#the definitive edition ones will follow shortly

[ahundredtimesover]

I Want You to Stay (04) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: boss!JK x assistant!reader; idiot strangers to lovers; slow slow burn; k-drama feels; angst, drama, fluff, smut

Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, unhealthy coping mechanisms; family drama; minor injuries; power dynamics (JK starts off as a jerk); work-related anxiety, feelings of helplessness, insecurities; childhood traumatic experiences, nightmares; sexual harassment, prior incidence of domestic violence (PLS PLS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING); arts and business/property devt talk that’s probably inaccurate; commitment issues & emotionally constipated characters; cold and detached JK; explicit sexual content (specific warnings stated per chapter) (18+)

Chapter Word count: 11.4k

Series Masterlist

Status: Ongoing

Series summary: Working for Jungkook isn’t the same as working for Hoseok. For starters, Jungkook doesn’t smile, he doesn’t appreciate you, and he gives you too much work. It doesn’t help that he’s incredibly handsome and has women at his beck and call. But as the tension grows, it becomes impossible to resist him. You’ve dedicated yourself to your job for 8 years so when you finally decide to put yourself first, he asks you to reconsider. And while you know that leaving is difficult, you learn that when it comes to Jungkook, staying is always so much harder.

Playlist 🎶: on the way home

A/N: Hiii I'm getting slower with editing and writing so please bear with me moving forward! Also pls remember, this is a slow burn haha. But anyway, been loving your replies (I see you) and messages, thank you. I hope you enjoy this one!

And as always, my biggest thanks to @wonwoonlight  🥰

PS. If I can’t tag you, pls fix your settings!

The events of last weekend remain in your mind, as you approach Jungkook’s apartment the next Monday and feel like your heart will leap out of your chest. 

You remind yourself that he wasn���t angry at you; he’d even tried to apologize and didn’t make a fuss when you left the restaurant last Saturday. But still, the whole incident would make anyone feel agitated, and you know his capacity to feel and express that. He was inconvenienced and put on the spot, after all. 

You enter, and shortly after, Jungkook exits the gym then greets you with a nod when he sees you. He looks more tired than anything. He doesn’t have a hint of frustration in his eyes, and you could only hope that he’d forgotten about what happened or, like how he is when it comes to personal matters, he’d chosen not to acknowledge it. 

You bow in return, sneaking a glance as he walks towards his bedroom, with your throat drying up when he removes his shirt, briefly gracing you with a view of his glistening toned back right before disappearing inside. You wait half a minute before you follow him to prepare his clothes, giving yourself time to breathe before you have to face him again. You return to the kitchen and prepare his breakfast, looking up when you hear him walk in.

You approach him to do an act that’s become a routine for you, and for him as well, as he stands straight and unmoving while you tighten his tie and make sure he looks fine. Even when your fingers only graze his clothed chest, the memory from last Saturday becomes vivid, as you recall wiping his wine-soaked top, feeling the taut body underneath. 

You shake your head at the thought, realizing that there are more things about that night that you should not acknowledge at all, including the heat you felt at seeing him in the washroom, a little exposed and definitely sweaty. There was that tension and the dropping of formalities that felt too foreign and quite disorienting. You don’t know him as anything other than the ‘Mr. Jeon’ you assist; seeing him as just ‘Jungkook’ was different. But you suppose that that’s the man you help everyday, and you wonder how much of himself he leaves behind in the office and how much of him now is just… him. 

As you go about your routine during breakfast, you’re reminded that for Jungkook, there doesn’t seem to be a difference. How he is at work is the same as how he is elsewhere - serious, quiet, and detached. Except maybe when he’s with those women he meets at clubs, though. Perhaps the thrill and pleasure inject a bit of emotion and passion in him. You wouldn’t know, but at least it’s a way for him to take a break from the responsibilities he carries. 

You scold yourself internally again. You’re not supposed to be curious; you’re not supposed to care. So you shake all of them away and remind yourself of who you are and your own distance that you should observe.

You get to your senses and proceed accordingly. You go about as usual in the morning with his meetings, and then he shuts his office so he could focus in the afternoon. You see his furrowed brows from the window, as he works on what seems to be the Arts Center again, given his requests for financial and marketing reports of the company's non-residential projects from the last five years.  

You’re busy with organizing his Singapore trip and coordinating with the CEO’s office about the upcoming Appointment Dinner to formally introduce the new appointees, when he exits his room and looks through the folders lined on the shelf behind you.

“Where are the portfolios of our collaboration projects from 2017?” He asks. 

“They’re in the archive room,” you answer, standing up to head there. 

But he does it first, beating you to the corner area just off the hallway to the left. Your steps are obviously not at pace with his, and he’s tiptoeing to reach for a large folder by the time you get there. He’s able to retrieve it, laying it on the ledge as he goes through some pages. 

“I could’ve gotten that,” you say softly, and Jungkook turns to you and wishes he hadn’t, as your pout makes his insides melt. 

There’s something about your disappointment that you didn’t get to help him that makes his heart race a little, and while he knows it has everything to do with you thinking that he’d think you’re not doing your job properly, he still likes to keep the thought that you’d wanted to help him in the first place.

“It was heavy,” he explains. 

“I’ve carried and pulled and pushed things way heavier than that folder,” you scoff. 

“Really?” Jungkook cocks an eyebrow, trying not to show amusement on his face. “My cousin let you do all those things, huh?”

You frown at his attempt to catch you slipping. “I do many things in the background during events, Mr. Jeon, things that get everything functioning properly while Mr. Jung engages with the guests.”

Jungkook can only imagine how much work you put into getting those events hosted by the VP’s office running. Perhaps retrieving heavy folders is no big deal for you. But still, he doesn’t want to come across as a jerk for making you do something he can do on his own. He already was, he reminds himself, and you also definitely think he is;  he doesn’t want to add to that any more, not after everything that’s happened. 

So he just nods. “It’s a simple task I can do.”

Jungkook looks at the labeled boxes and folders. He’s got materials and design points to finalize by tonight. There are some more past projects he wants to go through to take inspiration from, and he finds another one he wants to look at, underestimating its weight, which is why he jerks in surprise when he feels how heavy it really is.

You’re there on cue, as if you knew it was gonna be too much. And if he’d asked you, you probably would’ve told him so. 

You’re standing much closer to him, your fingers grazing against his as you hold onto the folder. It’s almost familiar, only because you stood this close to him that night at the restaurant, too - when you cleaned him up, and then when you handed him his clothes in the washroom. You actually stand this close to him everyday when you fix his tie. Perhaps after all that, it’s only dawning on you just how little space between you two there are sometimes, and you’re suddenly hyper aware - of the distance, of his scent, of the way he’s looking back at you when you turn to look at him. 

“It was heavy,” he admits. 

And for some reason, you laugh. Maybe it’s the slightly embarrassed look on his face or it’s just your defense mechanism when you feel tense but you let out an amused sound, with it fading as the time goes by and you realize you’re actually laughing at your boss. 

“Making fun of me, Ms. Cho?”

“I… I’m sorry, Mr. Jeon,” you stammer, stepping away. 

You’re about to mentally curse yourself until you see his slight smirk, and the thought of him making fun at you by scaring you like that makes you feel better. He may have some sense of humor after all. 

Still, you bow in apology, and there’s a moment when you meet his eyes, with something not anger or frustration in them, that you both linger, as if there are things both of you feel that need to be said; you just don’t know what they are.

“Did the dry cleaners get to remove the wine stains?” You manage to get some words out, turning away now as you bring up last Saturday night. 

“Uh, yeah,” he responds. There’s a pause before he continues. “Did… did you get home okay?”

You’re too stunned to be able to answer right away but you eventually do. “Uh, yeah. Jimin, Soomin, and I just bought food and then went to my apartment. And you?”

“I did,” he nods.

“Did… did Hajoon bother you again after we left?”

“No. Well, he just kept giving me the death stare but he didn’t do anything else,” he says. 

“I really don’t know what got him so worked up,” you sigh, feeling bolder at having to share this much. “He’s not usually confrontational and he knows I hate it. That shouldn’t have happened.”

“People have their reasons for getting angry. They’re not always valid, though, and definitely not always warranted,” Jungkook replies, briefly looking away. “Whatever it is, at least he didn’t throw a punch.”

“Oh, if he did, that is it for me,” you chuckle, feeling unfamiliar with being able to talk to Jungkook so casually like this. “Goodbye, job; goodbye, Seoul. I will probably just work as a librarian somewhere.”

Jungkook wants to say he wouldn’t accept your resignation for that reason, that he doesn’t want you to go anywhere, actually. But that’s too much and probably inappropriate to say given the circumstances. So he just hums and turns back to the folder and looks through them. 

“I’ll need these back in my room,” he says, carrying one while you take the other. 

You appreciate the topic change, knowing you won’t know how to handle more if the conversation deepens. You both walk back quietly, as it dawns on you that the casual nature you both talked to each other is a little disorienting. 

You’re not used to him sounding concerned.

He’s not used to you being honest and open. 

Perhaps seeing a different side of him isn’t all that bad, you think. 

Jungkook wants to believe it’s your way of forgiving him, too, even if he hasn’t actually apologized for anything. 

The minute it takes to return to your respective desks ends, and Jungkook is back to focusing on his designs while you get back to making reservations. You peek inside his room every once in a while to check if he’s okay, if there’s anything else he needs, if there’s anything you can do for him. 

The frustrated look on his face isn’t new, but the fact that it isn’t directed at you, is. So is the worried feeling you have for him. You’re a mix of emotions from everything that’s happened this past month, so you can’t deny that the way he’s been acting towards you has left you confused, maybe even doubtful. You have to be cautious, you think, and not fall into a comfortable dynamic with him so easily. 

The next day, he’s back to being serious once again, as you sit to his right in the restaurant that will be catering the upcoming VP event. Jungkook decided for both of you to have the food tasting for lunch, and so a spread has been prepared for him to make the final decision on the menu. 

You’d like to think that you’ve developed quite a sophisticated palate, all thanks to the numerous events that Hoseok asked you to organize in your three years working under him. With this upcoming dinner party a sort of introduction of Jungkook and the project to the art world, he wants to make sure that he serves only the best to the guests, which is why he carefully tastes each dish, trying to determine the best combination that’s both delicious and creative. 

You give your comments, some of which he acknowledges, and you feel like you’re both making headway in terms of the menu, as well as with his disposition for the day, given that he’s looking more comfortable and relaxed than he was half an hour ago.

That is, until he sips his wine for the first time, and clears his throat.

“I believe I specifically said that lunch today is a work matter, Ms. Cho,” he says sternly. “You’re on the clock and this isn’t a break.”

“Y—yes, Mr. Jeon,” you answer, curious as to the reason for his statement.

“Then why is your boyfriend waiting outside the restaurant, trying to catch your attention?”

“What?” You exclaim, turning around and spotting Hajoon standing by the lamppost, his sullen eyes getting a bit of light in them once they meet yours. “I… I don’t know,” you respond. “I haven’t spoken to him since Saturday.”

“How did he know you’re here, then?”

“His restaurant is just up the street,” you sigh. “He must’ve seen me when he was walking there. This area is his usual route. Please just ignore him.”

“I can’t when he’s in my peripheral vision. He’s still the man who got in my face the other night. He clearly wants to speak to you and I don’t think he’ll go away,” Jungkook reasons. 

You look at him, waiting for his instructions. 

Jungkook doesn’t like that Hajoon is there and he also doesn’t want you to speak with him during work hours, especially if it’s going to affect you for the rest of the day. But the man seems desperate and persistent; he really doesn’t seem like he’ll just let this moment of seeing you pass.

“You have five minutes,” Jungkook says. 

You don’t exactly want to go out there; there’s a reason why you haven’t returned Hajoon’s texts or calls these past days. But you can imagine that it’s a worse look for him to be staying around; a distraction during this work matter that you know Jungkook would not appreciate one bit. So you stand up and tell him that you’ll be back shortly.

Jungkook returns to the dish in front of him, noting that the Japanese mushroom risotto is a good addition to the set menu. The event his office is planning includes a sit down dinner and then an offering of canapés and champagne while guests walk around the venue to see the presentation of the Arts Center in large boards and on screens. It will be a good way for him to socialize - something he’s incredibly nervous about because it’s not his strongest suit, nor is it something he enjoys, unlike his cousin. The primary goal, though, is to introduce the project. Jungkook needs important people on board so they can be involved in the launch and the succeeding special activities.

He tries to think about that night and how he wants to design the place. He tries to think of other things, too, like the music and decor, even if he’d said that’s for both of you to plan next week. He’s even thinking of a follow up already, even if his management support team is in charge of that and would be dependent on how this first one is gonna go. 

Jungkook tries to think of anything, really, just so he won’t constantly be glancing at you in his periphery, as you talk to the man from the other night and possibly make up. You did leave him at the restaurant last Saturday; you also did clarify that you’re not together. You just said you haven’t spoken since then, so it’s safe to say that both of you aren’t in good terms. 

Jungkook can only assume, though. He doesn’t know the story, nor would he ever; he reminds himself he shouldn’t be thinking about it in the first place. He was never one to be privy to his staff’s personal lives; he spent most of his time with Lucas but didn’t know more than his family's composition. Jungkook doesn’t even recall knowing if Lucas had a partner, or if his then-assistant even mentioned it. 

But clearly, Hoseok knows more about you than Jungkook would’ve expected. Perhaps it’s just how his cousin is, or maybe the time spent together just created that environment where it’s natural or normal. Maybe it’s the culture that his father encouraged; his old man is quite close with Mr. Ri - his former chauffeur and bodyguard - and Mrs. Myung - his executive assistant, after all. 

But it’s not what Jungkook is used to; it’s not how he spent his few years in the Singapore office because like always, all he did was work and party. His mentor in graduate school also advised him that professional lines are ones he shouldn’t cross. Though Jungkook never really knew what exactly those were, he just dared not get close to anyone or be remotely interested at all, and that never caused him any problem. He’s always been safe where he was, guarded and unbothered.

But ever since you walked through those doors at Hoseok’s office that first Friday, Jungkook has been finding himself skirting near the boundaries far too often, and it’s only been a month. It began with making sure you’re eating well and that you’re safe on the way to work; he convinces himself that’s human decency, although he never really bothered much before. 

And between wanting you to get proper rest before your trip to your hometown, to seeing you with that man from last weekend and being so bothered by it that it caused a scene, Jungkook’s internal alarm bells are ringing, telling him that he’s getting too interested, too close. It doesn’t help that he finds you attractive, something he doesn’t have control over. What he does have a say in is how he responds to it, and that has been incredibly tough, especially given the weekend he’s had. 

He’d spent the rest of it trying to keep his mind off you - the way you looked in that outfit, the way your touch sent shivers down his spine, the way you’d looked at him worriedly… And when you walked out of that restaurant, he wondered what you were thinking, how you were feeling, how you’d be spending the rest of the night, and if you were gonna be home okay. He hasn’t really stopped since.

Even now, as he stays in his seat and tightly grips his glass of wine at the scene unfolding outside. 

You’re standing with your arms crossed - setting the boundaries, and perhaps signaling your detachment, though he can’t see your face. The man, on the other hand, seems emotional, the tinge of sadness evident on his face. But there’s a mix of frustration and anger, too, as his arms flail around. He points at you, then at himself. His voice seems raised; Jungkook swears he can see the veins from the man’s neck popping out while you… you’ve got your head turned to the side, your body not eliciting much of the emotion the way the man’s is. 

Jungkook stops himself from making an excuse for you to come back inside, just so he can pull you away from a conversation that you don’t seem to be wanting to have. But he knows it’s not his place, and the man might make a scene again if Jungkook decides to step in. You know how to stand up for yourself; you’d done it to him, he reminds himself. You’ll do what you need to do, whatever it is.

The man heaves, as whatever monologue he was giving ends. He reaches out to you, perhaps making a final plea, but you step back, widening the distance. It’s what prompts him to bow his head and turn around, leaving you by the lamppost on your own. 

Jungkook sighs in relief now and he waits for you to return, but he’s surprised when you stay rooted in your spot, your arms wrapping around yourself despite the heat outside. He worries when you enter, your head bowed down and unable to look at him. 

He wants to ask how you are, but he’s unsure if he’s ready for your answer, knowing that there isn’t much he can do anyway. So he goes with what he knows - detachment. 

“I’ve chosen the last two dishes,” he says. “They’re serving the desserts soon.”

You turn to him immediately, your misty eyes painted with worry meeting his own.

“I didn’t think I was away that long,” you state, worried about the time you left your boss waiting while dealing with a personal matter that for the first time made you wish you were stuck with Jungkook instead. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jeon.”

He didn’t expect you to look so upset. He’s terrible at comforting people, but even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t know if he’d manage to comfort you. So he just shrugs and says that they were straightforward dishes. 

You both try the desserts then the canapés, exchanging thoughts about all the options before shortlisting your chosen dishes. By the time the food tasting is over, you’re stuffed and set for the rest of the day. 

You try not to look at Jungkook. You don’t know if he’d seen how your conversation went with Hajoon, but if he had, he could probably tell what was going on even if he couldn’t hear anything. 

He’s had his moments, but you’ve never seen Hajoon look that upset and emotional, and you stood there, afraid to face all his feelings that you didn’t know what to do with, all those words that you didn’t know how to take. You’re usually one who’s able to let negative things said to you just go over your head, but something about what he’d said today hit you; you know it’ll take you until tomorrow to get over them.

But you try to get through the rest of the day the way you usually do - going through reports, organizing schedules, finalizing tomorrow’s presentation, and then working on the revised interdepartmental guidelines that Jungkook tasked you to do. 

There are draft letters you send to him, thinking that you’ll work on some administrative matters while he reviews them, but you’re surprised when he calls for you 10 minutes later, saying the letters are approved and you can send them in the morning. You’re left wondering, given that anything you submit to him usually goes through intense scrutiny. Perhaps you’re not used to this easy pass, but you try not to overthink it, given the day you’ve had.

“You can go home, Ms. Cho,” he says as he types away. 

It’s 5:30 PM. Usually this time, he’s still handing you things to review or instructing you on what else to do. 

He seems to pick up on your silence, as without looking at you, he clarifies. “I don’t need you to do things you can do tomorrow. We’ll have meetings all day so I understand if you want to stay behind but you don’t have to.”

He doesn’t seem like he’ll be finishing soon, and you’re really not in the best mood so you nod and bid him goodbye.

The conversation with Hajoon stays in your mind all night and lasts until the next day. You’re in Jungkook’s penthouse the next morning, preparing his breakfast while he takes a shower. 

With your phone snug under your neck, you relay to Soomin what happened yesterday. She was too busy last night for a call and she’s been bugging you since you got in the car - that you continue to ride as per your boss’ instructions - so you finally picked up, knowing how long it usually takes for Jungkook to finish.

“It started with him apologizing, then wondering why I haven’t been picking up his calls, then justifying his actions from last Saturday as him, standing up for me,” you narrate. “Obviously, I didn’t take those too kindly.  But he said he wanted to be with me, like, have an actual relationship. And I said I didn’t want to then he just… he kinda just said everything he’s been keeping in.”

“Which is what?” Soomin asks.

“That I’m selfish, that I don’t think about what my actions may mean to others, which is silly since I was clear from the start about what I wanted from him,” you sigh. “He said that I act independent but that’s just a front, that deep down I’m a lonely woman who’ll probably push away every person who’s shown me they care until I have no one left and that’s why I’ll be alone forever, which he says is a deep fear that I have because I apparently told him that when I was drunk. And even after all that, he said he still cares about me, that he wants to try to be something for real this time, that if I just let him, he’ll love me right and make me happy and I just backed away, like, why would you—”

The clearing of the throat cuts you off, and you nearly drop the expensive plate due to panic once you look up and see Jungkook standing by the kitchen.

“I’m so sorry for taking a personal call, Mr. Jeon,” you say immediately, putting away your phone. “It won’t happen again.”

You bow your head down in apology, which is why you don’t see the way Jungkook’s eyes soften as he looks at you. Words like that hurt, and he can’t imagine what it must’ve felt like for you hearing them. Still, you went about yesterday with your accomplished tasks and completed deliverables like it didn’t happen, displaying a kind of strength that he could only hope to have.

“Yesterday was a tough, I suppose,” he states, choosing to ignore your apology. 

“It was a normal one,” you brush off, walking towards him to fix his tie, not meeting his gaze. 

Jungkook doesn’t reply, knowing you don’t want to acknowledge that he’d overheard your conversation, which he didn’t mean to walk in on. It did bother him, too; he suddenly wishes he’d fought back if that man was just going to speak to you that way. 

There’s a sadness in your eyes that he tries not to mind and which you try to trivialize. Perhaps the man matters that much to you for you to be feeling this bad; Jungkook doesn’t really know what to do with that thought. So he tries to brush it off, too, telling you instead to be ready for today’s meeting with his father. 

You ask if he’s checked the presentation you worked on, as you added things from the last time. He nods and says he only added minimal details that he came up with last night, and you check to find that he indeed just made minute changes, another thing that you’re thankful for yet wary of, especially given how critical he was about your work in the beginning. 

You continue with your morning routine of debriefing about yesterday’s meetings, then you finalize the Arts Center event’s menu in the car. When you arrive at the office, you wait patiently as he goes through some reports that you’ve checked, then he reviews some memos that he asked you to work on. 

The last one finishes faster than you expected. It seems now that his comments are what you look for, only because it reminds you that he hasn’t changed; somehow that seems like a better thought to have than him suddenly being lenient or lowering his standards for you for some unknown reason. He’s definitely witnessed some of your low moments; you don’t want to think those have anything to do with how he’s been lately.

The meeting with the management support team ends before lunch time, and you work on the minutes and the other things Jungkook had asked of you during the time that he meets with Yoongi in his office. That takes another half hour, and by the time they’re done, you’re done with your tasks, too, so you send those documents to Jungkook for checking in the afternoon.

Another one off the list, you think to yourself. At this point, you’re just going over all your deliverables with a focused mindset and waiting for the day’s end so you can spend time for yourself, just on the couch watching variety shows and movies until the weekend comes when you can do that for longer hours. 

Having your friends over or traveling to Daegu are the only other things you look forward to. You used to look forward to spending the night at Hajoon’s, too; you could at least feel something pleasurable - the closest you could get to any form of intimacy that didn’t require you to bare yourself other than your body. But that’s a thing of the past now - there’s that amazing life-changing toy that Soomin got you last Sunday that’s got you thinking that you’ll be fine being alone for the rest of your life.

“Long day, huh?” 

You look up and see Yoongi, his curious eyes scanning your desk full of papers, folders, and half-eaten biscuits.   

“It has been,” you sigh.

“I see. It’s also only just 12 noon,” he points out.

“What a shocking revelation, Min Yoongi,” you grunt. “I don’t need to be reminded that I have another six hours here.”

“Hmm, just like me. So, what are you looking forward to when you clock out?”

“My leftover stir-fry for dinner that I’m going to add beef to,” you respond. “And The Zone. I missed it last Monday.”

“You and your variety shows,” he chuckles.

“What other reason do I have to laugh, hmm?”

“I’d say me, but you don’t find me funny.”

“You aren’t, sorry,” you smile, your first of the day, and Yoongi smiles back, knowing you haven’t been doing it the past few weeks.

“So–”

“Ms. Cho,” Jungkook’s voice cuts Yoongi off, as your boss stands by his open door with curious eyes that flit from you to the man in front of you. He recovers though, as he instructs, “the minutes are fine. Send it to the team now so they can work on their tasks.”

“You’ve read it?” You speak too soon, realizing a second too late that the words didn’t stay in your head. Your widened eyes don’t help you though, as Jungkook scowls at you.

“Are you asking me if I’ve read the file that I just approved and instructed you to disseminate?”

Yoongi purses his lips to hold off a laugh, and you glare at him because his teasing isn’t really what you need right now. 

“I meant, uh, you’ve reviewed it already, sir? I… thought… you were going to prepare for the lunch meeting instead,” you reason, which isn’t even a lie. 

“I have. Father hasn’t called me up so I just reviewed the minutes while waiting.”

You look at the file and see that nothing has been added. “And? That’s it?”

“Ms. Cho, are you questioning my ability to review?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed as he starts to look displeased, although they seem harmless compared to his frustrated expressions from the past. 

“No, Mr. Jeon, I apologize,” you say. “I was wondering if you didn’t have anything more to add, that’s all.”

“There’s none,” he clarifies. “Just send it to the team and uh… get ready for the meeting.”

He glances at Yoongi before closing the door.

“Questioning your boss’ ability to review now, huh?” Yoongi teases.

“Shut up. He’s just been weird,” you pout.

“That’s new. How so?”

“He hasn’t been an asshole for a few days.”

“Well, that’s quite the standard but I get you, I guess,” Yoongi hums. “In what way has he been out of character?”

“He just… hasn’t been pointing things out and correcting my submissions or asking a lot of questions about the reports I review,” you say. “Or just… you know, he hasn’t been him. He makes Mr. Ri pick me up every morning, he doesn’t email on the weekend, I get to leave on time, I get to eat properly…”

“In short, he’s been a decent boss recently?”

“I guess… I mean, it’s been two weeks since my mishap. He’s been quite tolerable these past few days. Maybe he hit his head and some loose screws tightened. Maybe he had a bad dream and the ghost of the future me visited him. Maybe he had a change of heart… though that’s highly unlikely. Maybe he–”

“Realized he hasn’t been good to you and doesn’t want you to go through the horror of another Mrs. Byun,” Yoongi interjects. 

Your curious eyes prompt him to continue. “We had a meeting the other day and I saw a folder on his desk with her name on it. Formal complaints are only available in physical copies; other personnel files are stored in the server, so the only documents he’d have of her are the ones of her investigation. And he’d only be interested in that because of you. Those include your written statements.”

“As do you yours,” you point out.

“Yes, he’d totally be interested in how his design lead witnessed a manager’s abuse of power three years ago,” Yoongi sarcastically says.

You sigh to yourself. You’ve never told Jungkook about your experience with Mrs. Byun, but you wouldn’t be surprised if Hoseok or even Yoongi has mentioned it to him. It’s an experience you don’t like to think about; you were a young woman who had everything to prove, who had a lot to lose, and conceding to someone taking advantage of you seemed like the only way to survive. Not once did you put your foot down, and not once did you stand up for yourself. You experienced all those then went home to an empty house and found comfort in your own warmth and your own breathing. 

You don’t want that experience to determine how others would treat you after. Hoseok was all things gentle and warm and you know that whatever you went through wouldn’t have determined how he treated you. 

But Jungkook… Jungkook is different. This isn’t his default state. This isn’t how he normally is. This isn’t how you started. The last thing you want is for him to feel pity for all that you went through - in the past and recently - and then treat you differently because of it. He’s been less critical, less judgmental, and less doubtful of your capabilities. You only wish it isn’t for anything that he’d read or seen you experience. 

“I doubt it,” you shake your head. “A man that perpetually displeased doesn’t just decide one day that he’d give the bare minimum of decency to his assistant.”

“Look, ___. Jungkook is a lot of things. He has a lot of feelings that he doesn’t want to deal with, and a lot of emotions he doesn’t know how to express,” Yoongi tries to explain. “I wouldn’t be friends with him if I didn’t believe there’s an ounce of goodness in him. And there is. Maybe him showing it just isn't good timing. He’s terrible at that, too. In fact, he’s terrible at a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t try. It doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of kindness.”

“Kindness,” you huff. That’s quite a reach, but Yoongi’s always been a good judge of character. You do want to believe what he says about Jungkook; it’s just not an easy switch to flip. “I’m just trying not to care much at this point,” you sigh. “I come to work, focus on my tasks, do whatever I’m asked, go back home, rinse and repeat.”

“Is it satisfying, though?” 

“When was work ever satisfying, Yoongi?” You laugh bitterly. 

“Well, I could at least recall seeing you enjoy organizing those events for Hoseok and even joining him in some,” Yoongi points out. “I… I saw you smile a lot. There was a bit of satisfaction there, yeah?”

“Somehow, I guess. But I just had to make do. Hoseok was great, but this is also my job, really the only thing going for me.”

“What are you working towards, then?”

“I don’t really know. Maybe at 30 I should know but I really don’t.”

“Then why are you still here?” He asks, softly, desperately. “Why do you stay?”

“And find out who I am outside of all this?” You wonder out loud. “What if I don’t like her? What if she isn’t good?”

“Then this place hasn’t been good for you if you doubt who you are outside of what you’ve done here,” Yoongi says. “You’re just 30; there’s a whole world out there where you can learn who you are and be someone you actually like. I don’t know what’s stopping you.”

A lot of things, you think to yourself. But when you find comfort in discomfort, when you find security in chaos, and when you find companionship in loneliness, it’s not that easy to leave all this behind, even if deep down, you know it’s what you have to do.

“I don’t know, too,” you lie. “Maybe I’ll find a good enough reason one day and that would be it; I’ll be out of here and then I can find out if I like myself outside of everything I know.”

“I think you would.”

I did, Yoongi thinks to himself. He knows you’d laugh and agree; he’s moved on from you and things can’t be any better than how your friendship is right now, but he also knows you’re not the best at feelings, a similarity he realizes you have with the person you supposedly dislike. 

“I won’t know until then, I guess. So I just gotta bear with who I am now,” you say.

There’s so much of you that Yoongi doesn’t know. It’s why he wanted to, why he asked you out for coffee and why he felt a bit of a heartbreak when you turned him down. But there are parts of you that he does know, that you let him see, and sometimes he finds himself wishing you’d find someone you’d feel safe enough with to share everything else you keep to yourself. 

He keeps these things to himself, too. He’s learned that the only way to keep you close is to keep his distance; you’ll reach out if you need to, even if it’s something you rarely do. But what’s important is that he’ll be there just in case; what matters is you know that there’s a hand available when you need it. 

So he just nods and takes your word for it. You’ll find yourself somehow, in whatever way you will. And you’ll find a reason to leave, whenever that is. He could only hope it’s a decision you’d make on your own, one that you won’t regret, and one that’ll lead you to find whatever it is that you’re looking for.

“So what, they want to put a stop to the Arts Center? They’re not the ones working hard for it. And quite frankly, I don’t need their help in any way to make it happen.”

Jungkook shakes his head in disbelief, anger manifesting in the way he clenches his jaw and groans repeatedly. It’s a sight you’re familiar with by now, and for the first time, you feel for him. It feels as if with this project, he doesn’t seem to have anyone on his side, aside from Hoseok, who’s been encouraging and helpful in many ways. 

“They don’t want to stop it, son,” CEO Jeon says. “They’re merely questioning some of your decisions about the prices you’ve set out.”

“In short, they’re undermining me,” Jungkook groans. “This is my project. We’ve done the necessary research. If they read the report, they’d know. But clearly, they just want reasons to doubt all this, to doubt me.”

“It’s just the first project of its kind,” his father reasons. “The arts institution from 2017 was a collaboration and it wasn’t this big. The Arts Center just isn’t the usual commercial establishment that the VP office undertakes. The Board just wants to be clear about the profits because it’s not as straightforward as the others. They want to know how the property will earn.”

“Exhibition entrance tickets, bookings, rent,” Jungkook replies. “What’s not straightforward about that? Might as well say they don’t understand or even value arts and culture because that makes money, and if done right and respectfully, it can make a lot of money. I know what I’m doing.”

“It’s not like I didn’t make those points, son. It’s your first big project. I think they just—”

“Don’t believe I can manage it on my own.”

“They don’t think you can make the necessary connections on your own,” CEO Jeon finally says. “We all know how important that is. They doubt you’d be able to forge good relationships with professionals in an industry we don’t really have strong connections to. And with a project this big, it’s the company’s resources and reputation on the line.”

There’s silence in the room, as Jungkook seems to process the core issue that the Board has with him. You can tell it’s affecting him so much, as the anger in his eyes slowly turns into resignation. 

It’s no secret that Jungkook’s way of engaging with others leaves a lot to be desired. From what you can see, he’s used to thinking more, envisioning, planning - the concepts and designs are amazing in his head and there are others tasked to sell that idea, to make it connect with people, to express why it matters, and to make sure it earns. That’s what Hoseok is good at; Jungkook never seemed like the type who enjoys that aspect of the work. 

“You should’ve thought about my outstanding interpersonal skills before appointing me as Vice President, then,” he says bitterly. “Clearly that’s what the Board and everyone else value more than anything.”

“Hey, Kook. We know you’re good for this role,” Hoseok comforts. “And we believe in your project, we really do. Just focus on that. Make sure you’re constantly adjusting and refining the plans, and remind the Board that your ideas are even better when they’ve come to life. You’ve done it with your other projects before. Eventually you’ll be able to show them that you’re more than capable of forging relationships, too. That’ll come naturally. But in the meantime, you just have to give them something to make them believe it’ll be good for the company and our image in the long-run. Make them envision it.”

“I have,” Jungkook argues. “And I’ll keep doing that. I just need father to be on my side. I just need him to back me up, to trust me and every single one of my decisions.”

You’ve never heard desperation in Jungkook’s voice until today and you’re surprised with how much it’s affecting you, not just because you know how much effort he’s put into conceptualizing the place but because you’ve come to believe in it, too.

“Ms. Cho.”

CEO Jeon’s voice pulls you away from Jungkook, and you turn to the older man and ask if there’s anything he needs.

“Your thoughts,” he responds. “What would the Arts Center mean for the company? Do you think it will yield profits?”

They’re not questions that are new to you. Hoseok would often ask you these things about the smaller projects that go through him. CEO Jeon has asked you the same things in informal situations before, not so much to gain new insight - although he claims that your thoughts are interesting to him - but to gauge your belief in the project. He has a good read on people; you’ve observed him ask questions and pick apart not what they said but how they said it. You suppose that’s what he’s doing now, too.

“You’ve mentioned a few times that you want to expand the company’s market, Mr. Jeon,” you start. “And if I remember correctly, the Board agreed. Efforts to cater to expats and the middle class have been successful, but perhaps another type of expansion is in engaging the field of the arts and culture and its creators and consumers. More people from all walks of life and all over the world are gaining interest in Korean art and culture in all forms and the company has the resources to create a space for it. Like what the Vice President said, there’s an opportunity to earn from it while, of course, respecting it.”

You see CEO Jeon and Hoseok nod, a sight you’ve seen before as well. But Jungkook looks at you with curiosity, with a look of anticipation, as if he’s hanging onto every word you’re saying. 

“The Arts Center was conceptualized and designed to be a hub for all things creative,” you continue. “Making general admission free makes the arts accessible to people, and once that appreciation grows, they’ll pay to see it, to experience it. Just go to any online forum and you’ll see that the public wants to experience art, not just observe it. They’d travel for it. The Center has spaces for that. I think that’s the ultimate goal - for anyone to be immersed in it. And that can happen through art pieces in a gallery or in a garden, through books, music, or spoken poetry, or even a photoshoot. Patrons can book rooms for private events, they can buy from the gift shop, they can do art themselves. It’s like a canvas and they can take part in creating meaning for the space. That’s what we’re selling. And that’s something people are willing to buy.”

“I see your point, Ms. Cho,” CEO Jeon says, nodding satisfyingly at you. “And it’s a good one.”

“It’s what Mr. Jeon has been saying all this time,” you counter. “It’s easy to understand and to buy into the idea… if only the Board would listen to him. If only they’d open their mind to what he envisions.”

“Well, that’s one way to get through to them, then,” Hoseok voices out. “Invite them to the arts event, treat them like creators and consumers, not as Board members.”

“That’s a good idea,” CEO Jeon says. “Maybe then they can see how you engage with the guests, which I hope you’re working on. And while you’re at it, work on your relationship with them, too. That means initiating conversations, seeking them out… It's part of the job, son. The Board are our stakeholders, too, you know this.”

“Aren’t some of them based in Japan and Singapore?” You wonder aloud, hinting at another suggestion that you want would come from Jungkook himself, given his scheduled plans to fly there.  

“Yeah. Maybe I can meet them the next time I go,” he says, picking up on your thoughts.

Jungkook isn’t really fond of engaging with them. He always just left the socializing part to his uncle who used to head the Southeast Asian office. When Jungkook would be in Seoul, he let his father, Hoseok, and Ji-woo deal with them, with nothing but an acknowledgment on his end. He tends to stay at the bar on his own just to drown out the sounds. Yoongi sometimes joins him but most times, Jungkook finds himself alone even during such events; being with a lot of people is tiring, lonesome, isolating. With this new role, he’s started to accept that he has to do more. It doesn’t mean he’ll enjoy it though. 

“I’ll have that arranged for you,” you tell him. 

“Well then, that’s one way to revamp your image,” the older man smiles. “You just have to keep that up moving forward. That’s why Ms. Cho is there. She’s used to these events and these engagements with them. You’ll be fine.” 

You give a reassuring smile to Jungkook - a genuine one, as you see it’s what he needs, given all that you learned from today’s meeting. He merely nods, and you think that should be enough of an acknowledgment from his end.

Hoseok wraps it up, going through a few policy-related items and then reminding the other men about upcoming social gatherings that they all need to attend. He asks to briefly speak with Jungkook, whom he pulls aside, while the elder Mr. Jeon approaches you.

“Thank you for standing by Jungkook, Ms. Cho, especially since I haven’t been able to show my support the way I want to,” he says. “I know it hasn’t been easy.”

“It hasn’t, but he made me believe in his vision for the Center,” you respond. “I’m starting to see what he sees. And it’s quite beautiful.”

Jungkook overhears the exchange, as he zoned out on Hoseok once he heard his father address you. 

It’s something that his cousin picks up, as he repeats what he just said, totally unbothered by it. 

Hoseok, of all people, knows how important it is that you have Jungkook’s back. He also knows how difficult that must be for you, given how the man has been towards you all these weeks. 

But you’re unwavering. You’re able to withstand the challenges, and while Hoseok knows that you do have a tendency to also allow yourself to suffer through it, he also knows you’ve learned, and you’ll stand your ground if you need to; he’ll back you up, and he can only hope you know that.

You all exit the private room of the restaurant and head back to the office across the street. It’s 4PM by the time you return to your desk, given that Jungkook called for a meeting with the management support team after what transpired during lunch. 

You immediately work on the minutes and action points, finishing two hours later and then deciding that you’ll work on your next deliverable tomorrow. 

Jungkook exits his room, informing you that he’ll be leaving for an early dinner with Hoseok at a nearby restaurant, and that Mr. Ri can drop you off at your place. You’ve contested the service that was offered to you, and you and Jungkook settled on a compromise that you can go home on your own except for late nights.

“Mr. Ri will just be waiting for me anyway. No harm in driving you home tonight,” Jungkook says, knowing you were about to turn down the offer.

“Okay, sir,” you reply.

You do last minute things and pack up immediately to go home, taking this chance to get proper rest because you know the last two days of the week are going to be tiring. 

The next day, Jungkook does conference calls and closed-door meetings, leaving you to do summary reports and other administrative backlogs that have your eyebrows scrunched the entire day. If it wasn’t for Do-hyun reminding you about lunch that you promised to have with her, you would’ve totally forgotten. 

You’re in the zone as you go through the afternoon - two meetings straight that have Jungkook rubbing his temples constantly and you doing the same. But you pop in some aspirin and ginseng jelly next to his cup of tea, feeling satisfied when he takes them.

You go home on time, not wanting to be offered a ride for a consecutive night, and you get proper rest to face the final day of the week. 

It’s all going well, as you find a rhythm early on as you work on your deliverables while Jungkook remains focused on his own tasks. You’re the one who reminds him now to eat his lunch, and seeing the blueprints sprawled on his desk, you offer to buy him one yourself. 

He nods in appreciation as you state his usual order for confirmation, and you eat your sandwich while waiting for his curry rice bowl in the food hall. You get back to your tasks, thankful for the unusually quiet and uneventful Friday. 

You see now how hyper focused Jungkook could get. He’s got his blinds closed but you can tell that he’s immersed in his designs and proposals and plans. He’s not allowing calls or visitors, and he only rings you to ask for coffee, which you’ve given him four times so far. Towards the end of the day, you’re the one who asks to go in, informing him that the Board meeting has been moved to a week earlier than scheduled; it’s two Fridays from now, which means his team has to finalize everything soon.

It’s his first one since becoming Vice President, and given how he used to question you, you’re surprised when he asks your proposed timeline to prepare for the meeting. 

“Manager Lee is already consolidating all the departmental reports,” you respond. “You can instruct him to finalize the VP report with all those by Wednesday; the presentation can be due on Friday so you can go through all of them. We can submit the report for CEO review the Monday after that and then you can prepare for your run through until the meeting.”

“Sounds good,” he replies. “I’ll send them an email with the instructions shortly.”

“Noted, sir,” you say. “I’ve also submitted the minutes of the past two days’ meetings as well as the policy guidelines you asked for.”

“Oh, right,” he says, taking his iPad. “I’ve looked through them. The minutes are good; you can disseminate them accordingly. I’ve highlighted the parts for the condensed version you’ll send to the CEO and the President. I also have minimal corrections and remarks on the policy guidelines and I’ve edited them directly on the file. Just proofread again and then affix my signature once you’ve finished.”

“Y—you’re done?” You ask. You hope he doesn’t pick up the shock in your voice.

“Yes, and I’ve read them. Thoroughly,” he answers.

You smile in embarrassment after the other day. 

“Does that bother you?” He follows up. 

“N-no, sir,” you say, knowing he’s waiting for an answer. “I guess I was expecting you to take longer because, you know, more comments. And you’ve been busy all day, too.”

“More comments… Is that what you’re expecting?”

“Sort of,” you admit. “I mean… you made a lot of them before.”

You pout in reflex as you realize how you sound. You’re basically pointing out how critical he used to be, and if you’re being honest, you do wish he still was. At least that tells you that he’s still the same, that no knowledge of your past experience with your former boss has made him change his disposition towards you. 

Jungkook sees your pout, and he crosses his arms and legs to keep himself from doing something as stupid as wiping it off you. It’s a little disarming for him, if he’s being honest. 

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” you clarify.

Liar, you think to yourself.

“Well, if I used to do it a lot and I still do that after a month in, wouldn’t it reflect poorly on you and me if you still haven’t learned from all that?” He asks.

You think about it and eventually nod. He does have a point.

“You’ve adapted. I’d be worried if you continued to do things the way you used to,” he adds. 

You nod again, taking in all his words. Much as you appreciate them, there’s another thought still bugging you. 

“May I be honest, Mr. Jeon?” You ask, your heart beating fast now as he looks at you curiously. 

He nods anyway and asks you to continue. 

“I don’t think you’d lower your standards or anything when it comes to my work,” you start. “So I don’t want to believe that you pity me just because you know what I experienced in the past.”

He looks at you questioningly, as if to ask what you’re talking about.

“I spotted Mrs. Byun’s files on your table,” you lie. “I assume you’ve read about how she treated me. And I… I don’t want to be pitied, Mr. Jeon. If it’s that, please don’t. Please don’t let it affect how you’d treat me. It wasn’t even that bad—”

“It was,” he interjects. “This company doesn’t tolerate people who abuse their power. I only knew about your case because I’m thorough with my work. And that includes looking into my staff and their past. I did it for everyone,” he lies as well. 

Hoseok and Yoongi had mentioned something about a past experience and Jungkook did dig deep. It was so he could help you professionally, he convinced himself.

“You should also know that I don’t make compromises when it comes to the quality of work of my staff and that means I don’t pity people if they fail to meet my standards. But I suppose you think that I do because of how I was in the beginning,” he continues, surprising you. “I admit I was being too critical. And I don’t have an excuse, just that I absolutely hate change. I’m not good at managing it and I reacted in a way that I’m used to, which is not a good way at all. I know now that I was not fair to you.”

The apology doesn’t come, but you know that the admission means enough already. It’s definitely taken a huge burden off of you. You didn’t dream up all those incidents and it wasn’t entirely on you. That itself gives you relief. 

“My father and cousin were right. You’re a fast learner. You pick up on the comments, work on them immediately, and adjust accordingly. It’s a good trait to have, Ms. Cho.”

“I appreciate that, Mr. Jeon.”

“May I be honest, too?” He asks, surprising you again.

You nod, anticipating what he’d say, knowing he’s never been this quiet nor looked this nervous in all these weeks you’ve known him.

“What you said to my father about the Arts Center the other day, I appreciate that, too,” he says. “I guess you could’ve said something general or basic but you didn’t.”

“Your father wouldn’t have minded what I said,” you reply. “What mattered was how I said it. I guess as the person who’s privy to a lot of things about the project, he sincerely wanted to know what I thought about it, if I genuinely believed in it.”

“Well, it was a good way to convince him. And it seemed like he believed you.”

“I’m not a good actor, Mr. Jeon,” you chuckle. “He believed it because I meant it. And he saw that I was on your side. As I should. I still meant it, though.”

“That’s… encouraging,” he huffs. “At least one person is.”

“I’m sure he does, too.”

“It’s ironic that people like Mr. Ri think that my father and I are so alike, yet we don’t see eye to eye most of the time.”

“It’s because you are alike. You both think you’re right all the time,” you joke, teetering on the edge and sighing in relief when he laughs, a sound you don’t think you’ve ever heard. 

“You make a good point,” he smiles a tiny bit, something you also don’t think you’ve ever seen him do. “But I’m still adjusting to working directly with him, and in a bigger role, too. We'll probably butt heads a lot.”

“You will. I already know it. In fact, I can already see it,” you laugh again. 

It’s a moment you share with him that you didn’t imagine you ever would. He’s being honest about his concerns and you’re giving comfort in the way you know how and neither of you seems to mind. 

“I’m… I’m gonna need your help, Ms. Cho,” he says so softly, his eyes turning away from you. “I’m gonna need your assistance. Not just in seeing the Arts Center through but in everything - navigating this role, dealing with my father, dealing with people. I… I know what I’m good at. So I don’t really focus on the things I don’t do well in but this position forces me to confront those and I… I’ll need help.” 

For someone who doesn’t seem to like being vulnerable in front of others, seeing this side of Jungkook makes you sympathetic. The soft tone of his voice, the lack of eye contact, the crossed arms… they’re familiar because it’s how you are, and you know it’s difficult to be this honest with another person, especially when it’s about what you need. 

More than wanting to help him because it’s your job, you find yourself wanting to see him succeed, too, to see him manage it all. That way, when you do eventually leave the company and search whatever it is you’re looking for, you can rest easy knowing that he’ll be okay, that the team will be okay, that the Arts Center will be all that he imagined it to be. 

“I’m here, Mr. Jeon,” you assure him. “I’ll do my best to provide you with the assistance you need.”

“Thank you,” he mutters, and you don’t think you’ve ever heard him say those words with such sincerity to you, too.

You bow in acknowledgement and head out, leaving Jungkook in a haze, as he realizes that in your presence, he’d done what he's been trying to avoid ever since you walked in his life - be honest. He’d told you his concerns, his needs, and it seems that his honesty is something you appreciated as well. There was that acceptance that he wouldn’t have expected from you, not because you aren’t the type to give it but because he hasn’t given you a reason to. But you gave it regardless; you let him feel that it was okay. 

It’s another half hour before he’s packing up to head home. It’s been a tiring week and he just wants to have a long bath, watch sports, and drink a cold beer over grilled meat. He’ll probably get some work done but maybe he’ll drive to some resort out of town, have a good workout, get in a sauna, and have a massage. He’ll have a nice meal with his friends and then go to a club. Or maybe he’ll just stay in. There’s something about being honest that makes him want to keep to himself for a while. He’ll start with that tonight, as he turns down Taehyung’s invite to another one of his client’s party.

Jungkook walks out and sees your desk empty, but he does hear your voice coming from the management support team’s room, telling them about your weekend plans as well.

“I’m going to the film festival in Incheon,” you say. “And probably just stay at a hostel.”

“Are you going by yourself?” Do-hyun asks.

“Uh, yeah,” you reply. 

Hajoon was supposed to go with you. He invited himself, actually, and you should’ve read into the fact that he’d wanted to experience your interests with you. You hadn’t minded, and that’s clearly out of the picture now. 

“I usually go to them by myself,” you add.

“Well, if you decide you want to invite one of us or hang out, you can always let us know,” Chin-sun teases, knowing you probably won’t. 

“Let’s wait until we’re not too tired and busy, okay?” You chuckle. “That way, we can afford to do whatever we want on the weekends.”

“Yup, that’ll probably never happen,” Do-hyun pouts. “When are we not tired and busy? It’s probably worse this time because we don’t get to laugh and joke around like we used to. Are we even getting a holiday? Will we have an out-of-town team building? Or dinners and karaoke like how Mr. Jung used to treat us to?”

“The team-building is budgeted so yes, we’ll have it,” you tell them. “And dinners? I can maybe suggest that to Mr. Jeon. And come on, no one’s stopping you from laughing or joking around. You can still do all that.”

“Yeah, but sometimes I feel like I’m not allowed to because it might seem like I’m not serious about my job because our boss is too serious and it doesn’t seem right,” Do-hyun whines. 

And for the first time, you feel genuinely bad for how they think about Jungkook. You don’t blame them though, but the man you saw earlier who broke into a small smile is definitely capable of laughter; you just don’t know how to elicit it from him again. 

“He’s just been under a lot of pressure, but he doesn’t prohibit you from finding joy in anything,” you say. “Just… give him some time, okay? He’ll come around. Let’s just focus on our work and then focus on ourselves when the weekend comes. So all of you, pack up now and go home to your families and your pets. We’ve got a long few weeks ahead.”

Jungkook hears a collective okay then heads out right away, the initial thought of saying goodbye to the team having dissipated. He can’t blame them for voicing out their frustrations over the change in how they’re being managed. Hoseok was loved. He built a competent team whose spirit Jungkook is afraid he’s now breaking. But he’s not like his cousin, and he doesn’t know how to reach out to them in a way that’s genuine. He let the pressure get to him too much early on and while he’s not the type to forge connections with his staff, he’s seeing now how important it is for him as Vice President to do that. 

But it’s too much to think about for today. He’ll let this affect him a little bit and then figure things out. Based on what he heard though, he’s not on his own. You were on his side again, even when you thought he wasn’t around. There’s something about the way you stand up to him and stand by him that’s refreshing. There’s honesty there, too, and he’s learning that it’s what he needs. 

He makes it to the elevator but then holds the door once he hears rapid footsteps. You mutter your thanks as you enter, and he feels the tension build as you’re together after the exchange earlier. He hasn’t gotten over that yet, so he’s unsure how to talk with you. 

It seems like so are you, as you drum your fingers on the strap of your bag and focus on the door while you both wait to make it to the ground floor. Jungkook is tempted to offer you a ride with him but he decides against it. Even then, he slows his steps so he could walk alongside you, as you both head out the main doors.

“Get some rest, Mr. Jeon,” you finally say. “And have a good weekend.”

You look at him with sincerity in your eyes, your smile soft and assuring, something he’s never seen you direct at him before. It’s even different from earlier. There’s more understanding, he thinks. Perhaps there’s care.

“You, too, Ms. Cho,” he replies before entering the car. “Get home safely.”

You bow to him and wave at Mr. Ri before walking down the pathway to the street that leads towards the bus stop. 

Jungkook lets himself be comfortable in the seat while he forces the image of your smile out of his head. The sun has set and it’s Seoul at its busiest on another hot Friday evening. There are more cars than usual and so movement is slow, but that’s how he sees you - walking down the sidewalk in the midst of all these people. And there you are, somehow looking at peace. There’s an air of isolation that surrounds you, but you don’t look lonely. Just… alone. There’s still that warmth in your eyes and your smile that he finds himself wanting to see more of.

This is when he realizes he might be in trouble. There’s a line he shouldn’t cross, but there’s this desire to get to know you, to know your thoughts and your feelings and your words. He reminds himself that he needs you, in a way that an authority figure needs support and assistance. He needs you to be focused and capable, and he needs to be the same. 

With his attraction that he can’t get over, he knows that the only way to make sure that he keeps things professional is to keep his distance - not just physically, but more so emotionally. You’ll definitely be spending more time together and he needs to constantly remind himself of who you are and who he is. That much as he feels safe and honest with you, he can’t go any further; he can’t let you get any closer. He doesn’t know how he’ll do it, but that’s one other thing he’ll figure out.

Series Masterlist

Permanent Taglist: @sherlynxx @di0rgguk @thequeen-kat @fan-ati--c  @cravingforhotchocolate @adoraminie @helenazbmrskai @weasleyswizarding-wheezes @gukssunshine @kookxin @petuliii @yoursthv @libra04 @fancycollectormoon @twixxxpie @ignoretheskies @ohmydarlin-g @bids97 @minyoongiboongi @main-bangtansmauyeondan @bora-bae7 @investedreader @petalsofink @jvngkooker @stopeatread @craftymoonchaos

Series Taglist: @xhazmania @ash07128 @rinkud @junniesoleilkth @junecat18 @peachytokki @baechugff @coralmusicblaze @jalexad @pamzn @hoseoksluv89 @familiarlikemymirror3 @kookies-n-spice @hyuneyeon @thisartemisnevermisses @jk97bam @nadzzzblog @xyarinx @megnugget98 @shameless-army @jkslvsnella @lvr2seok @nayashalouiseburrows

[dnpbeats]

(Almost Solid) Proof That Dan Ran PhilsLion

I'm convinced that Dan was the person who ran the PhilsLion twit and I have receipts.  For anyone who doesn't know, PhilsLion is a twitter account that tweeted from the POV of Lion. It's commonly thought that this account was run by Phil. Besides the fact that he would interact with the account, there are multiple tweets that seem to be about him and dan. Unfortunately there's good reason to believe it wasn't Phil running it. HOWEVER there are many reasons that lead me to believe it was Dan who was tweeting from it, some of which is evidence based and some of which makes logical sense.

DISCLAIMER: All tweets I've included that are ostensibly about dan and phil's relationship are in reference to things that are confirmed by d&p themselves (e.g. the fact that d&p were romantically involved when they first met). I will not discuss anything that is not supposed to be public knowledge.

First let's look at when the Twitter was created. (Note: I am in UTC-8 so all screenshots will be in that time zone. I will say what time it would've been in UTC+0 (d&p's time zone) for clarity.)

Dan’s twitter account was created in May 2009. The first tweet from him (assuming he did not delete any older ones) was May 15 at 1:18pm. Presumably this is the day he got twitter.

On May 16 2009 at 3:19am Phil tweeted that he uploaded “I was kidnapped.” 

In this video he mentions his own personal twitter account, and there is an annotation of Lion saying “i want a twitter” (20sec into the video)

About 3 hours after the video was posted (6:26am UTC+0), we get the first tweet from PhilsLion (presumably this was right after the account was created)

May 16th 2009 was a Saturday. We know from Dan’s video “THE POWER NAP” that he worked at ASDA on Saturdays and Sundays from 5am-10am. So he would’ve been awake shortly after Phil posted the video. Also note that Dan presumably had an iPhone at the time (he tweeted something about iPhones in June 2009 and had no previous tweets before that about getting a new phone). He specifically tweeted in Sep 2009 about tweeting from his iPhone. Based on the fact that Dan literally showed up to work drunk and took a nap, I don’t think he is above going on twitter at work.

While this is not proof that Dan created the account, we can see that it’s definitely possible for him to have created the account. We know he would’ve been awake at the time the account was created, and it was approx. a day after he created his own twitter account, so making a twitter account would've been fresh in his mind.

We do have proof that Phil did not create the account. First, he edited the description of “I was kidnapped.” to say that someone [else] created PhilsLion:

He also tweeted May 16th (10:35am UTC+0 if that matters to anyone) basically saying the same thing as the video desc, implying that someone else made the account:

Finally in “AmazingJason” (posted May 26th) he mentions, again, “someone [else]” creating the Twitter account (about 20seconds in, the timestamp is linked). He encourages everyone to follow it and links it in the description of the video:

So unless Phil was really pushing that someone else created it even though he himself made it, it wasn’t him.

If you want to skip to Proof™ scroll down to the next photo of Phil. Before that, I’d like to debunk the 11:11/different time zone thing–I think this is the biggest reason people have claimed that the account was not run by Phil or Dan but rather some other random fan. On May 30th at 4:12pm UTC+0 and June 3rd at 4:19am UTC+0, PhilsLion tweeted about making wishes at 11:11. In order for these tweets to be made at ~11:11 local time, they would need to have been made in either UTC-5 or UTC+7. UTC-5 is US Eastern Time. UTC+7 is a time zone mainly consisting of Southeast Asia. This includes parts of Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. I have an explanation for this, which is certainly the biggest reach of this whole thing, but it is a plausible explanation :p

It’s very possible that it was Dan who tweeted this if he was on vacation with his family at the time. We know Dan and his family have vacationed in Asia many times (at the very least they went to Thailand in 2006, India in 2010 and 2013, and Sri Lanka in 2016). So while there’s no proof (that I know of) that Dan was on vacation at this time, it’s certainly possible that he was. The location of the tweets would fit with where we know his family likes to go on holiday. Additionally, the second tweet talks about water skiing, which tends to be a fun vacation thing rather than something people do regularly (note this tweet would be at 11:19am in UTC+7)

There’s further proof that PhilsLion was not always in UTC+7. On Christmas 2009, PhilsLion tweeted “goodmorning” at 6:21am UTC+0. This would be 1:21pm in UTC+7. It makes a lot more sense for this to have been tweeted in England.

Then fast forward to January 8th 2011. PhilsLion tweets “I was up all night” at 8:05am UTC+0. This would be 3pm in UTC+7. So again, it seems that PhilsLion was not in UTC+7 at this time.

Okay, now onto much more solid evidence. First, the handwriting of PhilsLion. This is the most tangible piece of proof. On June 25th 2009 Phil posted “AmazingAlex,” where Lion can be seen behind him in one of Phil’s shoes:

Lion tweeted a photo the next day, saying “I’m on a boat :)” in reference to being in Phil’s shoe

Note that the drawing/writing does not appear in the video and therefore was done by whoever runs PhilsLion. Here is some of Dan’s writing (found in TABINOF) for comparison:

This is from the “how to draw cat whiskers” page. Notice how the As all have the crossbar quite high up, just like in the twitter picture. Additionally, the top loops in the Bs are all very skinny compared to the bottom loop. Here’s another one of Dan’s capital Bs from the blindfolded portrait page, which is similar to Lion's writing:

I’m not a handwriting analysis expert, and yes it’s different drawing on MSPaint vs. a piece of paper, but the handwriting certainly has similarities.

And now, the more circumstantial evidence, but things that seem (imo) to be too big of a coincidence to not have been written by Dan (FYI these are going to be added in order of how much of a reach they are, not chronological order, lol). First we have “I month you”:

This tweet is proposing an alternate word for “love” and ends with “I month you” (i.e. is replacing the word love with month), and was tweeted on November 19th 2009. AKA exactly a month after dan and phil met IRL for the first time.

Another one that seems very related to Dan and what we know of his situation is this tweet about “Lion’s” dad:

In Dan’s own words in BIG: “I didn’t think I could ask my family for help or share my feelings about this, mainly due to my dad. Funny guy, kind of a woke hippie who did and said a lot of things I did respect but at the same time used to walk around the house saying how he hoped someone he had a problem with at work would 'die of bum cancer.' Yep, so picked the one area to be a bigot that would further traumatize your child. Nice! This experience coming from a childhood hearing the word gay meaninglessly thrown around as an insult at home[.]” 

Note that Dan was still living at home at the time, so if this tweet was made by him, it wouldn't have meant literally “getting away.” Also, Dan was at home when this was tweeted but it was 3 days before he was going to see Phil.

Next there’s this tweet:

The “admirers” thing could be referring to anything really, but was tweeted during the time that Dan (and Phil) were in the Clipstar video contest. Also, Dan posted this dailybooth two days before this tweet, and most of the comments are just gassing him up, so lol (the pic doesn’t load but based on the comments I think it was a screenshot from his clipstar vid).

This tweet from Christmas Eve 2009. Dan and Phil were together and filming the interactive Christmas adventure:

Proof they were together if anyone needs it:

This tweet (tweeted November 26 5:45am UTC+0)

Many things to note here. The song linked is called “When I See You Again.” It’s by Dave Bullas (one of the founders of SiTC), whom d&p were/are friends with. (They had other friends who were friends with him as well. PJ has the top comment on the video.) The lyrics of the song are not really happy as they insinuate a breakup. But it’s interesting to think about them in the context of wanting to see someone who you are not able to. This tweet was 3/4 days after the “I wonder how biology…” tweet and 3 days before Dan went to see Phil.

Also, Dan just LOVES recommending music to people. He does it a lot.

(^ Proof Dan was seeing Phil on the 29th if anyone needs it)

Now a tweet exchange which doesn't technically prove anything, but I thought was curious. Phil tweeted December 29 2010 about getting a new camera:

Lion tweeted in reference to this 20 minutes later:

I find this interesting because Phil made no comment anywhere about manuals or ignoring them. So it could just be PhilsLion making schput, but a lot of the other Lion tweets are in direct reference to something Phil said/did. It would make sense if Dan ran the twitter acc and he was talking about something that he witnessed Phil do that we don’t know about. Also note “my new camera is here” vs. “phil picked up his new camera” (Lion giving more specific detail than Phil in terms of the manner in which he obtained the camera).

Some Tweets (1, 2, 3) which aren’t proof of anything but just sound like things Dan would say:

For context, this is about floods that happened in Queensland. Again, I have no way to prove Dan said this. But if you’ve ever read, like, anything Dan has said in a print interview ever or watched any of his liveshows, you know that he often tries to say stuff with superfluous/pretentious language and then ends up not making a whole lot of sense. Things that he’s said have been misconstrued so many times, or just outright don’t make sense to anyone but him. So this series of tweets checks out, if it is Dan who ran the account.

This Twitter exchange which doesn’t actually prove anything but is very sweet if it is dan who tweeted it:

The photo is a screenshot from “AmazingJason”:

Note that two weeks later (October 23) in “Life without the internet!?” Phil says the internet led to him “meeting the best friend of [his] life.” The comments all assume he is referencing Dan, but in the video he holds up Lion, so presumably that’s actually who he’s talking about. That is, unless Lion represents Dan :p

Lastly, this tweet which is a Fall Out Boy lyric, but again would be cute if it was Dan:

There's a few more tweets that are interesting to think about being from Dan but don't actually prove anything so I won't put them here lol.

So, at the end of the day, could it be some random fan* who made the twitter account? Yes. But in my opinion there isn’t really anything proving it’s not Dan. On top of that, there are enough things that fit with what we know factually about d&p now, but were not well known at the time, that make it seem much more likely that Dan ran this account vs. a random person.

*technically when the account was started, Dan himself was a random fan. So there’s that too ;)

P.S. best practice is to not interact with old tweets, so pls don't go on a retweet spree

[elvenbeard]

The Charter Hill Matter

It's finally done ;__; I've been working on this on and off for the better part of half a year now I think. It was one of the first bigger ideas I sketched out one afternoon shortly after finishing my first Cyberpunk playthrough in February '23 xD

The little background story tha inspired it, that I've definitely told before, goes as follows:

During "Gimme Danger", when talking with Takemura about their childhood, Corpo!V will talk about their childhood growing up in Charter Hill. And me, a sucker for details like that, in the middle of building a background story for my V at the time, immediately drove to Charter Hill then to figure out where a good place to live might be.

I chose a random apartment building on Grant Avenue, cause it had metro access, lots of shops, and all the bright neon lights and ads everyhwere that V mentions. Good enough, I thought, it's settled. He grew up there.

Flashforward about 20 hours of gameplay, I finally meet Kerry, and he invites V to Dark Matter. And I don't think I even initially realized it (bc, you know, I was slightly... preoccupied otherwise during that convo) but then it dawned on me... You can actually see the building I chose as V's childhood home quite well from up there. And he would obviously realize it, too. Since Vince doesn't have good memories of the place though he never brings it up, until Kerry eventually, during one of their many dates they end up having up there, notices he's been staring off into the distance a little more than usual.

And yeah... this is that scene and I really wanted to do it as a little comic ;__;

All backgrounds are ingame screenshots, the map of Charter Hill is a heavily edited screenshot of the interactive Cyberpunk Map (https://maps.piggyback.com/cyberpunk-2077/maps/night-city) and the street names I referenced from this map someone on Reddit put together by hand from going around and reading all the ingame street signs (https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/msyg79/i_couldnt_find_a_map_of_night_city_with_street/). Both super duper useful resources for writing, can highly recommend, I use them all the time XD

Anyway, I hope you like my sappy, self-indulgent lil' comic, I sure as hell had a lot of fun working on it and I'm so proud to finally have it finsihed x3

[mavrintarou]

[4:44 PM] Suna Rintarou

Quickly whipped this because I'm trying to find an excuse to not go to the gym. Nothing edited. I know all I ever post about is Rin, Rin, Kiyoomi, Shinsuke, and Rin again... he was just too fitting for this. I'm really trying to expand my fantasy to the other characters.

Warning: Angst, asshole Rin, makeup smut contents .

Rintarou let out a frustrated sigh having been blocked once again. That was three times now in a row.

“Shake it off!” he heard his teammate shout.

“Suna!” Turning his head, he can see his coach signaling for him to rotate out, switching with his other teammate.

As soon as he was off the court, his coach jerked his head, indicating for him to take the empty seat beside him. “What’s going on?”

Rintarou inhales sharply, “bad day, I guess?” He knew what was going on, just didn’t want to speak of it.

“Well, turn that bad day into a good day, shake it off, everyone needs you.” His coach pats his shoulder, “do whatever you gotta do.”

EPJ Raijin lost their second set, this third game will determine their win or not.

With a towel over his head, Rin zoned out, tuning out the sound of the crowd and everything else around him. The only thing on his mind was Y/n.

Three weeks ago, they abruptly ended their casual fling.

No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that it wasn’t his fault, it was definitely, his fault.

He is a hypocrite.

He was the one who said just casual sex. No feelings.

But the moment he saw her at a table with another man he did not recognize at one of Matsumoto’s top restaurants, he lost his shit.

How dare she doll up and wear a red dress, the red dress he purchased for her to go on a date with this mother fucker.

He watched as Y/n looked at her phone, the smile on her face immediately disappeared. Rin looked down at his phone, seeing the Read underneath the photo he sent her.

Y/n glanced up, her eyes scanning the room until they met his. He arched an eyebrow at her, and she responded by tilting her head, mirroring his expression perfectly.

Bathroom. Now. He texted.

Rin didn’t need to look back to see Y/n following him shortly as he made his way to the restroom.

He tugged her into the private room, locking the door behind him. “Really?” His eyes scanned her from head to toe.

“Really,” Y/n smiled, and she gave him a spin. “Do you not like it?”

Y/n knew how to rile him up, making the green jealous monster within him wake up and flip a table.

Rin stalked towards her, noticing how her smile slowly faded as she stepped back until she hit the counter of the sink. He pressed himself against her, sandwiching her between him and the counter. His fingers trail along her jaw, “does your date know that I purchased this dress and that I’ve fucked you while you were wearing it?”

“Be careful Rintarou,” she only used his full name when she was serious, “jealousy looks good on you but some might believe you’ve developed feelings for me.”

She has become bold, voicing her feelings each day.

Rin was not oblivious. He knows this casual fling between them needs to end. He wasn’t blind to her recent advances.

How her eyes twinkle for him when he comes over.

How she holds him tighter when he’s rocking deeply inside her.

How she whispers his name with love.

How she kisses his palms before a game, giving him luck.

She is expressing her love for him in every possible way except through words. Because the moment she played that card, he would end the game.

“You’re becoming delusional, Y/n.” He gritted, his lips smirking, “I will admit I am jealous, should I show you how jealous I am?”

They glared at one another, Y/n looking deep into his eyes, searching for the man she fell in love with. Deep down, she knew her place. “Do it,” she whispered, “I dare you.”

His eyes darken and she’s flipped around in a blink of an eye. She sees in the mirror as Rin tugs her dress up, bunching it at her hips, his fingers immediately graze over the thin lacy thong, circling her clit.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, biting down on her lip to prevent herself from moaning. “Hurry, I have my date I need to get back to.”

“As you wish.”

Y/n half gasped and yelped at his hand and slapped her right ass cheek. Her thong is pushed to the side as feels his cock sliding in between her thighs.

“You’re soaked, was it me or him?” He began rocking, thrusting in between her thighs. He pulled her against him, locking an arm around her shoulder. He locked eyes with her through the mirror, “answer me.”

“You.” Y/n whispered, “you made me this wet…” she whimpered when he rolled his hips, his cock grazing against her clit. “Please… Rin…”

His teeth nips her earlobe as he reached in between them and align his cock to her pussy and slipped inside in one swift thrust. He wastes no time pounding into her from behind. Y/n’s hand comes to cover her mouth.

His groans are heavy against her ear and he hated it, hated how she made him feel. His teeth bite down on her skin, biting down hard until he can feel Y/n flitching and tightening around his cock.

Rin pulls away, satisfied by his mark, knowing it would be visible. He pauses his movement for a second, maneuvering her until she is bent forward before him. His grip on her hips tightened as he resumed his thrusts, pounding until the small bathroom echoed only of their skin slapping.

Y/n drops onto her elbow, head falling forward as her moans are muffled by her hands. He was thrusting deep inside her, triggering her orgasm faster than usual. “Ri – Rin…” she whimpered, a hand reaching behind to push against his abdomen. “Too fast…”

He gripped her wrist and thrust faster until the moment he felt her pussy flutter around his cock.

“Ah,” he groaned coming undone, pounding into her slowly yet hard with each ejaculation. His eyes suddenly widened, “fuck.”

He forgot to wear a condom.

He let go of her wrist and immediately withdrew, his cock was coated with their essence. It wasn’t a time for his cock to twitch lively again at the sight of his cum leaking down Y/n’s pussy and down her thighs.

He swore again, half turned on and half pissed off at himself.

He always wore a condom.

“Here,” he slammed a few bills on the counter, “get yourself the pill. Let’s end this.”

Rin groaned, covering his face. He was such a fucken asshole.

He glanced down at his palms, feeling disheartened by his poor performance, and was convinced that it was all because Y/n hadn’t kissed his palms before the game.

His mind flashed back to the very first time she had done it. She had come to his game, and just before it started, she called his name and took hold of his wrists. Rin looked at her confused, but she gently turned his palms upward and pressed her lips to the center of his hand. “Good luck kisses,” she whispered with a smile.

“Hey, look it’s Y/n.”

Rin’s head snapped up, and he swiftly removed the towel from his head. Before him stood Motoya, gazing towards the crowd behind Rin. In response, Rin pivoted his upper body and scanned the bustling crowd. “Where?”

“Right there!” Motoya pointed.

Rin’s gaze tracked his pointed finger until it intersected with the eyes of the pair he longed for so intensely.

As if caught in the act, she hastily concealed her face and attempted to make a swift getaway.

“Y/n!” Rin roared over the loud music and crowd chatter, chasing after her. He hopped over the barriers and ascended the stairs with determination. “Y/n!” he called out once more, steadily closing the gap between them as she weaved through the crowd.

Finally, reaching his limit, he lengthened his strides and snagged her wrist, gently drawing her into his embrace. “Stop, please don’t run,” he implored softly. His arms constricted around her, one hand tenderly cradling the back of her head. “Please don’t go,” he whispered.  

She remained tensed in his embrace and softly uttered, “you’re the one who walked away.”

“I know, I’m a fucken fool. I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I left you. Please,” he pulled away, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Please come back to me, I am a mess without you. I need you, Y/n. I –” he blinks the tears back, “I’m in love with you, please come back to me, please.”  

Her eyes widen, hearing the words she longed to hear. Tears filled her pretty eyes as she closed them, letting the tears fall down her cheeks before she nodded her head.

Rin sighed in relief and hugged her once more, “thank God. I love you. I love you, Y/n. I love you so fucken much and it took walking away from you to realize I am in love with you all this time.” He leaned back to cup her face, “please, can I kiss you?”

She extended her hand to gently cup his face, drawing him down to meet her lips. Their mouths danced in a graceful, passionate exchange until they parted, both gasping for breath. Their lips inches apart, “I love… I love you too, Rin. I loved you for a long time.”

“I know, I know baby.” He pressed his lips against hers again. “I’m never letting you go again.”

Y/n nodded, “promise?”

“Yeah, promise.”

Her eyes widened and she leaned back, “Rin don’t you have a – “

“Suna! Where the fuck did you go? The third set is about to start!”

.

Rin’s mouth never once left Y/n as they stumbled into his apartment. He pulled away briefly to tug off his shirt before his mouth resumed hungrily against hers.

In the grueling third set, EPJ Raijin fought valiantly, shedding blood and sweat, and managed to secure a hard-fought victory. Finally, with the fortunate kisses pressed onto his palm by his beloved, Rin executed his spikes flawlessly, scoring nine crucial points that contributed to their triumphant win.

His hands rest on Y/n’s hips, guiding her backward towards the hall of his place and into his bedroom. He is nervous, almost shy at standing half naked before her. “I… I didn’t get to shower after the game – do you want to shower together?”

Her lips curved upward as she grabbed his hand leading him into his bathroom. She quickly stripped her clothes off and turned on the shower, looking over her shoulder, Rin stood there gawking as if he had never seen her naked before. “You coming?”

He quickly pushed down his joggers and boxers, striding into the shower with her. The water cascaded down their bodies as she reached for his body wash to spread it all over his body.

Rin caught her wrist that was lathering his chest with body wash and brought it down to his cock, he closed her hand around it. He hissed feeling his cock harden from her touch. “Y/n,” he murmured, slowly thrusting into her hand.

Y/n stepped closer, pressed her lips to his left nipple, sucking it gently and swirling her tongue around the bud. Her hand tightens around his cock as she strokes him faster.

He hissed, reaching with his other hand to find her clit, “missed this.”

“I missed this too,” Y/n squeezed his cock, pressing her thumb against the tip. She was about to drop to her knees when he stopped her.

“I need to be inside you, now.” He lifted her, her legs wrapped around his hips and arms around his neck. He easily slipped his cock inside her pussy.

For a brief moment, they savored the intimate moment of being united as one again.

Y/n leaned down and kissed him deeply and passionately, rocking her hips to meet his thrusts. “Ah!” she breaks the kiss, moaning his name. “We – we forgot a condom – again…”

Rin thrust deeper, pressing his lips to her clavicle. “I’m clean, there – there’s been no one but you…”

Y/n’s arms tighten around his shoulder and neck, her lips to his ear, “that’s not what I mean… Rin – we could risk –“

Rin is reminded of the last time he came inside of her. He is selfish but he wanted nothing more than to cum inside of her again, over again and again until he knows she is pregnant.

Y/n pregnant with his baby, he loves the thought of that.

He wanted that.

Y/n moaned loudly into his ear, “you like that?” She tightens her pussy around his cock, hearing him groan, slowing his hips. “You want to knock me up, Rin? You want me to have your baby?” He hummed, agreeing. “You want to breed me?”

“Yes. Fuck yes. I want to breed you. Cum inside you again. And again.” His nose trailed along her neck until he reached her ear, “I’m not asking Y/n, I’m going to cum inside you. I’m going to put a baby – my baby inside you.” He nipped her earlobe, fastening his thrust. He is so closed, all this promise is knocking him over the edge as he is eager to cum inside of her. “You’re mine.”

Y/n tightens her arms and legs around him, chanting, “yes! Want your baby!” Her tummy coils, tightening and her body trembles in release, cumming around his cock.

Rin pressed Y/n against the tile walls, hooking his arms behind her knees and hoisting her weight so he could pound into her pussy with the purpose to breed.

Her overstimulated pussy fluttered around his cock until he painted her womb with his cum.

Walking over to the seat built into his shower, he sits down, keeping Y/n close as she straddles his lap. They catch their breaths, gazing tiredly yet lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Y/n was about to lift herself off of him when he stopped her, “don’t, not yet.”

She relaxed around him, holding onto his shoulders. “You’re serious about baby-making?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “It sounded like in the heat of the moment talk but I’m dead serious. Were you not serious?”

Y/n threaded her fingers through his wet hair, slicking it back. “Aside from you telling me you love me and want to be with me, I want nothing more than to have your baby.” She lifts herself off, letting his flaccid cock fall limp. “But before that, let us focus on just the two of us for now.” She pressed her lips against his, “take me out on a proper date first.”

Rin grins against her lips, “a little out of order but yes, anything you want.”

. . .

E/n: When I'm writing and releasing my dirty imagination, Rin is the only one I can see getting away with this shit. He can talk about breeding any time and I'll be like... "yes daddy." Please don't be like me. Make good choices. Lol. I'm finishing up on Lord Ushijima... I'll share it soon.

@queenelleee @mfreedomstuff @erintaro @callmeraider @chaotic-fangirl-blog @wolffmaiden @cloud-lyy

[oolhan]

Too Many Beds (Part 2)

okayyy so I finally had the time to continue the little fic I wrote about reverse trope of having too many beds instead of sharing one like they got used to do. I'm publishing it on ao3 here so I can navigate it easier. Give it some love there! Oh, read part 1 here. This will be in three parts, so enjoy this second one! Thank you! Edit: part 3 is up here!

Part 2:

Peeta’s bed was long empty before she even blinks sleep from her eyes. She hears some laughter outside their room as she puts on her robe but, well, it just could happen everybody is awake already.

“Oh, do you remember that time I got detention just from eating cookies in class?”

Hold up. It’s a familiar feminine voice and definitely not Jo’s or Annie’s. Katniss quietly peeks through the corner between the little dining set up and the hallway.

“No, no, Madge, I totally forgot that part after I was in detention for the first time,” Peeta accuses with sarcasm from the dining table.

Oh god, Madge? In France? Sitting prettily on a quaint chair eating some pastry in the morning? WITH PEETA?

“eh, tu l'as bien mérité,” Madge sips her coffee.

God, she’s French now, too?

Of course she is, because the Undersees flew to France shortly after their only daughter’s high school graduation, sending Madge off to a fancy college and never got the hang to be in touch with everybody. Well, except maybe for Annie and Delly. Madge Undersee was pretty popular in their batch, having been the student body president and an active advocate for several political issues. She fell into their group because Delly was part of her council and because she was, quite literally, head over heels for Peeta at the time.

Katniss can still hear the gasps in the school gym when Council President Madge Undersee tripped on her feet confessing to newly titled wrestling champion Peeta Mellark just after finishing his match. Katniss was stupidly giddy that day and had to keep herself from smiling because one, it’s horrible to be weirdly satisfied with someone’s embarrassing moment in public and two, Peeta gently rejected her confession.

It’s not that Katniss secretly hates Madge, not really. She respects her especially her courage in speaking out for different causes, as nonchalant as she may seem. It’s just that the girl’s advances towards Peeta comes off annoying as hell for someone like her. She’s always so sweet and so fluid with her walk and her hand gestures and she’s always speaking truth against the government and really smells so good whenever she arrives and always requests Peeta to bake her some strawberry shortcakes because why wouldn’t you bake for someone so irritatingly good? They really match well considering Peeta’s not only active in sports but also in social commentaries-

“Fuck!” Katniss hissed as Cinna placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing peeking here this early?” He whispers.

“Why is Madge here?” Katniss seethes, narrowing her eyes at Cinna’s bed head.

“Oh right, sorry. Hadn’t had the chance to tell you last night. She was in the city and heard about you guys from Delly. She got in very late,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Katniss agrees and turns when she hears another fit of laughs. She finds Peeta’s head thrown back from laughing while holding his mug. Cinna follows her line of sight.

“After all these years, huh?” He mocks, smiling knowingly.

“What—”

“Good morning, Peeta!” Cinna cuts her off by walking into the dining room, joining them in the laughter. Katniss huffs and go as well.

“Madge Undersee. It’s been a long time,”

“Oh Katniss! Katniss Everdeen! It’s been a long time!” Madge stands to hug her and had no choice but to wrap her arms around the blonde who still smells like strawberries and frosting. Shit, she also has a French accent now. If she speaks against some corrupt government leader it’s much sexier.

Katniss doesn’t now how her ears are reacting, much less how Peeta is reacting.

“Yeah, I think it was your father’s home vacation when I last saw you. You look… good.” She almost said French.

“Well, I didn’t really keep in touch with the lot of you but thankfully Delly and a few added me on their socials so I still hear some high school drama. If you know, you know, yeah?” Madge winks as she sits and proceeds to drink her coffee. “Coffee, Katniss?”

She blinks.

“Katniss doesn’t drink coffee in the morning. Would you like some hot chocolate?” Peeta supplies abruptly, leaving Katniss rendering what Madge was implying. She notices Cinna smiling swirling his mug.

“Uh-yeah, sure,” Peeta stands up to make her one. She sits on his chair and takes some sliced bread.

“So, uh, how are you finding living in Paris?”

“Ugh, je suis épuisé, please, don’t make me rant about shit here,” Katniss smiles at this because all these years, it’s still amusing to know how nice-pretty-sweet achiever Madge can talk so vulgar. She sips from Peeta’s mug while waiting.

“I’m sorry, just tired and all. Hopefully this trip to Venice won’t leave me feeling guilty for resting,”

“You’re going with us?” Katniss blinks as Peeta places her mug and drinks his.

“Yes, I just found out just before you came in. Apparently, we need her as tour guide for Venice.” He sits beside her and reaches for some bread like they didn’t fight the night before.

Well, they didn't really fight. It was just some awkward exchange of disagreement, so she lets him take a bite from her toast and lay his arm around her chair.

They eat as Madge discusses on what's been occupying her all these years while partly helping Cinna every Paris Fashion Week when she questions, "Okay, so I know it's early to ask but…” Madge seeks Cinna’s eyes and he nods.

Katniss and Peeta anticipates.

“I'm curious how are you two? did you finally hit it off? you seem like an old couple."

Katniss chokes on her hot choco and Peeta coughs his toast, suddenly remembering their encounter the night before and how those skimpy shorts were underneath her robe right now.

"Oh, no madame, you're very wrong. They're still friends," Cinna laughs as he helps Madge kills the curiosity.

"Come on madame Madge, like you didn't just tripped confessing to me in high school," Peeta teases her to dispel the awkwardness he feels rising beside him. Madge gasped dramatically.

Katniss was still coughing when Cinna hands her some water. Peeta tries not to pat her back. Like patting her would make it more awkward.

"Please deflate that ego, Peeta Mellark. I just didn't know how small your dick was compared to frenchies I've sucked," Madge throws and Katniss bursts out laughing at this.

Yep, totally vulgar.

Not at all awkward.

--

She’s fumbling her braid, trying not to act so annoyed hearing Peeta and Madge conversing beside her. Despite not sleeping enough the night before, Katniss feels well rested on the flight to Milan, waking up to her head resting on Peeta’s shoulder. But the rest she felt quickly turned sour when Madge woke up beside Peeta and started catching up with old news from their social circles.

She planned on watching Before Sunrise with him as a quick remedy from their awkward tension just a while ago. It seems they’ve been hanging on some tension ever since they separated beds last night. Weird. Thankfully, after hearing Madge’s comeback they heard Annie shriek from surprise followed by a sleepy Finnick, waking up Delly and the others. They got to pack by lunch time and wished Cinna the best before getting on the short flight to Milan.

She felt dread when coincidentally, Madge’s seat was beside Peeta, and Katniss at his left. Great. What if she switches with Jo?

No, it’ll turn more awkward than it already is. Jo will just tease her.

And yet now she wishes she switched places with Johanna as she sighs, tapping buttons on the TV panel until the film starts. She tries very hard to fade out their annoying nostalgic conversations on high school memories.

Like can’t Madge just move on from their high school era? She thinks and crosses her arms, really, really focusing on Jesse and Celine.

“Oh! Before Sunrise! Haven’t watched that in a while,” Peeta suddenly turns to her, his face a huge ball of energy.

“Yeah, I haven’t too,” Her annoyance is simmering, she can feel it.

Why is she so annoyed though? It’s not like something is off with her or with him. Or with Madge.

“Imagine watching that when we were in Vienna, seems like some cathartic experience. Too bad we didn’t think of it,” Peeta continues, making her more irritated.

“Hmm,” she just nods.

Madge suddenly panics, tapping furiously at Peeta. “Arm cramp! Arm cramp!” she hisses, trying to stretch her arm and avoids yelling in pain.

Katniss tries really hard not to roll her eyes when Peeta takes Madge’s arm and massage it to calm her muscles. “it’s okay, I get this all the time,” Peeta soothes.

She can’t focus on the fucking movie.

--

Peeta's beginning to get suspicious. He doesn’t like this strange feeling at all. Like they’ve been avoiding each other at the same time laughing and bantering like usual. He can feel it from her subtle distance, like when he offers her a snicker bar on flight but she declines.

And when he tries to take her suitcase from the baggage counter she dismisses him, mumbling she can carry it herself and catches on with Annie and Delly.

Maybe he's just overanalyzing things. Especially since he noticed the bags under her eyes when he made her tea this morning. Guess she's just tired.

"Okay! old routine everyone. Just drop your bags and freshen up. Come back here in 20, we'll find some late dinner, sleep, then catch the train first thing in the morning. Chop chop!" Delly directs before following Thom to the right of the hallway.

Peeta's eyes automatically goes to Katniss, a little nervous. A little expectant.

Gale and Finnick go left. Johanna stands with Madge and Annie, leering their suitcases away conversing.

He gulps down when Katniss walks towards him. From relief? tension? He doesn't know, what he knows is she won’t meet his eyes, but she’s still share a room with him.

"Let's go, we're 1208," she dangles their key room and walks past him, his eyes on her form and his feet stumbles before following her.

The door's creak fills the silence. They are quiet as they enter the standard room with Italian accents, and even more quiet as they see the single queen bed on the center of it. Why the fuck's so awkward and tensed? it's not like they never shared a bed. Peeta coughs and drops his bag on the left side facing the window.

"Dibs on this side," he tries casually, tossing himself on the bed and letting out a tired groan, closing his eyes. A moment later he felt the mattress dip and he glances to his right, seeing two pools of droopy grays and a soft smile.

"I'm tired, Peeta." She whispers and closes her eyes for a bit. He stares at her soft skin and long lashes. Oh, the things he'd do just to freeze this moment and live in it.

He lets out a sigh of relief and closes his eyes, smiling.

Yes, that explains her silence. She's just tired, that's all. It's just some jet lag. Nothing that cannot be dispelled.

--

Except it is not nothing.

Katniss’ scowl isn’t new to him, but seeing her scowling standing by the side as he takes a picture of Madge in front of an Italian antique store gives him an odd feeling.

The group is finally walking and exploring the city all afternoon after nearly missing their train in Milan because of Katniss and Peeta. They accidentally slept their way through the night and woke up from Delly’s insistent knocking and suddenly stumbled from one another’s limbs. Well, maybe just Katniss. He notices some pink blushing her cheeks when she stands up to open the door, but his mind is still asleep. Guess he must be imagining things.

“What? You just woke up? You two didn’t even fucking told us you planned on staying in last night and you just woke up?” Delly nearly shouts, helping Katniss with her bags while she washes her face in the bathroom.

“Sorry Dell,” Peeta rises and rubs his face from sleep, quickly opening his luggage for fresh clothes.

“Just wash your fucking faces and get down in 10! Everybody’s ready! We’re running to the station,” Delly almost slams the door, annoyance from having to baby her completely-capable-to-wake-up-on-their-own friends.

Despite their rushing, he still feels warm from waking up next to Katniss, and he tries not to smile as he feels a rush of giddiness. He pulls his shirt off and rummage for his toothbrush, walking towards the bathroom seeing her brushing her teeth as well.

Their eyes meet on the reflection on the mirror, and Katniss quickly looks away.

And she continues looking away from him all day. In fact, he feels her distance when she sat beside Gale and Johanna on the train ride. He had no choice but to seat beside Madge and listen to her antics for two hours.

He thought they were okay after sleeping again together. He clearly thought wrong, and he’s determined to find out why.

“Peeta! One more!” Madge grins a perfect smile as she poses in front of the camera.

Of course, Peeta is the guy with the camera on these kinds of trips. He delights on taking pictures of everything, from sceneries to his friends, especially when Katniss rarely wants one. But he’s distracted all afternoon because he still didn’t have a picture of Katniss. Or a picture of both of them. And they were on their fourth place of Delly’s itinerary.

He steals another glance on Katniss when Madge pulls Delly and Annie for another picture. He sees her looking back at him and she quickly takes her eyes off, heading towards Finnick, Thom, and Gale. He takes another picture.

She stands beside Finnick, “seems like we need to put some time limit on picture taking,” she rants.

“Come on, they’re just taking souvenirs. Why not join them?” Finnick defends, eating del Moro’s.

“Yeah, Catnip, what’s up with you today? You’ve been kinda silent,” Gale supplies.

“Relax, she’s just envious of Madge,” Johanna says, walking into the conversation with some street food for Gale. Katniss huffs.

“What? That’s not true! I’m just—”

“You’re what? Just exhausted? I can read you like a book, Kat. You’ve been jumpy ever since Frenchie here joined us yesterday.”

“and why would I be jealous of her?” She snaps, taking the pasta from Finnick and eats it. That’s such a ridiculous notion, even for her.

Because yes, Madge is pretty opposite from her. Prettier, funnier, easier to get along with. But that’s not why she’s upset. She doesn’t even know why she’s grumpy at all.

“Ugh, this is so high school all over again. You were always this stubborn and seething when miss pretty president is in our table,”

“and poor Peeta always suffer with it,” Thom laughs. What does that even mean?

“Suffer from what?” Peeta suddenly stands beside her and she tries not to choke on the pasta.

“Suffer from taking hundreds of pictures of the same pose,” she supplies casually, glaring at Jo’s wicked smile and the guys’ snorting.

“Okay come on, it’s nearing sunset” Finnick pats her on the back, looking around to see Annie and the girls buying from the stall far from where they stood. He clears his throat and whispers, “Jo, make sure she’s distracted enough when we walk to the bridge, talk with Delly and Madge.”

“Wait, what? What’s going on?” Katniss seems clueless, and Jo rolls her eyes. “He’s proposing at sunset, brainless.”

“I thought Peeta told you?” Finnick’s brow crinkles. Katniss looks to Peeta, annoyance bubbling.

“Uh-I-I couldn’t find a moment, sorry.” Peeta clears his throat, avoiding her eyes.

They were walking all afternoon and he didn’t have two seconds to tell her? Katniss’ tone almost borders on shouting, “and I’m just finding out now?”

“I was just told on the train!” he turns to her, his patience exceeding.

What’s wrong with her?

What’s wrong with them?

“Will you two just don’t be children for a second?” Jo sighs, exasperated. “This is for Annie and Finnick, alright? Calm your assess off.” She scolds, watching as Peeta and Katniss blush from embarrassment. They were indeed acting like children.

“Okay, they’re still paying. Peeta, camera’s still good?”

“Yes.”

“Gale, record it on your phone, okay?”

“Got it, boss.”

Finnick heaves out a nervous exhale. He still can’t believe he’s doing this, in a bridge in Venice, of all places. Peeta notices his nervousness and pats him on the shoulder.

“You got this, man. It’s been a long time coming,” he says warmly, easing his friend’s nerves.

Peeta has to admit there’s a small part of him envious of Finnick. No, scratch that. Envious of Finnick and Annie’s tooth-rotting relationship. Their group always knew they end up married to one another, as their love can’t be mistaken when they glance at one another, but Peeta; Peeta witnessed this romance from day one, when Finnick went home to their dorm from his first date with Annie and declares right then and there he’s marrying that girl one day. The sparkle on Finnick’s eyes leaves no doubt.

“This would’ve happened anyway, Finnick.” Katniss adds, and Peeta’s eyes automatically goes to her. He can’t help but picture himself looking up into those gray eyes filled with all the things he needed, kneeling in front of her with a ring.

His heart aches from the longing, and Katniss can’t help staring back at him, feeling a weird sensation in the pit of her stomach.

“Okay they’re coming.”

Katniss looks away, exchanging the weird feeling with annoyance on having been the last one to know.

--

“Okay, come on. Tell me,” Peeta catches up to her, his camera dangling. They are headed for Ponte delle Guglie, a bridge with the most beautiful trajectory of the sunset at the right moment.

They are the last one on the walk, with Madge, Jo, and Delly distracting Annie ahead of them. Peeta thinks it’s the perfect timing to get her to talk.

“Tell you what? The fact that I don’t know my two friends are going to be engaged by sunset because you didn’t tell me?” She snaps, her words thick with sarcasm.

“Well, it’s not like I could talk to you.” He retorts, eyebrows crinkling from impatience.

“How can I even talk to you when you’re busy taking pictures of Madge’s ass?”

“Oh, so this is about Madge now? You can’t even look at me, you’ve been weirdly distant, and—"

“No! this isn’t about miss pretty little sunshine!” Katniss yells. She knows she’s becoming irrational now.

“Well, I’m sorry I was bonding with our friend that I hadn’t spoken to for a long time!”

“No, Peeta. This is about you not telling me things I’m supposed to know. Imagine if I hadn’t been there awhile ago! I would’ve look stupid for not knowing!”

“You’re the one to talk. As if you’ve been honest with me on why you’re so annoyed all of a sudden. Is this about us sleeping?”

Katniss gets caught off guard from the question. She inhales, ready to answer back, only to hear Annie shriek from surprise.

“Shit!” Peeta runs off from her, positioning his camera near a kneeling Finnick and a crying Annie, rushing to snap the moment.

Katniss suddenly feels ill from their argument and from almost ruining Finnick's proposal. What a memorable trip this is becoming.

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG translation] An interview with Joker Out at Sziget

An exclusive conversation with Joker Out from Budapest, where they marked one of the biggest milestones of their career so far!

Article written by Ajda Gregorc, published on the 9th of August 2024 on the ELLE Slovenia website. Translation by @kurooscoffee, @chaosofsmarty and a member of JokerOutSubs, English proofreading by IG GBoleyn123.

You can also listen to an audio recording of this translation, read by IG GBoleyn123:

(or find it on our Spotify)

Source: Personal archive

It's no secret that ELLE has been cheering for our most successful band of all time from the front row. Not only are Joker Out the recipients of the first Elle Style Award in the Music category, we always love to catch up with them and chat about their upcoming projects. It's especially nice to see them on foreign ground. We met up with the guys in the Hungarian capital just before one of their bigger performances as part of their summer festival tour – they took over the main stage of the legendary Sziget festival! Judging by the aforementioned (and in this case, also literal) front row, we can definitely say they conquered it.

With it, they have symbolically reached one of the major, clearly defined goals they set at the beginning of their journey. At that time, they stated, "You know you've made it when you perform on the main stage of this legendary European festival." The energy of the gathered crowd at this performance definitely confirmed it, but more on that later.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

When asked whether this goal still seems as formidable after they have already reached so many of their set peaks (just this year they successfully completed a European tour, sold out a vinyl edition from the sold-out Arena Stožice in less than half a day, signed a contract with the Wasserman Agency shortly before that, and received a gold record in Finland for their single Carpe Diem, which was also the most-played domestic song last year), the band's frontman, Bojan Cvjetićanin, honestly responds that it doesn't really seem that way anymore.

Festival experiences, with all their systems and mechanisms, are similar to each other regardless of whether it's a slightly larger or smaller stage, and the guys already know what to expect. "You do lose a bit of that, but here today, for example, the organisational aspect is at the highest level." Guitarist Kris Guštin also confirms a slight loss of the mystique, while the band's other guitarist, Jan Peteh, offers a fitting metaphor in his characteristic style. "I see it as going up a hill on a road that has a bit of an incline, and you know you're going up, but the steps to the top are more gradual."

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

Bojan agrees. He feels that it's a point where you're still far from the peak, but already have a beautiful view ahead that you're following, although the full view only unfolds at the end. Sziget is definitely one of the highlights of their festival season when it comes to personal satisfaction, but for the crowning moment of this festival season, Kris would choose the main stage at Exit festival, while Bojan also highlighted the Finnish Ruisrock festival.

Their tour across European festivals is therefore a connecting point between the band and their existing fans, as well as potential new audiences. At festivals where they weren't the most well-visited performers, the guys noticed that many of the attendees were new. "You can see it mainly in the faces and reactions," Bojan explains. They're very pleased that the response has always been positive so far and that by the end of their concert, there were more people present than at the beginning.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

When a concert is not organised by them, it takes away a good amount of pressure. Over the past year, they carried out a lot of them on their own, especially abroad, which was slightly scary for them, even though everything went smoothly. Fortunately, festivals are primarily defined by the summer, which is accompanied by a good mood and visitors in high spirits, and that creates a good atmosphere. "There are a lot of performers in one place, a lot of a certain type of energy gets accumulated, and everyone comes to have a good time," adds Cvjetićanin.

Jan adds that the weather has cleared up during our chat (before that, the festival area was hit by light showers) and it's true, for their performance at 17:30, the sky actually cleared up so much that people were retreating to the shady side of the stage while dancing to their hits.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

International festivals, therefore, no longer fall entirely under the "new" category for the Jokers. They've come to feel at home at a number of stages already, so they know how to handle things, both from a technical standpoint and in terms of what to expect from the atmosphere. Finland, with its warm reaction, provided a huge surprise in that regard, and therefore they count their performance there as one of those magical moments that tip the scales into the aforementioned category and go into the "forever" archive.

The third album is around the corner

After constantly working on the third album in London, which will be released in the autumn, the likeable musicians needed a bit of a break from it. That has already ended, however, as they've been in the studio almost every day, which also proves that they're excellent at juggling several obligations at the same time. Considering that the first singles, 'Everybody's Waiting' and 'Šta bih ja', are highly contrasting, I ask them whether this album will offer the most contradictions so far as part of the "intense blend of emotions which reflects the quick turnaround of their lives". That is how they described it recently.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

In Bojan's opinion, this is by far their most contrasting album. "Especially the most recent products, which we still have to finish, will be like that." Kris adds that the arrangements might be more contrasting than the sound itself.

"It's still us playing and singing," Bojan laughs. "Exactly, per partes¹, some parts are compatible, and then you have one total 'tourist', and then another one." Jan stops the debate with a powerful statement that there will be more variations on this album than most performers have in their entire careers. Let's wait and be surprised.

¹ 'per partes' is a Latin expression that means "by parts"; it is used in mathematics for the process of integration by parts

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

It's not only their vision that goes into creating the new album, they also let their fans in on it. For 'Šta bih ja', it was actually the audience's passionate reaction that showed them that it would be their next single.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

It is a simple communication style, but one that the band reads well and then translates into its products. By doing so, they typically follow the flow organically, not going against it (true fans will understand this extremely corny joke), always driven by a well-thought-out strategy. Sometimes even at the initiative of Kiki the roadie, who unintentionally hung the lyrics of a new single facing the audience instead of the band, which turned it into a viral hit. "He's a marketing genius," the boys laugh, and tell ELLE that he's definitely receiving special treatment now.

Less than an hour later ...

Shortly after our conversation, we join the large crowd right in front of the famous Hungarian stage and, as the show unfolds, marvel at the visual production, specially upgraded for the festival season under the baton of Studio 7, with whom the Jokers have formed an unstoppable partnership since their beginnings.

Source: Vita Orehek Photography

The waving Slovenian flags beautifully complement the lace on the band members' clothing, their trademark and a tribute to the culture of their homeland, signed by Karlo Kirri (the Jokers have been collaborating with him regularly for the past year).

Unfortunately, the boys couldn't exchange the "performer" wristband for the "visitor who is just having fun" one, as a concert in Romania already awaits them this Sunday. Jan tested the field the night before, while the rest of them are still waiting for that experience somewhere in the future. Now with a very special aftertaste.

P.S. The news of the upcoming album was followed by the promise that Slovenians will be among the first to hear it live. In the lively backstage area, where the famous singer Halsey was casually strolling just an hour later, I'm told that this will be very soon after the album's release and that "they're going to go for a slightly smaller thing than they could have gone for," adding that it will be nostalgic for them.

What better way to end the conversation, and thus the article, than at this point?

Guys, thank you, and good luck!

[zahri-melitor]

Look out, it's time for the Potted Fanon History of the one, the only...BRUCE WAYNE!

Bruce, 8: His parents were shot dead by [Someone/Joe Chill/the Mafia] outside the theatre in Park Row where they just saw Zorro. Kneeling in blood, pearls, etc etc.

Bruce, 8: Jim Gordon was the cop who responded to the scene and took care of Bruce.

Bruce, 8: Alfred takes custody of Bruce and they live in the Manor together.

Bruce, 12-16 (optional): Bruce attends school with people like Oliver Queen and Lex Luthor (at a boarding school), or Zatanna and Harvey Dent (at a regular Gotham school). Bruce is known as the cryptid who hides in the library reading forensic pathology textbooks in his free time.

Bruce, 16-18: Bruce finishes school and embarks on a Secret World Training Tour. Highlights of the Tour definitely involve the League of Assassins and probably several nameless monks. Bruce may have an intense homoerotic relationship with Minhkhoa Khan. The following individuals may be namechecked but are unlikely: [Shiva, David Cain, Henri Ducard, Richard Dragon]

Bruce, World Training Tour Edition: Bruce will first meet Talia at this time, and they may get married/conceive Damian. Do not look at the timeline too closely.

Bruce, early-mid 20s: returns to Gotham, is reminded that he is scared of bats. "Yes father, I will become...a Bat!"

Bruce, early-mid 20s: has encounter with An Individual (name varies, solidifying to 'Red Hood' these days as everyone's hung up on Jason) in the ACME Chemical company vats, the other person falls into the chemicals. The Joker is born hahahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Bruce, mid 20s: meets Superman and Clark Kent, they simultaneously figure each other's identities out. Shortly after they form the Justice League with Wonder Woman.

Bruce, mid 20s: Bruce goes out for the night to see Haly's Circus when it visits town. Graysons fall, Bruce sees crying kneeling Dick Grayson and immediately imprints on him and takes him home.

Bruce, mid 20s: Dick Grayson becomes Bruce's Ward (TM). Dick also becomes Robin. They swear an Oath (TM) by candlelight to "fight together against crime and corruption and never to swerve from the path of righteousness!" (Actually I don't think the words of the oath are that well known but I couldn't help myself)

Bruce, mid 20s: has many undetailed adventures with Dick. I cannot reinforce how big a blank hole this period is.

Bruce, early 30s ish: Bruce runs into Talia and sleeps with her again (as written by people who CAN count to 10)

Bruce, 30s: Dick gets injured during a fight. Maybe with Joker, maybe with Two-Face, quite possibly with no details. Bruce tries to ground Dick for his own good. Bruce and Dick have a big fight over Dick being an adult now and you can’t tell me what to do. End result: Dick is no longer Robin and moves out (to Blüdhaven). Bruce immediately sulks.

Bruce, 30s: Batman parks his Batmobile in the middle of Crime Alley and comes back to find the tyres being jacked. The teenager attempting this then hits Batman with a tyre iron. Bruce, missing Dick yelling at him, is immediately charmed and takes Jason home and proceeds to instantly adopt him and make him Robin.

Bruce, 30s: Bruce learns about classism from Jason. Bruce Wayne, a man with the biggest charities running in Gotham, years of criminology experience and who travelled the poorest parts of the world in his quest for training, had never contemplated that poor people commit crime because they’re poor and the laws are against them. This rocks his world.

Bruce, 30s: Bruce fails to call Dick to tell him about his new adopted Jason!Robin. Dick comes over to have a screaming match with Bruce in the Manor/Cave about this. These will be a regular feature of Jason’s entire time as Robin.

Bruce, late 30s: Felipe Garzonas occurs. Bruce accuses Jason of killing Garzonas. Bruce will shortly feel intense guilt for this.

Bruce, late 30s: Jason runs away to Ethiopia and is blown by the Joker in a warehouse. Bruce arrives just out of time, to find Jason's body. He is devastated and blames both himself and Jason. He takes Jason's body back to Gotham where there is an autopsy. Joker just disappears with no trace.

Bruce, late 30s: gets more and more violent in his despair over Jason's death. Tim comes to him to explain why Batman is going off the rails and offers to be Robin.

Bruce, middle aged (don't look too closely): Bruce accepts Tim as his new Robin, however insists they are Just Coworkers. He may still be suicidal at times. He probably calls Tim 'Jason' by accident. He insists he never wants to be close to another child again.

Bruce, middle aged: Bruce comes face to face with Bane, who Breaks His Back (TM). Bruce then recovers. This is a very important moment, however any details of the recovery or who was Batman in the interim are unknown. Good job, Gotham healthcare services set up by Thomas Wayne!

Bruce, middle aged: Bruce becomes worried about Tim's parents (as he's reluctantly become attached to Tim). They are never around, which is how Tim manages to be Robin. They are definitely neglecting him. They might be abusing him! Bruce either fosters Tim because of his terrible neglectful parents OR Janet dies and Jack ends up in a coma and Bruce fosters Tim. Either way, Bruce becomes Tim's guardian.

Bruce, middle aged: there's a new crime lord in Gotham called the Red Hood. Batman must track him down. Bruce discovers that this is Jason. Jason begs for Bruce to kill the Joker to avenge his death and Bruce refuses because He Has A Code. Bruce throws a batarang at Jason's neck and slits his throat.

Bruce, JLA edition: at some point Bruce made some Protocols, or possibly some Killer Robots, just in case someone else on the Justice League goes evil. The rest of the Justice League find this out, due to this situation going wrong and the plans being activated by something. Everyone on the Justice League gets very upset with Bruce.

Bruce, middle aged: at some point Bruce adopts Dick and Tim and Cass. Details of when or where are scanty. They're his kids now. Everyone moves into the Manor (except Dick, who visits from Bludhaven every weekend to see his siblings).

Bruce, middle aged: Talia drops Damian off on the doorstep. Bruce now has a (biological) son! Unfortunately Ra's Al Ghul wants to steal his body. Damian must be protected.

Bruce, middle aged: dies. How does this happen? What are you, a cop? Fortunately Bruce being ultraprepared for anything including incipient death, he has left extensive notes about who deals with what when he's dead. Dick gets custody of Damian (but only Damian). Tim gets Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce, middle aged: returns from being lost in time (not dead). Thanks, Tim. No I will not return to being the main Batman in Gotham or take back Wayne Enterprises, it's time for me to travel the world and create Batman Incorporated in every nation on Earth!

Bruce, middle aged: eventually returns home and moves back into the Manor. Damian is now his Robin. Everyone else may still be living in the Manor, may have moved out because of Sad Conflict Drama because Tim feels like he's Just A Coworker or Cass is In Hong Kong. Dick may or may not return to Bludhaven now.

Bruce, middle aged: begins to reconcile with Jason, because he finds out about Jason's Pit Rage and trauma. Jason promises to use Rubber Bullets or to just shoot people in the knee, and says he will patrol Crime Alley because nobody else understands it and the people inside it like him. Bruce is just fine with this.

Bruce, middle aged (Damian edition): Damian dies. Bruce is extremely distraught about this due to his trauma over Jason and immediately works to hunt down a way to resurrect Damian.

Bruce, middle aged: meets Duke and seeing another teenager who is trying to fight crime, immediately brings him home to foster/adopt.

Bruce, Good Dad edition: at some point Bruce has Seen A Therapist and gotten Therapy. He is now completely au fait with the latest things you read online about complex PTSD and is sorry for the hurt he has ever caused any of his children. He goes around talking his children down from disassociation and panic attacks and nightmares. He wraps them up in weighted blankets and watches TV shows You Like with them. He has a new Ace, who is a Therapy Dog for Trauma. When someone has a bad night the entire family sleeps in his giant bed as a sleepover. He is completely focused on the mental health of his children.

Bruce, Bad Dad edition: Bruce has punched Dick/Jason/Tim/Damian (choose whichever set you want) in the face and accused them of not following orders. He has rages and demanding expectations on everyone. Multiple of his children can no longer put up with it any more. He does bad things to them and says it's for their own good.

Bruce, currently: Bruce is a Good Dad! Everyone is either living at the Manor or stays over after patrol regularly. They have regular movie nights. Bruce is actively running Wayne Enterprises. If he sees an unattached teenage vigilante anywhere he might adopt them and bring them home too! He looks after all the associated Gotham vigilantes and does not know what money is worth. This is hilarious as he tips 3000% or whatever on every purchase.

Bruce, currently (alternatively): Bruce is a Bad Dad! After failing his children nobody wants to be near him and he needs to apologise to all his children so they forgive him. Bruce has left Damian for Dick to raise all by himself (that's ok, Dick is really Damian's adoptive dad) and Tim to struggle with the pressure of being a high school dropout CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He is fighting with Jason over the One Killing Rule and won't compromise, even to kill the Joker, despite Jason desperately wanting that proof that Bruce loves him more than he loves the killing rule.

Bruce, currently: Bruce is dating one of Selina, Talia, Clark or Minhkhoa. Whichever on this list he is dating, he would never ever consider getting with Selina and/or Talia again (delete whoever necessary).

[bucky-barnes-lover]

Kinktober day 13: Multiple kinks, listed in warnings

Fic: Chris Evans

Warnings ⚠️: SMUT!! 18+, Slight Size Kink if u squint, Slight lingerie kink, NOT PROOF READ!! NOT EDITED!! Sorry if it's really bad, I wrote this at 2am cause I couldn't sleep

W.C: 834

It was a gloomy, rainy evening. The only thing I was looking forward to tonight was seeing my husband. Obviously, as an actor he gets called in at random times during the week, but we were both a bit upset when he got called in this morning. Chris had planned to take me out for dinner tonight as it was our anniversary.

Then my phone started ringing and my ringtone went off as 'Mine' by Taylor Swift. I smiled a little as I realised who had called me. I thought it was quite cute, setting my ringtone as that very song, as it was the only one I knew that described mine and Chris' relationship almost perfectly. I picked up the phone and was greeted by a deep bostonian accent. "Hey babe. How are you?"

"Hi Chrissy" I replied "I'm good, how's work?"

"I was just calling cause, my set just finished and they promised not to call me in until next wednesday. So are we still cool for dinner?" Chris questioned as I fiddled with my nails nervously.

"Yeah totally. What time will you be home?" I asked as I walked over to the calendar to check our reservation time.

"Definitely not before 6. I'll be stuck in traffic for a while." "Shit, What time is our reservation?" He asked suddenly.

"It's at 5:30 so we'll have to cancel." I declared, feeling guilty. "Could you call them up please."

"Yep, I'll do it right after this call." I answered, "Thanks baby. I'll see you soon, love you." Said Chris,

"Love you too, be safe on the road."

I replied before I hung up.

After calling up the restaurant to cancel our reservation, I figured Chris would be home soon. So I put on his favourite one of my lingerie, and set the bedding so it would be ready by the time he arrived home.

About an hour later, I heard the front door open, and in walked my husband. I frowned as I realised just how tall Chris' 6ft frame was compared to to my tiny 5.2 feet.

"Hi love!" I exclaimed as I walked up to kiss him. I heard a gasp exit his mouth as he turned around to see me in such intimate clothing. "Hi baby" "You look amazing!" He marveled as he returned my kiss. "Thanks, I was thinking. Since we couldn't go out for dinner, we could maybe celebrate at home. In bed. No clothes." I asked nervously. Earning a little laugh from Chris, and replying with "Sure, Why not. We haven't had time to 'hang out' in a while"

With that confirmation of yes, I ran upstairs to our bedroom, hearing Chris' footsteps following shortly behind. Once again the realisation hit, Chris was huge compared to me. However, I kinda liked the size difference. It was basically a turn on for me. I climbed onto the bed as he entered the bedroom, shirt already discarded. His tattoo's making me go feral, I pulled him onto the bed, having Chris towering over me.

"I love this lingerie, you look so sexy in it." Stated Chris as he started pressing soft kisses on my neck,

"I know Baby, that's why I wore it. But I'd love it better if you would take it off me" I smirked. Feeling Chris pause, I tugged at his belt, urging him to continue. With a small laugh, He continued kissing me while removing his belt and pants. "May I?" He asked as he started playing with my shoulder straps. With a nod of consent, he started undoing the straps, finally discarding the piece of clothing.

My soft, eager moans filled the room as Chris started kissing his way down to my breasts. Finally taking one of my nipples in his mouth. "Fuck" I moaned over and over again as he rolled his tongue around the sensitive areas.

"Feel good baby?" He questioned as he moved down, to align his cock to my entrance. I could only moan in response, feeling too overwhelmed to put together a sentence.

"Ready" Chris asked as he inserted his tip, through my folds. "Go for it baby" I replied, sounding way too desperate.

Chris' huge figure towered over me as he thrusted into me. I couldn't keep myself from crying out his name in pleasure. He went faster and faster, bringing his thumb to start rubbing my clit. An electric feeling ran through my body as I felt myself coming closer to my orgasmn. Chris' fingers working wonders. His thrusts became slower and lazy, "Come on baby, when you're ready, Cum for me" He whispered in my ear as he continued moving his hips. "Fuck! Chris!" I moaned as I came undone under his work. Him following seconds later, squirting hot cum inside me.

Not long after our 'hang out' time, Chris brought dinner to our bedroom. We ended up ordering take out, since we knew we would get to doing more 'hanging out' later tonight.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This was supposed to be a Drabble but I got carried away lol

[hyperfixationsporfavor]

Gojo x Reader wip (The Marriage)

Author's Note: Hey guys. I recently read the interview about Gojo that was translated. It made me think about this wip I've had in my drafts forever. It's from the last chapter of my Gojo x Reader fic (The Marriage). It's hasn't been edited but I want to share it with you beauties. If you haven't already you can check out the series. The interview has got me in my feels. I had an upcoming fic planned with Naoya but I'm thinking about switching it to our blue eyed king. Anyway, here is the wip. Enjoy!

Warnings: mentions of illness, super rough draft so read at your own risk!!!

The was a bounty on Satoru Gojo’s head.

He was just a child and already curse users across the country were plotting their strategies to obtain him dead or alive. A child in possession of the six eyes? The reward money for even one of his eyes would be enough to live five lifetimes in luxury. 

The Gojo clan knew this and took preventative measures to ensure Satoru’s safety. However, all their efforts were put in jeopardy one afternoon when it was discovered by a maid that Satoru was not in his room, after an extensive sweep is was determined he had left the estate. 

“Satoru Gojo,” his uncle hissed.

~

An eleven year old Satoru walked the streets of Tokyo by himself, he had occasionally snuck out of the estate before, but this time was different, people were actively looking for him, his family, and two curse users. Satoru had noticed them following him for awhile now, an old woman and a man with thick eyebrows had been observing him from a rooftop cafe while he played in the arcade in the building across the street. At first he hadn’t done anything, knowing they weren’t stupid enough to make a move in front of so many non sorcerers. So he just focused on Pac-Man for the time being.

Other kids his age stood in small groups around the other machines. As much as he pretended he not to care a small part of him, buried by years of strict upberinging, wished to join them. Spend the day with people his own age and not worry about the fate of society. Normalcy would have been true freedom. 

~

When he had his fill he walked out of the arcade and glanced up at the curse users. Eyebrows, or Groucho as he had dubbed him, was still staring. 

Get a life.

He was fed up with them so he returned rhe gaze, knowing it wouldn’t be long until they sensed it, his cursed energy. And surely enough, after a few seconds Groucho and Granny began to recoil. They knew what he was, how easy it would be for him to take both of them out. He broke eye contact and started walking down the busy street.

~

Satoru bought a box of nerds and a can of Fanta from the nearby 7- Eleven. He decided on taking his goods into a Best Buy nestled into a shopping mall, there he decided to barricade himself in the home theater display room in front of the flat screen tvs. Finally left in peace he chugged his soda and shoved handfuls of purple and pink nerds into his mouth. He loved stuff like this but at home he was regulated to a strict diet. No process, high calorie, and not an ounce of flavor. He hated it, he didn’t want to go back, maybe he should just run away. His family would definitely have noticed his absence by now. They would send someone shortly, he’d just have to enjoy what time he had left. Satoru leaned back in the recliner and watched the repeating trailers and music videos that were played to display the effectiveness of the flat screen. A security guard tapped the back of the chair he was in. 

“Hey kid, this isn’t a lounge. You can’t take your crap in here.”

Satoru rolled his eyes and continued to watch the N’sync music videos. 

The guard stood in front of him. “Where are your parents.”

Why was everyone over the age of twenty giving him a hard time today. He didn’t have to deal with it not now. So he warped out of the chair and discreetly landed in front of the store. 

“Have a good day,” the cashier said as he walked out. 

The security guard stood flabbergasted in front of the now empty seat, littered with an empty soda can and stray pieces of candy. 

The music video ended and the trailer for Miss Congeniality started playing. 

~

Satoru wandered around the mall for awhile after that eventually stopping at a small movie theater next to Sears. 

The poster for X-Men caught his eye. He had wanted to see it for awhile know but had been denied by his uncle since it was dangerous. 

“One ticket for X- Men please.”

~

Satoru was lucky enough to have the whole theater to himself. He settled in the the middle of the aisle in the back. Finally some peace and quiet. The trailers dragged on and finally the fx logo appeared accompanied by an orchestra to signify the arrival of Hugh Jackman and his claws. He got through the first twenty minutes of the film before a familiar voice spoke beside him. 

“There you are,” his father softly spoke. 

Satoru sighed. He had felt his father’s presence before he could see him and sure enough a guard from the Gojo estate stood expecactantly at the end of the aisle. 

“How did you find me?” Satoru asked. 

“There were reports of two curse users retreating from a white haired threat. You don’t exactly blend in Satoru,” the old man chuckled. 

Satoru reluctantly stood up. “Are we going now?”

Much to his surprise his father sat down in the seat next to his. “What do you mean? The film just started.”

The security guard stepped forward. “Sir-”

He held up a hand to stop him. “Call my brother and tell him well be back at the estate later this evening. And have a few more guards on standby to patrol the mall. Can’t be too careful.”

The guard stepped out of the theater to make the call. Satoru’s father patted the seat next to him and Satoru hesitantly sat back down.”

“This is from that cartoon you used to like?” his father asked. 

“Yeah and the comics, you remember that?”

“Of course I do.”

The two of them settled in for the rest of the movie. 

~

“Well that was interesting. Did you enjoy the film?”

Satoru nodded as he walked alongside his father out of the theater. 

“And the white haired character? What was her name?”

“Storm.”

“She’s you’re favorite?”

Satoru nodded in excitement. He rarely got the opportunity to talk about things like this with others, his mind wandered back to the groups of kids in the arcade.

“Storm’s the strongest.”

His father smiled. “Then it’s fitting that she’s your favorite character.”

Satoru looked up to him and smiled back wishing he could stay there forever.

~

Instead of going straight home Satoru’s father takes him to the mall food court. “If you were just eating candy you’ll give yourself a belly ache.”

So his father buys him a cheeseburger with fries and a cherry coke along with a small salad for himself. 

Gojo notices how the security guard is eyeing the current head of the Gojo clan, it’s the same way everyone else has been looking at him, cautious of the possibility of him breaking. His father’s health hadn’t been doing so well, doctors and nurses were a frequent sighting around his room and it was clear how weak he really was. Over the last year he’d grown thin, his cheeks were so hollow. The salad in front of him was just for show, he’d only be able to get a few bites down before heaving it back up. At night he’d hear his Uncle and the rest of the men talking about how preparations needed to be made, how Satoru’s training needed to be accelerated so he’d be ready to assume the role of clan head. But he dind’t want to be the head, he wanted his father. His mother had passed when he was a baby, leaving her husband and son in the snake pit. And if his father left…

“Satoru? You’re crying.”

He hadn’t noticed. But sure enough salty tears ran down his face, staining his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

“Son,” he murmured, extending his arms out.

It was rare, growing up in such a tradition family, to show emotions and be vulnerable. But Satoru rushed to his arms and let his father hold him. He knew if he didn’t he’d regret it. 

“Dad,” he muttered in his chest, cherishing the sound of his beating heart. 

“I know you’re sorry. And I’m sorry to. You’re so young but the weight of the world is on your shoulders.”

He pulled away and looked at his son in the eyes, those infinite blue eyes that connected the sea and the sky in harmony. 

“I know it seems lonely now. But someday you’ll be surrounded by people who love you. No one should be alone. Don’t worry. Let’s just go home.”

[penny-anna]

im off work this week and trying to get some Culture!! here's what ive been up to so far:

[REDACTED] 80s themed solo show: im. not gonna share the name of this one bcos the lady doing the show seemed genuinely nice and i had a genuinely bad time. the idea was that it was a pastiche of 80s movies w as much of the dialogue as possible made up of lyrics of well-known 80s songs? i found it Interminable. just did not work for me at all. found the plot hard to follow due to the conceit so it was basically just someone reciting out of context song lyrics for a full hour.

Songs about Roses at the Fruitmarket Gallery: wasnt expecting to enjoy this all that much (looked like. really good but bleak and wasn't sure i'd be up for that) but actually had a really good and educational time. especially enjoyed the making of film.

Against the Clock at the Canon's Gait: i wasn't actually planning on going to see this dlghfjhgkfj I had a different show picked out but when I showed up this happened:

Performer, finding me loitering outside the venue: hi, are you here for a silent comedy show?

Me, puzzled: I'm here for a comedy show

Performer: great, here's your hat!

Me, holding a hat, realising this is definitely not the show I picked out: thank you but I'm just gonna go double check I'm in the right place (at this point I gave back the hat)

Me, checking the board outside the venue to see that I am definitely in the right location on the right date: I was looking for this? (pointing at the show I came to see)

2nd Performer: oh yes she cancelled so we're performing instead

Me: ohh

Me: ok I guess I am here to see you.

anyway: the premise of the show was that it's about silent film-era actor Harold Lloyd (he's this guy) and also about the 2 actors and their relationship and shared love of silent comedy. production was charming n I did learn a bunch of stuff about Harold Lloyd which was interesting.

however the script felt hm, one or two passes away from finished to me? idk if it was edited down to fit in a Free Fringe slot (I know this happens sometimes) but the first 25 minutes consisted mostly of 'hello audience we're going to do a show for you about silent comedy. the show will start shortly. did we mention we're going to do a show about silent comedy? ok here is the show. wait we need to tell you more about what the show is going to be about.'

it was frustrating bcos what was good was really good! ah well. it was a PBH free fringe show and i had a nice time so i would recommend it. they also gave everyone in the audience some popcorn.👍

[cowboybarzy]

unexpected part 3 — mat barzal

tbh I didn’t realize how popular this was with you guys which is why I didn’t hurry to write this next part. but if y’all really love it and give me your thoughts (& even ideas on how to continue) I’m definitely willing to write more!!

word count: 4k

I’m just gonna make this part of my summer series bc they did travel and it gives me an excuse (to literally my brain lol) to post this part now! an insta edit will follow shortly! come along the rest of the trip

📍vancouver, canada with mat barzal this is part of the unexpected series, so if you want to see how we got to this point, read PART ONE and TWO

June

"Sshh, sshh. It's okay, it's okay." Mat's soft voice woke you from a short, but deep sleep. You turned as your eyes fluttered open to see him sat up against the headboard soothing your baby girl. "I'm here. You're okay."

Your hand reached up to cradle her tiny head. "She might be hungry. What time is it?"

"Almost four. It hasn't been that long since you last fed her. But look, she's already falling back asleep." His smile grew and you sat up as well to see her eyes slowly closing. "She's so cute."

"She is." You kissed her head and then leaned against Mat's shoulder. "And so big. One month already."

"It went by so fast. I don't want her to grow up."

The last month since you baby girl, Myla, was born was the most stressful and tiring but also the most beautiful and exciting time. The new sleeping schedule was difficult to adjust to and your recovery was harder than expected. People really should talk about it more. But getting to experience both you and Mat become parents and your baby explore the world was indescribable. She already outgrew her newborn sized clothes and loved being awake looking around the room. She loved sleeping in her stroller while you took her on walks, where you and Mat stopped to get ice cream or coffee. Both of your families had come to visit, too, and of course all of your friends. They loved her and you were so grateful for the amazing support system.

Mat's season had ended a couple of days after Myla's birth, but not after his birthday which you unfortunately had to spend apart. But he was home now and took such good care of the both of you. Although the three of you did spend a lot of time in bed, you made it a goal to go outside for walks at least a few times a week. Your family didn't live far so they were able to visit and you even went to visit them a few times when you felt brave enough to leave the house.

"Oh, my god!" Mats voice brought you back to consciousness. You hadn't realized you were falling back asleep on his shoulder until his voice brought you back.

"What?"

"She pooped. Did you not hear that? That was gr– Oh! Ew! Babe, it's leaking out." He started panicking, then gagged as he held her away from his body. "What do I do? What do I do?"

You laughed, falling back into the pillows as you watched him struggle for what his next move should be. "Babe! This is so gross! Help me!"

"Well, go change her!" You watched him, still laughing, as he carried her with extended arms, trying not to gag again. "It doesn't even smell. There's only one baby in this room and it's not her."

He started undressing her, groaning from the mess she had made. "Oh my god, it's everywhere. How? How is her stomach so big to hold that much?"

You got up to see for yourself, making sure beforehand to take a video of Mat trying to handle this situation. "Yeah, we should give her a bath. That is pretty bad."

"It's the middle of the night!"

"So? She's dirty." You laughed patting him on the shoulder. "Welcome to parenthood."

At one month old, babies couldn't laugh yet, but the noises she made could definitely count as it. So you prepped her bathtub. She was small enough to do it in the sink, so it didn't take long to fill the tub with the right temperature water. When Mat put her in, she started screaming. She hated baths for the most part, but unfortunately she had to get through it. She calmed down after a while, enjoying the little massage you were giving her to get her clean. Mat put his arm around you and kissed the top of your head.

"You know, a year ago I definitely would not have imagined us doing this at 4 a.m., but I wouldn't change it for the world."

July

"Ugh, she's so cute."

"So adorable."

"Her little nose. And those cheeks."

"I love her so much," you said, not being able to look up from where your daughter was sleeping in her stroller. You stood around her with Mat's sister and mother, just staring at her. You were supposed to go on a walk to go get lunch, but for some reason (a very cute and sleeping reason) you still hadn't left yet.

"Me, too. Watch out I might steel her," Liana said jokingly. She hugged you tightly. "Thank you for making me an auntie. I thought I'd have to wait for years."

"You almost had to." You didn't want to call your daughter an accident, because she truly was a blessing, but let's not pretend you were trying to become parents. You both tried to contain your laughs, as their mother was right there.

"Okay, let's go," Nadia broke you two up and took ahold of the stroller, before walked out of the house. You followed her, Liana fighting her mother for the right to push the stroller.

A couple days ago, Mat, Myla, and you made it up to Vancouver to spend a few weeks with his family. Myla just turned two months a few days ago and you finally felt comfortable enough to fly with her. A lot of family and friends came over to see her, but things had finally calmed down a bit.

"So, any wedding plans?," Liana asked, after you had made it to the restaurant and the food arrived.

You raised your eyebrows, a small laugh escaping. "How long have you been waiting to ask me that?" She laughed. "Since last time!" And that was about a year ago when you had told her you were pregnant. Mat shut her down immediately, saying you'd wait until after she was born. "Well...?"

"I don't know," you answered. "We haven't really thought about it."

"Oh, come on. You need to get married! For her and for me!" You laughed and her mother elbowed her. "What? I know it's selfish, but please! It would be the most beautiful wedding, I just know it."

She started gushing about her dream wedding for you, detailing everything from flowers to venue to table cloths. Her mother chimed in, equally as excited about the idea. Normally you would have been too, but for some reason the idea of a big wedding didn't seem exciting to you anymore.

And that's what you told Mat later that night when you were ready to go to sleep while feeding Myla. "Your sister, well and mom, are already making wedding plans, just so you know."

He rolled his eyes. "How many times have I told them it's none of their business?"

Myla was done eating, so you handed her over to Mat so he could burp her. "It's fine. It was kind of fun to talk about and see everything we could come up with. But funnily enough, all my life I've dreamed of a big wedding like that, even just a few months ago I would have agreed to it. But now, I don't know, I don't really want that anymore."

"Really?" You looked up at his green eyes.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'd rather have a small thing, with just family and our closest friends. And baby Myla of course."

"That sounds good to me." He leaned to kiss your forehead with a smile and cradled your baby's head.

"Wanna get married? Might as well, we already have a kid." You said it with a laughing tone, expecting him to laugh as well or brush the topic off like you had done since he first asked you about getting married. But he didn't. He jumped out of bed, put Myla in her bassinet, and left the room.

You sat there, shocked. You didn't expect that reaction as well. You were serious about getting married. A couple weeks after Myla had been born you realized that you were being silly before. Of course you wanted to marry him and you knew that he loved you and didn't stay with your just before the baby.

Thankfully, before you could process what just happened, Mat came back and sat back down next to you. "I'm the one that gets to ask that question!," he said, which is when you noticed the little red box in his hand. You mouth opened in shock. Now that, you definitely also didn't expect. "What? You really think I didn't got out and get you a ring after you said no the first time? Please, you can't get rid of me."

"Mat..." He smiled, cupping your cheeks with his big hands before kissing you softly.

"Baby? Do you want to marry me? I don't care about the big wedding anymore either. We literally could go down to city hall tomorrow and do it there. I don't care. I just want you and baby Myla. Now will you please do me the honor of not rejecting me for the millionth time and finally saying yes to being my wife?"

"You are such a jerk," you said as the tears rolled down your face. You were still pretty hormonal and you had a feeling it wouldn't go away. "But yes, I'll marry you."

"Finally." He pressed his lips against yours for a deep kiss that had you falling back against the mattress. But you couldn't fully enjoy the moment for very long, before baby Myla made herself known. You got her out and held her in your arms, soothing her, while Mat held you close to his body pressing tiny kissed against your head.

"Ok, let me see the ring," you whispered when your baby girl calmed and started drifting into sleep. Mat opened the box with a chuckle, as your moth fell open.

"Like it?" You nodded and held your hand out for him to slip the ring on. While it didn't fit as well as it would have pre-pregnancy, at least you were assured that it wouldn't randomly fall off. "Kind is weird that we're doing this at my parents house, but I'll take what I can get. It's your fault though."

"Wha- Why?"

"I was scared as hell to propose to you again. I didn't want to be rejected again."

"Mat, I didn't reject you. I just– I didn't want to get married while pregnant." He cupped your face again with a chuckle.

"I know, I know. I'm just joking." He kissed you over and over again, until you realized that Myla was asleep and you could put her back in her bed.

Mat pulled you on his chest as you both laid down. "Wait, were you kidding about city hall tomorrow?," you asked, keeping your voice low.

"Not really. You wanna do it?" You looked up at him and shrugged.

"Kind of." You both smiled wide. "But wait, no. My family. I want them there."

"Okay, well we could ask them to come here? Or would you rather wait and do it back in New York?"

"Here is good." You fell in love with Vancouver the minute you got out of the airport the first time you came, so getting married here was not an issue for you. "Yeah, I'll just ask my family and some friends if and when they'd be available to come up."

"Okay. We can just invite people and whoever can make it, can make it. If not, then we can always have another little something in New York." You nodded, excitement filling your body.

"But if we're inviting a bunch of people, we can't do it at city hall."

"There's lots of parks and venues around here."

"Or your parents back yard?" You both thought about it for a second, then Mat smiled.

"Yeah, i think they'd be cool with that."

You both giggled excitedly, then he pulled you fully on top of him. "Are we seriously getting married in a few days?"

"Unless you don't want to," you responded.

"You are never ever getting rid of me."

August 2nd

It was wedding day. After a crazy busy 10 days, the day was finally here.

When you had told Mat's family the news the day after you got engaged, they were very excited. His sister screamed so loud, she scared the baby but you couldn't go soothe her since she had you trapped in a massive bear hug. She immediately started planning and listing everything you would need. Everyone was involved in making flowers arrangements, cooking and baking for the party, and getting the house ready to host a wedding.

Your family got to Vancouver a few days before the wedding, also helping greatly. Once your best friends arrived as well, it was time to shop for a dress. While there wasn't much so last minute, you found the perfect simple little dress that you absolutely fell in love with. You even found a little white dress for Myla at a baby store near by.

"Thank you so much for coming." You hugged Sydney Martin tight, then her husband.

"Wouldn't miss this for the world." She smiled and you hugged her again. She had been very supportive and your closest friend during your pregnancy. Since she'd already been through it twice, and none of your friends had experience in that department, you spent a lot of time together. You were so grateful for her and were very thankful she could make it to your wedding.

While both you and Mat felt bad about getting married so last minute and therefore not having all of your friends present, having the ceremony now did feel right to the both of you. And that was all that mattered. And even still with short notice, a lot more of your friends than you expected could make it. With Mat's family, yours and your friends, your guest count was almost up to 50. So lots of people to celebrate your love, but still more intimate than a big wedding you almost had.

You spent the morning of you wedding setting up the tables and decorating everything. Around two, guests started arriving and since you treated this as more of a party, you had time to greet most everybody before having to get ready.

"Alright, time to get dressed." Liana came walking and grabbed your hand.

"Wait." Before she had a chance to pull you away, you turned to Mat to give him a kiss. He reciprocated with a smile. "See you on the other side."

"Love you." He winked, then slapped your ass, before turning back to his friend group.

You made another pit stop to grab your daughter from her grandparents to have her with you while you got ready. Your makeup base was done so all you added was some eyeshadow and eyeliner, while your best friend did your hair. Another friend made sure to take lots of pictures and videos of your day. You fed Myla one more time before handing her back off to your mom, who was going to watch her today so you and Mat could enjoy the day without worrying about her. Then it was time to put on your dress.

"Aw, babe, you look gorgeous."

"Stun-ning!"

Your closest girlfriends friends quickly came to hug and admire you, before posing for a few more pictures.

"Okay! Go time!" Liana, who basically acted as your wedding planner, called when it turned three o'clock. She pulled you into a quick hug. "Ready?"

You nodded, already on the verge of tears when reality started hitting you. You were about to marry your best friend.

"Good, because I am so ready to have you as my sister-in-law." She kissed your cheek and then started getting everyone ready and into position. You kissed your sleeping daughter one last time, then followed everyone downstairs to the backyard, where you were holding the ceremony and party.

Through the windows, you could see the garden beautifully decorated and everybody sitting outside waiting for it to start. You could also see Mat, standing below the flower arch at the end of the aisle, with his best friend and best man Anthony standing next to him as they talked and joked around.

Your mom walked out to find her seat and as soon as Mat saw Myla sleeping in her arms, his eyes lit up. He took her from your mom, gently as to not wake her, and pressed tiny kisses to her chubby cheeks. Your eyes got watery again, watching them and knowing that the overwhelming happiness you felt right now would not go away anytime soon.

The music got a bit louder which was your cue to head outside. Your bridesmaids walked before you, down the shirt aisle you had just helped built this morning. Then you followed, slowly, scared to trip, but not too slow as you were eager to get to Mat.

Mathew. Who looked even more handsome than you though possible, standing at the end of the aisle with that wide goofy grin of his. As you got closer though, you could see his eyes sparkling with tears.

"You look beautiful," he mouthed and stretched his hand out for you to take. You took it, immediately feeling calmer. You looked over to where Myla was sleeping in her carrier and with a reassuring nod from your mom that she was alright, you turned your full attention back to Mat.

And Anthony who in addition to being best man was also officiating your wedding. Over the past few years that you've known Beau, he also became one of your closest friends and you couldn't be happier to have him as Mylas goddaughter and now here to marry your number one best friend.

For the entirety of the ceremony, you felt like you were in a bubble. Only Mat and you. Holding hands. "When I look at the time we've been together,

I always have a smile on my face. Through all the ups and downs we've been through, the one thing that has remained constant is my love for you. The love I feel for you has gone from wild and free to me enjoying the little things about you like going for a walk, seeing your face across a breakfast table, and even changing disgusting poopy diapers in the middle of the night. Love you, My," he said after a pause. You both looked at her with a laugh, still sleeping in her carrier.

"We have years ahead of us but when I look at the years that has passed my heart grows with such love for you that I ache. You are the most amazing partner and the most amazing mama to Myla. You're it and nothing is gonna keep us apart. I love you and always will."

Thankfully, before Mat even began his speech your made of honor handed you a tissue or your makeup would be ruined by now by the tears streaming down your face. 'Love you,' you whispered as you held your hand to his cheek. He smiled, with a quivering lip, and whispered it back. He took your hand and slipped diamond covered ring on your finger. Then you cleared your throat a couple of times and prepared to speak.

"Maty, you're my best friend. Ever since you flashed me that goofy grin of yours, I was gone for you. And I am so lucky you chose me to be on your team. And I promise you that I will choose you as my teammate. I choose you again and again. At the start and finish of every single day, no matter the season no matter the year. I choose you to struggle and succeed with, to fight and make up with, to love and grow old with.

And while I may have to send you to the sin bin sometimes, just know that I'll always be on your side and you can always count on me.

Seeing you grow and become the best father to our newest team member has been the biggest blessing. I am so proud you of. I hope I can make you just as proud. I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

With shaking hands, it was your turn to slip a ring on Mat's finger. You didn't hear another word until Beau said those magic words: 'you may now kiss your bride'. And he did. Those big hands grabbed the sides of your face and pulled you into him until your lips met. He started out softly, but soon enough he was breathlessly while your friends and family clapped and cheered in the background.

********

You were married. An indescribable feeling floated through you all day, every since you walked down the aisle. Your ring glistened in the Vancouver sun that was starting to set as you chatted with your friends. You friend circle had shrunk every since you found out you were pregnant, a lot of your friends keeping distance and not keeping in touch as much anymore. You didn't blame them. You were still very young and a lot of them weren't ready to settle down or even be surrounded by people that weren't able to go out and get drunk every weekend. You didn't blame them because it took you a few months too to adjust to the idea of being a mother, but it made you even more grateful for the few friends that did stick around. They made you feel so special and supported during your pregnancy and even now they were already the best aunties for baby Myla.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Mat walking towards you, holding Myla. That sight would never not blow you away and make you feel all warm inside. "This little lady is hungry." He held her out to you and you welcomed her with with cuddles and lots of kisses.

"Where were you?," you asked him as you got ready to feed your daughter.

"I just went to change her. I saw my mom take her in, but I wanted to do it." He answered you puzzled expression, "What? I've barely seen her today. I just wanted to spend a few minutes with her."

Your heart warmed and you leaned into his shoulder. But your moment didn't last very long as the party was already in full swing and people kept coming over to talk to you. You went back to talking to your friends as Mat got pulled away by his.

After Myla was done eating, you decided to put her down for bed and once again tracked Mat down to let him know. "Hey, I'm putting her down." He was sitting with a bunch of his teammates that were able to make it out here who all fawned over baby Myla.

"Come on! Just let me hold her," Oliver whined, stretching his arms out, but Mat slapped them away.

"Absolutely not!" Most of his teammates got to hold her when you first introduced her to them, but Wally was not one of them. He joked around too much around her and was untrustworthy around babies. Those were Mat's words, not yours. He was obviously very protective of his daughter if he wouldn't let his own teammate hold her.

"I won't drop her! Please? Oh, see! She's looking at me," Wally tried again while the rest of you laughed.

"Yeah, she's trying to tell you to shut up. It's not happening." While he was mostly serious, there were joking tones in Mat's voice. You definitely thought they were all just messing with him, so you stayed out of it.

"Hey! Daddy Barz said no, so it's a no," the other Matt (with two Ts) chimed in in his best dad voice, to which your Mat gave him nod of his head.

"That's right."

You rolled your eyes at their banter. "Alright, I'm really putting her down now." Mat stood, but leaned down to where you were holding Myla in your arms so that he could kiss her little head over and over again.

"Good night, princess. I love you." Then he straightened and put his lips on your. "And I love you, wife."

"Love you more, husband."

[prongsie-kins]

part five of when i met you

this is a filo!james au revolving around james potter courting regulus black in a semi-traditional way

disclaimer: english is NOT my first language and not the type that this would be beautifully written but there might be some grammatical error i didn't notice while editing. also keep in mind that this is my first multichapter fic and im still trying to improve my writing

italicized texts are the translation

Beginning | Previous | Next

and before I knew, there I was, so in love with you

Regulus is screwed. He is definitely screwed.

Here's the thing.

Every time James speaks to him in Filipino, it's been bothering him not knowing what shit he says to him. So all the time he has been drowned in books in the library—also the times James brings him food—he's searching for solutions.

He did it. He tried to brew a potion before but it's a hassle trying to brew every day just to try to understand James because he basically says shit every chance he gets. Thus he resulted in another result.

A charm.

He immediately tried the incantation after practicing for a little while. The spell gives him the ability to understand other languages he would be hearing.

Shortly after he cast the spell, James joined him at a flowery field near the forbidden forest. He is lying on the grass with a book by his lap. James is sitting beside him blabbering about how he's apparently failing potions lately and is now asking him to tutor him for a while.

After that there was silence. Both were laid on the grass. James was staring at the sky while Regulus silently read. This is nice. Some sort of peace and quiet for a while.

Well, until James broke the silence.

"Sakit ng likod ko, araw-araw ba namang nahuhulog sayo."

My back hurts since I'm falling for you every day. It immediately translates to his brain. Regulus stilled. Was this a one-time thing? Or is it what James says every time he speaks to him in Filipino? Corny flirting lines.

He glanced over at James. He was still staring at the sky. With a goofy grin on his face. He must've felt cocky delivering another line with a clueless Regulus. Clueless or so he thought.

Regulus stayed silent. He continues to read his book though his mind is still lingering on the line James said. His eyes were following the paragraphs he was reading. He turns the page. But the words in the book aren't really processing in his brain.

By the time he realizes he has forgotten about the book he's reading, he's way past an arc so he has to turn back the pages he previously was before James spoke.

He silently hoped that was a one-time thing.

—

It isn't.

The cheesy lines didn't stop at the flowery fields.

Regulus just finished eating and was on the way out of the Great Hall when James walked up to him. Still holding a goblet full of water.

"Where are you headed?" James asked.

"An empty classroom."

"Why?"

"I have to practice spells."

"I'll come with you."

James didn't leave him a chance to disagree since he was already walking ahead of him. After a while, his steps falter as he down the remaining water in his goblet.

"Tubig ka ba?" Are you water?

"Huh?" Regulus asks, bewildered not because he doesn't understand it but because of the nonsensical question.

"Kase malinaw ang pagtingin ko sayo." Because my feelings for you are clear.

He suddenly tripped on his own foot. His hand braced against the floor. "You alright?" James asks.

"No."

He was about to help Regulus up when Sirius suddenly ran in their direction. "Distansya, Prongs. Distansya." Sirius said in a broken accent.

Distance, Prongs. Keep your distance. It translates to him.

He has to keep a chuckle coming out of his mouth. It sure is hard trying to keep a straight face and pretending you can't understand them.

—

It doesn't have to take a while before James says another line. He simply saw Regulus walking in the corridor. He was previously in the quidditch field after a practice, on his way back to their common room.

"Hey, Reg," James greeted.

"I told you to stop with that name."

"Should I call you love instead?" He definitely doesn't need the spell to understand it instead.

He subtly lowers his head. "No."

But it's not even the worst. While walking, they both saw a student 3rd wheeling to a friend. James saw this as a chance to say another cheesy line. Still assuming Regulus wouldn't understand him.

"Dami na single sa mundo, gusto mo bawasan natin." There are already too many single people in the world, would you like us to reduce that number together?

This time, Regulus chokes on his own spit. Coughing fitfully. James has to pat his back to slightly soothe it. "Careful Reg, I wouldn't want you to die choking."

"Why not?"

"Ikagagalit ba ng multo kung mas takot akong mawala ka?" Would the ghosts be angry if I'm more afraid of losing you?

Too much. It's too much.

James probably saw how he became a blushing mess after James said flirty lines. He just kept going and going.

He's the one that's supposed to be cocky. Understanding everything James says without him knowing. Why is this happening? This is torture.

His heart keeps pounding. That doesn't sound right. It's not supposed to beat that fast.

Why can James make him feel things with all the little things he does?

It's not just the packed food. The cheesy lines. The way he clings to him like he hasn't got anything else to do. The way he annoys Sirius just by sticking to him.

Not just the way he always joins him studying hence giving him a comforting warmth knowing he's right there by his side. Even on his bad days when doesn't feel like interacting with people. James is always the first to notice. Giving him a pat on his cheek and then not bothering him for the rest of the day.

He's definitely not doing this to his friends.

"Why are you doing this, James?"

James is obviously taken aback. He thought Regulus was okay with him clinging since it's been a long time before he asked why he did the things he did to him. His smile falters slightly before grinning much wider than before. "Kasi nga nililigawan kita. I've told you a hundred times." Because I'm courting you.

"Was that all it was?" Regulus asks. He's done pretending to be oblivious. Done being in denial. "You courting me this whole time? Without even me knowing?"

James' jaw dropped. "Wha..what?"

"Yes, James. I understand you. Every single time."

"How?"

"That's my secret to tell."

"Is that way you turn all red every time I say pick-up lines to you?"

"No, James stop it."

"Oh my, Reggie." He sighs dramatically. "That must've been hard trying to keep a straight face."

"Is this the blessing Sirius was talking about? Him allowing you to court me?"

"Sirius is all bullshit. He doesn't even let me near you. On the bottom line, he's not angry every time I pursue you."

"Are you sure?"

"About what, Reg?"

"About me."

"Oh, love," James coos, cupping his face. "You know there are three kinds of view, side view, front view, I love you."

"...what?"

"Admit it, it's brilliant."

"No, it's not, James." He was about to walk ahead when he stopped. Seems like he forgot something.

"Your shoelaces are untied." Regulus comments. James looks down at his now untied. "Don't forget to tie your shoelace, love. I don't want you falling for someone else."

James was left there. Staring dazedly at where Regulus previously was.

Next

[citylighten]

Hello it's me and I'm in your "Asks" ☺️

What/who made you come to simblr and what/who made you stay?

Hello!! I'm pretty sure when I came to simblr I had no idea who to follow beyond cc makers, specifically @ebonixsims & @xxblacksims. My simblr account was born due to the fact I had purchased TS4 for the first time and I wanted to make a cute bedroom for Eve, as I was procrastinating on cleaning and decorating my own bedroom. That was it! That was literally it! 😂

So I was just following random simblr blogs, and eventually I saw the storytelling community due to a reblog or something. I thought it was so interesting, because like everybody else when I played the sims I constructed a narrative in my head and to see people took their narratives seriously I thought, "okay, I want to try that too."

Also, in my childhood I loved to play games like Disney's Magic Artist Cartoon Maker where you just placed 2D stickers of Mickey Mouse and friends on a background, so I'm not surprised storytelling became the thing I felt the most passionate about. 😂

What made me stay were two things. The first was the stories I found by other people and the second thing is the bonds I formed with them, once I got out of my shy state, that is.

Although I had read a hand few of stories, @rebouks definitely had the first story that stuck out to me. Both in terms of narrative and visuals! @cinamun's story was the second story I became full-heartedly obsessed with. I saw a handful of posts back when Hope was a kid, and like...the characterization was so strong with Indya, Darren, and Lil' Hope that eventually I got curious about who they actually were and read the story from the beginning. And let me say reading Things Fall Apart from start to finish was the most inspiring thing as a new storyteller who didn't have editing skills that were exactly good. Because cin's editing was n o t h i n g like it is now and with each past post I read, I saw how she experimented with new things, slightly tweaked Indya's appearance over the years. But more than that, I noticed how her story grew in terms of readers. TFA did not always get a lot of notes. It was truly a, "okay, if Cin can progress like this, I can too. If Cin can grow like this, I can too." But yeah, rebouks and cinamun are absolutely my biggest inspirations with visuals and editing. And the fact they're both very sociable people when you message them was also encouraging, because there wasn't a sense of elitism that you can find in other fandoms spaces. This made me feel welcomed and like I wasn't a pest.

After that, I read more stories which led to me creating really strong friendships! Like, Hungry for Love by the user formally known as shanisims always stands out to me. That was another story I loved and obsessed over lmao I said it recently but @straightouttasimulation is a reason why I add prose to my story caps and she's even the reason why I attempted to do gifs. Because SHE started experimenting with gifs first! And then to see how she could pull them off, I thought: "okay, let me give it a try." All and all, she's a great mutual. I love her dearly. Then I met @digital-deluxe who shared my love for the mafia genre, and shortly after I think I began talking to @ardeney-sims. Tags led me to meet @swiftviolets who was also into the mafia genre and of course, @havenroyals and I started clicking a lot! And there's so many more people I love and cherish that I'm mutuals with [but I don't wanna like, tag everyone] BUT THE POINT IS I don't think I would be excited to log onto my dashboard if it weren't for the people I talk and joke around with. Even though it's good to try and like...be there for everybody in a community because people can feel overshadowed or neglected, communities are really about the people you vibe with the most because they're the ones who directly impact your experience.

[k-looking-glass-house]

SAM and his familiar~ When you wish upon a star~

Gah I’m still shy to share those concept, but it truly made me wonder why the "star wish" event didn't have alternate outfit~ Except our little Ortho (precious, best gear each time)! Anyway let's follow again our dear Sam in his scholarship journey!! He came from the Disney which is literally related to "the famous Disney star wish"!! It definitely has an important place for him~ Also thank you for all your feedback for Sam!!! I am happy for him!! You little one are so lovely!! Thank you!

They're celebrating the star wish event at the Mystery's S shop, Sam didn't belong to any dorm as his scholarship is similar to student exchange, he resides either at his grandpa's shop or at Ombrorio (just like Yuu and Grimm)~

Being far away from Jubilee port they still celebrate the event like they should in their home fashion way, singing, dancing, grooving and praying for "Evangeline".

Being outcast from others students (as they declared that Sam was cursed and brought misfortune) noone came to ask for his wish.

Sam couldn't care less as "a better wish is to stay a mystery", making his friends on the other side worried about him not having human friends.

Eventually K with Sam's grandpa's help could sew some outfits, get some star wish crystals and decorate the shop backyard to enjoy with everyone. They enjoyed their night and waited for shooting star praying for "puppet becoming true little boy", "lost boys fighting pirates from the second star" and "Evangeline being with her lover"!

The next morning K and Sam were recycling their outfit and jewelry as lucky charm fortune to sell to others students, like a "lucky shot only work once"! Smiling and laughing that human are so naive...

SAM (NRC STUDENT)~ SR Evangéline wish suit

Summon Line: “When you wish upon a star...Makes no difference who you are!” Groooovy!!: Please, please, pleeasseeeeee Evangéline! Yes that's how you ask for a good wish! Home: It was a surprise that grandpa and K could afford such an event in our shop! Well he's Mister S after all, gnee hihi! Home Idle 1: Must be good to share your wish with others. Oh no I am not sad, I've got friends on the other side! Home Idle 2: You noticed too! In a lot of fairy tales they talk about the famous star who shine the brightest! Yes right! Home Idle 3: Star wish crystal work when you put either a random wish or your deepest wish! The more you want it, the shinest it is~ But be careful... I saw some crystal crumble from horrible wish... Home Idle - Login: Hn, hmm hmm, I see, I see, no sorry I was listening to my friends wish! Home Idle - Groovy: My wish? I am not going to tell you! It's supposed to stay a secret! Home Tap 1: I saw Trein-sensei being quiet sad when looking at his wish crystal. Lucious went for some headpatting shortly after... Home Tap 2: That school is weird....they believe it's odd fashion but still wish for LOVE, girlfriend, boyfriend!! Are they delusional! They obviously should use a love charm at our shop gnee hihi! Home Tap 3: I know K since I'm 7, yes it's been 10 years by now! They didn't change...except well that humanoid form...They still have the same wish from back then~ Home Tap 4: The headmaster is truly implicated in this event and tradition,....suspicious we must investigate!! I am sure it will be of good use in the future! Home Tap 5: I wonder if the star listen and look after us... Pffff I am not romantic... Home Tap - Groovy: Everyone should have their wish fullfil! IN STOCK NOWWW! Special lucky charm for a limited edition try your luck!

K. OSWALD JUNIOR 101~ SR Evangéline wish suit

Summon Line: "Anything your heart desires will come to you♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ" Groooovy!!: Evangéline!!! Pleashe pleashe pleasheeeee! Home: Yay ah ah ah!! Those crystals are shining bright! Home Idle 1: Well it got the Jubilee port countryside's vibes you know! Home Idle 2: I know all the shong!! let's shing! Home Idle 3: I peeked at Cruella's outfit......for inspiration of courshe! Don't tell him.... Home Idle - Login: Sham has a lot of friends in the shadows!!.... But not so much as humans.....hn *pouting face* Home Idle - Groovy: My wish?? It ish the shame from 10 years ago! Home Tap 1: Cruella ....I mean Mister Crewel took a lot of star wish crystal like about 9!! Sam's grandpa said he is desperate, like the wine auntie! Home Tap 2: Those students...my master is not cursed!! Stupid brat!! Ahh....agrwwggg.....hn nooo nuuuh my voice didn't change at all!! Home Tap 3: You know Sham grow so fast...like a bamboo!!! Poof ! he was so tiny and cute back then! Home Tap 4: I heard shomething from the royal sword academy's headmaster! It's a secret how!!! Buuuut the headmaster ish apparently in loveee with the Blue star fairy!! hihihi!! Crows are very romantic! Home Tap 5: I am sure we all look at the shame star... Well...that's what boook says! Home Tap - Groovy: Hmmmm my outfit is kind of heavy.... I made Sham's one lighter!

-Credit-

Sam (nrc student) star wish concept with K done by me

Lol I tried some "Clamp" design jewelry

[gravestrain]

as the seasons change (p.l. dubois)

@bqstqnbruin Christina! writing for you has been such an honor. I've been following you since I joined Tumblr almost three years ago and have always loved your fics. to write something for you this time is such a joy. 💖

I'm sorry to both you and Demi for the late post. I work 60 hours a week in summers and I'm taking a class that has taken up all of my time. But I promise my tardiness does not dim the amount of love I have for you both (and this fic).

as always: this is a work of fiction. it's hard to imagine why anyone would move from LA to Winnipeg after college, but I tried my best to make it as realistic as possible.

Christina, I hope you love this as much as I loved writing it. It has been such a joy to write this for you. And as always, Demi, thank you for hosting such a wonderful event for our community. @wyattjohnston

3k words. loosely edited, please excuse any mistakes. flashbacks that are not separated by a breaker are written in italics.

You never wanted to hate hockey. Growing up in Southern California, you had always tuned in with the Kings, even attending a few games. But in your mid 20s, you found yourself muting everything to do with hockey, trying to block it out of your head entirely.

It wasn't always like this. In fact, there was a time in your life where it was your entire life. Until it wasn't. You had met Pierre-Luc Dubois shortly after his arrival to Winnipeg. You were living in Winnipeg, fresh out of college working part time on the weekends at a bar. You picked up a part time job to help increase your funds from your starting salary. You truly did have your dream job, but it definitely isn't the dream pay. And moving from your hometown to Winnipeg caused a lot of additional funds.

As soon as you met him, you quickly became aware of his charm, charisma, and unfortunately, his impact on you. And how you could you forget him, with his silky accent always calling you "honey," no matter what the conversation entailed. Every greeting, every question, every conversation, was always started or ended with him addressing you as honey. His reasoning?

"You're as sweet as honey," his deep accented voice told you one day shortly after meeting him. He quickly looked around to survey his surroundings, and then whispered in your ear: "I'm sure you taste like it too."

Of course, your cheeks burned immediately at that. It was definitely not a conversation appropriate for your workplace, under the neon lights of the bar you worked at. Of course, Pierre was the one who was starting those interactions, but you never shut him down, and truthfully you bashed in the attention. It made you feel wanted, it made you feel beautiful. You had your share of guys in college and even a couple in Winnipeg before you met Pierre-Luc, but as soon as you met Pierre, you were done for. There had been no one once you met him, and there had been nothing after him. You had found yourself reminiscing on the times that you and Pierre shared. You were both in love, and you wondered how a connection so powerful, so addicting, had turned into heartbreak.

________

"Holy hell, who is that," your coworker Jess muttered out when the two of you were getting ready to get behind the bar for the night. It was a Saturday night, the Jets fresh off an afternoon victory. You had known that the Jets would frequent the bar you worked in after wins, hell you had met a lot of them, but you knew you had never met him. You would have remembered a face like his, a voice like his. A smile like his. Or a smirk, should you say.

"That's Pierre-Luc Dubois, newly acquired by the Jets and the most beautiful man to ever walk through our doors," another coworker, Anthony muttered as he tied his apron around his waist, causing you all to infer that he was familiar with the hockey player. You weren't surprised that he knew him. "Sports gay," the self proclaimed title that Anthony gave himself long before you met was incredibly correct. He had quickly become one of your best friends both at work and outside of work in the short year that you had worked at the bar.

Jess strategically decided to start at the other side of the bar from the players, causing you the responsibility to serve them. You never minded, you never had an issue with any of them. They always tipped well and were kind and friendly to you. They never complained about any service issues, and some of them even went as far to ask you about your personal life. The ones who did knew that this was an extra job for you and always threw in some extra money on top of the tip.

You made your way over to them, trying to pretend that you weren't just having a detailed conversation about one of them. Trying to pretend that you were unfazed by the eye contact that you made with him, by the way that his button up perfectly squeezed his muscular, tattooed arms.

"How's it going gentleman, wonderful to see you all again. Win today?" you asked as you placed coasters in front of them, never bothering with a menu. They always knew what they wanted. As they informed you of their win and made a few side comments, an accented voice that had become familiar quickly spoke up.

"Hi honey, I'm sorry I don't think I got your name. I'll have a jack and coke please. And I'll buy the first round for everybody while you're at it." The way the pet name flowed so easily off his lips should've been a bigger red flag, but you couldn't help but feel your cheeks burn at the comment. "It's Y/N," you informed him as you placed the drink in front of him, trying not to act like you had been extremely flustered by his words.

"Well Y/N, I haven't been here long but I can promise you you're the most beautiful woman in Winnipeg," he charmed, causing you to blush but also roll your eyes. "Don't mind Luc, apparently French men think they can say whatever they want to innocent bar workers," Adam joked, causing the rest of the guys to laugh. You had become very familiar with Adam in the time you'd worked at the bar. He was like a brother to you, and you appreciated the way he loosened the tension because you were incredibly flustered by his words.

But above all, it was the way that despite the teasing from his new teammates, Luc never flustered, his eyes still smoldering your own, and you knew you were in for some trouble.

--------

You were packing up your apartment, two years since that day that you met Luc. You had decided to move back home. Truth be told, Winnipeg never felt like home. It helped when you were with Pierre-Luc, but the homesickness was undeniable, and following your breakup from Pierre-Luc, it only got worse. There was nothing keeping you there anymore.

Although you were ready to leave, it was hard to ignore the memories of the apartment you were packing up, both good and bad. The joy of being with Pierre and the heartbreak. The giddiness of first meeting him and the emptiness of what you assumed would be the last time you ever saw him. All of those emotions existed inside of the four walls in your apartment.

As you wrapped up picture frames in packing paper, you wondered why you still had these up. It had been 6 weeks since your breakup with Luc, but the pain felt like it happened just yesterday. Your heart constricted at the picture that was looking back at you, a picture of you in the snow. It was the first time you had been alone with him.

"We're closed," you muttered out as you heard the doorbell chime from the front of the restaurant. You were cursing yourself for not locking the front door yet, but you also wondered why people couldn't just open their eyes and read the closing times that were so clearly printed on the very door that they had just opened.

"It's okay honey, I'm not looking for a drink tonight." the accented voice behind you made you tense up immediately. You had to have been dreaming. There was simply no way that he had come back for you. You had been thinking about him for days since he had first come in with the team. You truly did have a soft spot for the Jets team, but they never came in alone. They always came in a group, and never not on their unassigned assigned day: Saturdays. It was a few weeks later, and to your knowledge, there was no one else with him. You turned towards the voice and found that your suspicions were true.

"Hello again, Pierre. Nice to see you, but we really are closed and I'm really trying to get out of here before midnight. After midnight the streets get crazy," you explained to him as you finished up sweeping from behind the bar. "Yeah, I'm sure the streets are really crazy from the inside of your locked car," Pierre joked, causing you to raise your eyebrows. You hadn't known him long, really he had no reason to be protective of you, but you had a sneaking suspicion that he would not approve of the words that were about to come out of your mouth.

"Oh, I walk." you muttered as you broke eye contact in an almost embarrassment. You weren't embarrassed that you walked, it was truly impractical to drive when it was only a few blocks and the streets were always mobbed, the parking almost worse. But you knew deep down it really wasn't safe, and it was embarrassing to be under the microscope like this. You really weren't used to it. You hadn't encountered many men who cared enough about you walking home alone. "Any straight man," Anthony's voice was like the devil on your shoulder in the back of your mind.

"You what?" Pierre grumbled, his eyes lighting up in an almost anger. "There's no way you just said that." He mumbled and you nodded your head. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I did. Did you even listen?" You were growing frustrated. You barely knew this man other than what you had read on Google, what right does he have judging your life decisions? "Yes, unfortunately I did hear what you just said. I can't believe you put yourself in danger like that." You scoffed at him, wondering if this was genuine concern.

"What do you care? I'm just the girl who pours your drinks." You muttered stubbornly as you brushed past him to lock the front door, trying to get back to what you had been doing in the first place: trying to close this damn bar so you could start your apparently infamous walk home.

"I know I haven't known you for long, but I already care about you. You're more than just 'the girl who pours my drinks.' I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. That's why I came back over here in the first place, to hopefully get a chance to talk to you." He was standing his ground, and you felt yours crumbling at his tone of voice, the care in his eyes, the warmth that was somehow radiating off of his body despite it being mid February in Canada.

"I know, I have no right to come in here and judge your routine. But at least let me walk you home. I'll never come back here again if that's what you want, but I simply can not come in here to see you and then let you walk home in the dark. I can walk 6 feet behind you if you want, but I'm not letting you walk alone." He took a step closer to you, reaching out to touch your forearm and you fought the urge to jump back, his touch almost burning you.

You begrudgingly agreed and let Pierre walk you home after you finished closing the bar. The task was surprisingly short, only lengthened by the presence and words of Pierre. You walked closely to Pierre, unconsciously trying to catch some of his body heat as snow was now steadily falling from the sky. It made you miss the warmth of your home, the beating sun, the rise and fall of the waves as you walked home from work a much better scenery than this, although the beauty of the snow was hard to deny.

As you walked up to the front door of your apartment complex, you turned towards Pierre and saw him smiling goofily at you. "What's so funny?" you wondered and he shook his head. "Nothing. You just look adorable in this snow. It's obvious you aren't from here." he chuckled and lifted his phone quickly to take a picture of you, an amused look on your face.

He turned his phone to show you the photo and you smiled, immediately falling in love with the picture. It's true, it was glaringly obvious that you weren't from Winnipeg. "We don't get much snow in LA," you muttered and Pierre gave you a quizzical look. "What on earth are you doing all the way out here?" He asked and you smiled. "My college roommate is from here. I was ready for a change when I graduated so I moved back home with her. I've been here for a year now and I'm still not too sure." you admitted, being more honest with him than you had been with anyone about your living situation, which surprised you.

"I've only been here a month. I've liked it so far, but it doesn't feel like home yet." The vulnerability between the two of you was sobering, reminding you of the weather. "Well it's cold, I don't want you to freeze. I'll call you an Uber back to the bar. Thanks for walking me, truly. I appreciate your concern." You admitted and he smiled. "It's nothing, really. But one thing. Can I send you this picture? I think it's really perfect." he complimented, causing your cheeks to burn. "If you wanted my number, you could've just asked." You joked, now causing Pierre to blush. "That too," he rolled his eyes in faux annoyance.

"Goodnight, honey. I'll dream of you," he swooned, causing you to roll your eyes. "Goodnight Pierre." You hummed back. You would never admit that you dreamed of him too that night.

Tears streaming down your cheeks broke you out of your sorrowful flashback, the picture of you in the snow staring back at you. You kept it up at first to remind you that you could feel joy in Winnipeg, but as you packed it up, you realized that was obviously a failure.

You placed the picture frame in the now full box and sealed it with packing tape, grabbing a sharpie to label it clearly.

DO NOT OPEN.

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

That was March, and now this was September. Somedays the breakup felt like yesterday and somedays it felt like a lifetime ago. There was still an ache in your heart somedays and other days you found yourself looking at other people.

It was mid-September, but the sun was still beating down hard. You didn't miss much about Winnipeg, but somedays the sun beat down just a bit too hard and you found yourself thinking about how the four seasons were so prominent there. You closed the door to the bar you had found yourself in back in LA, feeling a sense of deja vu as you turned the lock and pulled on the handle to ensure it worked.

"I seriously hope you don't still walk home in the dark alone after work."

There was no way his voice was behind you. You had to have been imagining it. The deja vu must've been getting too real. You shook your head out and turned towards the street. But there was nothing imaginary about the figure in front of you. You had spent so much time memorizing his face, his body, his heart. You knew him like the back of your hand.

"What are you doing here?" came out before you could stop yourself, your palm coming up to cover your mouth in embarrassment. "You didn't hear the news? 8 years upcoming with the LA Kings." You found yourself laughing out loud. There was no way.

"Well that can't be a coincidence." It was true that you missed Luc, a piece of your heart missing when he left. But that's exactly what he did: broke your heart. "Of course you were in mind when I signed. You're the love of my life." He admitted and you shook your head. "It sure didn't feel that way when you broke up with me."

It was probably an unfair comment, but you didn't care in that moment. He had shattered your heart when he left. Giving you no reason other than "it's the wrong time for us."

"That's not fair. I didn't want to leave you. I didn't have a choice. I was losing myself in that city and I couldn't let you watch it happen." He admitted and you scoffed. "So was I! God, Luc. I didn't think your pride was too big to admit that you needed help. You should've known I would've supported you." You came back at him with force, causing people on the street to stare at you.

"Of course I knew. I was embarrassed. I have loved you enough for three lifetimes and I couldn't even admit to you that I was struggling." You felt your heart crack. You knew that the toxic masculinity in hockey culture was unfair. You felt for him, that he felt he couldn't come to you with that. And while he loved you enough for three lifetimes, you loved him just the same. You felt tears brimming in your eyes, once again your self control leaving you.

"I missed you, Luc. So much," you told him tearily, causing him to bring you into a tight embrace.

"This time, I'm not going anywhere. I promise." And truly, you should've had more self control. You should've had more questions, more doubts. But in front of you was the man who walked you home the second time you met in a blizzard just to make sure you were safe. The man who helped you break down your walls and stood by you while you both fell and flourished. The man who would do anything to make you smile, make you feel loved. He was yours. He always would be.

You weren't sure how the universe aligned to bring you two back together, but as you held each other on the sidewalk, swaying back and forth under the street light, you knew you would be thankful for it everyday.

[n7punk]

"freak occurrence: confluence" Fic Notes

“freak occurrence: confluence” is definitely the most meta (and the most ridiculous) fic I’ve ever done, so I’ve compiled some references, notes, and explanations to act as fic notes. If you’re opening before reading the fic, I recommend reading each scene before checking the references for it and absolutely don’t read anything after this first section before you’ve finished the fic.

Catradoras in order of introduction:

Scene 1: This is actually MToHL!Adora immediately post-canon but they haven’t figured that out because they’re similar enough that nothing has thrown them off.

Scene 2: Teenage Catradora from a canon-divergent reality where they run away from the Horde as teenagers and horses aren’t real.

Scene 3: toht!Adora.

Scene 4: slas!Catradora.

Scene 5: BFM!Adora, looking at slas!Catradora obviously, but the other Catra trying not to laugh is toht!Catra.

Scene 6 has no Catradoras, but the tattoo is from my OotW fic 'her heart on her sleeve.'

Scene 7: of course this has the Lone-Adora that isn’t from any other fic, but it also has another reference to slas and a reference to ISoHM.

Scene 8: strange disease!Catradora with mentions of my very first AUs (and one of my first fics period) ‘in thundering realizations’!Catradora.

Scene 9: DITM!Catradora POV and Reflection!Catradora across from them, named for Adora turning into a magicat when she's She-ra (side note: shortly after arriving, Reflection!Catra asked if She-ra was a magicat in this universe specifically because she has always held that was because Adora was gay and when she was told ‘no’ that gave her all the ammo she needed for the next three years).

Scene 10: strange love!Catradora.

Scenes 11 and 12 are the Lone-Catra that isn’t from any fic. Well, I would say this is her origin fic, same for Lone-Adora.

Scene 13: Lone-Catra and LotD!Catradora.

Scene 14: WDtFD!Catradora POV and mentions of Knifepoint!Catradora. It’s very easy to think the couple where Catra’s hand was messed up was from AMLAIT, but I also kind of wanted to include allusions to some Catradoras from other fics, so you could read it as R&B!Catradora if you want. I thought about including an explicit mention of Catra’s boots to make that more clear, but when that ended up being the only pair not from one of my own fics, it felt kind of weird. I wanted to pay homage to some of my favorite AUs others have written in the fandom by including references to other Catradoras that were there, but it’s really hard when most of those fics are just modern AUs without much easily visible about their Catradoras to identify them, and I definitely didn’t want to write any scenes from the perspective of someone else’s version of the character without permission, so I just kind of left it at this ambiguous reference to a friend's fic that I asked them permission for first.

Scene 15: Mentions of catcher!Catradora, Superzero!Catradora, and IHtWCYN!Catradora.

Scene 16: Mentions of TFHFY!Catradora, strange disease!Catradora again, and the Greys!Catradora.

Scene 17: CotC!Catradora (for people following my Tumblr this was the entire scene that was just. missing after all my planning somehow).

Scenes 18 and 19 have nothing new.

Scene 20: SaD!Catradora.

Scene 21: This one is a tease for a future fic :) Edit: Now it has come out, this is Lightbeam!Catradora.

And from here on it’s no one new.

Epilogue Life:

Okay I had to cut the fic off there because this could honestly go on forever BUT here’s some stuff about the fallout of this whole event:

This event is, as you would assume, completely non-canon to the rest of my fics. If you want to imagine each couple went back to right around the time they got taken and quickly their memories of the other reality melted away once in their own timeline again, sure, whatever. There are two dimensions permanently affected by all this however, and that’s Lonely-Adora’s and Lonely-Catra’s.

Adora’s universe splits off from canon at the Portal, whereas Catra’s splits off at Princess Prom. I think both universes could survive on their own without Catra or Adora, but there is a reason the couple needs to be in Adora’s universe, and it’s Prime.

Yes, I might be permanently locking one universe in Despondos either way. Oops. Listen, you win some you lose some. This is supposed to be a crack fic at the end of the day (remember that?) and I wasn’t too focused on implications like that. However, Adora’s universe has already signaled Prime thanks to the portal, so without her and Catra they would be locked in a pocket dimension with an apocalypse on its way, no leader in the Rebellion, and Entrapta on Beast Island.

In Catra’s universe, Entrapta never got left behind because the rescue mission went very differently, so Hordak’s portal project is basically doomed, and the Princess Alliance is intact, united, and extremely motivated to crush the Horde after what they did to Adora. They’re in a good position to fight them thanks the Best Friend Squad uniting the Princess Alliance again and the Horde (more specifically, Shadow Weaver) reeling from the loss of Adora and Catra. They’ll take them down in the end and they’ll do it Adora’s name, just like they would have if Catra stayed in their dimension. After having seen the brainwashing the Horde is willing to do, Scorpia eventually defects to join them when Entrapta manages to — completely accidentally — extend a hand to her just by being herself.

Adora’s universe needs Adora’s inside knowledge to save Angella and Entrapta quickly and face down the Heart and Horde Prime. They’ll find their feet, get Entrapta back, start working on their portal technology, and then get the Failsafe before they even get Scorpia and face the Heart. They’ll move Etheria out of Despondos, taunt Horde Prime to the surface as best they can, question their decisions, but ultimately lure him in and set off the Heart faster and with less loss along the way. No one on the Princess Alliance ever gets chipped in this universe and they rescue Angella not long after and reunite Glimmer’s family.

It takes a bit until after the war for Adora and Catra’s relationship to start shifting, but they do eventually get together, there’s just a lot to process first and fighting evil is a good thing to focus on instead while they do that. They need to become each other’s friends before they can become anything else.

Notes:

⦁ I mentioned a disclaimer in the fic end note. To elaborate on that: I first had this idea around August of 2020 (give or take a month) when my friend asked me which of my AU Catras/Adoras would fuck their alternate universe wife. IDK man, her mind is beautiful. Anyway, it gave me this idea, which was a fun crack scenario that I would turn over in my mind occasionally when I came up with a new AU that I thought would have an interesting pair to add to it. I had no intention of writing it, especially back then when I didn’t have enough AUs to fill out the roster. Since then I’ve thought about making a post explaining the idea just to get it off my mind so many times. In that time, a Spiderverse AU for Catradora was written (oh: I also didn’t watch the Spiderverse until 2023, to the point that the outline for this fic was titled “This Fic Is Older Than The Spiderverse” until I looked it up and realized that’s wrong and I’m just late to the party lmao, but I had no idea what the Spiderverse was about other than multiple Spidermans until I watched it so the death plot point really was just me being fucked up) that dealt with some similarities with the deaths between realities. The fic is good, it made me cry, and I actually read that before I watched the Spiderverse because I missed that tag and thought it was some kind of canon AU. I recommend the fic and wanted to acknowledge it since it shares a plot point. Honestly, when I read that fic I was like oh thank god someone did it, now I’ll seem like I’m copying if I do it too and the idea can leave me along, but the idea Did Not Leave Me Alone and I need to end this 🔫

⦁ Because I know someone will ask: This is absolutely crack and not canon to my OotW series at all. I still have no idea where I should really put it. Being in the AU collection makes sense because it’s relevant to a lot of them, being inside the OotW series but non-canon like ‘take care of each other’ and ‘You and I (and Me)’ makes sense, and it not being in any of those things because it kind of isn’t an AU and definitely isn’t canon to OotW makes sense. I still haven’t decided and I’ll probably move it around multiple times lol.

⦁ Ethereal!Catradora are from my upcoming fic "Lightbeam" and are just a fun little teaser because no one was better suited to sussing magic out. It was either her or Glimmer, who was busy laying magic alarm systems all over the castle for the new alternate universe couples to trip into when they arrived so they could be collected. This is how Catra knew to come running when the SLAS couple appeared.

⦁ “The universe is as dumb as it is passionate, apparently.” C’mon Catra you can’t ask finesse from a celestial body that is no thoughts all vibes

⦁ The whole conversation around the cot/bed is just to show that yeah, they’re different Catras and Adoras, but they’re still Catra and Adora in every reality and this will work out eventually.

⦁ I mostly picked Catradoras based off when would be easy to reference or who I thought would be interesting in the scenario and basically nothing else. Making them distinct was the biggest challenge lmao.

⦁ Oh I know SaD!Catradora teleporting back near their original disappearance might make it seem otherwise, but Adora was missing from her reality for as long as she was in the Prime universe for (and yes, I did internally refer to it as the Prime universe, so I had to make jokes about it. And then I made the omegaverse canon - AS FICTION - to a few of the modern universes for a laugh). I think the people from other highly-similar Etheria's were gone for a 1:1 time or close to the same amount of time they were in the other dimension, but the further a dimension was from canon the less time passing in the Prime universe applied to their own. Or something. Again, none of this is canon.

⦁ They go to Lone-Adora's universe because Catra reaches out for Adora, opening herself up to her. They would have gone to Catra's if it happened the other way around.

⦁ Adora's room was a mess because the Princess Alliance kind of tore it up looking for a sign of her but of course found nothing.

⦁ "So even here I'm..." is "So even here I'm a killer."

⦁ I don't think I ever say specifically what Catra's cause of death was in this universe (because I wasn't sure myself for a while) but when the Fright Zone was kind of shaking apart post-Portal Catra fell and Adora wasn't able to stop it.

⦁ Glimmer is emerging from Bow's room because they actually made some progress on Glimmer healing and reaching out for her friends for support when Adora disappeared. Glimmer was afraid it was because of her and it caused her to do a little - a little - self-examining.

⦁ I've mentioned this a couple times but I spent most if not all of last year secretly hoping to get to 1% of the tag. It's a super pointless goal, but it is cool to have done it. This work is also the 50th in my AU collection (at least, as of now since I'm putting it in there for now) so that feels like a fitting number for a special as well.

⦁ This was supposed to be like 7k.

Upcoming:

I might do another OotW fic or two, but right now my plan for the next AU is “the Reverse AU.” Have fun figuring out what I mean by that, you probably won’t :)