#Education (TV Genre)

[gayofthefae]

Found a new, concise way of putting it that I'm gonna try and remember so I can reuse it:

To say, as a straight person, that a queer character's queerness is out of the blue or unrealistic is to claim that they understand the queer experience to be able to identify inaccurate representation of it.

To call a character's queerness out of the blue as a straight person is to claim full understanding of the queer experience.

[icewindandboringhorror]

oh my god.. a job for me.. historical pierrot beach performer lol

[saturngas]

him getting hard at you yelling at him

[🪐] the kyoto exchange event is soon and your husband has been meeting up a lot with a coworker. you get a bit jealous, not aware that your husband may have a thing with that

pairing: gojo satoru x f!reader

genre: a bit angsty at the beginning, suggestive, not really smut

warnings: established relationship; jealousy; possessiveness; boners; a bit of toxicity; idk if this is super canon but some scenarios are from the jjk game phantom parade;

word count: 2.9k

..

this is stupid right? you know your husband has a natural charm that is often misinterpreted as annoying and obnoxious. not everyone is prepared to receive all that satoru gojo has to offer, only a few people have dared to try to keep up with him, including yourself.

and you knew his coworkers weren't really... fond of him.

so why were you all of the sudden so bothered by him going out so much with his female coworker utahime?

the sister school exchange event was happening soon, in two weeks to be more precise. you were a former sorcerer yourself, though you weren't really involved in the education regarding the sorcery school; so this event was more of satoru's business, you were only required to be present during the group combat.

"sweet cheeks, im going out with nanami! just to discuss things about the exchange event." he had said one day. you wished him good luck with no negative thought in mind.

"baby, Nanami wasn't of much help, so now I have to go talk with utahime." he pouted. and you paid no mind. it was known to almost every breathing being that utahime wasn't confortable around satoru, even as going to telling him to leave her alone. that has being their relationship since satoru was in high school, him often disrespecting her authority and status as a sorcerer, and her just chastising him as his former senior.

so why were you so troubled if you knew this about them? well probably them going out three times this week stirred a nerve.

it's because the exchange event. you kept telling yourself, but you couldn't avoid the venomous feeling of jealousy. which was an actual insult to your relationship with satoru, who had never given you reasons to doubt him, on the contrary, he often showers you with infinite love and words of affirmation that only fulfill your love for him.

but hasn't utahime grow tired of him already? you questioned deeply. she was his number one despiser. being with satoru for only ten minutes aged her ten years. you were incredulous she was lasted so much around your husband. even if it was work-related.

it was a Friday. your husband visited his female coworker twice this week, this day being the third encounter. he hadn't told you where, though you were sure he would have told you if you were to ask him. but you didn't. it was your untouched pride that had stopped you from that. not wanting to make your jealousy public. you were certain of the endless teasing satoru would treat you with.

you were alone in your shared house. it was actually your day off. day you had planned to spend it with your silly spouse, before his phone buzzed and he announced his meeting with utahime. it would be a lie to say you weren't upset.

"take care, toru. and please come back soon." your farewell felt bittersweet, bitter to you, sweet to satoru. his obliviousness about the hurricane going inside your core was only contributing to your indignation.

as you turned on the tv in front of you, you tried brushing off the corrosive sensations that came within the recap of the events occurred this week. the remote seemed to have a mind of its own as you picked some random show absentmindedly, just something to cloud your head.

utahime was actually a nice and proper woman. she has always being respectful to you and only occasionally made discrete comments about your relationship with satoru, questioning amusingly how you put up with him. she was obviously no harm, even less to your husband.

perhaps it was your primal instincts that were responsible of your disapproval of them going out so much. you weren't exactly the jealous type. okay, maybe you were fussing too much over this situation.

the tv show actually completed its purpose and distracted you effectively. your mind now wondering how the main character was going to open up his own jazz club.

the door opening startled you slightly, turning your head immediately to see the person you had been missing the whole evening. satoru kicked off his shoes at the entrance as he stepped closer to you, a hand running through his snowy hair and taking off his rectangular glasses.

"oh baby, you should have seen utahime! she is so bad at playing baseball even though she's a fan of it!"

what a fucking dumbass. your eyes full of love threatened to turn wicked at such comment. so he went to play baseball with her?! it wasn't work-related?!

"what do you mean, satoru?" your tone wasn't the kindest. "I thought you went out to talk over the final details about the exchange event."

"oh, that," satoru was now aware of your little irritation, your evident pitch of voice made sure of that. "yeah it is very important for the event, baby!"

"how so?" exasperation was written all over your face, making story wince a bit. you lifted yourself up from the couch to face him.

"do you really want me to tell you? I mean, I wanted it to be a surprise for the studen—"

"what could possibly be a surprise, satoru?!" you snapped. the first two thirds of his sentence infuriated you so much you didn't even listen to his last words. "you going out three times with utahime this week was definitely a suprise for me."

his baby blue eyes were as wide as plates. he didn't expect you to yell at him over this. and for some reason, he felt himself warmer.

"and, and now—" red was coating your face, endless frustration ready to be busted in forms of hurtful words and angry glances. "and now you're telling me you were playing baseball with her?! and expect me to be all okay with that? what kind of work-related stuff requires two coworkers to go out and play baseball alone?"

satoru was in a state of awe at first, his face displaying the shock your exposed irritation caused him. but his bad habit of fixing situations with comedy and witty remarks had entered the scene. it would have normally calmed you down, if it wasn't for the pent up frustration that was on the picture.

"oh~ so you were jelly~?" he sent you a wink, his lanky body getting closer to yours by instinct. "don't worry baby. I have eyes only for yo—" wrong move.

"how could you joke about this, satoru?!" your loud words stirred something inside him, something that should not be stirred nor awaken during these moments. "im here trying to tell you how I feel and you just— you just joke arou—" your words were fading away in his hearing. your red face and glassy eyes only on his mind. oh how pretty you looked when you were angry, especially when you were yelling at him. a wicked part of satoru was glad your undivided attention was on him, even if it was you snapping at him. your overly licked lips were moving furiously as you cried out your thoughts.

"and now you are spacing out!" you snapped your fingers in front of him. satoru's mind went back to the scenario occurring in the living room.

"baby, you have literally nothing to worry abo—"

"stop talking and let me finish."

oh no. he loved you and hated you for that. satoru fell in love hard for your personality, admiring how you never left anyone cut your words. you always stood for yourself, shouting your thoughts in a confident voice. and in a world still ruled by men such as the sorcery world, that was very hard to achieve. but oh how he hated that exact same admiration for your courage became warm enthusiasm—lust—in a couple of seconds. your sharp tone kindled his core, feeling his pants a bit tighter in the front.

not now please... he cursed in the back of his head. you were already cooking him, a visible boner would be the death for him. a reasonable motive to make him sleep in the couch and put him in a sex—or even touch, if you were feeling sinister—ban.

"i don't like it when you joke when I tell you about my feelings," there it was again, that stern voice he loved so much, though he cursed it at the moment. "I also don't like it when you go out too much with utahime."

if you only knew you were making him hard as hell from yelling at him you wouldn't even have to worry about his female friends.

"is that understood, satoru?" you lifted one single finger to emphasize your point even more. that little habit of yours, along with placing a hand on your hip and slightly wobbling your head, was going to be his final straw.

"yeah, of course baby." he breathed, sending you an apologetic look. "can we go to bed, already? I need cuddles."

you shot him an unamused glare. uh maybe you weren't done. satoru could feel his hot skin sticking to his clothes thanks to his sweat. you held so much power over the strongest.

"why were you playing baseball with her?"

"baby it wasn't anything of the sort!" he said agitated. "you know that after the group combat usually comes the individual combats, and I just know yuji will be in danger," you nodded at his words. that was true. satoru had told you a few days before he suspected of someone plotting against the young sorcerer. "so I wanted to change the routine and make it about something fun, you know? something harmless, like some sport the kids will enjoy."

your heart actually softened at his explanation. satoru's priorities embraced the security of the youth, especially that of the newest first-year student, which was often at jeopardy.

however, that explained nothing.

"what does that have to do with you going out with—"

satoru cut your words, and flinched slightly at the way your eyes narrowed and your brow curled up. "I couldn't come up with something myself, so I asked nanami and utahime to go out to play a sport they liked. of course I couldn't tell them what I was plotting," his hands motioned to himself. "nanami took me to bowling, I liked it, but then I thought it wouldn't be a good idea especially for yuji and maki, you know how they are." you nodded. "and then utahime took me to a baseball simulator, and it was all perfect!" he said enthusiastically, lifting his long arms in victory. he was feeling so hot his forehead was shining with sweat. it was becoming harder and harder to contain his boner. the last thing he wanted was to nut mid-explanation.

you widened your eyes in both wonder and confusion.

"no! i mean—," he panicked "it was all perfect because the game was perfect for the kids. not that it was perfect to go out with her!" your husband tried to save himself.

an unannounced sighed left your lips. you were still glaring at him, and even though satoru was a foot taller than you, you were making him a bit too much nervous.

—that and the fact that his stiff boner was still present, only softening lightly when he panicked at your misunderstanding. his little friend was eager for you to yell at him as well.

"am i forgiven now?" he battled his long white lashes to you, giving you the babiest of looks, deeply hoping you would end this silly discussion and take care of him.

"mmm..." a finger rubbed your chin as you pondered about it. "I don't know, satoru," he deflated in front of you. "why didn't you ask me for help? you know I like sports too."

"of course I thought about you, pookie! you were the first person I considered" a pout adorned his pretty face as his long arms attempted to hug you, only for you to step back. "please don't do that, im gonna start crying."

"answer the question satoru."

"it's just that you were so busy with work I genuinely didn't want to disturb you more."

it was true. even though you were not a teacher at the school, the exchange event also demanded you of your time, your main concerns being completing and getting the arrangements ready, especially with the higher ups—the part satoru disliked the most—, and making the them believe sukuna's vessel was still dead.

"but it could have been just a simple question, satoru." there you were again with that rigid tone of yours. haven't you noticed satoru is all red faced and his cock is starting to ache? of course not, because you hate him, right?

"I know baby~" a whine left his mouth, eyes pleading you two could just cuddle and maybe, just maybe, you could stroke him a bit. "but you were very, very, very stressed, I really didn't want to put another burden on you. you would often come very tense after a meeting with the higher ups."

you huffed. well, you guessed you could give that to satoru. but it still hurt he didn't even ask you the simple question, or even explaining to you his little plan. he was certain you wouldn't object.

"okay, satoru," the tall man's ears spiked at your words. ready to say yes to your proposal to cuddling. "I still need some time to cool down. so I'll go to bed." your feet dragged you to the hallway after you turned off the tv, satoru following you behind. "no," you lifted your palm toward him, stopping him. "you sleep in the couch."

"but whyyy?"

"because you didn't tell me sooner about all this! and because im still mad at you."

satoru let out a dramatic puff, blowing raspberries. he grabbed quickly his things and prepared himself for a lonely night. the disappointment from not sleeping next to you dissipated his boner.

the next day you actually didn't see each other until night. satoru had to attend a clan meeting while you met with the directors of both sorcery schools to go over all the remaining affairs.

exhaustion drew all over your face as you entered your house, a recently cooked meal aroma invading your nostrils. your feet pulled you toward the exquisite scent with little resistance. the view of your tall husband hovering over the stove welcomed you.

"hey pookie boo," satoru said excitedly as he stirred whatever he was making. tapping the utensil away before invading your personal space. "how was your meeting with the directors? they weren't rude to you, were they?" he smiled as he enveloped you in a affective hug. you hadn't forgotten about his little game from last night, but you would be lying to yourself if you admit you hadn't missed his warmth.

"it was fine, very tiring," you looked at him with tired eyes, making his heart do several jumps at your cuteness. "they made me go over all the details about the curses they will release, discussing if they were the appropriate levels for the students."

"oh poor you~" he sang. "let me feed you fully and then we can go to bed and have a well deserved sleep," he was trying to get away.

"hey!" you yelped. satoru felt his dick stir and enlarge. "don't think I haven't forgotten about last night," a stern pitch adorned your voice.

"baby, please," he whined, "if you knew what you do to me, you wouldn't be like this," he hinted silently to the ache between his legs. "what do you want me to do to—"

"satoru," a shiver danced along his spine at the sound of his name rolling from your lips. "I want you to only look at me," you don't know what roamed through your being, but a sudden urge of claiming him took over you. your bottled up feelings from last night revealing themselves. perhaps the heat of the moment didn't let you communicate your darkest desires.

your smaller frame was still held captive by his heavy arms. you lifted your arms to surround his neck, bringing him closer to you, chest to chest. satoru left you handle him as you pleased. he caressed your waist as you stared up at him, darkness painting itself over your irises, your gloomy gaze contributing to the tightening feeling of his pants, his present hard-on sharpening his breathing.

"i want your to only look at me," a twitch inside his pants.

"i want you to give me your full attention," a throb.

"i want you to only think of me," a pulse.

"you are mine, satoru, and as far as I know, im yours. so don't you ever forget that." the white haired sorcerer could bet his underwear was damp from his leaking. why were you like this?

you nuzzled your nose against his, before giving his lips a chaste kiss. "baby you are so hot when you are toxic like that." you chuckled lightly at his words, brushing your fingers along the short hairs of his undercut. you swear you could hear him purr.

"toru don't romanticize this side of me or I'll be more toxic than the elephant's foot." satoru gave your butt a little squeeze before bringing one hand up to play with your cheek, squeezing it as well, before leaving a soft peck on it. his lips then moved to yours, sharing a long and passionate kiss with you. oh how much he missed your touch.

"baby would you get mad at me if I tell you I was hard as a rock when you were yelling at me last night? no one has that power over me."

"what"

[truetogaia]

"𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙒𝙊" dbf!roomie!könig x fem!reader

✩ pairing: dbf!roomie!könig x fem!reader

genre ✩ smut, 18+

warnings ✩ explicit and mature themes, depictions of wet dreams of: dbf!könig, pussy eatin', age gap (reader is of legal age). poor little perv!reader who uses königs stuff to get off.

When you enrolled in college, money was tight. You had the costs of education to pay, food, transportation and rent for a place to live. It quickly got too much for you and you had to run to daddy for help. Luckily, your college was located in the same town where your dads best friend had an apartment. He wasn’t home much considering his unusual amount of working hours, and that was perfect for you. 

Essentially it was like living alone, but despite the huge and luxurious apartment, it became kind of boring after a while. The apartment was close to your college, but it was still some thirty minutes away with public transport. And at the end of the day, you were too exhausted from all the studying and the long lectures to invite any friends over. 

Most weekends were spent the same, alone in the huge apartment. Sometimes, König would be home during the Fridays and Saturdays, but he’d mostly keep to himself. Occasionally he’d come out to the kitchen to make himself some food, always shirtless and in sweatpants, when you were watching tv. 

Really the only time you'd see him was when you’d catch a glimpse of him through the crack of his door. His back turned to you as he pulled his shirt off. Your eyes always seemed to linger on the way the heavy muscles on his back flexed with each movement, the mysterious scars littering his shoulder blades and torso (there always seemed to be more when he came back from his trips). His pants were always hung really low on his hips too, just perfectly showing off his back dimples and the mass of muscle. 

You admit, you were no saint. There had been multiple occasions where the man who shared his home with you had invaded your dreams. Where he had tainted them with lewd words and wandering hands. You'd always wake up in a sweat, stopping yourself from sneaking into his room and waking him up to say something you’d regret. 

But when he was away on his trips, leaving the apartment and his room empty, and suitably unlocked, you just couldn’t help yourself. 

You had just come home from the store, the apartment was empty since König was away again. A few days back he had briefly mentioned that he was going on one of his business trips again, and he had marked his return on the twelfth in the calendar on the fridge. It was now noon of the eleventh. The rest of the day went on in the same manner as any other. You cooked some food, storing some of it away to leave for König when he came back, you had taken a shower, and gone to bed as per usual. 

After waking up from a particularly steamy dream that night- which had started with just an innocent makeout session with the older man, but had developed into full blown railing -you were just simply too desperate. Too worked up to listen to the reasonable side of your brain which was screaming at you to not get up from your bed. 

Your legs trembled slightly when they carried you to the door of his room. The springs creaked almost mockingly when you carefully pushed it open, almost wishing, but also fearing, to find him sprawled out on his bed. Much to your disappointment and pleasure, the room was completely empty. The bed was made, the gray covers completely smoothed over, and there was a lingering cedar scent in the air. 

The bed looked so inviting, and you sighed in embarrassment when you easily slid under the covers. The material of the sheets was cool against your soft legs. The tingling between your thighs just became too much when you saw half a pack of condoms thrown carelessly on his nightstand. 

Your hand trailed shamefully down your stomach and abdomen before finally reaching the hem of your panties. One finger hesitantly tugged them down until they were wrapped around your ankles. You ached at this point, all your sense of judgment being thrown out the window the second your dainty fingers came in contact with your throbbing clit. 

Your mind wandered as your body sunk into his pillows, imagining it was his tongue instead of your digits, his fingers stretching you instead of your own. His hands wrapped around your plush thighs as he dragged you closer to the edge of his bed, tongue lapping at your soaked cunt as his stubble scratched your soft skin. You bit your lip, trying to contain your sounds of pleasure but in the end it just didn’t work.

Pathetic, breathy moans tumbled from your lips as your fingers continued pumping in and out. His pretty eyes bore into your own from between your legs, fingers stretching and scissoring your pretty pussy open to prepare you for him. 

You came quicker than you would’ve liked, juices covering your fingers as your face burned from embarrassment and the intense orgasm. But just as you were coming down from your high, you heard a series of clanking pans in the kitchen, and it hit you. It was now the twelfth.

You quickly got up from his bed, pulling the covers back up and clumsily smoothing them over to the best of your ability, before you dashed out and into your room, locking the door behind you and hoping to god that he wouldn’t notice the mess of his sheets.

-click here to be redirected to the cod masterlist !!

note: i had to re-upload this idk what happened, I think it didnt appear in tags or sumn oops, but idk what to think of this, might make a part 2 if ppl want it!! x ♡

[whimsicalwritingsandmore]

Want You Back | ateez x reader

Pairing: werewolf!ot8!ateez x werewolf!reader

Genre: fluff mostly, romance, poly, a little angst?

Warnings: mention of being depressed

Word Count: 1537 words

a/n: hello! welcome to the first chapter of my new story! I hope you enjoy it, and I would love your feedback especially when it comes to structure and flow of the story. I'm still getting the hang of tumblr again, so if you'd like to be a part of a taglist, please leave a comment under this post! :)

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Chapter 1

How did it end up like this?

This question never left your mind as you stared out at the forest trees in your backyard from your balcony, arms folded with a blank facial expression as the cool wind blew by and the beautiful moon shone in all its brilliance and wonder over you. 

Luna meant moon. And it also meant the alpha female of the pack with your mate, this being determined by the Moon Goddess herself. Luckily for you, you had eight mates. Being a Luna meant one thing and one thing only. You were just a partner to your mate. You were to produce your mate or mates’ offspring and most of your education was dedicated to learning how to be a good mate. You never learnt anything outside of that.

And you hated it.

You loved your mates through and through. You loved the way Hongjoong would nestle into your arms and nuzzle into your neck when no one was watching, because he wasn't the biggest fan of public displays of affection. You were enamoured with Seonghwa - every time the both of you would cook meals together and his not so subtle way of making you blush. 

Yunho was the most endearing one you had met, he wasn't afraid to show his affection for you, and would grab and spin you around and then look you in the eyes with the warmest and sweetest smile as if you held the entire galaxy in your eyes. Meanwhile, Yeosang was the opposite, he was much more shy than Yunho but he never steered away from showing you how much you meant to him. The both of you would find a book to read together and would place yourselves in the little corner of his window with your head in his lap and him mindlessly playing with your hair while you both read for hours upon end. 

San loved adventures and sharing them with you. He would always take you with him wherever he went and together, you would create endless memories of the day and take endless pictures with an old film camera for your album. Mingi liked playing games so you two would play board games and sometimes even make up your own games which was a special thing just for the two of you. Only the two of you knew the rules. 

Like Seonghwa, Wooyoung loved to cook with you. He wouldn't shy away from giving you a big kiss on the cheek or lips and wouldn't hesitate to create a little chaos so you would chase him and he could scoop you up and kiss you again.

Jongho loved the little moments with you. When the two of you would just watch tv or even do laundry together. He liked just being with you. His favourite memory being the time you nearly fought an aunty at the laundromat for the basket and sat inside of it refusing to budge. He laughed endlessly that day as he watched you place yourself with your hair falling in front of your face and a determined look plastered.

These 8 boys meant the world to you. But with time comes growing up and growing up means taking up responsibility. They were in charge of leading the pack, taking control and handling all the affairs. And with time, things had changed. 

You hardly saw them anymore even though you all lived together. And with time, you started to realise how lost you felt. You didn't know what to do with yourself. You tried cooking and baking to pass the time, but what fun was it when you didn't have anyone to share the food with? The boys were gone for long periods of time, sitting in meetings, negotiating pack deals and handling personal issues within the pack. They weren't there like they used to be and suddenly, it seemed like they just expected that you would be there for them. They started to take you for granted, and it hurt. It hurt a lot.

At first you tried to rationalise it. They were busy taking care of the pack. But then, Hongjoong's mom, who never hid her dislike for you, introduced the pack to a new member who she hoped would take your place. Lila was the only other girl the boys knew besides you and their siblings. And in their mind, it was nice to have a new friend, especially someone who came from a different pack from another part of the realm. 

But they didn't realise they were neglecting you. And slowly, as you saw the way they strayed away from you and Hongjoong's mom constantly berating everything you did, you became depressed and struggled to do anything. The boys noticed but still didn't realise it for what it was.

"It's okay to take time but you can't be lazy."

"It's just a phase."

"You should dress up more like Lila."

You were tired, beyond tired and drained. Nights consisted of you being unable to fall asleep until 1AM, and mornings consisted of waking up at the crack of dawn with all the hurt and pain rushing back in as you came back to reality. All you wanted was to feel like yourself again. You wanted the pain you felt to stop. You wanted the tears that flowed every night like a rushing stream as you muffled yourself into your pillow to stop. You wanted to feel like you again. 

Hongjoong's father was aware of his wife's motives and chastised and begged her to stop. But she ignored him and continued to attack you. He decided you needed a space for yourself until he could talk to his son. He would've done it already if the stupid rogue pack would stop threatening to wage war. 

So he told you about the secret lake and the Moon Goddess temple. Werewolf history prophesied that the lake was where wishes came true and the one with a pure heart and soul could see the Moon Goddess herself if they were truly devoted. In addition, some lore claimed that the lake was a portal to the human realm. Since 1998, all of the realms had been closed off to the human realm after the great siege, and no one had been to the human realm since.

And that's where you spent your time. You befriended the forest animals, you made flower crowns, prayed in the temple seeking for solace from your harsh reality and tried to keep yourself busy for the day.

No one knew of this and Hongjoong's mom tried to insinuate you were seeing someone. But his father immediately put a stop to it, saying that he had you helping out with the young pups on the other side of town.

All fared well for the most part. You still weren't okay but you had a safe space. 

And then it all went down.

You were snapped out of your thoughts. A loud bang pierced through the entire mansion with shrill screams and shouts. 

The rogue werewolf clan attacked that night. 

Everyone screamed and scrambled as fast as they could have. They pushed and rushed for safety as wails pierced through the air. The boys were on the other side of the town and in the large mansion were only you, the boys' families and some members of the pack and the mansion’s workers. 

You raced out of the room hoping to find someone, but ran into one of the rogues with a sickening and sinister smile on his face. You could fight but you weren’t sure if you could take him especially with that giant axe in his hand. Before you could react, a loud clang rang through the room and the rogue fell to the ground groaning in pain as blood began to leak out from the back of his head. In place of him stood your dear friend Cleo, daughter of one of the maids. She breathed heavily, still coming to terms with what she just did.

“Cleo! That was amazing!” 

“Yeah…hah, didn’t know I had that in me.”

As another loud bang was heard, you both snapped out of your thoughts and began to search for a way out. Suddenly, you remembered the secret passage in the library. Both you and Cleo scampered as fast as you could, tripping on your own feet as adrenaline rushed through you and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. Finally arriving at the library, you slammed the door and began to find the book that would get you out of here.

You had barely escaped that night. You ran to the lake, stumbling and pushing the fear down your chest. You and Cleo both split up deciding that was the best idea at the moment. In the clearing, you looked around hoping to feel safe. But you could hear the evil snarls and growls approaching you. You didn't know what to do and looked towards the temple, a small prayer on your tongue. 

After that, only one thing came to mind, you hoped those swimming classes would pay off now. You jumped in the lake. As you opened your eyes under the water, there was not much you could see except…a white glow. It gave off a safe vibration, you felt drawn to it.

As you tried to swim towards it, your vision started to become hazy.

And then, it all went dark.

[solarmorrigan]

Movie Nights

For the @steddie-spooktober day 25 prompt: Frankenstein Friday Rated: T | Words: 1514 | CW: None | Tags: established relationship, outsider POV, I know the movie is over 90 years old but I didn't actually watch it myself until a month ago, so just in case there's anyone else out there who hasn't seen it, Frankenstein (1931) spoilers Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

Part 3 of the Good Neighbors series

Gladys can appreciate new things. Books, television, music – the little joys to be found in new discoveries are what make life worth living. She isn’t as set in her ways as some people her age can be, but she does have her favorites.

She loves her mysteries and her thrillers above all else; the likes of Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters, and Arthur Conan Doyle line her shelves. She’s dipped into the genre of spies and intrigue, digging into Ian Fleming and John Le Carré. She’s even been known to appreciate a good horror film now and then.

Emphasis on “good.”

“So this is what passes for horror these days?” Gladys asks as a young man on the TV screen is sucked down into his bed, only to be spat back out as an absolute geyser of blood.

Eddie chuckles, glancing up from the screen. “Not your cup of tea?”

Gladys leans on the back of the couch, resting her arms there. She’d only come over to the boys’ apartment to see if they had a spare baking dish she could borrow; they certainly hadn’t invited her in to critique their choice of entertainment. But all the same–

“I just think they should try a little harder to really scare people. These days, it’s all shock and gore. All they have to do is shower people in blood and call it a day,” Gladys says. “I remember a time when they put real effort in.”

“Back in your day?” Eddie teases, grinning at her.

Gladys tsks, cuffing him upside the head – not hard, barely more than a tap, but he still falls sideways onto the couch with a gasp, clutching his head, and then rolls right off and onto the floor with a thump. Gladys rolls her eyes, but doesn’t bother to hide her smile at his antics.

“Hey, will this work for–” Steve exits the kitchen, a glass baking dish in his hands, and stops as his attention is almost immediately diverted to Eddie. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Gladys attacked me,” Eddie replies.

“Oh. Good for her,” Steve decides, holding up the dish again. “Will this work for you?”

“That would be fine,” Gladys says, accepting it as Steve passes it over.

“She also thinks my movie is trash,” Eddie says brightly as he levers himself back up onto the couch.

“I did not say it was trash,” Gladys says. “At worst, I said it was cheap.”

“Okay, but that’s not better,” Eddie says.

“I’m not a huge fan, either,” Steve leans in to stage whisper to Gladys, “but it makes him happy.”

“Yeah, yeah, everyone’s a critic.” Eddie rolls his eyes, then leans back a bit so he can look up at Gladys. “What would you call a good horror movie, if not the genius of Wes Craven?”

Gladys purses her lips, thinking for a moment. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen the classics? Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon?”

Eddie lets out a thoughtful little noise, shaking his head. “Can’t say I have.”

“Well, you ought to. You’ll see where it all began, then,” Gladys says.

“And I get the feeling you’d enjoy showing us,” Eddie says, wiggling his eyebrows up at Gladys.

“’Us’? Who’s ‘us’? When did I get roped into this?” Steve asks, and Eddie reaches out to take one of his hands.

“We’re a package deal, baby, everyone knows that,” Eddie says.

“No one around here but Gladys knows that,” Steve reminds him.

“Everyone important knows that,” Eddie amends. “Anyway, what do you say, Gladys? Feel like educating a couple of horror philistines such as ourselves?”

“Well,” Gladys says slowly, “I’m sure I could come up with something.”

This is how she ends up in her armchair the following Friday night, the boys both sitting on the loveseat, all watching as the audience is warned of the frightening nature of the upcoming film playing out on the television.

“Now, this wasn’t Universal’s first horror film, and it wasn’t even the first movie adaptation of Frankenstein,” Gladys says when the opening credits come on, “but it is a bit iconic. I thought you might get a kick out of it.”

“But is it scary?” Eddie teases.

“Well, I don’t know about scary, but maybe a bit shocking. Look at it this way:” Gladys says, “it was 1931. Graverobbing and murder might seem mundane to you, but we weren’t quite as desensitized to seeing it on the screen back then.”

Steve glances over at her. “Do you remember when this came out?”

“Oh, barely.” Gladys wiggles her hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. “I certainly didn’t go to see it in the theater, I was only six or seven at the time.”

“Still, that’s pretty cool,” Steve says, and Gladys favors him with a smile.

If they aren’t altogether horrified by the movie, the boys are at least engaged, keeping up a running commentary that has even Gladys laughing. (“He had that coming,” Steve says when the monster finally catches Frankenstein’s assistant. “Yep. Rest in pieces, Fritz,” Eddie adds.) However, as they reach the midway point, the father onscreen bidding his daughter to go play with her cat while he works, Steve shifts uneasily in his seat.

“Wait, they’re not going to do anything to the cat, are they?” he asks, cutting a worried glance at Gladys.

As if the thought hadn’t occurred to him until Steve voiced it, Eddie sits up straight in his own seat. “Gladys,” he says, pointing an accusing finger at the screen, “you’re not showing us a movie where they kill a cat, are you?”

One brow raised, Gladys regards the pair of them. “You’re worried about the cat, but not the child?”

Steve scoffs. “It’s 1931, they’re not gonna kill a kid,” he says, while Eddie nods in agreement.

Both brows raised now, Gladys only gives them a little “hm,” and turns back to the screen. With some suspicion, Eddie and Steve do the same, watching as the scene unfolds.

“Oh, shit,” Steve says, taken aback as the monster tosses the little girl into the lake.

“Damn. Guess we should’ve worried about the kid, after all,” Eddie says.

“You have to have some idea of how this movie ends,” Gladys says, shaking her head. “Did you really think they’d form an angry mob over a dead cat?”

“I would,” Eddie declares, then looks down at Steve, who at some point in the last half hour had ended up tucked into Eddie’s side (when, Gladys isn’t sure, but it’s sweet; it’s a pleasant feeling knowing how comfortable the two of them are here). “Steve, would you form an angry mob with me if someone killed our cat?”

“We don’t have a cat,” Steve says.

“That’s not the point,” Eddie insists, and Steve relents.

“I would come with you if only to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed,” he decides.

“I’ll take it,” Eddie says with a shrug.

The rest of the movie plays out on the screen – the forming of the mob, the confrontation with the monster, the burning windmill, and, at last, the peaceful conclusion.

“Wait,” Eddie says, brows furrowed as he watches the end credits play, “that’s it? That’s how it ends? A toast to the house of Frankenstein, the end?”

“Yes…” Gladys says slowly. “Why? How should it end?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about a little restitution for the guy whose daughter got murdered?” Eddie demands, shooting up out of his seat so quickly that Steve has no time to brace himself and falls sideways onto the loveseat with a little ‘oof.’ “How about a little accountability? I mean, seriously, this is just typical; some rich, entitled asshole plays around with things he can’t control, creates a problem he refuses to solve, and the poor end up being the ones to pay the price!”

“Now you’ve got him started,” Steve mutters to Gladys as he sits himself back up.

“Is there any way to get him to stop?” Gladys asks, though she’s a little fascinated with the theatrical way Eddie throws himself around the living room as he rants.

“Uh.” Steve glances over at Eddie and back away again, and there actually seems to be a little color rising in his cheeks. “Not, um…”

“Take him home first, if you’re planning to do something like that,” Gladys says primly, only to lose the fight to her laughter when Steve looks over at her, aghast.

“I wouldn’t–!” he protests indignantly, his face going redder.

“Are you guys even listening to me?” Eddie demands, turning back to face the pair of them.

Gladys declines to answer, asking instead, “Eddie, dear, how did you like the movie?”

“Oh. Aside from the ending, it was great.” Eddie drops back onto the loveseat, reaching out absently to tug Steve back over to his side. “What else ya got?”

“Well,” Gladys says, picking through the stack of tapes she’d managed to dig up at the video store. “If you like entitled rich people, let’s see how you feel about Dracula.”

[virtualtadpole]

Behind the blue shorts: How an all-boys Catholic school sparked the origination of Thai BL

(Cross-post from Reddit)

One evening this past July in Bangkok's long-time youth hangout of Siam Square, a crowd was gathering in the street, around an area set aside for busking musicians. The mostly young-adult female audience politely applauded as several high school bands took turns performing, but they were actually waiting for a different act. After some time, the crowd began to stir as members caught sight of some two dozen teenaged boys, all in a uniform of white shirts and bright royal blue shorts, headed towards the gathering. As they filed out onto the makeshift stage area, the boys were loudly greeted with passionate, enthusiastic screams, all too characteristic of fans cheering on their idols.

But these boys weren't actual idols - not yet, at least. They were all brand new actors, yet to appear on screen anywhere. They were the cast of Love Sick 2024, an upcoming remake of the pioneering Thai BL series whose tenth anniversary they were celebrating that day, in one of their first public appearances.

Why, then, would such inexperienced newcomers inspire such fervent devotion?

The Love Sick 2024 boys (and three girls) with their audience (Tia51)

Well, for starters, the original Love Sick series is a quintessential classic of Thai BL, arguably the one pivotal work that kick-started the entire TV genre - which in the decade since has developed into an industry worth multi-millions and recognized as a major cultural export. It still holds a place close to many long-time fans' hearts, and BL, like other phenomena of fandom culture, has been known to elicit very enthusiastic emotional responses from followers.

But the scenes witnessed with Love Sick 2024's actors are actually quite reminiscent of those previously seen during the original's release, when BL series didn't yet even exist as a category. Surely, there must be something else underlying this series' - and its actors' - popularity.

Let's take a closer look.

Love Sick's real-life inspiration

In chapter 21 of the original Love Sick novel, Noh, having taken delivery of the music club's new set of drums and overseen band practice for the evening, spends some time sitting around on the stands along the sports pitch next to the F. Building, wondering how he's going to pay for them. It's not long before Earn shows up to rescue him from his financial troubles, but let's pay attention to the location.

The F. Building Noh mentioned is an actual place - F. Hilaire Building at Assumption College (AC) in Bangkok. It is named after Frère (Brother) Hilaire, one of five French missionary teachers of the Catholic Brothers of St. Gabriel who arrived in Siam in 1901.

In the late 19th century, Siam (Thailand's historical name) was rapidly modernizing in response to colonial pressures. American Protestant and French Roman Catholic missionaries played a large role introducing technological and medical advances, and also established some of the first schools in the country as the royal government introduced reforms to formalize the education system. Father Émile August Colombet, the head priest of what was then Assumption Church, founded Assumption College as a school for boys in 1885, and after a decade of growth, the Brothers were invited to help run the school. A convent school for girls, run by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, was established next door soon after.

While the early government schools mostly served the aristocracy, the missionary schools catered more to the general populace, especially the minority ethnic groups who also formed the majority of their congregations. However, while they are remembered today for their legacy of modernization, the missionaries had relatively little success proselytizing, and the large majority of their students remained Buddhist.

Over time, these schools expanded and grew. The St. Gabriel's Foundation now operates over a dozen schools, as well as a university, and Assumption College is regarded as one of the most elite private schools in the country. Its lengthy list of famous alumni includes names from several of Thailand's biggest business families, as well as major political figures, demonstrating its historic stature and the strength of its alumni network. Today, the stereotypical image of its students is of those coming from wealthy or upper middle-class families of Chinese descent, and hefty donations are the norm for families looking to secure placement for their sons.

AC student Keen (Only Boo!) giving a presentation in 2022 on his team's experience joining a NASA-sponsored CanSat (miniature suborbital satellite) competition. It's not like every school has an aerospace program. (Assumption College, via Workpoint Today)

Brother Hilaire, barely 20 when he arrived in Siam, spent his next 67 years dedicated to the school. He learned Thai well enough to write the foundational Thai textbook series Darunsueksa, which remains in use over a century later. Along with Father Colombet, he is memorialized as one of the school's two most celebrated figures.

Today, the building which bears his name overlooks the school's central courtyard, an assembly ground of red brick facing the apse of Assumption Cathedral, an imposing Romanesque Revival structure nestled in Bangkok's old European district along Charoen Krung Road, the city's first modern paved street. Guests headed to the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel nearby might catch glimpses through the steel palisade fence of boys in their white-and-blue uniforms playing football in the tiny sports pitch - the very place where Noh and Earn had their conversation in the novel. The stands are no longer there, but were present in 2007 when The Love of Siam was filmed at the school. Also appearing in the film, and the site of Noh's classes in the novel, is the 13-storey school building which now towers over the cathedral in order to accommodate its secondary student body of some 2,500 within the limited historic space. (The primary section had been split to a different campus in 1966.)

The F. Hilaire Building clock, and Kao Jirayu as young Tong in the sports pitch, seen in The Love of Siam (Sahamongkolfilm International)

A nativity play right in front of the cathedral would be epic. However, this is artistic licence, as the school's primary section lies elsewhere. This area is now the red brick courtyard; Noh actually mentions in the novel that the school was undergoing a lot of landscaping projects. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

The Love of Siam may have been one of the first few instances where the wider public got to actually see what things looked like inside the school. Although it was only standing in as a location for the fictional St. Nicholas School, there was something about seeing students in their sea of blue uniform shorts that tickled the imagination. Such was the effect that when Love Sick began serializing as a web novel on Dek-D.com a year later, the Thai subtitle, usually translated as The Chaotic Lives of Blue Shorts Guys, undoubtedly helped fuel its popularity.

But what's so special about these blue shorts anyway?

This might come as a surprise to international viewers who've only primarily seen Thailand through its TV series, where they tend to be over-represented, but school uniforms with blue shorts are actually rather uncommon in real life. Let's look back again to Brother Hilaire's time, to find out more about their origins.

A history of the blue shorts

In the early days of formal education, most schools did not have defined uniforms, and AC students wore a varied assortment of costumes according to their ethnic background. The school first introduced a uniform in 1933, consisting of a white standing-collar jacket with metal buttons bearing the school insignia, blue shorts, a white pith helmet, white socks, and black leather shoes (though the helmet, socks and shoes remained optional). This was similar to a form already used by some royally affiliated schools since the 1910s,* though their shorts were navy or black. The reason AC opted for blue shorts is not recorded, though some writers have postulated that it may have been to reflect the common colour of the raj pattern costume, the formal dress of the time.

A class of AC students, with their teachers, in the 1940s. It's unclear whether the shorts were the school's original blue, or khaki green in accordance with the 1939 law. (Assumption Association, via The Cloud)

The first piece of legislation governing school uniforms came out in 1939 under the Fascist-leaning regime of Prime Minister Plaek Pibulsonggram. Male students in government schools were assigned a khaki green military-style uniform to match that of the government's Yuwachon Thahan military youth movement. Some AC students also joined the movement, though those who didn't continued to wear the white uniform, creating an interesting contrast which we'll come back to later. In 1943, at the height of World War II in Southeast Asia, a new law extended the khaki green uniform to all schools, but it's unclear whether it ever took effect as Pibulsonggram was ousted the following year and the Yuwachon movement was dissolved after the war's end.

In 1949, the old regulation was scrapped and replaced with a new one, which codified school uniforms to the almost exact same appearance we see today: for boys, a white shirt, shorts, a belt, socks, and shoes. But the shorts were to be khaki for all schools, except those who requested otherwise to the Ministry of Education. Assumption, together with its sister Gabrielite schools, were among the first to register exemptions and became the only schools with blue shorts for their uniforms for several years.

In 1961, the national regulation was changed again to allow schools to choose between khaki, blue, navy, or black shorts. As time passed, boys' uniforms developed into the convention we see today: black or khaki shorts for government schools, blue or black for private schools. But given their prominence, the image of the all-boys Catholic school has remained one of the strongest associated with the blue shorts uniform.

Not that it mattered much back then, though. In the pre-digital era, people's exposure to different schools was mostly limited to their immediate locality and depictions in the media. While blue-shorts uniforms did feature in some teen movies and sitcoms in the 1990s,† those works didn't really play into the stereotype, and the 1997 financial crisis soon disrupted most media production anyway.

Attracting attention

Then several things happened. The BTS Skytrain opened in 1999, and Bangkok became much smaller overnight - at least for the middle class. Cram schools moved into building spaces in Siam Square left vacant from the recession, and saw an explosion in popularity. School students from all over now flocked to Siam Square in the evenings, and the video classrooms became something of an inter-school melting pot where one could catch sight of all sorts of uniform styles and colours.

And the AC boys, they very much stood out.

It's unclear exactly when things began, but throughout the years, Assumption students had developed a fashion culture of their own. The school is one of a handful that require leather shoes (as opposed to canvas),‡ and its upper-secondary students usually opted for a certain pointy style produced by a couple of old shops on Charoen Krung Road. They would also have their shorts tailor-modified to be very short - typically 15 inches or less, while uniforms coming out of the factory are usually 18 inches at the shortest for high-schooler sizes - and wear them with waists pulled very low. This was despite the rule book stating, like any other school's, that shorts should reach no more than 5 centimetres above the knee. It's actually a common refrain of experiences retold by AC students and alumni that they'd get into trouble for their shorts and shoes whenever the disciplinarian teacher would inspect their uniforms. But it was also part of the challenge, to stay on top of the fashion of their peers and at the same time get away with it.

This fashion only added to the fact that those vivid blue shorts are very visible, like, even from 100 metres away. So, coupled with the stereotype of them being rich kids with likely above-average attractiveness, these AC boys' uniforms easily caught attention, whether they were entering late into a cram school classroom or queuing for the train at the BTS's central interchange at Siam Station during rush hour.

This group strolling down the streets of Siam Square would surely draw plenty of eyes in real life. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

The turn of the 21st century also saw the spread of internet access, and with the early web came the proliferation of online discussion forums, both smaller ones serving specific groups like schools and larger public communities like the youth-oriented Dek-D. Suddenly, it became possible to peak into some of the conversations kids elsewhere were having and share in the knowledge of their hijinks at school. This, in some ways, helped fuel the fantasy of this exclusive boys' world, filled with good-looking guys in revealing shorts who weren't averse to having physical contact with each other.

The online forums also gave birth to web fiction, which soon expanded to include the emerging Y (BL) genre. Naturally, these trends eventually converged to give us plenty of Y fiction set in all-boys schools. But the epitome of these wouldn't arrive until after The Love of Siam hit screens in 2007.

The Love of Siam was probably the first major work in a decade to prominently feature the blue shorts uniform,§ and this time it was actually used to highlight the Catholic boys' school setting, employing AC itself as the location. Though it appeared only in a few short glimpses, they were powerful images that further inspired fascination with the real-life school.

It might be because it's accurate, or because the film has completely coloured viewer's perceptions, but this scene is exactly how one would imagine things to be like in those Catholic boys' schools. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

Then in 2008, Love Sick quietly began serializing on Dek-D's writers' section. The story's premise was simple, but it so effectively tapped into this collective fascination and quickly rose up the site's readership charts. Its popularity came no doubt thanks to author Indrytime's extremely lively and enjoyable writing of Noh, who narrates the story throughout. But a large part of the appeal is also attributable to the lifelike portrayal of his school life, with plenty of references to actual locations both within the school and outside - including the convent school next door and the numerous shops of Siam Square. The novel also name-dropped some of the school's actual teachers who, in Catholic school fashion, are addressed as Miss and Master, and Noh even mentions specific happenings at AC, like the new belt buckles that had been added to the school uniform for younger students that year. The only thing not mentioned was the name of the school, which was intentionally left blank. So close did the story feel to real life that the author had to emphasize its fictional nature when people started speculating about the real identities of Punn‖ and Noh and tried to identify them with actual AC students.

But the most significant reference to real life in Love Sick by far must be its descriptions of what is clearly meant to be the Jaturamitr football competition - a biennial event between Thailand's four oldest boys' schools: Assumption College, its Protestant counterpart Bangkok Christian College (BCC), and the royally founded government schools Suankularb Wittayalai (SK) and Debsirin (DS). The tradition is a HUGE part of school life at these four schools, which pretty much share this culture of intense collective institutional pride.

These boys and their ball game

It's kind of hard to explain all that the competition entails, but the football is just a small part of it. This YouTube video looking at the BCC side makes for a nice intro.¶ There are parades, mascots, Thai-style cheerleading (featuring not acrobatics, but synchronized arm movements), and most notably, the spectacular card stunt displays, which involve the entire student body from the lower-secondary years. The students will spend months practising to perfect their card flips, under the direction of the cheering president. Sounds familiar? That's Earn's position in Love Sick.

Fourwheels (Oxygen, Nitiman, La Pluie), wearing the cheering crew overalls that Noh dreams of, addressing the AC crowd in 2017 (AC Ed Tech)

Beam Boonyakorn (Make It Right) as AC's eagle mascot, though it's often teased for looking more like a chicken, also in 2017 (TTaewTaew Twitter)

The card stunt tradition actually originated at AC in 1942, from the aforementioned contrast between the military youth and regular uniforms. A teacher came up with the idea of having the differently dressed students arrange to form the school initials on the stands. This eventually developed into the elaborate displays done today, which use coloured card booklets to create pixels that together form a detailed aggregate image. Crowds of 1,250 from each school, seated opposite the paying audience, are needed to perform these.

Oat Tharathorn (Fourever You) in the card-stunt-performing audience in 2014; note the plates of colour card booklets set on the racks in front of them. (oattrt Instagram)

Such plates appeared in Love Sick 2024's episode 4 behind-the-scenes clip, but didn't show up in the actual episode. They later appeared in episode 5. (Tia51)

Regular fixtures among these displays include school logos, the royal family, and sponsors. There are also have these coordinated sequences with portraits of students and alumni greeting the crowd, which may feature some familiar faces.

A sponsor ad for Est gives way to AC student Chimon greeting the audience in 2017. (AC Ed Tech)

Alumni PP Krit (AC), Ice Natara (DS), Nonkul (BCC), and Sky Wongravee (SK) welcoming the audience, 2019 (AC Ed Tech)

GMMTV's Marc (AC) and Ford (SK) from the same sequence in 2019; Inn (BCC) from before 2014; AC alum Net Siraphop in 2023 (AC Ed Tech; Suankularb Photo Club; inpitar Instagram)

This attention to popular students didn't exist during novel Noh's time, though. Back then, few people followed the event apart from the schools' students and alumni, and football people scouting for young talent. But the 2010s' "cute boy" craze brought a sharp rise in attention from the sao-Y and cute-boy-following crowds, who flocked to the matches, some equipped with huge telephoto lenses to capture not the football action but cute guys in the audience.

BCC alumnus Inn Sarin photographed in the audience in 2014. Photos of him from the event were virally shared and boosted his following and "cute boy" stature. (inpitar Instagram)

BCC cheerleaders Winny Thanawin (2017) and Ping Krittanun (2019) (BCC Jaturamitr)

The origination of Thai BL

In some ways, the Love Sick novel helped lay the foundations for the phenomenon. It gave readers this imaginary connection to the school, which drove interest in seeing what its real-life students shared on social media, especially as Instagram exploded in popularity around 2012. And of course, attractive boys in revealing uniform shorts was already a winning combination in itself (and the fashion soon spread to other schools).

So it's appropriately fitting that things would come full circle with the 2013 announcement of Love Sick The Series, which generated huge amounts of engagement as fans recalled their impressions of the characters and shared pictures of real-life AC students whom they saw as the perfect Punn and Noh.

As it turned out, recent AC graduate White was cast as Punn, and several other AC boys were also chosen for the many supporting characters. Fans readily took to following these budding actors from the moment they were announced, gathering to meet them after acting classes and supporting them through to the last post-series events. It was a revelation in how dedicated such a fandom could be, without seeing even a second of these actors' work.

For the production, though, it could hardly be expected that explicit reference to the real-life school would be allowed, so they named the school Friday College in the series. (Which kind of bugs me. Couldn't they have at least come up with a vaguely Catholic-sounding name? Anyway, they developed it into a brand and it's stuck now.) They did model the school emblem and uniform exactly after AC's (in its 2008 form, before the new belt buckle), and the same uniform was featured in Thank God It's Friday, a 2019 spin-off set in the same universe. However, the school emblem was redesigned for the 2024 Love Sick remake, maybe because the resemblance now felt too close for comfort. (Another detail that bugs me is how the 2014 series had four-digit student IDs, while the 2024 has six. Most real-life schools have five digits!)

While it would have been a dream come true to see the actual original locations in the series adaptation (even if unnamed), this was not to happen. In fact, unlike its sister school Assumption College Thonburi, which served as the location for Hormones and numerous other works, AC seems to no longer be keen on allowing access as a filming location, and hasn't been spotted in anything since The Love of Siam.

Anyway, Love Sick's broadcast was a turning point in several ways. Of course, it most importantly kickstarted the Thai BL industry,** but this also led to a shift in Y culture where shippers turned their focus from real people to actor pairs from series. "Cute boys" from social media were now regularly tapped to join the many budding modelling agencies, who would try to push them as actors and influencers, and AC students attracted particular attention. Make It Right (2016)'s Peak, Ohm and Beam, for example, were all scouted from the school.

AC students Peak, Ohm and Beam, taken by a fan account in 2016. (allaboutpeak Twitter)

The boys made use of their newfound cult. Popular AC students were tapped to promote the school's annual Christmas Fair, which drew an influx of visitors from their followers, who happily contributed to their fundraising efforts. This was much changed from Noh's time in the novel, when the fair was still pretty much an internal event for students and their immediate friends and family.

Turbo (Love Stage!!) promoting merch for AC's 2015 Christmas Fair (turbotb Instagram)

However, this trend, as with the cute boy craze itself, seems to have largely petered out, especially as life was disrupted by the COVID pandemic and the 2020 protests brought about sharp changes in ideology among young people. Another victim of this has been the Jaturamitr competition, which was postponed for two years before taking place again in 2023.†† But it then became the topic of a huge online drama over the compulsory nature of attendance for the card stunt performances (which not everyone willingly enjoyed), and the negative public attention soured the experience for a lot of the students.

These new concerns seem to have influenced Love Sick's 2024 remake. In the novel, during preparation for the football competition, Noh talks about how hard the marching band was practising, and how he and the band leaders felt the need to push them to perfection, in order to uphold the school's reputation. There's a clear institutional pride in the way he says, "I'm sure the young ones understand. (Or if they don't now, they will in a few years.)"

This stands in sharp contrast to Earn's stance in Love Sick 2024, where he says in episode 4, "If the formation fails, the school’s reputation will just take a hit. But the school doesn’t have feelings, does it? It is they (the young ones) who have feelings."

We'll find out in a couple of hours how else they're updating the depiction of the competition, which was one of the highlight scenes in the novel thanks to how detailed it was with insider info of the behind-the-scenes workings at the Suphachalasai National Stadium in real life. It's an unfortunate fact, though, that it's near impossible that any TV production with a normal budget would even come close to the spectacle of the actual event, with its crowds in the tens of thousands. But let's see how creative the production crew can be.

After all, it's the emotional threads that make the real highlight of the story, isn't it?

Footnotes

* These schools had been set up after the English public school model by King Vajiravudh, who himself was educated in England. Vajiravudh College still uses it as its ceremonial uniform.

† One of these was I Miss You 2 (1996), which was filmed at Montfort College in Chiang Mai, another Gabrielite school. Incidentally, The Love of Siam director Madeaw Chookiat was a student there and became an extra in the film, an experience which inspired him to go into filmmaking. He would later base the Nay-Beam segment of Home (2012, one of the most significant mainstream proto-BL works) at the school.

‡ Most other schools allow both, and their students usually prefer canvas shoes. Nanyang, with its iconic green soles, has long been the most popular brand.

§ Actually there's at least Yong Songyos's Dorm (2006), set at his alma mater Assumption College Sriracha, but it's a horror focusing more on the boarding-school aspect. Yong also created a short film dedicated to the school in 2015, starring four Hormones Next Gen actors (no English subs, but there are hardcoded Thai captions that maybe a tool can translate).

‖ Sorry, but I just can't accept the spelling Phun, as it's plain incorrect. The /p/ and /ph/ are supposed to represent different sounds in Thai, but most Thai people don't understand the system as it's not taught in schools.

¶ As an expat, the video creator misses the meanings of some of the things that happen in the video. The yellow chicken is a reference to a Facebook satirist who's said to bring bad luck to sports teams, while the no-banana sign is a response to the angry chant the BCC side was yelling. It's an expletive that rhymes with the word for banana in Thai.

** Isn't it ironic that a genre revolving around a topic so controversial with the Church should be inspired by a Catholic school? But then, as director Madeaw demonstrated in The Love of Siam, religious conflict has always played an important role in driving social issues, while in the case of Love Sick, it's not actually relevant at all.

†† Yet another victim is the Chula-Thammasat Traditional Football Match, a competition between Thailand's two oldest universities which features similar elements of parades, cheerleading and card stunts. It hasn't been properly held since 2020, and when a substitute event was held in 2024, a huge online drama erupted over the student body's decision to alter certain elements.

[yongility]

NEO TV # I LIKE ME BETTER WHEN I'M WITH YOU. (jaehyun x reader) 1/? [next]

genre: angst, suggestive, gang au, rich kid au, enemies to lovers (kinda), a lil of fluffy stuff.

warnings: drug use mentions, gangs, fights, use of weapons, adult language, illegal activities, cheating (not on the main couple), toxic family environment, addictions, manipulation, insecurities, illegal street racing, death mentions. jeno is jaehyun's younger brother, angst, smut and if I slip something my bad haha.

word count: 10k?

a/n: I’m a sucker for cliche stuff so as soon as this fic popped in my mind I had to write it down, english isn’t my first language tho.

if you want to be in the taglist, just lemme know;) enjoy!

At SM City, things were simple.

Either you were born on the North side of the city where everything was filled with luxuries, privileges, incredible status, and the newest and most expensive things in the world, or you were born on the South side, where your childhood and adolescence could never be enjoyed because you would live surrounded by illegal businesses, in which eventually you would end up being a part of even if you didn't want to.

There was no third option.

There never was, and it wasn't expected that there would be.

SM City was radiant and beautiful... as long as you were in the Kwangya area because as soon as you set foot in the Neo Zone; things turned completely dark. Things were not always like this precisely; at some point in the past, despite the notorious differences between these two areas, Kwangya and Neo Zone had a synchrony that created an almost perfect balance and kept the city in maximum beauty.

But it was impossible to keep things that way.

Being part of the North side had its advantages: wealth, privilege, extravagant parties, designer clothes, and everything anyone could want, it would be in their hands as soon as they asked for it. Did you want a trip to the other side of the world? Done. Did you want the latest Louis Vuitton outfit? Of course. Did you want the newest car? Okay. Having it was as easy as asking for it.

They only followed one rule: do not approach Neo Zone unless your life depended on it... which would never happen.

While growing up on the South side was something peculiar. It didn't matter what you dreamed of, it didn't matter your future aspirations or your talents. Just by being born in Neo Zone; your life was already prescribed.

You would end up becoming a drug dealer, a hitman, or anything that involved ilegal businesses. Those were your only options. There were no others.

Did you want to get out of Neo Zone? Yeah, good luck with that.

On the South side, bad moves, riots, and problems were so common now that residents were accustomed to it. They began to accept their life and what destiny had prepared for them, even if it wasn't what they wanted.

Your age didn't matter, nothing mattered; as soon as you turned fourteen years old, you started your initiation into the Neo Zone gang. Each person had a different initiation and they had to complete it if they wanted the support and respect of the other inhabitants of Neo Zone, if not... you would end up fighting for your life alone. Without anyone's help, without anyone's support, and ending up being a nobody.

Welcome to Neo Zone, where there is an area as bright and welcoming as day and another as cold and dark as night.

______________________________________________

SM City was a small city, which meant there had to be at least one place where the inhabitants of Kwangya and Neo Zone had to mix and live together, and that place was none other than the high school. They shared the hallways, shared classes, the cafeteria, and that was not pleasant for either side.

Despite the always existing differences between the south side and the north side, the one thing the Mayor couldn't deny Neo Zone was education for its youth, and even though there were protests from Kwangya's parents about that abrupt mix, the mayor's idea would never change.

Because deep inside, he believed that the power of education would change his students and turn those Neo Zone vandals into good and promising individuals.

However, this opportunity served a completely different purpose for the youth of Neo Zone.

Because... What better place to do their business when it was Friday and many were looking to have a bit of fun on their weekend? It was no secret that the youth of Kwangya would take any opportunity to squander their millions of wones on some party made every new weekend. A party surrounded by the most expensive alcohol, the most relaxing and crazy drugs, and surrounded by hormonal teenagers who spent their time having sex whenever possible.

Jung Jaehyun wished that his business was different.

The boy let out a heavy sigh, frustration evident as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, quickly glancing at his friend before returning his gaze to the slender boy in front of him, who had his head bowed, hands and lips trembling and sweat drops were running down his forehead from fear.

Anyone facing Lucas Wong and Jung Jaehyun would feel fear.

"Look dude, this is the third time this week that I've come to look for you" Jaehyun said with a deep voice.

"I know, I know. It's just that..."

"I don't want to hear another lame excuse, you've given me enough of those already" he interrupted, dangerously approaching and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, clenching his fists in it "look, I'll make things clear to you; you owe money to my boss, that shit you asked for is expensive, do you get it? He gave you a week and a half to pay for it, and guess what? The deadline ended... how long ago, Lucas?"

"Five days ago" Lucas, who was standing just behind his friend with his arms crossed over his chest, answered, flexing his muscles.

"Right, five days ago" Jaehyun affirmed, then looked to the side where the boy's Tesla was parked. He huffed with a sideways smile and returned his gaze to him, shaking his head slightly. "Those drugs won't pay for themselves, and you know it. You had a deadline to give us the money, and my boss was kind enough to wait for your little delay, and guess what? He's not very happy about it" he continued explaining without releasing his grip. The boy in front of him swallowed hard and nodded. "Daeho, you're surrounded by money, how hard can it be for someone like you to pay a few wones for the drugs you enjoy so much at those damn parties you throw?" he received no response, only seeing fear in Daeho's eyes and the fact that he couldn't give a good answer was starting to bother him.

He pushed him slightly with the collar still in his hands. Jaehyun clenched his jaw, and Daehyun closed his eyes momentarily.

"Jaehyun, let him go, I think he gets it" Lucas intervened when he saw his friend's white knuckles from the tight grip and knowing that if Jaehyun's patience was pushed further, things wouldn't end well.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry" Daehyun nervously apologized.

— Being sorry won't do a shit... your car is new, isn't it?"

At Jaehyun's unexpected question, Daeho furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze to Lucas, who simply nodded, then looked back at Jaehyun and swallowed hard.

"Yes, it is."

"Hmm, I see" Jaehyun examined the car meticulously, then scoffed and looked back at Daehyun with a smirk. "It's incredible to know that you can afford a damn car that costs much, much more wones than the money you owe us."

"My... my dad paid for the car. The money... the money is from my parents" Daeho stammered "I can't ask my dad for money for drugs, he would kill me" Daeho explained, avoiding Jaehyun's gaze and receiving a stern look from him.

"You should have thought about that before asking for them, you shitty addict" Jaehyun muttered, and Lucas placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Let me talk to him" he requested, and Jaehyun, looking back at Daeho, finally released his grip, stepping back a bit, allowing his friend to continue. "Alright, Daeho, here's how it is: you owe us, your deadline ended a while ago, we've come to look for you three times already, and no matter the excuses you keep making up, you still haven't paid us. We want the money tomorrow, or the next visit won't be us, but our boss personally. And if you fear an angry Jaehyun, you should fear our boss more" he clarified while giving some not-so-gentle pats on his back.

"Tomorrow, at eight sharp, we want the money" Jaehyun announced, getting closer to the boy again.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, there's no school. Where am I supposed to give you the money?" Daeho asked, confused.

"We've looked for you several times, haven't we?" he questioned, not getting a response. "Haven't we?

"Yes."

"Good, tomorrow we have a race. Go to Neo Zone's main street and find us, we want the money with you" he requested, still smiling.

"Jaehyun..." Lucas called, and he shook his head.

"No Yukhei, we've given him many chances" he declared, approaching Daeho "Next time, you should think twice before asking us for more drugs if you won't pay on time.

Jaehyun turned around to walk away from the boy with Lucas by his side, but suddenly he stopped and chuckled. Returning to Daeho, he gave him a smile that made him even more nervous. Jaehyun looked around, making sure they were the only three people in the parking lot, and before Lucas could say or do anything, Jaehyun's fist hit Daeho's stomach, making him cough and place his hands on his abdomen, letting out groans of pain.

"Next time, don't play with us, you little brat" Jaehyun patted his back and winked.

Lucas hurried to take his friend by the arm and lead him away while muttering curses. They walked together to Jaehyun's car, and once they arrived, they got in. Lucas let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head, looking at his friend.

"I don't want to listen to you" Jaehyun spoke as he leaned back in his seat.

"We came to give him a little scare so he'd pay up, not for you to beat him up and ask for the money at tomorrow's race. Are you nuts?" Lucas asked, looking at him with disdain. "If Daeho goes to Neo Zone, they'll tear him apart, and you know it. As soon as he sets foot there, they'll know he's from Kwangya, and he won't be welcomed with flowers and claps."

"I gave him plenty of chances, and he didn't take them. Whatever happens to him next is not my problem," murmured Jaehyun as he tapped the steering wheel with his thumb. "Look, Lucas, I sold him the stuff, I asked the boss to give him a week and a half to pay, and now that he hasn't, the boss is getting on my nerves. He either pays or I make him pay. It's that simple."

His friend sighed and scratched his head as he looked out the window.

"At least make sure he doesn't have a rough time tomorrow."

Jaehyun scoffed. "Whatever. I couldn't care less about that rich boy"

____________________________________________

(Y/N) opened the large door of her house, and before she could say anything, Daeho took her by the arm and started walking with her trailing behind him. (Y/N) furrowed her brows and followed the confused boy, who began to climb the stairs and she almost stumbled trying to keep up with his pace. Her cousin continued the journey, then entered her room and locked the door. (Y/N) sat on her bed, breathing heavily, and gave a disapproving look to the boy in front of her.

"Could you stop acting like a damn paranoid and tell me what's going on?"

Just over half an hour ago, when she had arrived home from school, Daeho had called her sounding a bit nervous and asking if her parents were home. (Y/N) asked for the reason for his state, but he simply replied saying that he would come to her house and explain everything in there.

And not knowing what was going on was also making her nervous.

"Okay, it may sound strange, but I really need your help," Daeho pleaded, looking at his cousin with a plea in his eyes.

She looked at him confused and tilted her head, trying to decipher the look of the boy in front of her.

"What did you do this time, Daeho?" (Y/N) asked. "I'm not going to lie to your parents again if that's what you want."

"No, that's not it," he hurriedly replied.

"Then what is it?" she asked, crossing her arms.

They had grown up together, sharing everything from an early age. Wherever Daeho did... (Y/N) would also. Did she enroll in music lessons? Well, Daeho did too. Did he want to go to a summer camp? (Y/N) did too. They did everything together, they were always there for each other, and that's why they knew each other so well, too well, and every time Daeho said he needed help, (Y/N) couldn't help but to feel anxious. Her cousin always found a way to get into trouble, and the person who was always there to get him out of trouble was none other than his dear cousin.

"Hmm," Daeho scratched his head. "I need you to lend me some money," he said almost in a whisper, but loud enough for her to hear.

(Y/N) burst out laughing, and Daeho looked at her seriously, which made her realize that her cousin was not joking, and she furrowed her brow in confusion.

Of all the things she expected her cousin to ask for, money was the last thing on her mind.

Both families were among the wealthiest in the area. Their parents, being siblings, shared the same royalties in the family company. The same company that would soon be in their hands. Their parents were known for the international business they conducted, for the galas they organized to donate money to the city, and for the luxuries everyone knew they had. Money was never a problem for the Hwang families, so why was her cousin asking her for a loan?

"Money? Isn't it easier to borrow from your parents than from me?" she asked with a smirk.

"I can't ask them for money; I exceeded the limit for this week and now I'm grounded, they blocked my bank account for two weeks" he explained with frustration.

"Well then, how much money do you need?" she asked again.

"A few wones," he replied without looking at her.

"How much is 'a few wones'?"

Daeho sighed and nervously scratched his head before looking at her again. He closed his eyes for a moment and, without opening them, he replied, "545,000 wones."

(T/N) widened her eyes and then shook her head.

"545,000 wones?" she repeated, and he nodded. "What do you need that for?"

"It doesn't matter what it's for," he hurried to say.

"Well, it matters if you're asking me for a loan," she said simply.

The girl knew he could have expensive tastes, but she didn't know how he had exceeded his weekly money limit when the week wasn't even over yet, and he still needed more money. The same money he didn't want to ask his parents for.

So no, her cousin wasn't acting normal, and that worried her. First, he called her nervously asking if he could come to her house, then he took her to his room while asking if his parents weren't home, and now he asked her for money without intending to tell her what it was for.

What trouble did you get into, Hwang Daeho?

"If you don't tell me what you need the money for, I won't lend it to you," she warned him, and seeing that she didn't get a response, she got up from her seat and stood in front of her cousin, pointing a finger at his chest. "Fine, I won't give it to you, and I'll also tell my uncle that you asked me for money."

Daeho widened his eyes and shook his head hastily, taking his cousin's hands and looking at her with pleading eyes, pouting, and speaking, "Please, don't tell Dad, I don't need a lecture right now," she looked neutral, "(Y/N), please."

"Tell me what you need the money for, I won't tell anyone, and I'll lend you as much as you need. Even more, but be honest."

He sighed for the thousandth time that day and finally relented.

"It may or may not be that I asked for drugs..."

"What?" she interrupted. "Daeho, you told me you wouldn't use anymore," she said angrily.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said, raising his hands defensively, "but we had that party two weeks ago, and I couldn't bear to spend a whole night with my parents and all those people asking me about my future, when I don't even know if I want to keep getting up every day!"

(Y/N) knew the pressure her cousin felt about his future because she felt the same pressure. Being the next in line for an international company left many people wishing, and every chance they got, they bombarded them with the same questions about it. Making both of them wonder if they were good enough to fill the big shoes their parents would leave behind. If they were capable enough to be the leaders their parents were. They knew they had carried that weight since they were little, that their lives were already determined from the moment they were in the womb. (Y/N) knew her place and her responsibilities. She was aware that any mistake she made would affect her future. She couldn't make any mistakes, not even one, or it would be the next topic at their father's business meetings.

Just like Daeho was.

She had always been like that; upright, responsible, making sure things went as they should. Almost perfect. The pressure was even greater on her, after all, many didn't trust her just because she was a woman. They believed that really the only one who could take over the company in the future was Daeho, and that hurt her pride because she tried. Really, she did. She put all her effort into that company, even when she was still in high school and didn't have time for her university career yet. However, from an early age, she was involved in the business world, she wanted to do more and be more. Because she needed to be the pride of her family. Her father's pride. There was nothing else she wanted more.

She wished she could shut people up.

And Daeho, on the other hand, was different. All eyes were on him, expecting him to be the only leader in the future, but Daeho hated everyone's attention.

Everyone's attention except his parents.

If there was one thing different between (Y/N) and Daeho's families, it was their parents. Daeho's parents were absent. They were always away on business trips, in the office, or anywhere but home. That was part of the reason why he was so close to (Y/N); during his childhood, he spent more time with his aunt and cousin than with his own parents. And that led him to do things that would catch their attention. Daeho was known as the rebel, yet people still expected a lot from him. He always threw parties whenever his parents were away on trips in the hope that they would return soon and spend time with him. He spent money on unnecessary things so that his parents would call him when they were away, and among all his needs to get their attention, it led him to drugs.

"(Y/N), I know I said I would quit it," the boy spoke again. "But believe me, right now it's the least of my worries. I need to pay for that stuff tomorrow, and I can't ask my parents," he explained impatiently.

"God, Daeho," she sighed. "Okay, I'll give it to you," she rolled her eyes and went to her bag, opened it, took out her wallet, took all the bills she had in there, then went to her desk and took a little more from one of her boxes. "Who do you owe the money to?"

Daeho swallowed hard at the question and looked at her guiltily.

"To... Jaehyun," he murmured, and she slapped her forehead with her hand.

Jung Yoonoh, or as many knew him: Jaehyun. If someone described him in simple words, it would be: leather jackets, tattoos, cigarettes, gangs, and drug deals. If she described Jaehyun, it would be with a single word: danger.

He wasn't just a drug dealer. Jaehyun was always in fights and in bad situations. Jaehyun participated in illegal races. He was the one who showed up to first period with bruised knuckles, a split lip, and a cigarette in his mouth. He was the one teachers respected – or rather feared – and never messed with him. He was the one you wouldn't look at for more than five seconds for fear that it might bother him, and things would end badly. Jaehyun screamed danger at its finest, and that caught the attention of many people.

However, if you wanted good stuff to have a good time, to escape your worries, or simply to annoy your parents, Jaehyun was the person you should go to. It wasn't a secret that he was one of the dealers at the high school. Hell, even the principal knew. Everyone did. He and his group of friends were the people you should stay away from if you wanted to be okay, the only reason you could or should communicate with them was to make a deal. Nothing else.

Being from Neo Zone, he was the last person you wanted to associate with, and there was Daeho, buying stuff from him, then owing him money, and asking her to lend it to him.

"Of all the people you could have asked for your damn drugs and then stay in debt, did it really have to be Jaehyun?" she asked with frustration, hitting him on the head. "You could have gone to that guy Taeyong. At least he has a bit more manners," Daeho lowered his gaze, and she sighed, "Okay, take the money and promise me... promise me that you'll never buy drugs again, much less from Jaehyun," she asked.

Daeho took the money from her hands and nodded with a smirk.

His cousin really was his savior.

"When do you have to give him the money?"

"Tomorrow," he replied as he put it in his wallet, looked at his cousin, and swallowed hard. "I might have to go to..."

"Please don't say Neo Zone, please don't say Neo Zone," she begged in whispers.

"Neo Zone," Daeho said again, lowering his gaze. His cousin covered her face with her hands while shaking her head vigorously. She sighed; why did her cousin always find a way to get into trouble? Revealing her face, she walked straight to her bed, where she threw herself onto it, grabbed her pillow, and put it on her own face before letting out a frustrated scream.

Daeho sat on the small couch in the room, looking at the money in his hands while thinking about all the possible scenarios that could happen the next day.

Of all the places her cousin could go, it had to be there... it had to be Neo Zone. She imagined what could happen as soon as he set foot there, and the thought that maybe her cousin wouldn't come out of there scared her. They had never set foot there; they didn't know for sure how things were done, but it was enough to hear the rumors about that area to fear it.

Now Daeho would go and get involved there.

And she would have to do something to make sure he came out with all his limbs intact.

She removed the pillow from her face and let out a heavy sigh, got up from the bed, and sat on it. She looked at her hands for a moment and anxiously played with her fingers. She thought about the words that would come out of her mouth: would she regret saying them? Possibly, could something go wrong? Maybe, but that's who she was. She would take care of her loved ones' lives before her own, because that's (Y/N) for you.

"I... I'll go with you," she said almost in a whisper. Daeho raised his eyes extremely quickly, almost panicked, looking at his cousin. He couldn't risk her, he couldn't put her in danger.

"(Y/N), you won't go. You'll stay here; we won't even argue about this," Daeho spoke, standing up and looking at her defiantly.

"It's my money you're carrying with you; I'm involved in this, and I'll go with you because I need to know that you'll be okay," she also said, standing up.

"Listen, me going to Neo Zone is already stupid and dangerous, you going with me is even more so I don't want to put you in danger; if something happens to me? Fine, it's under my responsibility, but I couldn't bear the guilt if you get hurt."

"Daeho, I won't let you go alone. We've always done things together. If you're in trouble, I want to help you. Just like you would if it was me," she explained, raising her voice.

"(Y/N), I really don't want to argue about this. You're not going..." he was interrupted.

"In one way or another, I'll go with you. Whether you want it or not ," she finished, crossing her arms.

Daeho looked at his cousin for a moment, analyzing her face. He knew that once she had made up her mind about something, there was no turning back. She was stubborn and determined, and if she had said she would go with him, she would.

He sighed and nodded.

"Fine, but I swear to you, (Y/N), if something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself," he said sincerely.

"Don't worry about me; worry about not making me regret going with you," she replied with a small smirk.

Daeho rolled his eyes and shook his head with a small smile.

Of course, his cousin was like that.

"You'll have to wear something less conspicuous," Daehyun spoke, breaking the moment.

"What do you mean by less conspicuous?" she asked, tilting her head.

He approached his cousin and put his hands on her shoulders, then looked her straight in the eyes.

"(Y/N), you can't go dressed like a rich girl. You'll attract too much attention, and it won't be good for you," he explained.

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes and shook her head, removing her cousin's hands from her shoulders.

"And what do you suggest?l she asked sarcastically.

Daeho smirked and shrugged.

"Just wear something that doesn't look like it costed you millions" he replied.

(Y/N) looked at her cousin incredulously and sighed.

What was she getting herself into now?

______________________________________________

(Y/N) took a quick look at the large mirror in her room and observed the clothes she had put on. Nothing extravagant, nothing expensive, nothing that screamed her social status. If she could keep a low profile, she would, and she hoped it would work.

She didn't know how to feel. Fear and nerves were running through her body and could be seen reflected in her eyes; her hands were sweating, and she had to wipe them on her pants, letting out a long, heavy sigh, trying to erase all the negative thoughts that came to her mind.

Would something happen to Daeho and her while they were in Neo Zone? She hoped not; she hoped they would just hand over the money and leave that place as soon as they could.

She grabbed her bag with her belongings inside and left her room as quietly as possible. She walked almost on tiptoe along the long hallway, passing her parents' room with great care and approaching the stairs. She checked the time on her wristwatch; it was seven thirty in the evening. The way to Neo Zone would take them about fifteen minutes, and hopefully, they would be there by the agreed time.

She cursed Jaehyun with all her being for getting them into this, but she cursed her own cousin even more for getting involved in these situations.

She began to descend the stairs, one by one and carefully. Her cousin was at the main entrance of the house, waiting for her, and the last thing she wanted right now was to run into one of her parents.

And it seemed that was exactly what she asked for.

"(Y/N)," her mother's voice was heard behind her from afar. "Where are you going?"

The girl closed her eyes for a brief moment and cursed under her breath. She adjusted her posture and turned around to see her mom leaning on the second-floor railing.

"Um, I'm going out with Daeho," she replied, moving her head slightly.

"Oh, has Daeho come?" her mother asked.

"Hmm yes, he's waiting for me outside," she replied.

"Well, where are you and Daeho going?" her mother asked again, this time getting closer to her daughter, descending the stairs and stopping before her.

(Y/N) swallowed hard. Lying to Daehyun's parents when he got into trouble was easy... lying to her own parents was something different. Very different. She tried not to move her hands anxiously as she always did, a movement that everyone in her family knew, something that betrayed her every time something happened.

She clenched one of her fists at her sides to avoid doing it and cleared her throat.

"Daeho said something about seeing a new movie and then going out to dinner. You know that my uncles are traveling this week, and you know how lonely Dae feels when they're not around," (Y/N) murmured the last part.

Her mother looked at her from above and squinted her eyes for a few seconds, then smiled as she nodded. She raised her hand and brought it to her daughter's cheek to stroke it slowly, causing her to hold her breath.

"Of course, dear. Keep your cousin company, offer to spend the night here so he doesn't feel lonely until your uncles arrive," she said, then pushed one of her hair strands behind her ear. She then gave her daughter a quick once-over and wrinkled her nose a bit. "Poor choice of clothing, dear. Too casual. Remember who you are; you can't go around like that... looking like a homeless. What will our associates say if they see you like this?" She put her hand on the girl's shoulder, feeling the fabric's material and wrinkled her nose.

(T/N) fought with herself not to roll her eyes right there and push her mother's hand away abruptly. She hated it when her mother told her what to do, what to wear, or what to say. She hated the phrase she always used against her, "remember who you are." It made her feel so small, as if her status or her way of acting were more special than what she thought. Than her own thoughts.

"Of course, mother," she replied simply, as she always did. No matter how many times she tried to gather the courage and say everything she felt... it never worked. Her mother's gaze would always manage to intimidate her, and she was tired of it.

She turned around to continue her way and walked through the entire place from the stairs to the main door. She left her house after a while, crossed the main yard until she reached the entrance. She greeted the security men with a simple nod, and they opened the doors for her to finally exit. Her cousin's Tesla was in front of her; as she got in, she saw Daeho tapping lightly on the steering wheel with one of his fingers.

"Why did you take so long?" Daeho asked impatiently.

"My mother stopped me as I was leaving my room," she replied, taking a deep breath.

Her cousin didn't reply; instead, he started the car and drove off. None of them spoke throughout the journey, possibly because of the anxiety it caused them. The city looked increasingly different as they approached the Neo Zone area. The streets were now darker and lonelier; (Y/N) could feel her chest pounding strongly. Her hands were sweating, and she felt a slight pressure on her chest.

May nothing go wrong tonight.

She shifted her gaze forward and finally could see the lights of Neo Zone in the distance. A few more minutes, and they would enter what would determine whether they would continue to live or not.

Was she being dramatic? It was just a part of the city. It couldn't be as bad as they painted it, right? Maybe everything they had heard from their parents or older people about that place was just an exaggeration.

Right?

She didn't even notice it. She didn't even feel when her cousin's car stopped. Daeho let out a sigh and lightly tapped the steering wheel in frustration.

"Well, we arrived on time," her cousin murmured, (Y/N) nodded, and they both got out of the car.

A few meters away from them, they could see a bunch of people. Some drinking, others smoking, others dancing, and others having passionate sessions with others. The music volume was loud, too loud for a public place. However, the car engines could be heard over it. Loud and clean. (Y/N) remembered Daeho mentioning that there would be a race... one that surely wouldn't be legal.

Daeho stood beside her, and they looked at each other. He nodded slightly, and together they began to blend in with the crowd. For a moment, they thought they had gone unnoticed. It seemed that many people were busy with their own business to even notice them.

Or so they thought.

(Y/N) stayed close to her cousin, who was leading the way for both of them. She bumped into some people from time to time, but none bothered to turn and look at them. It wasn't until Daeho felt a hand on his chest stopping him and causing (Y/N) stopped abruptly, colliding with her cousin's body.

"Oh, well," a deep voice spoke. "Who are you?" asked the broad-shouldered man. His arm muscles were large and with a particular tattoo. The Neo Zone one.

The girl swallowed fearfully and stayed behind her cousin.

Great. Just great.

"Excuse us," Daehyun spoke, trying to keep walking, but again the man stopped him.

"I hadn't seen you around here before," the man spoke again. "I repeat, who are you?"

(T/N) looked around, now seeing more people cornering them. The difference between them could be noticed. It was clear that neither she nor Daehyun fit in there. It was clear they weren't part of Neo Zone.

That had been a bad idea. A very bad idea.

Someone took her by the arm and separated her a bit from her cousin. They did the same with him. Placing him right in front of the big man, who impatiently awaited an answer.

"Aren't you the Hwangs?" someone asked from afar. Upon hearing her last name, (Y/N) turned her head to see who had spoken, seeing one of her schoolmates among the crowd.

She forgot that several people there attended the same school.

"Oh, the Hwangs?" the man questioned. "As the kids of Hwang Inc’s owners?”

Before anyone could even say anything. The crowd parted, and the tall figures of Jung Jaehyun along with Lucas Wong appeared. Jaehyun stood between the man and Daeho and smiled slightly, patting him on the shoulder.

"Calm down, Hanseok. They're with me," Jaehyun said firmly. He turned to look over his shoulder at the Hwang cousins and clicked his tongue.

"Hmm," the man, now known as Hanseok, looked at each boy and then at Jaehyun. "What are you doing associating with someone from Kwangya?" Hanseok approached the girl, and before he could get too close to her body, Jaehyun stopped him by placing his hand on his chest and Lucas slipping in front of her.

"Business," the boy replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take him... take them to the boss," Jaehyun stopped looking at Hanseok and changed his gaze to the Hwang cousins. "Let's go."

Neither Daeho nor (Y/N) uttered a word. They both followed Jaehyun and Lucas, who were heading towards what seemed to be a garage, which was surrounded by cars and was dimly lit. (Y/N) swallowed hard and kept walking. Thanks to Hanseok, all eyes were on them. They could feel each of them staring at their bodies, watching them meticulously. Waiting for a wrong move to pounce on them and tear them apart.

The air was tense, and Jaehyun knew it.

Now he was having second thoughts about bringing Daeho here.

But screw it. Daeho had let him down. He owed money to his boss, and his boss was being a painful nuisance in his balls.

He glanced back to see the Hwang cousins; Daeho walking cautiously and (Y/N) behind him trying to look calm, although she actually looked like a scared little mouse.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. The idea was to bring only one Hwang. Just Daeho, why did he bring his cousin along? Something wouldn't end well tonight.

“I don’t remember telling you that you could bring someone with you” Jaehyun said without looking back at them. “The deal was only you coming, not your cousin as well” they both could hear the anger in his voice”

And before Daeho could answer, she spoke “I tagged myself along” (Y/N) said. “It wasn’t Daeho’s idea”

“I thought someone like you would know better” he gave them a side smile and scoff”.

Lucas stood beside him, and both stopped when they reached the entrance of the garage. Two of his boss's bodyguards were guarding it and looked at them with superiority.

"Cheol Uk, the boss is waiting for us," Jaehyun explained, looking neutral.

"Only two people can enter," Cheol Uk replied nonchalantly. Jaehyun and Lucas looked at each other, and the former sighed. He nodded and turned to the Hwang cousins with no expression on his face.

"You brought the money with you, right?" he asked Daeho, who nodded eagerly. Jaehyun clicked his tongue and looked at Cheol Uk. "The boy and I will enter."

Daeho quickly turned to look at his cousin, and she could see a bit of panic in his eyes at the thought of leaving her alone, but she straightened up and smiled slightly, mouthing a "I'll be fine."

"Lucas will stay with her," Jaehyun told Daeho, who turned to look at the mentioned.

"I'll take care of her," he assured, approaching the girl and nodding at her.

Jaehyun gave Daeho a little push, and they both approached the entrance even more, the bodyguards inspected Daeho, making sure he didn't have any weapons with him, and once they saw he was clean, they allowed them to enter.

(Y/N) swallowed when she saw her cousin's body disappear through the entrance.

Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine.

She felt Lucas Wong's presence beside her. Both standing side by side, saying nothing, and the atmosphere was weird. (Y/N) began to play with her fingers unknowingly and moved one of her feet slightly. Lucas looked everywhere except at the girl. He didn't know what to say because the situation wasn't really the best. His boss was angry, and he knew what his boss was like when he was in that state, so he didn't want to make (Y/N) panic right there because he wouldn't know how to calm her down.

It had been a bad idea of Daeho to bring her here.

The brunette straightened her back and with a little curiosity, she looked around. The night had completely fallen by then, the full moon reflected on them, and the lights of the city and the place created a contrast. The music could still be heard even from where they were. And from there, in her position, she could be a perfect spectator of what that scenario was.

The car engines roared, the girls in mini skirts stood in the middle of the highway to announce the start of the race. The young people, who were also (Y/N)'s classmates, drank effusively as they moved their bodies to the rhythm of the music. Some had a cigarette between their lips, others brought their nostrils to what seemed to be a key and inhaled strongly from it, and their eyes widened when the substance was inside them.

Lucas let out a sigh that (Y/N) could perfectly hear, looking at him, she noticed how the boy put his hand in his jacket pocket and from there took out a small bag and some papers to roll. He placed the substance on the paper and rolled it carefully, then after a moment, brought it to his mouth and lit it. He inhaled deeply, furrowing his brow slightly, and slowly released the smoke from his lungs, causing it to reach the girl, who coughed when she smelled the smell of that substance reach her nostrils.

"Do you participate?" she asked, trying to break the ice.

"In what?"

"In the races."

"Sometimes," Lucas replied. "Not right now because I'm fixing my car, the last race didn't end well," he continued.

"Oh..."

"Jaehyun does it," the boy said as he took another drag of his cigarette, then offered it to the girl, who quickly declined. "He's one of the best in the area."

"Is it fun?... racing like that?" she questioned, looking at the highway.

"Yes, it is," he replied simply, bringing the cigarette to his lips, sucking slightly, and holding the smoke in his lungs. "It's really a stress reliever, and it's even more fun when you get the final prize," he released the smoke, and this time, he didn't receive a response from the girl, but she remained silent and continued to watch the show in front of her.

A few minutes passed... (Y/N) lost track of time, but it really seemed like many minutes had passed, but finally, the garage door opened, and she looked up with shining eyes to see her cousin. However, she found only Jaehyun arriving at the place. (Y/N) frowned and looked behind Jaehyun's shoulder, searching for Daehyun, but the door closed, and he never came out.

A pressure in her chest became present, and she walked to the door to try to open it, but she was stopped by Cheol Uk himself. She tapped her chest a bit to let her go. Mumbling a couple of nonsensical things and kicking before feeling the pressure of a hand on her arm, holding her back. Cheol Uk sure had strength and was beginning to hurt her arm.

Where's Daeho? Where's Daeho? Where's Daeho?

If something happened to Daeho, she wouldn't know what to do. She wouldn't know how to react.

She didn't know at what point, but someone’s hands took her from behind and separated her from Cheol Uk. They moved her away from the door a bit, and then she slightly felt her feet touch the ground. She couldn't focus on what was happening.

(Y/N) always used to worry, and maybe that was her weakness. Thinking that something could happen to one of her loved ones drove her crazy in every imaginable way, and now there was Daeho, on his own, inside a garage with some mobsters. What if it ended badly? What if he got shot? What if he got stabbed?

"(Y/N)," she heard a voice calling her, and after shaking her head, her attention focused on the boy in front of her. On Jaehyun. Who looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised and without any emotion on his face.

"Where's Daeho? Why didn't he come with you?" she asked hurriedly.

Jaehyun glanced quickly at Lucas and then returned his gaze to the girl.

"My boss wanted to talk to him alone," he explained.

"Why?"

"He owed money, his deadline expired almost a week ago. It wasn't just a few wones he owed, and my boss wanted to make a few things clear to him," he explained again, staying neutral.

She swallowed and then squeezed her eyes shut.

It was now or never.

She had never imagined in her life trying to do business with someone from Neo Zone, much less with someone like Jaehyun, but as they said somewhere, "desperate times call for desperate measures." So there she was, on a Saturday night at an illegal race, with her cousin inside a garage with other mobsters, Jung Jaehyun in front of her, and her hands sweating like they had never done before.

So, to protect her cousin from future problems, she would have to do it.

"Jaehyun?" she called softly. Jaehyun looked up at that, his name, his nickname, sounded so different coming from the lips of that girl that it almost sent a chill down his spine. How weird that felt. "Can I talk to you?" she asked, and Jaehyun looked at her with confusion, then glanced at Lucas, who was in a similar state, and nodded. (Y/N) cleared her throat and smiled sideways. "Alone."

Again, a look of confusion crossed his face, and he glanced at his best friend, who was already moving away from both of them. He looked at the girl and noticed how she lightly played with her fingers. Then, she followed his gaze and immediately stopped her hand movements, embarrassed and feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.

"What do you need?" he asked, looking into her eyes, and before she could say a word, he spoke again. "I won't sell you drugs if that's what you want."

(Y/N) frowned and quickly shook her head.

"Hey! I'm not Daeho, I don't put that stuff in my body, and that definitely wasn't what I wanted to talk about," she replied, pointing at him with one of her fingers.

Jaehyun thought she looked cute with her annoyed face.

"Well, then enlighten me," he asked with a sideways smile.

She cleared her throat again and unconsciously started playing with her fingers again.

Yes, that was definitely a tic.

"I... wanted to ask you something," she murmured, and when she didn't receive a response from the boy, she continued. "Could you... could you stop selling to Daeho?" she asked without looking him in the eyes. Why couldn't she meet his gaze?

He chuckled softly and then received a glare from her.

"Oh, are you serious?"

Jaehyun looked at her in surprise for a few seconds. He observed every detail about her. From her slightly furrowed eyebrows to her lips that were almost pouting. Then to her hands that played with each other, and then to her clothes, which were very different from what he usually saw her wearing at school. This was more casual; it didn't scream 'look at me, I'm the heir to a billion-dollar company.' This felt more like her, it suited her very well.

But he shouldn't get distracted. Especially not by someone like Hwang (T/N). So he scoffed and gave her a sarcastic smile.

"I'm sorry, Angel, but business are business. I can't stop selling to Daeho just because you ask me to. He's my client, after all, not you" he said, crossing his arms.

"You know my name, Yoonoh," she snapped, mirroring Jaehyun's movement and crossing her arms.

"You know not everyone is allowed to call me Yoonoh," he approached her with a furious look.

His name was something different. Only his family and very close friends called him that, and no one outside that circle could or should call him that. It just wasn't allowed.

So now she was coming and doing it?

"Don't sell anything to Daeho," she asked again, this time with firmness.

"Business. Are. Business," he repeated, emphasizing each word.

"Let's negotiate then," (Y/N) challenged. "How much money do you want?" Without hesitation, Jaehyun burst into laughter and shook his head slightly, making the girl look at him with annoyance and clench her jaw.

Was Jung Jaehyun really laughing at her? Who did he think he was?

"Angel, things don't work like that," Jaehyun teased, running his tongue over his lips. "You won't just come here and tell me what to do or not do, who to sell my shit to and who not to. That's just how things are," he explained with some gestures.

"Listen, Yoonoh," she placed her index finger on the boy's chest and tried to push him, although it was in vain. Jaehyun was stronger and managed to stay in place, not even moving an inch. Jaehyun lowered his gaze a bit to see her eyes and narrowed them, but at that moment, it didn't intimidate her. "Daeho promised not to use again, but I know him. As soon as his parents leave the city again and he feels lonely, he'll come looking for you to buy more stuff. One of the times he did, it ended badly. They punish him every two weeks because he's overspending, and I don't want him to be late with his payment again, because now he's there," she pointed to the garage. "With your boss, who's angry, and I don't know what he's capable of. Daeho has changed a bit since he started using. I'm afraid it might become an addiction and end badly. He lost weight. He's sleeping less. I don't want his habits to change and harm him. If my uncles find out about this, they're capable of anything, even sending him away until he changes those thoughts," she sighed and moved away from Jaehyun a bit. "Daeho is like a brother to me. We've always been together, and I'm afraid something will happen to him, either because of an addiction, a late payment, or whatever. I promised myself I would always take care of him, but I'm failing, and if I can do something to change that now, I will. Just... just stop selling to him."

She murmured the last part, and after a few seconds, she looked into Jaehyun's eyes, hoping to find a response in them, but she saw nothing. Not even an emotion. Nothing. They were flat. Empty.

Why did she think that was a good idea?

Everyone thought that the great Jung Jaehyun had no weaknesses. Or at least that's what he always showed. That was his facade. A tough guy, a dealer who had been through so much that nothing scared him. That was his life, or at least that's what others believed. His body was covered in scars, possible results of the many fights he had had throughout his life. His character was cold, a result of all the hard things he had been through. Of everything that being and belonging to Neo Zone meant.

Of everything that being Jung Jaehyun meant.

Of course, he wouldn't accept the deal with (Y/N) just because of her sentimentalism.

Of course not.

"Ugh, forget it. I shouldn't have even thought about asking you that," (Y/N) murmured as she walked away from him and let out a small sarcastic laugh. Had she forgotten who the boy in front of her was?

But Jung Jaehyun did have weaknesses. Deep down inside him. Amidst everything he presented to the world, they existed, and although no one might know them, they lived with him; and Jeno, his little brother, was one of his weaknesses. He had spent his whole life trying to take care of his brother, trying to prevent him from ending up like him. Trying to keep him away from anything that could hurt him, and if taking on a great responsibility within Neo Zone, even if he hated it, to take care of him, it was necessary... he would do it.

His family would always come first.

Then, the image of a Sicheng came to his mind, causing his throat to dry up and his eyes to close for a moment. Listening to (Y/N) talk about her cousin and how she felt the responsibility for him fell on her somehow shook him. Maybe there was something similar between them.

Something small but significant.

He sighed, debating internally.

“Do you want to negotiate? Then let's negotiate” his voice came out thick and a bit hoarse, (Y/N) turned slightly, surprised by the words that had come out of Jaehyun's mouth. “So, what do you have to offer me?” he prompted, raising his eyebrows.

(Y/N) moved her bag hanging from one of her arms to the front and began searching for her wallet. When she opened it, she remembered something: she didn't have any cash with her.

“Hmm, I don't have cash, but we can go to a nearby ATM and I can give you whatever you want” she said hurriedly, then Jaehyun laughed.

“So, you're offering me money, angel?”

“Well, yes, what do you need?”

Jaehyun made a pensive gesture and placed one of his hands on his chin. Then he looked at the girl and smiled slightly.

“Are you doing well in school?” he asked. Of course, she was doing well in school; she was the top of her class. (Y/N) nodded without understanding. “Alright, do my homework for the rest of the year.”

She frowned and looked at him incredulously.

“Of all the things you could ask for, you want... me... to do your homework?” she asked, confused.

“Look, I'm not doing well in some classes, and the principal warned me that if I didn't improve or maintain my grades, I'd have to drop out. And do you know what that means? That's right, no school, no clients. No clients, no money. No money, angry boss. Do you understand what I'm saying?” he asked, and she nodded “so do my homework, give me your notes, and let's make a deal.”

“You want my notes too?” she asked incredulously “besides, wouldn't it be easier if I gave you money? With whatever you ask from me, you could surely quit working. You wouldn't have to sell drugs anymore.”

Jaehyun scoffed and shook his head. “Do you really think it's that simple?”

“I mean… yes” she replied simply “I give you money, then you won't have to work on your own and stop selling. See? We both win” she said triumphantly.

However, he laughed. “Things don't work like that here, sweet cheeks. It's not just selling and that's it, there are other things, and things aren't that simple. Maybe where you live, it is. But not here. I can't just quit the business like that.”

(Y/N) sighed and looked into Jaehyun's eyes, trying to find something in them. Can't quit the business? She was sure that if Jaehyun was smart enough and asked for enough money, he could survive a few months without needing to continue his drug deliveries and without getting into trouble. So why would he pass up an opportunity like this?

“Jaehyun, just give me a number and I'll write you a check.”

“It's not just about the money for me!” he exclaimed annoyed “look, I'm not here for this... it's not something you'll understand, and it's not something I'll bother explaining to you. It was nice talking to you, Hwang, but I don't want your money” Jaehyun finished, turning around and walking away from the girl without saying anything else.

She closed her eyes and cursed under her breath.

“Wait... do you want my notes and for me to do your homework?”

He smiled slightly and turned around to face her again. Looking at her cynically.

“And a coffee every Monday, like those rich kids drink you have… Oh! And also, if I ever ask you for something, you'll have to do it” Jaehyun spoke playfully.

“What? Will I be your maid or something?”

“Deal?”

“Jaehyun...”

“Deal?” he emphasized this time, raising one of his eyebrows and giving her a hard look. Extending one of his hands, and she looked at him hesitantly.

Was it really necessary to shake hands?

Moreover, of all the things she could give him; money, clothes, jewelry... damn, she could even buy him a plane ticket to an island and a free vacation if she wanted to... did he decide that she would do his homework for the rest of the year, in addition to treating her like his servant whenever he pleased?

Jaehyun sure was interesting.

“Is there any catch?” she asked hesitantly, looking at the boy's hand.

“Take it or leave it. I can continue selling to your cousin, it’s up to you if you want to close the deal or not” he shrugged. (Y/N) gave him one last look and without saying anything else, she took Jaehyun's hand in hers and shook it.

“Deal” she murmured, looking at him directly.

Jaehyun gave her a sideways smile while still shaking her hand and nodded cynically. (Y/N) swallowed hard and quickly let go of the boy's hand.

She hoped he would keep his word, because as soon as he broke it, she would forget who he was, and she herself would kick his ass if necessary.

“It was nice doing business with you, Hwang (Y/N).”

Hopefully, she wouldn't regret doing business with Jung Jaehyun.

What could go wrong?

“You know that Daeho can go to any other dealer, right? I'm not the only one he can call” he questioned a bit obviously.

“I know” she replied, letting out a sigh “You take care of making your part of the deal, and I'll take care of the rest” he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you know that you also can't go around offering deals or money to other dealers just because your cousin keeps getting into trouble?”

“I know, Jaehyun! I know..”

“The deal I made with you has been innocent. Believe me, another dealer won't ask you for homework and class notes. They'll take advantage of your vulnerability” Jaehyun commented “I'm just saying, be careful with who you talk to and who you get involved with. This is not your zone, you had never set foot here before, you have no idea how things are handled in business here, and nobody... nobody will spare a thought for your little story of the protective cousin who wants to save her cousin from an overdose.”

“You did it though” (Y/N) retorted defiantly.

Jaehyun sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumbs: “Look, I'll stop selling to Daehyun because I keep my word, but you can't make every dealer in Neo Zone do the same. Much less by offering deals to anyone who crosses your path, because money won't be the only thing they'll ask for in return” he continued, this time looking her up and down, making her feel small under his intense gaze. (Y/N) bit her cheek inwardly and then cleared her throat.

“I can take care of myself, thanks for your concern, Yoonoh” she replied with a fake smile.

“I'm not concerned” Jaehyun responded with a smile as he turned around “And (Y/N)?” he saw her over his shoulder “don't call me Yoonoh again. Good luck with your mission of taking care of your cousin as if he is a child, you can leave or stay, maybe you want to see me run.”

When Jaehyun was far enough from her sight, the garage door opened and a Daeho was pushed by Cheol Uk, until his cousin fell to the ground, letting out a groan and placing his hand on his abdomen as he writhed in pain, causing (Y/N) to run towards him with panic evident on her face. She knelt beside him and took his face to examine it, identifying the bruise on his cheek, the cuts on his eyebrow and lip, and the blood running from the latter.

Daeho smiled slightly and after coughing, spoke weakly: “The debt has been paid”.

You're an idiot, Hwang Daeho.

a/n: taglist is open! thank you for reading! wait 4 the next chapter!

next part

[thelibrarian1895]

Gotham is WEIRD, especially the schools

So, just going to say it, gym classes in each and every Gotham city school, and Gotham private school, result in Gotham educated kids who don't skip gym class being just a little less than world class martial artists by the time they graduate high school. There are some who are better than others of course but for the most part, if you went to school in Gotham and you did your best in gym, you developed the ability to beat up an average of five non Gothamites without breaking a sweat. You also had an immediate edge if you wanted to try stunt work or feature in the action genre in movie or tv shows thanks to your elementary/middle/high school gym classes. This is how Batman can still have trouble with mooks in Gotham. It's not just quantity that gives him trouble, they have some legit skills to go with size, strength, and willingness to try to break someone's skull for money. Most gym teachers in Gotham are defectors from a martially adept cult, retired assassin with no concept of how normal not in Gotham gym classes are generally conducted, or Gothamites who were raised with the weird gym classes so they're teaching what they know and what they know is how to beat the snot out of people who have less than Bat level training. And the rest of school administration is generally too intimidated or doesn't care or they're happy the kids have an extra edge in case of school shootings to say or do anything about the scary gym teacher.

This definitely helped both Jason and Tim when they started their Robin training. This helped Stephanie when she decided to be a vigilante under her own power and gave Duke an edge when he had to go through his whole mess. This also made Dick's childhood athletic antics and Damian's current school antics stand out a great deal less than they would in schools outside of Gotham.

So yeah, only in Gotham is your gym teacher 100% a former assassin/mercenary/goon/mafioso who will make sure that you can hold your own in a fight against almost anyone.

Unfortunately for those who end up being goons or rogues, almost does not include the Bats.

[writing-reference-redux]

Character Headcanon Ask Game

For canon characters, AUs, and OCs!

Have your followers send a character and a number, and you give them a headcanon to match! For anachronistic asks (for example, favorite tv show when the character lives in a fantasy setting), just try to imagine what the answer would be.

What is this character's...

🍽️ - All-time favorite food?

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😉 - Lying ability?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 - Relationship with their family?

🛝 - Best childhood memory?

🫂 - Favorite way to show affection?

😍 - Thoughts on romance and/or sex?

😳 - Reaction to being flirted with?

💘 - Relationship status?

🌹 - Favorite thing to do on a date?

😴 - Sleeping habits?

🛏️ - Bedroom setup?

🛁 - Bathing habits?

🤕 - Reaction to being injured?

🤒 - Reaction to being sick?

😷 - Reaction to being put into quarantine/ lockdown?

🪦 - Thoughts on death?

🎁 - Favorite gift ever?

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🕺🏼 - Thoughts on dancing?

🎵 - Favorite genre of music?

🎶 - Three favorite songs ever?

📺 - Favorite TV show?

🎞️ - Favorite movie?

🔪 - Thoughts on scary movies?

🍿 - Favorite movie snacks?

📖 - Favorite book?

🐁 - Favorite small animal?

🐘 - Favorite large animal?

🐈 - Favorite pet?

🐜 - Thoughts on bugs and spiders?

🚢 - Dream vacation?

💼 - Must-have items when packing for a trip?

🚗 - Driving skills?

⛺ - Thoughts on camping?

❄️ - Favorite season?

🎄- Favorite holiday?

💸 - Financial situation?

🏃‍♂️ - Athletic abilities?

🏀 - Favorite sports to watch or participate in?

😢 - Biggest emotional triggers?

😡 - Biggest pet-peeves?

👩🏼‍🎓 - Level of education?

🙈 - Visual skills?

🙉 - Listening skills?

🙊 - Speaking skills?

🧮 - Math skills?

👔 - Style?

👑 - Self-image?

🔨 - Handy skills?

🪜 - Thoughts on heights?

🧸 - Most prized possession?

[i-am-baechu]

♡ Summary: Kim Seokjin is a popular cardiologist at Map of Seoul Hospital. Everyone looks up to him, especially a rookie named L/N Y/N. 

♡ Pairing: Doctor! Seokjin! x Rookie Nurse! Y/N

♡ Rating: Explicit (18+) 

♡ Genre: Doctor Jin!, Nurse reader, Jin is a little turd, Y/N is cheerful and outgoing, love at first sight, fluff, romance, comedy, angst, and smut 

♡ Warnings: Medical stuff and sex scene 

♡ Author's Note: Inspired by a Japanese drama I watched! I think this my new fav fic lol

♡ Playlist - I love official hige dandism

“The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance” -Brian Tracy 

I was eighteen when everything made sense for me. 

I was on a school trip and I was going around town with my friends. The spring just hit the city and the petals fell from the trees onto the busy streets. Writing in my notebook about the different sights was hard to do because there was no surface to write neatly. How was my teacher expecting nice work? I just tried my best to write it as neatly as I could. 

I saw a little shop that was selling little charms and I couldn’t stop myself. There was a cute cat that was holding a heart, they were all cute but one caught her eye. It was a hamster holding a heart that said LUCK in bold letters. She gently picked it up and the shopkeep smiled at me, “Interested?” 

“Yes...how much?”

The older lady shook her head and took the charm, “No worries. It’s free for you.”

I was confused and tilted my head at her, “Free? Why-”

“It can give you luck in the future with your job, education, and more importantly love.”

“Love?” 

The lady nodded her head and handed me a special red velvet bag with gold symbols, “Good luck.”

I waved goodbye to her and walked away with a little smile on my face. Love. I have always wanted love ever since my mom told me about her love story with my dad. It just sounded so perfect and beautiful. Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with their soulmate? 

It was an empty street and it was pretty with the flowers covering the park cars. I put my hair in a low ponytail and continued to walk to the next place that was on the paper. I saw a light pink tissue on the street and I looked up to see an older woman with her bike. I picked up the tissue and ran towards her, “Excuse me, you dropped this.”

All of a sudden, she fell to the floor. I took off my sweater and placed it under her head. I looked around me and I saw an EpiPen. I picked it up and looked at her face to see it was swollen alongside her arm. She stared at the EpiPen and started to panic. She had never used an EpiPen, she’s only ever seen one on TV.

“Help!! Someone, help!!” 

“What’s happening!?”

She looked up and saw an older man making his way to her. His eyes were kind and his smile made her feel okay. He kneeled next to her and pushed some hair behind the older lady, “It’s going to be okay. Seokjin! I need your help!” 

She turned her head and her eyes widened when she saw a handsome man around her age. He glanced at her but didn’t say anything. She watched them help the lady but her eyes never left “Seokjin”. He was so handsome and he knew what he was doing. The older man turned to her and gave her a soft smile, ���Call an ambulance okay. She’s going to be okay thanks to you.”

“Okay.”

I watched the older lady getting rolled behind the ambulance and I stared with nervousness. Just then I felt a hand on the top of my head and she looked up to see “Seokjin'' smiling at me, “You did great.”

“Th-Thank you...my name is L/N Y/N.”

He ruffled my hair and started to walk to the ambulance but he looked back at me, “My name is Seokjin. We’ll take her to the Map of Seoul Hospital where I’m a resident, she’s going to be okay.” 

I nodded my head and watched him enter the ambulance with the older man. She continued to watch until the ambulance was out of her sight. I figured out what I wanted to do with my life and it was all thanks to Seokjin. I wanted to be a nurse to support Seokjin. 

Y/N stared at the hospital with a smile on her face, it was actually happening. She spent five years working on becoming a nurse. The amount of tests she took and all the studying paid off for this moment. Her grip around her bag strap tightened and she nodded her head, “Let’s go..” 

“Y/N!” 

She turned around and she waved with excitement, “Kook!! Tae!!”

Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung ran towards her with smiles on their faces. Jungkook and Taehyung are her closest friends from nursing school. They were her rock when things got hard and they supported her like how real brothers would. Jungkook and Taehyung were going to be a pediatric nurse while Y/N was going to become a cardiovascular nurse. There were only two people who wanted to be cardiovascular nurses in their nursing program, Y/N and an acquaintance named; Park Aria. Park Aria is an amazing student and she was always on top of her classes while Y/N was in the middle. Aria belonged in the medical field and it was clear. 

“Are you ready?” 

Y/N nodded her head as the three walked through the hospital doors, “I’ll try my best. We got this, right!?” 

Jungkook nodded his head at her and looked at Taehyung, “I can’t wait to see the kids.”

Taehyung let out a small laugh and gently slapped Jungkook’s shoulder, “If you can handle blood.” 

“Don’t tease him, blood is scary.” 

Y/N went to change into her uniform and she stared at herself in the mirror. She wanted to cry but she already cried with her mom yesterday and she couldn’t ruin her uniform. She couldn’t let Seokjin see her tears. She smacked her cheeks gently and nodded her head, “Let’s do this.” 

She walked towards the cardiology station and saw Aria there. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly. She was always awkward with Aria not because she didn’t like her but because Aria was always serious. She didn’t want her to be uncomfortable with her. 

“Aria...good morning.” 

Aria turned towards her and gave a small smile, “Good morning, Nurse L/N.” 

Y/N’s face felt hot and she bowed her head, “So-Sorry, Nurse Park. Good morning, Nurse Park.”

Aria smiled at her and turned towards the staff. Y/N glanced at the staff and rushed to stand next to Aria. The staff smiled at them and bowed towards them, “Welcome to Cardiology. My name is Cho Chaewon and I’m the head nurse. I’m glad we have new faces.”

“I know the most here so any questions, ask me.”

Y/N turned her head to see a tan man with black glasses. He was chubby but it was like a teddy bear, he would give the best hugs, “My name is Min Minho.”

“My name is Lee Sonia.”

Aria bowed at the nurses and Y/N glanced at her. She bowed her head alongside Aria hoping she didn’t embarrass herself, “Thank you!” 

When she stood back up, there were footsteps that echoed through the room. She turned her head and she saw Seokjin reading a paper on his clipboard. Everything around her went silent and she saw Seokjin. She saw him with a spotlight and his smile that she remembered. She clenched her chest gently as he left her sight. Minho glanced at her and smirked. He leaned towards Y/N, “Are you staring at the devil?” 

“Eh? Devil?” 

Sonia nodded her head with a frown, “He’s so handsome but he’s so ruthless.”

Y/N shook her head and glanced at Seokjin, “That can’t be...he was so nice to me that day.”

“WHAT!? Nice!?”

She jumped at the sudden yell and nodded her head at Minho, “Yeah...when I was eighteen I met him. He was kind to me.”

Minho shook his head with a chuckle, “Maybe you hit your head and assumed it was him being nice.” 

Chaewon sighed and shook her head, “Now, Y/N and Aria...You guys will be heading to a lecture by the head doctor. After that, just make your way back to us and we’ll discuss teams.” 

Going down the hallway felt surreal. Y/N overheard conversations that she read in her textbook, it was exciting. She continued to make her way but at the end of the hall, she saw Seokjin. He was talking to another doctor and she couldn’t help but smile. She made her way to him and watched the other doctor leave. This is my chance....

She stood in front of Seokjin and smiled at him, “Doctor Kim, I’m so excited to work with you. It’s nice to meet you again.” 

The look he was giving, she couldn’t understand and she tilted her head, “Who are you?” 

She blinked her eyes a couple of times and felt flustered, “I’m L/N Y/N...I met you five years ago and we helped save an older woman together....” 

He raised her eyebrow and he continued to stare at her, “I have things to do...rookie, keep to yourself. No one likes to hear unwanted memories.” 

Her mouth dropped and she stared at him with a shocked face, This can’t be the same person I fell in love with... “Huh?” 

“Talking about the past or other stuff is a waste.” 

She continued to stare at him with a shocked face and he looked back at her with an annoyed look, “Eh?”

“Get back to work, rookie.” 

He walked away from her and she continued to stare at the absent spot. That can’t be him...he stole his identity. There’s no way that can- 

“Y/N? Are you okay?”

She turned around and saw Jungkook looking at her with a concerned look. She pouted and shook her head, “I met an imposter.”

“What?”

“That can’t be Seokjin...The man I fell in love with. It’s the only logical reason.”

Jungkook nodded his head and let out a small laugh, “I’ll let you believe that.” 

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°┊

“Nurse L/N and Nurse Park, let me introduce you to the doctors of this unit.” 

Y/N was still in a confused daze after her encounter with Seokjin. Even during the introduction in the main hall she wasn’t really listening. Five years later she wanted to meet him and have something blossom. Now the only thing that is blossoming is pure confusion and shock. Two feelings you don’t want to feel in a hospital. 

“This is Doctor Jung.” Y/N turned to see a handsome tan man that had a heart smile. He looks very kind or he could be an imposter... 

“This is the head doctor, Doctor Kim Hyeon, and his son Kim Seokjin.”

She quickly looked away when she saw those stern brown eyes, he looks like he hates me. After a minute, she looked back to see him staring at her still. She hated this feeling. She embarrassed herself in front of him and now she has to work with him. It was a headache but she wasn’t going to give up. She wouldn’t give up on him. 

“Y/N-”

“Yes.”

Chaewon raised her eyebrow and let out a small laugh, “You don’t even know what I’m going to ask you.”

Y/N softly said sorry and bowed her head at the older woman. Embarrass myself again, come on Y/N.

“Y/N, you will be on Doctor Kim’s team.”

Y/N looked between the father and son duo. She was hoping it was with his father, it would be easier for her. “Which one?”

“Obviously mine. Stupid.”

Her eyes widened and looked at Seokjin who was shaking his head at her. She bit her lip and rubbed her arm gently, “Right…sorry.”

Doctor Hyeon laughed at this and shook his head, “Y/N, I appreciate your enthusiasm. It makes me happy to see the new generation excited to help.”

Y/N smiled at this and it was the first time today she felt truly happy, “Always excited to help, Doctor.”

She heard a scoff and glanced at Seokjin who was rolling his eyes. She didn’t let this get to her because she was telling the truth. She wanted to help everyone and make people’s lives easier. It was her duty as a nurse now. 

Chaewon put the clipboard on her desk and she clapped her hands, “Okay, now let’s head towards our teams and help our patients.”

“Yes!”

Y/N was following Seokjin at a distance. Down the hall, everyone was glancing at him and she realized that everybody has a crush on him. He was handsome and he was the top doctor here, what’s not to like? He opened the door to the main doctor's office and she bowed to the other doctors before catching up with Seokjin. She quickly sat in the chair next to him as she continued to look over the clipboard as the sound of keys echoed through the empty room. She couldn’t look up from the gray board and the words before her gave her comfort (even if it was a diagnosis). 

Seokjin sighed and turned towards her, “Shouldn’t you be assisting me and not just sitting there?” 

She swallowed some spit and looked at him with nervous eyes, “Well, Doctor, you didn’t give me any assignment...”

“You’ve been reading the same paper for thirty minutes, shouldn’t you know what your assignment is?” 

“Huh?” She glanced down at the paper and re-read it. Her eyes widened and realized that it was telling her about a patient. She looked up at Seokjin who was smirking at her with a raised eyebrow, “Well?”

She stood up from her seat and bowed at him, “I’ll be going.” 

He watched her leave and he couldn’t help but let a small laugh escape. Hoseok glanced at him with curiosity and leaned towards him, “Did you just laugh?”

Seokjin turned towards him and rolled his eyes, “Do you have the report I needed this morning?” 

“O-Oh, don’t change the subject.” 

Y/N walked into the room and the frown she once had was replaced. She quickly made her way to Jungkook who was helping a little girl, “Kook~!” 

Jungkook turned around and smiled at her, “Y/N, how was the rest of the morning?” 

She frowned and shook her head, “I’m on his team...I’m happy but also sad.”

“Don’t let him bother you. Why are you here?” 

“Ah.” She showed him the clipboard and then looked around the ward, “I’m looking for Seo Jimin.” 

“Ah, Jimin. She’s sleeping right now. She just had her blood drawn.”

Y/N nodded her head and looked down at the little girl, “Hello, what’s your name?”

“Kimmy.” 

“Pleasure to meet you Kimmy, I’m Nurse L/N.”

Kimmy tilted her head and pointed towards her, “Idiot.” 

“Eh?” Kimmy started laughing and she ran from them leaving Y/N with a shocked face. She looked towards Jungkook and frowned, “Did I piss someone off? Why is everything going wrong today?”

Jungkook patted her back gently and offered her a gentle smile, “It’s okay Y/N. Things will get better.” 

“Better my ass...”

“Don’t swear. Kids can hear.”

“Sorry...Can you show me Seo Jimin’s room?” 

They walked down the hall and she smiled as the kids laughed through the empty halls. It was different from the cardio halls. In those halls, it felt like she had to be serious and she saw Taehyung talking to a nurse with a clipboard. He looked like he had been doing this for years. She smiled at this and continued to follow Jungkook. 

“This is Seo Jimin’s room.”

Y/N nodded her head and peeked her head through the curtains to see the eleven-year-old she read about. Jimin looked up and gave her a small wave, “Are you my new nurse?” 

“Kind of, my name is Y/N. I’m from Doctor Kim’s office.”

“Jinnie? He’s the greatest, isn’t he?” 

Y/N let out a small laugh and nodded her head I thought he was, “He is. You're my first patient.” 

“What kind of tests are you doing for me?”

Y/N sat on the bed gently and shook her head, “I’m here to meet you.” She looked around and saw hamster stickers on her wall with a familiar K-pop group, “You like Red Velvet?”

Jimin's grin widened and nodded her head, “I love Yeri but Wendy is my bias.” 

“Ah, good choice. Is that why you have the hamsters?” 

“It makes me think of my room at home. It makes me smile.” 

Y/N smiled at this and nodded her head, “Music is the greatest pleasure one can have. It makes you feel happy with a simple note. It’s amazing.” 

“Y/N, I hope I get to see you more. I don’t get to talk about my music.”

“You can always talk to me. We can talk about Red Velvet, every minute of the day.” 

Jimin laughed and looked at Jungkook, “Do you like Red Velvet?” 

“I’ve heard of them.” 

Jimin pouted and leaned towards Y/N, “He’s boring. I like you.” 

At least you like me, “I like you too.” Y/N glanced down at her watch and then back at Jimin with a frown, “I have to go but don’t be afraid to push the button or call for Mr. Boring.” 

“I can still hear you.”

“Okay Nurse Y/N.” 

Y/N and Jungkook walked outside and walked towards the front desk of the pediatrician department.  She sighed and glanced at Jungkook, “She had purplish lips...I read that she’s been having shortness of breath more frequently. Any news on that?” 

“Doctor Yu says that they're waiting for a test result to see her oxygen levels...if it’s good then she can be discharged with medication but they don't think that's going to happen.”

“I saw her calendar...she has Friday circled for her discharge. I hope everything turns out for her.” 

Y/N was making her way back to the Seokjin’s office but was stopped. She looked up to see Doctor Jung giving her a friendly smile, “Are you the one who is trying to defeat the devil?”

She tilted her head and she was confused, “Devil?”

“Yeah, Jin.”

“O-Oh, Doctor Seokjin...wait-defeat?” 

Hoseok let out a laugh and nodded his head, “I think you're the one that can defeat him and I'll help you.” 

“I-I don’t want to defeat anyone!?” 

“I’ll help you with him. I’ve known him since we were kids, I’ll get him to like you back.”

Y/N’s eyes widened and she looked around her frantically, “Don’t say that so loud...wait you’ll help me? Why?”

Hoseok leaned forward with their foreheads almost touching. This caused Y/N to be stiff at the sudden action, “I want to see him happy. Let’s defeat the devil.”

Y/N smiled at this and nodded her head, “O-Okay.~” 

Hoseok looked around and glanced at the vending machine, “You want a protein bar?” 

“Oh, that sounds good. Is it chocolate?” 

“I think so, let’s go see together.” 

“Okay.”

There was a pair of annoyed eyes on her back and maybe if she saw the eyes, she would melt under the brown irises. 

“Nurse Y/N?”

“Mmm?” 

Y/N was drawing Jimin’s blood as she was making her usual rounds, “Do you think I’ll be able to leave this week?” 

Y/N's brain stopped working for a second and she swallowed her spit. She glanced at Jimin and gave her a gentle smile, “Hopefully. Medicine will always be there for you, no matter what.”

“I want to see my council friends.” 

Y/N brought the needle to the vial and smiled at Jimin, “You're on the council?” 

“Yeah, I’m the student body president.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. That means you can handle responsibility.” 

Jimin nodded her head and just then the curtains were pushed to see a group of younger kids. They all looked at Jimin with a star in their eyes and Y/N couldn’t help but feel her heart swelled. “Unnie! Can you read this for me?”

Jimin smiled and looked at Y/N, “They always come with the new books.”

Y/N glances at the book and smiles, “Reading about Spider-man. He really is amazing, right?”

“Yeah!” 

Taehyung entered the room and waved at Y/N, “Yo.” 

“Hey, you. How’s everything?” 

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders and frowned at her, “I haven’t seen you much. I missed you.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. She stood up from her chair and picked up a little girl to sit next to Jimin. She rubbed the top of her head and walked towards Taehyung, “You never texted me back.” 

“Y/N, you know I don’t have my phone.”

“But you have a laptop.” 

“Be nice to me. I’ll make it up by buying you lunch.”

Y/N pursed her lips together and nodded her head, “I want crab.”

“Eh? It’s not in season though?”

“Then I guess you don’t want to make it up with me...” 

Taehyung pouted and nodded his head, “Fine.” 

“Nurse L/N is this what you do when I ask you to make your rounds?” 

Y/N stiffened and looked behind Taehyung to see Seokjin glaring at her making her feel small. She bowed to him and as soon as she did, her papers slipped out of the folder and onto the ground. She closed her eyes and she already knew he was going to get mad at her. She slowly looked up and gave him a small smile, “Sorry...”

“Are you just going to look at me or pick up the papers?” 

She nodded her head and picked up the papers in a rush. She pushed some hair back and handed him the folder, “This is the vitals for Choi Nari in room 782.” 

“It’s room 781.”

She glanced down at her paper and then back at him with a sheepish smile, “Room 781...I just took Seo Jimin’s vitals.” 

“Good job, you can draw blood. At least you can do that right.” 

Seokjin walked past her and she frowned at this, so I messed up again. Taehyung shook his head and looked at Y/N with a disapproving look, “Out of all the men, you like him.”

She glared at Taehyung and then watched Seokjin talk to Jimin with the same softness he did when she was younger, “I like him because...because he’s the same person that was kind to me on that fateful day.”

“Idiot.” 

“I heard you.”

“Nurse L/N are you going to help me or just keep talking?” 

She bowed at Seokjin and then stuck her tongue at Taehyung, “Coming!” 

Taehyung watched with a small smile on his face, “Idiot...

 ┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°┊

Hoseok pointed at the cafe and smiled at Y/N, “Every morning, Jin gets a mocha with a chocolate croissant.” 

Y/N glances at the cafe in the entrance of the hospital and then back at him with a shocked look, “He likes sweets?” 

Hoseok laughed while nodding his head, “Shocking?”

“He’s the opposite of sweet...salty...no maybe sour.”

“But today is Friday. He gets a white chocolate croissant.” 

“Wow, he has a strong sweet tooth.” 

Hoseok and Y/N enter the cafe and the smell of coffee hits her nose. She scrunched her nose at the smell because she wasn’t the biggest fan of coffee but then the smell of fresh pastry came. She smiled and looked into the small window, “They have fresh muffins... oh, they have strawberries!?” 

Hoseok laughed, “The strawberries are really good.” 

“Doctor Jung?”

Y/N turned around and saw Aria looking at her with a frown. Y/N waved at her but when it wasn’t returned she slowly put her hand down. Y/N bowed at her and offered an awkward smile, “Good morning Aria.” 

“Good morning Nurse L/N. Doctor Jung, are you just coming in?” 

Hoseok turned towards her and nodded his head, “Yeah, would you like a coffee?” 

Aria let a smile appear and she shook her head, “You don’t have to...I appreciate it though.” 

“You should let me treat you after yesterday. You were the only one that caught her block artery.” 

“I had you to help me...I should be saying thank you, Doctor Jung.”

“Give yourself credit.” 

Y/N glanced between the two and she heard wedding bells. She smiled and looked at Hoseok, “Aria is amazing. She was always on top of the classes.” 

Hoseok smiled at this and nodded his head, “I can see that. You're talented. I’m glad you're on my team.”

“Doctor Jung...” 

Y/N looked past Aria and she rushed to the entrance, “Good morning Doctor Kim.” 

Seokjin rolled his eyes and moved past her, “You're blocking the entrance.”   

Y/N moved away and bit her lip, “Sorry...”

“Ah, Jin.”

Seokjin looked up and saw Hoseok with a smile on his face, “What?” 

“I was ordering Y/N a muffin. Would you like a coffee?” 

Seokjin glanced at Y/N and was already looking at him with a smile, “Muffin?”

“What was that?”

Seokjin let out a small cough and shook his head, “I said nothing. I want nothing.” 

Seokjin went to the cashier and ordered his usual but he glanced at the strawberry muffin. He looked over his shoulder to see Y/N talking to Hoseok with a wide smile on her face. He looked back at the cashier and nodded his head, “The muffin too, please.” 

“I had to give her a quick stitch with Doctor Yu.”

“Y/N, you learn on the fly. Good work.” 

“Thank you, Doctor Jung.” Just then a brown paper hit her face and she let out a small hmph. She looked to the side and saw Seokjin holding the said bag that hit her, “Eh?” 

“It's a muffin. Take it.” 

She looked at the bag and then at him with a wide smile, “You bought me a muffin? Is this going to be our thing on Fridays?”

Seokjin rolled his eyes and looked at Hoseok, “Don’t you have a meeting with my dad?” 

Hoseok glanced at his watch and cussed under his breath, “I’ll see you later Y/N.” 

“Bye Doctor Jung.” 

Y/N took the bag and looked at him with curious eyes, “What flavor?”

“Strawberry.” 

“Really? I wanted to try these. Thank you, Doctor Kim.” 

“Hurry up and eat that so we can get to work. No slacking today.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Don’t salute.” 

Doctor Yu frowned and looked at Y/N, “Sadly Seo Jimin won’t be discharged.”

Y/N looked at her and then back at the papers, “Her oxygen levels...you don’t mean...”

“Yes, a heart transplant.” 

Y/N stood in the office and glanced at Seokjin with a frown, “Isn’t she young for this?” 

“Nurse L/N, if someone needs treatment then they need it.”

Y/N nodded her head and looked down at her shoes. She felt stupid for saying that and she got scolded again. How many times will she get scolded by Seokjin? 

Hyeon looked at his son, “Now Jin. Behave. It was a good question. Y/N always asks good questions regarding patients.” 

Y/N looked up and smiled at his father, “Doctor Kim...” 

Seokjin rolled his eyes and glanced at his dad, “I’ll be going. I have to talk to Jimin’s mother.” 

Y/N watched him walk out and frowned, “Mean.”

Hyeon let out a laugh and stood up from his desk, “Don’t worry about him.” 

“Doctor Kim?” 

“You're doing great. He’s harsher on you because he sees potential in you.” 

Her eyes widened and it looked like she had stars in her eyes, “Really!? You think so!?” 

Hyeon nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest, “I know so.” 

“All you do is talk, hurry up.” 

Y/N turned around to see Seokjin standing there with an annoyed face. She bowed at him and nodded his head, “Sorry. I’m coming.”  She turned towards Hyeon and bowed, “Bye Doctor Kim.” 

Hyeon let out a small laugh, “Bye, Y/N.” 

Hyeon watched them leave with a smile on his face. He glanced down at the picture of his wife and smiled, “I think she's good for him. What do you think, Yuri?” 

Y/N followed Seokjin but she was looking down at her shoes. She felt like if she looked at his back then he would grow arms from his back and attack her. She was so focused on her white shoes that she walked into his back when he stopped. She looked up to be met with his disapproving look, “Sorry...” 

Seokjin didn’t say anything but it quickly changed when he saw Jimin’s mom, “Mrs. Seo, thank you for coming by.”

Mrs. Seo gave him a smile and nodded her head, “I’ll do anything for Jimin. Will she be able to leave today?” 

Seokjin frowned and shook his head, “That’s what I need to talk to you about. Let’s go talk in the hallway.”

Y/N bowed at Mrs. Seo and she glanced at Jimin who was soundly asleep. She smiled at this and took out a small plushie from her pocket. She placed the hamster right to her and she smiled when she saw her hug it.

“She’s been sleeping for almost the whole day.”

She turned around and saw Taehyung with a frown, “I heard....”

“She’s not getting discharged is she?”

Y/N shook her head and looked at Taehyung, “How was your day?”

“Jungkook forgot his lunch so I shared mine. I’m hungry.” 

Y/N let out a small laugh, “You're always saving him.” 

“I can save you but you won’t let me.”

Y/N glanced at Jimin and shrugged her shoulders, “I can take care of myself.”

“You would let Jim take care of you.” 

She frowned at his tone and looked at him, “You always bring him up.” 

“Because it's the truth. This weekend we're going to the crab place?”

“If that’s okay with you?”

“It's perfect for me.” 

“Nurse Kim, Nurse L/N, let’s leave Jimin’s room. She needs rest.” 

Y/N glances over Taehyung’s shoulder to see Seokjin glaring but not her. She followed his eyes to see him glaring at Taehyung. She frowned at this but didn’t say anything. She bowed at Taehyung and made her way to Seokjin, “Sorry Doctor Kim. I was checking her vitals.” 

“Good. We need to check on Sakura in room 342. Tell me her condition.”

“Right.” She turned around and waved goodbye to Taehyung, “I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Nurse L/N, hurry up.” 

“Sorry, coming!” 

The walk to Sakura’s room was quiet and Y/N kept glancing at her shoes and his Seokjin’s back. Seokjin’s shoulders were so broad and she wondered what it would look like underneath or what he would look like with just his doctor's coat. Her mind started to wonder and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Y/N, would you like to treat me?”

“Nurse L/N, did you hear me?”

She shook her head and looked at him, “Eh?”

He sighed and looked at the paper, “Sakura is twenty-six, she’s been having breathing problems. Her heart rate has been slower than usual. We need to do an echo.” 

Y/N nodded her head, “Echo?” 

“Have you seen one?” 

Y/N shook her head and he sighed, “Then I’ll show you.”

Being this close to Seokjin was a dream. He was showing her Sakura’s heart but the only thing she saw was hearts in her eyes. The way his hair fell to his forehead and his gentle voice when he talked to patients made everything lighter. It felt like clouds were around her and Cupid was shooting her heart. 

“Okay Sakura, we’re done. We will tell you the results when we get them.” 

“Thank you, Doctor Kim.”

The two walked out and Seokjin crossed his arms over his chest, “What were we looking at in the echo?”

Y/N stared at Seokjin and bit her lip, “The chambers...”

“And why is that?”

“To see fluid...”  

Seokjin sighed and shook his head, “Can you be more confident Y/N?”

Her eyes widened and she looked at him with a smile, “You said Y/N?” 

“Focus.” 

“Can I call you Jin?”

“Focus.” 

Y/N was at her desk when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled, “Doctor Jung.” 

“How's the devil?” 

“Still the devil but he called me by name. I hope I can hear it one more time.”

Hoseok laughed and nodded his head, “You're going somewhere with him.” 

“You think so?” 

“Definitely. I was going to ask about Seo Jimin's vitals from earlier.” 

Y/N nodded her head and started going through her papers. She started telling Hoseok but she was unaware of the familiar brown eyes on her. He looked between them and he couldn’t help but glare at Hoseok. He shook his head and made his way down the hall away from the scene. 

“I was actually going to check on her...this isn’t easy. She was so excited to be discharged.” 

Hoseok checked his watch and sighed, “It’s late. She should be sleeping but by all means you can pop in. It doesn’t hurt to check.” 

“Thank you, Doctor.” 

Walking in the halls when it's night felt weird. There were fewer people which means it's quiet. The only sounds you can hear are the shoes on the tiles and the small conversations between the staff. Y/N walked down the hallway and when she was about to open Jimin's door, she noticed it was open. Her eyes widened and opened the door quietly. She took her phone out and shined the light to see Jimin’s bed empty, “Shit.”

Y/N ran out of the room but she bumped into someone, “I’m so sorry-”

“Y/N?”

She looked up and felt relieved, “Jungkook, you're just the person I needed. Seo Jimin is missing from her bed.” 

The nurses were running around the hospital including Y/N. She was in the stairwell that led up to the roof and her eyes widened when she saw the familiar hamster stickers on the floor. She ran to the roof and slammed open the door. She saw Jimin crying on a bench with her knees to her chest. Y/N frowned and slowly walked to her, “Jimin...” 

“Leave me alone.”

Y/N sat next to her and wrapped her arm over her shoulders, “Never...You're upset about the discharge, aren’t you?”

“I thought I was getting better. I was doing everything right but my body...it wouldn’t let me.”  

Y/N frowned at this and gently rubbed her arm, “The body is stubborn sometimes. It matches our spirits. Remember, there's no rush in getting better. Take your time so you can be strong.” 

Jimin glanced at Y/N with a frown and red eyes, “I don’t want to be broken anymore.” 

“You're not broken. Don’t ever say that. You have so much love that your heart just couldn’t take it. Keep that love and positivity. I know it's hard but it will get through so much and it will get better.” 

“Will you be with me?”

“Of course I will.” Y/N let her go and took off her cardigan to place over Jimin’s shoulder. She pushed some hair off of the younger girl’s forehead, “I’ll be with you okay. Every step.”

“I’m sorry I ran away...”

Y/N shook her head and looked up at the sky, “I get it. I would run away too. Look at all the stars shining.” 

“I like the stars.” 

“It’s pretty like you. Let’s get you back in bed before it becomes freezing.” 

The two slowly walked down the stairs but they stopped when Seokjin and Taehyung came their way.

“Jimin!” 

Jimin smiled at Taehyung and waved at him, “Tae, I’m sorry I ran away...I just needed a moment.”

Taehyung sighed and went to her level, “I’m just glad you're okay.”

Seokjin glanced at Y/N and noticed the goosebumps. He slipped off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. Her face was in pure shock but he avoided her eyes, “You can’t get sick.”

He walked away as she stared at his back. She smiled to herself and brought his coat closer to her, “It smells so good.” 

“Creep.”

“Shut up.” 

When she was walking out of the hospital, her eyes landed on Seokjin who was waiting. She flattened out her clothes and walked towards him, “Goodnight Doctor Kim.”

“Wait.”

She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to look at him, “Yes?”

“You're always ready to help. No matter what it is.” 

“Doctor-”

“Just like that day. You rushed to help that older woman and you didn’t even question it. You're meant to help people.” 

Y/N felt the heat rush to her face as she stared at him with a smile, “Seokjin...” 

“You're meant to help people, even if you're annoying.” He walked away and Y/N was left alone standing in the middle of the entrance. She raised her hands to the sky like in a victory pose, “HE REMEMBERS ME!” 

 ┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°┊

It’s been three months since Y/N entered the hospital and it felt like a dream. Well, not a dream because of the sick patients but a dream because of Seokjin. Since that night, it felt like they were closer. He only insulted her three times a day instead of ten, that’s huge. Hoseok has been getting her muffins every Friday but then on Saturday Seokjin buys her tea and a breakfast sandwich. She was confused because she didn’t remember telling him her favorite tea or breakfast sandwich but she wasn’t going to fight him. It was a sign that he paid attention to her or someone told him. She wants it to be the latter. 

“You want me to be your date for your brother's wedding?”

Taehyung nodded his head and took a sip of his tea, “Yeah, sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” 

“I honestly didn’t think I needed one but my mom was pressuring me.”

Y/N sighed and leaned back in her chair, “I’ll do it but I want lobster.”

“You and your seafood. Fine.”

Y/N glanced at the exit and saw Seokjin leaving. Y/N stood up from the chair and downed her tea, “I’ll see you later.”

“Y-”

Taehyung watched her leave the lunch court and he frowned at himself. He looked down at his tea and shook his head, “Always the second choice.” 

Y/N ran towards Seokjin and smiled, “Doctor Kim!” 

Seokjin turned around and sent a glare her way, “Why are you following me?”

Y/N looked around and then gave him a confused look, “I always work with you...it’s been like that for three months.” 

“Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Seokjin walked away and she pouted, “Why is he being mean?” She shrugged her shoulders and followed him to his office. She waved at Hyeon who waved back and she sat next to him. She started to go through the paperwork with him (strutting here and there). Hyeon watched from his desk and smiled to himself. He could tell from his son’s eyes that he was happy but he wanted him to figure it out. He just wished it was faster. 

“Nurse L/N, did you check on Lee Sam in room 109?” 

She flipped the papers through her clipboard and shook her head, “No...it says he’s under Hoseok.”

“You're going to work with Hoseok today.”

She raised her eyebrow and looked at him with a confused look, “Why? I like working with you...we work well together.” I also want to look at your face. 

“I’m going to be in the office all day. You need more training.”

“I can train with you. I don’t mind.”

“Also, Nurse Kim...Make sure you do your work. Don’t talk to him that much.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and slowly nodded her head, “Okay? I’ll be going...bye?” 

She left the office and Jin sighed to himself, “Dad the more you stare, the more annoying it gets.”

“I can’t help it. My son is jealous, it's a sight I neve thought I would see.” 

“Shut up old man.” 

Hoseok handed Y/N her clipboard and let out a laugh, “You really have no idea why Jin sent you to me?” 

Y/N shook her head and closed the curtains, “He said it's because I need more training. What other reason would it be?”

Hoseok sighed and shook his head, “You're so smart but also so stupid.”

“Eh! What did I do!?”  

That night, Y/N was walking down to her favorite ramen restaurant and she was shocked to see him sitting in the middle. She pushed some hair back and sat next to him, “How was the office work?” 

Seokjin put down his chopsticks and shrugged his shoulders, “It was office work.” 

She nodded her head and glanced down at his bowl, “You just eat the noodles and juice?” 

“Yeah, why?”

“You need the toppings. They have the best fried shrimp, it tastes so good with the broth.” Seokjin turned towards her and she was caught off guard with his look, “Is everything okay?” 

“You can stare at me all the time but I can’t do the same?”

“Eh? I don’t stare...I admire...that isn’t any better...”   

He let out a small laugh and turned back to his ramen, “Order something. I’ll pay for it.”

She gasped and put her hands over her mouth, “Like a date?”

“It’s whatever you want it to be.”

She choked on her spit and he turned towards her, “Do I have to do mouth to mouth?”

Y/N choked again but this time she met with his smirk. That dinner was the best dinner Y/N ever had and it was because she felt seen by him for once. She wasn’t the clumsy nurse that always stuttered. She was her true self with him tonight. And she got fried shrimp. 

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°┊

“Tae, this wedding is so long.”

“Y/N, it’s a wedding.” 

“So...”

She sat next to him at the reception and of course, she knew no one. The wedding was cute with the bride's dress being beaded from top to bottom. Sometimes she forgets Taehyung’s family was rich. She glanced down at her chicken and ate a piece as Taehyng talked to his uncle. She looked up to take a sip of her champagne but choked when she saw Seokjin casually talking to the bride. She turned towards Taehyung and slapped his arm, “What the fuck?”

“Ow, what?”

She pointed towards Seokjin and then looked at Taehyung, “Why is he here?” 

Taehyung followed her finger and raised his eyebrow, “What a small world?” 

She wiped her mouth and stood up, “I have to talk to him.”

“You don’t have to. You want to, there’s a difference” 

“No, I have to talk to him because I’m in this pretty dress and I have make-up on. He’s never seen that before.”

“Go for it, I can’t stop you anyways.”

She nodded her head and she rushed towards him leaving Taehyung behind. He sighed to himself and took a sip of his whiskey, “I shouldn’t be shocked but...here I am.”

Y/N pushed her hair and felt the confidence coming from within, this was her moment, “Seokjin?”

Seokjin stopped talking to the bride and turned towards her, “Ah, Y/N. I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“Eh? I told you tho-”

“I wasn’t expecting you.” 

She slowly nodded her head and she turned towards the bride, “I’m going to borrow him real quick.”

Y/N took his wrist and headed out of the ballroom with butterflies in her stomach. When they were in a secluded area she let go of his wrist and leaned against the wall with a nervous look. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and loosened up his tie, “Is everything okay?” 

“No...I can’t hold it back anymore.”  

“Mmm?”

“Kim Seokjin, I like you.”

“I know.”

Y/N stared at him and mouth dropped, “What?”

Seokjin leaned forward and pinned her against the wall with a smirk, “I know you like me.”

“How?”

He gave her a “Are you serious look?” but quickly wiped it off, “I know.” 

“And you didn’t say anything? Why?”

He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her lips making her eyes wide. When he leaned away he placed his forehead against hers, “I was waiting for the right moment.” 

“Ri-Right moment? Was this the right moment? I thought the right moment was-”

“Y/N, I liked you the moment we met. When we saved our first patient together.”

“Really?”

Seokjin let out a small laugh and leaned forward placing a kiss on her nose, “I loved you for all this time. Every day you give me a reason to be my best self. I want to be a better doctor because of you. You always want to help and solve everything, how could I not love you?” 

“Yo-You love me?” 

“I do, I really do.” 

“Holy shit.” 

He leaned away and smiled, “Well, do you-”

“I love you...sorry, you didn’t finish your sentence.” 

“I have a room in this hotel...do you want to go up?” 

“Yeah....Yeah, I do.” 

There were moments when Y/N couldn’t believe stuff. Like when she was five, she couldn’t believe that she saw a double rainbow. At this moment, she couldn’t believe she was going to Seokjin’s hotel room. The man that she’s been in love with since she was eighteen, loves her. He loves her like the way she loves him. What more can she want? 

When the door closed, she stared at him with wide doe eyes that made Seokjin want to die. He walked towards her and gently touched her cheek with his thumb, “I love you...I wish I was more romantic but I would go to the ends of the earth to show you. Roses can’t even express how I love you but they can try. Y/N, you are my person. I love everything about you...even when you ramble.”

She felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked at him, “I wish I had that on my phone...it would be your new ringtone.” 

He laughed and leaned forward without their lips, “No need for that, I’ll tell you every day for the rest of your life.” 

“Promise?”

“Promise.” 

The light of the hotel room illuminated their faces perfectly. The space between them was enough to create a silhouette. They leaned forward and her eyes gave him the answer he needed. Their lips gently touched, making them one under the light. Her arms slowly moved up and wrapped around his neck as he went around her waist. There was no space, no light was going to escape between them on this night.  

“Ji-Jin!” She gasped as Jin inserted a second finger inside, pumping it as fast as he could. She bit her lip harshly trying not to bother the poor people next door, “You don’t have to be quiet.” 

“Jin, there are people-”

“I rented out the rooms around me so I don’t have to deal with loudness.”

“Wow, that was really hot to hear actually.” 

His fingers curled inside of her and it was gently touching her most sensitive spot that made her buck her hips. He pressed his palm to her clit as his fingers continued to move in her, “So good for me.”

“On-Only for you.” 

After the intense orgasm, she glanced at him with a needy look, “Do you have a condom?”

“Of course I do.”

“Take off the rest of your clothes. It's not fair I’m naked and you're not.” 

“Your wish is my command.” 

When Jin comes back, the kiss turns from innocent with pure love to sloppy and needy. He gently pushes her up to have her lay on the pillows as he kisses down her neck. He placed a kiss on top of her breast and looked up, “I would eat you out but I can’t wait any longer. Next time I’ll do it.”

“Ne-Next time?”

“Of course, there will be next time. This pussy will only crave for me after I’m done.” 

He rolled the condom onto his dick and looked up at her with a smile. She returned the smile and nodded her head, “I trust you.” 

He kissed her neck and with a needy moan, she arched her back pressing her body closer to his. She could feel the heat from him and it was only turning her on more. Seokjin positions himself between her legs, his tip teasing her entrance. The waiting was killing her and she kept looking at him with pleading eyes. He begins to enter but once he is halfway, he pulls out causing her to moan out. He smirked at the reaction and stuck himself back in but fully this time. 

He let out a groan as he looked at her face, “I love you.”

“I-I love you more.” 

With each thrust, the love that they were both holding back was flooding up the room. The sounds of moans and wet slaps of their bodies coming together echoed. His movements became more urgent with each passing second, “You’re so...fuck... perfect.” 

Her cheeks flushed from all the love confession but she couldn’t help but feel so blessed in this moment. He gently pushed the hair out of her face as she brought her thumb over his lips, a gentle touch to tell him what her heart wanted to say. His cock continued to pound into her g-spot and each thrust was sending her pure pleasure through her body. 

“Let go, baby.”

She leaned forward placing a kiss on his lips when she felt the intensity coming over her. When she leaned away she felt like there was no air left in her body. Her body felt numb against his but she didn’t want this to end anytime soon. His voice was strained with the pleasure he was feeling, the clenching sensation was making him stutter. 

“Cumming.” 

She clenched her pussy around him harder and this was his breaking point. She was overwhelmed by the intensity of the pleasure as his head fell into her chest. The gasping of air filled the room as they stayed still in this moment. He slowly looked up and kissed her forehead with a soft smile, “My cure...” 

[laurellerual]

Gendry and Arya really fit for me for many reasons but also bc I can't really imagine her with another noble. Like, you see A LOT shipping with Arya and i swear most are nobles

Yes, there are many Arya ships, but I think the “big 3” of the fandom are essentially with Gendry, Jon Snow and Edric Dayne. This is not surprising because they are among the few young people who have meaningful interactions with her. But of this three only Lord Dayne is 100% regular noble highborn. I believe the preference depends a lot on what the reader is looking for when they thinks of a love story.

If you're the type of person who likes to read about a completely non-problematic relationship Edric x Arya is pretty much perfect. They are very close in age, seem to have compatible worldviews, and same social class so there is virtually no obstacle that can keep them apart. I can see it, but personally I think it's a somewhat boring dynamic to read in a story.

Instead Jon x Arya is more interesting as narrative material because it offers many dramatic ideas. It has all the charm of forbidden love, the tension between two souls with a deep and exclusive bond, “us against the world”. But there is the element of incest that may make some readers uncomfortable (even if these are fictional characters in an adult series with no moralizing intent). What doesn't make it my favorite is more the unequal power dynamic (that seems inevitable to me) between an older sibling and the younger sibling who adores them and sees them as an example.

And then there's Gendry x Arya, which I'm pretty sure is the most popular Arya ship. It's one of the ships with the most foreshadowing in the ASOIAF books, the only canon regarding the TV show and the one with the most fanfiction on AO3. I believe the reason for this popularity is that it is a great middle ground between the two we have seen previously. It still have the spiciness of forbidden love because of the class difference. But it's a more acceptable type of "forbidden" for many readers. It's one of the great clichés of the romance genre.

The class difference also brings in its problematic aspects, but in this ship the power dynamics appear balanced enough for me. For example: Gendry is a lowborn uneducated bastard, with no knowledge of fighting but he's also a boy in a misogynistic society, he's physically stronger and knows a useful and profitable trade. Sure Arya is an educated highborn with a rich family, and with some knowledge of self defence, but she is also a girl, tiny, an orphan alone in an environment she doesn't know. There are many ideas for writing an interesting conflict, but fewer taboos.

These are mostly my opinions on why some couples are more popular than others, but feel free to disagree and/or add your own.

[ifuckinglovedinosaurssomuchjesus]

On the subject of Dinosaur Documentaries...

So Life On Our Planet dropped a few days ago, another installment of this seeming boom of these kind of shows since Prehistoric Planet last year, and it got me thinking about this whole little niche genre.

The very first "Paleodoc" was released in 1922, made by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to educate museum goers on how the fossils they saw were collected and prepared. This began the format I like to call the "Talking Heads" Paleodoc which is mainly in the form of interviews or narration over actual footage of Paleontologists at work with the occasional "Live" Dinosaur for visual aid. These are by far the most common form of dinosaur documentary you'll find, even today, mainly because they're cheap to produce and fit in the general style of most science documentaries.

For many decades throughout the 20th century, Paleodocs were pretty rare. They would pop up time to time, and with the sudden influx of attention they got after Jurassic Park, we got some really good ones. Yet they were all the same Talking Head types. What really changed the game was the good ol Magnum Opus of the field: Walking With Dinosaurs.

WWD pioneered the second type of Paleodoc I believe to exist, which are the "In Their World" Paleodocs. These are different in the fact they focus almost entirely on the live visual aids, with the human presence being limited to narration or brief pauses for context. They're meant to simulate the modern nature documentary, like Planet Earth, that focus more on showcasing animal behavior with state of the art filming techniques than being a source of in-depth science.

The success of WWD cannot be overstated, and I have to say I do find the In Their World format a lot more engaging and easier to connect with. They portray the wonder of prehistory spectacularly, letting audiences get emotionally connected in the animal characters the story creates, even if this has lead to criticisms of anthropomorphism. These programs also almost always use real footage of modern day earth for their prehistoric creatures to roam on, which I'm sure is very sad for the people who want to see their favorite dead plants on screen.

The Walking With... series would expand into sequels and spin-offs and Nigel Marven, and other companies like Discovery would jump on the bandwagon and release their own takes on the concept, but by the mid 2010s the format had basically died out. We'd get one or In Their World style doc every few years until we just didn't get anything. Outside of the occasional TV special that reused When Dinosaurs Roamed America footage, it was empty.

It took until Disney's Live Action remake of The Lion King of all things for that pendulum to start swinging again. Seeing those expressionless CGI cats got Jon Favreau thinking about how he could use this technology and the talented people behind it to make something really cool, and we got Prehistoric Planet.

And, in a repeat of Walking With Dinosaurs, we're seeing more of these In Their World type shows. The original guys behind WWD are even making a comeback with their own series, Surviving Earth. Plus even more little hints and rumors of massive incoming projects from overexcited paleontologists trying not to break their embargo.

It looks like the 2020s will be another resurgence in these types of spectacle Paleodocs, and while a good ol Talking Head will always be there, I can't help but get excited for these animated spectacles and all the weird and wonderful ways they flash those visual aids across our TV screens.

[emeraldelysian]

Jung Wheein ✧ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

Pairing: Jung Wheein x Reader Genre: Smut Synopsis: After an awful anniversary date with your boyfriend, you come home to your roommate Wheein to rant about the entire evening. What you don't realize is that Wheein has a plan to make you forget all about your bad date. Wordcount: 1.1K+ Warnings: Reader has F. Anatomy, Roommate AU, Oral (F. Receiving), Lesbian, Praise Kink, Cheating on an Awful Boyfriend (all my homies hate Brian) Note: On my knees for women right now so I decided to write about it

♡︎ follow, provide feedback, or reblog if you enjoyed but please don't repost or translate!♡︎

MDNI, 18+ CONTENT

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

"-And then Brian had the audacity to call me a hot piece of ass in front of his friends! Can you believe it? What a prick."

Wheein watched you pace back and forth in her bedroom as you rambled on and on about the bad date you had with your boyfriend, the TV still on at a lower volume from when she was watching. What was meant to be a nice anniversary dinner at his house had quickly turned into a bro fest with your boyfriend treating you like trash in front of his friends, because he had supposedly "forgotten that you two were going to hang out."

You and Wheein had been roommates for some time, going from dorming together at your university to getting an apartment until you both figured out your lives.

"I mean I love him- or at least, I thought I did. But then I remember that every time we've had sex, he for some reason just doesn't think I need him to do anything?? Like sometimes I want attention too. And when he does give me attention, he makes it feel like a chore. Like he'd rather be doing literally anything else. And like I know sex education is terrible in some schools but he's a grown man. How does he not know what the clit is-"

"Well, what if I eat you out?" She didn't know what urged her to blurt out the words she did, and she avoided looking into your eyes the moment she said it. She could feel your gaze on her though as you took in what she asked.

“You- You want to- really?”

Your voice sounds far away and you have to snap yourself back to reality when Wheein stands up and looks at you.

Wheein nods slowly, brown eyes wide and curious. Pleading.

“You…you always told me girls are better at it than boys are,” she murmurs, hand gently grasping at your hand, “and — and you told me your boyfriend is bad at it. So let me try? Maybe I'll be better…”

She trails off, gnawing at her bottom lip while she looks at you. Her wide eyes and pouty lips make her look so innocent you think you’re going to combust.

'This is wrong', you think to yourself. You have a boyfriend, even if you hated him. The two of you could never be together. She’d probably regret it in the morning, you-

"You can teach me, can’t you? Please?”

Fuck it.

You swallow down the lump in your throat and nod, “Y-yeah, fuck, come here, pretty girl-“

You shuffle on the bed so you can lay against the pillows with your legs spread, your date clothes suddenly suffocating.

Wheein's so eager to please; she nods obediently and immediately scampers to slot herself in between your legs. Pretty manicured hands bring your shorts and panties to the side, and then she freezes. She’s shaking, brown eyes flicking up to meet yours. She has no clue what she’s doing and your pussy is so pretty- she’s nervous.

“S-stick your tongue out, baby. Y-yeah, just like that, oh my god-“ your hand shoots up to fist in those blond strands, the girl’s tongue timid and soft against your folds.

“Go a little…a little harde- fuck, baby, yes, swipe that sweet little tongue across my clit, j-just like that—“ you whimper, gasping. You involuntarily pull her forward, at the same time bucking your hips up to meet her mouth. it’s fucking heavenly.

You don’t even have to tell her what to do next, her plush lips wrapping around the bud and sucking hard. You cry out, eyes squeezing shut.

She pulls off for a second, blowing cool air over your clit and giggling when your legs jerk. Her eyes blink up at you slowly, half-lidded and hazy, “U-use me, please? Want you to- want you to cum in my mouth. Want to- want to be a good girl.”

Wheein needs praise. You don’t know how you didn’t clock that before. It sends you into some animalistic overdrive and you nod. How could you say no to something so precious?

“Yeah, pretty girl, fuck, get in here-“ you push her back down and she lets you, humming into your cunt obediently and swirling her tongue around your clit before wrapping her lips around the bud and sucking again.

This time she flicks her tongue against you as she sucks, soft hands running up and down your thighs as she does. Your hips are bucking wildly now, grinding up into that hot little mouth and whining as you do.

“Such a good girl for me, so pretty. Gonna make me c-cum, oh my god-“ You should be embarrassed by how high-pitched your voice is, how quickly you’re going to cum. You probably would be later, but your orgasm is barreling towards you and you can’t bring yourself to care.

All it takes is those pretty eyes blinking up at you through long lashes and that knot in your tummy snaps, your back arching as tears fall down your cheeks. It feels so good you’re shaking. You realize it’s been far too long since you’ve had a real orgasm.

“S-so good, shit, my good girl, god- take it, take it-“ You hump her face through your orgasm, cunt fluttering and spasming. It’s too good. Wheein keeps sucking your cunt like the perfect girl she is.

Your legs shake, chest heaving as you come down from your high. You pet at her hair absentmindedly, eyes half lidded.

She pulls off with a wet pop, resting a soft cheek on the fat of your thigh and looking up at you with a giggle, “Was that good?”

She’s got stars in her eyes. you only nod, running your fingers through pretty strawberry locks, “S-so good. Where the hell did you learn all that? Use me? Be a good girl? Are you insane, Wheein?”

She’s embarrassed, pale cheeks flushing bright red when she replies, “I- I remember how you used to talk about the guys you’d be with and what they'd do wrong so I wanted to try out the things you've said you wanted."

You groan. She’s perfect.

“Fuck, you’re unreal. Get up here and let me return the favor or I'm gonna die.” You grin as she nods eagerly.

Your phone dings with a message from Brian, the phone screen flashing with a "Send a pic" text. You roll your eyes, hands already gripping her hips and lowering her down onto your tongue as you mentally make the decision to break up with him the next morning.

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

SKZ DRABBLE-OT8

What happens when Jeongin-resident juvenile and the baby-is no longer the youngest puppy in the pack household? Even if it's just for a night?

Tags: SKZ, Stray Kids, Stay, OT8, SKZ!pack, SKZ!abo, Poly!SKZ, omegaverse, ot8 x you, ot8 x reader, skz x you, skz x reader, bang chan, lee minho, seo changbin, hwang hyunjin, lee felix, han jisung, kim seungmin, yang jeongin, y/n, skz fluff, fluff, guest appearances from Jinyoung and Jackson

Genre: Nothing but Pure Tooth-Rotting Fluff

Title: Puppy Love

“And we’re sure we can handle a whole evening with this kid?”

Chan sighs good naturedly and rolls his eyes, folding up the multiple blankets left on the living room couch by the omegas’ movie date the night before. 

“Yes.” He reiterates, as he arches a brow and gives the other alpha a reassuring, slightly exasperated smile. “We’ll be fine.” 

Changbin lifts his own brow in response and stares him down seriously. “I admire the confidence, hyung, I really do, but this is Wang Gae Park Gae’s gang-aji we’re talking about here.” 

Chan chuckles beneath his breath and shakes his head, tossing the last folded blanket into the basket beside the TV. 

“We’ll be fine.” 

Jeongin enters the room, you hot on his heels-both of you carrying baskets overflowing with various childrens’ toys and activities-and catches the tail end of the alphas’ conversation. 

“Yeah, hyung, we’ll be fine!” He hefts his basket onto the couch beside an unimpressed Changbin with a strained grunt and wipes his hands together, grinning confidently, gaze scanning the basket’s contents triumphantly. “I borrowed a bunch of shit from the education department for the weekend. We’ve got everything a kid could ever want!” 

Jisung appears seemingly out of nowhere to whack the youngest omega on the shoulder sharply. 

“Hey! You can’t say shit in front of a kid!” 

“Ow shit! The kid’s not even here yet, hyung!” 

Another hard smack. 

“Doesn’t matter. Start practicing now.” 

You set your own basket of toys down beside Jeongin’s as the two continue to argue, and stretch your back, giving Chan a smile before you turn to Changbin with a knowing look. 

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Binnie. We’re gonna be great babysitters.” 

“If you say so.” Changbin mutters beneath his breath, pushing himself off the couch and disappearing into the kitchen without another word. 

There is a knock at the front door, and Jisung and Jeongin trample over each other to try and be the first to reach it, yelling and pulling and tripping. 

You and Chan follow behind with open exasperation. 

“Aha!” Jisung reaches the door first, fingers curling around the knob, and flipping off a clearly annoyed Jeongin, wrenches open the door to reveal three figures standing on the doorstep. 

“Yah, Jisungie!” Jackson leaps over the threshold with a huge grin and immediately puts the surprised beta into a headlock, ruffling his hair roughly as Jisung protests and struggles. “Have you gotten taller since I last saw you? You have, don’t deny it.” 

Chan sidesteps the scuffling trio and greets Jinyoung as he steps through the door now as well, a tiny pink backpack held in his hands, and a set of tiny hands wrapped around his leg. 

“Hyung. Good to see you.” 

Jinyoung smiles, his eyes crinkling, and hugs Chan briefly. “You too, Channie. You look well.” He glances behind the alpha to where his husband and Jisung are still locked in battle, his expression growing exasperated. “Sorry about him. No manners.” 

“It’s all right.” You step up beside Chan now, curling an arm around Jeongin’s neck and dragging him with you, giving Jinyoung a large grin. “We’re well aware he’s never been housetrained.” 

Jinyoung chuckles heartily at that, and Jackson yelps from the background in protest, “Hey!” 

Chan, meanwhile, has crouched down to be at eye level with the little girl cautiously peeking out from behind her father’s leg, watching the chaos silently with big, dark eyes. 

“Hey MeiMei.” He smiles softly at the little girl, and she studies him curiously. “Remember me?” 

Jinyoung drops the child’s backpack to the side and crouches down now as well, pulling MeiMei out from behind him and settling her carefully in front of him so she can come face to face with Chan from the protection of his arms. 

“Remember Channie-samchon, MeiMei? You’ve visited him before. He took you to the park while daddy and l were at the doctor.” 

MeiMei continues to stare at Chan with large eyes, and then she nods and a slight smile breaks through her serious expression, curving her tiny pink lips. 

Chan risks scooting a little closer and holding out his hand toward the little girl. 

“We got ice cream and went on the swings, remember? And now you’re gonna play at my house for a little bit while your daddies go on a date. That sounds fun, yeah?” MeiMei nods again, harder this time, her long dark pigtails bouncing, and then she turns to Jinyoung and whispers something into his ear. 

A smile splits Jinyoung’s face, and he chuckles, glancing at Chan before his gaze raises to you, watching the exchange with a slight smile. 

“She says you’re really pretty.” 

Your eyes widen, and you feel warmth in your chest, as you release your hold on Jeongin, crouching down beside Chan without another thought. 

The little girl ducks her head shyly into her father’s shoulder, keeping one eye on you, as you give her a reassuring smile and cock your head, studying her. 

“Can I tell you something?” You ask, feigning a whisper, and MeiMei nods, coming out of her father’s shirt just a bit. You wink at her. “I think you’re really pretty.” 

MeiMei giggles and her fingers unclench from Jinyoung’s blazer. 

Jackson appears at Jinyoung’s side then, out of breath and hair tousled, and as he smooths it down haphazardly with his fingers, he glances down at his husband and daughter, then to his watch. 

“Jinyoungie, we need to go. Our reservation.” 

Jinyoung glances up at the younger man and nods, before he looks back to MeiMei, who seems a lot more comfortable now, playing shyly with a toy Jeongin had offered her from somewhere in one of his pockets. 

Chan clears his throat and reaches for the little girl cautiously. 

“MeiMei.” When she looks at him, all dark eyes and long lashes, Chan offers her a comforting, warm smile, and you smell the spike of petrichor in the air, the calming pheromones flooding the entryway. “Your daddies have to go, but they’ll be back later, okay? So can you stay with Channie-samchon and Unnie until they’re done? We’ll have lots of fun, I promise.” 

A brief hesitation, and then MeiMei nods, and takes Chan’s outstretched hand. 

He grins, and passes her to Jeongin, who takes the little girl eagerly, bouncing her in his arms until she’s giggling and flushed. 

“C’mon, MeiMei. I’ll show you all the cool toys we brought you!” 

The youngest disappears down the hall with the still giggling toddler in his arms. 

Jinyoung sighs and pushes himself to a standing position, watching them go, and then his gaze slides to you and Chan. 

“Thanks for doing this. Really.” 

“Don’t kill my kid, Han Jisung.” Jackson points at the beta, who has once again appeared beside you, straightening his clothes with a grumble under his breath. 

He flips the older man off. 

Jackon’s hand curls around Jinyoung’s forearm and he tugs him slightly toward the door, even as the omega hesitates. 

“She’ll be okay, right?” 

The younger alpha rolls his eyes but presses a soft kiss to his husband’s cheek regardless. “She’ll be fine. Listen.” He points down the hall, where you can hear MeiMei laughing from the living room where she’s playing with Jeoingin. Jackson grins. “In fact, she’ll probably wanna live here when they’re done.” 

Jinyoung sighs and you see the older omega’s shoulders relax, and when he looks at you all again, his lips are curled into the start of a small, genuine smile. 

“Okay. We’re going then.” 

Jackson ushers him toward the door, silently mouthing over his shoulder at Chan, “Thank you!” 

And then they’re gone, leaving only the lingering smell of cherries and gunsmoke in their wake. 

Chan pushes himself to his feet with a sigh. 

He glances at you with the hint of a smile and a sparkle in his eye. 

“Where’s Felix? He’s gonna love that kid.” 

********

“Okay, you have to be really quiet, okay?” You whisper with a demonstrative finger to your lips, and MeiMei nods solemnly as you crack open the door to the betas’ closet. 

“Okay, come on!” You grin and slide inside, tugging the toddler in with you, settling her on your lap as you sit cross legged in the dark on the cluttered closet floor. 

“Okay.” You breathe out a breath and it rustles the little girl’s dark hair. She looks up at you curiously, her eyes reflecting the limited light creeping in from underneath the cracked door. You glance down at her and give her a smile. “Now we wait.” 

MeiMei settles back into your lap, resting her little head on your chest, and you can’t resist leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. 

She smells good, like baby shampoo and the faded effects of her fathers’ combined scents. 

There is the sound of a door opening, and you immediately tense, MeiMei glancing up at you once more in question, and you quickly hold another silent finger to your lips. 

There is the sound of footsteps, and then, 

“Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe.  Where did that cute little girl go?” 

Chan’s distorted his voice to be deep and scary, but MeiMei giggles cutely regardless, and you have to bite back a laugh of your own, lest you give your hiding spot away, though you know the alpha on the other side of the door probably already has a pretty good idea where you are. 

He thumps around some more, humming and hawing, just for the show of it, and MeiMei giggles again. 

“Channie-samchon can’t find us.” The little girl whispers, though it’s a child’s whisper, so it’s still much too loud, but you grin and nod your head anyway. 

“You’re right. We’re much too clever for him.” 

“Where could they be? I have no clue.” Chan speaks up again, louder, feigning confusion, and you can hear him getting closer to the closet, closing in. 

“Maybe-” He hems, footsteps growing even closer still. You hear his fingers grasp the knob on the closet door. 

MeiMei holds her breath, her little body curling into yours, eyes wide and fixed on the view of Chan’s sneakers that peek beneath the door. 

Chan takes in a deep inhale, and lets out a comically low growl. 

“-in the closet?!” 

He flings open the closet door, flooding the small space with light, and MeiMei shrieks loudly, as you laugh and Chan dives in to capture you both, tickling the little girl’s sides as she laughs and squirms, trying to get away. 

“You found us!” 

“Yeah, I did!” Chan grins and sits back, slightly out of breath, eyes bright, curls mussed, and pinches MeiMei’s cheek affectionately. “You guys were really good at hiding.” 

“Did you find Lixie-samchon too?” MeiMei questions, as Chan scoops her up into his arms and carries her out of the closet. 

You follow, straightening up and blinking against the light from the bedroom after being in the dark of the closet for so long. 

“Of course I did.” Chan puffs his chest proudly as he carefully carries the girl down the stairs in front of you. “I’m the best seeker in the whole world!” 

MeiMei looks over his shoulder to you, as if to confirm his words, and you silently shake your head, motioning to yourself. 

She giggles and glances back to Chan, who has just watched the whole exchange. 

“Don’t believe her, MeiMei!” He cries dramatically, swinging her around as they reach the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m the best!” 

“No way.” You counter, shaking your head, as you slide past them and head toward the kitchen. “Unnie’s the best seeker, everyone knows it.” You peek over your shoulder at MeiMei with a smug look. “Right, MeiMei?” 

MeiMei nods enthusiastically. “Right.” 

“Ouch.” Chan groans, holding his hand to his chest as if he’s been shot as you enter the kitchen, jiggling the little girl in his arms until she’s laughing again. “I can’t believe you’d betray me like this, MeiMei.” 

The smells of jjigae and kimchi warm the kitchen, Minho putting the finishing touches on a boiling pot of stew in front of the stove. 

Changbin looks up from his spot at the table, a slight smile on his lips, his hands stilling in their task of rolling kimbap as Chan carefully sets MeiMei into her booster seat beside him. 

MeiMei glances at the alpha beside her as Chan crosses the kitchen to slide an arm around Minho’s waist and ask him something in a low voice. 

“Hey kid.” 

MeiMei’s large, dark eyes fall on Changbin’s face and he smiles, offering her a small piece of finished kimbap, which she takes eagerly, stuffing it into her mouth. 

You resist the urge to coo at how cute she looks, like a little squirrel, cheeks stuffed full, eyes wide. 

“Good, yeah?” 

MeiMei considers, swallowing, and holds out her small, chubby hand for another piece. 

With a glance in Minho’s direction, Changbin covertly slides another piece of kimbap into the palm of her hand. 

MeiMei immediately pops it right into her mouth. 

Changbin hides a smile, nods in approval and turns back to the task at hand.  

You hide a grin of your own and slide into the seat opposite them at the table. 

Minho turns from the stove, all business, swatting Chan out of his way as he carries the bubbling pot of stew to the table. 

“One of you make yourselves useful and call the others. It’s time to eat.” 

Changbin motions to the kimbap he’s currently assembling. “Can’t, hyung. Busy.” 

Chan slides into the seat next to you and steals one of the complete kimbap, even as Changbin and Minho both give him glares in response. 

“Sorry, hyung. I gotta taste test.” 

Minho glances at you, and you shrug casually, though you very much feel like you’re walking a very thin, dangerous line at this point. 

You lean across the table and tickle MeiMei, making her giggle.

“Sorry, Min. Gotta babysit.” 

Minho sighs, deep within the dredges of his soul, and takes off his oven mitts. 

“These hooligans, MeiMei.” He addresses the toddler with obvious exasperated annoyance, and she stares back at him like she’s listening seriously. 

“Why don’t you do it, hyung?” Changbin asks, eyes sparking gleefully, as he pushes the dangerous line even further, glancing up at the other alpha while his fingers continue to work. 

Minho waves a hand between the three of you with a scoff, as if to prove his point, and heads toward the doorway, smacking Changbin hard in the back of the head and making him yelp as he passes by. 

In contrast, he pats the little girl affectionately on the head when he walks behind her on his way to gather the others, still talking as if she can understand every word he’s saying. 

She probably can. 

“Don’t ever let a man tell you what to do, sweetheart. And if he does, don’t ever let it go unpunished.” 

*******

“And she’s a mermaid.” 

You pause in soaping MeiMei’s dark hair to glance down at the doll she currently holds aloft, waiting for your reaction. 

“Wow.” You nod enthusiastically. “She’s very pretty.” 

MeiMei, satisfied, dunks the doll back beneath the surface of the bath, the bubbles immediately swallowing the toy from view. 

She hums beneath her breath, talking quietly to herself, playing with the doll, as you continue to work the suds through her hair. When you’re satisfied, you set aside the shampoo and reach for the cup you’ve left on the side of the tub. 

“MeiMei.” 

The little girl looks up at you curiously, and you show her the cup. 

“I gotta rinse your hair, okay? And I don’t wanna get the soap in your eyes. So can you tilt your head back,” You demonstrate, angling your own head back to show her, and she follows your movements, “and then close your eyes really tight like this?” 

You squeeze your eyes shut as an example, and she immediately does the same. 

“Good girl.” You praise, before you fill the cup with clean, warm water, and carefully wash the shampoo from her hair, rinsing a few more times before you nod in approval. 

“Okay. All done.” 

MeiMei opens her eyes and rubs the water from her gaze with chubby little fists and a brilliant smile, before she finds the doll once more and goes back to happily playing. 

The door cracks, and Felix slides into the humid bathroom, arms full of toy sea animals, bringing a wave of soft vanilla with his entrance.

MeiMei instantly brightens up at the sight of him. 

“Lixie-samchon!” Her smile grows bigger as she catches sight of the toys he holds. “You found some whales for the mermaid!” 

Felix settles beside you at the edge of the tub, grinning widely, freckles scrunching, as he dumps the toys into the tub beside the little girl. 

“Not even just whales! Look at this one!” He holds aloft a dolphin and makes a whooshing noise with his mouth as he dips the toy in and out of the water, like it’s jumping through waves. “A dolphin!” 

MeiMei giggles and takes the dolphin as he hands it to her, Felix instantly picking up another toy, this one a shark with rows of sharp teeth. 

“And a shark.” 

MeiMei eyes the shark in his fingers with a slightly horrified look of distaste. 

When Felix tries to show it to her closer, she shakes her head and shrinks away with a shriek. 

“No, sharks are scary!” 

“Hmm.” Felix remarks thoughtfully, looking at the shark now and then back to the little girl. “You’re right. He’s kinda scary. Let’s put him away.” 

MeiMei nods her head enthusiastically in agreement. 

Felix drops the shark out of view over the side of the tub. 

“What about this one?” Felix asks again, eyes lighting up once more, as he digs into the bubbles of the bath and finds a seal. “A cute little seal! He can do tricks with the mermaid!” 

MeiMei nods in hearty agreement and claps happily, lifting up her doll to stand on the edge of the tub next to Felix’s seal. 

She giggles as Felix makes the seal give the mermaid a high five and do a little dance. 

You watch them play with a slight smile on your face and a warmth in your gut. 

The humid air of the bathroom grows heavy with the scent of wisteria. 

The door opens once more, this time revealing Chan, holding a large, fluffy white towel. 

He steps into the bathroom, takes in the scene of MeiMei happily playing with Felix, you watching with open affection, and grins so wide you think his face will split. 

“I heard there’s a princess in here ready to be toweled off.” 

MeiMei meets Chan’s gaze and shakes her head with a pout on her face. 

“I’m a mermaid.” 

“Oh, my bad!” Chan apologizes, looking acceptably contrite, as he nears the tub, soft towel draped over one arm. “Is there a mermaid in here ready to be dried off then?” 

MeiMei nods, the smile once again on her face, and stands up from the water, her body covered in bubbles, which makes her giggle. 

Chan swoops her out of the bath into the warmth of the towel, and she laughs wildly as he carries her, wet and dripping, bundled like a little burrito, into the adjoining bedroom. 

You lean over to drain the tub and rinse the bubbles while Felix dutifully gathers up the sea animals. 

“How long do you think it’s going to take?” He asks out of the blue, and you glance up at him curiously, confusion creasing your brow. 

“What?” 

He glances at you sidelong as he towels off the toys, a sly smile curving the corner of his mouth. 

“For hyung to ask for one?” 

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, and you swallow, forcing yourself to continue wiping the tub as if he hasn’t just asked you a question that’s suddenly forced you to reconsider everything. 

“What, a kid?” 

Felix nods silently, lining up the sea animals on the edge of the tub now-the seal next to the whale, next to the dolphin, next to the previously banished shark-then says quietly, “Yeah.”

You settle on shrugging as casually as you can muster for an answer and toss the used towel into the laundry hamper. 

Felix sighs and straightens out the shark, ticking the tip of his finger along its many rows of teeth. 

“None of us are even remotely ready, but seeing everyone with her-” 

You nod and echo his sigh, because you get it, you do. 

“Yeah.” 

You both sit in silence for a moment and then you push yourself to your feet, reaching out a hand to help Felix up as you give the omega a soft, understanding smile. 

There’s a sense of solidarity in the air. 

He takes your offered hand and you pull him up, leaning over to brush a kiss to his cheek, across the spattering of dark freckles there. 

“Now c’mon. I don’t wanna miss Hyunjin and the betas’ bedtime story.” 

Felix smiles in response, genuine and bright now, and you pull him from the bathroom, flicking off the light behind you. 

*******

“And then, the prince got lost in the woods.” Jisung points at the picture that fills the page of the book, and MeiMei follows his finger, staring at the bright image of a prince in a tangled forest.

“That’s not what it says.” Seungmin grumbles beneath his breath from the little girl’s other side. 

“Close enough.” Jisung says with a shrug, before he flips to the next page, which reveals a picture of a crying princess in a tower. 

“She’s crying because the prince got lost on his way to find her.” Seungmin interrupts before Jisung can botch up the story anymore, and Jisung rolls his eyes, but stays silent. 

“But we are strong independent beings who do not rely on men to save us.” Hyunjin points out from above the little girl’s head, stretched out on the pillows behind the trio. He glances down at MeiMei, who tilts her head back to stare at him with wide eyes. “Because we can handle our dragons ourselves.” 

MeiMei nods solemnly, and Minho snorts from his position in the corner. 

“But!” Jisung interrupts again, louder this time, shooting a glare at Hyunjin, before he turns the page once more. “Thankfully, the prince had a magical horse.” 

MeiMei runs her finger along the drawing of the large white horse, complete with bright beaming horn in the middle of its head, breaking through the darkness of the wild wood. 

“It’s always a horse.” Changbin mutters beneath his breath, listening half heartedly as he scrolls through his phone at the foot of the betas’ bed. 

“The horse’s name was Steven.” Jisung continues, and Seungmin sighs so hard you think he’s going to pop a lung. 

“No it wasn’t.” 

“Yes it was.” 

MeiMei yawns widely, rubbing at her eyes, sandwiched between the quietly bickering betas. 

“Actually, pretty sure the horse’s name was Greg.” Jeongin pipes up from Jisung’s other side. 

“Fuck no.” 

“LANGUAGE.”

“Sorry.”

“I think-” Chan reaches across Jisung to gently close the book, and when the beta gives him a glare, he motions with his head to the little girl in the middle of the bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. “-it’s time for someone to go to bed.” 

“Ah. Yeah.” You lean up on your elbow and smile at MeiMei, who blinks at you owlishly, her pink blanket cradled to her chest. “I think there’s a very pretty mermaid in this bed who is very sleepy.” 

She giggles sleepily in response and cuddles into the pillow. 

“Yeah. Right.” Changbin nods gruffly and rolls off the bed, standing as the other pack members do the same. He gives the tired little girl a soft look as he treads lightly toward the door. “Goodnight, MeiMei.” 

MeiMei yawns again. “G’night, Binnie-samchon.” 

One by one, MeiMei bids your packmates sweet, sleepy goodnights as they leave the room quietly. 

When it’s just you, Chan, and Felix left in the betas’ darkened room, Chan leans over the bed to flick off the bedside lamp, brushing a gentle hand through MeiMei’s dark, fluffy hair, spread unruly across the pillow. 

He leans over to press a kiss to the little girl’s forehead, and she sighs contentedly as her eyes close. 

“Goodnight, MeiMei.” 

She cracks open her eyes once more as he starts to pull away, her little fingers going around his wrist. 

Chan freezes as if he’s been touched by electricity. 

“Channie-samchon?” 

“Yeah, baby?” 

She yawns, all little white teeth and pink gums and then purses her lips, clearly fighting against sleep and losing. 

“Can I come play with you again?” 

Chan grins, a flash of white teeth in the dark, and shoots you and Felix a look. 

He brushes her bangs back from her face and gives her one more kiss. 

“Of course you can, baby. Anytime. Okay?” 

“Okay.” She nods drowsily and her eyes close once more. 

Felix leans over the other side of the bed to press a soft kiss to the child’s cheek. 

“G’night, pretty mermaid. Sleep well.” 

MeiMei hums contentedly beneath her breath in response. 

You lean over the bed beside Chan and cup her cheek, pressing a quick kiss to her button nose, making her giggle even in her almost asleep state. 

“Good night, MeiMei.” You whisper fondly, tucking the blanket around her chin. “Sweet dreams of beautiful mermaids and princesses who save themselves.” 

She sighs, long and deep, and her breaths even out. 

The three of you tiptoe to the door, and Chan shuts it quietly behind you. 

You instantly breathe a sigh of relief as you all head for the stairs. 

“She’s so cute.” Felix groans in obvious frustrated adoration, shooting one last look at the closed door as you descend, and Chan grins, sliding an arm around the omega’s waist. 

“She’s soooo cute, huh.” 

“I’m gonna ask the hyungs if I can steal her.” 

Chan laughs. “They’ll say no, but you can sure as hell try.” 

You grin and follow them down the hall. 

“Oh god, I’m exhausted.” Jisung says, already sprawled out on the couch amidst the scattered toys that litter the living room floor, arm over his face. “Having a kid is too much work.”

Chan looks at the clock on the wall with slight amusement. 

“It’s only been four hours.” 

Jisung groans. “Exactly!” 

“I thought it was fun.” Jeongin remarks, before he tosses one of the borrowed stuffed animals back into its basket, and you kneel on the floor to help him clean up the rest of the toys. He grins at you. “I liked having someone younger than me in the house for once.” 

You grin back and rustle his hair affectionately. “You would.” 

Hyunjin snorts and glances up from his phone. “Let’s place bets on how long it takes for this night of babysitting to amp up hyung’s kink to all new levels.” 

You all glance at Chan knowingly, sitting on the couch now with Jisung’s legs flung over his lap, and he widens his eyes innocently. 

“Who, me?” 

“Yeah, you.” Changbin scoffs with slight annoyance, playfully tossing a pillow at the other alpha’s head. “Who else here has a raging breeding kink?” 

Chan rolls his eyes, but the tips of his ears are pink. 

“I wanna place bets on how long it’s gonna take for this whole babysitting thing to make Felix beg for a kid.” Jisung retorts, uncovering his face now, as he fixes said omega with a pointed stare and a smirk. 

Felix sticks his tongue out at the beta in response, and Changbin throws another pillow, this time aimed directly for Jisung. 

It misses. 

“I’ll admit-” You start, and Felix glances at you sharply, to which you shrug in response. You in turn, glance at Chan from your spot on the floor. “-seeing all of you with that kid made me consider some things for sure.” 

Chan is watching you carefully, but it’s Minho who speaks up first. 

“We’re not having a kid right now.” 

“Oh, for sure.” Felix jumps in, and there’s a collective sigh of relief from some of the members in the room. He grins, eyes crinkling and freckles bunching. “But eventually.” 

“Eventually.” Changbin agrees carefully, and when you look at him in surprise, he shrugs easily. “You all were cute. With the kid I mean.” 

Hyunjin scoffs openly once more, playing with Seungmin’s hair. 

“If you ask Chan-hyung, he’ll give you a kid whenever your heart desires.” 

Everyone once again looks to Chan, and though he’s pink, he copies Changbin’s seemingly nonplussed shrug. 

His lips pull into the start of a slight smirk. 

“I mean. Say please?” 

There is a beat of shocked silence, and then, 

“Oh my god, hyung, gross!” 

“Fucking hell.” 

“Head Alpha Chan has just made an appearance.” 

Chan shrugs again, as if he doesn’t know what else to do, cheeks ruddy now. 

Hyunjin smirks and leans into the head alpha’s space suggestively. “I’d say please for you, hyung.” 

Jisung grins, all sharp teeth and knowing angles. “Yeah he would.” 

Jeongin gags. “Again. Gross.” 

Chan mimes getting his phone out of his pocket and shaking Jisung off of him so he can stand from the couch. 

“Oh, look at that, Jinyoung-hyung is calling, just gotta go take that real quick-” 

He exits the room as quickly as possible, leaving chaos in his wake. 

“The phone didn’t even ring, hyung! No one believes you!” Jisung calls after him, smirking wickedly as Hyunjin cackles gleefully. 

You toss another toy into the bin and exchange a grin with Felix. 

Changbin scrubs a weary hand down his face. 

“I forget just how much unbridled chaos Head Alpha Chan creates.” 

“It’s a coping mechanism.” Seungmin offers clinically in explanation to his exasperated moonmate. 

“It’s that damn breeding kink and this lot of savages is what it is.” Minho remarks, barely looking up from his phone as he waves a hand in the general direction of most of you. 

“Hyung.” Felix suddenly whines, scooting along the couch to sidle up to Minho in a rare show of wheedling. He waits for the alpha to look at him and flashes a brilliant smile. “Would you give me a pup if I said please?” 

Jisung loses his shit, laughing so hard he chokes. 

Minho stares the waiting omega down blankly, expression unreadable, and Felix remains, unwavering, his tiny fingers gripping the alpha’s arm. 

Finally, Minho says, “No.” And goes back to his phone without another word. 

Felix sighs and releases his hold on him. “It was worth a shot.” 

His lips curl into the start of a mischievous smile as he turns now to Changbin, who suddenly looks very much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. 

“Changbin-hyung-” 

Changbin stands up almost as quickly as Chan had, throwing Hyunjin’s legs off his lap as he makes a mad dash for the doorway, tearing through the living room like he’s being chased by a ghost. 

“Sorry, Lixie, gotta go check on hyung and that phone call-” 

Hyunjin is losing his shit right along with Jisung now. 

Minho looks up at Changbin’s hasty departure, his lips curling into the hit of a disdainful scowl as he watches the other alpha’s feeling back. “Coward.” 

“Ask noona, ask noona!” Jisung gasps out, breathless from laughing so hard, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes. 

Felix grins and turns to you, still sitting on the floor, surrounded by children’s toys. 

You arch your brow at him and wait. 

“Noona, if I said please, maybe even pretty please, would you give me a pup?” 

Your brow arches even higher, and then you blow him an overly exaggerated kiss, accompanied by a drawn out wink.

“Pretty please? How could I resist that?” 

Felix’s grin widens and Jisung collapses back onto the couch, slapping Hyunjin’s leg in the throes of his wild mirth. 

Jeongin stacks the last of the toys into the bin beside you, looking thoughtful.

You nudge him with your elbow, noting the slight furrow in between his brows. 

“What’s up, puppy?” 

He meets your gaze and purses his lips seriously. 

The words that come out of his mouth are not even close to what you expected.

“If Chan-hyung has a breeding kink, and Lixie-hyung has a being bred kink, does that mean any pups they have are gonna inherit both?"

You stare at him in shock, open mouthed, not quite sure how to respond. 

Behind you, Jisung falls back onto the couch and dies once more. 

*********

Several hours later, you’re all bidding a half asleep MeiMei goodbye, cuddled against Jinyoung’s shoulder, wrapped in her soft pink blanket. 

“Be good for your daddies, yeah?” Chan whispers with a smile, as he brushes her hair back from her face and presses a kiss to the tip of her nose. 

She nods sleepily, and Felix steps up beside the alpha, pressing something into the little girl’s curled fist. 

She unfurls her fingers, curious despite her exhaustion, and the plastic dolphin from the tub is nestled in her palm. 

She curls her fingers protectively around the dolphin and clasps it to her chest, beneath her blanket, as Felix offers her a grin and a kiss to the cheek. 

His voice is deep, even when he whispers quietly, “Come play mermaids with me again soon, okay MeiMei?” 

She nods once more, and buries her face into the skin of her father’s neck, closing her eyes. 

Jinyoung hefts her a little higher into his arms and secures the blanket around her as Jackson moves to open the door for them. 

“Thank you again. Seriously.” The omega whispers, careful not to wake the sleeping toddler in his arms as he steps out the waiting door.

 He gives you all a grateful look and Chan nods, hand on the doorknob.

“Of course, hyung. Any time. And I mean that.” 

Jackson ruffles Chan’s hair with a wide grin. 

“Good man. See ya later yeah?” 

You all wave as they make their way down the sidewalk and to the waiting car, disappearing from sight into the dark of the night. 

Chan shuts and locks the door quietly, and the hallway is silent for a moment, before he sighs and glances at you and Felix, expression hard to make out in the dark of the night. 

“Dammit.”  

Beside you, Felix grins. 

“Yes, hyung?” 

Chan sighs again and slides past the two of you with a warning finger in your direction. 

“Not a word.” 

You grin now too. 

“Say please?” 

Felix laughs, and this time, Chan’s answering sigh is so heavy you feel it in your bones.