#?? or it had the clip before the song? or both????

[gotta-winwin]

(🍓) 218 | vernon x reader x seokmin

cw/tw: angst, based on the song the waiting room by phoebe bridgers wc: 1.5k

a/n: another angsty birthday celebration...don't come for me <33

tysm to ally @lovetaroandtaemin and haneul @chanranghaeys for beta reading <33

There was something irrevocably beautiful about the way Vernon and Seokmin stared at you. Your classmates would often call it the effect of the sun: the two boys were just planets, worshiping the ground you walked on, happy to orbit the sun. 

When people called them ‘down bad’ and ‘simps,’ Seokmin would smile and take the title with pride, while Vernon quietly shook his head in the background, embarrassed but with no evidence to refute the name.

They were down bad and simps for you— even the most blind could tell, yet you seemed completely unaware of it all. 

“Let’s just give up,.” Vernon mumbled, after the hundredth attempt of getting your attention. “She’s never going to like the both of us anyways.”

Seokmin was less easily dissuaded. “So, you’re just going to give up?”

“We tried your method all throughout high school.” Vernon recalled their elaborate plan, a plan that eighth grade Seokmin had deemed ‘fool proof’ and ‘ingenious.’ 

Seokmin and Vernon’s plan to get the girl: 

Step 1: Sign up for theatre and band. (why? Because she’s in both clubs, duh.)

Step 2: Casually mention the fact that we watched Hamilton 5 times together (it’s her favourite musical)

Step 3: Offer to help her rehearse for her lines (and if we get a part together that’s even better)

Step 4: Ask her to hang out after clubs (and pray she says yes)

Step 5: Tell her you really, really like her. 

“And it didn’t work, it only got us into the friend zone.” 

Seokmin sighed because Vernon was right. “We can’t just give up, though.”

“We’re graduating university in two months, Seok.” Vernon spoke out the truth they had both been sitting on, too afraid to speak it into existence. They both knew they didn’t have enough luck to keep you here with them after graduation. 

“She wants to see the world.” Vernon continued. “She wants to visit Paris and Greece, and to sing in the Amphitheatre, write stories from all four corners of the world. She isn’t going to stay.” 

Seokmin hated it when Vernon was right. “Shut up.” He mumbled, finally setting down the bouquet of lilies he had been holding onto. 

“Hey.” Vernon picked a single lily and held it up to the light. “It’s not like I want to be right, you know. I love her too.”

“Yeah. I know.” 

Seokmin knew Vernon would eventually move on. His planet would enter some other orbit and start spinning happily for another sun. But Seokmin just wasn’t like that. When he loved, he loved with every piece of him: the past, the present, the future. 

You would be both their first loves, but you’d be Seokmin’s last. 

“I love you.” The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could even register them. 

“Vernon,” is all you said back. “We’ve been over this.”

“I know. I know.” Vernon knew the idea of the two of you was impossible, but he couldn’t help but be selfish. “But what if—”

You cut him off with a tiny shake of your head, pieces of your hair falling from where you’d clipped it. “The what-ifs will kill you, Nonnie.” 

Vernon knew that too. “I hate it when you’re right.” He mumbles, gently removing the clip from your hair and watching as you shake it out. 

“Me too.” Your lips pursed and Vernon fights the urge to kiss them. “But we can’t hurt Seok.” 

Vernon wanted to scream, cry, and throw something. “We can’t hurt Seok.” He agreed, bitterness hidden deep beneath his tight smile. 

“I love you too.” You said, squeezing his hand. “But—”

His chest clenched. “Yeah. I know.”

Sometimes, Vernon wished he had gotten to you first. 

Seokmin knew it was for the better, as he watched you walk across the stage at graduation. You held your head up high as you accepted your diploma, a bright smile across your face. He knew you were already thinking about your flight tomorrow, a plane that would take you out of the town you hated so much. 

He knew it was for the better, but it stung either way. 

“I can’t believe our schooling is just over.” You yell into his ear, trying to be heard above all the loud cheers and conversations after the ceremony. 

He shoots you a grin. “No more school sounds perfect to me.” 

You laugh, and the bitter sting shoots further, deeper. 

“I love you.” 

“What?” You yell it over the deafening cries of celebrating students. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” He yells back, throwing an arm around your shoulder, ignoring how the words had sounded so perfect being said towards you. Ignoring how a part of him had expected you to reply. I love you too. 

He knew it was for the better. Your heart was set on brand new adventures that would leave him in the dust. Your dreams were too big, too grand for him—Seokmin had always known that. After all, goddesses were for admiring and not marriage. 

He knew it was for the better. 

“Don’t leave.” 

Vernon’s eyes beg at yours as he clutches onto your hand, feet away from the airport doors. “I love you.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything, and you know that.” 

Vernon fucking hated it when you were right. The both of you could love each other a hundred times over and still not have it work out. 

“I can’t stay.” You tell him, and a sense of deja vu washes over him. “And—”

“Seokmin.” He finishes your sentence. 

“Yeah.” 

“What if I said I didn’t care?” The words were brash and unthoughtful but he said them anyway.

You could always see through him like panes of glass. “You do care. He’s your best friend.” 

“But I love you. I’ll be the best you’ve ever had if you’d just let me.” 

He holds his breath when you pause at his words. Please. 

“I want to leave, Vernon.” The blunt words crash heavily against his heart. “You want to stay, and I want to leave.” 

“But you love me.” 

“I—” You shoot him a look he cannot decipher and you begin to walk away. “I’ll text you when I land.” 

But Vernon’s phone stays silent. 

Four years pass until the next time you see Vernon and Seokmin. They look older now, more put together and confident in their own skin. Seokmin shoots you his signature smile and Vernon nods in your direction. 

“Happy birthday.” You clink your glass gently against Vernon’s, ignoring how his eyes roamed across your face and your dress. “Thanks for inviting me.” 

“Of course.” He opens his mouth to say more but Seokmin slides up from behind him. 

“Y/N!” His eyes danced with mirth and the wobble in his step betrayed how tipsy he was. “You’re here!”

“Happy birthday, Minnie.” 

Vernon watches as Seokmin loops his arm into yours, dragging you onto the dance floor and into the crowd. He leans against the side of the bar, swirling his drink and watching as it spirals in his cup. 

He swears he’s doing his best, trying to think about you in a casual, friendship-like way, but Vernon can’t help but see you and immediately think about everything you could’ve had together. His mind spelt out I love you without any hesitation and it took everything in him to swallow the words back down. 

Seokmin had once told him that he would get over her faster than he could. “You’ll find someone else,” Seokmin had said. “You’ll fall in love many times over but she’ll always be the only one for me.” 

Vernon had believed him then, but he knew Seokmin was wrong now. 

After all, he could wish all that he wanted and it wouldn’t bring you any closer to him. 

So Vernon would invite you to all his birthday parties, if only as an excuse to keep you within arms reach. 

Seokmin still remembers the day he first laid eyes on you. He could recall it like that one recurring dream. 

“I’m Y/N.” You had yelled at him, over the loud speakers of the karaoke booth at him and Vernon’s 12th birthday party.

He had glanced down at your painted nails when the two of you shook hands, liking how the maroon red complimented your skin. 

“I’m Seokmin. It’s nice to meet you.” He yelled back, laughing when Vernon’s voice cracked while singing in the background. “You should come sing with us!” 

You glowed under the disco lights as he pulled you up on stage, handing you the second microphone and bumping up against Vernon. 

The two of them watched you belt out a messy rendition of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face and Seokmin knew he was in love. 

“I should go.” You peel yourself out of Seokmin’s arms on the sweaty dance floor. “Happy birthday. Tell Vernon I’m sorry I have to leave.” 

Seokmin nods. He’s used to it by now. Sometimes he thinks he sees more of your back, walking away from him than he sees your face. 

Seokmin watches you walk away, all the while repeating to himself that it’s all for the better. 

Vernon watches Seokmin watch you walk away, a bitter storm raging in the pits of his stomach, yet he pushes it down in the name of ‘it’s all for the better.’ 

And you walk away, slowly, your steps deliberate, pretending like you don’t feel their eyes watching you leave. You know it’s for the better.

After all, who are you to wish for more?

[moonzzip]

coffee and nail polish | kwon jiyong

a/n — i wanted something fluff with jiyong, less angst for you guys, I hope you like it! feel free to correct grammar mistakes kindly!

summary: you and jiyong haven't seen each other in weeks, you two relax

pairing: jiyong x gn!reader

warnings: discreet mention of body shape, orange hair jiyong (i love it) , idol!(?)reader, mentioned bigbang, reader is kind of self-critical, slight comfort, fluff, slight crack

lowercase letters, word count: 1,4k

"jiyong, if you keep moving, i'm going to hit you." you say, biting your tongue in concentration, holding the tip of jiyong's finger with the tips of your own, while your other hand grips one of the brushes from the eight nail polishes you'd be using to paint his nails. he's sitting in a small armchair, and you're on the floor.

how did you two end up in this situation?

it had been about three and a half weeks since you last saw each other in person. bigbang had just made their latest comeback, and the promotions for it were much more intense compared to before—not that it was a bad thing, just overwhelmingly exhausting. the m/v had absolutely blown up, and you would consider it your favorite song of theirs if it weren’t for (your bigbang fav/ song), but that’s not important right now.

it wasn't just him who had been busy. you were tirelessly working toward your own debut, spending countless hours perfecting your dance, vocals, rap, and all the other things idols do as trainees. god, if only you had known how long m/v recordings took, you might have thought twice before becoming an idol. but seeing the final result made the exhaustion disappear almost instantly.

the fact that you both missed each other was undeniable.

you’ve known jiyong for a little over five years now. the difference between before and now is obvious—not just in his appearance, but in his personality as well. you remember that 2010 boy whose style was completely different, whose voice and personality had made a full 360-degree turn. his opinions changed, and he seems much more relaxed, much freer than when you first met him. especially now that he's focused on his new project, 'peaceminusone'—if you’re remembering it correctly.

you support him in everything he does, just as he supported you through your difficult trainee days—because he went through it too.

out of all the hair colors he’s had, this orange one is by far your favorite. you think about making a cute leaf-shaped hair clip for him so he can look like an actual tangerine.you chuckle at the thought.

"hey, what's so funny?" jiyong asks, looking at you.

"nothing, just thought of something funny," you reply. he gives you a slow once-over, his gaze filled with silent judgment.

"you're weird.", you pinch the top of his hand, nearly smudging the polish.

"i'm weird, but you're my friend, so you'll have to put up with me for a while longer. i'm not giving up that easily." you say confidently, met with silence. jiyong doesn’t deny it, just lets out a sarcastic scoff.

"i'll think twice before talking to weird trainees—" you pinch him again for moving, and he falls silent.

the atmosphere between you two is relaxed and calm. talking makes it even better, but the silence is just as comforting. neither of you feels the need to fill the space with constant conversation—it's just cozy.

"are you nervous? you know, about debuting?"

hearing his voice, you glance up at him before returning to painting his nails.

"a little… but i'm working on it." you exhale lightly, and jiyong watches you in silence.

"i want to give my best in this. i feel like there are expectations i need to surpass—i need to surpass myself, in general. i feel like i have to improve, i know i have to improve. not just for me, but for the group."

without realizing it, you release his hand.

even before meeting jiyong, you had always been an incredibly dedicated trainee (and you still are). you'd wake up before the practice room even opened, stretching in the hallway until they let you in. you followed a balanced diet—not starving yourself, just keeping yourself healthy. you always helped other trainees with their struggles, answering questions and giving advice based on what you had learned. you always had new tips to share because of your nightly study sessions, though you never stayed up too late. always punctual.

how did you meet him?

well... that’s a bit embarrassing.

on one of those late-night study sessions, you knew you shouldn’t have stayed up so long, but you felt like you were on an unstoppable roll, so you pushed through. but not before grabbing a coffee.

you silently left the dorm, careful not to wake anyone, and opened the door, planning to head to the vending machine at the end of the hallway near the practice room. one coffee wouldn’t hurt, right? …ah, such naivety.

it was dark everywhere except for a dim light coming from inside the practice room. you managed to navigate the hallway thanks to that weak glow slipping through the slightly ajar door.

since the door was old, it usually got stuck. you leaned against the wall and carefully made your way to it, leaning your body on it to continue on your way, but what you didn’t count on was the door deciding to function normally that night.

and on top of that, you tripped on a loose tile, throwing all your weight onto the door, and—

now—

you hit the floor with a loud thud, like a sack of potatoes.

you didn’t even think. your whole body ached, but you didn’t make a sound. your forehead hit the wooden floor, leaving you a bit dizzy but still conscious. and then you made a split-second decision: you'd just… pretend to be unconscious.

no one would bother you, you wouldn’t have to see who witnessed your humiliating fall, and that would spare you from any embarrassment. the position was even kind of comfortable, so it wouldn't be hard to keep up the act, and—

"i saw your foot move."

internally, you died. of shame, obviously.

oh. my. god.

you felt like the stupidest person alive.who, in their right mind, falls and then just stays on the floor pretending to pass out? you wanted to disappear, to die, to evaporate into thin air and be carried away by a nearby fan.

enough thinking.

"ahh…" you groaned, slowly getting on your knees, staring at the floor. "i think i blacked out for a second, hahaha."

you let out an awkward, robotic laugh, placing a hand on your forehead before looking up—and seeing him.

your eyes widened, not just because g-dragon, bigbang's leader, was standing in front of you, but because you were wearing the worst pair of pajamas in your closet.

why did you even come down in pajamas? you had no idea. but that was all your brain could focus on. your hand slid from your forehead to cover your eyes instead.

the universe hated you, you concluded.

the man just stared at you, confused, while his practice music still played softly in the background.

you shook your head, snapping out of your old memories.

you looked down at jiyong’s hand, but before you could grab his finger again, you felt a hand gently stroking your hair.

"i don’t think you should worry," his voice was calm.

your eyes lifted to meet his in silence.

"i don’t think there’s anyone i know who deserves to debut more than you. you’ve always worked hard, and you deserve this more than anyone. so don’t doubt yourself."

you just stared at him for a moment before letting out a soft, amused scoff.

"i guess so…"

and then, silence settled again. but jiyong's hand remained in your hair.

his chest ached hearing you speak about yourself like that. he didn’t fully understand the feeling, but he knew none of your efforts had been in vain. only he truly knew how much you pushed yourself.

just as you knew everything about him, he knew everything about you.

your bond had always been close—full of unconditional support and deep connection. hugs were common, physical touch between you two was natural. he loved hugging you and being hugged by you, just as you loved his hugs and giving him yours. you were always helping each other, always doing little favors, sharing an incomprehensible partnership filled with warmth and affection.

"jiyong, if your nail polish smudges because you're messing with my hair, i will kill you."

he said nothing, just rolled his eyes—but didn’t move his hand.and he smiled.

he had never been more grateful for an unbought coffee that night.

a/n – thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, I think all the ideas I have come from beyond... this time I wrote it listening to 'interlude : shadow' by yoongi, I love this song so much... feel free to correct me of any grammatical mistakes!

[aakaneeee]

ALNST: WHAT'S NEXT, MY PREDICTIONS, MY IDEAS.

(art by me)

We know technically nothing about what will follow, except that one of our contestants is becoming the human he never got to be, and the other is completely losing the humanity that made her, her.

But, I've had this idea of a frame that we could see, and I couldn't stop myself!

I feel like there will be a break in-universe between Wiege and what is next. I mean, Luka will probably need some medical procedures done, because I cannot imagine him being able to move on without his health suffering. Which makes me even more upset, because what if Heperu will see it as "disobeying", and punish him in the way only he knows?

I see him becoming a lot more human after Wiege, as I've said. I don't think he'll really want to do what Hyuna told him: I don't even see him wanting to live after this. I've had a small idea of him trying repeatedly to commit, but being "saved" by Heperu, but again, I have no basis, so these are just assumptions. It wouldn't be far off of Vivinos' alley, that's for sure.

I'd love for him and Mizi to team up, but honestly, I'm extremely 50/50 on whether it would happen or not. I have 2 ideas: either they do team up, somehow manage to get along, which would make sense for the "mizi loses everyone she loves" trope (if Luka would simply die without her caring, it wouldn't make so much sense for him to be the only one left with her), and possibly dies in an accident (I tend to believe in the "Mizi will blow everything up" theory, according to the Patreon post from while back), or because of his illnesses, or they don't team up, Round 5 is redone, and it's Mizi's time to mock him (which im not sure if she'll have the energy for).

I am hoping for the first one though, because I want Luka shown in a good light before he isn't alive anymore.

Another theory that I had, but it's not very likely, is that they don't end up killing Luka off because let's be honest, he'd be doing worse alive than dead. Again, it probably won't happen, but I think it would be a really painful route to take, to show that the worst possible outcome, at this point, isn't even death.

The thing is, I don't think we have to worry about Luka's death too soon. I am not sure about the probability of the others coming back. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised if it happens, than be disappointed if they are truly gone. So, if they don't come back, we'd have about 4, 5 episodes with the 2 characters left, so I don't think they can afford to kill him off yet. (Considering Round 6 was approximately the half of the series, and the Vol. 1 album's number of songs, that's the amount I calculated we'd have left.)

Honestly, this is the factor that makes me doubt most of my own theories: I don't know how they would be able make any of these possibilities that long.

Which brings in the idea we might have some videos about the Actor AU, or Modern AU? I don't really believe this, but it would be interesting. Anyways, whatever they have planned for these next episodes, is going to be huge.

I really liked the structure of Wiege: openly centered on Hyuluka, but shows the other pairs multiple times (which, again, ties to my analysis of Hyuluka representing all of them, from before and from what will follow.)

I think it's more plausible we'll get flashbacks from Season 49, like Hyuna's loss and how she went past the system, or Luka's absolute win and how he reacted. Anyways, I'd love to see more of them, since they are still very mysterious (but I'd say they are more known than Sua now).

I personally want to see the exact details of Hyunwoo's death. It's been insanely hyped, in my opinion, we see clips of it both in All-In and Wiege (I'd like to add how fond I am of the fact that both episodes that have Hyuna as center don't have a 'Round' name), but never outwardly shown, so it must be a pretty big plot twist, or revelation. I'm still a believer of the "Hyuna killed Hyunwoo" theory, albeit a bit more reserved now, but we do have that frame in Wiege where Luka is crying, clinging onto Hyuna, and Hyunwoo trying to break them apart. (I love the small showcase of his humanity.)

I might have more to say, so I will probably add onto this if I do, but for now, I can only say I cannot wait, and that I'm terrified for this week's ALNST friday.. I actually tried my best to finish this way before the ALNST friday, so I could say what I have to say completely blinded, and I'm excited to see what of this will be valid in the end :)

[isabellahdid]

end of para -

BELLA

Bella couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes, feeling at ease as they slipped back into their playful, sarcastic ways. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts of Ayanna and how she could help the freshly introduced father-daughter pair but it was something she could ponder later when she was laying in bed. "I'll try to prepare myself for the fan videos that always follow when you drop a song." If she watched a couple then it was nobody's business but her own, often unable to stop herself from giving into the temptation of it all. "Can't be giving her any false hope. You know you were always her favorite." Even Adan, who had been the cowboy of Bella's dreams, never quite hit it off with the elder Hadid. She was always too picky, too quick to point out a flaw, and very few seemed to survive being under such a hateful, watchful eye.

Gaze flickering towards a window, Bella said nothing as she stared put into the dark night, trying to figure out of she wanted to make the drive home. It wasn't too far from the singers house but he was right - it was late. "Alright, I'll stay." Bella finally spoke, her eyes trailing back to him, accepting the invitation. Just once. One sleepover and she would never do it again, she silently promised. Not because she didn't want to, she did, but she knew herself and she knew him. One sleepover would spiral it something else and they would find themselves stuck in an all too familiar web.

"Go get the shirt and I'll meet you in the guest room."

ABEL

´ Yeah, well, I can’t help it—I’m Mama Hadid’s favorite,´ he quipped, flashing a smug grin. ´ You could always turn it into a bonding moment. Picture it now : you and your mom, curled up on the couch, watching fan edits dedicated to you. ´ The thought of Yolanda and Bella side by side, dissecting fan-made videos of his songs set to slow-motion clips of Bella, was pure entertainment. He chuckled at the absurdity of it, imagining their reactions. ´ Alright then, giving me my birthday present in advance, huh? ´ he teased, arching a brow. He knew this wasn’t a decision made lightly—it never was. Their history had its fair share of turbulence, and making a move like this meant stepping into familiar, unsteady terrain. But it seemed like, once again, they were both signing their names on the dotted line of whatever unspoken contract kept pulling them back together.

´ Damn, giving me orders like that ´ he added with a shake of his head, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk as he followed through, retrieving one of his shirts for her. It was a black tee embroidered with a bold 'X’O’ at the center—his brand, his legacy. He couldn’t lie; there was something about seeing her in his merch that satisfied a guilty pleasure of his. A silent claim, in a way.

Before heading back, he decided to slip into what he considered pajamas—grey sweatpants slung low on his hips and a white tank that clung just right. Once changed, he made his way into the guest room, effortlessly tossing the shirt in her direction, ensuring the angle was perfect for an easy catch. He threw himself onto the yet empty bed, exhaling as he settled into the moment. ´ Good old times,´ he murmured, a quiet smile tugging at his lips. The déjà vu hit him like a wave—nostalgic, bittersweet, and laced with something he couldn’t quite put into words. A past they could never quite outrun, yet somehow always found themselves returning to.

BELLA

Bella slipped the shirt over her head, saying nothing for a long moment. It was like every bit of exhaustion had hit her all at once, the events of the night weighing heavy on her shoulders. Not only was Abel suddenly back in her life but he had brought a daughter along with him. It was a lot and any sane person would've kept the contact cut off, but Bella didn't consider that an option. No, she wanted this. She would never say it out loud, would never give him that ammo, but she had missed him.

Settling in bed and pulling the covers over herself, Bella gave a sigh. "Shh, no more talking. It has been a long night and I'm sure it's going to be a long morning so get some sleep." She left no room for an argument, pressing close but still keeping it innocent as she gave into the wave of sleepiness that had her, drifting off in record time.

Yeah, this was nice.