lit on the coffee table in front of the old sofa, the wax drops forming small bumps around the candle's edge on the tabletop. Lin Yan and Yin Zhou sat down and looked around curiously. This wasn't a place where they expected young people to live. There was a faint smell of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in the air. A compass and a peach wood sword were placed on the old cabinet, and an aged portrait of a person hung on the wall. Yin Zhou asked Lin Yan who the old man in the portrait was. Lin Yan quickly motioned him to shut up, and whispered that this was Tao Hongjing, the founder of the Maoshan School of Daoism.

When he saw A-Yan's unique appearance at school, he always thought that it was all for show. Lin Yan didn't expect that he really had some connection with the Maoshan School, known for their effectiveness in exorcising ghosts. A-Yan was still wearing the weird blue robe as he walked in with two teacups. He leaned over to blow out the candles on the table and respectfully handed the teacups to Lin Yan and Yin Zhou. The ceramic cup had been a Buy 3 for 10 Yuan bargain at a roadside stall, but the tea was still fragrant and tasted pleasant.

"The green bamboo leaves from Mount E-Emei are a specialty of my hometown. Master gave it to me. If I ever feel homesick, I drink this."

Yin Zhou was stunned by A-Yan's dismissal of their meeting moments ago. He gulped and asked calmly: "Didn't you have guests over? Why didn't you turn on the lights? I was scared to death just now."

The little Daoist's expression suddenly changed. He whispered a 'no'. Yin Zhou raised his eyebrows and glanced at him. The little Daoist couldn't stand sitting under his stare. He turned around and took out a tray from the cabinet, placing it on the coffee table carefully. "I was only talking to them," A-Yan said. On the tray were some boxwood carvings of different figures and animals. The carvings were lifelike, their eyebrows, beards, and even the folds in their clothes were clearly visible. Lin Yan picked up one and studied it. He was stunned: "Isn't this your master?"

A-Yan lowered his head and replied: "Yes. It can be boring living by myself sometimes. I sculpt some small things to pass the time and tell them my thoughts. Talking to them makes me feel better." He pointed to the woodcarvings on the tray and said: "These are my parents, sister, and our family cat."

The wood carving was covered with a thick layer of grout, soaked in oil; it looked very well-used. Except for the monk set off to the side, the remaining sculptures made up a set; there was a boxwood table, an exquisite miniature chair and the smiling family of three with their ball-shaped cat. Lin Yan touched the cat's head and couldn't help but admire the work. He said: "These carvings are really good, they're very heartfelt. A-Yan, if you're homesick, don't forget to book tickets with me if you want to go back home for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The school will give us a group discount."

A-Yan froze: "No I won't. My parents passed away long ago. I want to work and send money to my sister to study."

Lin Yan hadn't meant to touch a soft spot when he commented. He put down the woodcarving and apologized. A-Yan didn't care: "It's okay, I-- I'm used to it. I don't have any friends. When I carve these and talk to them, it feels like they're still here."

"I'm your friend." Lin Yan comforted him: "Carve one for me when you get the chance. Your craftsmanship is really amazing."

"Okay, I'll show it to you once I finish it." The little Daoist smiled, his eyes sparkling: "By the way, you-- you guys were looking for me because of the ghost thing that followed you?"

Lin Yan nodded. He sat upright and took a deep breath. He sorted out the things that had happened since encountering ghosts and said, "I heard you say that ghost resentment is too powerful and there is no way to overcome it. I wanted to know if there is another way to send him away without dispersing his spirit. He almost choked to death three times." A-Yan frowned and shook his head, "That's not it. Al-- Although I can't see him in places with heavy yang energy, I can feel that he's very sad." After that, he pondered for a while: "He didn't mean to harm you."

"Evil ghosts have no human consciousness, and those who die suddenly have resentment. Only when they wander in between the worlds of the living and the dead and find something to kill can they calm their hostility. My master said that they are so powerful that they have to be eliminated. I have the ability to look into the eyes of a ghost and understand their emotions, so I can't always disperse their spirits. Think about it, a murdered ghost who has waited for hundreds of years in a dark and cold grave; what else can you feel except profound sympathy?"

"Loneliness. Unbearable loneliness." A-Yan stared at the wooden carvings on the plate, his eyes suddenly distant: "On July 15th, the gates to the ghost realm will be open. He wants to take you to his world. It's too unbearable to be alone." The last sentence was hushed, almost self-deprecating.

Lin Yan picked up the cat woodcarving and fiddled with it. To be honest, he did sympathize with the ghost. He even closed his eyes to try and imagine himself in the ghost's shoes. The closed, silent, unknown horror of death, a blackened skeleton in the faint light of a miner’s lamp sleeping quietly. First, he is hidden in the coffin, then under a layer encrustation, and then inside an airtight tomb room, with a heavy bluestone tomb door, layer upon layer locking the soul away to keep it from rising again. No matter how magnificent the mausoleum is, and how rare it was to be buried in one, what's the use of it? Only the sound of his heartbeat could be heard in the eternal darkness. No, there isn't even a heartbeat.

Death is the loneliest thing. A deadly but lonely ghost, after hundreds of years of silence, waiting for someone to finally sense its presence.

How tragic yet oddly optimistic.

[avelera]

So I’m going with Bottom Nicky for the Amnesiac Nicky sex scene, but I swear there’s a reason I’m going with the fandom trend here instead of bucking it. 

- First of all, after 900+ years of being a couple, Nicky and Joe are almost certainly versatile, like, full stop. I think like any couple they’d develop routines when they want to be intimate without thinking too hard about it, but I’d never have a line in a fic with them implying that Nicky bottoming is 100% of the time, in my headcanon it’s more of a 60% of the time thing. 

- My reasoning for going along with the fandom trend here (ever since Bagginshield I’ve preferred to reverse top/bottom trends as much as possible when I see fandom calcification setting in where one side is 90% of the time one or the other, blech) is based on the comic book and their sleeping positions with Joe always being the big spoon. Yeah, it’s kinda flimsy evidence, obviously, but since I saw the pic in the comic and its replication in the film, I’ve had the mental image that it translates to their preferences in bed, so sue me.

- Within the Amnesiac Nicky story, there’s reference made to Nicky’s past long-term lover, a fellow student at the seminary when he was studying to be a priest. I specifically wanted Nicky to be sexually experienced not just with random flings as a soldier but also with a long-term, loving partner, so that within the fic he could authoritatively tell Joe what he likes in bed and what he’s interested in trying. 

(Not only do I find virgin!Nicky just extremely unlikely for a 30 year old man in the 11th c., it just seems like a modern misconception about priestly celibacy in that era which was, first of all, a new concept at the time which had previously been limited to the kind of total self-denial of all earthly pleasures you see with ascetic hermits OR specifically meant no MARRIAGE to a woman to prevent legitimate heirs who could inherit their position in the Church, SPECIFICALLY for bishops before that trickled down to all clergy much later in the Middle Ages.)

- So I went with the idea that Nicky’s previous lover preferred to bottom with some hints that he was maybe a bit selfish and while not a bad person didn’t go out of his way to ask Nicky what he wanted in bed, and Nicky didn’t trust anyone in the army or on the road to Jerusalem to safely and respectfully help him explore this curiosity of his. 

So basically, Joe is like the perfect person to ask for this, because he’s obviously caring and gentle towards Nicky (even if Nicky doesn’t remember their relationship) he’s very experienced specifically with Nicky and has shown again and again that he’d do anything for Nicky so like, if you’re going to ask anyone to try this new and possibly a bit scary thing you’ve been wanting to try ever since your last long-term relationship, seriously, who better to ask than someone like Joe?

Anyway, this is part of a LONG series of “Author Notes that the story doesn’t need but that are at the back of my mind as I write” and also “ramblings I do while warming up and clearing my head to do some writing”, sooooo, sorry for the long post!