#Need excel and powerpoint for work but nothing else

[the-final-sif]

I have Defeated Office's god awful policy of attempting to desperately trying to install bullshit I don't need onto my system and attempting to make it impossible to uninstall all the random bullshit. I stand victorious with my stand alone copies of powerpoint and excel and literally none of the other bullshit. I Win.

[theladyragnell]

Hi Nell, a writer question! I am kind of planning to do the same thing you did, which is to publish a retelling of my D&D campaign on AO3, and I was wondering if you have any tips on how to go about it in a way that's interesting to more than the six people you played with? Thank you:)

Oh excellent, good for you! Let's see what I can think of.

So, to start, outside of prose retellings, my group started off with a powerpoint presentation that lays out characters and locations and a bit about the plot. By no means did everyone who has read some of our D&D fic look at the powerpoint! But if nothing else, I think it helped solidify for us sort of what character tropes and focus points an actual fandom provided with our "canon" would lean on. (Someone in @scribescribe's (damn, it won't tag) group similarly did a fandom primer for one of their campaigns like it was an actual TV show, which let me read some fic while, again, knowing what points I should be focusing on.)

For the retelling itself, a few pieces of advice you should take with a grain of salt, because while I've written lots of D&D fic, I haven't done what you seem to want to, which is what I think I'll call a novelization of your game!

Don't feel the need to include every single thing that happened! Elide things that don't fit your tone (for instance, if your game is overall horror and there was one session where you went through a portal to Candyland, that may be something to skip), sidequests that went nowhere, streamline what you need to. D&D campaigns are shaped very differently from novels and D&D pacing.

On the other hand, feel free to add things in! In my first D&D fic, where I was basically doing a backstory for my character followed by a quick summary of the campaign in her eyes, and I took advantage of that to establish some character beats we glossed over because the DM for that campaign didn't facilitate a lot of RP. Likewise, for You Feel Just Like the Sun, which starts with moments from the last third of the campaign, I wrote dialogue and moments that didn't happen "onscreen" because they fit the themes better.

You don't have to fully stick to D&D rules! In fic, I rarely stick to strict rules for spells or rests or a thousand other things. I often describe a spell's effects rather than assuming that a reader knows what Blight or Vicious Mockery does. I do my best, when I'm writing action, to find ways to describe it that don't lean on D&D terminology (for a masterclass in this, read the final battle scene from @samyazaz 's we are all cinders from a fire burning long ago, it's an AU but three of us actually played that battle out and she took extensive notes and then went back and wrote it out gorgeously).

In some ways, to conclude, writing fanfic for a D&D campaign that doesn't have a devoted following like Critical Role or Dimension 20 is more like writing original work than fanfic. The audience doesn't already know and love these characters, so you can't use shorthands to start out. I think the smartest thing my group did is that each of us started our D&D fanfic spree with a backstory fic for our specific characters that then went on to encompass important feelings and arc things from the campaign. It gave us a place to build from before we went on into shipfic and AUs and such.

Happy writing! Wishing you lots of fun writing this out, D&D fandoms are the best.

[krinndnz]

That Tufte rant about PowerPoint didn't age well but also what the fuck is Stern on about. With a respectful nod to 3liza, I would go a bit further than PowerPoint being an indicator species, I think it was actively bad, but it was bad by giving MBA chucklefucks permission to do shitty things they wanted to do anyhow. It was similar to how in more recent years, people produce big glossy videos for shit that really, really should be plain text.

My personal take is that it's part of an ongoing desperation to not just accomplish capitalist extraction and to deny responsibility for it, but to also avoid knowing that you're doing it. It's a sibling to the general reactionary urge to avoid consciously acknowledging your own ideology. When you're in a position of power, giving orders by PowerPoint or by other imprecise means is great for you because you force your subordinates to spend a bunch of energy on deep readings, on careful parsing, on trying to tease out meaning from ambiguity and lacunae. Inflicting this labor on them emphasizes the social relation of power: the boss is in charge and everyone else must desperately scrutinize their utterances instead of being able to reply, "hey dickwad you need to actually say what you mean" (or to use that energy building guillotines). On top of that, it gives bosses the luxury of being able to give subordinates a clearly-understood order to do something monstrous without the order itself seeming to indicate that, insulating the boss from consequences and accountability, dumping those onto the subordinate on top of the work of actually carrying out the order. PowerPoint is great at this shit.

I emotionally suspect, but cannot prove, that there's another connection between PowerPoint and the "pivot to video" (colloquial) — in both cases, the use of expensive tools "proves" that the message is important, even if it's incoherent, and permits effectively stealing from workers because obviously the budget can't be increased and we must spend more on the very expensive tools of glossy Content Production, therefore there's simply less money to pay workers with and nothing can be done, hands are tied! It's the horrid logic of rich guys waving their dicks. Expensive tools and productions generate prestige, while paying workers reduces prestige, it must be avoided at all costs. This is also part of why guys like Musk and Trump have such long and curiously-ignored-by-media track records of cheating their contractors. Actually paying for shit is a little-people thing, the powerful men simply make a contract and then don't pay.

PowerPoint is not the root of all evil, but it's definitely part of how we got to the current situation where so many of the most wealthy and powerful people in the world are so gobsmackingly stupid in the most sordid and venal ways and excel only at tormenting people who don't have the power to resist them.

it's paywalled and I'm too lazy to read the whole thing but the tone of the article is clear so I just want to say: all of that happened. I was there. I don't think it was all CAUSED BY powerpoint, powerpoint was just an indicator species. but all of this very much did come to pass lmao

[dairogo]

School AU

Edward Elric is a day-to-day casual teacher as a life choice - he'll go wherever calls him up, maybe get a block of work here or there, but isn't tied to any one school. He does, however keep getting called back to the school he went to as a kid, alongside the jerk of a teacher who convinced him he wanted to be one.

Roy Mustang is a contradiction. He's the guy who motivated Ed to make something of himself out of pure spite. He's a ... good ... teacher, but he's also the worst. And now Ed is sometimes in the same staffroom as him, he doesn't know how he survives as a teacher because he's so disorganised. The days Ed subs in for him, Mustang emails him paragraphs of description for what students should be up to, which Mustang has obviously made up on the spot, and half the time he doesn't give enough content to last an entire period, so Ed is left wrangling Mustang's classes trying to keep them settled when there's nothing for them to even do. At least Hawkeye is usually teaching across the hallway, and Ed can count on her to have his back. For one thing, she's absolutely unforgiving for any student who tries to use the chaos of Mustang's lack of planning to sneak out, and she can identify any student in the school from the other end of the building so there's no chance of them getting past her.

Subbing for Hawkeye on the days she's out is a breeze in comparison. Her entire term's work is already compiled onto PowerPoints with info for students to write, questions to answer, built in videos and space for class discussions. All she needs to email Ed is which slides the kids are up to, and he can go through them sounding like a pro because of how she's set up to succeed. Excellent, 10/10, would sub again. The problem here is that then Mustang is there across the hallway, his feet up on his desk as he just rules his class through pure irritating personality, smirking through the open door at Ed every now and then. Ed doesn't know how Hawkeye can stand it, but then again he bets Mustang never does that with her.

The days he's in for someone else in the staffroom and both of them are there, though, are great. Just seeing Hawkeye telling Mustang to get his lesson planning done is the sort of justice Ed needs.

[angelz-dust]

masters of none - part 4 (jason todd x reader)

summary: after many months, we are back in action and back in reader’s head. pls enjoy these jason crumbs. if you need a refresher on the plot, the other chapters will be linked below!

word count: 3.7k

warnings: food/eating. alcohol. cursing.

part 1 /// part 2 //// part 3

gravity

ever since i ever felt ya, right there life couldn't seem better. tulip flowers in my sweater. ask me now, is this forever?

…

you rested your chin on the table before you, your arms hanging limply between your knees as you listened to your manager, dana. you were really just watching her mouth open and close while she pointed at a powerpoint. god, what you would've given for an extra hour of sleep. the all nighters in the studio were starting to take a toll. 

the feeling of the back of daisy’s soft hands brought you back to earth. the smell of cocoa butter dancing beneath your nostrils as her smooth engagement ring rolled across your cheek. you breathed in her smell, exhaling in content through your nose.

“you good?” she mouthed and you closed your eyes, giving her a little nod. the bassist rubbed her calloused fingers against your forehead, pushing strands of your hair past your hairline. you pouted when she eventually pulled away, leaving you only with the sensation of touch that once was.

you heard tyler shift in his seat and then felt some air graze against your hand. you looked under the table, noticing he was holding something out to you. you two made eye contact briefly before you scooted back in, grabbing what felt like an envelope. looking down at your lap, you saw a sticky note attached to it. jason’s money was what it said. you carefully put the envelope in your jacket pocket, sitting back in your seat now and looking at dana’s powerpoint. she was going over reports from your publicist, jerry, which you didn't particularly care about.

“now, i have to ask,” dana’s words pierced your bubble of inattention. “have you all thought about what i said about this next album?”

jordy raised his hand like a school kid. “yes?”

“y/n and i decided that we'd be okay with making our album a group project. it has been, admittedly, kinda hard and boring without everyone else. we’d honestly be doing ourselves a disservice by not doing it together,” jordy explained, dana clapping her hands together.

“wonderful,” she nodded, keeping her hands clasped. “i know you two were excited to do your own thing, but i was talking to jerry and he was really pressing me to get a group album from you guys. the people wanna see you guys as a unit of established artists, which you all are. so what's the concept? we never discussed it.”

“uh,” you verbally paused, raising your arms above your head to stretch. “disco, jazz, and funk. it's a mix of those.”

“retro is in right now,” dana nodded, pacing around the room. “how far back will this set us on a release date?”

you grimaced, leaning back in your seat, the back of the seat lightly bouncing as it absorbed your weight. you pondered the question for a moment. “if it’s gonna be a group thing, it'll have to be significantly longer. we have a decent starting off point but i'm gonna need way more songs now.”

“what about the rest of you? any tracks that we could swing?” dana asked, looking at the rest of the group. 

grabbing a pen and piece of scrap paper, you started jotting down notes as everyone spoke out to you. dex and quinton didn’t have anything, but they wouldn’t be a problem. you just needed to give them a beat to rap over and you’d be set. the twins had a finished song already that fit the concept, which was good. with tyler’s voice and aly’s excellent song writing abilities, you doubted very seriously that anything else needed to be done to it. daisy and hector had plenty of lyricless songs, too. funk and soul was their specialty, after all. misha even had a demo track she was willing to share. 

you looked over the notes you had taken, tapping your pen on the table as you hummed to yourself. “this could probably work. we’ll need to go over everything in the studio, though.”

“we should just do it now. no one is doing shit else today, right?” dex asked the group, who all shook their head. 

“i have a request,” you raised your finger, looking at dana. “i want gotham to be involved in this project.”

“gotham…” dana repeated slowly, unsure of what you meant. “care to elaborate?”

“music videos directed by student directors from gotham university, commissioning local artists for album art. dancers, actors, musicians, whatever. all of them have to be from gotham. i don't want any of the money we put into this project leaving this city,” you stated firmly, dana giving you a blank look. 

“i like that idea,” hector said, giving you a kind smile before turning to dana, shifting in his seat. the drummer was like a big brother, always backing you up in moments like these. “accessibility to the arts is really limited here and we should change that.”

“i’d rather give back to the city, too,” quinton agreed, playing with the gold cross hanging from his neck. “we’re one of the only groups in gotham known outside of gotham. we should use that as an opportunity to rep our city.”

“it sounds like you have your minds made up on this,” dana narrowed her eyes, letting out a sigh. “it would definitely be good PR.”

“because god forbid we do something out of the kindness of our hearts,” misha laughed, rolling her eyes. “we're trying to put the city on and you're worried about how it makes us look.”

“that's my job, misha. don't you want me to do my job?” dana retorted. “besides, i'm more concerned with the funding. you all don't have disposable income, believe it or not.”

“but i know someone who does,” she said with a singsong tone, giving you a look.

“i hope you're not referring to me,” you deadpanned. your income was far from disposable.

“i’m referring to our good friend, bruce wayne,” she explained, grabbing a business card out of her purse, handing it over to dana. “ever since i got invited to that charity gala, i've had a direct line to a representative with the wayne foundation. i say we ask them to help fund the project.”

“now that could work,” dana admitted, eyeing the card as she tapped her foot. “if we pitch for more youth involvement, it'll probably go over better. we all know how much bruce wayne loves saving the children.”

you frowned at how dana described bruce’s initiatives as a philanthropist. you were sure his motivations for favoring youth projects were good intentioned, considering his parents had been killed when he was just a little boy. you wanted to go into this good intentioned, too and you hoped that they'd agree. they being the wayne foundation and subsequently, bruce himself.

“ty and quinton could do something with forrester. if we’re going for the youth involvement route, i mean,” aly spoke up. 

“forrester correctional. our old stomping grounds,” quinton sighed wistfully as he patted tyler on the shoulder. “i think that would be a good idea.”

“they use the arts as an outlet for them, so it could be beneficial for everyone,” tyler nodded. “there are a lot of good kids there. just unfortunate circumstances, that’s all.”

“wasn’t one of bruce’s son’s a troublemaker before he was adopted?” aly continued, not noticing the look you and tyler shared. “i’m sure he’d probably be interested in doing something with them if his son comes from the same background.”

“it’s settled, then. you all keep working on the music. jerry and i will handle the rest. we need this album out before hector and daisy’s wedding,” dana said, grabbing her suitcase. 

…

hey, i have your money. did you still want it?

you stared down at the unsent message, your thumb floating over the send arrow. you hadn’t spoken to jason since that night after the race, as per his request. your mind kept wandering back to it, even as time still went on. what happened was scary, to say the least. fun, but scary. you wondered how the hell jason didn’t get the two of you killed. that part, you didn't want to think about too hard. everyone in gotham had their secrets and it was an unspoken rule amongst citizens to not pry. secrets were secrets for a reason. nothing good ever came from unearthing them.

speaking of secrets, you hadn't exactly told tyler and quinton what happened that night. not in detail. you conveniently left out the chase and stopping to get something to eat. omitting the first part was obvious, but the second one was for your own sanity. you didn't need them teasing you over nothing. besides, all that mattered was no one was dead or arrested. and for the way the three of you used to get down, that was a win. 

you considered texting jason earlier this week, just to check in on him, but you decided against it. he obviously wanted you to text him and you obviously had to do the opposite. his little mind game wasn’t going to work on you. you pressed send, frowning immediately as you did so.

maybe it already had.

“it’s too many people in this bitch,” dex sighed, the cold of the water bottle you had asked him for against your hand bringing you back to reality. blinking, you were suddenly very aware of the chaos surrounding you in the studio as you put your phone back in your pocket. you looked to your left, where jordy was leaning against the wall and scrolling through his phone. to your right was aly, who was scribbling in her songbook in the chair next to you. you remembered you were supposed to be working, too. “we need a new stu.”

“i’m working on it!” hector hollered from inside the booth as he and daisy were setting up equipment and instruments. you glanced up at the glass in front when you heard his voice, accidentally catching the pair share a little kiss. you quickly averted your gaze, smiling to yourself.

“new stu, new view, what it do?” quinton began to freestyle to a beat he was making on the coffee table in front of him. “off 92, posted up with southside crew.” 

“okay,” dex laughed, noddinh his head as he was vibing with the beat, making his way out of your line of sight. you heard someone, presumably tyler, join in and add some depth to the beat. it sounded like he was hitting a pencil against a shot glass.

“i got a new boo, but i’m tryna slide with misha, too,” quinton continued, dex adlibbing in the back as quinton lowered his voice to his signature melodic whisper. “on the low, nobody gotta know.”

“would you shut the fuck up?” you heard misha say, followed by a barrage of muffled smacking noises and verbal objections from quinton, who you assumed was on the receiving end of what sounded like an assault by pillow.

laughing to yourself, you leaned your head in aly’s direction, not fully facing her. “pass me the flash drive?” you held your hand out weakly. once you felt the plastic in your palm, you leaned back over and put it into the computer, pulling up the proper files. 

“we’re done back here,” daisy smiled at you, she and hector coming out from the booth. 

you clapped your hands together. “wonderful. everybody shut up, please.”

you pulled up the twin’s song and let it play, your eyes fixed on the colorful audio loops on the screen. the green ones were tyler’s vocals, the purple were aly’s. it looked like blue was reserved for instruments and red was any added sound effects or layered sounds. 

“you two sound really great,” jordy walked up behind aly’s seat, leaning against it as he swayed his head to the beat. 

“thanks. i wrote it with our mother in mind,” aly said, the words coming out of her mouth uncomfortably. you placed your hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze, which earned you a look of appreciation.

“it's missing something, though,” tyler scratched the back of his head. “i need the producer squad to give us some assistance.”

“oh, say less,” dex laughed, snapping his fingers to the beat with one hand and holding his glass of hennessy in the other. he danced his way over, taking aly’s seat as she, tyler and jordy moved to give you all some space. 

misha sauntered her way over, sitting against the table and flipping her hair over her shoulder. the smell of her sweet perfume floated in the air around you. “i think it just needs some fluffing up. some snapping might work. more vocal layering in certain spots.”

“i agree,” you nodded, dex letting out a satisfied sigh as he took a sip of his cold drink. 

“is it good?” misha asked him teasingly and he took his final swig, letting out a more dramatic and drawn out sigh. this time, though, it was on beat with the song. you were pretty sure it was unintentional on his part, since he and misha just shared a laugh before returning their attention to the screen.

after a moment of pondering, you swiveled around in your chair, looking at tyler. “okay, hear me out…”

…

two weeks of very diligent working between the nine of you had given you a lot to work with for the album. all that was left was to start putting things together. you still had a ways to go, but you had a good starting off point. as much as you hated to admit it, it was a good call on dana’s part to have you all do a group album. the fans seemed to be greatly anticipating the release and the work ethic the nine of you shared was incredible. even in that cramped little studio, you all made it work.

you all agreed to take the day off, but you were still working at some capacity. you had just traded one small space for another, working in your walk-in closet/home studio for the day. you still needed said walk-in to function as a closet, so there were still garment bags pushed up into a corner and shoe boxes haphazardly stacked, surrounding your desk that you had shoved in there. there was just enough space for you to move your chair and safely get out without twisting an ankle, a fate you often flirted with in that room.

in the spirit of your day off, you hadn't done anything too difficult. you were just trying to decide what order you wanted the completed songs to go in. it may seem like an insignificant detail, but the order was important. the transitions between songs couldn't be jarring for the listener. everything had to flow together with natural progression. at this point, it didn't matter since you weren't done with the album, but it was just giving you an idea of how to fill the gaps with future songs. 

the sound of your growling stomach indicated that it was time to stop for the day. you quickly saved all your work and headed to the kitchen. you popped some leftovers in the microwave and scrolled on twitter while you waited. the microwave beeped at you, so you set your phone back down and grabbed the bowl, mixing up the contents with your fork. the flash of light coming from your phone got your attention. a text notification.

are you home?

oh, so now he wanted to respond? cute.

despite your annoyance with the situation, you quickly responded with a yes and set the phone back down. you leaned against the counter, eating what little food you had in your reheated bowl. you mixed the contents around with your fork, grumbling. stupid jason and his stupid inability to text back. he could have at least had the decency to leave you on read. he probably didn't even have read receipts on. you weren't sure which was worse. tossing your now empty bowl into the sink, you grabbed your phone to read his next message.

i’ll be over soon. 

soon was very vague and you wished that you would've demanded an exact time, but that opportunity had passed by the time you thought about it. you busied yourself with tidying up, trying to make your place look presentable. you even lit your new candle, which you found yourself focusing your attention on while you waited for him to show up. staring at the flame was much more entrancing than you anticipated.

you heard the door buzzer go off. you weren't expecting anyone else, so it had to be him. you leaned against the wall, pressing your finger to the button.

“who goes there?” you presented the question as a joke, but your tone was a little flat.

“it’s the irs,” jason’s voice came through and you buzzed him in. 

not too long after, you heard him knock on the door. you cracked it open and the first thing you noticed was his cologne. it was a strong but pleasant scent. spicy and sweet. it was very intoxicating, actually. so much so that you almost forgot you were angry at him.

“hi.”

“hello.”

you opened the door fully and handed the envelope to him. jason eyed it suspiciously. he opened it up and began to count it out in front of you. he made an effort to do it very slow, the sound of the crisp dollars echoing in the quiet hall. his eyes stayed glued to yours as he counted out loud. you leaned against the doorframe as you watched.

“six… seven… eight,” he said, pulling out his wallet and stuffing it with the cash. “thought you would've skimmed some off the top.”

“i should have with how long you made me wait,” you said matter of factly, letting your annoyance be known now. 

“i know. i’m sorry,” he sounded honest but you couldn't see it in his face or in his eyes, which was worrisome. it was a nice alternative to listening to a sputter of excuses, though. “let me make it up to you?”

“how do you plan on doing that?”

“i’m so glad you asked,” he smiled. “as it turns out, i've recently come into some money. let me spend it on you?”

“so you like throwing money at your problems?” you asked him. well, you weren't really asking. it was more like you were telling him. 

“no,” he said, sounding a little offended. “i just thought-”

“you just thought that throwing money at me would make me forget about the fact that you ignored me for a month.”

“no, no,” he shook his head, sighing in frustration. “listen, i-”

“i really don't wanna hear it,” you said honestly, watching as his frustrated look turned into kicked puppy. you almost felt bad. “i don't like feeling stupid, jason. that's how i feel right now. i want you to make it up to me but you'll have to be a bit more creative than this.”

“you want me to make it up to you?” jason had repeated, confusion on his face. 

you poked him harshly in the chest. “you do that or you leave me alone. those are your options. goodbye.”

you shut the door in his face and let out the breath you were holding in. you weren’t sure how jason was going to react to your little ultimatum, but those were your terms. you liked him but you weren’t going to stress over someone you barely knew, especially with your assumptions about him floating around in your head. 

“i’ll be right back,” you heard him say through the door, catching you off guard. 

“what?”

“don’t go anywhere.”

you didn’t respond but you heard his footsteps getting quieter as he walked down the hall. the elevator ding indicated that he had left. you stood there, confused as to what it was he was trying to do. you were still stewing in your negative emotions, so you went and busied yourself again. you decided the dishes needed washing and got on it right away. in the middle of scrubbing the stubborn sauce stains out of your plate, you heard your door buzzer go off again. 

so he did come back after all. interesting.

you buzzed him in like you did before and waited by the door for him. he knocked and when you opened it, you were met with two gifts: a bouquet of pink tulips and a small box of something from the bakery around the corner. 

“i shouldn’t have ignored you. it was rude and stupid and i’m sorry. it won’t happen again,” he said to you, holding out the items to you. you hesitantly accepted them, taking the opportunity to look through the plastic opening of the box to see chocolate covered strawberries. 

“it better not happen again,” you pouted, looking up at him. you had to appreciate the effort he put in at such short notice. it was a sweet gesture and he actually looked sorry this time. 

“it won’t,” he assured you and you smiled.

“i forgive you. but you’re on thin fucking ice,” you reminded him and he grinned at you with a nod.

“i’m going to make it up to you. just you wait,” he said confidently. “not all of us are naturally creative like you, though. you gotta give me some time to think of something else.”

“seems like you’re getting your feet wet with the flower selection,” you noted, taking a whiff of the delicate and fresh scent. they’d look nice on your coffee table.

“lady at the shop said they would convey my sincerest apologies,” he explained, a hopeful look in his eyes. “did it work?”

“for now,” you shrugged, setting the items down on the table next to the door. 

“i can accept that.”

“you’re gonna have to because that’s all i’m giving you,” you said firmly. his charm wasn’t going to get him out of this one. not completely. “now go away. i want to eat my berries in peace.”

“i’ll text you as soon as i get the chance,” he told you as you were shutting the door. you peered at him, narrowing your eyes before shutting it again. “i’m serious!”

“goodbye, jason!” you said through the door. you heard his faint farewell as you walked away, plopping on the couch with your dessert in hand.

were you still a little mad at him? yes. but you weren’t going to pass up free stuff, even if you had made all that fuss about the money earlier. at least the gifts had some thought behind them. so long as he held up his end of the deal, you had a feeling being friends with jason wouldn’t be that bad.

hopefully, anyway.

[nordic-language-love]

About Productivity Grids

I’ve seen more and more people starting to use the productivity grids I’ve been using this year to track my progress (which is awesome), along with concerns about them being toxic and putting the focus on “filling in the grid” rather than actually being productive. So! I thought I’d make a post about how I use them and how to avoid that icky feeling that you’re not being “productive enough”.

What is a productivity grid?

Here’s an example of my productivity grid from this week:

As you can see, I split my different areas of productivity into subsections and mark each day I do them. I fill it in each week, then I take a screenshot to post to my language learning log before clearing it out and filling it in again the next week.

A lot of people use powerpoint for their grids. I use excel with conditional formatting (so I just pop an ‘x’ or ‘/’ in a box and it automatically changes colour, which is super exciting for my dumbass monkey brain). You can use whatever works for you though - I used to print out tables and put gold stars in each square I completed.

What it’s good for

This grid is great for keeping track of things. You can therefore use it to:

See which areas you’ve been working on and which ones you’ve been neglecting. This is a major one for me, because I would go for literally months without doing any speaking practise and only realise when I went back through my blog to find that one recording of me speaking. Now I can see at a glance if I’ve done any speaking practice this week, or last week. All in all, it helps me balance my studying a lot more.

Help you decide what to work on next. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by the choice of what to study. Do I pick up my grammar book? Do I watch the news in my TL? Do I read my book? So then I’ll look at my grid and think “well, I’ve been doing a lot of reading this week but I’ve not spent any time on grammar, so I’ll do that.”

Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Before I used these for studying, I had a similar grid for self-care, which I filled with things like “went for a walk” and “ate three meals” and “had at least one vegetable” and “read a book” and “talked to a friend”. You can see I’ve included some elements of that in this grid, and honestly I think this is very very important to include.

Understand and predict burn-out. It’s quite easy to see if you’ve been overworking yourself. If you have a lot of full squares one week and a lot of blank squares the next, you can think to yourself “huh, maybe I worked too hard and that wasn’t good for me, clearly I need more balance.”

And of course, it does provide some motivation for yourself if, like me, you love things to be super colourful. Do I sometimes push myself to do a thing just because I want extra colour on my spreadsheet? Yes, absolutely.

Limitations

If you’re looking at this and thinking “I should do that so that I keep myself accountable to my followers”, then I highly recommend you do not use this method. If you do, keep it in a word document for yourself. The goal is not to threaten yourself with a blank grid of shame. The goal is, as I said before, to keep track of things for your own benefit.

Additionally, this only provides quantitative data, and doesn’t give any indication of how much you did. If you spend thirty minutes on an essay every day for a week, you’ll fill more squares than if you spend 5 hours on that essay in one night. Even though you actually spent more time on it, you would seem less “productive”. That’s why I always use it alongside a written log.

Another thing is that there are always situations you don’t account for that don’t fit on the grid. Spent all day cheering up your best friend after her boyfriend broke her heart? Yeah, that’s not gonna show up, so you might end up with a whole day that’s blank.

Some tips for using productivity grids

Be flexible! I’m always swapping my grids around to reflect what I’m working on. I used to have full grids for Icelandic and Finnish, but they took more of a backseat so I shrunk them down to fit in alongside Japanese. You can always add in more grids or take ones out.

Use it to track “unproductive” activities too (if you want). I cannot stress this enough: self-care counts as productive! Cooking yourself a nice meal is productive. Choosing to watch a Disney movie because you’re tired and the thought of studying makes you want to cry is productive. Calling your friend and admitting you’re not okay is productive. Spending time on your hobbies is productive (languages and writing are a hobby for me, so like 70% of my grid is actually devoted to hobbies). Of course, if you then feel like you’re forcing yourself to do your hobbies just to fill in an extra square, take that line out.

Keep a written log of your feelings and accomplishments. In my language log I talk about how well I feel I understood things, how tired I’ve been feeling, what I’ve struggled with and what I’m proud of. This will give more context to your grid, as well as help with identifying those patterns we talked about earlier (if I’m feeling tired and nothing’s working and I notice I’ve not been exercising, I can try the following week to exercise more and compare how I feel).

Never aim for a full grid. You should always have blank spaces - you can’t do everything all the time! If you find you’re consistently filling everything in, you might need to evaluate whether your habits are healthy.

If there are consistently a lot of blank spaces in a particular area, evaluate why. Are you not doing any writing because you’re uninspired? Anxious? Are you just focused on something else right now? Is it so important to you that you do it? Have a think about the reason and whether it’s something that needs addressing or not. (My writing grid is often blank or nearly blank, but that’s fine because it’s not something I want to pursue professionally. My stretching/performance grids being as blank as they are though, well, that is a problem that I need to address.)

If you’re not sure whether something “counts” or not, add levels to it. See how I have some boxes marked with a / instead of an X with a lighter background? Those were when I told myself “this doesn’t really count”. I only stretched when I warmed up, I only spoke a few broken sentences to myself, I did half a Duolingo lesson then quit etc. For a long time, I didn’t mark them in at all. Now I do because I was getting too harsh on myself. You could always try ranking your sessions based on how intense/productive they were, or putting in numbers to show how much time you spent on them. This doesn’t work for everyone though and can add further pressure.

Remember your followers appreciate honesty. Like I said earlier, you don’t have to post these to tumblr; you can keep them for yourself (either in a word document or a spreadsheet or print them out etc). But if you do post them, remember that giving your followers an unhealthy impression of always being productive won’t do them any favours. So embrace those blank squares and don’t feel ashamed. 

If you start to feel anxious about how “little” you’re achieving, or like it’s preventing you from being truly productive, stop using it. No method works for everyone and you should never feel pressured to continue using a method that doesn’t work for you just because other people on tumblr do it (just like I never take aesthetic pictures because spending all that time and effort setting them up burns me out before I’ve even started).

Happy studying, everyone! Go smash those goals and remember to look after yourselves while you do it.

[queen-bunnyears]

Murder on your mind ~ Tom Holland

Pairing: DCI!Tom Holland x DI!reader

Summary: Inspired by my love for B99, and my guilty pleasures Silent Witness and Luther. What more can I say. 

Wordcount: 5,4k+

Warnings: This is about a serial murder investigation, so it does discuss murder, violence, a chase, guns and shotwounds, a caraccident, unconciousness. They swear. Mentions of alcohol. A small kiss. 

Okay if you need help understanding uk police ranks, (I did) I looked it up. So we have a chief inspector who in this case is the highest rank. Directly under him come the DCI’s (Detective Chief Inspector). Then a DI, (Detective inspector) and for today the only other rank I use is an officer, which is lower in rank than the others.

“And then the remaining time of today's briefing is for DCI Osterfield, he has a case he would like to discuss,” your boss says. Harrison stands up from his seat, and picks up the clicker for the screen.

“Thank you, Miss Carter. So, anyone who likes to take a guess about the crime?” he asks, and immediately hands fly up. “It was committed just an hour ago. Janssen?”

“Money laundering,” Janssens confident voice thunders through the room. He often wins these betting games, but mostly because nine out of ten times it is indeed money laundering. Harrison shakes his head.

“Too bad, it is definitely a big break in,” Claire says next to you. You shake your head. For a break in he would be talking with the uniform officers, he wouldn’t have needed to discuss it. Unless the stolen items are over a million, but then the news would surely have spread across the city already, and the new apps hadn’t put anything online yet.

“Hostage situation?” Jimmy shouts from the desk behind you. Jimmy always wants it to be hostages, because he is the only negotiator at the station. But hostages are way too uncommon, the chief would have told you about it. You know what it is the moment Harrison points at you.

“Too bad, you are all wrong. Y/n, like to take a last guess?”

“Murder,” you say, clicking your pen and closing your notebook. You cock your head to the side, “And it must be real nasty if you wanna discuss it,”

“Bingo! So we have a big ol’ murder on our hands,” Harrison says, clicking to the next powerpoint slide. A photograph of a bloody crime scene comes up. “And it is not just on our hands,” he clicks and points dramatically to the man who comes up on the screen, “This is Tom Holland, DCI in Southwest London. He is gonna be helping me because,” the next slide shows three almost identical scenes. “It’s a serial!”

“Ohh Tom is a handsome colleague. I would love to do a stake-out with him, if you know what I mean,” Jimmy bends over his desk and whispers to you. You shake your head laughing.

“Jimmy, you have a problem in need of fixing. Have you tried going on a date?” you whisper back. You don’t move quickly enough, and his playful slap hits you on the back of your head.

“For the record, you are way too excited about this,” Claire says, and DCI Osterfield blushes slightly.

“I just want to catch him, and not be a total mood ruiner while informing you,” he replies, clicking to the end of the slideshow.

“Does anyone recognise something from an old case? He works really neat, so Holland thinks it might be someone who has done it before,” The briefing room stays quiet as no one answers. You shrug your shoulders.

“Well please dig in your memory today, anything you remember might help. We have to solve this. I will need assistance, and chief told me detective Y/l/n has just closed her last case. Wanna help me?”

“Yeah sure,” you say, folding your hands underneath your head. The pictures look awful, and nothing like you have ever dealt with.

“Great, we leave for the crime scene after this,” Harrison says, and you nod at him, “Okay, that concludes the discussion. If press asks you about it, direct them to me or to the PR people, don’t tell them anything,” he walks back to his desk while Carter stands up.

“Good luck today, don’t forget to apply for the training day next week,”

“Okay so what is the deal Haz?” you ask. You sit in the car, on your way to the crime scene. He drives, and you drink from the Starbucks cup in your hand, trying to get them to warm up. Police cars are always terribly cold.

“There were three murders last week in Southwest, and tonight one on our area. As you saw in the pictures, it is all done almost precisely the same. So naturally we have to go there, because it’s our area, but the DCI from Southwest will be joining us as well, because he has worked this case for days now,”

“Do you know him?”

“Tom and I were together in high school, and at the Academy. We are good friends. He is an excellent detective,” Harrison tells you. Harrison was in the year above you at the academy, but you never really interacted with classes other than your own. You fall silent, not having much else to say. Your mind goes to the slide show of the victims. All the same position, almost the same place of impact. The photograph of this morning's victim flashes before your eyes.

“Any info on the victim already?”

“Sally Stars, 33, she is a tourist from the US,” you see the image of her again. Small woman wearing a yellow raincoat, lying on her back. Her shoes next to her body, no bag or anything. A big red spot on her chest where the bullet pierced her skin. One shot, quick kill.

“Where in the US?”

“Phoenix, Arizona,” That tells you precisely nothing. Although you don’t know what you hoped for.

“Other similarities between this case and the others, beside how they look?”

“All of them are tourists. It is a drama, working together with all the embassies,” he sounds bitter. The happy, teasing Harrison is gone now. At the station you can joke around, but as soon as you go out it becomes serious business. You hope this case can be solved quickly.

“DCI Holland, please let me through,” you hear a voice say. You look up to see the man from the photograph walking up to you. Removing your gloves you come up from your crouching position next to the victim.

“Goodmorning DCI Holland,” you extend your hand and he shakes it. You put your globes back on while you introduce yourself, “I am detective inspector Y/n Y/l/n. I will be helping you and DCI Osterfield with the case,”

“Great,” he says, before turning away to Harrison. “Please tell me there is anything different on this one,”

“Not as far as I can see Tom,” Harrison says, a thoughtful look in his eyes, “but you know more of the case, does anything seem different to you?” Tom takes his time inspecting the crime scene. He lifts things, ruffles through the bagged evidence and asks for some extra pictures. When he returns to Harrison and you his face looks almost angry.  

“It seems like everything is the same,’ he says, suddenly he slams his hands down, “the fucker did it again. No fucking mistakes, how does he do it?”

“Something will come up,” Harrison says. You look around you, staring at the forensic experts who were bagging the evidence. The answer had to be here somewhere. Then you see a young man bag something a few metres from the body, at the edge of the scene.

“Hey, wait!” you scream, and you walk over to him, carefully stepping on the cleared ground. You almost smiled at what you saw, “Is that a,-”

“A phone,” DCI Holland says and he hurries over to where you are standing. You grab the bag from the stunned mans hands, and take out the phone. It feels icy cold through your gloves, and you see water drops on the side.

“It is soaked from dew and the rain this morning, I hope the lab can get something out of this,” you say, handing it over to Harrison, “It’s turned off, please keep it that way. If they dry it properly it might still work and that makes everything much easier.”

“This is new, the other bodies didn’t have a phone on them,”

“It’s his first mistake,” Harrisons says. You frown.

“Why do you think it is a man?”

“A wild guess, wanna bet on it?” he replies absently. Then he gives you the phone back, “what do you think of this? Does it tell you anything?”

“Old iphone, not a special model, Iphone 5. The case suggests that she is a big Harry Potter fan, that could explain why she was in Londen,” you take the case off the phone and grab the wet piece of paper that sits behind it, “And I wager she has a room in a hotel near Victoria's station. These are directions from there. To the right, past Victoria theatre, and so on. Call the station, they should be able to find the hotel,”

“That’s not right,” Tom says. His mouth is a thin stripe, and his forehead is wrinkled in a frown.

“Sorry what?”

“They already found her hotel room, near Covent Garden,”

“Then were would this lead to?” you wonder, inspecting the note closer.

“That is a very good question.” DCI Holland says, and he walks away. You stare at the piece of paper, as if it would start speaking if you look at it enough.

“Well, let’s go to this adress then,” Harrison says. You take a photograph of the paper and carefully put the phone back in the evidence bag. The ride is quiet, both you and Harrison deep in thoughts about the murder.

“Hello, I am detective inspector Y/l/n, and this is my colleague DCI Osterfield,” you show your badge to the man at the front desk. “We have some questions for you, regarding an ongoing case. Have you seen this woman?”

He inspects the photograph carefully and looks at Harrison. “Yes sir, I saw her yesterday. She came in to rent a safety box for a week. I can show you, although you need her permission to open it, or an official order.”

Harrison looks at you, and you shrug. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Can we see the box please?” he asks, putting his badge back in his pocket.

“Of course sir, follow me.”

“Nothing interesting in the locker, nothing in her hotel room. The first conversations with her family shows nothing of interest. There is no connection between them. Just the tourist thing. So based on that we have to assume he is killing at random,” Harrison is on the phone. He has big blue circles underneath his eyes. Probably matching yours. The second day on a murdur case is always heavy, as most of the evidence is processed, and the first results from the lab come in. You hear some murmurs on the other side and Harrison ends the call. He looks at you.

“Tom is on his way to us. He will bring his map of evidence and everything he gathered with the old cases,” you nod absently, looking at the giant board filled with photos, and the map. Red dots and lines all over the place, but it doesn’t make sense yet.

“Tourists don’t know the city well, so he might be able to guide them somewhere under false pretenses,” you say, “So maybe a cabbie? Who else moves anonymously through the city like that? I wanna see the CCTV,”

“There was no CCTV in the other cases,” Harrison tells you while typing on his laptop, “But we are lucky, they just placed a new camera at the shop across from the entrance of the park. They might have something. The officer should have sent,-” his voice trails off when he opens his mail and sees the file. Behind Harrison you see the door open and DCI Holland walks into the room. Harrison looks up.

“Tom, great, we were just going to watch the CCTV I texted about,” he starts the recording. The street on the screen is empty. “This is 21:00. Forensics guess she died around midnight,”

The screen stays empty as the video goes on to 21:00. At 22:38 a man walks through the screen with his dog. The small clock in the corner ticks through, 23:00, 23:30, 00:00. Just as Harrison wants to stop it you see something move in the corner.

“There,” you point at the bicycle that comes into view. A man is riding it, and when he turns into the park you and Tom see it at the same time. You shoot up, pausing the screen. 01:04.

“That’s her,” Tom says. Limp, on the back of the bicycle sits a woman, “is she conscious?”

“I don't think so, see here, he hits a bump and she doesn’t react at all,” Harrison says, playing the shot again.  

“Does he return later?” you watch the remainder of the video three times, but nothing appears.

“He is smart, uses another exit. Who knows what happened after this, we need more on him,” you say, noting the times and details in your book.

“First we need to know who he is. Did they run facial recognition already?” Tom asks, turning to look at Harrison, who shakes his head.

“No, we are the first to see this material. Get the boss, I want to run this man through the system immediately.”

“I know him,” Carter says. She sits up straight in her chair and starts the tape again. She pauses it right as the mans face is in view. “Jason Sanders, ex police officer. He used to work for me back in the 90’s. He has grown older, but I am like 99% sure it’s him.”

“If he is an ex copper his face should be in the system,” Tom says. You just nod, noting down the name, and opening your laptop to start a google search. Two clicks and you are on his facebook profile.

“Yes he is a perfect match. Look at these pictures,”

“Okay, I want Claire to run a background check,” Harrison says, pointing at her. “Names, friends, family, address, possible gun registration, workplace. I want to know everything you can find. First, run his face through the system, I want to be sure it's him,”

“Sure, that should take about an hour,” she immediately opens her laptop and starts typing. Tom clears his throat.

“So, two of us have to go to the lab and talk with the forensic experts. And one needs to go through the three cases, see if we can find a new link. I have stared at the cases for hours now so I think it’s best if one of you takes a fresh look.”

“I will do it,” Harrison replies just a second quicker than you, “Y/n can go with you to the lab. I believe Henry will do the post-mortem, so she is probably happy to go with you.”

“I will tell you one more time Haz, no funny business between me and Henry,” you say with a stern look on your face, but you smile afterwards. Harrison always jokes about the doctor at the lab who has a small crush on you. In return you tease him endlessly about the defense attorney who is just a bit too sweet and open to Harrison for it to be professional.

“Well if the two of you are done wasting time can we leave, Y/l/n?” Tom is at the door quickly walking outside, but his harsh look doesn’t go unnoticed by you and Harrison. Harrisons shrugs his shoulders and you follow Tom through the door.

“Can you tell us anything interesting?” you ask Henry who is standing in front of a big window that shows the postmortem room. You look inside, shivering at the sight of the body on the table with all it’s organs stashed neatly beside it.

“There are so many interesting things to tell,” he laughs at Tom’s annoyed face, “Let’s get to business,”

“Please,’ Tom sighs, causing you to roll your eyes at Henry behind his back. Henry points to the large body bag on a table in the far corner of the room.

“That’s her. Full postmortem will be done tomorrow, it’s busy, but here is what we already can confirm. Victim is female, nothing weird about her body or anything like that. He probably killed her with that one clean shot. She has been drugged, we found alcohol and ketamine in her blood,”

“Just like the others,” you add. Henry nods and walks through the lab to a screen. He clicks on some buttons. A file opens, and you see a tinder profile and some messages.

“But Jackie ran tests on her phone, and there was a damned good reason he kept the other two.” You look up interested at those words, nodding to Henry to continue, “She was on Tinder, trying to make friends to go out with during her stay. She has texts with a man whom she had a date with last night. He called himself James, and had a random model photo on his profile,”

“Did you run that profile through the computer? Anything?”

“We can’t track the phone that belongs to the profile. We are waiting for access to the profile so we can see his other messages, that should be here later this afternoon. There is a possibility this is the way he finds and contacts his victims,”

“Shit” you say. Tom looks at the text chain unmoving. “Holland, are you okay? This could be a breakthrough.”

“Yes, could be. But we know nothing yet. Nothing is sure,” he says curtly. He walks to the door. “You let us know when the rest of the data is in,” he opens the door, gesturing for you to come after him. You stretch slowly, and smile at Henry.

“Thank you so much for your hard work, this could really mean much for the case,” you say, sending a provoking look towards Tom, “And I am sure my colleague here is just as thankful, don’t mind him, he has a bad day.”

“No problem Y/n, see you later,” Henry replies, sending a broad smile your way. You nod one last time before following Tom outside.

“What was that?” the anger in his voice is apparent. You smile sweetly and pat him on the shoulder.

“That, DCI Holland,” you pause shortly and look him in the eye, “was common decency. Be kind to the lab, and they will be kind to you. That applies to more things actually,”

“Don’t tell me what to do,”

“Don’t be unkind then,” you say, smiling at him, ignoring the irritation that burns within you. Damn that man. But you have dealt with a lot of unkind, bitchy police officers in your days, you won’t let him bring you down. You walk towards the car, grabbing the key from Holland's hand. “I’ll drive,”

Stakeouts are your least favourite part of being a detective. Nothing is worse than sitting the entire day, hoping for something to happen. You always called it the most boring aspect of your job. Even paperwork was more exciting. Problem was, you were very good at stakeouts. You somehow always noticed the change in a pattern that pointed to whatever you were looking for.

You sit across Harrison, your teacups on the table between you. The cafe is extremely busy, but you barely hear the noise around you. Your head is in filter modus. Tinder hadn’t yet given access to the account, so you and Harrison went to the place “James” had met up with Sally. You have been sitting here all day, going over some paperwork to pass the time, and with every hour your hope of seeing the person who pretended to be “James” dies a bit.  

“What do you think will happen if tinder James is not Jason?” you wonder, stirring in your tea. Harrison looks up at your words.

“Well I am sure it has to be him. All the clues point to him,” he says, taking a sip of his tea. “The CCTV, suspects report, psychology sketch, background. His clean kills, any good copper knows how to clean up after himself. And we can’t find him at his home, because his wife kicked him out,”

“Good for her,” you mumble. Harrison chuckles, chugs the remainder of his tea and puts his papers in his bag. “Wait where are you going?”

“To the office. Tom is here to do the rest of the day with you. It’s only two hours.” he says. He gets up and stands up. He walks away, then turns around. He puts his hand on your shoulder. “Try not to kill him please,”

“Ha ha. I will try,” you say,

The hours with Tom are absolutely boring. He doesn’t even really look at you, let alone talk to you. And again, no one shows up. When the cafe closes you and Tom pack up your stuff, and walk outside. Then you feel your phone buzz. The screen flashes; Henry.

“Hey Henry”

“Are you in a car?”

“Almost, why?”

“Get in there and drive to Borough Market,” you turn to Tom and start walking faster.

“Get in the car Tom!” you almost shout as you run towards the driver side. Your emergency senses kick in, adrenaline courses through your body.

“We got to his profile, he has a meeting there in less than 10 minutes. Seventeen year old Canadian girl,”

“Shit,” you curse, and you slam the car door behind you. Your fingers fumble to get the key in the lock, but when you have it you immediately drive away. Tom hasn’t even closed his door properly. You put Henry on speaker and push on the button you put your sirens on. In front of you the cars make way for you.

“We’re driving, tell me everything,”

“We just got access to his profile, and we saw the meeting. At Borough market, 6 PM by the fudge stand. Harrison is at the station, he won’t make it in time. Look for Jason, and the girl has blonde hair, blue eyes. Her Tinder says she is nineteen, but we looked her up and she is seventeen. Harrison told me you two are closer, so hopefully you’ll be on time. He is on his way. I have to go,” you hear the beep that signals Henry has ended the call, and you take a quick left.

“Do you need me to navigate?” Tom asks. He is checking his gun, and picks a weapon stick from the glove compartment. You start to shake your head, but then you nod.

“It’s rush hour, could you check the streets I need to avoid?” you are calm now, your initial surge of energy is slowly leaving your body, making room for your more rational side. Tom is looking through his maps, and reassures you that you’ll be fine with the usual route. No detours.

“Could you check my gun Tom?” you ask, and you lean forward so he can grab it from your belt. He hesitates. “Come on I ask you to. You won’t even touch me. Quickly now ‘cause we are almost there,” He grabs the gun and starts to check it. You see you are getting closer to your destination, so you switch off the sirens. No need to alert everyone you are coming. Two minutes later you see Borough Market appear.

“Okay we both get out and walk to the stand. Do you know where it is?” Tom shakes his head. You park the car, put your gun back in your belt and cover it with your coat. “Luckily I do. Follow me, stay close, we don’t want to attract attention.” You walk towards him and he wraps his arm around you so you are close to him. It is an old tactic, one you have done about a million times with Harrison. You look like an uninteresting couple, and your heads are close, so whispering is easy. Perfect cover. But you feel Tom’s arm burning through your coat. That never happens with Harrison.

“Okay, lead the way,” he says, you shake your head to get rid of your thoughts and you start walking towards the market. You see the fudge stand, but no one suspicious around there. It’s busy, the market is closing soon, and the sellers are trying to sell their last bits.

“Do you see anything?” Tom asks, and you shake your head. You see a plate with testers for fudge and you walk over there. With the fudge in your hand you seize the opportunity to stand still and observe the whole market. Then you feel Tom shake your shoulder.

“There, at six.” you slowly look to your six o’clock, and you see a young girl. “She matches the description. We ought to approach her,” Tom says. You nod and step towards the girl, but then you freeze. At the other side of the market, close to your car, you see a man. Jason. You are sure, and then you see him dragging another young girl with him.

“Tom it's not her, there he is,” you don’t realise you are running until you feel yourself push people out of the way. Jason and the girl are about 50 metres away from you, but there are many people between you. Jason pushes the young girl in the back seat of a car, and you hear yourself shouting.

“Stop! Stop!” You run as fast as you can, but you feel your gut sinking. You are too late. As you see Jason step into his car you memorise his number plate. You try to throw yourself before the car, but you are too late to stop him from driving away. You pull your gun out, but you realise it is of no use in this busy street. You could hit his tires, but then he might swerve and hit some bystanders. You curse loudly.

“In the car, now!” you hear Tom shout from behind you. You start to run again, and launch yourself into the driver's seat. Your sirens blare, your tires screech, but you have him in vision. As you are driving you recollect your breath, and next to you you see Tom fastening his seat belt.

He calls Harrison, who says he can already see your car. Without looking away from the road you ramble the number plate to Tom, who repeats it for Harrison. You hardly hear their conversation, but you do feel the blood pumping in your ears. The car before you is driving unsteady, as if Jason is not yet sure what he is going to do.

“Where is he going to go? It is rush hour, traffic is awful! And he drives towards the city centre,” it doesn’t make sense to you. Until you see him diving towards a bridge over the Thames. Then it clicks.

“Shit, he is going to drive off the bridge!” you shout. You look to your side, and in Tom's eyes you see the same conclusion you just came to. Your mind races, searching for a solution. You see the car before you change lanes. You push the gas harder, accelerating and you also turn to the left lane, “I am gonna block him!”

“Are you sure? We might get hurt,” Tom panics. His hands are gripping on the side of his seat, his eyes wide from the adrenaline. Or fear, you don't know. Before you the car goes to the left, heading straight towards the rather fragile looking railing of the bridge.  

“He will hit the seat behind me, not us,” you say, changing lanes, “I am like 75% sure this won’t end up getting us hurt. Badly.”

“That is not very comforting, Won’t he push us off?”

“No I don’t think so, trust me Tom!” you are driving faster now, and his car is almost near the edge. The last seconds before the hit seem like ages. With a bang the car hits the side of yours, precisely in the backseat of the driver side, as you predicted. You moan in pain as you feel the impact.

“Get out Tom! Catch him.” you scream, trying to cover up the fact that you are in pain. Getting your own door open appears impossible, and you use your gun to smash the window to get out. You feel adrenaline rush through your body, your mind blank, nerves numb. Your moves are by instinct, and when you see Jason run towards you, you throw your body towards him, blocking his way and bringing him to the ground.  

“Jason Sanders, you are arrested on the suspicion of triple murder and attempted murder. Anything you say now can be used later in court,” you say as Tom gets the handcuffs on him. Behind you the other police cars all stop, and you hear Harrisons voice as you shakily get up.

“What was that!?! Y/n that was not safe!” you ignore his worries. First you need to see the girl. You stand beside Jason's car opening his backdoor, and you try to lift the unconscious girl out. Another officer takes it from your hands. “Are you hurt?” Harrison continues as he comes to a halt next to you.

“No I normally leak blood out of my side,” your adrenaline rush slowly comes to an end, and you feel the pain now. Your head feels heavy. “Probably cut it when I climbed out of the window. Also, I might have a concussion from the hit,”

Ten minutes later you sit in the open back of the ambulance. The victim is in the bed inside, and you were relieved to hear she had only passed out from the shock, but furthermore she was fine. After they checked on her a medic found time to stitch the scratch on your side. After their close examination your injuries are deemed minor. A deep scratch that looks fine after it is nicely stitched up and wrapped in bandage. After careful inspection of your head, they conclude you don’t even have a concussion.

But after that, you catch some faint whispers about shock and mental damage as they sneakily look at you. A blanket is wrapped around your body, and a few moments later, you also receive a cup of tea. And another blanket. You are about to run away when Harrison walks up to you. He clears his throat when he sees you, and gives you a quick hug.

“I have a lot of things to say, but none of them matter now. Well done on getting him,”

“Harrison, they keep putting blankets on me, I don’t want the blankets,” you say, shrugging them off and giving them to him.

“You’re in shock” he says, putting the blanket back over your shoulders. You shrug it off again.

“Yeah, not really. And even if, that wouldn’t mean I need blankets, I need booze,”

“Booze and a concussion are a terrible combination,” Harrison shakes his head at your comment.

“I don’t even have a concussion or pain meds. Really, I am fine. Where is Tom? I probably have to say sorry for risking his life.”

“Only if I file a complaint with HR,” Tom's voice makes you sit up straight and look around you. He walks around the corner of the ambulance. “Something I won’t do,”

“Oh great. Well I am sorry anyways. It was way too risky.”

“You executed it perfectly,” he says, a hint of a smile on his face, “Now I believe you said something about a drink, didn't you?”

Harrison laughs with you, but then excuses himself.

“You two go have that drink, I need to fill in all the paperwork. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,”

“Your loss,” Tom says, before turning to you. “Let’s go?”

“Lets go.” You say, smiling as he offers his hand to help you up. You think of slapping it away, but then you feel the stitches pulling in your side and you decide to take up his offer. Just this once.

~ One year later ~

“I can’t believe you had to almost kill him before he dropped his bitchy act,” Claire says laughing as she gives you the paper back. You and Tom shine on the cover of The Guardian, a press photograph taken on the night of Sanders' arrest. “J. Sanders locked up, evidence overload in serial killer case” the headline says. 

After the arrest things moved slowly, Sanders his lawyer was a very persistent man. But now, months later the court case was wrapped, Sanders' guilt proven, and the judge ruled for the maximum sentence. 

“Yes, his resting bitch face was a pain during that investigation,” you chime in, taking a sip from your beer. 

“I am glad I dropped it though,” Tom says next to you, his arm wrapped around you. You smile, pressing a kiss on his cheek. So much has changed. 

[aj-illustrated]

*pulls up a 97-slide PowerPoint* I’m so glad you asked

Ben is an OC co-owned by me and @finnoky! The short of it is that he’s an orphan who Varian helps save from a life of crime, and who later gets adopted by Quirin!

More about him under the cut:

Age: About 12

Birthday: He has no idea, but thinks it might have been sometime in the autumn.

Likes: Quirin, Varian, farmwork, tending to the sheep, his dog (Achilles), the Challenge of the Brave (spectating and later competing), adventure stories, head pats, strawberries, friendly roughhousing, drawing

Dislikes: Cramped spaces (he’s claustrophobic), people hugging him, carrots, books with complicated words, cold weather, any kind of tight or scratchy clothing

Fun Facts:

Ben meets Varian about nine months after the end of the series.

He’s good friends with Kiera and Catalina! They’re the only kids his age who can beat him in a fair fight.

He eventually grows to be taller than Varian, and absolutely uses that fact to tease him.

He’s an excellent pickpocket, though he hasn’t stolen much of anything since Quirin took him in.

He’s got a knack for drawing— he’s not too good with words, so he finds it easier to express himself with pictures. He’s also a leftie!

He’s been almost adopted several times, but Quirin is the only foster parent who kept him around for longer than a month.

Backstory: Ben is an orphan who’s been given a raw deal in life, and as a result is kinda pissed off at everyone and everything all the time. The orphanage he grew up in was lacking to say the least, and he spent much of his early childhood being routinely abused and neglected, often lashing out in aggression at those he deemed to be a threat (which was most people). He eventually starts getting into trouble with the law and is tossed in prison for multiple counts of petty theft and assault, and it’s around that time that he meets Varian, who is helping to reform Corona’s prison system and is disgusted to see that they’re still punishing children as if they were adults.

He gets Ben out of prison, but the orphanage refuses to let him come back, so Varian convinces Quirin to take him in. Quirin agrees for a few factors: 1. Ben reminds him of Varian when he was going through a rough time, and how Quirin wasn’t able to help him then, 2. He’s not getting any younger and could use some help around the farm (plus Varian has been worried about him getting lonely, now that Varian has basically moved into the castle), and 3. The kid deserves a shot at having a healthy, stable home life.

Ben only agrees to go live with Quirin because trying to survive on the streets is no picnic, and also because he’d really rather not stay in prison for any longer than he has to. He figures that it won’t last, anyway— Quirin will lose patience with him and kick him to the curb, just like every other foster parent/guardian he’s been handed off to. He gets very confused (and a little annoyed) when Quirin turns out to be incredibly patient and willing to give him as many chances as he needs. In response, Ben acts out and does everything he can think of to convince Quirin that he’s rotten to the core, but nothing works.

Ben doesn’t want to get his hopes up or let himself get attached. He manages to annoy everyone else: the other villagers, Varian, even Eugene (who visits sometimes), but never Quirin. The most he ever gets out of him is an irritated sigh.

Throughout all of this, Ben is also finding out that he kinda likes helping out on the farm, and he’s pretty good at it, too. He’s very strong for his age, and a fast learner.... except for one thing: he can’t read. The orphanage had tried to teach him, but it never really clicked and they had long since given up on him, so he just never learned, instead relying on pictures and context clues to figure out the meaning of written words. As he continues to grow more attached to Quirin, he starts wanting to be better, to deserve the love and acceptance Quirin is offering him, so his self-consciousness about reading (among other things he doesn’t like about himself) really starts to bug him.

While he's sociable and generally gets along with other children, he does have the flaw of a short temper. So when he's targeted and called out for his apparent lack of academic intelligence, things get ugly, fast, and he gets in a fight. When Quirin asks later what it was about, Ben is reluctant to tell him, and is even less enthused when Quirin later suggests enrolling him in school.

He eventually admits to Quirin that he’s illiterate, expecting to get belittled or even compared to Varian (who is an actual genius and is kind of intimidating to Ben). But Quirin.... he doesn’t care that Ben can’t read, and even offers to help teach him or find him a tutor if he wants to learn. It’s after letting himself be vulnerable and accepting Quirin’s help that Ben starts to wonder if maybe... maybe he has a shot at being part of a real family.

He starts to let himself feel at home in Old Corona, thinking (or rather hoping) he’s found somewhere he belongs... as much as he hates to admit it, he really likes it here. So he tries to keep on the straight and narrow so he can stay longer, even making an effort to be nicer to Varian (who is more than happy to help him with his reading and is the one to introduce him to the Flynn Rider series). For the first time, Ben’s future is looking bright.

Until he loses his temper again.

On a visit to the capital, he passes by his old orphanage and gets in an argument with one of the kids he used to know (and wasn’t on particularly good terms with). The argument quickly gets personal, and then physical, and Ben takes it way too far— by the time the guards arrive on the scene to break it up, the kid Ben was fighting is a bloody, mangled mess, about a minute away from passing out. The guards don’t care what awful things that kid said to Ben; all they care about is that this boy with a history of violence and petty crime just savagely attacked another child, and Ben is swiftly arrested and taken to the dungeons.

At this point, Ben has cooled down enough to realize just how serious his situation really is. Even if they let him out of prison to go back to Quirin, he’s sure this is the last straw and that Quirin won’t want anything to do with him— he’s violent and dangerous, and no matter what he does he can’t seem to stay out of trouble, even when he really does try his best to be good. He hates himself for blowing his one chance at finding a home and family, and consoles himself by thinking that it was only a matter of time and at least the wait is over (boy’s got some raging self-loathing issues if you haven’t noticed).

Varian gets word that Ben’s been arrested and heads down to the dungeons to hear his side of the story, but Ben is too ashamed to even look him in the eye. Ben was told by the guards that, although he won’t be left to rot in the dungeons or thrown onto a prison barge (as per the new regulations regarding juvenile justice), he’ll be sent away to a correctional facility for delinquents— aka, reform school. Ben has no idea what to expect, but based on what the guards have been saying about it (very loudly, just outside his cell), it sounds no better than regular prison.

Varian is having absolutely none of this and contacts Quirin to tell him what’s going on— Quirin is up at the castle within the hour to try and bail Ben out, or at least renegotiate his sentence. However, since Quirin is not yet technically related to Ben— for the past year or so, he’s legally been closer to a parole officer than anything else— the law states that he can’t actually do much to interfere with Ben’s bail or sentence, especially since the boy is a repeat offender and is now classified as a menace to society.

Instead of giving up on the situation, Quirin decides to become Ben’s legal guardian right then and there, whipping out the adoption papers he’s been keeping in his vest for weeks— he’s been wanting to ask Ben if he’d like to be adopted for a while now, but he could never find the right moment. Now seems to be as good a time as any.

It takes a day or two to sort things out (Nigel and Fred both aren’t too keen on releasing a violent criminal for any reason, even if that criminal is like twelve), but Varian is able to pull some strings with Raps and Eugene to give Quirin full guardianship over Ben. Meanwhile, Ben is expecting he'll be shipped off any day now— when he sees Varian come back down to the prison with a guard, he expects it's to say goodbye... not to remove his shackles and lead him back upstairs to the throne room, where Quirin and Rapunzel are waiting beside a stack of paperwork. They only need one more signature to make the adoption official: Ben’s.

Luckily, Varian and Quirin have been helping him practice writing his name, and once he signs, Quirin tosses Raps the bail money (which she had whittled down to like two coins) and they head back home— Ben’s permanent home.

Ben’s story is a result of many many rambles between me and Feen on Discord, and I don’t think we’re gonna be stopping anytime soon— Ben is such a fun OC to flesh out XD

Feen and I are actually running a Q&A for Ben over on Feen’s Instagram story, y’all should go check it out!

[daddyscornersworld]

8 Steps to go from concept to a million-dollar product

1. Brainstorm ideas

The first action in coming up with a really distinct and also beneficial product is to brainstorm concepts. Otherwise, you may have a terrific suggestion yet no understanding of how to execute it.

Try making a list of all the important things that interest you. These could be leisure activities, tasks, or products that you utilize regularly. For each activity or thing of passion to you, make a checklist of feasible enhancements that could be made in the form of an invention. This can consist of variants of the item or task or helpful attachments. Make a substantial checklist. It is much better to have a lot of ideas than as well a couple of, so proceed to detail till you can consider absolutely nothing else to add.

Keep a journal with you in any way times, to regularly include brand-new things to your possible-invention listing. Maintaining your concepts all arranged in one place, a journal, will certainly additionally assist you to continue to be psychologically clutter-free and also enable you to assess your suggestions at a later day. Don't hurry the brainstorming process. Ideas might not hit you like lightning as well as can need a few weeks or months of detailing ideas before your surprise strikes.

Also see: InventHelp gets great inventions from the mind to the market

2. Choose a suggestion.

When you have invested some time taking into consideration all feasible options, pick your best idea for an invention. Currently, you'll need to hang out thinking about the details of the task. Attract a few illustrations of what you picture your invention will appear like, and afterward take into consideration some important inquiries.

What could you include in improve this item? What regarding your invention is so special that individuals will feel forced to bring it into their lives? Why is your invention so wonderful?

Think of changes that could require to be made. What parts of your invention are unneeded or unneeded? Exists any way to make it much more reliable or less costly to produce?

Consider all aspects of your invention consisting of all the called for parts, as well as vital information about just how it works or what it will do. Keep these responses and ideas in your journal so you can refer back to them.

3. Paper It

This is the first action to patenting your suggestion and also maintaining it from being stolen. You have probably listened to concerning the "inadequate man's patent"-- writing your concept down and also emailing it to on your own in a sealed envelope so you have dated proof of your invention's conception. This journal will certainly become your scriptures throughout the patent process.

4. Study It

You will certainly require to research your suggestion from a legal as well as a service perspective. Before you submit a patent, you need to:

Total an initial patent search. Just because you have not seen your invention does not imply it does not already exist. Before you work with a patent attorney or representative, finish a basic look for totally free at www.uspto.govto make sure no one else has patented your concept. You need to also finish a non-patent "previous art" search. If you discover any sort of artwork or design related to your concept, you can not patent it-- no matter whether a previous patent has been filed.

Sure, your brother thinks your suggestion for a brand-new yard sprinkler is an excellent concept, however that does not indicate your neighbor would certainly acquire one. Even more than 95 percent of all patents never make money for the inventor. Before you invest also much time and also cash right into patenting your invention, do some preliminary research study of your target market.

Also see: how to get my invention off the ground

5. Make a Prototype

A prototype is a model of your invention that puts into practice every one of the things you have written in your inventor's journal. This will certainly demonstrate the style of your invention when you offer it to possible lending institutions and licensees. Do not submit a patent before you have made a prototype. You will often uncover a defect in your initial layout or think about a new feature you would like to include. If you patent your idea before you exercise these kinks, it will certainly be too late to include them in the patent as well as you will certainly take the chance of shedding the patent civil liberties of the new design to someone else.

Right here are some basic guidelines when prototyping your invention:

Begin with an illustration. Before you start the prototyping stage, strategize every one of your suggestions right into your inventor's journal.

Produce a concept mockup out of any type of product that will certainly permit you to produce a 3-D version of your style.

When you're pleased with the mockup, develop a full-working version of your suggestion. Some lots of publications and kits can help you create models. If your invention is something that will certainly cost a great deal of money or is unreasonable to prototype (like an oil refinery process or a new pharmaceutical drug), take into consideration making use of a computer-animated online prototype.

6. Submit a Patent

Now that you have all of the kinks worked out of your design, it's ultimately time to file a patent. There are two primary patents you will certainly need to choose from: a utility patent (for new procedures or makers) or a design patent (for manufacturing new, nonobvious decorative styles). You can compose the patent as well as fill up out the application yourself, yet do not file it yourself up until you have had an experienced patent expert appearance it over. If the invention is truly beneficial, a person will infringe on it. If you do not have a strong patent written by a patent lawyer or representative, you will be pulling your hair out later on when a rival discovers a loophole that allows them to duplicate your concept. It's best to get legal assistance currently to avoid any kind of lawful problems in the future.

When searching for a patent lawyer or representative, bear in mind one thing: If you see them marketed on TELEVISION, escape! Once you are far, far away, comply with these actions to picking the best patent specialist:

Do your research. Have your inventor's journal, prototype, and notes with you. This will conserve them time, and money. This will additionally assist encourage them to deal with you.

Ensure they are signed up with the U.S. Patent and also Trademark Workplace.

Inquire what their technological history is. If your invention is digital, find a patent specialist that is also an electric designer.

Talk about fees. Maintain your concentrate on smaller sized patent firms. They are less costly and also will certainly work much more carefully with you. Accept the approximated total cost before employing your patent expert.

7. Develop a presentation.

With your patent and prototype in hand, you get on the road to success! The next step is making a discussion that completely covers the bases of your invention. You can utilize this to reveal to both possible makers as well as purchasers, although you might create somewhat various versions of your presentation for every purpose.

Ensure that your presentation is professional, whatever means you create it. You can make a PowerPoint, video, or physical presentation-board to reveal. Use lots of beneficial details, diagrams, and also images. Make certain to cover the specs of your item, make use of, and also long-lasting results or benefits. Although it is optional, you might opt to work with a graphic developer to assemble a magnificent discussion for your invention. Making it as aesthetically appealing as possible will certainly urge the passion of manufacturers and buyers alike.

Be certain to have your talking functioned out for the discussion. It's not enough to have excellent diagrams and images, you need to be efficient public speaking. Do not remember notecards, yet have a concept (with the aid of notes if necessary) of every little thing you wish to say and respond to common questions that might be asked.Follow inventhelp Instagram for more help

8. Market Your Invention

Now it's time to determine how you're going to bring your product to market. Develop a service strategy: How will you obtain the cash? Where will you produce the product? Just how will you sell it? Now is a good time to determine if you will produce and also offer the product on your own, or permit it available for sale through an additional firm. When you license your product you will most likely just obtain 2 percent to 5 percent in aristocracy costs. This often scares away inventors that feel they deserve a lot more. Consider the benefit: You will not have the monetary burden associated with maintaining a business. This might wind up making you even more money in the future.

Adhering to these five steps will guarantee a very easy road to patenting your invention. Have perseverance as well as comply with due diligence in your steps to patenting your invention and your years of the difficult job will finally pay off.

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 10 of it’s always ourselves we find is here!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 

[kristanna / m / modern au / coworkers & enemies to lovers ;) ]

Once again, he was woken up by a hand shaking his shoulder and Anna’s voice as she said, “Kris. Kristoff. Wake up, I need you.”

“Mmff...what?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

“Remember how yesterday you said you owed me a favor?”

“Uh-huh.”

Through bleary eyes, he watched as she bit her lip, her eyes nervous. “I need to call it in.”

That got him waking up. He pushed himself up on an elbow with a wide yawn. “Okay, I’m up. What do you need me to do?”

Her face melted into a fond smile. “Nothing. I just need to borrow one of your shirts.”

“What for?”

“To wear.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s gonna fit you.”

“I’ll make it work. I have to. We’ve got that conference call with Harry today doing the dry run, remember? And I, um...I forgot my nice dress was bunched up in the bottom of my suitcase, and I just realized my shampoo leaked all over it, and--”

“Alright, alright, yeah, just grab one from the closet, no problem,” he said with another yawn. “But it’s really not gonna fit.”

A sigh of relief escaped her. “Thank you so much, seriously.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Quick as lightning, she leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. “Go back to sleep, Kris, it’s not even half-past six.”

The only reply he could conjure up was a nod, hoping the room was still too dim for her to notice he was blushing. Mercifully, she only lingered long enough to squeeze his shoulder before darting towards the bathroom.

The next time he woke up, it was to the beep of his alarm at a quarter past seven. He sat up, swung his legs over the side, and stretched, his back cracking as he arched his arms over his head. Anna peered around the corner of the bathroom then, her hair falling in soft curls over her shoulder. “Morning, sleeping beauty,” she said cheerfully.

“Morning. How’s the shirt situation working out?”

“You tell me,” she said, a little shy, before stepping out so he could see her.

Fuck, he’d never been so glad to be wrong. The shirt didn’t fit the way it was supposed to; it hung loosely around her slender frame, the hem hitting a couple of inches above her knees and revealing the graceful line of her freckled legs. She’d pulled a cardigan on over it, hiding the way the seams had to be falling off her shoulders, and left the top buttons undone, showing off her collarbone and a delicate gold necklace that nestled there. Kristoff didn’t know a hell of a lot about fashion, but he did know that she looked like she’d walked right out of one of the giant posters he saw stuck up at the mall-- and that he’d be more than happy if she wore his clothes for the rest of her life.

“Is it that bad?” she asked timidly, and he realized he’d been gaping at her in silence for what was probably an embarrassingly long amount of time.

“Jesus, Anna,” he breathed, “you’re keeping that shirt, okay?”

Her cheeks colored at that, but when she crossed to stand in front of him, she was wearing a smile. “Will you help me roll the sleeves up? The shirt’s all bunched up under the cardigan, but I think if I roll them up and over and get the cuffs right it’ll look better.”

“Of course. Let me see.”

She lifted an arm, and he began carefully rolling up the sleeves the way she’d requested, feeling his mouth go dry as he saw how delicate her wrist was next to his broad hands. He wanted to linger there when he was done, trail his fingers over the pale, silky skin of her forearm and press a kiss to her palm, but instead moved to the other arm without even looking up.

“Thanks, Kris,” she said when he had finished, catching his hand in hers before he could pull away.

He gave her fingers a soft squeeze and glanced up at her with a lopsided grin. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. This almost makes up for all the times you’ve stolen my post-its. Now hurry up and get ready before the line for the waffle maker gets long.”

“Knowing you, feistypants, you’ll just elbow your way past anyone who gets between you and something sweet.”

“And knowing you, you’ll just glare at anyone who takes too long at the coffee pot and they’ll melt away on the spot.”

“I glare at you all the time, and you’re still here,” he pointed out.

She grinned at him then, and something about it made his heart constrict. “Yeah,” she said warmly, “I am.”

---

“Excellent work, you guys,” Harry said with a grin. Behind him, Elsa gave them a thumbs-up and mouthed fuck yeah.

Kristoff set a hand surreptitiously on Anna’s lower back, like he’d been doing during the whole presentation, as if to steady himself. “Thanks, boss,” he said, his relief palpable.

“Any suggestions for how we can improve it?” Anna asked. “Do you think using Prezi slows it down too much? I can remake it in Keynote if you want, or I already have a backup PowerPoint.”

“No, I--”

“And are there enough pictures? I know people get overwhelmed with blocks of text, but for some of this the pictures felt extraneous, so I just thought--”

“Anna, no, it’s--”

“And did I talk too much? I know I tend to go on and on and--”

“Miss Delle,” Harry said firmly, and her mouth snapped shut. “I typed a short list of critiques. Once Elsa has a look over it and adds her own thoughts, I’ll email it to you. But it’s all very minor stuff, really. The important thing is that you two really know your stuff about the tech we’re using and our online sales and engagement strategies. Seriously, great work. We’ve got a conference call in a minute, though, so if you don’t mind--”

“Oh, of course! Thanks so much, Harry, really,” Anna said breathlessly. “See you Monday!”

She headed over to where the laptop was perched on a lectern, moving to click the red button and end the call. Before she did, though, she watched as on the other end, Harry turned to her sister and said, “Don’t know why the hell my brother’s always requesting we review their department, do you?”

For a moment she froze, hearing Kristoff suck in a breath behind her. Harry glanced over his shoulder then and said, “Oh, sorry guys, forgot to hang up.”

“I’ve got it!” Anna squeaked, ending the video call before he could say another word.

She turned on her heel and saw Kristoff hadn’t moved, his expression inscrutable. She crossed back towards him, but his eyes didn’t move from the now-black screen. “Fucking rat bastard, huh?” she asked softly, setting her fingertips lightly against his forearm.

He sighed and looked down at the floor, not meeting her eyes. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip, lingering for a moment to see if he said anything else, but his thoughts were clearly miles away. She slid her hand down then to give his fingers a brief squeeze before turning away to retrieve her laptop and settle back down at the table they’d been working at in the most out-of-the-way meeting room they could find. 

Kristoff joined her after a moment, already slipping his reading glasses back on as he hunched over his laptop. “I gotta finish running these reports,” he said, not looking up, “then I’ll help you with whatever Harry said.”

“No worries,” Anna replied, tapping her fingers against the table as she waited for the email to come in. 

Harry, despite being one of the baker’s dozen and one Westergaard brothers, was, all things considered, a more than decent boss. He never got too in the way of the work, was always willing to listen to new ideas, and-- most importantly, in Anna’s opinion-- kept Elsa, who worked as his executive assistant, from overworking herself like she always tended to do. When Anna had been hired on, he hadn’t known the two of them were related, but he’d grinned when he found out and said he was looking forward to having the pair of them around.

As far as Anna knew, he was higher up on the ladder than Hans in terms of who was likely to inherit the company when it was passed down to the next generation, and she was grateful for it. Hans saw everything from a sales perspective and didn’t bother to consider the people involved, and he was outright cruel to people when it suited him, whether it made sense or not. She couldn’t help but wonder why Kristoff in particular was--

A large hand settled over her still-tapping fingers, pressing them flat against the table, and she jumped in surprise. Her eyes flicked up to see Kristoff looking at her, half-amused and half-irritated.

“You’re gonna drive me insane if you keep doing that,” he teased, his voice light.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “just got lost in thought.”

“S’alright,” he reassured her, sliding his thumb under her palm so he could squeeze her hand. “Is the email in yet?”

“Oh-- I wasn’t even looking!”

She returned the squeeze before pulling away to refresh her inbox. “Here it is-- yeah, Harry says....’switch slide four and six….bigger font for the headers...great job.’ And Elsa says ‘relax, both of you’.” 

When she looked up, Kristoff looked stunned. “That’s it? Really?”

“I...yeah. Shit, maybe we work together better than we thought.”

They exchanged shy smiles, each of them unsure of what exactly to do next. The fixes would take less than five minutes; there was nothing left to do but present tomorrow. Well, Anna corrected herself, he probably has lots of emails still about IT problems, probably wants me to get out of his way--

“Do you...do you wanna take a break?” Kristoff asked suddenly, raising one hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Like...we’re at the beach, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Anna replied, trying to quell the tide of excitement in her chest that was going to overwhelm her if she wasn’t careful.

“And we’re the only department with something big like this, so everybody else has already been doing fun stuff, you know?”

“Definitely.”

“So...we could have a turn. For a little bit, anyway?”

She couldn’t fight her smile any longer. “So...what do you wanna do?”

He grinned. “Race you to the room and then down to the beach?”

Before he could say another word, she was on her feet and running for the door, her laughter trailing behind her.

[lanajvmeson]

emerges frm a field of corn slinking in w a faux mink shrug dangling around my elbows n a strand of wheat between my teeth..... farmer eleganza.... hlo! my name’s nai. i am bt a humble ghoul arrived to haunt ur home. 23 n she/her pronouns n i live in manchester. fun fact my friend’s neighbour used to b harry styles PE teacher. i played delilah yrs ago as carlson young (n even cara delevingne at one point what the fk) which feels so weird n ancient to me nw bt i missed her a lot so decided to spruce her bk to life.... ANYWAY delilah’s pinterest is here n i’ll jst leap right into things without further ado

(NICOLA PELTZ, CIS-FEMALE) - Have you seen DELILAH ASTOR? LILAH is in HER JUNIOR year. The POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR is 21 years old & is a CAPRICORN. People say SHE is BEGUILING, BLUNT, CUNNING and APATHETIC. Rumors say they’re a member of CALLOWAY. I heard from the gossip blog that SHE WAS IN A REHABILITATION CENTRE IN SWITZERLAND INSTEAD OF DOING CHARITY WORK LIKE HER SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIMED.  (NAI. 23. GMT. SHE/HER.) 

HISTORY

their family is kind of modelled off the sedgwick family like old money n pretty dysfunctional bt all abt keeping up a seamless facade of perfection... with a pinch of the kennedy’s in there. her dad’s high up in politics n his dad before tht ws in politics n it’s just a long prestigious line of clones in expensive suits as far as delilah’s concerned. her dad i picture as like.... nate archibald’s grandfather in gossip girl.... personality wise.

for as long as she cn remember she’s found this cookie cutter white picket fence life boring. stifling. to delilah it’s like being hemmed in a stuffy room n forbidden frm opening a window. it’s all vry Rich People Problems i wnt lie bt <3 she feels everlastingly bored. All The Time. plus her family hs always been a focal point fr tabloids etc which doesn’t help this feeling of not rly Living but just being the focus of a spectator sport. they’re lowkey a bit of a household name so they get a bunch of scrutiny n......... well. new bullet point alert! cue a powerpoint transition

(self harm & depression tw) frm being young delilah always knew there ws sort of. a white noise inside her where everyone else saw a technicolour movie screen. it rly hit her at like 12 i’d say as she was jst coasting towards adolescence. it ws pretty obvious frm her behaviour i’d say bt her parents only became Aware it ws a problem when she stuck a fork into a socket n short circuited the power in the house. she got shocked unconscious n when she woke up she told the in house dr they’d called (to keep it under wraps frm outsiders) tht she just.... couldn’t feel anything. she’d been reading frankenstein (she’s always liked gothic literature) n thought it’d zap her to life like the monster

her parents got her on medication n figured that wld fix everything. they didn’t like to talk abt things and that was that. it wasn’t to be mentioned again

delilah’s parents r just very.... sterile. family is abt appearances. they’ll be all smiles n flowing conversation when ppl are around bt it feels like being an actress n reading frm a script. being a toy in a dollhouse

she had two siblings: an older sister named clara & a younger brother named elijah. clara ws always like.... the Dream daughter. did everything right. amazing grades. america’s sweetheart. LOVED by the press. did sm charity work. elijah was fine/kind of a slacker compared bt coasted by on athletic prowess (captain of the rowing team). delilah hs very much always been the anomaly in this idyllic line-up. middle child effect! altho having said tht she’s always ran w the popular crowd of her age group bc Rich + Pretty = Status. it’s all quite superficial n delilah’s attitude on the matter can b summed up w this photoset. having said tht there was Some merit in constantly being paraded around as “such a pretty thing” bc a few modelling agencies attempted to scout her bt delilah found that boring. she wants to b called brilliant not beautiful. her mother called this her “not playing to the advantages that god gave her”. with a tight-lipped smile and a “god forbid i use my brain”, delilah only disappointed her further <3

(drugs & ed tw) delilah gt pretty heavy into partying fr the sake of trying to Feel something. intense on the drugs front (coke n prescription pills). rarely eating. she got a silver broach of a swan tht she pins to most of her clothes n u can unscrew the swan’s neck n pull it out to reveal a little powder spoon. still wears this today. clara n delilah were always super close n clara wld cover fr her a bunch. making up lies n jst having her back to their parents if they ever asked where she was / she ws in trouble n needed to keep it under wraps. when delilah hd an article in a tabloid pretty mch like this one clara talked their parents dwn frm sending her to a rehabilitation centre in switzerland. they gt it pretty much scorched frm existence bt delilah kept a clipping bc honestly she thought it was funny hw pale her mother went abt it

(car accident & drunk driving & death tw) at a fancy benefit the astors were all attending among 4857925974 uppity families delilah wound up heading off w some of the rich kids n one thing lead to another n a couple of them gt arrested fr a coke scandal. delilah used her phone call to contact clara n fr once clara hd let loose a little n hd something to drink bt still drove to the station to bail delilah out n try n fix her mess bt.... skipped a red light n crashed. she died upon impact.

(hospitalisation & drugs & addiction tw) this made delilah spiral massively obviously.... she clung on by the skin of her teeth fr a while bt she rly was just getting quite out of control doing an extremely excessive amt of coke to get by at this point so her parents actually did.... end up shipping her off to switzerland for rehabilitation. they didn’t tell anyone this tho n as far as ppl were/are aware she was doing charity work with habitat for humanity in trinidad. her parents literally........... hired ppl to take photos of things there n a social media team posted them to her instagram account jst. the most elaborate lie.... it’s a lot.

delilah jst pretty much went along w whatever they said at the facility bt didn’t absorb any of it too much.... she did get sober there bt it was vry much bc she had no other choice rather than a want to......... she even pretended to “find god” while she ws there n memorised bible lines to recite w a coolly detached smile. in her head she ws probably thinking abt hw her mandated therapist cld gladly eat shit and she’d be happy to watch. it was just like.... everyone there was RLY hideously overpaid bt did they actually Care abt their work or patients? debatable. wasn’t the most healing experience thru delilah’s eyes bt... maybe it’d work better if she’d actually opened her mind to it bt anyway...... <3 cornelius fudge voice: she’s back. the dark lord.....

PERSONALITY:

nw tht her history is out of the way i’ll leap like a flea off a shaggy dog’s back into personality! aesthetically she almost ALWAYS wears white/cream. reminds me of the woman in white frm sharp objects. rarely she’ll dabble in silver or gold or like..... vry pale green bt.... always muted tones. usually white or cream. big white sunhats. white sunglasses. white pussybow blouses w a little white skirt n a pearl barrette in her hair. she even smokes white sobranie cigs tht r imports like it’s a lot she’s truly committed to the aesthetic.... paired w like. classic patent mary janes.... she tends to flutter around the place like a silk moth. likes lace too. hs a very put together image n even demeanour like she’s very lithe n graceful n drifts like a ghost which kind of contrasts w... who she is at her core bt in the astor family it’s all abt appearances <3 the only deviation from this is she sometimes wears dark blue mascara once in a blue moon n if ppl comment on this she’s like. idk what ur talking abt? glides away like a ghost in a haunted mansion n is never seen again.

very perceptive. incredibly observant. yrs of early life media training n being born frm politicians means she’s an excellent liar. she knows ppl n knows what makes them tick bt she’ll only use this when necessary. she isn’t a terrible person bt she knows how to b Very mean n will equip this as a weapon shd a situation call fr it. also more prone to lashing out since her sister......... she hs sometimes played chess games socially fr kicks

dark n biting sense of humour. rather frank abt things. VERY ruthless when scorned bt she isn’t particularly?? emotive abt it??? her bf cheated on her once n when he told her she slapped him rly hard in front of sm ppl he knew n then jst walked away. blocked him on literally everything. removed him frm the face of the earth as far as she ws concerned. had him blacklisted frm every event n told ppl they’d be cut too if they continued to associate w him. goodbye sir <3 u are the weakest link <3 needless to say he regretted it <3

very loyal to u until she isn’t. finds it very easy to cut ties if need be. once her trust is broken it is gooooone baby goone.... the trust is Gone. selective in who she cares abt

vry cavalier abt sex. she doesn’t sleep around hugely i dnt think??? bt when she does it isn’t often tht emotionally invested she’ll jst out of the blue very nonchalantly blow out a wisp of smoke n b like. so u want to fuck me then? cool. proceeds to get up as if she’s walking to leave n then looks bk n is like what do ur legs not work? follow me. n leads them somewhere

nothing rly.... moves her particularly. she isn’t very animated. it’s like she jst finds the entire world thoroughly unimpressive. it’s difficult to stimulate excitement from her. it’s like that hugh laurie quote where he realised he had depression bc “boredom is not an appropriate response to exploding cars”.

has a pet swan bk at home she’s named lilith inspired by satan’s offspring. lilith bites ppl if they get close n is honestly an abomination of a bird. delilah finds her funny n throws her bits of croissants sometimes bt even she isn’t immune to her pecks. in some ways they’re similar...... hv a graceful surface appearance / aesthetic bt a darker attitude beneath the surface

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

exes: the ex bf tht cheated on her n she got blacklisted from 94872347 social events cld be a fun thing to explore..... delilah wld be EXTREMELY cold towards him n honestly want him dead. wouldn’t show any shred of caring abt him at all she’s very gd at stoning her emotions n keeping them inside. hasn’t cried since her sister died as an example of how..... withdrawn she is from confessing her innermost thoughts n desires. maybe an ex bf before tht that she rly didn’t take seriously at all..... typically she just isn’t interested/invested in romance she’s vry apathetic abt it all

party friends: those tht run in similar rich kid circles tht she would have smuggled off with at fancy events so they could let loose.......... ppl tht r completely her opposite who she finds interesting bc they represent everything she always wanted outside the oppression of her strict regiment family....... mutual bad influences tht are heavy into drugs n always enable each other...... u name it!

hook-ups: she doesn’t have a HUGE amt of these bt.... maybe a select handful.... some she wld have hooked up w once n never again n just been like >_> if they implied they shd as if it was preposterous n she was thoroughly over it.... some maybe she’d find interesting enough to extend beyond tht...... none she’d invest in if she cld help it altho? maybe someone as an exception to tht rule cld be fun

friends of her sister: (death tw) clara was universally well liked for being rly sweet n well intentioned n she attended yates only two yrs delilah’s senior so she might have some connections here still somehow??? cld be angsty to work with

i won’t lie i’m rly hungry as i write up these wcs so my brain’s going blank n i’m gna have to sprint to get some toast bt <3 roommates, enemies, competitive friendships, resentments, angst, chaos, drama, strife, u name it n i am dwn!!!! hits post n takes off galloping dwnstairs

[artificialqueens]

nobody knows where we might end up (branjie) - holtzmanns

(read on ao3) | (tumblr)

Summary:  Brooke makes eye contact with Vanessa - no, Dr. Mateo - and has to resist the strange urge in her chest that wants her to bolt for the nearest door and leave the fucking hospital. Blood is rushing in her ears and it’s a bit harder to breathe and she’s pretty sure that her lungs should be at full capacity. So why does she feel like she’s about to keel over?

“Oh, we’ve definitely met.” Dr. Mateo’s voice is wry, her eyes narrowing in Brooke’s direction.

Fuck. She’s Dr. Hytes, for Pete’s sake. Neurosurgery god. She’s not going to be intimidated by a cardiothoracic surgeon, of all people, no matter their past… history.

Hospital AU.

AN: I’ve had some free time recently and surprise surprise, started another multichap fic. Special thanks to writ for listening to me ramble about this idea, helping me brainstorm, and betaing (as well as providing hilarious commentary). Also thanks to multifandomgeek for being totally understanding of me having a WIP with a similar prompt to their latest fic even though they’ve both turned out so different, as well as for being a great cheerleader of mine and having the cutest headcanons for it. Enjoy!

(then)

“Welcome to Human Physiology One.” The professor’s voice is sharp as he surveys the packed lecture hall with a beady gaze. 

Brooke unconsciously straightens in her seat. Her fingers drum against her desk, a mixture of nervous energy and excitement alike. 

She’s made it to the University of Toronto for Health Sciences at the undergraduate level, which means she’s one step closer to getting into U of T’s prestigious medical school a few years down the line. She’s already secured shadowing and volunteer jobs in most of the hospitals located along Hospital Row, because, well, she has to. 

How else is she going to become a surgeon?

The professor continues on. “This course is going to cover all of the major bodily systems - circulatory, neurological, urological, immune systems, and more at the basic level. Enough to give you a general understanding of how they work.”

He fixes them with a beady gaze. “Make no mistake, though. The introductory nature of this class doesn’t mean that it’ll be easy like the rest of your 100 level courses. If you are expecting such, feel free to leave through the doors now.”

No one does. 

“Very well.” The professor pulls up a PowerPoint. “You can read the syllabus on your own time. We’re starting on neuro.” 

“Sorry, excuse me, sorry-” Brooke looks over to see her row being disrupted as a girl in an oversized jacket that brushes her thighs shuffles in towards the only empty seat left in the lecture hall. The one beside Brooke. 

Brooke feels a flash of irritation. Who’s late on the first damn day? 

The girl settles in, dropping her messenger bag and pulling out her laptop. She flashes a smile at Brooke, one that falters when Brooke doesn’t immediately return it. 

Brooke turns away from the girl, turning her attention back to the lecture. Her hands fly over her keyboard, writing down everything that is coming out of the professor’s mouth because what if something he mentions now ends up being really important and shows up on the final exam? She doesn’t want to miss anything. 

Except for the fact that the girl’s leg is bouncing up and down beside her. 

Brooke’s trying to write a note about synapses and neural clefts, but the girl is twitching so much, leg bouncing on her seat, that she finds focusing on the professor’s voice practically impossible. The edge of the girl’s shirt-dress is rising higher and higher over her thighs, revealing more and more of her fishnet tights underneath-

Nope. Brooke’s gotta focus. She’s missed at least two things that the professor’s said already and it’s only the first lecture. She can’t start off like this. 

Brooke keeps typing, albeit a bit slower because the girl’s bouncing leg is incredibly distracting and god fucking damn it, why can’t people just sit still in class?

But then the girl raises her hand, leaning forward in her seat and Brooke realizes that she’s missed the question that the professor has asked the class. Shit.

“Yes, you.”

“In an action potential, sodium ions rush into the axon and de-dep-depolarize it.” The girl rattles off the information like she’s fucking Hermione Granger or something, though a little less refined. 

“Exactly.” The professor looks pleased. Damn it. “And your name is?”  

“Vanessa.” The girl, Vanessa, looks satisfied with herself, leaning back in her seat and returning her attention to her laptop. 

Bouncing her fucking leg once more, because of course she is. But Brooke’s not going to be distracted by her again. She’s going to get the next question, because that’s what she does.  

Her hand shoots up before the professor even finishes speaking. 

“Yes?”

“Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that is necessary to complete the reaction.” Brooke rattles off the information that’s thankfully familiar to her from grade twelve biology with ease. 

“Very good.” Brooke feels an air of pride rush through her at the professor’s words. “Name?”

“Brooke.” Not a bad idea to make herself familiar with the professors in all of her classes from week one. Put herself on their radars. 

“Excellent, Brooke.” The professor turns back to his lecture slides then, oblivious to the rush of adrenaline that’s currently going through Brooke’s system. 

She’s pathetic sometimes, she really is. But hey, if it gets her the good marks that she’s going to need in the future, does it even matter?

Vanessa answers question after question and asks ones of her own that make Brooke stop and think along with the professor. Brooke has to admit to herself, albeit bregrudgingly, that Vanessa is smart. Really smart. It’s undeniable, from the way her hand pops up every five minutes. 

Brooke may or may not be feeling a little threatened, intimidated by the girl beside her - how’d Vanessa get so smart? And why hasn’t Brooke thought of the questions she’s asking, like the one about hyperpolarization?

Brooke shoots another look at Vanessa from behind her hair, hoping that she isn’t too obvious. In her earlier annoyance, she’s missed how pretty the girl is. Vanessa runs a hand through her hair, pushing the dark waves out of her face and leaning forward to type notes with her other hand. 

“Brooke?” 

“Huh?” Fuck. She’s completely missed the professor’s question. Of course. Typical of her to do something so stupid on the first day. 

Brooke starts to rack her brain for a generic answer based on the lecture slide when Vanessa nudges her. “Graded potentials. That’s the answer. Say it.”

Well. She has nothing to lose at this point, does she?

“Graded potentials?” Brooke says it loud enough for the professor to hear, though she almost doesn’t hear her voice herself from how loud her heart feels like it’s beating. 

“Good.” He continues on without a second look at their row, and Brooke lets out a sigh of relief. 

Vanessa truly, utterly saving her ass isn’t what she expected, but she’ll take what she can get. “Jeez. Thank you so much.”

“It’s no big.” Vanessa’s smiling at her again, one that reaches her eyes and makes them crinkle and on an unrelated note, Brooke feels her stomach flipping with what must be indigestion. “Brooke, right?”

“Yeah.” She whispers it because the professor is still talking, after all. “Vanessa?” 

“That’s me. My friends call me Vanjie, though.” 

Brooke wrinkles her nose. “How’d you get that nickname from the name Vanessa?” 

“I didn’t.” Vanessa winks at her but then turns back to the front, lifting up a hand to answer a question before Brooke can protest. 

How did she even catch the question that the professor asked in the first place? 

Brooke tries her best to go back to paying attention, but it’s hard when Vanessa is beside her and some of her long hair is on Brooke’s desk, looking really soft. Brooke has to resist touching it - she’s not a creep. 

Brooke’s notes during the rest of the lecture are most definitely not up to her usual standards, though she only has herself to blame for it. She’ll do better next time. She has to. 

Though if Vanessa’s beside her again, she may have a problem. Not that she’s all too mad about it anymore. 

Vanessa’s out of her seat the second that the professor wraps up, pulling on her oversized jacket on top of her shirt dress. She sticks her laptop into her messenger bag before turning towards Brooke, who definitely has not been watching Vanessa the entire time. Nope. Absolutely not. 

“So, you this keen in all of your classes?” Vanessa has a smile on her face as she says it. 

“I’m not a nerd.” Brooke’s protests are feeble because she kind of is - not that she wants to admit it. 

“Didn’t say you were. It’s kinda cute, though.” With that Vanessa winks, pulling her bag onto her shoulder and heading towards the aisle to leave the lecture hall. 

“This time next week?” Vanessa shouts it at her from the aisle as she leaves, and for some reason it makes Brooke flush crimson. 

The lecture hall is almost empty before she realizes that she has to pack up her own books and leave, too.  

 (now)

“The resection is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 PM. Bar any information that we’ve possibly missed in our review just now - which is highly unlikely - the surgery should be successful, leaving Mrs. Reynolds tumour-free in no time at all.” 

No members of the surgery team, not the nurses, the anesthesiologist, nor any technicians question Brooke’s words. Just how she likes it. 

No one mentions that the success rate for this particular pituitary gland tumour removal is less than 10%. Because with Brooke, odds like these don’t matter. 

She’s that good. 

Brooke wraps up the preoperative meeting with a wave of her hand, letting the members of her surgical team leave to return to their respective duties. 

She checks her watch. She has a craniotomy scheduled to take place in half an hour, then a consult with a particularly complex patient and the team at 3, then some time allotted for her research. A pretty breezy day by her standards. 

Brooke heads in the direction of the hospital Starbucks next, intent on gulping down a double espresso before her next operation. Can’t be opening up a patient’s skull uncaffeinated and tired.  

“Dr. Hytes!” Brooke’s head snaps up at her name while she’s waiting for her drink order to be ready. No one is usually bold enough to call for her like that except for-

“Dr. West.” Nina West, Chief of Hospital and pediatric attending surgeon, not to mention Brooke’s fellow alumni from medical school. 

“I was hoping I’d catch you. Got some pretty exciting news.” Nina’s eyes are practically sparkling. 

Brooke takes a sip of her drink. “The only thing that could explain that smile is if we’ve finally hired a worthy-”

“We finally have a new cardiothoracic surgery head!” Nina’s excitement radiates off of her in waves. Sometimes, she reminds Brooke of a Disney character. “Someone who is actually renowned and has appropriate qualifications and who I had to fight off St. Joe’s Hospital for. But we got her!”

“Must be someone pretty incredible to get you this excited.” Brooke is curious as to who could have gotten Nina this riled up. Brooke had declined a spot on the selection committee a few months prior, busy at the time with one of her research trials. She hasn’t heard any gossip on the floors as to who the chosen candidate could be. Not that Nina will be able to hold it back for much longer. 

“I’m supposed to give her a tour of the cardio floors and the team today. She’s just moved back to Toronto, so she’s starting next week. In fact, she should be in the atrium here any moment now.” Nina cranes her neck, trying to look around the space. 

“You still haven’t told me who-”

Brooke is cut off when Nina calls out, looking past Brooke towards someone behind her. “Dr. Mateo! So nice to see you again!”

Mateo?

No. Couldn’t be. 

“Wonderful to see you too, Dr. West.”

There’s no mistaking that voice. 

Fuck . She’s screwed. 

“Have you met Dr. Hytes? Pride of our neurosurgery department. A bit separate from your cardiothoracic surgery expertise, but maybe you two have run into each other sometime at a conference before?” Nina’s grabbing Brooke’s shoulders, turning her around to face her and Brooke winces, squeezes her eyes shuts because no, no, no. 

Except when she opens her eyes, there she is. In the flesh. Nearly eleven years later. 

She has the same wavy long hair but has swapped her undergraduate outfits for a pencil skirt and blazer and immaculate makeup and fuck. 

She looks good. 

Brooke makes eye contact with Vanessa - no, Dr. Mateo - and has to resist the strange urge in her chest that wants her to bolt for the nearest door and leave the fucking hospital. Blood is rushing in her ears and it’s a bit harder to breathe and she’s pretty sure that her lungs should be at full capacity. So why does she feel like she’s about to keel over? 

“Oh, we’ve definitely met.” Dr. Mateo’s voice is wry, her eyes narrowing in Brooke’s direction. 

Fuck. She’s Dr. Hytes, for Pete’s sake. Neurosurgery god. She’s not going to be intimidated by a cardiothoracic surgeon, of all people, no matter their past… history. 

It doesn’t matter. Brooke’s a professional. She’s the shit. Everyone in this hospital knows it. 

So she puts on her best neutral facial expression, walks up to Dr. Mateo. Towers over her, naturally (like she always used to, not that it matters). Raises an eyebrow. 

Dr. Mateo stares right back. Still makes Brooke’s heart flip in the same way. 

Nah, probably just some acid reflux. She needs a Tums. 

“Nice to see you again.” Brooke says it with a tone that implies that it most definitely is not nice to see her again, no ma’am. 

Not that it’ll matter. They’re completely different disciplines. Who’s to say that they’ll even interact?

“I could say the same.” Dr. Mateo’s tone, meanwhile, implies that she most definitely cannot say the same. But considering how things ended, who can blame her?

Brooke chances a glance at Nina, who looks really fucking confused, her nose wrinkling. It makes Brooke want to laugh. Oh, Nina. Not quite privy to this part of Brooke’s history. 

Who needs to know? It had happened a decade ago. She’s moved on, she’s a professional. They’re both professionals. They can act like it.

Right?

Brooke takes a final sip of her drink, turning away to toss the cup into the trash. She fixes both of them with a blank stare, lips pursed. 

“Need to leave now or I’m going to be late for my 1:00. Shame.” As if Brooke isn’t absolutely itching to remove herself from the conversation, get as far away from her as possible because fuck, she really should have joined the selection committee and vetoed Dr. Mateo from the list of candidates. 

“See you around the hospital, Dr. Mateo.” Brooke turns on her heel, walking away before Dr. Mateo even has a chance to answer. 

Power or cowardly move? She can’t decide. But she needs the distance, needs to get away from Dr. Mateo and the memories that are rushing back to her, ones that she had locked away in the recesses of her brain because they were too much to deal with. 

Brooke only lets out a breath and drops her head into her hands once she’s in a mercifully empty elevator. The closing doors feel a world away from Nina’s confused stare and Dr. Mateo’s disdainful look, neither of which she wants to deal with again anytime soon. 

She’s interacted with exes before, remaining friends with quite a few of them, but something about Dr. Mateo makes her feel like she’s a time bomb, about to explode any second from the rush of memories and useless emotions that she doesn’t care for at all, at this moment. 

Brooke needs to go to pre-op, get ready to scrub in and find her team, but her brain is finding it hard to focus on her plan for the upcoming surgery because Jesus Christ. 

She’s fucked. 

[allfullofhope]

15 Unique Ways To Use Technology In The Classroom

Kids love technology. Most of them prefer to be on the ground every week rather than being stopped by their smartphones and tablets every day. Experienced teachers can use this love of technology to improve the learning process and make college day more fun for college students and themselves. Here are some awesome ways to use technology in while in class with friends.

1) Use voting apps to encourage student feedback

With great apps like PollDaddy and PollEverywhere, you can create custom surveys. You can use these surveys to see if one or more students are fighting a topic, so you can give them additional help or customize their lesson plans. Then they answer surveys on their smartphones! This is usually an excellent thank you because it lets the student know that he or she has some problems without raising his or her hand and asking questions aloud. If you want to consider using smartphones in the classroom, use a more complex app like Socrative to evaluate so that your students can fight their smartphones.

2) Enter guest virtual speakers

With conferencing apps like Skype and Facetime, you can introduce your students to guests around the world. Nothing will cause emotion in the classroom like an expert from another part of the country, or planet, as a virtual guest in your classroom.

3) Doing projects that made it easy

Use Google Drive settings to make it easier to work on group projects. Students can issue and edit documents for group projects without finding logistics to bring everyone out of class.

4) Take a trip without leaving the classroom

Travel is expensive, and many schools simply don't have a budget to send students on trips outside their immediate area. Many apps allow students to explore famous buildings and landmarks around the globe, directly in the classroom.

5) calendar

With a program like Google Calendar, you can set up your entire curriculum online so your students know what to expect from tomorrow's lesson, and they'll have a useful reminder of the tasks they deserve and the homework they're doing. they can remember. Because parents are ready to access this calendar, they are saved for assignments and activities. In addition to helping students and their parents stay ahead of the curve, this can also allow them to ensure that you do a challenging but inappropriate job for you to stay organized.

6) Keep workers busy quickly

If you have some scientists who always finish their work in front of someone else, you've discovered some devices that contain educational games, videos, or projects that these students can use if they finish their assignments early.

7) Improves presentations

Add media to your presentations. Web-based videos and content will attract students' attention better than a static PowerPoint display in text and diagram.

8) Record important lessons

No matter how hard they fight, students can't grasp everything they say. If you offer a difficult concept or lesson, write it down. In this way, students can return and experience the lesson to grasp what they missed at their best or to help them study for the next exam.

9) Social networks for education.

Lauer could be a new social network that allows students and teachers to talk to each other on a platform, almost like Facebook. Students can follow their teachers online, and teachers can post materials that go beyond what's included in the classroom to deepen the student's learning experience.

10) Classification requests

Hand-evaluated multiple-choice tests are boring and time-consuming. Applications like ZipGrade can work for you. You can only scan tests along with your smartphone, so the app doesn't work. You should still check them in the results to see if there is an area where students have problems, but you don't have to cut hours to manually grade this type of test.

11) Flash notes

This is an innovative app that allows students to upload their course notes and sell them to other students who may need to miss a conference or who just need a touch of information more than they put in their notes. It's a scoring system almost similar to Uber that allows the simplest note-taker to search for more business. The idea is that great feedback can come into play not only when you get a better rating, but also when you have cash. Who doesn't like the money?

12) Accommodation for students with hearing impairments

Hearing-impaired students can use technology that turns a teacher's voice into text displayed on a tablet or smartphone. SmartHear, Deaf, and Bitalex Hearing are some of the top-rated smartphone apps for free. This allows the teacher to maneuver in the classroom without fear that reading the student's lips will lose what has been said.

13) plagiarism scanner

When sorting items, it is difficult to make sure that the "borrowed" paragraph has simply not been lost. Many plagiarism scanners are there to discover sections that are copied from the published work. Some, p. B. Viber may also identify incorrectly cited citations.

14) Undergraduate Assistants

Rate an exam or article by reading from top to bottom and subtracting points for incorrect answers, bad grammar, or insufficient information, then go back and do a discount count, then hiring the news rating can be a time-consuming process. Apps like Grade Index Tracking discount on in-flight items so you can calculate the line as you go. Once you have completed the exam, you cannot go back and know the trigger points and set the message rating. The app does it for you.

15) Test apps

There are many trial apps, some free, some not, that allow teachers to create beautifully coordinated pressure tests, as well as interactive tests that are archived and classified online. Some, such as going to conquer, grouping library of test sources, resources, and access to other teachers' online community.

Technology, when used appropriately, can make classrooms a more interactive, enriching, and entertaining experience. Think about the 15 tips above to improve your class for your students.

[bookenders]

HELLO YES I LOVE THESE ADORABLE PROMPTS PLZ GIMME FLUFF. 8 with Fred!!! I dunno who's first job it is but!! Whoever you think would fit!!!

[Send me numbers and make me write fluff!]

QUILL!! HELLO!! I would love to write some Fred fluff for you!

And guess what? This one is canon! And it echoes the first scene of the story! Weee!

(Now I wanna write a Mel and Fred one, because holy crap their interactions would be pure gold.)

(Oh no, this got long. Like, way longer than I expected. Gotta make room for all those feels, I guess.)

8. It’s A’s first day of work and they’re nervous, but never to fear, B is here

A: Gemma | B: Fred

It’s normal to be concerned about her, especially when she’s the only kid in town who appreciates his blog. That’s the excuse he gave Mary, anyway. Otherwise she would have told him to stay home and not bother the poor girl until tomorrow. Gemma would be stressed enough as is, what with it being her first day on the job. And at fifteen, no less.

Fred assumed that being an apothecary was complicated. If he had a very complicated job like that, he would want someone to check in on him to make sure he was okay.

So he knocked on Gemma’s door and hoped she wouldn’t mind him stopping by.

The door swung open and there she stood, bright smile painted on her face and eyes strained with a little bit of fear.

Her whole expression slipped into mild confusion when she saw Fred standing there. “Oh! Hi Mr. Coriander. I wasn’t expecting you.”

Fred blinked. Wasn’t she the doctor? If she was open, she should at least expect people to show up, right? Ah, well, must be the nerves. Sometimes they get the words all jumbled in your head.

“Just stopping by to check in on ‘ya, Miss Gemma.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that,” she said, and shuffled back, gesturing for him to come in.

“‘Course I did. Got to make sure our doc is tip-top.”

Inside, the air was warm and smelled like peppermint. A fire crackled in the living room hearth. In the middle of the room, the couch was draped in long loose-knit blankets, all cozy autumn colors. A collection of bottles, jars, and test tubes covered the kitchen counter.

She was prepared, all right. Maybe a little too prepared.

“Hah, right,” Gemma said, voice strained and thin. After shutting the door, she flit over to the counter and started adjusting the bottles and bits and bobs of her craft, moving this one an inch to the left, swapping that one with the one over there, turning labels to face outward and lining up pipettes to the tips were all even.

“You okay there, kiddo?”

“Me? Oh, yeah, definitely. Very okay. Right as rain, you know.” 

“You seem a but nervous.”

Gemma turned and made a face. Fred wasn’t sure what kind, exactly, but it didn’t look very comfortable.

“Nervous? Nah. Not at all. Look how prepared I am! I can’t be nervous when I have everything I need right here.”

Fred wasn’t buying it. And that was saying something. He once gave his e-mail address to one of those clipboard people outside the grocery store. He was still getting spam years later. Maybe Gemma could help him set up one of those filter things later.

But back to the point.

Fred sighed and adjusted the collar on his polo shirt. Gemma’s eyes went straight to his forearm.

“Hold on, what’s that?” She stepped closer and leaned in to examine the angry red flush of his skin.

“What’s what?” He turned his arm and scrunched his eyebrows. “Oh. Just something I noticed this morning after my walk by the lake.”

Gemma looked up at him, none too amused.

“And you didn’t think to tell me about this?” she asked, pointing at the rash.

“I was just coming by to wish you luck.” Fred rubbed the back of his neck and ogled his shoes. He always forgot about things like this, ones that might be important if only he could remember ‘em.

“Have a seat, Mr. Coriander.” 

“But I-”

“No buts,” she said. “Sit.”

As Fred made himself comfortable on the couch, Gemma slipped on a pair of green non-latex gloves and rifled through her special pantry behind the kitchen. She came back out holding a small jar with a duct-tape and sharpie label. 

She smiled and tapped the top. “Witch hazel,” she said with a smile. “Excellent for stuff like this itchy mess.”

“Who’re you callin’ a mess?” Fred asked, his smile quirked with teasing.

Unscrewing the cap, Gemma sat down on the coffee table and playfully nudged his shin with her foot. “No one, mess-ioeur.” 

She probably got that sass from Jill. They’d been spending more time together lately. It was good for them, but the detriment of everyone else in town. Trouble makers, the both of ‘em.

Gemma dabbed her fingers in the ointment and held Fred’s arm with her other hand. With careful sweeps, she began to rub the ointment onto the rash.

The itch started to fade as soon as she touched him.

“This stuff works like magic, kiddo.”

“I know, right? It’s one of mom’s old recipes. Most of the basic stuff is. You should see what I can do with some foxglove extract. It’d blow your mind.” 

Smiling seemed to come easier to her now. There was none of that strained business happening like before. She was in her element, doing what she loved best.

“Now where did you run into poison ivy? By the lake?”

Fred sighed. “I knew I shouldn’t have gone off the path, but there was this cluster of mushrooms just a few yards off or so. I only wanted to take a peek at ‘em. Didn’t notice the itchin’ until I got home.”

“You could’ve called me, you know. Or told me when you got here.”

“Naw,” Fred said, flapping his free hand. “Didn’t wanna bother you.”

“Mr. Coriander, it’s literally my job to do this. And you’re never a bother.”

“Thanks, kiddo.”

It doesn’t take long for her to finish up. She wraps his arm in soft bandages and pats the end so it sticks to itself. “So you don’t scratch,” she said with a gentle smile.

Fred returns it and pats her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Taking a deep breath, Gemma looks up at Fred, suddenly sheepish.

“I was sort of losing it earlier, huh?”

Fred takes her hand in his and pats it. “We all do, sometimes. But you’ve got this.” He looks pointedly at his wrapped arm. “There’s your proof.”

She pulls her hand away and wraps him in a hug, mindful of his arm. “Thank you, Mr. Coriander.”

Fred holds her tight for a moment, then lets go. “I won’t keep you any longer. Far be it from me to get in the way of a doctor and her patients.”

“If you insist,” she said and walked him to the door.

Fred stopped at the edge of the porch and turned back to Gemma, who was still watching him go from the door. “Now do as Mary would say and make yourself some tea to calm those wayward jitters.”

She laughed and leaned against the door, brushing her curls out of her face. “Will do.”

They waved, and he turned down the road toward home.

Through the window, he saw Gemma take a deep breath and put the kettle on, lips pursed as though she were humming her favorite song.

Nothing to worry about with that one.

She was a good kid. 

Oh no, it’s too cute. I can’t with Fred. The hapless goof is too good-hearted.

Sometimes you need a reminder that you can do what you’re afraid of. That you’re strong enough to deal with what shakes you.

WIP Intro Post | H2H WIP Tag | Character Page | WIP Page | PowerPoint Intro

Character Tags: Gemma | Mel | The Ladies | Fred Coriander | Officer Oz

OC Intros: Harry | Mary | Oz | Jill | Treena | Fred | Gemma | Mel

H2H Tag List: @katekyo-bitch-reborn, @cawolters, @wasting-ink-not-youth, @quilloftheclouds, @snickertoodles, @mvcreates, @writeness, @half-explored, @dc-writes, @aslanwrites, @minusfractions, @purpleshadows1989, @royalbounties, @waterfallwritings, @the-clockwork-anything, @kriss-the-writing-nerd, @abalonetea, @timefirewrites, @tricksexual, @introspective-outreach

[Let me know if you want to be added or removed!]

[softjeon]

Spaghetti Syndrome

• Pairing: Jungkook x Taehyung • Genre: Fluff | Airport!AU ( ↳ Gifset Trailer) • Words: 11k | Co-Writer: Cat @cassiavioletblue​ ↳ (AO3)

↳  His boss might look at it differently for sure, but to Jungkook the prospect of a little fun at this hour was so much more worth that the risk of potentially losing the money for one single cup of coffee. That said customer was so handsome offered additional enticement.

He was sitting in the empty airport, staring out of the window. Gray clouds above, the drizzle dripping down the window pane as he was looking out on the dark asphalt. The gray environment was matching his mood. Just a few hours ago, there were thousands of people running around, waiting for their various flights to whatever destinations. People walking hand in hand or with children, some shopping through the stores, buying drinks, food or maybe even a present to bring their loved ones. But it all was quiet now. No children running around from window to window, looking at planes landing and taking off. It was just him.

His flight had been cancelled to an unknown time and now he had to somehow kill the time until they’d call out his plane again. Taehyung sighed deeply, as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was walking through the mostly vacant airport, looking for better reception. At this hour most of the shops were shuttered and dark and he was wandering until reaching another wing of the airport, when he saw a still lighted coffee shop. His eyes lit up when he saw the little blue sign that promised him better wifi and Taehyung pulled his laptop bag a little higher over his shoulder.

There were two young men standing behind the counter, one cleaning some dishes, while the other was already flashing him a bright smile as Taehyung neared. “One matcha latté,” Taehyung ordered quick, already looking around to find the best place to sit. He didn’t notice the confused expressions on the blonde boy’s face, but quickly paid in cash with a good amount of tip, eyes fixed on the one seat that was close to a powerpoint. Watching the man leave, Jimin quickly turned around to his colleague, “Do…do you know what a matcha latté is?” Untying the little apron behind his back, Jimin motioned with his head to where Taehyung was, “He ordered one and I really don’t know what is is, nor do I think he was aware that we don’t have it on our menu and I was too afraid to say something.”

Jungkook gave Jimin a questioning look, “Matcha latte? Hm, I would say it is latte with matcha powder.” He quickly tried to dodge Jimin’s attempt to hit him with the folded apron and smirked at how easy it was to rile the other up. Although if he was honest he had no idea how exactly a matcha latte should be prepared either. Which didn’t matter considering they didn’t even had matcha powder, only regular green tea. “What do you want me to do now - tell him that we don’t have it while you end your shift and sneak out the back door or use green food coloring to pretend our latte is green?” He groaned when Jimin told him that it didn’t matter as long as the customer would be happy in the end and that he was ‘the best colleague in the world’ before the older gave him a quick hug and vanished as quickly as possible. Jungkook knew of Jimin’s habit to get intimidated by certain customers but he let it slide - because in exchange Jimin took the pretty girl customers that made Jungkook go all red and stuttery. So they kinda complemented each other.

Jungkook pulled his apron straight and decided to just face this weird customer Jimin had been talking about, trying to put on his best customer service face. It wavered quite a bit when he saw who must be who ordered said latte, because he was the only one on the counter right now. Normally there were lots of customers but right now it was really late - or incredibly early however one wanted to put it.

“Sir?” He approached the guy who looked even more beautiful up close. No wonder Jimin had been intimidated. He also looked busy, with his laptop in front of him and his brows furrowed in deep concentration, “I’m really sorry but I have to inform you that we ran out of matcha powder. May I suggest something else?”

Taehyung got startled from the sudden voice above him when he saw the young barista. He returned his attention to his laptop and shrugged his shoulders, “Get me something that will make sure I’ll be awake all night and am able to work, please?” He looked up again, giving him a playful wink before he typed in another paragraph. Taehyung really needed to finish his presentation in time.

Jungkook nodded courtly, thinking about the caramel flavoured espresso that they had in stock. Maybe a double shot of it, if the customer really wanted to kick his heartrate up. Just like that little wink of him had done it to Jungkook’s heart. Jungkook cleared his throat with a flustered expression, glad that the customer was still immersed in his laptop while he prepared the drink. As soon as it was finished he brought it over, placing it on the right side of the man’s laptop, ready to consume, “Please enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Taehyung didn’t look up, but instantly reached out for the cup and took a big gulp of it, not caring how hot it was. He was just about to finish the last pages of his presentation, when a beeping sound of his laptop made him aware that he was low on battery. “Fuck,” Taehyung cursed, when he roamed through his laptop bag, not finding the one cable he needed. He must have left it in his suitcase, that was already suited somewhere in the trunk of the plane. This day was only getting worse and worse. He groaned, leaning his head back. Rubbing his hands over his face, another sound, alarming him about his low battery, made him jerk out of his thoughts. “No, fuck, no no no,” Taehyung cursed even louder, when his laptop suddenly turned black and just because he was so frustrated he slammed his laptop shut right away. Him out of all people forgot a stupid charger. He, who was the leading CEO of a multinational technology company.

Jungkook flinched at the sudden sound. He had tried to be polite and not react to his customers swearing rant but apparently the other was just getting more and more angry. “Uhm, excuse me, sir…,” He finally dared to step in, “Is there a problem? We... we are always trying to make our customer’s relaxed and happy.” He had added the last part hastily as to not seem as if he was prying but now that he had listened to himself talk it sounded even more awkward with it.

Taehyung groaned again, when suddenly the boy stood in front of him again and he raised his eyebrow. “No, your coffee is fine, don’t worry,” Taehyung opened the button of his suit jacket and raked his hand through his hair. He smiled with the way, the younger one was trying to make him feel all right, so he pointed at his laptop. “I forgot my charger in my suitcase and either way it’s awful to work here since the wifi sucks all over the airport, no offense! But...ah whatever, you don’t care,” Taehyung said and finally got rid of his jacket at whole, opening the first button of his dress shirt as well before he pointed to his empty cup, “You can get me another one of these, please. They are really good!”

Jungkook’s eyes followed the way his customer was opening button after button on his shirt and he swallowed hard when he the low groan had his mind going somewhere else. Jin would so have his head if he knew about his customer-inappropriate-thoughts. Jin was very strict about how they should behave and about the quality of the coffee so Jungkook tried to at least excel in one of those categories and got his chargerless customer a free refill. He bit his lip, considering if he should overstep even more boundaries and then gathered a little courage, “If it isn’t some special kind of charger then...I could maybe lend you mine? If you want.” He avoided the other’s eyes, getting shy after his offer. What must that boy think of him? He was the barista, not his friend. An airport barista at that. Somewhere in a small airport at ass o clock in the morning. He could feel his cheeks heating up and wished himself somewhere far, far away.

Taehyung didn’t mind his forwardness at all, instead asked him if he could get the charger right away with a smile. It was stupid to even ask to lend one, if he was the one who made sure there were enough produced, as well as all other kinds of electronics but there was nothing else he could do but to lend it from a cute barista in the middle of the night. “That would really help me,” Taehyung said again, making a mental note to tip the young boy later on. He was sure that he hadn’t recognized him and who he was at all. Even better for him.

Jungkook hurried back behind the coffee machine and into the little room that was reserved for the barista’s stuff. He blushed harder when he realized that he had taken the bright red version of his chargers, the one that he had decorated with a few gold lines to make it resemble iron man’s suit. But what mattered wasn’t the look but the quality and that it would work. And chamoe products always held their promises. So he rolled it up neatly (he couldn’t just give that customer a mess of knots and cable) and then got back to do as he promised. “Here,” He placed in on the counter hoping the other wouldn’t comment on the look.

Taehyung chuckled lowly, when he saw the little custom-made coloring that obviously was made by the boy himself and took it. “Cute,” He commented and plugged it in, a smile appearing on his face when he could finally start his laptop again, “Thank you!” He quickly got back to work, happy when Jungkook got him another cup of that delicious coffee. Jungkook bit his lip shyly to hide his smile at the other’s comment, happily going back to work (which now that his customer was happy meant cleaning the coffee machines).

Taehyung didn’t notice how the night sky darkened outside and how it got even quieter around him. Rolling his head around, he massaged the stiffness out of his neck as he looked up, his gaze falling onto the younger ones who was stifling a yawn cutely. Taehyung had been so occupied with himself, that he hadn’t noticed how cute the boy was looking, in his little black apron, with a white barista shirt. He squinted his eyes, trying to read the boy’s name tag but failed. When their gazes suddenly met, Taehyung awkwardly averted his gaze, his cheeks blushing from staring too long. Did he notice?  

Of course Jungkook had noticed the other’s gaze on him almost immediately and quickly came over, mistaking it for an understated hint that he should take an order or do a coffee refill. Taehyung coughed to get his voice back, when the boy was asking if he wanted some more coffee. “No, I’m good for now. But…You don’t happen to know a way to get better internet connection here as well?” He sighed, when he saw the two lines blinking, showing that he only got a bit of service and not all five lines.

“Ah, I’m sorry to disappoint. It’s always like this at this time. If you were able to get into the VIP section then you wouldn’t have any problems with that but passengers with normal tickets aren’t allowed to go up there,” He shrugged his shoulders, “I mean it’s not as if the entry would be heavily guarded but...you know, it’s not allowed.” The mischievous glint in his eyes never meant anything good. Taehyung leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he got himself comfortable. “So, not really guarded…,” He murmured, looking up at the boy in interest. “Where can I find that magical land that promises me better wifi?” Taehyung teased the younger with a playful wink but only then he realized that even if he wanted to, he couldn’t go. “Ah, fuck, forget it,” Taehyung waved him off, “I can’t work without your charger, so I guess I’m stuck here. He sighed deeply, when he got his cup to take the last slip, “…at least I got cute company.”  

Jungkook almost choked at that comment that had been said to nonchalantly that he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t imagining things. He could feel his face heating up again and his heart beating quickly against his rib cage. He knew that what he was about to do was utterly stupid and could cost him his job but nonetheless he cleared his throat a little awkwardly before suggesting seemingly unperturbed, “Maybe I should go with you then. Just to make sure that you don’t run off with my charger of course.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow at his suggestions, not sure if the younger one was trying to flirt with him or just being nice. A smirk placed itself on his lips and he nodded. “Well, maybe you should,” He leaned in a little closer to read the boy’s name tag, “Jungkook…but shouldn’t you also be responsible and be in charge of the coffee shop? I haven’t seen someone else around since your coworker left, so I guess you can’t leave like that, or can you?” Jungkook made a show of looking right and left, looking down the empty hallways where literally not one single soul was around. “Oh, I guess you’re right. I can’t possible close the shop under this onslaught of customers. I don’t even know how you managed to get a seat. Must be your irresistible charms,” He burst out laughing at Tae’s reaction while pulling at the apron’s bow on his lower back, “There is rarely ever anyone there at this time of the night. And if there is someone around who wants a coffee I can put up the sign that says ‘I’ll be back in a moment’. We are supposed to use it for bathroom breaks only but maybe I just needed to use the bathroom at the other end of the airport.” Jungkook smirked cheekily.

Taehyung couldn’t help but smile, liking the boldness of the younger one. He quickly saved his project, put his laptop back into his bag and then got the charger, before he stood up. Following Jungkook back to the counter, he watched him in interest as he got out the little sign and vanished for a few seconds behind a door, to come back without his apron and with a smile on his face. He had to admit that he really liked that smile. For a second Jungkook was considering his own rationality very carefully - but then he shrugged his shoulders and went on with it. Aside from everything he had told the other being true (he never had any customers at this time plus there was a coffee vendor round the corner) the airport wasn’t really a place for regular customers who would be pissed if their coffee shop was close. Jin might look at it differently for sure but to Jungkook the prospect of a little fun at this hour was so much more worth that the risk of potentially losing the money for one single cup of coffee. That said customer was so handsome offered additional enticement.

Just when Jungkook stood by his side again, Taehyung reached out his hand. “By the way…I’m Tae, nice to meet you,” Taehyung said and pulled his laptop bag a little closer over his shoulder again, ready to follow Jungkook. He only gave the barista his nickname, not sure if he would recognize his name as soon as he would give it to him. He liked it like this. There was no expectations, no weird looks coming from Jungkook or anything else that came with being a successful CEO at a young age whose life and business was all out there for the public to see through the media.

Jungkook took his hand easily, glad that he could refer to Tae by his name now. Calling him ‘my customer’ or ‘handsome’ in his head had gotten a bit tiring. “Nice to meet you too. Let’s find out how much better the wifi in the VIP section really is!” He made it sound like some an expose of two undercover investigators but Tae seemed to have just as much fun with it than he did so he felt like he could really be himself there.

“I hope it is, I’d really like to check if my secr-, if my emails came in,” Taehyung quickly changed the words, hoping that Jungkook wouldn’t notice, “I couldn’t access anything with the slow wifi.” He didn’t need the other to know that he had a secretary or anything remotely like that. Taehyung had only put his suit jacket over his arm, not wanting to put it back on as he followed Jungkook down the empty halls and now he was fumbling around with it awkwardly. Trying to distract from himself, in hope Jungkook wouldn’t ask him too many questions, he spoke up again. “Do you…do night shifts often?” Taehyung asked, wanting to hit himself for asking the dumbest question of all. It was equally as dumb as if he had asked him if he was around the airport often. Jungkook didn’t mind the question and he also had entirely missed Taehyung stumbling over his words. He was stumbling over his own tongue so often whenever he was nervous that he didn’t thought anything of it. “Oh I do most of them. They get you the highest payment rate and if I’m quick and clean everything perfectly before my shift ends then I can play video games or practice dance moves in the aisle front of the counter,” He answered honestly. “I often share the shifts with Jimin, the guy that you met before me,“ He chuckled, remembering the matcha latte incident, “I’ll tell you a secret, he was quite intimidated by you. What kind of important stuff where you writing on your laptop back there if I’m allowed to ask. Were you studying?”

Taehyung only chuckled low when Jungkook mentioned that his coworker had been intimated. Either he had recognized him, or he had sounded rude, but Taehyung was sure he had asked nicely for a coffee so it couldn't be the last option. “I..yeah…kind of. It’s like a research project though,” Taehyung tried to be as subtle as possible and not give to many details, “I just hope my flight gets back on schedule soon or else the work will be for nothing.” Taehyung pointed at a door at the end of the hallway, keeping Jungkook from asking more questions, “Is that it?”

Jungkook gripped Taehyung's arm out of reflex when the other stopped so abruptly. “Yeah, that’s it,” He lowered his voice a little, an enjoyable tingle running down his spine at the ‘adventure, “Now we have to be really sneaky - if the VIP personnel gets us we’re screwed.” He made a few careful steps forward, looking around before waving Tae forward, “Come on, I think we’re safe. Let’s get you that wifi. You’re gonna ace that project, i’m sure!”

Taehyung grinned at the way Jungkook was pretending to be a secret agent but followed him quick. Both were quiet, taking only slow measured steps. Jungkook leaned over, peaking into the door to see if it was clear, when suddenly the security guard came right into their direction. “Shit,” Reacting quick, Taehyung pulled Jungkook back and a few steps away from the door. Pushing him against the wall, he put one arm onto the wall, leaning in closely with his whole body. “Stay still,” He hissed quietly, his breath tickling Jungkook on his neck. Jungkookie did exactly what Tae told him - staying as stiff and motionless as a piece of wood. Funnily it wasn’t because of what Tae had said but rather what he had done, his body stiffening the moment his back hit the wall and Tae leaned in.

The security guard was whistling happily, when he stood at the entry to look left and right. Only when he saw the two boys, seemingly busy with something very private (at least that’s what it looked like to him) he stopped. “Kids,” He murmured in a low voice but went ahead to walk further down the hallway and away from the VIP section.

For a moment Jungkook felt like the girl in so many highschool kdramas where their love interest crowded them in just to kiss them passionately a second later. But obviously this wasn’t a drama and Tae wasn’t kissing him. Sadly. Jungkook swallowed hard when his eyes were automatically drawn down towards Tae’s lips who looked incredibly soft and kissable. Where was that infamous self-control if one needed it?

“I think we’re good,” Taehyung whispered, still staying close to the other for a little while. He leaned back, making sure that the guard was gone before he turned back to Jungkook. “Let’s go, Jungkookie,” The cute name slipped from his lips naturally as he pushed himself off the wall. Walking ahead, Taehyung didn’t notice how flustered Jungkook was, his eyes only set on the better wifi. Nonetheless, when he was opening the door, he bowed dramatically for Jungkook, “After you.”

The urge to chase after Tae’s lips and capture them with his own was almost unbearable and only when Taehyung moved away was the spell broken and Jungkook could breathe normally again. He really hoped that Tae hadn’t noticed how fixated he had been on his mouth or else he would die from embarrassment.

Jungkook tried his best to act absolutely cool when Tae cleared the way for them but he lost that game the second when Tae called him ‘Jungkookie’. He loved that nickname and hearing how naturally it rolled off Taehyung’s tongue was internally making him shiver.

While Jungkook was busy with keeping himself together, Taehyung was already looking around the private section. It wasn’t as fancy as the ones he had seen in bigger airports, but it definitely held the same things: comfortable seats, two floors with an incredible view over the runways, drinks dispenser with overpriced water and champagne and hopefully better wifi. Taehyung had spotted a more secluded place right away and turned to Jungkook, who looked like he was frozen in his movements. Not really wondering what was on the barista’s mind he grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. “I think over there we won’t be seen right away if the guard comes back, but we will have a good view over the main door,” Taehyung explained and when Jungkook didn’t make any move to sit down, he simply pushed him onto the high-class seats.

Jungkook blinked up at him, not sure if Taehyung really didn’t realize how much he was manhandling him or if he had noticed how much Jungkook was into him and was now teasing him about it. Either way Jungkook didn’t really have a choice but to act as if he was totally fine with Tae pushing him against walls and into cushioned seats as if he was about to make out with him just to turn away in favour of his wifi. If Jungkook hadn’t tried so hard to pretend he was cool then he would have pouted hard at this.

“So, tell me a little bit about yourself,” Taehyung asked and sat down himself, to get out his laptop again, “I guess you like Iron Man?” He waved the charger in the air a little, with a fond smile on his face, before he plugged it back in. “Do you paint over your chargers often?” Taehyung smirked as he opened the presentation again, looking up at the other, “Did you hate the way it looked that much?”

Taehyung didn’t mind the design; indeed, Taehyung had requested for a partnership with known movie productions, liking the idea of having customized products – but that was always a long way to go. Meetings, presentations, contracts, advertisement and even more meetings. Jungkook fidgeted with his sleeves at Tae’s gentle teasing, “Ah, no, that wasn’t it. I actually really liked the color of the charger. Only chamoe sells ones that are so nicely colorful. Apart from them also having the best quality of course. But...yeah, I’m a bit of an ironman fanboy and as the color was just too perfect I just had to add the little gold details.” His smirk went proud before he continued, “And apparently I did an awesome job with it or else you wouldn’t have recognized of whom I copied it so easily, right?”

“You did,” Taehyung said with a soft smile. “I’ll try and make this as quick as possible, so we can go back,” Taehyung reassured the other with a smile, who was still looking at him like a deer in the headlights, mistaking it for him being anxious about the coffee shop. Jungkook leaned back into the soft chair, unconsciously baring his neck to Tae beautifully before sighing contently, “Don’t worry about that. I’m perfectly fine here. I never thought that it really would make that much of a difference to fly first class.”

Taehyung’s gaze wandered over from Jungkook’s eyes to his jawline and neck, but he quickly shook himself out of his thoughts about placing kisses there and concentrated back on his presentation. “Yeah, quite a difference,” Taehyung smirked and started typing, “You said, you dance as well? So, you’re actually quite artistic in general? I like that.” His eyes were scanning over the text on his laptop, but Taehyung was still all ears on whatever Jungkook was telling him. A knowing smile on his face, each time Jungkook talked about how comfortable first class was – Taehyung had experienced it multiple times himself.

“Thanks,” Jungkook’s smile grew wider at the praise and he felt so at ease that he was joking around a little, “Maybe I should send the company my ideas and they’ll hire me as designer.” His little chuckle sounded cute and melodic, the way it did when he was actually happy, “Sadly those ‘artistic talents’ aren’t worth that much in my job. Unless you count coffee art. I can make you a really nice kohaku latte. That’s something else you can do if there’s no one around but most customers want their coffees quick and strong and definitely not decorated in spirited away fanart.” He was surprised about himself that he was talking so much and so personal already. Maybe it was the night or the rush of doing something forbidden that had loosened his tongue.

“Maybe you should send in a portfolio or something,” Taehyung winked playfully at him, loving the idea of having a look through of his designs, “You never know if you never try.” Jungkook easily waved it off, “Nah, I don’t wanna disturb a bunch of men suits within their office routine.”

Taehyung only raised an eyebrow at that, before he focused back on his presentation, typing away like crazy all while he was checking his emails for updates. Unfortunately his secretary couldn’t get another plane since he was stuck in a little airport where there was literally only two planes and on top of that she had confirmed that his plane wouldn’t take off until tomorrow morning. And if he didn’t want to fly back to europe, he had to wait.

Taehyung sighed, raking his hand through his hair when he had to come to terms with the fact that he really had to spend the whole night at the airport. He turned to Jungkook when a little smile appeared on his lips. At least he had company. Taehyung had just wanted to ask him if he would make him some coffee art later, when sudden footsteps made Jungkook jerk around and Taehyung saw the security guard coming back into their section. The tall and broad shouldered guy hadn’t noticed them, yet but if they didn’t get away quick, he for sure would.

“Sheesh, how often do they patrol around here? It’s a lounge not a museum,” Jungkook whispered before pulling Tae down from his seat and behind a couch where they could hide behind some of the plants that were all around the lounge area to make it look more ‘relaxing’ and ‘modern’. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable hiding spot but Jungkook was sure that the man would just pass them by and they would be out in the open in a few seconds again. “My laptop,” Taehyung murmured and pointed onto the table. There was no way he would walk passed it without noticing it. He leaned onto Jungkook’s back, stifling his giggles. Somehow, he found this way too funny, especially since Taehyung was allowed to be here.

Jungkook didn’t knew, but in his back pocket was settling a ticket for the business class, that also granted him access to the VIP lounge. But not telling the Barista was way more fun, since this way he had accompanied him. When the guard came closer, Taehyung wrapped his arm around the younger’s waist, pushing himself closer to Jungkook. His mouth right next to Jungkook’s ear.

Jungkook would have put his hand over Tae’s mouth to make the other shut up if he hadn’t been afraid that any movement would alarm the security man now that he was pretty close to them. Jungkook himself had no problem shutting up right now, his throat had closed up anyway. If he was found sneaking around the VIP lounge while also leaving the coffee shop unsupervised Jin would have his ass. He would very certainly be fired. So he held his breath, silently praying that the man would either not see the laptop or think that a customer had left it who was now on the toilet or that he would simply take it to the lost and found section where Tae would be able to get it afterwards.

A sudden cough made both of them jerk their heads up, when they saw how the guard parted the leaves of the plant, looking at them with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, I found some fruits,” The guard joked teasingly, motioning them to get up. Taehyung did as he ordered right away, pulling Jungkook with him, because the younger looked rather frozen. “You both know hiding behind a plant, even if it’s a poorly made fake one, will not help me in believing that you two are allowed to stay here?” The guard’s gaze was fixed on Jungkook, seeing him as an easier prey.

Jungkook took a step forward his excuse of him wanting to water the plants dying in his throat when the man told him it was a fake one. He had been too busy trying not to get caught to notice that while he had been hiding. Now there was nothing else to do but to come clean, but he would make sure that at least one of them got out of this unharmed. “I’m really sorry, Sir, it was my fault,” It was obvious that he was working somewhere around the airport from the clothes he was still wearing (the labels on their clothes were similar even though each one had their own logos, the one of Jin’s cafe on his back and all the aprons) but he still mentioned it, hoping that the ‘common ground’ would make the guard be nicer to them, “I work here and...and my friend here needed Wifi for an important presentation. His flight was delayed and there’s no good wifi around the airport except here so I told him to go here. But he had no idea it was forbidden. I just told him we have to be silent that no one who wants to sleep gets disturbed. I’m really sorry for making your job difficult, Sir. If you report me then please, leave my friend out of it. It wasn’t his fault that I got him into trouble.”

Taehyung had kept his face low, not wanting to interfere with whatever Jungkook was trying to get them out of this, but he realized too quick that it would get him into trouble. He wouldn’t want Jungkook to get fired. Not because of him being selfish and taking the barista up on his offer, while he had been allowed to be here all this time.

“Excuse me, sir,” Taehyung’s voice was low, and he slipped into his business persona easily. When the guard’s gaze met his, he furrowed his brows in confusion for a second, before Taehyung stepped forward a little more, the light illuminating his face and he could recognize him. His mouth agape and the guard took a step back, when Taehyung motioned for him to talk in private. He whispered a quick ‘don’t worry’ to Jungkook, before he followed the guard.

Jungkook stood dumbfoundedly right where Tae had left him, watching how the man’s demeanor changed completely - just like Tae’s had done only seconds before he had stepped forward. Whatever he was telling the man it seemed to work because Tae came back quickly - alone, and without the security man dragging them away on their collar.

Taehyung really didn’t want for Jungkook to lose his job, or to have any difficulties because of this, so he made sure that the guard knew who he was and that he sure wouldn’t want to mess with him. The guard quickly bowed and apologized, knowing the importance of this guest (though he still didn’t understand why he had hid, but it wasn’t his job to question that). Taehyung nodded courtly, getting back to Jungkook and quickly grabbed his laptop and then his wrist. “Come, let’s get somewhere else,” Taehyung said and dragged him along. At the door, they passed the guard again, who was apologizing repeatedly. “Don’t worry about that,” Taehyung’s hand laid on Jungkook’s lower back as he pushed him forward.

Jungkook didn’t dare to question anything as long as the man was still around so he just followed Tae obediently, giving the guard an apologetic smile when they passed him and trying to not look as utterly confused as he felt. When they had rounded the corner Jungkook speed up and because Tae didn’t follow immediately he plucked his hand from his lower back (where it had gotten awfully, flusteredly warm) and took his hand, pulling him with him. Only when they were back at the cafe, ‘safe’ cause that's where they were supposed to be, he came to a halt.

Out of breath he leaned his back against the counter, staring at Tae questioningly, “What exactly did you tell him? He actually apologized to us!”

“You don’t need to worry about that, please,” Taehyung answered quickly, “Just know that no one’s going to fire you or anything.” He smiled at him reassuringly, hoping that he wouldn’t ask more questions. He was fine with Jungkook not knowing who he really ways and what kind of influences he had. He liked it this way. Jungkook wasn’t sure if Tae was trying to be mysterious or if he really didn’t want to tell him because he had lied or blackmailed him or anything (though he didn’t really thought that Tae looked like someone who would do that) but he decided to let it slide either way.

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, Taehyung used Jungkook’s silent confusion to ask him something off topic, in hope for him to spend more time with him and forget to ask further questions. “Do…do you maybe want to…ehm…watch the sunrise together? I heard it’s quite beautiful…over the runways, I mean…I don’t know I’ve never seen it from here before, you probably know that better,” Taehyung stuttered, hitting himself mentally for asking such a cliché question.

Jungkook stared at him for a second - and then burst into laughter. “Wow, that really sounded as if you were asking out your highschool crush in some romance movie where the last shot is the main characters holding hands in the soft light of the rising sun. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it - and I’d love to watch the sunrise with you. And yeah, I’m a total sunrise expert. I can show you exactly where you should be and with that many people around…”, He stretched out his arms in the empty hallway, “...we can steal the nicest spot and some comfy chairs too!”

Taehyung’s eyes widen, and a bright smile appeared on his lips. “I know it was awkward to ask, no need to point that out,” Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, “There’s not much to do at an airport at this time and I’d really like…I just like you around.” The last words were almost a murmur, as he felt like he was exposing himself too much right now. He groaned quietly, turning to look around and find the perfect the place for them to sit. “We can still keep close if we just sit there,” Taehyung suggested and pointed at some chairs that were right in front of the big windows that spread all over the airport, “If any customers come and stuff…”

Jungkook’s smile turned fond when Tae was telling him that he liked him but he didn’t answer, instead he just observed Tae being even cuter and trying to look out for him with deciding on spots close to the cafe. “That’s nice of you. But if I do this…,” Jungkook went around the counter and then ducked to rummage through the storage shelves, getting out the metal table bell that they used if there were two of them working and the one at the front was getting too many customers to call the other for help (normally person number two was washing up then). He placed it on the counter so that it was obvious whoever wanted to be served just needed to use it, “...then we can go just around the corner where it’s even better to watch.” And they could push the sun loungers that were close in front of the windows so they could lay back comfortably.

Taehyung nodded, happy that Jungkook wanted to even spend more time with him. Though he really needed to get a hold of himself, or else it would get too obvious that he was getting fond of the other. Walking beside him, Taehyung followed Jungkook through the empty hallways. “Honestly, I don’t know if I could work this late at night,” Taehyung commented as he pulled out one of the sun loungers with the help of Jungkook, “It’s…weird with no one around, don’t you think? There’s literally not a soul…why do you have open then anyways? Not that I mind, but do you get customers often at night?”

“Not really. But that’s why I like it. When there are no customers I can finish my duties early and then do private things. Jin allows it as long as I’m behind the counter and are ready immediately if there is a customer after all.” He bit his lip before he added, “Which I normally always do, because I’m not sneaking into VIP lounges on the regular.” With a little wink at Tae he plopped down onto the lounger and stretched comfortably. “Ah, this is nice!” There were already the first tell-tale signs of the sun rising and Jungkook kept his gaze fixated on the massive glass front that gave them the perfect view.

Taehyung sat down on the lounger right next to Jungkook, but instead of watching out into the sun, he was observing the younger closely. The light was falling onto his skin, making it look golden. He had to fight the sudden urge to lean, wanting to touch the soft skin to see if it was radiating the same warmth. “I…I get us something to drink,” Taehyung stood up and turned, ignoring the fact that Jungkook was working in a coffee shop and easily could have gotten them something from there, he walked up to a drinks dispenser.

Jungkook frowned, thinking that Tae was talking about the coffee which meant he would have to get up and make it for him because there was no way he was allowed to let someone behind the counter even though the cash was locked away safely. But Tae walked the wrong way and then he realized that he was trying to get them something else which was a little bit dumb (considering that Jungkook could get himself a drink for free at the shop) but even more sweet. So he watched Tae with a little smile which only faltered when Tae chose the vending machine that he had a bit of a....personality. You had to treat it right or else she refused to give you anything.

Taehyung watched his money disappear repeatedly as he tried to get out some drinks. He cursed under his breath, not sure what to do. He really didn’t want to hit the poor dispenser, not wanting to get Jungkook’s attention and maybe make him think that he was always using his aggressive side first to solve problems. Taehyung laughed at himself, did he really wreck his mind about what Jungkook could think of him already? Only when the machine wasn’t responding again, he let out a frustrated curse.

“Wait, wait, wait, please stop!” Jungkook had jumped up when instead of just waiting Taehyung had just put more coins into the slot. “You’re confusing her. She needs some time to do what you’re asking!” He ignored Tae’s confused look and gently stroked the machines rounded corner where the color was already starting to fade. He gentle knocked against the side of the corner slot until he heard the sound of the stuck coins tumbling further into the machines insides. “And now if you…,” He gave the machine a heartfelt push against the side with his hip and it stirred to life, sending out four cans of whatever Taehyung had pressed the buttons for, “See? Not that hard.” His grin was so big it scrunched up his nose.

Taehyung had watched in awe how easily Jungkook managed the dispenser, his eyes fixated on his hands that looked so...soft...so delicate. He cleared his throat and kneeled to get the cans out. The smile on Jungkook’s face so pure that Taehyung was sure, he would do anything to make him smile like this again, even if it meant playing dumb at random drinks dispensers. Holding the four cans in his hands, Taehyung smiled right back at the younger and motioned for him to chose one. “Do you got magical hands or something?” Taehyung chuckled, happy that he didn’t spend more coins - not because he cared about the money, but because it would be awkward if even more cans came out.

Jungkook looked at the four cans, then choosing one at random because he liked all of them. Sweet sodas were just what he liked. He chuckled and then gave Tae a flirtatious look. “Hm, maybe I have. Do you wanna find out?” With a little click he opened the can and took a sip, all the while maintaining eye contact with Tae. If they had been in a club or somewhere else where flirting would possibly lead to something else he wouldn’t have been half as confident. But here, at the airport that he knew inside out somewhere in between night and morning and with someone that he knew basically nothing about but was inexplicably drawn to it came way more natural to him.

Taehyung almost choked on his coke, looking at Jungkook with big eyes but he quickly clicked his confident demeanor back in place. “Sure, whenever you want to,” He winked playfully before leading the way back to the sun loungers, the words Jungkook said lingering in the back of his mind for way too long. “Oh, but surely you don’t want to miss the sunset,” Jungkook winked at Tae, his heart fluttering in his chest and betraying his calm demeanor while he followed the other back to their prepared loungers. Taehyung put the two left over cans onto the floor beside the loungers, before he laid himself back down, putting one hand behind his head, while he sipped deliciously on his drink. “This is way more comfortable than the VIP area,” Taehyung murmured and sighed.

“Of course it is,” Jungkook agreed. “And the company is way better.” It was way too much fun to talk back and forth with Tae like this. They both knew that this was a one time thing and chance were that they would never see each other again. Jungkook ignored his stomach dropping a little and instead looked out the window where the first curve of the fiery sunball was starting to be visible on the horizon.

Taehyung was looking out, loving the view and how the sun was slowly painting everything golden. He sat up a little, a smile forming at his lips before he closed his eyes and let his face soak up the warmth. “I really spend a whole night at this stupid little airport, huh,” Taehyung murmured and gazed over to Jungkook, “At least I met you. You made it a lot more fun.”

“Stupid?” Jungkook blinked, getting strangely protective of his little world. Without noticing he started to pout until Tae’s compliment turned the corners of his mouth back up and he huffed. “You just trying to flatter me to get extra coffee,” He teased him, absolutely not serious about it. With the sun rising right before their eyes it felt like they could watch the time pass and Jungkook was a bit sad to realize that his shift would be ending soon.

Taehyung’s eyes were drawn to Jungkook’s lips the second he pursed them into a pout, sending his heart into an overdrive. He chuckled low at Jungkook’s comment, raking his hands through his hair. Leaning over the rest, Taehyung got closer to Jungkook, “I have do admit, I don’t really like coffee that much but…you…you probably would have been able to sell me anything.” He showed off his wide boxy grin, before he reached out to push a string of loose hair out of Jungkook’s face, that hid away his beautiful eyes.

Jungkook was just about to make another cheeky comment at that when Tae leaned forward and touched his face. His breath hitched while Tae’s fingers fleetingly graced his cheek, gently pushing away whatever hair had fallen into his face. Tae’s eyes were locked with his and Jungkook felt like he was drowning. It felt like his body was gravitating towards Tae on his own and his mind went completely blank.

Taehyung’s eyes fell onto Jungkook’s lips and his heart was beating wildly against his chest. Leaning in closer, he closed his eyes when…suddenly a ringing tone, followed by a hollowed-out sounding voice through the speaker interrupted the moment harshly. Taehyung startled, looking up to where the sound was coming from as he listened carefully. His flight has been called out and ready for boarding. Apparently, they had already shown that on the time tables, since it was the last call-out. Taehyung hadn’t even spare them one glance the entire night, his eyes only had been on Jungkook.

Jungkook hadn’t dared to move, caught up in the moment, anticipating lighting his nerves on fire until he could almost taste it on his tongue and then...Tae had jumped up. He flinched hard and then realisation hit him. His flight! Tae needed to go. Now.

Taehyung came to a halt in his movements, already up on his feet and ready to go when he saw Jungkooks face. He reached out a hand for him to take, helping him to get up from the lounger. Jungkook looked up at him, open and vulnerable, disappointment and longing clearly displayed in his eyes. He wasn’t really good at hiding when something got him emotional. When Tae helped him up he took his hand but dropped his gaze, looking bashfully at the ground. It had been a sweet little encounter, a coincidence. And now it was over and everything would go back to normal. Jungkook’s heart felt surprisingly heavy considering that he didn't even know Tae existed a few hours ago. he had gotten used to his presence remarkably quickly.

“I’m sorry Jungkookie,” Taehyung reached out to cup Jungkook’s cheek, lifting his head up so he could look him into the eyes. “It was so much fun, really. Probably the best night I’ve ever spend on an airport,” Taehyung jerked again, when his flight got called out once more. He needed to be fast. “Can I… can I ask you something?” Taehyung said and smiled at him reassuringly. Jungkook nodded quietly, his voice would probably betray him right now if he tried to talk. He had no idea what Taehyung could want from him. Taehyung spoke softly, his eyes on Jungkook’s, “Do you mind if I…I mean…can I kiss you?”

The final question was little a little electric shock that jolted through Jungkook, shocking him back to his senses. He stared at Tae, shook and not quite sure of he had heard right - but Tae’s sudden shyness proved it true. Without an answer Jungkook stepped closer until there was barely an inch left between them. “Only if I can kiss you too,” The whisper against Tae’s lips was swallowed immediately when Jungkook closed the distance and pressed his lips gently against Tae’s.

Taehyung stood still, letting Jungkook’s lips kiss his ever so softly. When he withdrew a bit again, Tae wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s waist, pulling him even closer. This time he kissed him for real. Deeper. More sensual. Pouring everything into the kiss that the boy had made him feel the last night. The sun rays were shining down on him, warming up their bodies all while Taehyung couldn’t get enough of Jungkook’s taste, his sweet feel. He just fitted so perfectly into his arms, as if he belonged there. Taehyung didn’t care that this time his name got called out, as the last passenger who was still needed for the airplane to take off, he just dwelled in the feeling of Jungkook’s lips against his. Jungkook got dizzy with the way Tae kissed him, his body melting under Tae’s hands like putty until it fitting right against Tae’s. He never knew kissing could feel like this so...wholly, sensually fulfilling.

Taehyung wasn’t sure what this was, or where this would go but one thing was sure – this boy already had him wrapped around his finger the minute Taehyung had laid his eyes on him. He cupped his face, letting his thumb stroke over his soft cheek as he withdrew to catch his breath. “Wow,” He whispered quietly, when a smile appeared on his lips. The butterflies in his stomach going crazy.

Jungkook sighed deeply when Tae finally broke away from him, as if Tae had kissed the air out of his lungs and now he couldn’t breathe right without him. He blinked a little, dazed from the warm feel where Tae’s hands were pressing against his body - and where his lips had been mere seconds ago. Another call and Taehyung groaned, but didn’t let go of Jungkook, yet. “I’m sorry, I really am,” He said and leaned in once more to place a soft kiss on his lips, before he unwrapped his arms from Jungkook and took his bag. “I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Taehyung bit his lip, not wanting to part from the boy who had him losing his mind over the sweet kiss they just shared. He only reluctantly let go of Jungkook’s hand before he turned around, heading quick to the boarding station.

Jungkook looked after him, still a little dazed. He knew he should snap out of it but it was pretty difficult, if your world got turned upside down with a single kiss. He waved Tae goodbye who turned around once, twice, and then hastily tried to catch his flight.  The pull in his chest made it difficult to do anything else but it wasn’t exactly like he could go after him anyway so Jungkook stayed where he was. There was something lingering at the edge of his consciousness but he only realized what it was when Tae had rounded the corner and was gone. He didn’t even knew Tae’s full name! The flight attendant who had called him out over the speakers had said his full name, for sure and something in Jungkook’s mind had registered that it had sounded familiar but he couldn’t recall it at all. Tae’s touches had wiped anything else from his mind embarrassingly easily.

“Mr. Kim, nice to see you again, Sir!” The stewardess said and smiled as she took the ticket out of his hand. Taehyung only partly listened to her, his mind going back to Jungkook repeatedly. He also hadn’t noticed the stewardess, who asked what he wanted to drink, or who wanted to make sure he had enough cushions, so he was lying comfortable in his first class seat. He was staring out of the little window, looking at the airport, trying to desperately find a glimpse of Jungkook again. But any of these shadowy figures could be him. He couldn’t different them. Everything just looked the same from so far away.

Jungkook turned around to go back to the cafe to do his duty properly (at least at the end of this shift tonight) when he froze right within his movement. Wait – the direction Tae had walked in was completely wrong!

It was the business section, the one for the real wealthy folks, the business moguls and CEOs and spoilt brats of newly rich family dynasties. Jungkook turned back around to see if Tae would come back because he had realized his mistake but there was no one. Tae had just vanished. He must have somehow got the security guards to let him through. Just like he had managed with the one in the VIP area. Jungkook cocked his head, suddenly a lot more confused. It couldn‘t be that…no. Tae definitely wasn‘t one of those rich, spoilt brats. They wouldn‘t compliment a barista and spend time with someone like him or watch the sunset while drinking cheap, sweetened soda. Maybe…maybe they had announced that they had changed the gates for this special flight - and Jungkook just hadn‘t listened because he had been occupied. With how soft Tae‘s lips where. How perfect they had felt against his. With a shy little smile Jungkook traced his lips where Tae had kissed him.

…

“Jungkook! There you are!” Jin said hastily as he peeked through the door that was only for the workers of the coffee shop, “Can you please hurry a little? There are so many people here… I’m drowning in work…or coffee beans.” He laughed at his own joke, feeling content with himself as he disappeared again.

Jungkook gave an affirmative nod, while abusing his bottom lip with his teeth the way he always did when he was feeling the pressure on him. He was working as fast as he could already, but he still needed to go quicker, customers who had to wait too long just took another cafe and Jin relied on him to keep the customers happy.

He almost spilled the hot coffee over himself, when he brought the freshly brewed cups outside. “A vanilla latte and a double espresso?,” He asked, trying to find the people who ordered them which got more and more difficult the more faces he saw per hour and the more quickly they ordered. Quickly one customer by another vanished happily with a coffee in hand and Jungkook could finally breathe a little more, when he took another order. “Where’s Jimin, damn it,” Jin cursed quietly as he searched through the cabinet for sugar, hitting his head on the board above. Whining quietly, he came up again, when the boss’s eyes finally landed on Jimin but then his gaze wandered down to what he was holding. “We don’t get deliveries on Wednesdays,” Jin only commented.

“It’s not for us, it’s for Jungkook!” Jimin said with a smile on his face, “Here, someone put this aside for you!” Jungkook was ready to defend Jimin and invent something about the other getting milk (Jimin wouldn’t vanish without reason so until Jimin would come back to explain himself Jungkook would cushion the blow for him) but Jimin beat him to it. The package in his hand was explanation enough but Jungkook didn't think much of it - until Jimin said that it was for him.

“For me?” He repeated, incredulously, “But...I didn’t order anything! This must be a misunderstanding?” His eyes wandered from Jimin and the package to Jin and back, trying to figure out if this was a joke and they had put something scary into it as revenge for Jungkook leaving his place that night with Tae.

Tae…

A little sting inside of his ribcage had Jungkook sighing silently. He hadn’t heard from Tae since. And with neither his name nor a number or anything else to contact him he was bound to waiting until Tae would take the time to write him or call him or see him again. Every time he saw someone that looked like Tae from behind his heart took a leap - only to drop back down when that person turned, revealing a face that wasn’t Tae’s.

“Just open it,” Jimin nudged Jungkook’s side and even Jin was curiously looking over Jungkook’s shoulder after he had given the last customer his coffee, giving them a bit of a break. Both were watching Jungkook closely, anticipating who would sent an anonymous package to a coffee shop that was in an airport. And a small one at that. “It says your name right here on the top, so it can’t be a misunderstanding,” Jimin shrugged his shoulders and turned around to take the order from a customer that just arrived, but not before commenting it further, “Also that guy who brought it was pretty cute.”

Jungkooks head jerked up when Jimin said the secret messenger had been cute. “Was he…,” Jungkook bit his lip, breaking off to try and not tell Jimin too much if it really had been Tae (the boy was too curious for his own good already as it was). But why would he give him anything? Jungkook tried to shield the package from his coworkers eyes and failed miserably at it because he was too quick with opening it and instead of starting at one of the edges and peaking inside he had just taken the easy way and opened it where he was supposed to. Jin peeked over Jungkook’s shoulder, when he cocked his head at the sight of what was inside.

“Chargers? Why do you need so many chargers, Jungkook?” Jin asked with his brows furrowed, “Did you accidentally click the button too many times while ordering?" Jimin rushed back to Jungkook’s side, when he had finished the order and dipped his hand into the package. Jimin took one of the bright red chargers, that had an interesting detail to them out of the box and looked at it closely. “It’s…it’s Iron man?” He asked dumbfoundedly, “I didn’t hear that ‘chamoe’ even produced these kinds of chargers?”

Jungkook barely had time to observe the chargers which had strangely familiar color schemes before his nosy friends were speaking exactly what his mind was wondering. Inside the box were definitely chargers. Ones that he hadn’t ordered. But if he had known that they existed he would definitely have ordered them! Because they looked even better than what he had made of his; they had the same gold and red iron man color scheme but with an ironman mask on the biggest part where the charger was supposed to connect via usb and on the other side there was…he blinked.

On the other end of the cable on the smaller connector - there was his name. Jungkook. Unmistakably his. When Jin spotted Jungkook’s name written on the charger, he gasped, whining about how if he had known that there was a customized section, he would have already put his name on everything he owned from chamoe products. His laptop. His phone. His chargers. Jimin only laughed at his boss, turning to continue to clean the counters but not without pulling Jin away from Jungkook so he could look at his package alone for a moment. He had a feeling that it meant a little more, with the way Jungkook’s cheeks were blushing.

Jungkook’s heart fluttered - or the butterflies must have found a way to get all the way from his stomach to his chest. Before he even saw the little note he knew that it must be Tae who send this to him. He hadn’t showed his charger to a lot of people and especially not lately. But how on earth had Tae managed to get this? He took the simple folded white sheet out from under the chargers and unfolded it.

A sudden loud high-pitched gasp from Jin made Jimin and Jungkook turn around simultaneously. “Oh god, oh no, that’s him…it’s him,” Jin murmured anxiously, “Don’t tell me you fucked up his coffee and that’s why you brought him a second one?” Jimin came back around the counter and stared at Jin, furrowing his brows not sure what his boss was referring to.

“That’s Mr. Kim Taehyung, the Kim Taehyung,” Jin hissed under his breath, before showing off a beautiful smile to said man, before turning back to his employee, “He’s rich, influential and he could behead us if our coffee isn’t exactly how he ordered it!”

“What .. what are you talking...?” Jungkook cocked his head to the side when Jin started to freak out. He turned towards the counter to look for an old important looking man, but as soon as his eyes found Tae a smile bloomed on his face and everything else was forgotten. Whoever that Kim person was he couldn’t be half as interesting as Tae who had made the effort of getting him a customized Iron man charger...from Chamoe electronics...which was owned by the Kim heir...who apparently was sitting on the counter if he believed Jin’s rambling. Jungkook’s face fell when it clicked, “No way!”

“Oh no, he asked for a second one,” A smile pulled at Jimin’s lips as he looked over to Jungkook and Jin followed his gaze, both now staring at Jungkook. Jimin with a cocky knowing expression all while Jin wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. Only when he saw the charger in Jungkook’s hand, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Jungkook turned towards Jimin eyes wide and expression somewhere between disbelief and wariness. “That night...when that guy ordered a matcha latte at the end of your shift...and you said you were intimidated...did you mean you were intimidated because he was so good looking or...?” Jimin only chuckled at Jungkook’s question and then shook his head, “No…because I knew Jin would kill me if he heard that I fucked up an order for Kim Taehyung.” He took a step closer to Jungkook and patted his shoulder in a reassuring manner, “I don’t know what exactly you put into his coffee…but I think he took a liking in you. He can’t stop looking over here.”

Jin was hastily looking over to where Taehyung sat and then back to Jungkook. “Go!” Jin exclaimed out of a sudden and waved his hands in the air, motioning for Jungkook to walk over to where Tae sat, “You can’t let him wait!”

“But...but I can’t just walk over there now that…,” Before he could even end his sentence he felt hands at his back pushing him forwards so that he stumbled towards the counter pretty ungracefully. He had no idea if it had been Jin or Jimin who pushed him (he had been too occupied with staring at Tae) but he promised himself to get revenge on them both.

“H.. Hi, Tae...Mister Kim?” He greeted the other awkwardly, not really sure how to behave now that he knew how important it was for Jin that he didn’t make any mistakes. “Thank you for the present. It’s…,” He bit his bottom lips again out of nervousness although he had worried it plump and red already, “I really liked it.” A small tell tale smile gave away how much exactly.  

“Mr. Kim?” Taehyung looked up at the cute barista, “Please, I’m barely older than you. Just call me Tae.” He saw how nervous Jungkook was, the eyes of his coworkers burning holes in his back. Taehyung winked at them, before returning his attention back to Jungkook. Since the younger wasn’t making any move to sit down, he stood up. “I’m sorry,” He rubbed his neck awkwardly, “I mean…that I didn’t tell you who I was…I just… I didn’t want you to act differently around me and it was just a nice change of events that you didn’t recognize me right away. Since…since that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He took a step closer to Jungkook, very much aware that now even the customers around were staring.

Jungkook finally looked up, insecure and completely out of his depth. “It’s .. it’s okay,” Finally a lot of things made a little more sense. He gasped when he realized that it also explained how Tae had managed to get the security man on their side. “You knew about the VIP area! You just played along to... to…,” He blushed deeply. Tae could have used countless situations to embarrass him if that’s what he had been after. But from what Tae was telling him it rather looked as if he had played the fool simply to be with him. Jungkook played with the hem of his apron. “You could probably buy the whole VIP area if you wanted. And instead you ran around with me, passing the time with soda and sunrise.”

“I could buy the whole airport if I wanted to,” He joked but quickly put his soft demeanor back in place as he took Jungkook’s hand, “It was way more fun to spend the night with you. I really mean it… VIP areas can be quite boring if you’re all by yourself and everyone is afraid to talk to you.” He let his thumb caress over Jungkook’s wrist. He had missed this boy so much. The small contact felt so intimate it had Jungkook shudder.

Feeling weird to still stand in the middle of the coffee bar, a cheeky smile appeared on Taehyung’s lips as an idea crossed his mind. “What do you think about getting out of here for a while? I don’t really like the way these people are looking at us,” Taehyung chuckled and motioned over to an older pair who was pointing at him and then at their newspaper. “Do you trust me?” Taehyung asked, not really expecting an answer, but pulling Jungkook along and towards the counter. “Sir, do you mind if you give Jungkook off for the rest of the day?” Taehyung asked Jungkook’s boss politely right away. Jungkook half opened his mouth to apologize on Taehyung's half and tell Jin that of course he would work because he couldn’t just force his colleagues to work for him like that but Jin agreed before he could do that - and even added to Jimin, “Was about time someone got him out. I was afraid his days would consist of video games and coffee for the rest of his life.” Jungkook gave him an offended pout and crossed his arms in front of his chest (deciding to thank them later for covering his shift and maybe share his customized chargers with them. Just maybe). Then he let Taehyung take him away.

Taehyung thanked him and smiled widely at Jungkook, before he abruptly came to a halt again, not far from the coffee shop. He turned to the other, chuckling at himself, “I’m sorry, I totally forgot my manners…I was just so happy to see you here again and that…and that you still…like me, I guess.” He cleared his throat before putting out his hand for Jungkook to shake, “I’m Kim Taehyung, twenty-five, I’m the heir of chamoe electronics, a capricorn and I love sweetened soda and recently I’ve been really into caramel flavored espressos.” Jungkook burst out laughing at that official greeting. “Better late than never,” He contered and shook Tae’s hand. The look Tae gave him in the little pause that followed made him realize that he was expected to do the same. “Oh, uhm...my name is Jeon Jungkook, twenty-three, the king of video games, Virgo, I drink coffee only if it’s really necessary although I’m a barista and lately I’m really into kissing sweet guys during sunrise. Or sunsets. Or any time really, as long as they are you.”

Taehyung couldn’t hide the wide grin on his face, whispering a sweet ‘me, too’ before wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist to pull him in. “I’m still not sure if you put something into my coffee, but if you did…don’t stop, because I really like this feeling,” Taehyung whispered onto Jungkook’s lips before pressing them together in a sensual kiss. He could hear the squeal of the boss and a cup breaking, followed by a laugh but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to kiss Jungkook. His other hand found its way up to his cheek, deepening the kiss. Jungkook opened his lips willingly to let Taehyung in. Anything else around them was forgotten the second Taehyung had pulled him into his embrace. Although they were right at an airport, the epitome of travel and being far away from everything familiar he felt like he had found what everyone was looking for. Within a person called Kim Taehyung he had found home.

A/N: We tried to write a short story and set ourselves the limit of 10k words…well we wrote 11k but it’s still close, lmao. We hope you liked it! We’re already working on two new stories and ‘Through the veil’ isn’t finished yet so you'll have quite a few things to look forward too :3 Anyways…Please leave us a comment on how you liked this little fluffy story!  I LOVE YOU GUYS!

[thedead-arts]

Negative Perceptions of Project Management Some unfortunate misperceptions make project management speed

Negative Perceptions of Project Management Some unfortunate misperceptions make project management speed on many people's list of preferred activities somewhere between putting out the garbage and deliberately stubbing their big toes--that is, somewhere between tedious and painful. Whatever your current vocation, you are probably engaged in it because you enjoy it, and are good at it. Taking the time away from what you normally do to concentrate on project management just doesn't feel right.

The reality, however, is that without an appropriate focus on project management, all that actual work could be for nothing--what you build might be amazing, but it will not help anybody if it's not what the client needed, costs twice as much as planned, or is completed a month late.

So, in the very worst, we should agree that project management is an essential evil. By the end of the book, I hope to convince you that it's also an incredibly useful skillset both inside and outside of work, and will definitely help you showcase your other abilities.

It Takes Too Long The second misperception that pushes people's view of project management is that it takes a massive amount of time. This can be true. If you try to do everything that conventional project management demands, you may definitely feel like handling your projects is turning into a fulltime occupation.

What is required is a balance between the science of project management (what you're told you should do) and the art of project management (what you actually need to perform ). In this book, we'll concentrate on the minimalist side of the artwork: the judicious application of the right tools in the ideal situations is the hallmark of a wonderful project manager. It's Too Hard The other negative perception of project management is that it's just plain difficult. Personally, I believe that anyone can pick up project management skills and apply them in a useful manner. I also believe that most people have already mastered harder disciplines in their current jobs. Why, then, is project management so scary? If you want to read more information regarding Certifind check out our page.

One reason is that project management is talked about far less than other subjects. Even though it's easy to assert that most people will have to manage a project of some type at some time in their lives, it's still not an area that's generally covered at school or even at college. The first time I started Microsoft Project I was completely perplexed--what was I supposed to be doing? Finally I borrowed someone else's existing project plan and adapted it, gradually learning the quirks of the program. Since then, the amount of project documents I have seen written in Excel, PowerPoint, as well as text files continues to convince me that many project management tools are just too complicated for most people. In actuality, some project managers rely upon this, overusing the terminology to make their jobs seem more mystical. Others just enjoy the fact that

8 The Basics of Project Management

Project management appears to have created a whole new category of Dilbert cartoons and try not to imitate them too much.

The approaches and tools that we'll cover in the upcoming chapters are simple to comprehend and easy to apply. You may realize that you are flexing different muscles than you do in your normal day-to-day work, but equally you will feel the benefit of the higher strength on your regular activities also. Furthermore, you will gain a skillset that's increasingly important in the world today.