#It’ll probably look slightly different in the movie

[deeneedsaname]

OH MY GOSHHHHH

feeling semi iffy about the animation style, but who knows, public opinion could change it, this is also just a teaser! If the story is good, and I trust dreamworks to do the story we, I’ve still got high faith

(Also Fiona being so into shrek still LOVE IT)

[winstonsns]

hiii i was wondering if you could do a dally fic where the reader is a part of the gang and her and dally are super close and the gang is making plans to go to the drive in but reader doesn't wanna walk so she asks dally for a piggyback (he obviously says yes cause he's down bad for her) but anyways, he gets super cocky by saying stuff like "askin' old dal for a ride, huh?" and then the gang starts teasing them for it (this is my first req ever so sorry if it's bad lmao😣)

baby i’m yours (request)

pairings: dally x reader

summary: you are too tired to walk to the drive in, so dally carries you

warnings: cussing

authors note: i looked forward to this request so this is one of my favorites i’ve ever been asked to make! thank you so much for requesting this. i decided to change the layout a bit but does it look ok? also sorry this is kinda short💗 i hope you enjoy

word count: 0.5k

you and the gang were sitting on the couch in the curtis house, bored out of your minds. you sat next to dally, your legs laying on his lap as you stared at the ceiling.

steve then asked, “hey, you guys know about that new movie that’s comin’ out today? it’s gonna be on in ‘round an hour, i’m goin’.” soda chimed in, saying he wanted to join too. soon, the others began to voice how they wanted to see the movie too.

everyone had spoken besides you, dally noticed and looked at you, placing his hand on your calf. “you gonna go too?” he asked, looking at you up and down.

you responded, “not sure, my legs are really sore… i was walkin’ around town with my friend the whole day.”

dally began to rub your calf in a caring way, he softly suggested, “how ‘bout i carry you or somethin’? that way you can still go, yeah?”

you thought for a second before nodding your head and thanking him. you and the gang had around twenty minutes to spare before you had to start heading over to the drive in.

you continued to watch the movie you were already watching, it ending around fifteen minutes later. two-bit suggested, “should probably head over now, it’ll take around… what, ten minutes? so then we’ll be like… half an hour early? is that right?”

the gang responded in different ways, nodding and talking. all of you stood up from the couch, stretching and groaning before walking out the door. dally turned to you as you stood up, taking a moment while you cracked your back.

“get on my back.” he says, bending down slightly as you jump on his back. he walks out as you rest your cheek on his back, tired and still wanting to rest.

“needed old dal to help you, huh baby?” he asked, teasing you. as your arms are wrapped around his neck, you let go to lightly push his back, mumbling, “shut up…”

he thought for a second, smirking as the gang was looking at the two of you. he decided to tease you again, “couldn’t do it on your own, huh? and out of all people, you decided to choose me to carry you. could’ve asked anyone else…”

“maybe i should’ve asked someone else… but you’re so strong, dal. so handsome, manly…” you tease, he blushes as the gang begin to tease him too.

“god, get a room, you two! don’t have to be all lovesick all the damn time.”

“why are you guys kinda cute together…”

“dally’s got the hots for y/n!”

“man, dally probably thinks he’s her knight in shinin’ armor!”

he rolls his eyes, still walking as the both of you are blushing, “shut the fuck up, man.”

[inkpot909]

The Stardust Crusaders’ Picks for a First-Dance Wedding Song Headcanons

↳ Gender Neutral Reader. Joseph Joestar is excluded.

A/n: A chill list of headcanons that came to me at 6 in the morning. Jokes aside, I loved putting this together. Although I admit I am a bit biased since I’ve always loved retro music. I did my best to pick music that coincided with the music the characters each canonically listen to (at least, as far as we’re told).

Warning(s): None.

Jotaro Kujo

-> As the World Falls Down

David Bowie

“As the pain sweeps through

Makes no sense for you

Every thrill is gone

Wasn’t too much fun at all

But I’ll be there for you

As the world falls down”

Canonically speaking, Jotaro’s favorite musician is Toshinobu Kubota. It’s admittedly a rather interesting choice for a man who was a dedicated delinquent in high school.

But music tends to touch people in a special, often times sensitive, manner. And despite looking and acting the way he does, Jotaro’s music preferences are no different.

Yeah, sure, he’s definitely a “whatever’s on the radio” kind of guy, but he has taste.

Separated from others, when he’s in control of the music he’s listening to, his choices give the impression of a casual listener that somehow always has the best picks seemingly with no effort put in at all. Perfectly on brand for Jotaro.

Therefore, he’s likely going to have an unexpected pick.

Therefore, he picks a sappy ballad from an under-appreciated 80s movie. Not because he’s even seen The Labyrinth by any stretch of the imagination, but because he just… likes how it sounds.

He likely heard it one way or another, completely detached from the movie itself, and decided he enjoyed it. Something about the slightly cheesy yet instrumentally enchanting tune gets stuck in his head in a really good way.

There is a reason past “oh, it just sounds nice” as to why he picked it but let’s be honest… he’s going to get a little embarrassed annoyed if he has to explain to you in full detail.

The title pretty much speaks for itself, in his opinion.

Noriaki Kakyoin

-> Every Breath You Take

The Police

“Every move you make

And every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I’ll be watching you”

Good god, he’s certainly the Sting fan.

Whether or not you actually like Sting it’s hard to argue against the fact that Kakyoin likely has an overall shit taste in music. Why is this the case? Because he’s been alone the majority of his life and didn’t have any friends to bully him over it.

Not having anyone around him to say “what the hell is this” or just a simple “no” will and has effected him.

He’s the type of guy who claim’s “this album will change your life” before putting on some of the worst pieces of music you’ve ever heard.

Not that he isn’t trying, keep in mind.

This man will stress about what to suggest for days on end. He’s going to take the longest compared to the others in how how much time it takes him to pick. It’ll eat away at his brain, threatening to take every bit of his sanity unless he can think of what he deems as the perfect song he can choose.

And still he manages to not only choose an extremely predictable wedding song, but an insanely creepy one as well.

It’s weirdly charming, in his own odd Noriaki way.

He likely didn’t know what he was doing at the beginning of the relationship due to inexperience, and it’s probably heartwarming to know some things never change.

And it’s completely possible the stalker-ish lyrics of the song didn’t click inside his brain. Not because he doesn’t understand the lyrics per se… but because the poor guy hardly had a grasp on what was actually considered romantic when you first met.

Please, for your own sanity, don’t let the song played at your wedding be one that he picked (with hindsight he’ll probably thank you for it too).

Jean Pierre Polnareff

-> The Air That I Breathe

The Hollies

“Peace came upon me and it

leaves me weak

so sleep, silent angel, go to

sleep

Sometimes

All I need is the air that I breathe

And to love you”

Polnareff’s favorite musician isn’t ever canonically specified, but it’s made pretty clear he’s likely a fan of The Beatles. And considering he went through puberty during the 70s, he’s likely going to lean into that era of music.

Generally speaking, he’s got decent taste. Sure, he’s got the music taste of a white suburban father, but his picks are usually pretty agreeable.

That said, he’s definitely a little high and mighty about it.

He won’t go off on the subject too hard whenever you’re around, but he thinks very highly of his preferences. Polnareff’s a huge victim of nostalgia, and a part of him feels a little elitist for having grown up in the time period that he did.

He has had the song for his first dance picked out in the back of his mind for years, swearing that it would be played at his wedding at some point or another.

Hell, he’s probably got a full roster of music in mind for the reception.

For such a monumental occasion, he’s sure to pick a ballad that starts off slow but crescendos into the chorus- easily the type of romantic tune he’d prefer.

And unlike the others, you may get pushback from him if you don’t want that as your first dance. He’s quite stubborn, generally speaking, and this is no exception to that.

Ultimately though, he would eventually cave and do just about anything you want.

But as stated before, he’s had his mind set on this one for literal years. So certainly expect this to be a somewhat tough conversation to have with him if you prefer something different.

Muhammad Avdol

-> I Love How You Love Me

Claudine Longet

“I love how your eyes close

whenever you kiss me

And when I’m away from you I

love how you miss me

I love the way you always treat

me tenderly

But, darling, most of all I love

how you love me”

Avdol’s music taste is left as a complete mystery in canon.

However, because he runs his own shop, he’s fairly attached to the calming instrumentals he often keeps on at the store. Avdol understands atmosphere well and takes it very seriously.

When he’s not working, it’s not very often that he finds himself listening to music.

But when he does, it’s usually music with soft or ethereal overtones (you cannot tell me he doesn’t listen to Enya). Throw in some charming oldies from the 50s and 60s, and Avdol’s in his element.

To put it simply, easy-listening tunes are his freaking jam.

He also enjoys listening to music from all across the world. Avdol is likely well-traveled, and is undoubtedly knowledgeable on other places and cultures. So the preference comes naturally to him.

He’s going to pick something very romantic and slow. A song that, even if you maybe haven’t heard it before, upon the first time listening you just know it’s meant to be played at a wedding.

And, unlike the others, it would take him less than 24 hours to have made his choice. It’s not that he doesn’t put care into the decision, he just doesn’t like making you wait. He’s quite efficient when it’s something this important.

Regardless, he’s the most flexible of the group when it comes to your tastes, so anything you want is perfectly fine with him.

That said, it has to be a ballad. That’s his main request. Avdol’s eager for your input, sure, but he’s going to want to slow dance with you more than anything else.

[dibidibidismynameisleeknow]

Twelve Days of Mingyu 🎄 4/12

Day 4 - Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

✨back to the beginning✨ We have a ✨guest appearance✨ in this part. What's the significance? Because I can and because I wanted to 😁

Day 4 - Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

“Verdict is in,” you informed Mingyu. “The group chat has declared that a pre-built gingerbread house is cheating.”

“Wait until they find out that I also bought premade gingerbread men cookies.”

You left Mingyu in his living room to grab a drink before a knock on his apartment door grabbed your attention.

“I can grab that for you.”

The other side of the door was a man you were absolutely certain you had never seen before. Surely, with his suitcases he was at the wrong apartment. 

“Uh. Hi I’m-”

Mingyu ran up behind you to pull the man into a hug. “Minghao! How was your flight? You’re early! You should have called, I would have come to get you!”

You had to pull Mingyu off of his friend to let the poor guy come into the apartment, he looked exhausted. There was a momentary awkward silence before Mingyu realized he never properly introduced the two of you to each other.

“Did I not mention that he’s staying with me for a week?”

“You absolutely did not, which is fine. But sweetie? I’ve never even heard you mention his name.”

“Ouch. That hurts.”

Slightly embarrassed, Mingyu took his friend’s suitcase from him to place in the guest room while you two acquainted yourself with the now former stranger.

“Would you like to join us and decorate a gingerbread house and some cookies?”

“I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll shower, make myself a cup of tea and take a nap. Thank you though, that’s very kind.”

“Probably for the better. Mingyu bought it all pre-made and built so I don’t know how it’ll taste.”

“Pre-built? That’s cheating.”

“Thank you! That’s what I said!”

Mingyu remained silent while he watched the two of you interact. He couldn’t believe he forgot to tell you about Minghao, but like his other friends you two seemed to hit it off well, he expected nothing less. It was Minghao’s comment that brought Mingyu out of his trance. “Yeah, he has mentioned you so many times.” Oh no. Not again.

“So I’ve heard,” you laughed. 

Mingyu appeared by your side as Minghao left to get himself settled for the evening. 

“What’s this for?” he had questioned about the water you had gotten ready to boil.

“It’s for Minghao’s tea. He looks like he had a long flight.”

Mingyu wrapped an arm around your waist and rested his head on your shoulder. “You’re the best. Let's decorate those cookies.”

Minghao came back and froze upon the sight of the mug and boiled water. You informed him that everything he saw was for him and that the water was still hot. Oblivious to his continued shock you kept working on your gingerbread man.

“I found a keeper, huh?”

Sure, you knew Mingyu talked about you to his friends, a lot apparently, but to hear it was different and it made you a little shy.

“Thank you for the tea and being so welcoming.”

Minghao disappeared shortly afterwards, paired with a cookie that Mingyu decorated specially for him, complete with black and silver hair to match.

Just as you were about to finish up your last cookie Mingyu asked how your cookie was coming along and what it looked like but when you didn’t answer he opted to throw a piece of candy at you to gain your attention.

“What?” you grabbed the culprit that made contact with your forehead. “Not the gumdrop buttons!”

Mingyu shook his head at you, like he hadn’t made silly little movie references throughout your twelve dates of Christmas. 

“You almost done there? We have to taste test the cookies together!”

“It’s just a gingerbread cookie, go ahead without me.”

Sure, it was just a gingerbread cookie, but if it was gross then you didn’t have to worry about putting your taste buds through that. The sour look on Mingyu’s face was all the confirmation you needed. 

“It’s delicious,” he lied through broken cookie pieces.

There was no need to ask what he wanted done with the gingerbread house, Mingyu grabbed the pre-built house and walked it over to the trashcan to throw it out and spit out the last bit of cookie pieces in his mouth.

“That was super sexy.” You grabbed your cell phone to tell everyone that they were right, the cookies were awful.

“Turns out Minghao also didn’t enjoy his cookie. Such a shame. I worked really hard on it.” 

Mingyu ignored his cellphone, knowing yours also went off so you read out the text message to him, “That’s what you get for taking short cuts.”

You both came to the mutual agreement that next year you’d make everything from scratch.

[veneerslipstick]

⋆.ೃ࿔lights, camera...*:･

actor!veneer x GN!jealous!reader

• one shot

• fluff

at this point in yours and veneers relationship, you’ve been pretty used to his fame and how the life of dating a celebrity is a bit challenging than you imagined. until one day, veneer is casted on a new netflix movie airing worldwide ! but, of course, it had to be a romance.

you were super supportive ! showing up to rehearsals, meeting the cast members, helping him out with lines, you really enjoyed it. though, it being a romance plot, you had to witness every. kissing. scene, with his romantic interest, Arden. reminding yourself it was all just for a plot, you push past the fact of how much time they spend together and worrying if he was falling for them.

what will be your breaking point in order to prove he was unattainable?

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

“if you want to be as famous as me, you gotta work, gotta work, gotta -“

in the middle of washing your dishes, you picked up

your phone and held it against your shoulder when

you answered it.

“hello?” you forgot to look at who was calling, so you

stuck with the automatic basic greeting.

“Y/N! hi, hi, uhm so i’m on my way over, i still really

can’t believe that, yknow… you know !!” veneer

exclaimed, not having to second guess that it was

him from the way he squealed your name at the

beginning. smiling to yourself, you rinsed off your

hands and turned around from the sink to look out

the living room window.

“i can’t believe it either! and it was only yesterday !

im so happy for you. are we going out to celebrate ?”

there was a pause.

“mm, not exactly. we’re going out, but it’s kind of like

a get together with the cast members, so we can all

get to really know eachother.” veneer explained, and

you furrowed your eyebrows slightly.

“oh, but didn’t we already do that? i met everyone.”

you took the phone in your hand.

“well that was different , like , a basic meet and greet

slash first rehearsal. this is a little more like a loose ,

flowy, have-a-drink-make-someone-laugh type of

deal.” he seemed to have trouble with his

description, but you just laughed, leaning against

your island.

“i like how you describe things.” you blurted

randomly, and you felt him smile on the other end.

that was odd, but you just knew.

“i’ll be there in a minute, love you flower.” he

responded. blushing, you dropped your head.

“i love you too ven.”

hanging up, you went to your room to throw

something on half decent to wear. you weren’t

trying to impress anyone but your own boyfriend,

but you were trying to prove a point to veneers

romantic interest in the movie, Arden, is their name,

that their relationship was strictly for the screen and

nothing else. when you had first met them, they were

actually sweet and funny — but that’s what scared

you. there was nothing that you feared more than

you ending up being just a test subject for veneer , as

he was just famous and hungry, and being pushed to

the side as soon as he tracks down another

person significantly better than you.

pulling on a nice dress shirt, you looked at yourself

in your full body mirror. you knew most of that

definitely— probably, wasn’t true. but that sickening

feeling in your gut pulled your heart closer to your

stomachs depth. you shook it off, swallowing the

lump in your throat. then you heard a horn honk.

rushing out of your room, you opened the front door

to veneer in his car, one hand on the steering wheel

and the other around the head rest. he grinned at you

from afar and you rolled your eyes, scurrying over to

the passenger side and getting in.

“veneer, you’re gonna give me a stroke one day and

it’ll be all your fault.” you shot at him and he laughed.

“mhm, sure, aaaaaaand i’m slowly building up your

fight or flight reactions so one day you can whoop

major ass when you need it.” he replied as he put

the gear in drive and started his way up your

neighbourhood. you shook your head with a smile.

once you two arrived to the actual set of the movie,

which was just a mansion as of right now, you both

exited the car and made your way inside. you were

slightly nervous, though you’ve met everyone before,

but having to see people after already meeting them

once is weirdly even more awkward. once inside,

your arm intertwined with veneers, you were blinded

by spotlights and a huge chandelier over your head.

you saw a tall, tan person, who you remembered as

Arden, wave at venner who he waved back at, and

that’s where he dragged you to go. you made sure to

keep my arm tight around his.

“arden! you remember y/n,” he started, gesturing his

head towards you. you smiled with a nod and they

did the same. “yes, of course. both of you look very

nice.” they looked specifically venner up and down

and you bit your cheek.

“oh well thank you! you also look great. where’s

Lucas?” veneer asked, who you knew as their

director.

you zoned out as they both talked, but keeping an

eye on Arden, making sure their expressions weren’t

too exaggerated or incase they tried to make a

move on veneer. you obviously weren’t worried of

veneer reciprocating, but it still icked you

nonetheless. you then noticed someone approached

the little group, who you recognized as Lucas.

“ven! it’s nice to see you. and y/n, i’m glad you

showed up. veneer always needs his number one

supporter.” Lucas laughed and so did the rest of

them. you smiled and nodded. “it’s nice to see

you as well.” you were quiet as you were just lost

in thought a moment ago.

“anyway, veneer and arden, i was thinking as a little

teaser for the gram..” you cringed at his abbreviation

of “Instagram.” veneer and arden smiled

simultaneously.

“we could post a snippet of your guys’ hot scene…”

you felt your heart beating quickly as you shot a

glance at veneer then back at Lucas. did he really

just suggest that in front of you?

Arden clapped their hands together once and looked

to veneer. “oh, yes! imagine the fame that would

flood because of it !” they exclaimed, but veneer

expressed a face of uncertainty, but plastering a

smile.

“oh, i..” trailing off for a quick moment he looked to

you and you intervened.

“he would love to.” you said monotonously but with

a slight grin spreading on your lips.

no, no he wouldn’t, you told yourself, but oh, yes he

did, your tease told you.

veneer shot you a look of surprise but also distress,

but Lucas has already walked away while whistling.

“get the cameras UP!” he yelled enthusiastically.

swiftly pulling you to the side , veneer stuck his head

out at you and gestured his hands in a “what is this”

expression. you couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“i’m not going to stop you from having fun. just

go do it, it’ll be a core memory for all of you.”

you explained, him biting the inside of his lip.

“i don’t really get you. just a moment ago you were

clearly uncomfortable…” he trailed off and shook

his head, but shot a smile at you. he kissed you

gently as his right hand ran through your hair,

then ran off to the others.

you watched the whole scene happen. the tension

between veneer and arden’s characters , the slight

touching , and of course, the kiss. that rose

dangerous flames in the pit of your lungs. you had

been digging your nails into your palm without even

nothing , which turned your knuckles white.

once the shitshow was over, you let veneer mingle

amongst his peers before you gave him “the look”,

which signaled you wanted to go. without thinking

twice, he started ;

“this was fun, but me and y/n have to get going.

photoshoot tomorrow.” that was always the excuse,

a photoshoot. and it always worked.

“ah, of course. it was nice seeing you two.” Lucas

replied, and Arden looked straight at veneer.

“i’ll see you soon, ven.” they said quietly. your

teeth grit and veneer took your hand.

after all the goodbyes, you and veneer exited the

house and got into his car. without exchanging any

words, he started the engine and revered out of the

parking spot, looking over his shoulder whilst

putting his hand on your head rest. you watched

him in the corner of your eye and felt your body

tense at this simple yet effective sight , and you

swallowed with a dry throat.

on the highway back home, you still felt fury in

your chest.

“pull over,” you said out of nowhere , veneer

looking to you, back to the road then at you again.

“what, why? are you gonna be sick?” he sounded

panicked and you looked at him, that being all

it took for him to put on his signal light and pull over

onto the shoulder of the road. he parked the car.

throwing off your seatbelt and pushing the buckle of

his, you threw your legs over to the driver side and

climbed atop him, left hand on his shoulder as the

other reached down to recline the seat. this all

happened so suddenly, he didn’t have time to react

until the brief 5 seconds you gave for you two to look

at eachother. his hands that were in the air slowly

lowered down onto your waist as his eyes scanned

the view in front of him. looking back into your eyes,

you crashed your lips against his with your hands

gripping the collar of his dress shirt.

both of you had craved this all night — veneer

more than you, actually. having to touch someone

else that wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of

what you gave sort of drive him mad. you noticed

his hands grew tighter on your body and his kiss

moved from gentle to hungry, you inhaling his low

exhales felt like taking a drag of a much needed

cigarette.

the cold surrounded around you disappeared as his

hands started to disperse on your back, running

up to your hair so he could pull your head back and

press kisses to your neck and collarbone. your

throat managed a sound you couldn’t explain,

and you let your eyes fall closed as you felt his lips

dragging slowly on your skin.

you loved how patient he was with your body, how he

took his time to explore what made you gasp and

breath out his name , like it was his only purpose to

do so.

pulling away, he looked up at you and pulled you

close to him by your waist, simply just gazing into

your eyes.

“i will never get sick of you.” he whispered , his voice

seeming to travel in the wind around your head.

you felt a smile quickly spread on your lips and you

cupped his face in your hands.

“i’d like to see Arden try and get that from you.” you

joked and he shook his head with a chuckle.

“they could never. no one could ever.” a moment

of silence sat between you two.

“i love you , y/n,” he kissed you again, pulled away ,

“my flower,”

another quick kiss to your lips concluded the closure

you needed. he loved you, and you loved him, and it

wasn’t just for show. ♡

*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.* *･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*

a/n: FINALLY. i am so sorry. i’m so stressed out

but i love you guys pls eat my scraps 😞🩷

[katealpha]

Art by @Dizy_Wata_Toons

—-————————————-

Prologue:

Shortly after the year 2026 began, the Earth was suddenly visited by a fleet of massive saucer ships. There was panic at first, with many seeing this as the beginning of an alien invasion. However, contact was made between the two, and over a few months, humanity began to learn more about the Serpent Empire.

Predominantly made up of clones, the serpent species were born to serve their leaders, with the most efficient way of growing new clones being through the natural reproductive system. For eons, the serpents were conquerors, taking resources and women from various planets to serve as revered but captive broodmares for the aliens. By the time the serpents discovered earth, they’d expanded and taken so much control that the breeding program was entirely voluntary. Once diplomatic ties were made, the serpents began to integrate themselves into Earth’s societies. Chiefly, they advertised the breeding program and offered unbelievable amounts of money to volunteers.

This is where Nina Gao came in.

Nina was an actress who had recently started to gain traction in Hollywood. Seeing an opportunity to boost her career and help bridge the gap between Earth and the serpents, she had her agent contact the empire and soon, there was a drop ship hovering in front of her penthouse balcony….

# 1 Week Later….

A a phone camera began to record, standing up on a small tripod. The subject was Nina, who after a week of thinking, decided how she’d record the progress of what was happening to her. In short, she was pregnant. The operation done on her was a success.

Once she saw that she was being recorded live on YouTube, she smiled and stepped back so the camera could capture her from the thighs up. Now that she was in frame, she waved.

“Hey everyone! Nina here. I don’t normally upload to my official YouTube channel, but this is a very special occasion. Some of you might already know what this is about if you follow my Twitter and Instagram, but I’ll explain it again here. So, those serpent empire aliens who’ve been chilling out around our planet? Well, they’ve been basically doing help wanted ads for their breeding program.” The actress sneered slightly. “I know it sounds super weird, but they assured me that it was refined and safe for humanoids like me. Yeah, I kinda called them to volunteer. Why? Because I think having at least one movie star hear them out will make things between our kinds. That, and I’ll admit, I’m making twice as much as I would on a normal gig. If you’re watching at home and struggling with your bills…I’d probably think about it.” She gave a rather awkward chuckle before she changed subjects.

“Anyways, the procedure wasn’t really bad. They did it exactly a week ago, so as I’m recording this, I am pregnant with their kind. Just to make it fully known. In fact I’ve already started showing. They told me that the pregnancy would last about a month.” She sighed. “So yeah, hopefully it’ll all turn out okay. But here, let me show you guys the progress so far.”

Nina zipped down her thin sweatshirt and revealed her bare stomach to the camera. While she was hardly completely toned around her tummy, a turn to the side showed that something was different. Her stomach looked like she’d eaten too much at a restaurant. Like an average food baby one would see on tik tok or even that side of YouTube.

“You can definitely notice a little when I turn to the side. That’s gonna get a lot bigger over the next few weeks, and they already told me that I’m gonna start getting growth spurts and cravings soon. So yeah, can’t wait for that crap to get started. I’m just glad I only have voice roles to worry about for a while. I don’t know if I can go on a set with how nauseous I’ve been feeling all week. They basically plumped this concoction of their DNA and other stuff into my body, which forms into their version of babies over a month. Don’t worry, it was through my belly button and it didn’t even hurt. It felt weird but it wasn’t like getting a syringe poked into you.”

As she finished saying this, her stomach audibly rumbled on camera. She looked down and blinked. “Ugh, I just got super hungry. I’m gonna end this video now. Please keep things respectful in the comments, and it’ll be seeing you in the next update.” Nina reached over and ended the live feed to upload it fully. Afterwards, she went directly to the Door Dash app, all while her stomach moaned and gurgled deeply…

[hwabang]

Jungwon Drabble

Genre: fluff + suggestive

Warnings: fem!reader, idol!Jungwon + idol!reader, older!reader only by a year, dom!Jungwon (sexual and nonsexual), 16+ it’s slightly suggestive  but i’m still gonna say mdni, use of the word Noona, fwb to lovers, Jungwon is obsessed with reader

Author’s Note: Did I write an imagine for a member that’s not my bias while I have written absolutely nothing for the 2 ENHYPEN biases I do have? Yes, yes I did.

“Cmon,” he coaxed while kissing your forehead. Jungwon was supporting himself up on his left elbow as he laid above you. “It’ll be fun! I went last week with Sunoo Hyung and we had a blast.”

“Just go with Sunoo again. Why do you wanna go with me so badly anyway,” you groaned, pulling the blanket up to cover your bare chest.

Jungwon shrugged as he removed strands of hair that were sticking to the slight sweat on your face. “You like dancing. And I know you like clubbing with your friends so why not club with me?” 

You hummed, realizing you’ve never actually been clubbing with Jungwon before. “Yeah, I guess you and the guys are the only friends I haven’t been clubbing with…”

Jungwon chuckled and smirked, intertwining his free hand with yours. “Noona, after what you and I have been doing the last couple weeks, you can’t still possibly consider me a friend.”

“Jungwon not now..” you mumbled as you got comfy on the mattress, much to Jungwon’s dismay. Anytime he even slightly brought up the topic of wanting to further your relationship, you brushed it off. 

Jungwon didn’t want to be friends with benefits with you initially. In fact, he actually has a massive crush on you and expressed this one day when you two were watching a movie together alone. However you told him you weren’t interested in dating someone younger even if it was by a year and he respected that. When you suggested a different type of relationship, he rejected it out of respect for you. But that quickly changed one night when he was walking you home and something in him (probably the fact that Heeseung was low key flirting with you) had him pushing you up against the nearest wall and making out with you harshly. The last 3 months after that have just been consisting of you two messing around whenever you’re free, and Jungwon’s feelings for you rapidly increasing.  

“Hey.. don’t fall asleep on me yet,” Jungwon cooed. He cupped your cheek and caressed it, staring at you fondly. 

You whined sleepily as your eyes fluttered open for a second, looking up at him with doe eyes. “Stay tonight Wonnie..”

Jungwon would stay forever if you told him to. He pecked your lips softly and repositioned you two so he could lay down next to you and wrap his arms around you, your bare back to his chest. “So what do you say Noona? Spend your Friday night clubbing with me?” A hum from you had Jungwon smiling contently as he drifted off to sleep with you.

Friday night rolled around and you got ready in your apartment, Jungwon offering to pick you up. Once you got his text letting you know he’s two minutes away, you started doing finishing touches like fixing your makeup and grabbing your shoes for the night. As you were choosing the shoes, the padlock to your front door made a noise signaling it was unlocked. You heard footsteps shuffling around downstairs before heading to your bedroom. The owner of the loud footsteps leaned against your door frame and smirked. “You look great Noona.”

You glanced at him and went back to fixing your mascara. “You look good too Jungwon-ah. Is anyone else going clubbing with us?”

Jungwon moved to sit on the edge of your bed, watching you doll yourself up. He knew you most likely weren’t doing it for him and only to boost your confidence, but he could quietly pretend it was all for him like he quietly pretended you were only his. “Jake Hyung and Heeseung Hyung are coming too, but they were dropped off by manager Hyung already.”

“You should’ve gone with them, I could’ve had my manager drop me off.”

“I’ll take any extra time I can get with you.” You didn’t answer since you were reapplying lipstick. “Are you done almost?”

You nodded and turned to face him. “Grab my things Jungwon-ah?”

Immediately he got up and started shoving your necessary going-out items into his pockets; your phone, mask, ID/card, and lip gloss. This was a normal between you two whenever you were going out, alone or with others. He did it as an act of love towards you because he knows how annoying bags are to carry. “Done!”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

- - - - - - - - - -

You danced some with the three boys, sat and chilled for a bit, and then danced some more; this time with Jungwon only. The song selections were pretty good and you two were honestly having a really good time. That was until more sensual songs started coming on and you were tired from all of the jumping, opting to whine your waist and dance with your hips to save some energy. Although Jungwon was keeping a good physical distance the whole night, this new side definitely had his mind hazy and he knew it wasn’t just the alcohol in his system. He know had you facing him and had a hand resting on your waist as you both swayed your hips together in sync, leaving some space between you too. 

You noticed Jungwon looking around and not focusing on you and decided to tease him about it. “What’s wrong Jungwon-ah? Bored of me already? Looking for a new girl?””

Right away he shifted his eyes to you and gave you a look, as if almost silently asking if you’re being serious right now. “Never. You’re the only one I could even imagine giving my attention too.”

You ignored how your heart fluttered. “Then? You’re so distracted you won’t even look at me,” you pouted.

Jungwon sheepishly smiled. “Don’t think too much of it. I noticed some girls who seem to be fans, judging by the way they’re trying to discreetly video tape us.” You hummed, not really bothered by this and grabbed his other hand that was by his side to place it on the other side of your waist. This action made Jungwon cock an eyebrow at you. “You do realize we’re probably gonna have a dating scandal tomorrow morning right?”

“It’s part of the job right?” you shrugged.

“You’re surprisingly chill about this. I remember I used to have to force you to go for even lunch with me.”

“I don’t care enough. Let them write what they want. We can just deny.”

“From my peripheral vision I can see us being recorded dancing Noona. My hands are on your waist and our faces are not covered. How do you plan on denying this one?”

“Well we’ll say the truth; we’re just close friends. We wouldn’t be lying, not like we’re dating anyway.”

Jungwon groaned.”Noona~, c’mon don’t talk like that.. we’re not just friends.”

“I mean we’re not gonna tell fans that we’re messing around are we?”

“So why don’t we just confirm our relationship?”

“You wanna lie?”

Instead of responding, Jungwon pulled you right into him, hips touching and swaying as Jungwon touched his forehead to yours. “I’m saying let’s date.”

“Jungwon I already told you–”

He moved his gaze from your lips to your eyes, making you freeze. Holy fuck. “And I told you, even before all of this, that I don’t want to just fuck you. I wanna take you on dates, I wanna kiss you and hold you whenever I want, I wanna take you to meet my parents, I want to do all the things couples do, I wanna love you Noona, just give me a chance.”

You moved your face slightly away from him to tilt your head and gaze at him, as if challenging him. “And what if I do give you a chance? How can I guarantee you’ll be the type of man I want?”

“I’ll be whatever type of man you want me to be.” He pulled her even closer (if it was possible) bringing his lips right to her ear. “I’m not a child, I’m only a year younger than you. I’ll even stop calling you Noona if that’s what you want for fuck’s sake,” he whined. “What do you say, hmm? Let me be your man.”

Finally giving into the burning feelings you’ve had for him for God knows how long, you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. Jungwon was shocked, but happy and kissed you back passionately. After a couple seconds you both pulled away gasping for air and Jungwon connected your foreheads again. He pecked your lips one more time and then your cheek. “Thank you for giving me a chance Y/N-ah. I promise you’ll never regret it.”

“Uhh we might tomorrow morning,” you chuckled, referring to the fans. “Media’s gonna have a field day tomorrow with all of these pictures and videos.”

“Hmm, whatever. I’ll deal with everything.”

It was your turn to look at him funny. “Weren’t you the one warning me about that a few minutes ago?”

“A few minutes ago I was single. Having you by my side, I can do anything.”

[cha-melodius]

Hi friend! Congrats again on 100 works! Thank you for offering to write more for us! ❤️I'd like to request 1. firstprince and 2. Kensington as an AU, but only because you dared us to! Alternatively, if someone already requested that and you don't want to duplicate, I'd be interested in a hockey AU set inside the rink! Thank you again, I am so excited to see what you come up with and to read more of your words!

(Thank you so much for taking my bait lol, I've wanted to write this canon-divergence AU where they hook up in Kensington during the damage control trip for a while now. I hope you enjoy!)

Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile

(firstprince, 4.1k, M; read it below or on AO3) read all the fandom fest fics

It wasn’t supposed to go like this. They were supposed to finish up at the hospital, and then Henry would go back to whatever the fuck he does while Alex went to the airstrip. He’d fly back to DC, so that maybe he’d be able to get some schoolwork done before Monday, and try to forget that this ridiculous weekend ever happened—barring the fact that he and Henry were still obligated to keep up the fake friendship for a few more months, that is.

Instead, Cash comes up to him as they stand outside of Kensington with a slightly grim look on his face and says, “Change of plans.”

“Huh?”

“They discovered an issue with the plane during the flight prep. It needs some part that they’re not going to be able to get until tomorrow morning. We’ll leave then.”

“What do you mean, they can’t get it? Why not?” Alex demands. Surely in a country with fucking royalty, nothing is out of grasp for said royals and their guests.

Cash shrugs. “Didn’t ask. The palace confirmed you can stay another night.”

Alex groans probably a little too dramatically. “What about my classes?”

“I am, in fact, very aware of your class schedule,” Cash says dryly. “You’ll be back in time.”

“I don’t have another change of clothes.”

“Pretty sure Kensington has laundry.”

“I’m really not getting out of this, am I?”

“Nope.”

Alex sighs and looks over to where Henry is standing with Shaan by the front gates. There’s a look of trepidation on his face, no doubt because he’s just been told that he’ll have to deal with Alex for another night. Of course, that’s not a given. Henry will probably disappear into his apartments and ignore him, which suits Alex fine. They may have reached a kind of détente today, but they’re not friends.

“Sorry to hear about your plane,” Henry says as they get back into the car that will drive them further into the palace.

Alex shrugs. “It’s fine. I guess I’ll have to survive the hardship of ten thousand thread count sheets another night.”

Henry huffs a little laugh and grins. It’s kind of amazing how different he looks when he smiles for real. “I know you’ve probably had your fill of me today, so feel free to say no, but…” He hesitates a moment, as if waiting for Alex to shut him down before he even makes his proposal. “I was thinking of ordering in curry for dinner tonight. There’s a place not far away that’s quite good. Maybe watch a film?”

It’s pretty much the last thing Alex expected him to say. He wonders if this is another olive branch, an acknowledgement that it’ll be easier to pretend they’re friends if they’re actually… kinda friends. Surprisingly, Alex doesn’t hate the idea.

“What movie?” he counters.

“Well, I would suggest one of the Star Wars films, but I’m not sure we could agree on one.”

“If we’re not going to watch the best one, aka Empire—”

“You mean Return of the Jedi,” Henry interjects.

“—I guess that leaves the next best.”

“So, Rogue One?”

Alex grins. “Ok, maybe we can be friends, after all.”

He’s absolutely not letting himself think about the warmth that grows in his chest when Henry laughs.

~~~~~

Alex discovers that there’s a room in Kensington that’s pretty much as tricked out as you can get without being in a movie theater—“There’s an actual theater in Buckingham,” Henry tells him, “but Dad had this put in for family film nights”—with a massive screen and a killer sound system. They eat their curry out of take-out containers on a surprisingly comfortable, normal couch as the movie plays, keeping up a running commentary between them that ranges from Star Wars lore to the cast (“Come on, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t follow Diego Luna anywhere. Look at him!” Alex insists, which garners him a strange look from Henry) to random things entirely unconnected to the movie.

Turns out Henry is actually really funny, which is a fucking shock and kind of annoying except for how he leaves Alex in stitches several times. It’s absurdly easy between them in a way that it shouldn’t be, and Alex can’t remember the last time he had this much fun just hanging out with someone. And it’s Henry. What is his life, even.

“I can’t believe you like this one,” Alex says as they watch Jyn and Cassian embrace desperately on the beach. “It’s pretty much the opposite of a happy ending. For the main characters, at least.”

Henry hums, tipping his head slightly. “They give up everything in the service of a cause bigger than themselves, and they succeed. There’s something beautiful about that.”

“God, you are a sap,” Alex teases, bumping his shoulder up against Henry’s. Somehow they’ve managed to migrate closer on the couch over the course of the movie, until they’re practically touching.

“And why do you like it, then?” Henry counters. “The action and spies and intrigue?”

“Not only that,” Alex says. “But there’s a reason I’m a big Bond fan.”

A smile flickers across Henry’s face that’s a little melancholy but mostly contented. “I suppose that makes sense given what I know of your movie tastes now.”

“Also, your dad was a total babe.”

Henry’s eyes go wide as he chokes on a laugh. “I beg you to not.”

They lapse into silence as the final scenes as the credits start to roll. The movie is over and it’s getting late, but all Alex can think of is that he really doesn’t want the night to end yet. Which is crazy. Twenty-four hours ago Alex was actively cursing this man’s name, and now he seemingly can’t get enough of spending time with him. It doesn’t make any sense, but somehow it does; it’s the same feeling that he was chasing all those years ago in Rio, the one that pushed him to go up an introduce himself at exactly the wrong time, the one that made the hurt of that encounter linger for so long in his psyche.

“Hey, uh,” he says eventually, turning slightly to look at Henry, “thanks for suggesting this. It was fun.”

“I hope it made up for being stuck in London longer than you wanted,” Henry replies, his voice low and soft.

“Definitely.”

Henry smiles, a warm and pleased one that stretches his lips and crinkles the corners of his eyes, and Alex feels like he’s being pulled in by the magnetism of it. He wants to get closer, despite how close they’re already sitting. His fingers twitch with the urge to touch—the soft blond hair falling over Henry’s forehead, the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the fullness of his lips. He’s always known Henry was objectively good-looking, but Jesus, where does he get off being so pretty? It’s annoying, really.

Alex isn’t trying to make things weird, but he also can’t quite help the way his eyes are drawn inexorably down to those plush lips, still curved in a gentle smile. Who even has lips like that, does he get fillers or something, because they can’t be real, except they look very, very real, Alex hasn’t even ever kissed any girls with lips that nice, that look that soft—

Something short circuits in Alex’s brain and he just— has to know. How soft they really are. Before he even knows what he’s doing, he’s leaning in and pressing his lips to Henry’s, which are, as it turns out, extremely soft. It only lasts for a second before his brain comes back online and he realizes Henry’s frozen stiff, which is fair, because Alex has no fucking clue what he’s doing. He hasn’t kissed a boy since Liam and this was not the fucking boy to just kiss out of nowhere. He’s gonna get, like, locked in the Tower of London or something.

He wrenches away as quickly as he leaned in, meeting Henry’s wide, stunned eyes (—still so so blue, how can they be that blue—), his lips slightly parted and just a little damp from Alex’s.

“Shit,” Alex breathes in a rush. “Fucking shit— I don’t know why I did that, I’m so sorry, Henry, I didn’t mean anything by it—”

“Alex,” Henry murmurs, but Alex is too far gone in his spiral at this point.

“—I promise, it was just— I mean, I’m not even—”

“Alex.”

Alex stops in the middle of a word, his mouth hanging open. Henry’s got some kind of strange look on his face that he can’t parse at all.

“Did it really not mean anything?” he asks slowly.

The thing is, Alex has no idea what it means. Absolutely none. Something inside him—something he doesn’t really understand—wanted to do it, but like, just as an objective experiment. Except that part of him wants to do it again, even though he already got his answer. Really wants Henry to kiss him back. Which is making him feel a little insane.

Alex closes his mouth, licks his lips, and swallows hard.

“That depends,” he says cautiously, “on what you want it to mean.”

For some reason, that makes Henry growl in frustration and cast his eyes to the ceiling. Then he groans, “Christ, Alex, you’re so—”, grabs Alex’s face between both hands, and kisses him soundly.

Alex’s insides go positively molten. Henry’s hands are gripping his jaw, and in his hair, and Alex can’t help but press closer. His own hands find Henry’s narrow waist, reveling in the dip of it, the heat of his body scorching through the thin fabric of his shirt, and the only thing currently occupying Alex’s mind is a desperate urge to feel bare skin under his palms. That is, until Henry slides his tongue along Alex’s lower lip, sucks it into his mouth and tugs on it with his teeth, and Alex stops thinking altogether.

Their positions are a little awkward, twisted toward each other on the couch as they are, and Alex isn’t sure if he pulls or Henry pushes—or maybe both—but a moment later Henry is unfolding his long legs and shifting to straddle Alex’s lap, which is both incredible and incredibly overwhelming. Especially when Henry’s hips rock forward and Alex can feel his growing arousal pressing into the rapidly tightening region of Alex’s pants.

Jesus, this is— it’s— it’s a lot, but the very last thing Alex wants to happen is for it to stop.

He absolutely does not whimper when Henry pulls back, sending Alex unconsciously chasing after his lips. Fortunately, Henry doesn’t go far. He presses their foreheads together, breathing raggedly into the space between them as his thumb swipes across Alex’s cheek.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Henry breathes, and yeah, Alex had no fucking clue.

His mind is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and he has no idea what to say to that besides: “Fuck.”

Henry chuckles softly, nudging their noses together. “Indeed.” He presses a soft kiss to Alex’s lips, then another to the corner of his mouth and one to the edge of his jaw. “Do you want to… go somewhere we won’t be interrupted?” he murmurs into Alex’s ear, and his warm breath combined with the words makes Alex tremble under him.

Alex swallows hard as his hands tighten on Henry’s hips, but he hesitates a moment too long because then Henry is actually pulling back, a concerned expression creasing his brow.

“Which is not to say— we don’t have to do anything more if you don’t want— I just thought—”

“I want to,” Alex blurts, surprising even himself. He’s not entirely sure what more means to Henry, but he knows he wants it. Jesus, does he want. “Yes. Fuck. Let’s do that.”

Henry grins, wide and nearly blinding in its brilliance, and Alex thinks he would do just about anything to see that smile on his face always.

They clamber off the couch, adjusting themselves with shared, knowing giggles, then Henry grabs his hand and tugs Alex through formal, stuffy corridors lined with portraits and antiques, which just adds a certain something to the absurdity of the whole situation. Somehow it’s not a surprise that Henry’s apartments are just as impersonal and opulent as the rest of the palace, full of hideous floral wallpaper and baroque furniture. Before, he’d have put that on Henry himself, but now it feels wrong despite the fact that Alex still barely knows him. It feels like he knows enough. Henry eats curry on the couch and cracks crude jokes and sniffles at the tragic endings of Star Wars movies (yes, Alex noticed). Henry is warm and soft and feels like he belongs in cozy, simple rooms full of old books and tea and cardigans.

Alex’s musings are cut off when Henry pulls him close again at the foot of the hideous gilt monstrosity that is his bed, wrapping his arms around Alex’s waist and tugging him into a lingering kiss. It’s softer than before, delicate and sweet, exactly like Alex would imagine Prince Charming would kiss. From this angle Alex has to tip his head up to kiss him, which is definitely not something he ever thought would do it for him, and yet. Henry’s evening stubble scratches against his chin, and broad hands grip onto his hips and pull him against the hard, flat planes of Henry’s chest, all of it constantly reminding him of the unmistakable masculinity of the person he’s currently making out with.

Alex thinks, distantly, that he should probably be freaking out about this a bit more, but it’s too easy to give himself over it in the moment. He can freak out about what whatever the fuck it means later.

Henry’s hands move to the front of Alex’s shirt, and his nimble fingers make short work of the buttons before pushing it backwards off Alex’s shoulders. His fingers leave trails of fire where they linger against Alex’s bare skin, and even just this has Alex moaning into the kiss, desperate for more. He tugs at Henry’s shirt, yanking the tails out of his pants and nearly tearing the buttons open in his haste, which makes Henry laugh at him, the bastard.

“Eager, are we?” Henry teases, and Alex bites the grin right off his face.

“Shut all the way up,” he huffs before sinking his teeth into the absolutely irresistible collarbone he’s just uncovered.

Henry sucks in a gratifying breath at that, his hands tightening on Alex’s waist, and then he’s manhandling Alex back onto the mattress, which has no business being as hot as it is. Alex kicks off his shoes before scrabbling backwards so that he’s lying against the pillows, his heart racing as Henry crawls up over him with a nearly predatory grin on his face. The way his body fully blankets Alex’s is overwhelming in the best way, making every part of Alex ache with the need to somehow be closer, even as Henry presses the their bodies together from knee to chest and captures Alex’s lips in another deep, probing kiss.

They kiss and kiss until Alex’s lips are almost numb from it, their hands roving over heated skin and through thoroughly mussed hair. Henry’s hips roll slowly against him, almost a question, and Alex groans when he feels the hardness of Henry’s cock pushing against his hip. His own is straining against the front of his trousers, and his breath shudders in his chest when he imagines what it would feel like to have Henry’s hands wrapped around him.

But—

“Hey, uh,” he breathes as Henry’s mouth moves to his neck, and he’s nearly driven to distraction by the feeling of Henry’s teeth scraping lightly over his pulse point, but he wants to get this out, “I’ve never actually—” His voice fails, and Henry pulls back just enough to look him in the eye. Alex swallows. “Done this. With a guy. I mean, kinda, but not really—” He lets out a frustrated huff. “It’s a long story.”

Henry stares at him so intensely and earnestly that Alex feels flayed open by it, like Henry can see all the parts of him that Alex himself didn’t know were there. “We can just do this,” he says as he pushes a curl back from Alex’s forehead. “The last thing I want is to push you into something you’re not comfortable with.”

It’s completely reasonable not to rush things, but Alex thinks if he leaves London without seeing Henry naked he might fucking expire.

“Did I not already fucking say I wanted it?” he retorts, a little testily. Better that than admitting how desperate he really is.

“Well, to be fair, we didn’t exactly specify—”

“I want you naked,” Alex breathes in a rush. “I want your hands on me. Your mouth, if— if that’s something you want.”

Henry’s gaze goes dark and hot, and he actually licks his lips. Alex’s dick twitches in his pants. Jesus Christ.

Henry dips back down to kiss his neck, but a moment later he answers. “That,” he says, pressing it into Alex’s skin as he kisses a path down his chest, “is something I very much want.”

Then Henry’s hands are at his waistband, making short work of his belt and peeling off his underwear and pants in one go, and everything goes very, very hazy after that in the absolute best possible way.

~~~~~

The room is quiet after they subside, after every ounce of pleasure has been wrung from their bodies, after shouted names ease into murmured endearments.

“I should go,” Alex eventually whispers into the stillness, because he should. It would be better if he spent the night in his own rooms. Safer.

He doesn’t want to, though. He doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts right now, doesn’t want to give his brain the space to run wild with this. That’s what will happen if he goes. He’ll fall into a research spiral on google, and text Nora even though it’s too late, and quietly freak out about everything that’s happened tonight. Here, though, Henry’s got an arm thrown over his waist, and it’s not much, but the weight of it soothes something within him. Keeps him grounded.

Maybe it’s just Henry that settles him. He doesn’t want to think too hard about that.

“You could stay,” Henry murmurs back. He leans in, presses a kiss to the outside of Alex’s shoulder. “No one will notice. Tomorrow’s Sunday. The staff come in late.”

This is a terrible idea. This can’t be… anything, really, given who they are. Alex doesn’t even know what he wants it to be, but he knows that.

“You sure?” Alex asks anyway.

“Stay,” Henry repeats.

So Alex stays.

~~~~~

The bed Alex wakes up in is unfamiliar, which is hardly surprising given his travel schedule lately. What is unexpected is that he’s naked, and there’s a warm, naked body pressed against his back, and abruptly all of what he got up to the previous night comes slamming back into vivid clarity.

He slept with the fucking prince. Henry. His nemesis, except not actually, apparently, and oh yes, definitely also a dude. Alex sucked his dick and most definitely enjoyed the experience, so that’s a whole new thing. The freakout about his sexuality that he shoved to the back of his mind last night rockets to the forefront now, and he can feel his breath stutter in his chest.

Except then Henry’s arm tightens around him and he presses a sleepy kiss to the back of Alex’s shoulder, and the tightness in his chest unclenches somewhat. Not all the way, but enough.

He fumbles for his watch, then jolts up to sitting with a new fear once he sees the time. Jesus Christ, Cash or Amy is going to show up at his bedroom any minute now to pick him up so they can leave, and Alex isn’t fucking there. This is a disaster.

Henry grumbles at being disrupted, sleepily rubbing at his eyes in a way that’s definitely not adorable at all. “Time is it?” he mumbles through a yawn.

“Late,” Alex huffs, briefly getting tangled in the sheets and nearly falling out of the bed in his haste to find his clothing.

He’s halfway into his pants when there’s a knock at Henry’s bedroom door, and he almost falls on his face again. That seems to wake Henry up a bit more, and he finally sits up, his hair standing up in all directions and his eyes gone wide.

“Yes?” Henry calls out.

“The Secret Service seem to have misplaced their charge,” comes Shaan’s voice through the door, and Alex would very much like to die right now. Henry stumbles out of bed, throwing on a robe, then opens the door just enough so that Alex isn’t visible. “I told them I would inquire with you to see if you had any idea of Mr. Claremont-Diaz’s whereabouts.”

There’s something very knowing in Shaan’s tone, like he’s perfectly aware of where Alex spent the night and furthermore none of this is exactly a surprise to him, and Alex only barely manages to hold back the extensive collection of curses crowding at the tip of his tongue. What the actual fuck.

“Ah,” Henry says. His cheeks are bright pink. “Just a moment, I’m sure I can help you locate him.”

“I’m not sure I’ve properly conveyed how agitated they are, sir.”

“Tell them I’m ok,” Alex sighs begrudgingly, stepping into view now that his shirt and pants are on. It’s not like he’s kidding anyone; he’s still barefoot in Henry’s bedroom and the bed that two people clearly slept in is fully visible from where Shaan is standing. “I just—”

Shaan holds up a hand. “Believe me when I say that you do not need to finish that sentence. I will deliver the message, but”—he pauses, glancing between them—“you probably shouldn’t linger.”

He pulls the door closed behind him as he goes and, despite the warning, Alex stands there for a minute, rooted in place and staring at the floor. Maybe Shaan doesn’t want an explanation, but the Secret Service certainly will. Fuck.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Henry says quietly, suddenly close beside him. Alex hadn’t heard him approach. He still looks so soft and sleep-rumpled, and something tugs at Alex’s chest that absolutely should not be tugging. “I shouldn’t have talked you into staying here.”

Alex huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “I didn’t take much convincing,” he says. “I shoulda just set a fucking alarm.”

“Probably,” Henry agrees, his lips tipping into a wry smile that fades into a look of concern. “Are you… ok?”

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?” he answers, probably a little too quickly. Henry just stares at him in that way that makes Alex feel entirely too seen. “Probably gonna get chewed out for disappearing, but it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“That’s not exactly what I was talking about.”

Alex swallows. “I’m fine.” He offers Henry a little smile. “This was fun.”

“It certainly was,” Henry agrees carefully.

“Where’s your phone? I’ll give you my number, it’ll be easier to plan joint appearances or whatever,” Alex says in a blatant attempt to divert from a discussion about what happened or what this makes them. He’s got to figure his own shit out first. He doesn’t need Henry to know that he’s already wondering when he can arrange his schedule to see him again.

Henry gives him a look, but he fetches his phone and hands it over to Alex with a blank contact page open. Alex types in his number and hands it back.

“I’ll be disappointed if you only use that for booty calls,” he jokes.

Henry sputters out a laugh. “Noted.”

He’s endearingly pink-cheeked and smiling, and Alex doesn’t think before he takes the last step that puts him in Henry’s personal space, grabs the fronts of Henry’s robe, and pulls him into a kiss.

If he’d had any lingering doubts about the previous night, about whether what he’d felt was real or not, this thoroughly dispels them. The press of Henry’s lips to his, the way their mouths slot together as easily as if they’ve been doing this for years, the zip of electricity that fizzles under his skin and spreads out to tingle in the tips of his fingers and toes… Alex has never been kissed like this, has never felt like this being kissed, and it’s exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

Like he’s falling.

Oh. Fuck.

[monsta-x-jagi]

Crown and Chrome - Chapter 2

Synopsis: In the past, you and Kihyun go on your first date. In the present, it’s Kihyun’s first day at work

Word count: 4.2k

Triggers: none

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The Past

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Kihyun asked you for what must be the 5th time that evening, as he handed you a helmet.

“Yes, my answer isn’t going to change from last time!” You cried out, your patience beginning to wear thin.

The last time you referred to was when you had pizza with Kihyun, in his warehouse garage. You told him you were interested in going to the motorcycle race on the weekend, and needed the details. It would be the craziest thing you’ve ever done, and with more than 3 months of vacation until university, you were ready to try something different.

Kihyun shut you down almost immediately. 

“It’ll be too dangerous. It’s not your scene. Tickets are expensive too,” he tried giving a million excuses.

And you foiled him at each one. “How can I know whether it’s my scene or not if I’ve never been? And did you forget my family owns most of this harbour now?”

“No comeback on the danger part though?” Kihyun said, raising his eyebrows.

You hummed in thought then answered, “Voluntary assumption of risk.”

Kihyun couldn’t stop himself from groaning at your response. You pulling out some legal term (he didn’t need to know the Civil Liability Act didn’t apply in this situation and you were just pulling his leg) was precisely why you needed to stay away from this place. You were destined for greater and brighter things, and Kihyun couldn’t understand how a mind as brilliant as yours failed to see it. But then he thought, maybe you truly didn’t know. Maybe you truly didn’t understand the dangers of the biking world. Maybe he could safely expose you to it all, and finally you would understand.

Which is how Kihyun ended up trying to get you dressed in motorcycle appropriate gear on a Saturday evening. But having you put on his leather jacket over your pink baby tee, and exchanging what were probably overpriced but well-made jeans for his sweatpants was having an unexpected effect on him. 

You walked out of Kihyun’s bathroom dressed in your new outfit and a slightly sour look on your face. 

“I can’t have you falling down and damaging your skin,” Kihyun said.

“Well I was counting on you being a good rider that wouldn’t drop me when you mentioned also being a racer,” you countered.

“I am not holding you when I ride. You’re holding me. It’s your responsibility to not fall off,” Kihyun said sternly.

For a second, anxiety flashed across your face. Without saying anything more, you walked over to Kihyun who was holding a helmet. You took it from him, and pulled it on wordlessly, then began fiddling with the straps.

Kihyun watched your fingers fumble, sighed and put his fingers under your chin. “Let me,” he said, and you did.

Once the warehouse was locked, Kihyun climbed on his bike and waited for you to join him. Just like in the movies, you swung your legs over the seat and wrapped your arms around Kihyun’s waist. Then you placed your head down on Kihyun’s back, catching him by surprise. 

“You good there, princess?” He asked, hoping his voice didn’t betray him.

“I am ready, let’s go,” you answered, oblivious to the effect you were having on him.

It was a quiet ride, about an hour, until you had left the city limits. Kihyun spoke only to warn you when he might speed up or when there were sharp turns. You hummed in acknowledgement each time he spoke. Sometimes you would wriggle and readjust yourself in his seat, and Kihyun swore all he felt was you pressing yourself closer to him,  but astoundingly, he didn’t mind. He almost missed the way you felt pressed against him once he stopped the bike and you loosened your grip. You had arrived at a motorplex you didn’t even know existed in your state. It was teaming with people, some in biking gear, some in what you assumed were costumes, and others in regular clothing. Kihyun exchanged a quick and customary hello to a few riders nearby as he got off his bike, then offered a hand to you. Even with his riding gloves on, he was hyperaware of your hand in his.

“So listen, I need to go to registration, maybe say a couple hellos, but there’s food trucks over that way and since it’s still early, you should be able to get a good spot in the stands,” Kihyun explained.

You nodded and started unzipping the jacket he lent to you, but he placed a hand over yours to tell you to stop. 

“Keep it. You might get cold.” 

You nodded again and asked. “Will you take me home as well? If so, how will I find you?”

Kihyun’s eyes widened in shock and maybe even offence. “Did you really think I’m the kind of guy to leave you stranded like that? I brought you here so you leaving safely is my responsibility.”

A soft smile spread over your face. Even with his prickly personality, his words still carried care. “Thank you,” you said.

“I’ll come and find you after the race okay? Cheer for me, yeah?”

Once Kihyun left, you went to the food trucks and bought yourself twisty potato skewers, some knockoff pad Thai, and frozen yogurt with 75% of the available toppings before heading to the stands. You found a spot at the front by the railing and began eating.

“Mind if I sit here, Kikibebe?” Someone said behind you. 

You turned around, your cheeks full of your inauthentic pad Thai, to find a girl with the most impressive cat eye makeup you’d ever seen. 

“No, go ahead,” you managed to say in pout form.

The girl giggled and sat beside you. “I don’t think I have seen you here before, so how long have you been a Kikibebe?”

“Sorry, Kikibebe?”

“Kihyun’s fan club. You’re wearing his patch and only his patch, so I’m guessing you’re new to racing?” The girl offered. 

“Um yeah, I guess you could say that,” you said with a tight smile. 

About the time you finished your noodles, the racers came out. The noise from the crowd almost made you drop your frozen yogurt, but you quickly joined in the cheering. You could easily see Kihyun’s orange hair as he waved to everyone with a cosmically dazzling smile. You also briefly saw Jooheon with his red space buns, and Mingi with his fire hair. At one point, you thought you saw Kihyun catch your eye from the racetrack. 

But then the race began, the crowd became even louder, and the atmosphere was all consuming. People were standing and leaning against the railing, screaming and crying from shock, awe and anger if they lost their bets. At one point, Mingi overtook Kihyun, and the girl beside you grabbed your arm for comfort. But then on the last lap, Kihyun slipped past him to win, and you and your new buddy were jumping for joy. At the end of the race, when Kihyun waved and bowed to the crowd, he looked towards you again, only this time, your new friend caught him and all but swooned. You found her reaction comedic, even though Kihyun’s smirk at the end of the race, the way his hair clung to his sweaty skin, and the way his hands looked while he pulled his gloves off were all making your mouth dry. 

Quite literally, you were thirsty… for Kihyun.

The Present

Returning to work on Monday brought more surprises than anyone bargained for. The first surprise came in the national news. Tenders were open for a contract with the Department of Defence to build infrastructure for a newly acquired nuclear submarine fleet. Everyone knew defence contracts were lucrative, so the whole firm was abuzz. You already had people with backgrounds in naval architecture, and civil, chemical and mechanical engineering at the firm. It also didn’t hurt that the firm had past experience with waterfront projects. The stars had aligned just for you, it seemed. 

But then the second surprise came. The tenders would be viewed by the actual naval officers assigned to the new base, and your stomach dropped when you saw one of the names: Choi Jongho, who was simultaneously your first serious relationship and the worst ex you ever had. 

“Hoseok, you were in the PR side for a bit. Tell me, do I have to put my name on the tender?” You asked during the daily executive meeting.

Hoseok took a bite of his oatmeal. “You were on the legal team, so you already know the answer. You’re acting CEO now, you sign off on everything.”

“Yeah but… I just don’t want to deal with him, you know?” You said, hanging your head in frustration.

“Then don’t. Send one or even all of us to the meeting. Half the architects in this building report to me, and the other half report to Hoseok. Hyunwoo handles the engineers, and I hear our new head of investments has an engineering degree too,” Minhyuk said while he squeezed some moisturiser on to his hands.

“Speaking of our new man, where is he?” You asked, looking pointedly at the empty seat in the conference room while you attached some press-on nails.

“Ah Miss y/n, that’s my fault. I told him to arrive at 8, and it is not 8 yet,” Hyunwoo said sheepishly. He was the only one in the room who was not doing some sort of personal grooming. 

"Well at least we can expect Kihyun to turn up ready for the day like all the other engineers,” Minhyuk quipped as he packed away his skincare products.

There was a good reason for this bizarre meeting. Your mother, the past CEO, always held the daily executive meetings between 7 and 9 am to plan the day before regular employees arrived. Each division in your firm had their own timetables. Much like your mother, who was an engineer by trade, the engineering department started work at 9 on the dot, and could usually leave work in time to eat dinner at home. The legal department didn’t fire up until at least 10am (lawyers were divas), but could always go out for late night drinks (lawyers are alcoholics). Then the architecture department fell in the middle: they began work after the engineers and before the lawyers, but nobody really knew when they left the building. Lastly, the investment team was in the building all day every day in some capacity. Considering all this, you made the early morning executive meeting a casual affair - food, pyjamas and skincare routines were welcome. The only thing not tolerated was non-attendance without a reason.

Though you’d give Kihyun a free pass this time around when he eventually arrived and became the third surprise of your morning. But for now, your thoughts were racing. Would he recognise you? Would he remember you? Would he be awkward? Would he still be as protective of you as he used to be? If given the chance, would he try to heal all your old wounds? Or would his appearance tear open the wounds he never knew he left?

Because that’s precisely the problem. You never knew why he left you.

The Past

After Kihyun's race was over, he sent you a text message saying he’ll come find you at the grandstand. You didn’t see it since you were watching the other races while occasionally chatting with the girl beside you. Eventually, Kihyun decided to make his way over without waiting for your response. He could almost feel the audience’s gaze swivelling to him as he walked through the grandstand to where he last saw you.

Kihyun found you laughing about something with an audience member who saw Kihyun before you did. Her eyes widened in recognition and she tapped your arm hurriedly to let you know. When you found Kihyun weaving his way through the audience, you waved hello with a bright smile, and Kihyun couldn’t help but return the smile as he quickly walked to you. 

“So, did you enjoy your first race?” Kihyun asked.

“Yeah, it was interesting, and congrats on the win,” you said. “Wanna sit?” You gestured to the space beside you.

Kihyun shuffled his feet before replying, “Actually, there’s something else I want you to check out. It’s got a better view than here.”

You shrugged and stood up. “Ok, let’s go.” 

Kihyun reached over to grab some of the food wrappers you were carrying, and you let him take them from you. But then he wrapped his hand around yours. “Don’t trip,” he said, and began leading you out of the grandstand.

Even though you followed him, you saw people watching you two.

“Kihyun, people are watching,” you said softly to him. “Kihyun, are you famous or something?”

“Don’t worry about it, just follow me,” Kihyun replied without looking back at you and leading you out. 

He didn’t let go of your hand even after you left the grandstand. Kihyun led you out of the racing complex, past more people, all of whom continued to stare after you both. Not minding them, Kihyun took you out into the bushland (dry forest for you non-Aussies) surrounding the racetrack.

“Kihyun, why are we out here? What about your bike?” You cried, trying to pull your hand out of his. 

Kihyun still didn’t let go. “Relax, they’ll be safe, but there’s something I want you to see.”

He led you up a small sandy hill, using either the illumination from the racetrack as a guide, or simply his own familiarity with the path, you didn’t know. Eventually, you reached a clearing, with some solid ground and grass instead of sand under your feet. Kihyun stopped here and let go of your hand. He turned to face you and placed both hands on your shoulders. 

“I promised you I wouldn't hurt you, and I meant that,” he said with conviction as he looked directly into your eyes. He then spun you around so you could see the racetrack again.

At first you were doubtful about whether this was a better view. You could see the whole complex illuminated against the dark of the bush, but parts of the track were obscured .

“So uh, what am I looking for right now?” You asked Kihyun. 

“Just give it a minute. Take a seat, actually,” he replied and sat on the grass with his legs stretched out and hands behind him for support. 

You joined him, hugging your knees into your chest, and kept your eyes trained on the racing complex in silence. 

“You know, this is one of those places where people won’t hear you scream,” you said, breaking the silence.

“Y/n, I can’t tell if you’re joking, but I swear that’s not what this is,” Kihyun said from beside you.

“Yeah but you literally just took me to the kind of place someone would hide a body,” you replied. 

Kihyun bit his lip nervously as he drew in his legs to sit cross legged. “I mean, if you’re uncomfortable, I can take you back?”

You shook your head and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Just be happy that for once, safety crossed my mind.”

Kihyun groaned. “That was a terrible joke. Hopefully the motocross event is more entertaining than your jokes.” 

“Motorcross?”

Kihyun smirked. “I brought you here because motocross is loud and hectic in the stands, especially for someone who’s there for the first time. But from here, you can see all the tricks with less noise.”

Just then, you heard revving and cheering, much louder than any previous segments. A motorcycle practically leaped into the air soon after. Kihyun watched your reaction as you breathed out a soft wow and became a little starry eyed.

“Do you like it?” He asked.

“Mmm, I do,” you replied without taking your eyes off the motorcycles doing flips in the air. “I also have another joke for you.”

“I don’t have high expectations but go on…” Kihyun chuckled.

“Another benefit of being in a place where people can’t hear you is that you can scream as loud as you want,” you said with a smirk, even though you kept your eyes focused on the racing complex. 

Kihyun was silent for a few seconds, then asked, “Why would you randomly scream loudly?”

“Coz you’re enjoying yourself?” You offered, turning to face him. When you saw his confused expression, you asked, “You don’t get it?”

“No.”

“Huh, you’re cute,” you giggled and turned back. 

“Well if you're screaming because you’re enjoying the race, you can do that while in the stands, so yeah, I don’t get this joke either. Honestly y/n, you’re really bad at this,” Kihyun said.

You fully turned to face him. “I didn’t take you for an innocent person, Kihyun, especially considering the things you said about this crowd.” 

“And I didn’t take you for a terrible communicator considering how eloquent you usually are,” Kihyun retorted. 

“Leave me alone, eloquence and jokes don’t mix, okay?” You grumbled with a pout as you turned away.

Kihyun gave you a sidelong glance. “Hm. You’re cute when you’re grumpy.” 

You sighed and rolled your eyes.

Kihyun’s lips curved into a devilish smirk and he leaned in closer to you, his lips almost brushing your ear. “And actually, I knew exactly what you meant. I can’t believe I thought you were an innocent person the first time I saw you.” 

You spun your head towards him, your faces being inches from each other. Your gaze flitted to his lips, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by him. 

"Is there something you want to tell me?” You asked, your mouth going dry once again.

Kihyun pulled back, grinning. “Nope, I just like messing with you.” 

You were grateful he wouldn’t see the flush spreading across your cheeks, but you weren’t going to let him win. “So you like messing with people, but not messing around with them?” You asked.

"What's the difference?” Kihyun replied.

You smiled gleefully as you replied. “Looks like Mingi was right. You mess with people because you don’t have the balls to mess around with them.” 

Kihyun’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly you wondered if you’d taken it too far. Even if his words were suggestive, his voice was dripping with something like anger when he replied, “Are you sure it’s not because you don’t have what it takes to mess around with me?”

But you wouldn’t back down. “Maybe you should mess around and find out.”

The Present

As expected, Yoo Kihyun arrived in the meeting room at 8 on the dot. His hair was a natural brown, instead of the bright orange you saw on the weekend. 

Hyunwoo made the introductions. “Ah Kihyun, welcome to the team. This is Minhyuk and Hoseok, they handle the architects, and this is Miss y/n, she handles the legal team but she’s also acting CEO.”

Minhyuk and Hoseok both stood up and shook Kihyun’s hand. You remained seated until Kihyun approached you.

“Miss y/n, I look forward to working with you,” Kihyun said.

It took a second for your etiquette training to kick in: never shake someone’s hand seated. You stood up sharply and offered your hand to Kihyun, who shook it gently. You swore you felt electricity brush through you in that moment. 

“Now that Kihyun’s here, let’s talk budget for the new contract,” Hoseok said.

“Are you familiar with defence contracts?” Minhyuk asked Kihyun.

“I read up on them last night. My understanding is that there will be various subsidies, or reduced competition depending on the contract,” Kihyun replied. 

“Good, that’s a start,” you said appreciatively. “But to be specific, this contract will probably be a cost-plus contract where the DoD covers project costs and provides a certain profit margin. However, there is no exclusivity, and I want MX to take on as much of this project as possible. My thinking is that if we reduce the project costs, we can find a way to expand that profit margin.” 

“But we can’t sacrifice funding for our current projects, just to take on as much of this new project as we can,” Kihyun replied.

“That’s where you come in,” Hyunwoo replied. “Get investments to look at the return on equity and investment (ROE and ROI) for similar naval projects in similar firms.”

“Also, just do a preliminary check on the net present value (NPV). Logic tells us the profit margin clause will mean its a positive NPV, but let’s be sure,” Minhyuk added.

“Good, good, that can all be arranged,” Kihyun replied while he wrote down some notes.

“But Miss y/n, what if the project isn’t cost-plus? Was if it’s IDIQ or prime?” Hoseok asked.

“Surely if it’s IDIQ, we do exactly that? Indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity?” Minhyuk proposed.

“To be honest, that worries me,” you said. “Can we calculate an NPV on an indefinite timeline?” 

You looked at 3 of your 4 executives for an answer, since you weren’t sure if you could keep a straight face when you looked at Kihyun. 

But despite your lack of attention towards him, Kihyun answered, “It’s okay, you don't need to be worried.” 

His gentle voice had the rest of the room melt away as you finally focused your attention on him.

“I can calculate the NPV as a perpetuity, and I’ll index it to the consumer price index (CPI) so we have a preliminary growth value,” Kihyun reassured you. 

He still sounded the same as all those years ago, back when you would tell him all your worries with tears in your eyes, and he would rub your back, tuck your hair behind your ear and kiss your forehead. 

And now, you would do those things to yourself when you needed reassurance, like how just now, you tucked your hair behind your ear before responding. “That sounds good. Please do the same for a prime contract possibility too.” 

“Yes ma’m,” Kihyun said, almost smirking. 

“Miss y/n,” Hyunwoo’s calm, deep voice brought your attention back. “Do you have any contacts in the navy you could ask?” 

Before you could answer, Hoseok spoke up. “Hyunwoo, she doesn’t want to talk to him, remember? We’ve all heard the Jongho story and you know it gets messy.”

“My apologies, Miss y/n, it slipped my mind,” Hyunwoo said, bowing his head towards you.

“Don't worry about it, he’s not important,” you said, with your eyes cast down and acutely aware there was one person in the room who didn’t know the Jongho story. 

And that one person had to speak up just now. “Actually, I have a contact in the navy. He’s called Im Changkyun, and he mentioned being assigned to a new base recently. I’ll see if he knows anything.” 

The rest of the executive team looked at Kihyun. Hoseok spoke first and with pride, “I think we just found Miss y/n’s match.”

After the meeting, the five of you separated, with Kihyun going with Hyunwoo who was his assigned mentor for the week so he could get settled in. Minhyuk and Hoseok followed them to go to the elevator while you walked next door to your office.

“I see you changed your hair,” Hoseok said to Kihyun.

“Yeah, it was in the employee policy document,” Kihyun replied. 

“You know, if you mentioned it to y/n, she probably would have let you keep your orange hair,” Minhyuk said. “She allows me to do my skincare during our morning meeting.” 

“No, it’ll be unprofessional. I have to be presentable and ready for the day,” Kihyun replied. 

“Spoken like a true engineer, eh Hyunwoo?” Minhyuk laughed as Hyunwoo hummed in agreement. 

“Wonder if y/n will like you,” Hoseok mused. “She was very curious about you during the weekend.” 

This was news to Kihyun. “Did she say anything?” 

“Not that I remember,” Hoseok replied, honestly, since he truly didn’t. “But she went to school with Somin of Kard, who I believe was your coworker?” 

Kihyun nodded. 

“Oh who are we kidding? Y/n went to school with everyone who is a someone now. Guess that’s what happens when you’ve been gifted all your life,” Minhyuk laughed. 

Kihyun frowned at that. “Do you always talk about Miss y/n so flippantly? She’s your CEO.”

The atmosphere in the elevator changed. The regular banter that was common among the executive team during off-duty moments seemed to have missed the mark. 

Hyunwoo decided to calm everyone. “We’ve known y/n since she was an intern here, and you’ll soon learn she is very open about everything. Her knowing someone everywhere is truly an asset, even if we tease her for it and she’s actually a very understanding boss who wants the best for this company, even if the company wasn’t what she always wanted.”

Kihyun didn't mention that he already knew this about you. He knew how friendly you were and how you never suspected a person of ever having ill intent, as much as he disliked that trait. He also knew the reason you made the pragmatic decision to become a lawyer and eventually CEO for MX, even if it meant letting go of what you called your sole happiness.

[softsnzstuff]

Humbly begging for content aout those ginger freaks .

LMAO you and me both 🤣 I’ve only seen the film once so again please forgive my characterization

Pls note that IRL G/eta and C/aracalla were 29 and 22 respectively but since they’re twins in the movie I’m splitting the difference and calling them 26 for the purpose of this drabble • Okay enough rambling pls enjoy 😅

Geta sat slouched back in his throne, scowling through parted lips. His eyes were watering slightly.

“Ek’TSCH!” He sneezed to the side, uncovered.

“Could you please stop doi’g that?”

Caracalla whined. He was sitting next to his twin in his own throne, leaning against the armrest and rubbing at his temples.

Geta sniffled and wiped his dripping nose against the back of his hand.

“I wouldn’t be sneezing snF if you didn’t get me sick.”

The statement was pointed and accusatory.

“M’be??” The shorter twin scoffed before coughing harshly.

“Yes you! You and your… stupid orgies. Probably picked up a bug.”

The brotherly bickering was interrupted by one of the healers approaching with two identical vials.

“My lords - an herbal remedy for you.”

Geta heaved a sigh and uncorked the bottle, downing it. Caracalla, however, crossed his arms in protest.

“Don’t want it. Looks gross.”

The healer took a step forward, “it’ll help-”

The young emperor uncrossed his arms only to smack the vial out of the healers hands, standing up and crossing the room. He pulled his robes tighter around him, coughing into his hands.

The healer looked to Geta with a look of apology.

The ginger rolled his eyes and dismissed the healer with a wave. “Let him be ill then… leave us.”

As the healer left, General Acacius was approaching the guards at the door.

“General Acacius for the emperors. I have matters to discuss with them.”

“The twins are in poor health today, General.” One of the guards tried to hint.

“It’s urgent.” Acacius insisted.

The older man looked past the guards into the main room where the two brothers were. Geta looked positively miserable and Caracalla was building up to a tantrum surely.

“On second thought. It was wait.”

“A wise decision, General.”

[magicshopaholic]

Never Have I

Summary: During a break in Seoul, Jimin runs into Sooah - and she’s not alone. Meanwhile, Hoseok sees a different side of Chaeyoung’s life.

Pairing: Jimin x OC, Hoseok x OC (different OCs)

Genre: Exes; humour, banter, flirting, bickering, angst

Word count: 11.3 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: language, a lot of alcohol, peer pressure, shady characters

A/N: It’s happening! Jimin is back to dealing (or profusely not dealing) with his baggage when it comes to his ex, and Hoseok is back to being a pain in the ass for his best friend’s little sister - just a day in the life 🖤 Takes place a couple of months after A Phone Call and about six months after Movie Night.

Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive @dreaming-with-happiness @confessionsofamarshlily @jiminjhang @xjoonchildx @tarahardcore @infinitehobi @handfullofcandids

Listen to: “anna (go to him)” by the beatles

jimin masterlist | hoseok masterlist | main masterlist

Sooah checks her phone as she steps out of the building, squinting slightly at the sunlight. The battery is depleting fast; she hopes it’ll last until she gets home. She considers plugging it into her scooter, when she remembers. Whipping around to run back into the building, she halts in her tracks when she spots her target jogging out of the building in Sooah’s direction.  

“Hey!” The younger girl - for she has to be younger; no one her age still has bag tags with fur on them - waves and stops in front of her, panting slightly. “Sooah, right? You forgot this.” In her hand is Sooah’s power bank, slightly frayed on the edges but still sturdy and reliable, her name written in the corner in silver ink.

“Right, thanks.” Glad she doesn’t have to go all the way back inside, Sooah tucks her yoga mat under her arm and smiles. “Your phone good and charged?”

“Yes, thank God. You’re a lifesaver,” adds the other girl, rolling her eyes dramatically. “I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on the class at all if my phone had died.”

“You concentrated alright, from what I could see,” remarks Sooah. “That was a hell of a backbend.”

Her smile brightens and she looks almost shy, as though she isn’t used to getting compliments. “Thanks.” She tilts her head up towards the sun, her long hair shining in the brightness. “Any plans for the weekend?”

Don’t start. “I did have plans but then my boyfriend got called into work which is where he’s going to be all weekend.” She shakes her head, trying not to sound too disgruntled. “Unless something goes really right and he gets a couple hours off tonight, I’m probably going to sit around with no one but myself for company the entire time.”

The girl winces, and Sooah gets the impression that she truly understands. “Well, I mean, if you’re not doing anything…” she begins, shrugging, “my roommate and I are having a party tonight. If you want to come?”

Sooah squints and frowns, somewhat amused that this girl doesn’t seem to realise she’s invited a total stranger to a party at her house. She asks the first question that pops into her mind. “You, uh… where do you live?” 

“Hongdae,” she supplies. “There’s going to be drinks and music and dancing… I mean, only if that’s, like, your thing,” she clarifies suddenly. “Totally cool if it isn’t.”

“No, it’s… it’s definitely my thing,” murmurs Sooah honestly, realising she’s actually considering it. “I - will your roommate be okay with you inviting someone she doesn’t know? Or he?”

“Oh, no, Sungmi is cool. We both have free reign to invite whomever we like.” She leans in a bit then, lowering her voice. “To be honest, I won’t know a lot of people there,” she confesses, looking a bit sheepish. “So I just thought a familiar face would be nice. But, no pressure. Obviously.”

“Of course.” Sooah nods. “I’ll let you know if I can.”

“Sure.” She smiles again. “I’ll give you my number; you can text me in case you decide to come.”

“Cool.” Sooah dictates her number as the girl saves it. A moment later, she hears a ping from her own phone. “Got it.” As the girl waves and starts to leave, Sooah suddenly remembers. “Hey, uh… what’s your name, by the way?”

She looks confused for a second before her eyes go wide. “Oh, God, I’m such a ditz. I’m Chaeyoung,” she says, skipping back over and sticking out her hand for Sooah to shake. “Hope to see you tonight, unnie.”

—

The sun is just setting beyond the horizon when Jimin exits the elevator of the Big Hit building into the basement, with a spirited young idol who’s apparently just made his debut.

“... saw you in Wembley, too,” he gushes, in step with Jimin. His youthful face is full of energy and wonder, and his smile is the exact kind that Big Hit looks for to plaster on billboards everywhere. “My group was in the audience - we couldn’t believe it. The stage was just on fire.”

Jimin grins, a mixture of gratitude and pride. Next to him, Hoseok cracks a bashful smile. “Oh, come on. We all saw your debut. You guys are fantastic - you’ll be at Wembley in no time.”

The younger idol - Alex (“half British, half Korean”) - almost chokes. Even taller than both of them, certainly Namjoon’s height, he looks almost deferential. “We’re just learning from you, hyung,” he says humbly. “Even the hours in the studio are crazy - but it’s worth it.”

“Make good use of the free time you have then.” In a sweet yet clear way that they must now part, Hoseok pats him on the back and waves. “Have a good evening, Alex.” He and Jimin walk towards their car as Alex goes in the other direction, his shoulders clearly reflecting the tiredness Jimin remembers from his own debut days.

“Shit, I feel for them,” he muses, watching him until he disappears behind a pillar before turning to Hoseok. “Remember when Jungkook tried to sneak us that half bucket of fried chicken and got caught?”

“And put the blame on Taehyung?” Hoseok chuckles at the memory while Jimin laughs. “Man, we really had to beat some sense into that kid.”

“Still a work in progress,” remarks Jimin as he climbs into the shotgun seat of the car. While Hoseok adjusts the rearview mirror and straps himself in, Jimin checks his hair and smirks at his reflection. “The blond really suits me, doesn’t it?” 

“I can’t believe we have to go to this,” grumbles Hoseok, sighing and reversing out of the parking spot. “Such a bad idea.”

Jimin deflates, realising that this tirade of it’s such a bad idea that had been a constant during their recording session just now, was only going to continue throughout this car ride. “Hyung, I’ll say it again. We don’t have to go.”

“Yes, we do,” mutters Hoseok, driving out of the private exit at the back of the building. “Chaeyoung invited me - because I invited her to my house. If I snub her invitation, she’ll probably go running to her brother or something.”

Jimin squints skeptically. “Really? She’ll go running to her brother if you don’t attend a house party thrown by her roommate?”

“You don’t know her like I do, Jimin.”

He rolls his eyes at Hoseok’s serious tone, unable to understand what it is about that girl Chaeyoung that riles him up. “Fine. Can we listen to music?”

“Knock yourself out.”

Jimin connects his phone to the stereo and puts it on shuffle, easily bopping to the music while Hoseok drives with a scowl on his face. Finally, he speaks again. “Hyung? Seriously, what’s wrong?”

For a moment, Jimin thinks he isn’t going to answer, but then Hoseok sighs. “Nothing.” His fingers tighten on the steering wheel. “I just don’t know how to be around her. She’s different and grown up and… we were never really friends.” He shrugs uneasily. “It’s just weird.”

Jimin nods, not quite understanding the extremity of his friend’s reaction. Still, he tries to be supportive. “Well,” he begins, shifting lower in his seat, “speaking as a person who just met her, she’s pretty nice. Fun. You’ve met her a couple times, too, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, at that shoot for Vogue - but she was only filling in for someone,” says Hoseok. “We didn’t really get an opportunity to say anything to each other except a hi.”

“It’s a good start.”

Hoseok cracks a smile. “Thanks for coming with me, though. I know I probably hijacked your Saturday night.”

“Nah, not really. I didn’t have plans.”

“And now your plans involve hanging with Chaeyoung all night.”

“I don’t mind. She’s cute.” When Jimin gets no response, he looks up and does a double take when he sees Hoseok staring at him. “What?”

“She’s cute?”

Jimin rolls his eyes. “Come on, hyung, don’t be weird about this,” he says dismissively. “She is cute. Jungkook thinks so, too,” he adds casually.

“Do I need to put a leash on you two or something?”

He snickers. “Kinky. Do you think Chaeyoung would -”

“I will drive us into a tree,” warns Hoseok, “and I won’t regret it.”

“No, you won’t,” he retorts, unimpressed. “This is Suga hyung’s car. And I was going to say: do you think Chaeyoung would mind that you brought me along?” Jimin clicks his tongue. “You’re being really high-strung about this. Do you have a crush on her or something?”

“Ugh. Let me know if you see a tree, yeah?” When all Jimin does is hum in response, Hoseok sighs. “I don’t think she’ll mind. She said herself that she won’t know a lot of people there, so she’ll probably be glad to see a familiar face.”

“You’ll be one of those familiar faces, too,” points out Jimin. “That’s probably why she invited you.”

“I guess.” Hoseok is quiet for a minute. “I know she’s not going to complain to her brother. It’s just easier to think that because I don’t know what she’ll do otherwise.”

“Here’s an idea: get to know her.”

Hoseok makes a choking sound. “Let’s not get carried away here. We’re not friends.”

Jimin is about to point out that they can be, but for some reason he feels as though the suggestion would be lost on his friend. He therefore leaves Hoseok to his pensive thoughts and stretches in his seat, feeling like he’d rather enjoy this impromptu weekend plan than sit around and decipher his friend’s many sounds and sighs every time Chaeyoung is brought up. In fact, if he’s learnt anything since he was a wee rookie, like that Alex they just met, it’s that free time cannot be treated callously.

With that thought, they reach Chaeyoung’s apartment twenty minutes later. The sun has now fully set and the buzz of a Saturday night is all around Hongdae. Hoseok parks a couple of buildings away and both of them keep their heads low as they pass the crowd, smoothly making it unseen.

“Jesus,” breathes Hoseok, when they step into the building. His tone betrays nothing except that of something unexpected, and Jimin can’t help but agree. Chaeyoung’s apartment is meant to be on the second floor, but it’s no matter since the entire building seems to be in party mode. It looks like how college dorms are portrayed in movies, with young adults bustling around in various styles of clothing, a thin haze of smoke permeating every corner, and thumping music that seems to be playing through the walls.

“Are you sure she lives here?” Jimin asks as they gingerly step in. He dodges a couple sharing a cigarette and grinding to the music at the same time. “Maybe you should call her.”

“No, this is it,” replies Hoseok grimly, snaking his way around a bunch of guys chugging huge mugs of beer. “Come on, I can’t wait to see how this generation parties.”

As it turns out, the aforementioned generation parties alright. The door to Chaeyoung’s apartment, while open, is still on a floor that’s less crowded. There isn’t as much smoke and most of the partying seems to be happening indoors. 

Hoseok and Jimin pause at the door, peering in hesitantly. Jimin, at least, recognises no one - although he sees a couple of people do a double take at the sight of him. He smiles back charmingly while next to him, Hoseok gets on the tips of his toes, as though hoping to spot Chaeyoung in the middle of the party.

“Let’s just go inside,” suggests Jimin, and pulls Hoseok with him by the arm. The apartment is small but lively, seemingly held together at the seams, but has the unmistakable air of cool. Jimin can tell, especially when they walk further into the apartment and he catches a glimpse of someone familiar.

“What the -” 

But she’s disappeared. Jimin frowns, knowing it’s too much of a coincidence for Sooah to be at this party, this awfully random party, but also knowing that he’d recognise her face anywhere. “Hey, hyung, did you just see -”

“Chae!” Hoseok’s voice is filled with a mixture of exasperation and relief, and Jimin turns to see Chaeyoung making her way through the crowd towards them, a glass of dark liquid in her hand.

“Hey, you came!” She sounds bright and cheerful, not to mention rather relieved as well. “And you brought Jimin! Hey,” she adds with a light laugh, reaching up to give him a one-armed hug. Jimin raises his eyebrows at Hoseok’s stony face over her shoulder and stifles a laugh.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says cheerfully, straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair, trying not to make it too obvious that he’s still searching for the face he knows he saw. He forces himself to look at Chaeyoung. “Nice party.”

“My roommate’s party,” she corrects, shrugging and looking around. “I unfortunately don’t have friends cool enough to smoke out of rolled up bills and still be doing body shots in this day and age.” She chuckles, but doesn’t sound judgmental. “It’s fun, though. You look great,” she adds, fingering the lapel of his jacket.

“Hey, thanks. You, too.”

“Thanks,” she replies sheepishly, sounding slightly self-conscious. “You look good, too, oppa,” she says after a moment, turning to Hoseok.

Hoseok, who’d been watching this exchange with no signs of amusement, takes a moment to realise he’s being spoken to. “Oh, uh - thank you. So do you,” he says a moment later, glancing and immediately averting his eyes from her bare legs under the short skirt she’s wearing.

Chaeyoung seems satisfied with this level of small talk. “You guys should meet Sungmi - she should be here somewhere…” She trails off, peering at the crowd.

“And Sungmi is… your senior?”

“Yeah, from college. Her boyfriend is here, too,” she adds, turning back around and taking a sip of her drink. “He’s pretty cool. Kind of quiet. But his tattoos are rad.”

Hoseok raises his eyebrows while Jimin makes a noise of appreciation, still subtly searching the crowd for her. “What, uh, what kind of tattoos?” asks the former.

“Nothing much. A tattoo sleeve on his arm, a bunch of stuff on his back,” she supplies, her head bopping subtly to the music. “The usual. His cousin’s are even cooler.”

“His -”

“Yeah, they hang out here a lot. Oh, there he is!” She points to the far end of the living room where a guy in his late twenties emerges out of a hallway, a tall girl swaying to the music beside him. His hair is a frozen blue, and Chaeyoung seems to have missed his most important tattoo - the one on his face. “That’s Ice, and Sungmi with him.”

Even Jimin lets out a low whistle, glancing over at Hoseok who looks scandalised. Neither of them bother to ask if his name really is Ice.

“How, uh -” Hoseok swallows. “And, uh, where - where did she meet this gentleman?”

“A concert.”

“Yeah? What was he doing at the concert?”

Chaeyoung gives him a look. “I don’t know. What do you do at a concert?”

Jimin snickers while Hoseok narrows his eyes. “I perform. What does Ice do?”

“Oh. Duh.” She lets out a light laugh. “He was just in the crowd. She met him while he was filming the mosh pit.”

Hoseok chokes just as the most familiar face comes back into view for Jimin - and this time, she spots him, too. “Of course,” he whispers, his heart already racing as her eyes light up with recognition.

Next to him, his friend seems to spot her, too. “Hey, is that Sooah?”

Chaeyoung frowns in surprise and turns around as Sooah makes her way over to them. In a shimmery top and black jeans, she looks, once again, like she just heard about this party and turned up to it, dressed to perfection for the occasion. 

“Guys, hi!” She sounds more relieved than any of them at the sight of familiar people and immediately reaches up to give Jimin a hug before moving to Hoseok. “I had no idea you’d be here,” she adds, sounding slightly breathless and turning to Chaeyoung.

“Yeah, same here -” Jimin starts to say, but Chaeyoung beats him to it.

“Wait,” she says, pointing to Sooah and Jimin, “how do you two know each other?”

“Oh, we’re -” She catches Jimin’s eye and gives him a small smile. “We’re old friends.” She looks at Hoseok. “How do you guys know each other?”

“Same,” replies Hoseok, gesturing to Chaeyoung. “We’re old… neighbours.”

Chaeyoung wrinkles her nose. “Smooth.”

Hoseok makes a face while Jimin swallows, feeling the familiar rush of excitement and anticipation at seeing his ex-girlfriend. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says.

“I didn’t either,” she agrees, taking a sip of her drink - a whiskey, from the looks of it - and nodding. “It was shaping up to be a pretty shit weekend in all, but then someone -” She throws a friendly arm around Chaeyoung’s shoulders and squeezes it “- invited a practical stranger to a party at her house.”

Chaeyoung chuckles, a faint blush spreading to her cheeks. “You’re not a stranger. Today was our fifth class together,” she points out. “But I’m glad you know these guys,” she adds, pointing at Jimin and Hoseok. “I was feeling a bit guilty, thinking you’d only have me and your boyfriend for company.”

Jimin’s mind does a double take but he can’t immediately pinpoint why. When he notices Sooah’s gaze flicker to him, he remembers.

I was a bit nervous to tell you that I’m seeing someone, if I’m being honest.

He’d balked at the word “seeing” but thankfully, Chaeyoung’s remark answers a question he didn’t think he’d be able to bring himself to ask - at least, not without letting Sooah think he really cared.

“You guys should meet him, too,” she says lightly after a moment. “He’s really great.”

“Of course,” he says, glad to hear his voice sounds normal, for if he really thinks about it, he doesn’t mind. 

As he thinks about it, he scans the crowd, automatically wondering which one of the guys in this room could be Sooah’s new boyfriend. There’s the one in the middle of a circle by the sofas with a charming smile and a girl on either side of him; if this were high school, this guy would be Jimin’s first guess. But if she doesn’t know anyone at this party then neither does her boyfriend, so Jimin moves on.

There’s another guy by the dining table where all the drinks are, wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket - in the summer: also potentially Sooah’s type. Then there’s one by the balcony, not really standing outside but not standing inside either, smoking a cigarette while he stands alone. Not quite Sooah’s type of boyfriend, but definitely Sooah’s type of distraction.

Jimin’s brought out of his surveillance when Hoseok nudges him. “I’m going to get a drink,” he says, somewhat pointedly. “You want one, too?”

“Um…” He meets Sooah’s gaze, who gives him an innocent smile. Fighting one of his own, he shakes his head. “You go ahead. I’ll, uh… I’ll think about what I want.”

“Okay.” Hoseok shrugs and turns to Chaeyoung, his tone shifting. “Alright, what have you kids got to drink here?”

She clicks her tongue as they walk away. “Sungmi is, like, two years younger than you, oppa…”

Jimin watches them, fully aware of Sooah taking a couple forward until she’s right next to him. He catches a faint whiff of her perfume, something like roses and sugar.

“You look great,” she says, giving his frame a quick once-over.

He tries, for a moment, to think of something witty to say but gives up. “Thanks. You, too. But you know that,” he adds.

“I hoped.” She nudges his shoulder softly. “I’m really glad to see you.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sooah holds his gaze for a second before her shoulders fall slightly. “Come on, Chim. This isn’t going to be awkward, is it?”

Jimin flushes, suddenly feeling rather juvenile. “Of course not. It’s really good to see you, too, Sooah,” he says after a moment, realising he means it.

“Great.” Sooah nods in what he imagines is sympathy. “I would… really like for you to meet him.” There’s no need to specify who “him” is referring to. “If you’re okay with that.”

“Of course. Sooah, come on, I know we were… fooling around,” he says, and they share a sheepish smile, “but we haven’t dated in years.”

“Five years, to be exact,” she remembers softly.

He swallows. “Yeah. We’ve both dated since then. It’s not a big deal,” he adds, not fully sure if he even believes it himself.

Sooah watches him for a moment before nodding. “That’s true. I guess we’ve just never been friends while dating someone else. This would be the first time.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

She laughs and squeezes his shoulder. “I have faith in you, Chim.”

“And I have faith in you. Which is why I hope that I didn’t get replaced by a guy wearing metallic buckles in his jacket.”

She immediately turns in the direction he’s gesturing in, before snorting. “God, no. It would be so difficult to take off,” she adds cheekily.

“That’s what I thought.” He taps his temple dramatically. “The guy with the red hair, though -” He points at the makeshift bar, “he just drank the foam out of the mug while he poured his beer.” He lets out a low whistle. “Come on, that’s got to be impressive.”

“Everything a girl looks for in a guy,” she agrees dryly. “Any other guesses?”

Jimin grins, for this exercise feels like a crash course in Sooah’s romantic past - the one list Sooah has admitted in the past that was topped by him. 

“Oh, I don’t know. How about that one over there? We all know how much you love facial piercings.”

“A real winner.”

“And he’s got one of those cool wrap-around earphones. Sooah, you may just have hit a jackpot with -” He breaks off when he sees Sooah’s gaze shift to something behind him.

“All worthy guesses, Chim,” she begins, clearly trying to suppress a smile, “but it’s time you met the real one.” She pats his shoulder and grins. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Jimin takes a second to process this abrupt change in topic but turns to watch her wade through the crowd, only to reach -

“Fuck.”

The word falls out of his mouth before he can help it, and he hasn’t a clue what it means. All he knows is that when he sees Sooah reach up to hug debut rookie half-British-half-Korean Alex, he almost wonders for a moment if coincidences really do occur in the universe or if the universe just enjoys fucking with him.

As Sooah brings Alex over, Jimin is suddenly conscious of his hands. They hang by his side uselessly before he quickly stuffs them into the pockets of his jacket, just as Alex catches sight of him.

“Jimin sunbaenim!” Alex exclaims, loud enough that a couple of people even turn to look. “Sorry,” he mutters sheepishly. “I didn’t know you were going to be here, too! Sooah, do - do you know him?”

Sooah doesn’t speak for a moment. She looks up at him and nods before, with what looks like an enormous effort, she turns to Jimin. “Yeah, we know each other from school,��� she says to Alex, while her gaze bores into Jimin’s, as though daring him to say something.

Jimin, for all his self-control, gives her a wide smile. “It’s true,” he agrees. “Sooah was the most popular girl in our class.”

“Really?” Alex grins down at her and they seem to share a momentary private joke. “Somehow, I can believe that.”

“And Jimin was the best dancer in our class,” she adds, nudging his arm. “And the best at math.”

“I can believe that, too. The dance part, not the math,” corrects Alex immediately. “I mean - I’m sure you were good at math, too, hyung.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence before Jimin chuckles. “It’s okay. You didn’t tell me this was your night off.”

“Big Hit must have gotten more lenient over time,” offers Sooah, giving him a knowing look.

Alex doesn’t catch on. “We’ve been rehearsing for three days straight so they gave us tonight to go home. But I haven’t seen Sooah in a while, so…” He shrugs and puts an arm around her shoulder. Jimin is surprised to see the smile that involuntarily appears on her face, when Alex continues. “You would know what that’s like, though, hyung.”

Jimin doesn’t say anything for a moment. “It’s the price of debuting,” he says finally, slowly looking over at Sooah, whose smile fades slightly. 

“Seems like it’s worth it.” Before Jimin can process why this response stings something ancient in his heart, she turns to Alex. “Let’s get you a drink?”

“Oh…” He winces apologetically. “Sorry, noona, I can’t drink tonight. We have that shoot tomorrow…”

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” She bites her lip before linking her arm with his. “Alright. Why don’t you come with me while I get a drink? You should say hi to Chaeyoung, too.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you around, sunbaenim,” he says to Jimin, eyes shining, before he and Sooah leave for the drinks’ table.

Years and years ago, when Jimin had first accompanied Sooah to one of their high school parties, he had wondered for the umpteenth time whether they even made sense together. When they were alone, they did. They laughed, bickered, kissed in empty classrooms and texted all night underneath the covers. Beautiful, popular Kim Sooah was goofy and silly and funny and adorable, and Jimin felt like he’d won the lottery at sixteen.

But out in public, Kim Sooah was Kim Sooah, and Jimin was the boyfriend that everyone subconsciously frowned at momentarily before smiling and introducing themselves. Sooah hadn’t left his side, though, not even when her friends had called her over, not when the drinking games had commenced. She’d given him his first drink - a vodka - a little hesitantly.

“This doesn’t make me a bad influence, does it?” 

She’d bit her lip, red and plump, as she tugged her tube top up her chest. Jimin, who’d been fairly curious about alcohol anyway, had only one answer in mind.

“Of course not,” he’d said, smiling and taking the glass. “I need to fit in with your friends eventually, don’t I?”

“Don’t worry about them,” she’d said dismissively. “It doesn’t matter what they think. You don’t have to drink that if you don’t want, Jimin.”

He appreciated it, but Jimin knew he had a rare opportunity. Boys like him didn’t attract the attention of girls like Kim Sooah; if he had any hope of sustaining this, he needed to prove he could fit in with the cool kids.

Across the room, Sooah mixes herself a gin cocktail, hands moving with ease. Next to her, Alex reads the label of a soju bottle before muttering something to her that makes her laugh and nod. 

“Wow, you’re Jimin, right? From BTS?”

Startled, Jimin turns to see a girl about his height, her face flushed as she takes in his appearance. 

“Um -” He clears his throat. “That’s right.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it,” she breathes. Behind her, a couple of more people spot him, their eyes going wide. “Can I take a selfie with you?”

“Uh, sure.” Before he knows it, she’s leaned over to him and raised her phone, clicking a series of pictures in succession in which she’s pouting and he’s just about registering what’s happening.

“Thank you,” she gushes, reaching over and giving him a half-hug that he returns hesitantly. “Find me later,” she says in a low voice before stepping away. “If you’re still here.”

It takes Jimin a moment to gather his bearings, even as a lightness spreads through his insides. Suddenly confident, he struts over to where Sooah is standing next to the mantle, this time by herself. 

“So,” he begins, leaning against the wall next to her as she scrolls through her phone, drink in her other hand. “Where’s my biggest fan?”

Sooah doesn’t even look up. “Probably in a dark room somewhere, stalking your flight schedule?”

“Not him,” says Jimin, unfazed. “My other biggest fan.” He leans closer to her, his bangs brushing hers. “Noona.”

“Don’t start, Jimin.”

He laughs. “What? I thought you hated being called noona.”

“I don’t hate it.”

“Really? You threw a piece of chalk at Taehyung’s head when he called you that once.”

“That’s because he was fucking with me,” she clarifies, finally looking up at him and holding up a finger. “Secondly, it’s a little hard to get annoyed by it as you get older. There’s too many people calling you that all of a sudden.”

“Including your boyfriend. Where is he, by the way?” Jimin asks, scanning the crowd briefly.

“He ran into someone he knew.” Sooah turns to face him, leaning sideways against the wall. “Jimin.”

“Sooah.” He grins down at her, his gaze involuntarily flickering to her red lips. “Did he mention that I ran into him at Big Hit?”

“No. Was he supposed to?”

“Fans do that sometimes. How have we never been introduced before? I mean, we seem to have a lot in common.”

Sooah scoffs. “This might surprise you, but you are not first in line of the people I want to introduce my boyfriend to. But wait a second,” she adds, straightening up slightly, “weren’t you dating a girl, too? When do I get to meet her?” She looks around, as though hoping to spot her. “You didn’t bring her?”

Jimin frowns and it takes him a second to place the name. Ahnjong. The name, still one of the sweetest he’s ever heard, swims through his mind, as does the disastrous ending to their date two months ago.

“Yeah, that…” He rubs the back of his neck. “We, uh… we decided to see other people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Not like, say, your boyfriend.”

“Jimin,” she repeats.

“Sooah.”

She sighs. “God, you’re cocky.”

Jimin chuckles as she rolls her eyes. “Hey, I love my fans, alright? They are what keep me going, Sooah. You should be more respectful of that.”

“Shut up.”

“What? You used to be one of them,” he reminds her.

“Yeah, and now I’m dating one of them.” She holds his gaze. “He’s my boyfriend, Jimin.”

“He’s a rookie.”

Sooah raises an eyebrow. “And?”

Whatever Jimin had been about to say goes straight out the window in an instant. “And…” He pauses, desperate suddenly to change tacks “… where does he find the time to date?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Where did you find the time to date?”

“I didn’t,” he points out forcefully. “That was the problem, apparently.”

“That was not the -“ Sooah breaks off abruptly, exhaling. “No. No,” she mutters, shaking her head before looking up at Jimin. “You really want to do this now?”

“You’re the one who brought it up,” he shoots back, even as his heart races. All it takes is a momentary lapse of emotion for them to fall back into the darkest pits of their history, and Jimin isn’t sure she wants that. Not with her new boyfriend in the vicinity.

Sooah sighs and looks away uncomfortably. “Look, aside from the girl that I met at yoga class today for the first time, I don’t know a single person here. Except for you.” She tilts her head and frowns slightly. “Can we please not do this now?”

A vision of teenage Kim Sooah, soft cheeks and sparkling eyes, whining cutely at him for the first time clouds Jimin’s mind. Even sweaty after volleyball practice with her hair unbrushed and tumbling down her shoulders, she was irresistible.

“You know Hoseok hyung,” he points out after a moment, mimicking her position.

She shakes her head. “Doesn’t count. He’s busy. In fact,” she continues, just as Jimin opens his mouth “word on the street is, he’s been prowling around the apartment and was last seen in the kitchen, taking pictures.”

He frowns. “What? Like, selfies?”

“No, pictures of the kitchen.” Sooah drops her hands from her hips to her sides. “I mean, I’m sorry to tell you this, Jimin, but your friend might be a crazy person.”

None of this makes a jot of sense to Jimin. He stares at her before clearing his throat. “Okay, we’ll - we’ll circle back to that,” he says quickly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So… what? We’re going to play drinking games until your boyfriend joins us?”

“Yes,” she answers, looking relieved. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” 

“Fine. Twenty questions.” He smirks.

Sooah rolls her eyes. “Oh, God. Okay, twenty questions. But I’m warning you, you may not actually want the answers to some of your questions.” Her gaze darts to something over his shoulder and Jimin turns to see Alex wave back as he talks to a girl. “Do you mind if he joins us?”

Do I ever. “Hey,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets, “I am all for hanging out with -“

“Do not say my biggest fans.”

Jimin scoffs. “I was going to say… I’m all for hanging out with my ex-girlfriend’s… new boyfriend.”

Sooah gives him a look before chuckling. “You are so transparent, Chim.”

Jimin laughs. “What? You can invite him if you want.”

“Nobody should play drinking games with you,” she states, poking him in the chest. “Not without supervision.”

He nudges her shoulder playfully with his. “You’re supervising me, aren’t you?”

“And we both know I’m a really good influence.” She taps his shoulder and grabs his arm, steering him to the drinks table. “Go on, choose your poison. Oh, wait, I know your poison,” she chuckles, grabbing the vodka and cranberry juice.

Jimin snickers as she makes him his drink, taking sips of her own from next to her. When she hands him the pink cocktail, smelling like just the right combination of sweetness and youth, he suddenly feels as though the entire night was leading to this: a wild Saturday night with Kim Sooah.

“Cheers.” She clinks his glass with his and watches as he takes the first sip, grinning when he dramatically smacks his lips.

“You can become a great bartender,” he tells her genuinely, his face already feeling warm from the vodka. “If this entire event planning thing doesn’t work.”

“It’s worked out well so far,” she says serenely. “I get to meet a lot of pretty cool people that way.”

Jimin bites his lip, remembering the last time he’d attended an event she was working at. He wonders if she’s truly being so bold as to bring that up, when he remembers that a work event is also where she’d met Alex. His drink seems less pink all of a sudden.

Sooah doesn’t seem to notice. “Okay, I’m going to go rescue Alex now,” she says. “I’ll be right back.”

“For twenty questions?”

“Or something.” She rolls her eyes but smiles, already taking a step in Alex’s direction. “Don’t make me regret this, Chim.”

Jimin simply raises his glass in response as he watches her go. Across the room, Alex doesn’t seem at all like he needs rescuing; his smile is the smile, the media smile that’s drilled into every trainee as he nods at the girls speaking to him. 

It’s not quite Sooah’s move, he reflects. Jealousy had never been part of the many issues they had dealt with, which made sense given that there had never been another person that had entered their relationship. Just the two of them had been enough for it to implode each time. 

As she reaches Alex and joins the conversation with ease, however, it occurs to Jimin that his data points are limited to their relationship only - and just because she wasn’t jealous with him, doesn’t mean she doesn’t get jealous at all. 

The realisation confuses him to no end, as does the annoyance that comes with it. He gives her a proper once-over; she’s as gorgeous and sexy as ever, still somehow the life of the party despite not knowing anyone, but the attraction ends there. There’s too much baggage that prevents him from going further and the fact that one of them is in a relationship can finally signal the end of their ambiguous connection.

Sooah leans into Alex’s side then and he puts his arm around her shoulder. Jimin rolls his eyes, deciding he can’t watch this anymore; just because they’ve moved on doesn’t mean he needs a front row seat for their honeymoon period. He turns around and heads into the kitchen, only to be met by Hoseok with his phone pointed at nothing in particular.

“Uh, hyung?” Jimin steps in gingerly. “What are you -”

“Look at this,” interrupts Hoseok, not taking his eyes off the screen until he clicks a picture. He points to something in one of the lower cabinets and Jimin peers over his shoulder to check it out. “Look at how close the gas line is to that plug point.”

“The -”

“What if it sparks?” Hoseok shakes his head, eyes wide and manic. “The entire apartment could catch fire!”

“That’s a bit unlikely,” points out Jimin hesitantly. “And… why are you taking a picture of it?”

“I’m sending it to her brother,” he mutters, going back to examining the offending gas line. “God, this is so typical of Chaeyoung. So irresponsible.”

“So your solution is to tattle on her?”

“Well, she’s not going to listen to me.” Hoseok scoffs, turning and pointing to one of the upper cabinets. “Look here. Do you see that?” he asks, tapping a splintered piece of wood jutting out at his eye level. “I almost knocked my head on it.”

Jimin raises his eyebrows. “Well… she’s about six inches shorter than you so it’s probably not as much a problem for her?”

“Irrelevant,” he dismisses immediately. “Anyone could get hurt. Look, I don’t like having to take such drastic measures, alright?” he continues. “But believe me, she is going to resist every single suggestion that either of us -“

At that moment, a shorter figure comes barrelling into the kitchen, leaving a faint flowery scent in her wake.

“Oh, God, it’s true,” she exclaims with dread. Reaching forward and snatching Hoseok’s camera, she gasps as she sees the picture on it. “Jesus Christ, oppa, why do you have to be such a freak?”

“I’m the freak? Look at your gas line!” 

“There is nothing wrong with -”

“Chae - do you have any idea how dangerous it is to have it so exposed that it’s -”

“It doesn’t even matter! It’s not my apartment,” she reminds him, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. “It’s Sungmi’s, and I can’t go around changing things without discussing them with her.”

Hoseok glares at her before exhaling through his nose, apparently trying to calm himself. “What about this?” he demands, pointing at the broken cabinet.

Chaeyoung raises her eyebrows “What about it?”

“Do you need her permission to get things fixed, too?”

“Um, kind of, yeah,” she answers, looking a bit incredulous now. “I can’t afford to get things fixed by myself in any case. And besides,” she continues, reaching up and tapping the piece of wood, “neither Sungmi or I can even reach this.”

“I’m sure Chan will be more than happy to help you out.”

Even Jimin, who hasn’t known Chaeyoung very long at all, knows from the way her eyes widen that this was the wrong thing to say.

“Oh, of course you think Chan needs to come to my rescue!” She scoffs and places her drink on the counter with a loud thud. “You really don’t think I can make it a second without my perfect brother, do you?”

“That’s not what I meant! I just - okay, I’ll pay for it,” he backtracks hastily. “I don’t mind, really, just as long as you -”

“Seriously? I don’t even know when I’ll be able to pay you back.”

“You don’t have to -”

But Chaeyoung cuts him off. “And you’re overreacting, oppa,” she informs him, folding her arms across her chest. “The only person who can even reach this is Ice, and he’s never brought it up in all the -”

“Ice? How often is he over here?” He whips around to look at Jimin, as though expecting him to have the answer. Before Jimin can stutter out a response, however, someone else joins them in the kitchen.

“Hey,” a voice drawls, sounding like it’s coming from miles away. Everyone turns to see the aforementioned Ice, blue-grey hair, facial tattoo and crooked smile on full display. In one hand is a glass of whiskey and in the other, a joint between his fingers. “Thought I heard someone say my name.”

“Oh… hey, Ice,” says Chaeyoung, taking a step back.

“Hey, hey,” he replies, swaggering into the kitchen with that distinct aura of speaking from far away. “Everyone having fun?” he asks, reaching down to hug Chaeyoung without warning, who simply pats his shoulder as he steps away. 

Ice doesn’t seem to realise, drifting sideways to hug Jimin next. “It’s a party, yo,” he informs them, raising his joint. “Come on in, man,” he says to Hoseok, apparently waiting for a hug. When he doesn’t move, Jimin suppresses a snort, immediately burying his face into his glass. 

Ice frowns, looking mildly confused. “No?” He places a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. “I like this one,” he says to no one in particular.

Hoseok, clearly speechless, simply stares at Ice’s hand before looking back at him, and then at Chaeyoung as if to say Really?

Even Chaeyoung shrugs, looking somewhat embarrassed until a few more people enter the kitchen and Ice is successfully distracted. 

Jimin, who had been greatly enjoying the episode between Hoseok and this girl from his past who irritated the life out of him, takes this opportunity to intervene.

“Alright, who needs another drink?” he asks in a low voice so only the two of them can hear.

Chaeyoung turns to him as though just realising he’s there. “Jimin,” she states, “will you please tell Hoseok that he’s being insane?”

“Oh, grow up, will you?” Hoseok snaps back.

“You grow up -“

“Okayyy, tensions are high,” interrupts Jimin soothingly, “because everybody’s too sober.” He turns Chaeyoung around by the shoulders and steers her out of the kitchen. Hoseok follows without a word, rolling his eyes.

They reach the drinks table again where Sooah seems to have successfully rescued her boyfriend. 

“Sooah!” Jimin points at Chaeyoung and Hoseok frantically. “We have a sobriety emergency for you.”

“On it,” she replies, without missing a beat. “Cosmo for you and… Hoseok? For you?”

“I’m driving,” he answers sullenly.

“We’ll get Suga hyung to pick us up,” interjects Jimin hastily. “He’ll have tequila,” he tells Sooah.

“Perfect.” She bustles around the tables, gathering her paraphernalia and mixing a row of drinks with precision. Jimin watches with admiration, amusement and a bit of nostalgia while stealing glances at Hoseok and Chaeyoung beside him, both of whom glare in opposite directions.

“Alright, drink up, everyone.” Sooah passes a drink each to Hoseok and Chaeyoung, followed by one for Jimin. “You need to freshen yours up, too,” she adds with a smirk.

He holds up his half-finished drink. “But I’m not -” He breaks off when Sooah clinks her own half-empty glass with his. “Right.”

“Bottoms up, Chim.”

Both of them guzzle down their drinks in one go before emerging, warm and flushed. Jimin’s face feels like it’s on fire and his throat burns. But when he spots Sooah shaking out her hair and reaching enthusiastically for her fresh drink, he rallies.

“Cheers, guys,” he says, turning so that Hoseok and Chaeyoung can clink their glasses, too, when he notices something amiss. “Alex,” he adds, raising his eyebrows. “No drink for you?”

Alex, standing a step behind Sooah and smiling as he watched them drink, looks surprised to be spoken to. “Oh, I - I have rehearsal tomorrow.”

“And?”

“And… well, I don’t – I don’t want to be hungover during it.” He chuckles sheepishly. “Yeonjun hyung will kill me.”

“One drink won’t get you hungover,” says Jimin dismissively, reaching for a can of beer on the table and tossing it to him, which he catches at the last moment. 

“You don’t have to drink that, Alex.” Sooah cuts in. “Jimin.”

“What?” Jimin half-chuckles, but there’s suddenly far less humour in it. “He can’t be the only one not drinking. They’re called drinking games for a reason.”

“I don’t mind,” says Alex quickly. “It’s just one drink, noona. And… beer doesn’t have sugar,” he adds a bit uncertainly, glancing at the label.

“Exactly. And he’ll work off the carbs at practice tomorrow, anyway.” Jimin grins. “Been there, done that.”

Sooah fixes him with a steely look that he returns innocently, taking a sip of his vodka drink. Behind her, Alex’s face seems to crease at the mention of carbs. 

“Just one,” he mutters to himself, before holding it a few inches away and cracking it open. A bit of foam overflows and drips on the floor, but he takes a big gulp anyway. “Good beer,” he says after a moment.

“We also have breezers -” Chaeyoung starts to say but Hoseok catches her eye and shakes his head an infinitesimal amount, causing her to fall silent.

“Alright, now that everyone has their drinks,” continues Jimin, deliberately not looking at Sooah, “we can begin. Twenty questions, you said?”

“You said. And drinking games are perfectly possible without alcohol,” adds Sooah, apparently not about to let this go. “Remember your first drinking game?”

Jimin’s smile fades a bit as flashes surface from the recesses of his memory: a crowded house, a glass of Coke - and laughter from his classmates. Sooah hadn’t rushed to his defense this quickly then. 

“Yeah, I remember,” he replies after a moment. “Just making sure Alex doesn’t make the same mistake.”

“That’s not your call, though. He can decide what he wants to do.”

“Wow, did you hear that, oppa?” Chaeyoung pipes up. “Sound familiar?”

Hoseok scoffs. “Seriously? How is what I said similar to this?”

“It’s the way you said it, like you think I can’t do a single thing right.”

“That sounds familiar,” mutters Jimin into his drink, just loud enough for Sooah to hear.

“Oh, God, Jimin,” she snaps, rolling her eyes. “Now you’re just reaching. You can drink if you want, but you don’t get to tell others how to -”

“It’s a party! Let loose here because you can’t anywhere else - remember when you told me that?”

“I remember that that was in the context of you worrying about your math homework at a party, Jimin.” 

Jimin gasps, his cheeks growing hot. “Never have I ever worried about my math -”

“Oh, are we playing Never Have I Ever?” A voice interrupts them, sounding incongruously excited. Everyone turns to see Sungmi and her boyfriend Ice in tow, holding a drink and a joint respectively. When no one responds, she frowns. “No? Damn, this party must be going worse than I thought.”

“We can play Never Have I Ever,” offers Chaeyoung, turning to the others. “I’ll go first. Never have I ever… poked my nose in someone else’s business,” she finishes, looking straight at Hoseok.

He gives her an unimpressed look and takes an exaggerated sip of his drink, wincing slightly. Meanwhile, everyone else in the circle takes a sip as well, some sheepish, some shameless and, in Jimin’s case, with a bit of guilt. 

“Your turn, Jimin,” says Chaeyoung, sounding satisfied.

“Okay, um…” Jimin wracks his brain, the alcohol suddenly making his mind swim. “Never have I ever dated a carbon copy of my ex.”

He watches as all the expression leaves Sooah’s face, but he turns away, looking questioningly at everyone in the circle. Hoseok wrinkles his nose while Chaeyoung snorts and shakes her head. Sungmi tilts her head thoughtfully and takes a sip, however. Across the makeshift circle, Sooah deliberately places her glass on the table while, to Jimin’s surprise, Alex takes a small sip of his beer.

“Alright, your turn, hyung,” says Jimin after a moment.

Hoseok’s eyes widen as he scrambles for a question. “Um, never have I ever… been to a party where I don’t know a single person apart from the host?”

Every single person in the circle takes a drink, including Ice, who takes a sip of his girlfriend’s. 

“That was a good one,” remarks Sungmi, smiling with humour. “Okay, I’m next - and we’re going to make this exciting now,” she adds, rubbing her hands dramatically. “Okay, never have I ever… had a sex dream about someone in this room.”

A sort of silence seems to spread through the circle. Swallowing, Jimin takes a hesitant sip of his drink, glancing as quickly as he can at Sooah. She takes a sip, too, her eyes on the contents of her glass the entire time. Apart from them, Alex takes a sheepish sip, and Sungmi and Ice both take turns as well. Jimin feels something move next to his elbow but ignores it, eager to move the game along.

“Babe, that was an easy one,” drawls Ice, winking at the circle. “We’re all people, we all love, we all dream,” he rambles, taking another long puff of his joint. “I’ve had dreams, too, you know? I’ve had dreams about my lovely lady here -” He pulls Sungmi to his side by the waist and kisses her neck “- I’ve had dreams about my tattoo artist, I’ve have had dreams of Sungmi and my tattoo artist, Sungmi and her roommate -”

“Wait, what did you say?” Hoseok begins sharply, but Chaeyoung immediately interrupts him.

“Okay, no, the game, the game! Uh, Ice - it’s your turn, I think,” she adds hastily, stepping closer to Jimin. But Ice waves a hand good-naturedly.

“Nah, I’m good, sweetheart. I live here, in the mind and the -”

“Okay, moving on,” interrupts Sungmi, and Jimin guesses her boyfriend has finally made her uncomfortable as well. “It’s, uh - your turn,” she says, pointing at Alex. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“Oh, I’m -”

“This is Alex,” says Jimin brightly. “He’s Sooah’s boyfriend.” Sungmi’s blank expression tells Jimin a moment later that she obviously has no idea who Sooah is either, but she shrugs eventually.

“You go, Alex.”

“Um -” With his wide eyes, full and parted lips, and his hair falling effortlessly over his forehead, he looks like every label’s dream idol. Jimin taps his foot impatiently, an act that doesn’t go unnoticed by a few others.

“Okay, uh, never have I -”

“Make it a good one, Alex,” warns Sungmi.

“Ah, I’m sure he will, unnie,” snickers Chaeyoung, raising her glass encouragingly. “Come on, Alex, the pressure is on!”

“- ever - okay -”

“They’re just kidding, babe,” murmurs Sooah with a smile, squeezing his arm.

“Only a bit,” adds Jimin, winking and ignoring her frown.

“- lost my virginity to someone in this room!”

Everyone processes this before a few chuckles break out. “Alright, that was a good one,” allows Sungmi. “Not one I can drink to, unfortunately.”

“Yeah, we may have gone into historic territory here,” agrees Chaeyoung, “but you just made the game a lot more interesting. Cheers.”

No one seems to notice Jimin and Sooah lock gazes for a moment before quietly sipping their drinks. Memories that Jimin had always treasured threaten to resurface, but there is nothing he wants to be reminded of less at the moment. 

“Your turn, Sooah.” Alex nudges her gently. 

“Right.” She clears her throat and stares at the floor. “Never have I ever lied to someone while breaking up with them.”

Jimin scoffs audibly but it fortunately gets drowned in a sea of agreement, with almost everyone taking a sip of their drink. He doesn’t, however, shaking his head slightly at Sooah. A part of him is unsurprised; this had to happen eventually. There was seldom a time when he and Sooah got together and didn’t begin descending into their history - and it was never pretty.

“My turn, then,” chimes Chaeyoung. Her drink is almost over now and she stumbles slightly next to him. “Um… never have I ever been cheated on.”

Sungmi rolls her eyes and drinks, as does Hoseok. Across from the circle, Sooah lifts her drink to her mouth and pauses for a moment before drinking. Her eyes flicker to Jimin before looking away.

His heart thuds in his chest. Nothing would ever be good enough for Kim Sooah. Not two years of a relationship, not how much they meant to each other - none of it. All that would ever matter to her would be how they broke up - even if part of it wasn’t true.

“Jimin?”

He comes out of it, chewing the inside of his lip. “Never have I ever…” His eyes dart up to Alex, who seems to be realising that something is awry. “... dated another idol’s ex-girlfriend.”

No one drinks, predictably. Jimin ignores the “huh?”s and the joking groans, his gaze solely on Alex who, frowning at Jimin, slowly takes a sip of his drink. Next to him, Sooah closes her eyes. 

Jimin waits to feel victorious, for it’s clear that Alex now knows about his and Sooah’s shared history. But a deep-seated bitterness creeps through instead. New boyfriend in, old boyfriend out.

“Okay… who’s next?”

“Oh, that’s me, I think,” says Hoseok distractedly, reaching out to steady Chaeyoung. “Um - I don’t know. Can I pass?”

“I’ll take your turn.” Sooah’s voice rings out, calm and sharp. She looks at Jimin through steely, heavy-lidded eyes; standing next to a tall and handsome boyfriend, Jimin can almost imagine this is high school once again - but in a parallel universe where she would ever look at him with anything but affection.

“Never have I ever caused a friend’s break-up.”

There are scoffs from around the circle, with Sungmi and Ice both taking a sip each. From next to him, Chaeyoung takes a sheepish sip as well, while Jimin glares at Sooah. The cranberry and vodka drink suddenly looks vile in his glass and he feels like he could throw up.

“Think I need some air,” he mutters, turning around and leaving the circle amidst the mild chatter. He places the glass on some surface on the way as he nudges his way through the crowd of drunken young adults. He just about exits the apartment when he realises he has no plan whatsoever of where to go, but he knows he can’t go back. So he carries on, reaching the end of the hallway where the warm summer breeze of the night gives him some respite from the haze of smoke at the party.

He hears footsteps behind him then, right on cue.

“Storming out, Jimin?” The footsteps stop abruptly. “Really?”

He doesn’t even turn around. “Don’t start, Sooah.”

“Jesus Christ. You have to grow out of this.”

“Grow out of this?” Jimin finally whips around, momentarily surprised to see her standing so close to him. Goosebumps have erupted on her bare shoulders but she doesn’t seem to have noticed.

“Yeah. It’s been long enough.” Sooah gives him a distinctly unimpressed look, as though this fight isn’t worth her time.

“You know what? Why don’t you just go back to your boyfriend?” Jimin says scathingly.

“I will, just as soon you stop - okay, no, you are not walking away from me right now.”

Jimin rounds on her the moment he hears footsteps behind him again. “You completely attacked me in there!” he blurts out accusingly.

“Because you attacked Alex!” Sooah sighs in frustration. “He’s my boyfriend, Jimin. You can’t go there - you know that.”

“You’ve known Alex for three months. And you’ve known me for six years, Sooah,” he reminds her, knowing deep down that it hardly matters. But the words spill out like they’ve been pressing up against his vocal chords, desperate to get out since the evening began.

She’s quiet for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, well.” She gives him a look that’s part firm and part sympathetic. “Unfortunately, current boyfriend trumps ex-boyfriend. I’m sorry, that’s just the way it is.”

Jimin scoffs, ignoring his stomach sinking. “What happened to old friends?” 

“You are an old friend, but you’re also my ex. And boyfriend trumps -”

“Yeah, I got it,” he interrupts her, rolling his eyes. “I thought it was all in good fun,” he says after a moment, looking away from her. 

Even without looking, he can hear the skepticism in her voice. “Really?”

“Yes. I - I may have gone a bit overboard in the end,” he admits, swallowing as he remembers Alex’s confused face, the realisation dawning on him. “I just… didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” Definitely not with someone.

“Jimin, it’s been five years,” she reminds him in a low voice. “We’ve both dated other people since then; it can’t be a surprise that -”

“I don’t care that you’re dating him,” he interrupts her again, realising as he says it that it’s true. He doesn’t care, not really. Not like that, anyway. “You and I dated in high school. I never expected us to end up married or anything. Okay? We’ve all moved on.”

Sooah doesn’t say anything, just continues looking at him, a small frown on her face. She’s confused.

Jimin can relate. It’s immeasurably frustrating not being able to put his finger on the problem. “It’s just weird… seeing it up close,” he finishes lamely, knowing it’s the best he can come up with right now.

“Even now?”

“Yeah. I mean, the last time I saw it up close was…” He shrugs. “... when we were sixteen. With Daehyun.”

Sooah’s eyes widen right on cue. “Oh, God,” she exclaims, taking a deep breath.

“Come on, you know that -”

“If you bring up Daehyun one more time -” 

She’s interrupted by the door to the apartment thudding open. A couple of people spill out, loud and drunk. Sooah turns back to him.

“Alright. I’m done.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah. Because I can’t have this conversation one more time, Jimin.” She shakes her head. “I’m going back inside.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Jimin watches her walk back inside, steps quick and steady, despite how much she’s drunk all night. Just as she enters, two people pass her by. Jimin realises with a start that it’s Hoseok and Chaeyoung.

“- only came here to criticise me!” Chaeyoung’s voice is loud and shrill compared to Sooah’s low one. 

“If you think this is criticising, then you’re missing the point,” says Hoseok loftily, rolling his eyes. “I just don’t want you to kill yourself, okay? Sorry for being the only adult around here,” he mutters, striding down the hallway towards Jimin.

“Oh, please,” she snaps, scoffing. “You’re just programmed to find something wrong with everything I do.”

“And you’re just programmed to be a brat!”

“Great! Now you sound like my dad. Why don’t you call him and have drinks over it?”

“Seriously? I’m looking out for you because you’re my best friend’s sister,” he points out, turning around to face her. “I didn’t have to spend my Saturday night with Fire and Ice, you know?”

“Oh, because she has red hair? Clever.” Chaeyoung crosses her arms across her chest. “And you know what? Your best friend,” she continues, “doesn’t give a shit, alright? He knows I’m not twelve anymore. If he doesn’t care, why do you?”

“I - I don’t!” Hoseok sputters, going red in the face. “You know what? Fine. Hang out with that Ice and his group of Neanderthals - I don’t even care.”

“Great,” she says sarcastically. “Now you sound like the Hoseok I grew up with!” With one last glare, she turns around and stalks back into the house exactly the way Sooah had a few minutes ago.

Hoseok stands motionless for a moment before turning to face Jimin, eyes wide. “What the hell just happened?”

Jimin shakes his head, lost for words. “I have no fucking idea,” he mutters. “Do you want to call Suga hyung or should I?”

—

The doorbell rings and startles Namjoon, who spills a couple of drops of milk on his t-shirt.

“Damn it,” he mutters, dropping his spoon back into the bowl of cereal and holding the t-shirt away from his chest. “Can you get that?” he asks Jungkook, who’s sitting across from him at the breakfast table.

Jungkook nods and heads towards the door as Namjoon disappears into his room, opening it to see someone he hasn’t in a while.

“Sooah?” He chuckles in mild disbelief. “Um - hey, noona. Didn’t expect to see you… here.”

“Yeah, I know,” she says lightly, biting her lip. “Is Jimin here?”

Jungkook’s pause before he nods tells her that he knows something happened last night. “Come on in. He was pretty drunk last night so he went straight to bed,” he adds, shutting the door behind her and beckoning her inside. “I’ll just get him.”

Sooah nods as he shuffles inside, hearing a door open and him softly calling Jimin hyung. “He’ll be right out,” he says generously, coming back out from the hallway and going back to the kitchen table. A minute later, Jimin emerges from the same direction, his hair messy and eyes still a little droopy. He doesn’t look wholly surprised to see her.

“Morning,” she says after a moment. “How’d you sleep?”

“Crap.” He gives her a quick once-over. “Are you hungover?”

“Not in the least. You?”

He shakes his head, frowning a little at the movement. “Nope. Not at all.”

“Right.” Sooah falls silent, glancing surreptitiously at Jungkook as he scarfs down his breakfast. Jimin copies her, and they stare at him until he looks up from his phone.

“What?” he asks through a mouthful of cornflakes.

“Hey, Jungkook,” she begins. “Um, do you mind if…” She trails off, biting her lip when Jungkook simply frowns.

“Leave us alone for a minute?” Jimin prompts, and Jungkook immediately nods.

“Oh. Yeah, okay. Right.” He climbs off the chair, gathering his bowl, a plate of toast and a bowl of ready-to-eat kimchi, with his phone piled on top of the bread. “I’ll just… finish inside,” he mumbles, balancing everything and precariously walking inside.

Jimin turns back to face her again. “So… what’s up?” He frowns as she throws something to him, catching it easily. “Hangover pills?” he reads off the label. “I told you, I’m not hungover.”

Sooah shrugs. “Just keep it. For some other time.”

“Okay,” he says, slipping it into the pocket of his track pants. “Thanks. Was that it?”

Without his hair styled and his expensive clothes, he looks… young. His cherubic face, even with a straight expression and tired eyes, stirs an old, innocent adoration in her.

“I wanted to talk about last night,” she says. “Sober.”

Jimin shakes his head. “We don’t have to. I was - I was a bit of a dick, I know.”

“Yeah… but so was I.” Sooah’s eyes flicker to the floor. “I got defensive when you were picking on Alex and… I may have said some stuff I didn’t mean to.”

He nods slowly. “Guess I didn’t know what it’s like on the other side,” he says, cracking a half-smile. “I’m sorry if I… did I get you in trouble? When he found out that we used to…” He gestures between the two of them.

“No, you didn’t. He was a little surprised, yeah, but… kind of impressed?” She shrugs. “He really looks up to you.”

“That’s nice of him, I guess. He seems like a good kid.”

She chuckles. “He’s not that much younger.”

“No?”

When he doesn’t say anything further, Sooah sighs. “Jimin… I didn’t mean to say all that stuff last night.”

“No, you were right. Current boyfriend trumps ex-boyfriend,” he repeats, swallowing. “You weren’t the only one thinking it.”

“No, Jimin, that’s not true. Okay, fine, it’s true if I have to choose between them,” she amends, rolling her eyes. “In that case, I’m forced to choose my boyfriend over my ex.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“So don’t make me choose.” Just as she’d expected, Jimin’s shoulders relax, as though he hadn’t considered this. “Jimin, you are my ex but you don’t have to be just that for the rest of our lives. Come on, we’ve been broken up for longer than we were together - isn’t it time we actually became friends?”

“Friends?” He says it like it’s a foreign word. “I - Sooah, I get what you’re going for, I really do, but…” He takes a deep breath, like he’s bracing himself to say something. “I don’t know how we’ll do as friends, honestly.”

“Why? I can be a good friend,” she says, a little defensively. “I had a pretty good circle of friends, you know?”

Jimin chuckles. “No offense, but that is not a group I want to join. Come on, you’re talking about your high school friends, right? Sooah, they were awful,” he confesses, shaking his head. “Those girls didn’t have a shred of loyalty - they’d sell their mothers for gossip. And those guys you hung out with?” He exhales in disgust. “They weren’t friends. They were complete jerks and they just wanted to get with whichever girl would give in first.”

There’s a moment while Sooah processes this. “Right,” she says. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he says immediately, the regret audible.

“I know you didn’t,” she assures him. “I know, Jimin, because you’re a good guy. You were the best person I knew,” she admits, hoping he believes her. “That’s why I fell for you, and not any of those other jerks.”

Jimin says nothing, his eyes falling to the floor. 

“You still are one of the best people I know,” she adds after a moment. “And I don’t want you to just disappear from my life because I’m dating someone. I’d rather have you as my friend than this - this guy from my past I hook up with a couple times a year.”

When Jimin still doesn’t respond, she sighs.

“Fine. Whatever. I’m still your friend.” Sooah stares at him, hoping for something, anything. “Bye, then.”

“You really think it’ll work?”

“Yeah, I do. We get along pretty well, in case you haven’t noticed. We can try at least,” she adds when he continues looking doubtful.

“You’re sure you won’t fall in love with me?” he asks seriously.

Sooah stares before snorting. “Jesus, Chim,” she says admonishingly as he bursts into giggles, “don’t say whatever pops into your head.”

“Sorry, I forgot you’re dating another idol now. Probably not a big deal for you,” he allows.

“It wasn’t a big deal when I was dating the first idol either.”

“Not even with his abs?”

“I preferred his calculus notes over his abs.”

Jimin makes a face. “Some friend.”

Sooah smiles back. There’s still something resembling hesitance in his expression, but she hopes it’s temporary. It’s unchartered territory for both of them, but a necessary change. She suspects it was what scared Jimin last night in the first place.

“I should go,” she says after a moment. “I just came to…”

“Ask for my forgiveness?”

She rolls her eyes. “Sure.”

Jimin grins, and she breathes a silent sigh of relief. He walks her to the door and for the first time in a long time, Sooah looks forward to their common future.

“By the way,” he asks, just as she’s stepping out, “you - you don’t actually think that I cheated on you. Right? When we broke up?” he clarifies.

Sooah frowns. “Um… no. Why - oh, the game? Last night?”

Jimin nods, his lips pursed. “You drank.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She shakes her head and pats his arm comfortingly. “That wasn’t about you. Like you said,” she adds with a half-chuckle, “most of them were jerks.”

—

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to drop a review :)

[piratesexmachine420]

Okay I actually have one more thing to say about Minecraft and the Minecraft Movie. (Sorry, A Minecraft Movie.) I’m seeing a lot of people make the claim that “they whitewashed Steve” and while I absolutely see where they’re coming from, I disagree semantically. “Whitewashing”, to me anyway, implies that Steve was at one point intended to be nonwhite before then Mojang changed their minds. This is not the case. Notch intended Steve to be white.

Should he have been intended to be white? I’m not gonna interrogate that. Take it up with a sociology professor. Should we care if was intended to be white? Probably not, for most intents and purposes. In vacuo it’s very easy to read Steve as racially ambiguous, and that reading is all that really matters for most players. But that’s not been the case behind the curtain.

(Warning: long post, slightly messy post ahead. I could revise it further but I’ve spent way to much time on this. Maybe if I was arguing something a little less easy to take as racism. Sorry about that, BTW.)

Exhibit 1 (↓) : The current Steve skin.

This hasn’t always been the default player model. Obviously, right? Look at those rolled-up sleeves, those haven’t always been there!

This (↓) is the original.

It’s May, 2009; and this new game–not yet called Minecraft–is still a very pliable thing. No “Minecraft Bible”, no brand identity to uphold, no vision for the future. There are almost no features here–it’ll be another 9 months before the game’s trademark–infinite terrain–gets added on a whim.

Note the differences between this first model and the current one: the slightly lighter skin shades, the weird harsh edges on the detailing, the jarring lack of detailing on the pants, etc. etc. This is a placeholder: it’s been copied from another abandoned game prototype, where it had been copied from a second, unrelated, abandoned game prototype. Like so much of Minecraft’s early development, it’s been thrown together just to see if it’d work. It’s haphazard.

What would Steve look like if he’d been, well, designed? Created with intent? We actually don’t have to wonder. For a brief period of time between December 2009 and February 2010, Mojang had an artist: Hayden ’Dock’ Scott-Baron. Not just a programmer who happened to be making textures. And this (↓) is the design they came up with:

That’s a white guy. Notch got the chance to redesign Steve, to clarify what he intended, and he went with making Steve a white guy.

Well, to be fair, they also made “Black Steve”. (↓)

Yikes. “Black Steve”. I don’t know about you, but the fact that white Steve is just “Steve” and black Steve is “Black Steve” implies to me that this was a Mojang who thought of white as the default. Or at least that Notch thought of white as the default.

Dock would soon leave Mojang, and the game would never really get around to implementing any of his work. They stuck with Notch’s placeholder. And as the game got bigger and bigger, that placeholder became brand identity. By 2011 or 2012, Steve was too famous for them to go back and “correct” (and I mean that pejoratively) to white. (Not unlike creepers, but that’s another story)

And they’ve chafed under that ever since. Every depiction of Steve outside of the game itself has been obviously white, be it in promotional art, LEGO sets, the upcoming “film”, Super Smash Bros.–you name it, he’s white there. Mojang either hasn’t noticed or is unwilling to accept that anyone sees Steve any other way.

What should they do about this? Well, updating Steve to be unambiguously white in game would be pretty bad for what I hope are obvious reasons: bad optics, bad for their brand recognition, and really, really rude to anyone who didn’t think of him as white. They could also start depicting him accurate to his texture, but that might piss off racists. Pissing off racists is based, but you have to appeal to racists at least a little if you want to be the richest corporation in your market segment. They won’t go for that.

So what will they do? Nothing. Steve will continue to be an unambiguous white guy everywhere except Minecraft, where he’ll be treated like a white guy despite not exactly looking it. Is that whitewashing? I don’t think so. Whitewashing is deliberate, and this is a situation that’s evolved out of inertia more than anything else. But it isn’t much better than whitewashing.

[trenchcrows]

For the made up fic title thing: As much as i fear (at least i have you)

hhhhh sorry I took so long to answer this, here's like 1110 words of some nitw inspired crimeboys thing :DD watch out for the mild creepyness/unsettling themes in it lol also wilbur hurts his leg so :D

“Y’know, Wil, I think we’re a bit lost.” Tommy traipses along the corpse of a fallen tree; Wilbur is honestly surprised he hasn’t fallen through a bit of rot yet. Well, there isn’t a hint of moisture in the air, and he doesn't think he’s seen any of the expected fauna, but still.

He doesn’t say anything, he only moves forward, there must be an end to the forest somewhere, they just need to keep looking.

“Can’t you admit that we’re just a little bit lost? I mean come on, we lost the path like an hour ago now,” Tommy pouts.

Wilbur shakes his head, he speeds up a little, he’s sure he can see a clearing ahead of them.

“Wilbur, we’re lost, I can just, Y’know, fucking climb up that tree over there,” his brother yells out behind him.

“We’re not fucking lost, look there’s a clearing over there!” Wilbur rushes toward the gap in the trees and Tommy stumbles off the tree to follow after him. Wilbur glances back when he hears grumbles and swears, but he seems fine.

“See, look, that looks like a house, right? Maybe we can ask them for directions?” Wilbur gestures to what is visible of something that at least <i>looks</i> like a wooden cabin.

“Like that isn’t the sketchiest fucking house ever, Wilbur,” Tommy complains, dragging his feet along with a groan.

“It’ll be fine, you’ve watched too many horror movies.” Wilbur had watched all those horror movies with Tommy but that was different, Tommy was a child.

“No, I haven’t! It’s just a fucking sketchy house! What if there isn’t even anyone in there? It’s probably fucking abandoned,” the teenager rolls his eyes.

If Tommy keeps complaining Wilbur might leave him at that house, maybe he’ll get some peace and quiet.

Who is he kidding, Tommy’s volume could rival a whole cacophony of extremely loud birds, it’d probably still reach him in death.

The house, bless its humble visual is ever so lightly leaning to the west, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Wilbur’s mind supplies. The windows are completely blank and from the looks of it haven’t had a clean in a very long time, He tries to peer in, but he has a feeling whatever’s inside hasn’t felt the light of day in years.

The small, rot darkened door sits quietly in its frame, the little carved doorknob loosely attached and swaying a bit in the non-existent wind.

The air smells of rotting meat, as if some small rodent or bird had crawled into the house hoping for food and instead was met with a suffocating…

Nothing.

Despite this, Wilbur strides up to the glorified woodlice safe-haven, and he knocks. He tries not to flinch at the hollow sound that echoes back. There’s nothing there, its fine.

The lack of noise is unnerving but it’s not like a place can’t be quiet.

He pushes slightly on the least waterlogged part of the door, and it swings open easily. No protests – if he ignores Tommy’s groans – no truly horrifying happenings, so he walks forward.

The room isn’t all that interesting, small pull-out couch here, standing lamp with no lampshade there.

Et al, Wilbur creeps over dirtied floorboards and glances back at a worried-faced and heavily irritated Tommy who seems strongly against going into a strange abandon cottage, and he stumbles over a gap in the ground before glancing in through a doorway at what appears to be a kitchen.

“Wilbur…” His brother glances with mild trepidation at what Wilbur is maybe 80% sure is some weird new Mold.

“It’ll be fine, look, it’s an old house” he knocks on a wall “hasn’t fallen down yet and it won’t for the—ten minutes we’ll be in it” He shuffled around a particularly damp floorboard and into the kitchen.

“This is fucking stupid why did I agree to this fucking hell.” Tommy mutters and grumbles, shadowing Wilbur, glancing at random dust covered things left lying on a small dining table like the last person to have been in this building had up and left abruptly, not bothering to clean up after themselves.

The blond reaches for a suspicious looking bit of rolled up paper, blotches of a coffee-like liquid remaining from whatever adventures it may have gone on.

“Hey, are you sure you should touch that?” Wilbur spurts.

Tommy just glares with a pointed look at Wilbur and holds an end of the parchment with pinching fingers, letting it unfurl ever so slightly.

He waves a hand around at the frail little house to point out how stupid and hypocritical that sentence was.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Wilbur holds his own hands up in defeat and rummages through a draw for clues on where the hell they are.

Tommy makes a noise of fear, fumbling with the paper and throwing it back onto the table, where it lays open at the perfect angle for Wilbur to see a scratchy drawing of a vaguely humanoid figure, long, gangly limbs and a pair of hollowed out eyes stare into his soul and Wilbur shivers, full-bodied and violent.

“I-“ Wilbur very eloquently says.

“Wil, I don’t care what you think we can get out of this place, I’m fucking going.” Tommy rushes out of the cabin, which creaks and howls after his heels.

Wilbur makes his way to Tommy who stands in the doorway, he’s walking and then, suddenly, and unprecedented, he’s not.

The brunette looks down where his foot fell, snapped wood keeps his leg trapped and he thinks he just felt something brush against his leg, which, <i>ew</i>.

Wilbur frantically pulls at his leg, not caring for his ruined and ripped pants, or the blood running down his thigh.

He pushes down on the rotted wood, wincing at the texture and he tugs his leg away again.

This time, his leg is released, he just needs to get his foot out and he and Tommy can leave, try and get out of the forest as quickly as possible, before they lose track of time and die, or whatever else happens.

He finally manages to drag himself, bleeding leg and all, to the door and to a standing position.

Tommy’s just looking at Wilbur a bit like someone who’s watched a clown fail to be a clown.

“Can we go now?” Tommy questions, already backing away from the building.

“Please,” Wilbur grimaces. “I’m done with this place; pick a direction and we’ll go with it.”

Tommy pauses to think for a moment before pointing the opposite direction of the setting sun. “That way.”

And so, they walk, watching for roots and stray spiderwebs.

[earthstellar]

1) They really did a great job on animating very emotive gestures/movement in regards to all of the bots! 

2) The way Optimus responds, lmao. “Go ahead, I can’t stop you.” Tired dad energy. 

3) I like that we get to see all the bots lined up in order of height for a second here. If you take a screenshot at the right time it’ll be a useful guide! 

4) The way Mirage is essentially quickly tip-toeing over to Noah is the same way a lot of cat owners will tip-toe walk over to their cat, to avoid startling it with heavy footsteps. lmao “Wait wait wait wait, don’t scare him!!” 

I like how to Mirage, Noah just starts out as a particularly interesting/fun human to have around, and gradually we see their friendship grow stronger and develop into a genuine mutual companionship. 

When it’s not a work day lol, I’ll probably talk a little about how the bots and humans approach each other in this movie, because I think it’s very interesting that Optimus is somewhat more detached from humanity in this film and the bots (aside from Bumblebee) generally don’t have much prior exposure to humans in any personal, direct way until Mirage takes interest in Noah after being “stolen”. 

You get to see Mirage acclimate to hanging out with an actual human, there’s a sense that Mirage is interested in human culture (pop culture references etc.) and frequently uses his media knowledge to attempt bridging a very large cultural gap when talking with Noah; I like that it’s suggested that Bumblebee may have introduced Mirage to drive-in movies etc. following experience with Charlie--

--And at the same time, we get to see Noah and to a slightly lesser degree Elena start to acclimate to hanging out with the bots. 

I think this movie did a good job at trying to establish that these are two species that have not engaged with each other much, but that they do genuinely come to understand and care for each other over the course of the film, without having the ability to devote too much screen time to that aspect of things, given everything that has to move along with the overarching plot etc. 

I think the little details like Mirage tip-toeing over to Noah here is one example of the nice subtle things that hints at Cybertronians still kind of seeing humans as these little fun organics, they can’t help but see us as the little tiny lifeforms we are to them, but also, it shows that Mirage personally respects and likes Noah, and treats him thoughtfully. 

Mirage doesn’t want to run over full force, since it might be too loud or might intimidate Noah due to their size disparity. Given Mirage’s weight, it might shake the floor if he just runs over, and he doesn’t want to stress out Noah or potentially even knock him over if he stomps over, so he opts for a slow jog without dropping his heels as hard as he could. 

And look at how his stride is animated when he’s doing this; His height means his stride is much longer, so by tip-toeing this way, it also limits the length of his stride. Doing this prevents him from accidentally rushing up on Noah. 

Mirage is consistently pretty mindful of how he might appear from Noah’s point of view, and even keeps a little distance here so that Noah has a better view of him from closer to the ground, instead of walking up more closely and making Noah have to crane his neck up even more in order to look at him in the optics. 

The first time Optimus meets Noah, he picks him up like a Barbie doll in his fist in order to raise him to optic level. When Mirage shifts out of his alt-mode for the first time, he immediately figures out to back up a little and give Noah a little space to alleviate the sensation of looming over him; It de-emphasises their size difference a little and makes him feel less immediately threatening to Noah. 

And Mirage seems to have learned from that and kept that in mind throughout the film; We usually see Mirage obtain eye contact with Noah by either making it more comfortable for Noah to look up to see him (keeping a little more distance when standing next to him), or by repositioning himself as needed to create eye contact on a more comfortable height level (like when he stands on the car to look into Noah’s apartment). 

The way Mirage physically engages with Noah when he’s in root mode shows a lot of consideration and care, even in subtle ways. 

IDK I still haven’t had tea yet so this isn’t entirely coherent probably lol, but I do think that the details in the interactions between bots and humans in this film were well done. 

mirage is adorable

[yelenasdiary]

Feeling to request something sad so can I request something were we are a very talkative person and yelena is just having a bad day and snaps at us please make it very angsty

Hurtful Outbursts

Pairing: Yelena Belova x Reader (Platonic), Kate Bishop x Reader (Platonic)

Summary: Yelena was having a bad day, as her friend, you wanted to make her feel better. 

| Angst | 1.3K | light language warning | 

You were enjoying your afternoon snack of your favourite potato chips while relaxing on the sofa in your best friend’s apartment. You were waiting for Kate to return from walking Lucky before going out bowling for something different to do. 

Yelena came storming into the apartment, slamming the door so hard you jumped slightly. 

“Hey, what’s all that about?” you asked throwing your head over the sofa looking at her upside down. Yelena huffs, ignoring your questioned as she stormed into the bathroom with another slamming of the door. Placing your bag of potato chips on the coffee table, you made your way to the bathroom and knocked on the door. 

“Yelena are you okay?” you asked and still, no reply. “Okay, you don’t want to talk, that’s cool, uhm, Kate and I are going bowling when she gets back with Lucky, you should come with us. It’ll be fun” you offered. 

Yelena swung the door open, ignoring you once more. Maybe you should’ve taken the hint but that was a little tricky for you when you were one of the most talkative people anybody knew. You always wanted to make people laugh, smile or on bad days, help make them feel better. Seeing that Yelena clearly wasn’t having a good day you couldn’t help but try to cheer her up. 

“Come on, Lena! It’ll be fun, we’ll go bowling, grab some pizza after and probably end up getting some frozen yoghurt on the way home.” You added as she walked by you, unzipping her jacket, and throwing it over the sofa. “You know, Kate lowkey sucks at bowling which you’d think she’d be decent at it” you chuckled which only earned a glare from Yelena. 

“Or we could just stay here and watch all your favourite movies?” 

Still, nothing as she walked down the small hall to her bedroom, slamming the door in your face. 

“I’ll just ignore that and not take it personally” you joked hoping it would lighten the mood a little. “Honestly, I think you should come with Kate and me. It seems like you need a good time, some good company, and good laughs to cheer you up”

“Will you please just shut up?!” Yelena opened her door, snapping at you. “All you do is talk! All the damn time, even when you sleep! Just shut up! I don’t want to go out bowling and I don’t want to watch some damn movies!” she raised her voice, “all I want is to be the hell alone! Now will you get out of our damn apartment! You’re here all the time” she slammed the door once more. 

As much as you tried to ignore her outburst, telling yourself that she didn’t mean what she said but Yelena was a very honest person, blunt and harsh which only made you believe what she said was her true thoughts about you. 

“I-I’m sorry” you said in a sadden tone, “I didn’t mean to come off as annoying or anything…I just wanted to make you feel better…tell Kate I’ll just message her later” you added before walking back to the living room to grab your belongings. 

Walking out of Yelena and Kate’s apartment, Kate came down the hall almost walking into you. 

“Hey! I thought you said you’d meet me at mine?” Kate questioned with a smile. 

“Uh, yeah, I was there. I was waiting but Yelena kind of snapped at me…”

“She what? What do you mean, is she okay?” 

“She didn’t tell me what was wrong, but she came in slamming doors, and I offered for her to join us tonight or we could’ve stayed home and watched her favourite movies. I mean, she’s really upset, and I just wanted to make her feel better” you went on. 

“Y/n, take a moment” Kate stopped you before instructing you to breath in and out, “okay now, what did she say?” Kate asked. 

“She said all I do is talk and that I’m basically at your apartment all the time” your eyes fell to your feet. “I didn’t know I annoyed her so much” you mumbled slightly. 

“Hey, Y/n, no. You don’t annoy her; she probably didn’t mean it. You know what she’s like” Kate replied trying to comfort you. 

“Yeah, honestly, she’s bluntly honest. It’s not the first time I’ve been told I talk too much, it’s fine. Honestly” 

“Let me try with her. I’m sure she feels bad. You’re not annoying so don’t even think that” Kate gave you a smile before linking arms with you dragging you back to her apartment. 

Returning to the apartment, Yelena was in the kitchen fixing herself a drink. Kate made a clearing her throat noise to get Yelena’s attention and if looks could kill, you and Kate would for sure be dead by now. 

“Yelena, what’s going on?” Kate asked while you stood slightly behind her. 

Yelena rolled her eyes, “God’s sake! You couldn’t keep your mouth shut just this once, could you?” her eyes darted for you. “I’m sorry…I’m just worried about you” you avoided her eye contact. 

“Hey! Don’t talk to her like that Yelena!” Kate snapped, “she’s just trying to help” 

“Yeah, well maybe she could help by minding her down damn business” Yelena snapped back before storming off to her room again, the sound of her door slamming fills the apartment once again. 

Kate turned on her heels to face you with a slightly shocked look. “Maybe we should just leave her alone for a while” she suggested, you nodded in response. 

You and Kate went out bowling and grabbed a pizza to share after. Kate noticed how quiet you were the whole time; she saw how much Yelena’s words hurt. Your talkative personality wasn’t something you couldn’t help; you grew up in a very loud and open household and over the years you had to learn that sometimes you did talk a little more than needed but those closest to you never cared about that. 

“Y/n don’t let Yelena’s outburst get to you” Kate wrapped one of her arms around your shoulders as the two of you walked back to her apartment. 

“I’m trying not too” you admit, “but she’s never snapped like that at me before, usually I can pick up when she’s annoyed and needs me to shut up, but she seemed really mad before” 

“She’s had a bad day and she took it out on you, I know she doesn’t mean what she said. I’m sure once we get back, she’ll be fine” Kate smiled softly at you. 

“I hope so” you sighed lightly. 

Once you were back at the apartment, Kate announced you both were back. 

“Hey” Yelena said softly, sending a sorry look your way, “How was bowling?” she asked. 

“You should’ve come! It was fun” Kate took her coat off. 

“I’m really sorry about before, Y/n” Yelena’s eyes never left yours, “I had a really shitty day and your kept trying to make me feel bett- “

“It’s fine” you cut her off, still feeling the effects of her words deep down. 

“It’s not.” She replied. 

Kate looked between the two of you then wondered off to her room. 

“I didn’t mean to say those things. I saw the hurt and I’m sorry, I really am. I shouldn’t have said what I said” Yelena adds.

“Lena, honestly… it’s fine. You were just saying how you felt” 

“No, no Y/n, that’s not how I feel. I like having you around her, I like how much you talk about everything and want to know things even if sometimes it seems I’m not interest, I am interest”

“You are?” you smiled lightly at her words. 

“Yeah! You know a lot of things I didn’t even know” Yelena chuckles, “plus, when you’re here you make me feel like I’m not this trained assassin” she adds. 

“Lena, you’re so much more than just an assassin, trust me! But thank you, I was little worried you were speaking how you really felt and honestly, I love being friends with you so the thought of us not being friends hurt more” 

There was a moment of silence between you and Yelena before she spoke again, sending you a soft smile of her own. “Do you want to stay and watch movies or something?” she asked. 

“Sure” you smiled widely. 

Taglist: @red1culous | @bentleywolf29 | @natasha-belova | @jeyramarie |

[flynnstopher]

The already wide and semi-smug smile on his face only grew at her promise to compliment him at random and then her light peck pressed against his lips. “Cass would probably say my ego doesn’t need that, but I appreciate it,” he comments, leaning over to give the top of her head a kiss of his own. It was still a bit mindblowing, even after the past few months, that he was just allowed to do that now - that they were actually together. Almost every day it just felt too good to be true, this life he was making for himself was far beyond anything he ever thought he’d deserve or be able to achieve.

Ducking his head ever so slightly to try to hide the bit of heat that had come to his cheeks at her bright and obvious encouragement. It was the type of reaction he expected from the blonde, but it still made his heart swell with a sense of pride he’d never felt more, not for himself. Sure, he’d always known he was great at being a thief back in the day and he’d taken pride in that - but this was different. His acting career was different. Having Rapunzel look at him like he was actually doing something great with his life, that was all different. “I still have another round of call backs, but that should be the last one before they announce their casting choice,” he answers, trying for once in his life to not get too cocky or assumptious that he had this in the bag. “Yeah, it’s exciting. The movie’s based off a book, and I guess people like it so maybe it’ll do as well as they think. It’s an honor to just be considered for the role, really.”

A laugh left her lips at his boasting confidence, glad to know that Flynn hadn't changed even a bit since they started dating. All she could do was agree: perhaps it had something to do with him being the first man she'd ever seen in the flesh, or the fact that he'd rescued her, but he truly was the most perfect human Rapunzel thought she could ever imagine. "Noted. I'll just have to remind you once in a while, because I can. And thank you," she added, before leaning on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips, simply because she could now.

Rapunzel raised a brow, curious what kind of project he had next on his plate. Watching Flynn rise to a bit of fame had been exciting, because she knew how much he both wanted and deserved it. From what she'd seen, despite not having the training that some of his costars did. he truly was talented (though Rapunzel was a bit biased). "Wait--seriously? That's amazing, Eugene. When would you know?" She didn't care nearly as much as he did about the money part of it, though she didn't have to worry about that in the same way, either. Now that her parents were in her life, she'd been pretty much set. "I'm sure the script can't be that bad. You just got super lucky, getting good ones before this one. Either way, no matter what happens, I'm so proud of you, you know. Getting that far in an audition is a big deal, right?" She was just learning all the standards of being in entertainment from him now that Flynn was getting further to the top of the Isle fame.