#Qian needs that reminder

[respectthepetty]

Yuan was sick and still went to help Qian.

Yuan is being shipped off yet still defends Qian.

Yuan will call only to still be silenced by Qian.

Yuan suffers but still cares for Qian.

Qian doesn't even notice all the little ways that Yuan loves him.

But he will now that Yuan is gone.

[red-garden]

It’s part of Mu Qingfang’s job as a doctor not only to treat illness and injury, but also to practice preventative care. While Qian Cao hosts many sect wide lessons on health, some people need a few extra reminders on how to treat their bodies. So Mu Qingfang makes a few house calls as needed to help his friends understand;

[sluttywonwoo]

too close (i might just burn you whole) || c.hv

summary: you’ve got your crush on your friend vernon under control… that is until he shows up for a costume party dressed like your favorite superhero

pairing: vernon x fem reader

warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, smut (18+ ; mdni) additional warnings under the cut

word count: 8.6k

a/n: a late birthday present for @fuckvernon <3

additional warnings: fingering, fat cock!vernon, unintentional cockwarming, praise, dacyrphilia, kink discovery, m + f orgasms, implied round two so no aftercare (but it does happen off the page)

“Are you going to tell her tonight?”

Vernon cocks his head to the side and takes a sip of his beer, feigning disinterest. “Who?”

“You’re looking right at her.”

“What am I going to tell her?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Vernon finally yanks his gaze away from you to glare at Joshua, who had taken the barstool beside him. 

“Haven’t we been over this?”

“We have, and we’ll keep going over it until you come to your senses.”

“There are no senses to come to,” Vernon argues. “I don’t want-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit about not ruining your friendship with her.”

“I don’t!”

“You really think she’s the kind of person that’ll stop being friends with someone just because she doesn’t return their feelings?”

“Well, no,” Vernon admits. “But it will definitely change our dynamic.”

Joshua rolls his eyes. “You’re just using that as an excuse to be a coward.”

Vernon clenches his jaw and brings the bottle to his lips again. “I don’t feel like talking about this right now.”

“I can tell,” Joshua mutters.

Chan joins them at the bar a moment later and orders a lemon drop. 

“What’d he say?” he asks Joshua. 

“That he’s a pussy,” Shua answers. 

“Did you tell everyone about this?” Vernon cries, cringing at the whine he hears in his voice. 

“No one had to tell me,” Chan corrects him. “You’re super obvious about it.”

“Who else knows?”

“Who doesn’t?” Joshua and Chan say in unison. 

Vernon groans and drops his head to the bartop. 

“Don’t worry, no one’s going to say anything to her.”

“They might, if you don’t man up and tell her yourself,” Joshua amends.

“He’s kidding.”

“I’m not.”

Chan chuckles nervously and gives Vernon a reassuring pat on the back. 

“If you don’t tell her tonight you should at least tell her at Soonyoung’s party.”

“I’m not telling her, period! I’m good with being friends, you guys.”

They side-eye each other. 

“So you’re good with her dating other people?”

Vernon lifts his head again. “What?”

“I mean if you’re not going to ask her out, someone else is going to,” Joshua points out, holding his hands up in surrender when Vernon glares at him. “I’m not saying that to be an asshole! I’m saying it because...” he trails off, looking at Chan who unsubtly signals Joshua to stop talking. 

“What? What is it?”

“Well, because we heard Kun is going to ask her out at Soonyoung’s party on Friday.”

“Qian Kun?”

Chan nods hesitantly. “But it’s not like it’s a sure thing! It’s just a rumor, after all.”

“It’s a sure thing,” Joshua counters. “I overheard him talking to Minghao about it.”

“We don’t know if she’ll say yes, though,” Chan offers, desperately trying to keep his friend from spiraling. 

“That’s true,” Joshua agrees. Finally. “He’s a good-looking guy, though.”

“Joshua!”

“What? It’s the truth!”

 “Can I have a word with you over here?”

They shuffle over to the side, leaving Vernon to sulk as they bicker. He can vaguely hear Joshua muttering but he tunes out the words, not needing to hear any more about your potential prospects and his lack thereof. 

The thing is, Vernon could have plenty of said potential prospects if he put himself out there. But unfortunately, he only has eyes for you. And he’s a coward. 

He hadn’t always had feelings for you, that he was aware of. You were Seungkwan’s friend first. He introduced you to the group later and you’d fit right in. Seungkwan wasn’t surprised but he was a bit protective over you, constantly reminding everyone that you were his first. That didn’t bother Vernon- until it did. 

 He knew Seungkwan was mostly joking but after a while, he assumed you’d been a part of the group for long enough that you were everyone’s friend. The hierarchy of who knew you best or longest shouldn’t matter. Unless Vernon was at the top of it. 

These thoughts never even occurred to Vernon until he started hanging out with you one-on-one. You were always fun to have around but he hadn’t realized just how much he liked spending time with you. You were funny, you liked a lot of the same things he liked, you were pretty— that wasn’t a thought you should be having about a friend. God damn it. God damn it.

That’s when he knew he was fucked. He tried to deny it to himself. He didn’t have feelings for you. That would be ridiculous. He was just confused.

He assumed it would pass. He tried to avoid you, only seeing you at group events. That didn’t last long. 

You managed to corner him at a brunch thing and confronted him about why he had been ignoring you. He made up some excuse about how he’s been busy lately, lying straight to your face as he told you he hadn’t been ignoring you. 

Vernon had learned to live with his feelings, peksy as they were. He just suppressed them. The healthy thing to do. 

But now he was forced to make a choice. He had to either tell you how he felt and potentially ruin your friendship, or let someone else beat him to it. 

-

“We can get ready together at my place around four and then pregame a little bit,” you suggest, your voice sounding muffled through the speaker. 

Vernon’s got his phone balanced between his ear and his shoulder which makes it even harder to hear you. He’s trying to straighten up his and Seokmin’s apartment before some of the guys come over for DND but it isn’t going very well. He can’t figure out where Seokmin put the fucking Swiffer Wet Jet. 

“Who else is going to be there?” he asks. 

“Oh, just the two of us.”

He freezes. “What? Why?”

“Everyone else is pregaming at Mingyu’s,” you explain, and suddenly it all makes sense. “We’ll be so late if we try to get ready there. There’ll be too much going on.”

“You’re right,” Vernon agrees. “That’s a good idea.”

“Are you sure? You can go with them if you want.”

“No!” he exclaims, maybe a little too quickly. “No, um, I’d rather do what you said.”

“Okay!” 

He hates that he can hear the smile in your voice, hates that he can picture the exact scrunch of your nose and crinkle of your eyes, hates that he knows just how cute you look right now. 

“I know I said four, but you can come over whenever,” you continue. “And we can listen to our music while we get ready. No one else has good taste like we do.”

“Mingyu’s probably going to play trap remixes of Disney songs the whole night,” Vernon sighs.

“Either that or Justin Bieber’s entire discography,” you laugh. 

“Yeah, we’re definitely making the right choice.”

-

Friday rolls around way too fast. Vernon spent the whole week panicking over what to say to you and he still hasn’t decided. He doesn’t even know if he’ll work up the courage to tell you at all, even if Kun is going to ask you out. Sure, he’ll beat himself up forever if that happens, but at least he’d save himself the embarrassment of rejection. 

He shows up to your apartment in his street clothes, having packed his outfit for tonight in his backpack. 

You answer the door with your makeup half-done, ushering him in before any of your neighbors could see you in your pajamas. 

The door to your bedroom is open, faint music spilling out into the foyer. 

“My roommate’s out,” you explain as he follows you inside. “She’s flying home to visit her parents so we have the place to ourselves.”

For some reason, Vernon’s heart skips a beat when you say that. You don’t mean it like that but his mind goes there automatically and he has to clear his throat awkwardly to shake the thought. 

You lead him to your room and tell him he can sit on the bed while you finish your makeup, and he does so very gingerly. It’s not like he’s never been in your room or sat on your bed before so there’s no reason for him to be acting so weird (aside from the big fat crush he’s had on you for months). He hopes you don’t notice his strange behavior. Or if you do, he hopes you chalk it up to him just being Vernon. 

“I was listening to our combined playlist but you can change it to whatever you want,” you offer, throwing him your phone. 

It lands next to him on the mattress. 

“No, this is good,” he says but picks up your phone anyway. “Can I scroll through your Twitter, though?”

“Go ahead.”

He makes a noise of contentment and settles more comfortably on your bed. He grabs your stuffed Appa and holds it close to his chest as he scrolls down your timeline, humming along to the song that’s playing on your PC.

You’re silent as you apply the rest of your makeup. Vernon doesn’t know the first thing about makeup but he knows that you’re good at it. You always look so pretty. One time you had made your eyeliner look like the wings of a monarch butterfly. He remembers being so transfixed by your eyes that you had to keep asking why he was staring. 

Today, your eyeliner looks like little clouds to go with your angel outfit. You’d done it in white with a touch of glitter to make them shimmer. 

“I can’t believe Soonyoung picked a costume party,” you grumble. 

“I can. How much do you want to bet he’s going to be Tony the Tiger again?”

“You never know, maybe he’ll be Raja from Aladdin. Or that tiger from The Jungle Book? I don’t remember that one’s name, though.”

“I guess we’ll see,” Vernon muses, not looking up from your phone. 

“I guess we will.”

He’s reading the replies to a tweet about one of your favorite animes when you get a text. He’d ignored all of the other notifications you’d received while he was in control of your phone thus far but it’s impossible to ignore this one. 

Qian Kun: can’t wait to see u tn!

Vernon nearly chokes, knuckles turning white as he grips the phone tighter. 

So Joshua hadn’t been fucking with him. He hadn’t just used Kun as an excuse to kick Vernon’s ass into gear. He was actually serious and was trying to help him. Go figure. 

Vernon stands from your bed abruptly, drawing your attention to him. 

“You got a text,” is all he can mutter as he thrusts your phone out to you. You give him a weird look as you take it but before you can say anything about it he’s grabbing his backpack and telling you that he’s going to go change. 

“O-okay.” 

He makes his way to your bathroom and shuts the door behind him, slumping against it as he tells himsef to get it together. He splashes some cold water on his face and runs a still-wet hand through his hair in an attempt to style it. The water does little to cool him down but he starts taking off his clothes anyway. If he’s gone for too long you’ll begin to wonder if something’s wrong but he’s still sweating and his costume is made entirely out of spandex. 

He manages to wrestle the material onto his body and get the zipper up. He takes another look at himself in the mirror and grimaces. It didn’t look bad on him, but it was defintely tight and left little to the imagination.

And now he had to go back out and face you like this. Tonight was already going so well. 

You’re not in your room when he comes out of the bathroom. He searches the hallway briefly before finding you in the kitchen. You’re bent over with your head in the fridge, looking for... something, but all Vernon can focus on is the way your legs look in the white tights you’re wearing. He averts his eyes as soon as he catches himself staring at your calves, cheeks burning with what can only be a mixture of shame and embarrassment.  

“Do you need help?” he asks, startling you.  

You jolt up, nearly bumping your head on the freezer door. 

“Sorry,” he apologizes sheepishly. 

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Can’t help it, it’s part of my spidey powers.”

Your eyes light up in recognition as soon as he says that. He tries not to feel too self-conscious as your eyes take in his costume, your gaze traveling down his body and then back up to his face. 

“Your costume!”

“Do you like it?” 

“I love it!” you exclaim, taking him by the shoulders. “I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me!” You know how much I love Peter Parker!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Vernon mumbles, trying to hide a smile. 

“God, you look incredible! Do you have the mask?”

“I do, should I wear it?”

“Keep it off,” you decide. “Your face is too pretty to be hidden.”

“Wh-what?” 

“You heard me,” you double down, smirking. 

You’re teasing him, but Vernon can’t tell if it’s in a flirty way or a joking way. He hopes it’s the first way but he’s also too scared to confront what that would mean if it was. 

“Maybe you can put it on for the group picture or something, but you should leave it off for the party, that way people can find you.”

“Good idea,” Vernon agrees. “So, what were you looking for?”

You seem to remember you’re still standing in the middle of your kitchen with your refrigerator open at that very moment.

“Oh, right. I was looking for stuff for us to drink before we go over to Soonyoung’s but I couldn’t find what I wanted. I bought strawberry soju for us tonight but my friend’s boyfriend drank it all so we only have regular.” 

Vernon knits his eyesbrows together in confusion. “Joshua drank all your soju?”

“No, different friend. You don’t know her. I would’ve just said Joshua drank all my soju’ if it was him.”

“Yeah, that makes more sense.”

“I thought I had lemonade we could use as a mixer but I can’t find it.”

“We can just do shots,” Vernon suggests, laughing when you make a face. “Fine, fine, here let me help.”

You trade places with him and watch as he looks through the same shelves you had just been looking through. He is also unable to find the lemonade.

“You have gingerale,” he points out.

“Do you think that would be good?”

“Only one way to find out.”

-

It was, in fact, not good. But you powered through it together, neither of you willing to show up to Soonyoung’s sober. 

“I’ll call an Uber,” you shout from you room where you had gone to grab your purse. “By the way, do you want me to do any makeup on you real quick? I think some dark circles under your eyes or some black eyeliner would look really good.”

“Sure,” Vernon agrees before really thinking about it. “You can do whatever you want to me.”

That’s how you end up straddling him on your bed, your face mere inches from his as you apply... eyeliner? Eyeshadow? Some sort of makeup to his eyes. 

Vernon holds his breath, putting every ounce of concentration he has into not getting hard. You’re sitting right on top of him and as previously established, the Spider-Man suit is very, very thin. 

Your costume doesn’t offer a lot of coverage either, something Vernon tries not to think about while you’ve got your thighs on either side of his waist. You’re warm, so warm. He can feel the heat of your skin through your tights, can feel the seam of your leotard underneath your tutu, and if he shifts even just a little bit he’d be able to feel-

“There, done!” you announce and climb off of him. 

Vernon breathes a sigh of relief and takes a moment to recover before sitting back up. He’s a little stiff, both in body and in spirit, but he hopes you didn’t notice. 

“Hey, the Uber’s here, but take a look at yourself first to make sure you like it.”

You hand him a compact mirror and wait patiently as Vernon checks out your handiwork. You didn’t do much but it had made a big difference. He looks exhausted. His eyes appear sunken, the dark circles you’d drawn underneath somehow making them look sharper. 

“Oh my god, I look just like him,” he whispers. 

“Right? I thought that would tie it all together! Very Peter Parker-esque.”

“You’re incredible, thank you.”

You laugh and stare down at the floor, seeming shy all of a sudden. “It was easy. Anyone could have done it.”

Then, your phone vibrates on your desk. You grab it immediately like you’re thankful for the interruption. Vernon purses his lips but tries not to come off as deflated. 

“Shit, we shouldn’t keep him waiting,” you say. 

“You’re right. Let’s go.”

You sling the strap of your purse over your shoulder and make for the front door but Vernon calls out after you before you can reach it. 

“Wait! Don’t forget your halo, angel.”

He grabs the headband off of your dresser and brings it to you, smiling to himself when you bend down automatically so that he can put it on for you. 

“Okay, now we’re ready,” he amends. 

-

The drive to Soonyoung and Jihoon’s apartment doesn’t usually take long but your Uber got lost on the way so you were a few minutes late. Thankfully, you weren’t the last to arrive. That honor went to Boo Seungkwan and Yoon Jeonghan who trailed in together a whole thirty minutes after you and Vernon, much to Soonyoung’s displeasure. 

He greets you at the door with Jihoon in tow, clearly already drunk. 

“You made it!” he screeches, throwing his arms around the two of you. 

“Of course we made it, idiot,” you tease, pushing his shoulder playfully. 

Vernon pretends not to notice and he also pretends it doesn’t bother him.

“Who are you supposed to be, Soonie?” you ask.

“Tony the Tiger,” he says, sounding a little offended that you didn’t guess right away. 

“Again?”

“You can’t go wrong with a classic,” Soonyoung mutters. “Right, Jihoon?”

“Right,” his best friend parrots obediently, rolling his eyes behind his back. 

“Wait, what are you supposed to be?” Vernon asks, directing the question at Jihoon this time. 

“I’m the box of Frosted Flakes,” he grumbles, so low Vernon almost doesn’t catch it. 

“Wow, you guys are so creative,” you gush. “Nonnie and I both took the easy way out.”

The affectionate nickname catches Vernon off guard and he can’t help but crack a smile, ignoring the knowing glance from Jihoon. 

“Well you guys look great,” Soonyoung assures you. “Especially you, Vernon! Since when is Peter Parker so sexy?”

“Since always,” Vernon scoffs. “Have you seen the movies?”

Soonyoung opens his mouth to respond but Jihoon nudges him in the side before he can. Headlights flash in the windows, distracting all four of you from what you’re talking about. 

“Oh, I think some more people just pulled up. I should be a good host and say hello to them too. Help yourselves to drinks or whatever. You know where everything is.”

Vernon nods and claps Soonyoung on the back as he passes him. “Thanks, Hosh, we’ll catch you later.”

You follow Vernon into the kitchen, saying hi to the people you know on the way. It was quieter in the kitchen, even though Mingyu and Chan were arguing over something undoubtedly unimportant by the sink. 

They stop only briefly to acknowledge you both before jumping right back into it. 

“What do you want to drink?” Vernon asks you.

“What do they have?”

“All the usual stuff, and it looks like Joshua brought some nice whiskey.” 

“Of course he did,” you chuckle. “Um, I’ll just have whatever you’re having. I usually like what you like.”

It’s true, you have so much in common, Vernon thinks to himself happily.

“Why are you smiling like that?” 

Vernon freezes. “Huh?”

“You’re like grinning to yourself about something. What is it? Are you laughing at me?”

“No, no, I’m not laughing at you. I just… like that you trust me to make something that will taste good.”

“I mean it’s not like you have to cook it,” you joke. “If that were the case I might feel differently.”

“Very funny.”

“I know, thank you.”

You watch Vernon pour a shot of vodka into each cup, balancing your chin in your hands, elbows resting on the countertop. He finds a half-empty bottle of lemonade in the fridge and mixes it with the vodka, topping the drinks off with some ice from a cooler on the ground. 

“Aren’t you supposed to add the ice first?” you ask. 

“Oh, so you are going to judge my bartending skills? I thought that was reserved for my cooking.”

“I am first and foremost a hater. You should know that by now. No one is safe, not even you.”

Not even him... did that mean he was getting special treatment otherwise? Was it because you saw him as more than a friend? Or was it that you didn’t feel close enough to him to roast him unabashedly? 

You had procured a butter knife from one of the drawers while Vernon was lost in thought and were now using it to mix the drinks he’s made. 

You throw the knife in the sink, the clattering disrupting Chan and Mingyu’s arguing once again. 

“Cheers,” you say, offering him one of the cups. 

He takes it and clinks it against yours.

“Cheers.”

-

“If Soonyoung plays one more Justin Bieber song I’m going to lose it,” you mutter, making Vernon chuckle into his vodka lemonade. 

“I’ll see if I can talk Jihoon into hijacking the playlist.”

“No, don’t do that, you know he’ll only play Bruno Mars!”

But Vernon’s already walking away to find him, saying something about ‘the lesser of two evils’.

You watch him go, unable to stop yourself from glancing at his ass and noting how good it looks in the Spider-man suit. When he’d appeared in your kitchen wearing it you thought you might melt through the floor.

You weren’t sure if you wanted to rip it off of him or jump him while he was still wearing it. You did neither of those things, of course, but it was all you’d been able to think about all night. 

Peter Parker was your favorite comic book character. You couldn’t believe that was the costume he chose. 

You were delusional to think you were getting over your crush on him in the first place but all of the supposed progress you had made on that went out the window as soon as he had called you angel earlier. 

The other guys seemed to think your attraction was mutual but Vernon was so goddamn hard to read that it was really anyone’s guess. 

Was he awkward around everyone, or was it just you? Sometimes you think there’s something there, on those rare nights you spend alone together, watching movies at your apartment or playing a card game you only kind of know the rules to. On nights like those, when you’re more touchy with each other than usual, when his gaze lingers on your lips a little too long, it’s easy to think that maybe everyone is right. Maybe the feelings are mutual. 

But then he’ll start acting weird, like he was tonight, and you don’t know how to take it. Are your feelings for him that obvious that he can see right through them? Do your attempts at flirting make him uncomfortable? Sometimes he flirts back though which is why it’s all so confusing.

“I need another drink,” you say to no one in particular before turning around and trekking back to the kitchen.

-

You’re gone when Vernon returns to where he’d left you. It had taken him a while to track down Woozi and plead his case, longer than he expected, but he didn’t think it was that long. 

Jihoon was more than happy to change the music but he told Vernon that he’d have to go distract Soonyoung in order to do so. It was like a series of side quests he had to complete to move to the next level and by the time he was finished you had disappeared. 

It’s not a big place but there are a lot of people in attendance which makes it  so he has to push through the crowds in his search for you. There are people inside and on the deck and in the yard so he has his work cut out for him. 

“Want another drink?” It’s Joshua with two cups in his hand. Vernon takes a glance at his empty solo cup and shrugs, trading for the full one. 

“Thanks. What is it?”

“Beer.”

“Cool.”

“Where’s your date?” Joshua asks, looking around. 

“She’s not my date, and I don’t know,” he admits. “I left her right there and she’s gone.”

“Dude, you left her alone in the middle of a party and expected her to just sit there and wait for you?”

“I wasn’t gone for that long!”

“Did you tell her you were coming back?” Vernon purses his lips. “How long were you gone for?” 

“Just a few minutes...” he mumbles. 

Joshua sighs. Vernon knows he’d be pinching the bridge of his nose if he could but his hands are full. 

“Go find her.”

“That’s what I was doing before you walked up to me!”

“Don’t waste time by arguing with me, just go.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Vernon nods sullenly before brushing past his friend into the next room. 

He finds you in the dining room talking to someone else. He relaxes until he realizes that ‘someone else’ is Kun. Qian Kun. Can’t wait to see u tn! Kun. You’re leaning against the wall, laughing at something he’s saying and Vernon’s blood runs cold. 

Before he can fully process what’s happening in front of him, he’s downing the rest of his beer and approaching you both. 

“Y/n, I was just looking for you,” he exclaims and throws an arm around your shoulders. The gesture is a bit possessive for his taste, but knowing what he knows about what the guy’s going to tell you tonight, he can’t help it. 

Kun gives Vernon a look, sizing him up as he takes a sip from his own drink. Vernon nearly scoffs. 

“Sorry, I went looking for you but I didn’t know where you’d gone off to,” you explain apologetically. 

“Jihoon made me keep Soonyoung busy so that he could change the music.” He points at the ceiling as if to prove his point, even though the music was coming from speakers on the walls. You all stop to listen to the Silk Sonic song filtering in from the other room. Vernon turns to you. “Anyway, I don’t mean to interrupt, but could I talk to you for a second?”

Kun can’t even hide the look of annoyance on his face. “We were kind of in the middle of something-”

“Yeah, sure- oh...”  you trail off awkwardly. You had spoken at the same time, unintentionally contradicting each other. Vernon has to fight to suppress his smile. “I’ll be right back, Kun,” you say, taking Vernon by the hand to drag him away. “This shouldn’t take long.”

She won’t be back, Vernon thinks to himself as he follows you through the house. Unless you reject him, then you probably will be. 

He almost runs into you when you stop in front of Soonyoung’s bedroom door. “Is here good or do we need somewhere more private?”

“Um, it’s still kind of loud out here, do you think we could go in there?”

“Yeah, I’m sure Soonyoung won’t mind.”

The room is unlocked, because of course it is, and you let yourselves inside. Vernon’s surprised to see Soonyoung’s bed is made, but he figures that he must have straightened up because company was coming over. 

You take a seat on the floor in front of the bed instead of on it and Vernon joins you, groaning as he struggles to cross his legs. 

“So, what’d you need to tell me?” you ask. 

He blinks and swallows hard. He wasn’t prepared for this at all. He hadn’t even thought about what to say or how to say it... he honestly thought he would chicken out and let the night play its course without intervening. He had been acting on instinct when he saw you with Kun. Zero thoughts, just action. And now he had you alone and you were looking at him so expectantly and-

“Vernon?”

“Hm?”

“Why’d you want to talk to me? Or were you just trying to be a good friend and get me away from that guy, because I know him and he’s cool. You didn’t have to do that.”

“No, actually I did want to tell you something,” he confesses. “I’m just a little nervous.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”

Vernon takes a deep breath and stares at the floor. “Yeah, um, everything’s fine. Kind of.” He pauses again, hating the way his voice sounds. His words are coming out shaky and uncertain (because they are) and this was not how he pictured this moment going. He sneaks a glance at you and sees your expression soften. 

“Take your time,” you whisper, placing your hand over his. 

“I just don’t want you to look at me differently,” he mumbles. “I don’t want to... ruin our friendship- god, that sounds so corny.”

“Vernon,” you say his name again, firmer this time to get him to look at you. “I think I know what you’re trying to say.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “You do?” 

You nod. “But I still want to hear you say it.”

Vernon groans into his hands. “Why! Do you want me to humiliate myself even more?”

“No, dummy, because I think I deserve to hear it. Don’t you?”

He can’t disagree with that. Even if it means risking the possibility of ruining everything.

“I think you’re really pretty,” he says stupidly, as if that encompasses everything he’s been feeling and thinking about you these past few months. 

You blink. “Is that it?”

“NO- sorry, shit. I- that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. I do think you’re really pretty, though. Obviously. Honestly, I think you’re fucking gorgeous. I think... I think about you in a lot of ways that a friend probably shouldn’t.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “What kind of ways?”

“Are you really going to make me say it?” Vernon whines, hoping you can’t see the pink flush of his cheeks in the dark room. 

“No,” you relent with a chuckle. “I was just being annoying. But for the record, I also think about you in ways that friends probably shouldn’t.”

“Wait, really?”

“Mhm, do you want to know what kinds of ways?”

Vernon finds himself nodding even though his ears have started ringing and he’s not sure he’ll be able to hear your response. It’s hard to focus on anything other than the fact that you like him back. 

“Well, for one, I think you look very good in this Spider-man suit,” you say, running your fingers over the lycra. 

“You do?”

“It’s been driving me crazy all night,” you admit. “I was going to touch myself to the thought of you in it when I got home tonight.”

“Y-you were?” Vernon is apparently only capable of asking questions at the present moment but you don’t seem to mind. 

“I’ve been trying not to stare, but it fits you so well. You picked this on purpose, didn’t you? You wanted me to suffer because you know Spider-man is my favorite.”

“I didn’t think it would be so tight!”

“I’ll pretend to believe you,” you muse, and god, you’re so close to him...Vernon feels like he can’t breathe. 

Just like before, he lets his instincts lead him. No thoughts, just action.

He closes his eyes and leans forward, meeting you where you were waiting for him.  He presses his lips to yours lightly, savoring the surprised gasp you let out against his mouth. Your lips are so soft, just as soft as the rest of you. 

You’re the first to part your lips, inviting Vernon to slip his tongue into your mouth. He’s happy to do so, and he’s even happier when you moan in response. 

You start to lean forward, chasing the kiss even though Vernon hasn’t pulled away. It must still not be enough for you because, in the next breath, you stumble to your knees and climb onto his lap. 

Vernon’s hands automatically attach themselves to your hips to keep you steady as you straddle him. He shifts you awkwardly on top of him, trying to keep you off of his-

“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” he mumbles, freezing in place. 

He can’t bring himself to look you in the eye. 

Why, god why, did this suit have to be so tight? He should’ve stopped you when you climbed onto his lap. He knows the effect you have on him, of course he’d be hard the second you started kissing him. Hell, he’s been fighting a boner the entire night. Just watching you walk around in your angel outfit was doing it for him. 

Sure, you were making out with him, and you’d made that dirty comment earlier, but that didn’t mean you were ready to fuck him. He would never assume that’s where the night was going but you might assume that he was assuming because you can feel how hard his fucking dick is under you...

“Why are you sorry?” you ask softly.

Vernon cringes at himself. “Because,” is all he says before you seem to get it. 

“Oh, that. I’m flattered.”

“Stop,” he whines, “I really didn’t mean to. You weren’t supposed to-”

“I know, baby,” you soothe him. Vernon doesn’t get the chance to melt at the pet name you’ve just called him because he’s still mid-panic, but he files it away for later. “But don’t worry. I think it’s really hot.”

“You do?”

You nod. “And I bet if you were able to feel me under my costume too, you’d know that you aren’t alone.”

“Wait, what?” he breathes. 

You lean forward again, chest pressed against his, to whisper in his ear. “I’ve been wet since you kissed me. Probably longer.”

You’re smirking when you pull back and Vernon is left to stare at you in shock. 

“See for yourself,” you say, repositioning yourself on his lap so that he has access to you. “Touch me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Are you going to make me beg for it?” you tease. Vernon goes stiff under you again, making you chuckle. “Maybe another time, then? Just slip your fingers under my leotard. I’ve soaked through my tights already.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m going to cum if you keep saying things like that,” he warns you. 

“Oh no whatever would we do?” you lament. “You can just get hard again if that happens, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then come on, touch me. You’ve made me wait long enough.”

“I won’t waste any more time, then,” he assures you, gathering his confidence. 

He frees one of his hands by releasing your hip and brings it in between your legs, fingers trailing across your thigh in a way that makes you suck in a sharp breath. He ghosts his fingers over the material of your costume first, deciding it’s only fair to tease you back, at least a little. Then, he wiggles two of them under the elastic hem of your costume, where your hip meets your thigh. 

“Fuck, you weren’t kidding.”

“I... told you.”

He moves his fingers experimentally, offering you a little friction. “Does that feel good?”

You push yourself into his touch and nod. “Yeah, feels so good.”

“I really want to finger you,” he admits. 

“Oh, you do?”

“Is that okay? I mean, can I?”

“Totally, let me just—” 

You stand and wiggle out of your tutu, leaving you in your wings, leotard, and tights. The wings go next. You toss them on Soonyoung’s bed and then slip the straps of your leotard off your shoulders. You hesitate, looking a little nervous all of the sudden.

“I’m not wearing a bra under this,” you say. “Is that okay?”

Vernon almost laughs at the perpostuous question but he doesn’t. He almost says ‘are you kidding me, I’ve only been thinking about this exact moment for months now, please take it off,’ but he doesn’t. 

“Of course it’s okay,” is what he says instead, like a normal person. “But only if you feel comfortable with that.”

“I do, it’s just… I feel like after this we really won’t be able to go back.”

“I don’t want to go back,” Vernon insists. “I want this. I want you.” 

That seems to put you at ease. So much so, that you walk back over to where Vernon is still sitting on the floor and lean down to kiss him again. 

“You know, you have to take yours off too if you want to finger me,” you point out. 

Vernon wiggles his fingers inside the suit’s gloves and grins. “What, you don’t want these inside of you?”

“I don’t particularly want a yeast infection so, no. I don’t. And how are we supposed to do anything else if you’ve got that thing on anyway?” 

He pretends to pout. “I thought you liked the suit.”

“I do, but I can’t fuck you in it.” Vernon chokes on his own saliva when you say that but you don’t acknowledge it. “Unless there’s like a zipper for your dick or something?” 

“There’s not,” he mumbles hoarsely. “Had to take the whole thing off just to pee.”

“Then off. Unless you don’t want to-”

He’s already up and unzipping the back of the suit. 

It’s almost comical, the way you’re both struggling out of your tight costumes on opposite sides of the room. Vernon was able to get the zipper down but getting himself out of the material that clung to him like a second skin is a little more difficult. 

On your side, you’re tripping over your tights and shouting expletives to no one in particular. 

Finally, you’re both undressed. You’re left in just your panties and Vernon only had his briefs on. He’s usually a boxers guy but the spidey suit had called for something a little more snug.

You meet him back at the foot of the bed, smiling with apprehensive excitement. Immediately, his gaze falls to your boobs. He told himself he wouldn’t stare but god damn it, he’s only human. 

Once he’s done being blinded by your tits he takes in all of you. The soft lines and gentle curves of your body. The fullness of your lips. The delicate flutter of your eyelashes.

You still look like an angel in the white panties you’d chosen to wear under your costume— probably so they wouldn’t show through the other material. He could feel how wet you were before but now he can see it. The cotton is completely soaked through, making the white look translucent against you.

“Okay, I know you said you wanted to finger me, but I really want to fuck you.”

Vernon almost chokes again. “What?”

“I want you to fuck me.”

He’s the one to smirk this time, pulling you onto his lap. 

“I will fuck you,” he promises, “after I finger you.”

“I don’t wanna wait,” you whine as he kisses your neck. 

“I’ve got to prep you first, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“But you felt how wet I was earlier! I can take it.”

Vernon takes your hand and places it over his bulge, making you gasp. It’s hard to think with your warm hand wrapped around him, even through his underwear, but he pushes through it.

“I’m not trying to brag or be an asshole about it, I swear. It’s just, I really don’t want to hurt you. Okay?”

“Okay,” you repeat. 

Vernon resumes kissing your neck as one of his hands travels back in between your thighs. The other rests on your stomach, holding you in place. 

He slips his fingers beneath the waistband of your panties and teases you some more before finally slipping one of them inside you. You go practically limp in relief and Vernon can’t help but tease you some more. 

“You were aching for it, weren’t you?” he coos. You nod. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I tried!”

“Aw, baby. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

He adds another finger and nips lightly at a spot just beneath your jaw when you sigh happily. 

“Can I leave marks?” he asks, praying you’ll say yes because he’s pretty sure that bite will turn into a small bruise. 

“Yeah, do whatever you want,” you breathe. “I’ll wear turtlenecks to work. I don’t give a fuck.”

So he sucks at that same spot to make sure there will definitely be a hickey there in the morning. The idea of you walking around with visible proof of what he’s done to you makes Vernon’s cock twitch in his boxers. He sucks another hickey into your skin right below the first one, just for good measure. 

“C-can you put another one in?” you plead. 

How could he ever say no to you when you look so pretty and you sound so desperate? 

He adds a third and finds your clit with his thumb. He tests out a few patterns to see which you like best, settling on the one that has you chanting his name like a prayer. He thinks you might be getting close with the way you’re repeatedly clenching around his fingers but you reach out to stop him just when he has you on the edge. 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m good, I’m good,” you assure him. “I didn’t want to cum yet.”

“Why?”

“Because I want my first time with you to be on your cock,” you explain. “Is that dumb?”

Vernon shakes his head so hard he makes himself dizzy. “No, not at all!” 

“Then can we fuck now?”

“Do you think you’re stretched enough?”

“Only one way to find out.”

-

You had gotten your underwear off and Vernon’s underwear off before realizing you needed a condom. Now you were both searching around Soonyoung’s room for one completely naked. 

“Found them!” Vernon exclaims, holding up a handful of assorted contraceptives.

They’d been in the bedside drawer of Soonyoung’s nightstand. Go figure. He lays them out on the bed and sighs loudly. 

“Doesn’t he have any normal ones?”

“What do you mean?” you ask and crane your neck to look over Vernon’s shoulder. 

“These are all... either flavored or textured! And this one fucking glows in the dark.”

“That could be fun,” you giggle.

“Yeah, I bet you’d love to ride a neon green dick, you little monster fucker.”

“Hey! Now is not the time to use my kinks against me.”

“Sorry, you’re right. But I think I’ll have to indulge that side of you another time when we’re not fucking in one of our best friends’ rooms.”

“Then what about this one?”

“That’s a joke, right?”

“Obviously,” you scoff. “I’m not trying to kill you.”

“Who thinks of making a peanut butter and jelly flavored condom in the first place?”

“Sick people, that’s who,” you answer, going back to sifting through the pile on the bed.

“I don’t think it’d kill me,” Vernon adds. “It’d probably just make my dick swell up really big- so maybe it wouldn’t be all bad.”

“No, because then we’d have to go to the ER and explain what happened.”

“Here, this one’s probably our best bet.” Vernon holds up the package for you to see. “Do you have any qualms against strawberry?”

“Nope. But it does make me want to suck your dick to see if it actually tastes like strawberry.”

“As much as I’d love that, I definitely won’t last if you do. And I really want to fuck you right now.” You pout. “What if I promise to buy more for us so you can try it another time?”

“Deal.”

“I’ll get a variety pack so you can suck me off to any fruit you want.”

“Wow, such a romantic.”

“You know me,” he jokes. 

You gather up the rest of the condoms and deposit them back in the drawer while Vernon rips open the foil and rolls the condom on. He’s still incredibly hard despite the small setback so it goes on without any trouble. 

There’s a blanket folded at the end of Soonyoung’s bed that you take and lay out on the floor. 

“I wouldn’t want my friends fucking on my bed,” you explain. 

“I don’t think he’d care,” Vernon replies. “He’d probably be happy for us. But you’re right, it’s the respectful thing to do.”

The respectful thing to do would be to wait until you get home, but you’ve already made it this far so....

Vernon sits on the floor with his back against the bed. He motions for you do join him and you do, slowly lowering yourself onto his lap. He’s careful to hold you up when he pushes the tip of his cock inside of you. He doesn’t want you to get overwhelmed and accidentally sink all the way down, making it even harder to adjust. 

“Fuck,” you whimper. 

“Is it too much?”

“N-no, feels good,” you assure him. “You’re just... fucking huge.”

He tries not to smirk when you say that. He knows he isn’t the biggest out there, especially where length is concerned, but he likes to think he’s pretty well off when it comes to girth. That’s why he was so insistent on fingering you before he fucked you. Why you’re having trouble taking just the tip. It’s certainly a stroke to his ego. Although, his ego might also be shattered in a few seconds if you don’t stop clenching around the head of his cock. 

“Take some deep breaths,” Vernon tries, using one of his hands to rub your back soothingly. 

It’s ironic coming from him, the guy who could barely flirt with you without having an existential crisis. 

But it seems to help because he feels you relax, some of the tension easing from your form. You sink down a little further, biting your lip to stifle any involuntary noises you might make. You’re so wet, so unbelievably turned on, your arousal is literally dripping down the shaft of Vernon’s cock, but you’re still struggling to fit him. 

“Are you still okay? We can stop if it’s hurting.”

You shake your head stubbornly. “No, I want to keep going.”

“Okay, well take your time. We’re not in a rush.”

“You might not be,” you mutter, “but I’m impatient.” 

Vernon laughs. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, baby, just take it easy. You’re doing so good for me.” 

He cranes his neck to kiss you, pulling your bottom lip from between your teeth with his own. Again, you relax a little more. 

“Can you-” you start to ask, still kissing him. 

He pulls away to be able to hear you. “Hm?”

“Can you rub my clit? I think that’ll help... oh, fuck.”

“There we go, angel. My angel.” 

His words make you moan and arch your back which pushes your tits into his face. Instinctively, he takes one of them into his mouth, using his free hand to play with the other. He works his tongue around your nipple, feeling the other harden against his palm.

“God, Vernon,” you mumble, “can I please move?”

He releases your boobs to nod and answer you. “Fuck yes.”

He has to close his eyes as you start to bounce on his cock because it already feels too good. Seeing your face contorted in pleasure would make him lose it. 

Then, there’s movement from outside the door, footsteps. Both of you freeze. Vernon’s eyes fly open to see yours wide with panic. He puts a finger to his lips and you nod in understanding. 

He can’t tell how many voices are in the hall, nor can he tell what they’re talking about, but he knows they’re right outside because he can see silhouettes of their shoes blocking the light coming in from under the door. 

It’s almost impossible for the two of you to stay still. You’re still so goddamn tight around his cock. And you’re still so fucking warm and wet and your cunt is pulsing around him uncontrollably-

Vernon whimpers. He fucking whimpers into your shoulder and you hear it. He can’t even focus on being mortified because he has to put all of his focus into not rutting into you and not cumming super fucking fast. 

He needs whoever’s outside to leave and he needs them to leave now. Thankfully, they must hear his internal pleas- or maybe they heard his external whimper, because the voices disappear down the hall a couple of beats later. 

He lets out a sigh of relief thinking he’s in the clear when he hears you sniffle, almost like you’re crying... then he jerks his head up to see that’s exactly what’s happening and panics. 

“Oh my god, what’s wrong? What hurts?” He’s frantic, hands all over you. 

“Nothing hurts-”

“Don’t lie to me! You’re crying! Here, lift up. I’m so sorry-”

“Vernon!” you shout. 

“What!”

“I wasn’t lying.”

He cocks his head to the side, trying to understand. “But...”

“It just happens sometimes. It’s involuntary but it means I’m feeling good. I promise.”

“This has happened to you before?”

“Yeah, mostly when I’m alone.”

He wants to know more. Wants to know what it is that triggers it. But now isn’t exactly the best time so he files the questions away for later and concentrates on... making you cry harder. 

It doesn’t take him long to figure out that he actually really likes watching you cry (in this context specifically). He’s never elicited such an extreme reaction from someone before. 

He catches a tear on his thumb and sucks it off, making your hips stutter. You cup his face and kiss him hard. It’s messy and salty and Jesus Christ, Vernon has never been so hard in his fucking life. 

“I’m close,” you warn him. 

“Thank god,” he laughs, kissing you again. 

He starts rubbing your clit to help you get there and you’re falling apart in a matter of seconds. You bite his shoulder to muffle a scream as you cum, sending him over the edge with you. 

You’re both breathless when you finally come down from your highs. Your legs are shaky as you climb off of his lap. They’re still trembling when you collapse next to him on the blanket. 

“Shit, that was good.”

“Yeah? Wanna go again?”

“Of course.”

“Give me like... ten minutes,” Vernon sighs as he lays down beside you. “Maybe fifteen.”

You laugh. “But doesn’t Spider-man have a super short refractory period?”

He gives you a look. “Not in this universe.”

happy birthday bestie i hope you enjoyed mwah &lt;3

forever tags: @haven-cove @tantofaz123-blog @lee-hjyjn @ateez-star @baesgyus @likexaxdaydream @sunniesoobin @thefairwhitelight @pretty-thoughts @yutayoongi @hoe4wonwoo @yeostars @i-might-be-in-love-with-hao @camrenrodrigoswift1 @nichobins @bfwonu @arikimtanapon @ammcg0119 @redspider267 @fwess @horangipowerr @soobzao @kuleo26 @k00kiemonster99 @poutypoutybin @jeonghanspinkhair @jadiekinzz @yo0nspoon @djj6112 @drama-1998-girl @5xiang @yeritheloml @slut4seokjin @nc-teen @jungkookswife24069 @tannieflix @romromthedeer @urvashi435 @aurumness @sunghoonth @y00nzin0 @ksy-horanghae @haogyuslut @crushonwoo @rinshabitat @ivivz @cixrosie @princessofallthatsweird @friseealamode @candidupped @joshuahongnumbers @bxby-bloom @guavagyu @enhacolor @zhangyixingxing1 @foxdaisy @emotionalwreckkk @imonanotherlebel @vern0nsworld @cyjsfairy @jihoonliker @freakyfriedrice @yeosayang @myaerii @lenireads @itbtoblikethatsometimes @vernonburger @soonhoonietrash @tinkerbell460 @shmoooooo @tweetiebirb @junhui-recs @sluttywoozi @aishidaishi @sieunflrtz @laylasbunbunny @niyuzh @nanaspalette

add yourself to my taglist(s) here!

[11queensupreme11]

Queen..... do you.... have more....... percy babies........ 🤤👹👹👹👹

I'M STILL WORKING ON IT!!!! i DO have plans to release a separate book about percy babies with the yans (like waaaaay into the future), but rn all i got are some names and pics 😂😂

so first off, the names are from the old ask i got, i'm just reusing them cuz i'm lazy LMAO (here) and obviously, i'm gonna use this beelcy baby cuz he's PERFECT for a beelcy child (here)

the issues of making future babies is that it's so hard for me to let go of the fact that human genetics DON'T exist for gods. i keep looking around for pics that are a perfect "blend" of percy + yan when it shouldn't even matter. they're GODS they don't need to have the same features as their parents, but i keep FORGETTING THAT 👹👹👹👹

like, poseidon's blonde and blue eyed, hades has purple eyes and silver hair, zeus is blonde, and then adamas has GREEN FUCKING SKIN and FIRETRUCK RED HAIR. they're brothers and they look NOTHING alike cuz again, genetics don't exist for them 😭😭😭😭

but anyway, the percy babies!

first up is the beelcy baby i showed you guys before. i'm naming him luke LMAO:

(from the manga "shinigami no hanayome". i still don't know this guy's name cuz the chapter he was introduced in has yet to be translated)

now here's the percades baby. i'm reusing the name "thalassus" from that one old post up above^:

(hades from orochi 4. i picked him solely cuz of the vine designs on his skin, just like his daddy!)

for perpollo, i managed to find 3 lol. makarios for the pink dude and no name yet for the girl and blonde guy

(the pink dude's chong ming and the blonde guy's ah-tai, both from legend of exorcism and the girl is qian renxue from soul land. the third guy's so flamboyant just like his daddy AND he plays an instrument LMAO 😭😭 he was perfect)

for posy...... idk i'm honestly thinking of MAYBE using aiden adams from rekkyo sensen. like... i literally started that manga solely because he reminded me so much of poseidon LMAO.

if i do choose him, i'd most likely make him the baby of the family since he looks pretty young. so his name won't be solon, i'm saving that name for the first born

for anuby, i found a bunch 😂💖💖 no names yet tho, sorry!

(from left to right: centurion from reverse 1999, and then asentah, nicole, and ahmed from dislyte)

for loki, i got nothing but a name, "kyrr" (pronounced "shira") from the old post^ and for cú chulainn, pretty much nothing so far 😭😭😭

i'll reblog and add more to this whenever more comes up, so for now just bear with me! 🥺💖

[heretherebedork]

This is the exact level of petty Yuan needs to be, just enough to get Qian's attention and to give him a little annoyance but not to actually pressure him or mock him. Just to remind him of what happened and what he feels.

And it worked.

It really, really worked.

Because Yuan knows Qian and he loves him. He loves him so, so much and he knows that Qian is hurt and traumatized and has a past that holds him back and that the pain he has isn't just for rejecting Yuan, that this isn't about him but about them.

[ofmdrecaps]

04/22-25/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Vico Ortiz; Samba Schutte; Ruibo Qian; Gypsy Taylor; Guz Khan; Cohen Holloway; Dominic Burgess; Rachel House; Damien Gerard; Tiny Crew Big Raffle Reminders; Fan Weeks: Frenchie Week; Love Notes;

= David Jenkins =

David is absolutely adoring the OFMD themed little library that Gregandree71.bsky.social put together! Check it out on their bluesky!

Source: David Jenkins Bsky

= Rhys Darby =

I don't know what else to say other than Rhys has been feeding us well with all these shots of his tour! Darby Kebabs? Goodness gracious.

Source: Rhys' IG

Source: Rhys's Instagram Stories

New Substack up for the Paid subscribers!

Source: Rhys's Paid Substack

= Taika Waititi =

Taika was spotted in Sydney for one of his new movies!

Source: The Source IG post has been removed, so Im removing credit as I don't want to get the person in trouble. If you'd like it re-added let me know!

Taika also directed a new Sephora Commercial and hey look, Ra Vincent was Production Designer!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lime Studios (@limestudios.tv)

Source: Instagram

= Con O'Neill =

Con sending us some love <3

Source: Con's IG

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico's moving to substack! If you were following Vico's Patreon, they'll be moving everything over by May 1.

Source: Vico's New Substack

Today in Gay Podcast is still going strong!

April 24

April 23

April 22

Source: Today In Gay Free Substack

= Samba Schutte =

Our BTS Saint Samba has been out and about for Earth Day and Sending love to his local shops!

Source: Samba's IG

Oh and great news! Preorders are back up for more bandanas!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samba Schutte (@sambaschutte)

Source: Samba's IG

= Ruibo Qian =

Ruibo dropping the cat content is all I need in this world!

Source: Ruibo's IG

= Guz Khan =

Guz is back! The final season of Man Like Mobeen is premiering on BBC Iplayer on May 1!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Guz Khan (@guzkhanofficial)

Source: Guz' IG

= Gypsy Taylor =

Gypsy got to see Rhys Live!!!

She also sent a shout out to our dear Michelle aka longmayheroam.bsky.social!

Source: Gypsy's IG

= Cohen Holloway =

Pop Pop, Cohen Holloway is going to be speaking on Palaver at the Little Andromeda at the beginning of May! In AoNZ and wanna get tickets? Visit www.littleandromeda.co.nz. (PS: Deacon from WWDITS, Jonny Brugh will also be on there!)

Source: Palaver's IG

= Dominic Burgess =

Happy 9 year Anniversary to Dominic and his husband Mathew Yanagiya!

Source: Dominic's IG

= Rachel House =

Our beloved Mary Reed, Rachel House was out on vacation! And is that a Stu Rutherford (we're seeing all sorts of WWDITS cast out lately!) I spot amongst the cherry blossoms 👀?

Source: Rachel's IG

= Damien Gerard =

Damien, aka Father Teach is feeling the love from the OFMD fans! Thank you to whomever it was that made his night! PS: Damien's Birthday is coming up on May 10!

Source: Damien's Bsky

= Tiny Crew Big Raffle Reminder =

Reminder! Our friends over at @tinycrewbigraffle are still raffling off some amazing prizes to raise funds for wonderful charities chosen by the cast! The grand prize is this adorable baby monkey prop donated by Megan Vertelle! Other prizes include an OFMD Pop Up Zine by our darling Ollie aka @lumiilys! If that wasn't enough to incentivize you, you can also win a reproduction of Ed's necklace by Harlan's Emporium!! Check out the site for more information!

Source: TinyCrewBigRaffle Site / OFMD Pop Up Zine Info / Harlan's Emporium Info

== Fan Weeks ==

May 18 to 24th is Frenchie Week! For more info and prompts visit frenchieweek.bsky.social!

Source: Frenchie Week Bsky

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. Phew, managed two catch ups in one night, now I just need to get caught up on the last of March and early April! It's gonna happen!

As I was getting ready to post this, "This Women's Work" started playing, and hand to goodness it came up randomly on spotify (after I'd chosen the Love Notes art already). I thought it was a good sign to send out a gentle reminder that we all still have a little life in us yet. Things are tough right now. Every day we're fighting, every day we're pushing back, and it's exhausting. Please take a break. Please handle today and no matter what happens, even if you stay on that break, come back to this world tomorrow. You have so much life left in you, and you have so much love and kindness to give to this world, and this world to give to you. You deserve soft times, and love, and we're gonna have to fight for them for a while, but I hope you know you deserve them, and they will happen one day. We just have to hold onto hope. If I was going to be stuck in the Gravy Basket with anyone, I'm glad it's all of you. Love you Crew.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @thelatestkate

Source: The Latest Kate's IG

[lurkingshan]

Unknown Episode 7

What a pitch perfect separation episode; this show continues to kill it. The loneliness and heartache was practically wafting out of my screen this week, and it made the time apart feel real and meaningful even as it came to an end relatively quickly in show time.

Qian hardly said a word this episode, but we know exactly how devastated he was to be without Yuan because his despair was present in every moment. It was in the way he always looked drawn and tired, the way he moved so listlessly, they way he seemed to be constantly self-soothing with substances, the way he kept getting lost in his head and staring off at something only he could see. Even when he got it together a little at San Pang's urging, he focused his efforts on keeping Yuan's room tidy and every mention of Yuan by a friend or acquaintance still caused pain to bloom on his face. His home was too quiet without his siblings and he missed them both, but his yearning was specific to Yuan and he was not just lonely, but heartsick. He was tense for this entire episode--right up until the moment he was finally able to lean on Yuan, take a breath, and relax.

For Yuan's part, he did his best to honor his brother's request, and used his time away to better himself. He took school seriously and worked diligently so that he would be able to come home some day. He respected Qian's boundaries, only contacting him on holidays and never pushing for more communication than what Qian was willing to grant him. Lili came home on every school break, but Yuan stayed away as requested. And his patience paid off when Qian finally relented and invited him home. The way he stepped out of that cab (bangs parted now so we know he's matured) and immediately reasserted his role in Qian's life felt important; he's not coming home with his tail tucked between his legs. He's important to Qian and he still has a role in this family and he is confident about that. Qian calmly letting himself be led away and falling right back into their old caretaking patterns said it all; Yuan has been missed.

I am interested to see how the show goes about revealing the Lili and San Pang relationship, which seems to have started sometime during this time skip, and how that will play into the larger repair of the family bond. They did not have a romance in the novel, so I'm curious to see what narrative purpose it will serve here. I appreciated that San Pang realized quickly that separating Qian from Yuan didn't actually help him at all; he'll think twice before interfering again. Lili, meanwhile, still doesn't know the cause of the fracture between her brothers, but most of the people around Qian seem to understand how Yuan's absence is affecting him. I liked the scene with Xiong Da Fang, which was a nod to his story in the source material (in the novel we actually saw him take that vow of monkhood and try to live that way for awhile before coming back to go into business with Qian) and a much needed reminder of who Qian is. The show is surrounding our little family with people who understand them and get why Qian and Yuan's bond is so different from the norm. They will need that community as their relationship continues to change.

[chvrrycola]

NCT AS CLASSMATES

word count | 4.0k

warnings | food mentions in johnny, doyoung, jaehyun, xiaojun's

now playing . . . marigold by aimyon

AN // this is only ot19 because i still know nothing about nct wish, and apologies if they're similar 19 is still a lot to write 😭

nct masterlist

ᡣ𐭩 johnny suh

yknow those people who are just the best for stressful situations

yeah johnny is one of them

like he’s always super calm and level-headed whenever you’re going mad about deadlines and midterms and whatever other drama is happening on campus

but he never allows himself to make it seem like you’re overreacting

he makes it very clear that he is, in fact, underreacting

and then reminds you that you know what you’re doing and you’re def gonna ace whatever test you’ve got that day

offering to do whatever he can to ease your workload

from ordering you coffee to your apartment

to quizzing you on your content

to picking up your laundry from the cleaners because your todo list is a mile long

and even though he’s pretty popular and sociable in general

he’d always make the time to help you out if you needed it

despite the fact that his calming energy is in high demand during exam season

he can just fit everybody else around your schedule

cos you’re his no.1 priority <3

ᡣ𐭩 lee taeyong

taeyong is

without a doubt

the best seat mate you could ever ask for

and classmate in general

or just friend in general let’s be real

especially for classes you don’t like or ones where the teacher is really frustrating

like he would be getting up extra early to buy your coffee from the place you like on the other side of town just to bring it to you

and giving you updates on all his fish whenever the lecture got boring

and studying with you whenever and wherever

(plus letting you fall asleep on his shoulder when you eventually got on the bus back home)

and no matter how many times you asked him how you could repay him he would always just brush it off

saying that making you smile was enough to get him through the hours upon hours of required classes

but your friendship is pretty symbiotic

like you guys always split your topics so you can do practise essays and study guides individually and then share them

and you’re always the first pair to finish every single shared project because you just fit right into each other’s lives like clockwork

ᡣ𐭩 nakamoto yuta

he’d be so popular, everybody knows him

cos he’s just friendly and helpful and flirty with everybody

like you two would be walking down the corridor and he’d see one of your professors struggling to open the door to her office with all her files in hand

so he’d rush over, insisting on taking the files in and putting them down on her desk

and you could’ve sworn you saw him winking as he was telling her that there was no need to thank him 

it wasn’t like he was tryna chat her up though

he was just like that with everybody

but it meant a lot of people (your own age) had the fattest crushes on him

and it wasn’t like he was hiding from them either

you’d see him on the football pitches as you were walking to class each morning

always with a small crowd of adoring fans trying to hide that they were watching him warm up

even though they’d all start whispering any time he ran over to the path as he saw you passing

taking your hand to squeeze it as he wished you a good day

he never realised what he was doing though

or how many people were watching

he’d definitely enjoy it once you pointed it out to him though

starting to stroke your hair or kiss you on the cheek

not knowing whose reaction he savoured more

whether it was the gasps of the girls hiding their faces in their books 

or your scoffing and spluttering as he pulled you into another sweaty hug

ᡣ𐭩 qian kun

v intimidating at first

i mean he had such a studious aura and he seemed to smart and no-nonsense

so when your friend beckoned you over to sit next to her

in a seat that also happened to be right next to kun

you were very nervous that he’d secretly be getting really sick of your whispers

but you didn’t get so much as a side eye

in fact, when you were talking to your friend about whether she got the last point on the slide

he tapped you on the shoulder, apologising for intruding as he showed you his notes

and omg was it helpful knowing you could rely on him whenever

cos he was actually really nice and generous and had absolutely no problem with giving you and your friend a hand

so naturally you guys start sitting together more often

and then he starts spending evenings with you guys as well

which nobody has a problem with cos he’s a really good cook too ??

and it practically becomes ritual for everybody to gather in your tiny apartment on a friday for a huge debrief

and kun always sits down on your left

just like he was when you first met :)

ᡣ𐭩 kim doyoung

takes a while for you to get to know him cos he mainly hangs out with the same people

but then after a while a mutual friend mentions that doyoung is like really good at the class you’ve been bombing 

so you ask him to pass your number on and try to see if he’d be okay with helping you out

and then you meet up with him in a cafe one weekend and he’s like super nice? and funny??

and also really chill about helping you like doesn’t even ask for anything in return

but when you recommend you meet up in a cafe once a week which you’ll pay for he’s not gonna say no

the first time he does ask for the most expensive thing on the menu

which wasn’t even nice and you could see he was grimacing after every sip

so he abandons that joke immediately and just sticks with the simple stuff

meanwhile you’re grades are soaring

like never been this high in your life, what is this sorcery kinda thing

and then at the end of the semester you’re picking your next classes and you text him

and find out you won’t be doing any of the same ones?? :( 

but he tells you you should still text him anytime 

and he’d be happy to take you to a cafe one time when you can order the most extravagant thing they have to offer

ᡣ𐭩 ten lee

always passing notes

like just constantly writes little messages and distributes them to half the people in your class

cos he’s just naturally everybody’s best friend from day one somehow

but he always thinks he’s super smooth with it and the teachers have no idea

which they do but they let him off cos he gets the work done

what they don’t know is that it’s really you who’s getting the work done

and his only contribution is the early mornings when he arrives in the library to find you waiting at the table you always sit at

your notebook already open to the homework that he had a week to complete but still slipped his mind

and he puts his head down and expertly rewords all of your carefully thought out answers

you know you probably shouldn’t help him cheat but how can you say no to him

and he promises he’ll start working on the next assignment as soon as it’s given

ᡣ𐭩 jung jaehyun

okay so maybe you had been a little bit obsessed with jaehyun since your first class with him

cos he sat next to you and was all smiley and friendly from the get go

and you spent the entire lecture trying to think of something witty to say that would win him over 

and he’d go ‘hahaha y/n you’re the best we should get married’

or something like that at least

even though you hadn’t even told him your name yet

and you also couldn’t pluck up the courage to say anything before the lecture was over

and then next thing you knew he was getting up from his seat :”(

but then it came to your attention that he needed a biology tutor

which could’ve been more convenient since you barely knew anything about biology

but you were willing to put in the hours

cramming before you were supposed to be talking him through concepts

he didn’t seem entirely convinced by your credentials

but he did think it was cute of you

and he suggested that maybe the next time you meet up you do so over a coffee rather than over a diagram of a dead frog

ᡣ𐭩 dong sicheng

your biggest hype man for real

buys you cakes and presents whenever you do a test, no matter whether your results were good or bad

cos you got through it and that’s what matters

loves sitting next to you in class 

mostly so that he can give you a high five each time you make a contribution

and play pictionary with you when your lecture gets boring 

he’s good at pictionary though so it works

but then you have to both try to not get too excited when you get the answer because you don’t want to attract attention

he also takes your movie nights extremely seriously

if he turns up at your house on a friday night and you’ve still got your study stuff out

there’s genuinely quite a high risk that he’s gonna throw them in the trash

movie nights are a sacred time to relax and forget about your academic woes

even now that you’ve watched everything on netflix that’s even remotely good and your stuck on predictable thrillers and nauseating romcoms

they all seem alright when you have sicheng’s head resting on your shoulder anyway

ᡣ𐭩 kim jungwoo

not the most focused in class let’s say

don’t get me wrong he always understands everything and is completely up to date even with the optional readings and stuff that nobody else ever bothers with

but in class he just has better things to do

it’s probably something to do with the fact that the two of you live on opposite sides of the campus and don’t get to hang out that much

but from the second you walk in the lecture theatre jungwoo is dragging you to the back of the hall, gossip already tumbling from his lips

like he will not stop

you never figure out where he gets all his intel, or how he remembers the names of all the people who are involved in these stories

cos every time he tells you you always end up getting the sister of the girlfriend and the ex of the boyfriend’s best friend’s brother mixed up

but he patiently goes back to the beginning and establishes who will become central characters in these soap-style stories 

because he insists this is all absolutely need-to-know stuff

after a while you tell him that you’re gonna have to start studying together because how does he always get As while you’re scraping Cs because you can never pay attention in class

but those study sessions always just end up descending into incessant gossip too

but at least he can now explain it all to you when you’re not in class, so you finally get the chance to actually listen to your professors

ᡣ𐭩 mark lee

you never thought that sitting with mark would bother you

you guys had been friends since your first week

if anything it was more surprising that you had gone that long without having sat next to him before

and he was pretty much an ideal seatmate

except for his incessant habit of asking questions about every slide

whispering them all to you under his breath as if you have any idea why mint makes your mouth cold

or whether flies get annoyed by the sound of their own buzzing

occasionally he catches your teacher’s attention and she asks him to share what was so important with that class

which leads to him sheepishly announcing that he was just curious about whether pythagoras was married

which he obviously struggles to live down

especially after one of your classmates ((haechan)) suggested this curiosity was somehow related to his own unrequited love for a certain ancient greek mathematician

and even though you knew it was mean,, you sorta hoped the embarrassment would encourage him to keep his questions to himself

but apparently nothing could keep him from asking his burning question about whether bats have the capacity to love

ᡣ𐭩 xiaojun

xiaojun is the best for the classes you have together

but he’s honestly even better when you don’t have the same schedule

because it allows him to spend the hour running around campus putting together a nice lunch for you so you don’t forget to eat

you obviously try to do as much as you can for him as well

both because you want to make his college experience as easy as possible too

but also because you’re determined to never let him feel unappreciated

cos he always just goes so out of his way to keep you happy and stress-free 

(or as much as is within his power)

like he literally just exists a step ahead of you

he took a photo of your timetable the day you got it

so now he knows when you need to wake up each day 

and he calls you whenever it gets to 8:50 and you still haven’t texted him

which you never thank him for in the moment but you rly appreciate in the long run ofc

he also checks the exam schedules for both his classes and yours

which he doesn’t tell you about

and you only learn he had done it when you see him waiting outside the exam hall before one of your finals

even though it’s 9am

and it’s december

you can literally see his breath as he waves at you from the bench where he had been waiting for god knows how long

ᡣ𐭩 hendery

your friends all initially offered you their sympathy when your teacher told you to go and sit next to hendery

not because he was mean or had a bad reputation or anything

but he was quiet

like doesn’t say a word in lessons, even when you’re told to discuss concepts

and you were grateful for their consideration

because even in that one hour long lesson you had felt the silence thick between you

it didn’t take you too long to get used to it, and you felt yourself adapting to a more solitary learning style, which was no bad thing

but then one day, you’re just sitting trying not to zone out as you get talked through the same exact topic you’ve all understood for weeks

and you hear shuffling beside you as hendery leans over, before quietly saying ‘someone call the explanation police, this guy’s a shoo-in for their new recruit’

safe to say you’re pretty shocked

unsure whether you should lead with your shock at his finally speaking to you after weeks of silence

or with a critique of that awful ‘joke’

so you just stare at him silently, watching as he starts trying to suppress a chuckle 

‘okay maybe that wasn’t the best way to break the ice, but y’know, always good to set the bar low’

you didn’t mean to embarrass him, and as he started turning away to look back at his notes, you decided to show a little solidarity

‘someone call the joke police, cos you are one’

he stopped awkwardly avoiding your gaze then, but the second your eyes met you both had to look away to stop yourselves from laughing out loud

ᡣ𐭩 huang renjun 

it was always impossible to miss renjun coming into the room

because it always disrupted your classes

your professor would have just gotten started with the lecture 

and then the door would burst open unceremoniously 

with renjun standing panting behind it

everybody knew he wasn’t doing it to cause trouble

and the closer you guys got the more surprised you were by his lack of punctuality

because he was always so on it with everything else

he was basically always the first in your class to submit assignments

and everything from the way he folded his clothes to his love of minimalist architecture gave the impression that he was distinctly on his shit

but for whatever reason he was just allergic to getting to class on time

to be honest though,, 

you wouldn’t be mad at your teachers if they had been hoping he wouldn’t show up

cos it would’ve made their jobs a lot easier

renjun was not the type to allow any new ideas to enter his brain unquestioned

and he’d be sat next to you

quietly tutting and shaking his head as he took notes

forcing you to hold in your laughter as he murmured to himself

‘i just don’t know if i buy it’

ᡣ𐭩 lee jeno

you first sat down next to jeno on your first day cos he looked kinda smart

i mean he was wearing glasses and everybody knows glasses = smart no ??

so you assumed you could maybe get off a little easy with how much you had to do

but that plan failed

miserably

first of all,, it seems that glasses do not give you any real upper hand in terms of smarts

and you and jeno were basically flying blind together throughout all your lectures

also, speaking of blind

jeno also had the amazing ability of forgetting his glasses almost every. single. day.

so not only did you not understand anything

you had to spend all your time leant over towards him, reading out everything written on each slide

everything your lecturers wrote up onto the blackboard

he always felt pretty guilty about it

but apparently never enough to put in the extra effort to actually remember to bring his glasses to class

ᡣ𐭩 lee donghyuck

textbook class clown (!!)

like this man is always looking for a punchline 

and he wants everyone to know he’s told a joke whenever he does

so he’s like looking around the room trying to see if anyone heard and is laughing

but then he assumes it was too quiet cos everyone’s just focused on the class?

so he keeps delivering oneliners that make less and less sense and are just getting louder

because isn’t it so crazy that nobody can hear him??

and the people in the seats around him are all just trying to hold their laughter because this is like a performance at this point

and of course you’re the first one to crack

but you think you should’ve allowed yourself to laugh sooner because he looks so happy when you finally do

and he decides then and there that you guys are gonna be besties now

which you didn’t realise was the deal but no complaints

ᡣ𐭩 na jaemin

you were pleased when jaemin came and sat down next to you in your first lecture of the new school year

you had had a few classes with him before and he always kept things interesting

making jokes and asking deliberately obscure questions in an attempt to drain lesson time on things that everybody knew wouldn’t be coming up on your finals

you hadn’t realised that his easy-going attitude was so incompatible with complicated classes though

as soon as the content started getting trickier jaemin’s continuous stream of jokes began to become a less than welcome distraction

you felt bad about telling him to be quiet

because you did really appreciate his effort to make the classes more engaging for both of you

but you eventually needed to focus so much that you had to get him to stop

and while he mock-sulked for the rest of that lecture

the arm that he swung over your shoulder as you left and went to get lunch assured you that there were absolutely no hard feelings

but his jokeless silence in lessons lasted a lot longer than you had anticipated

it was only when your teacher was talking you through how different minerals could be used as fertiliser that he cracked

‘fertiliser...? i hardly know her’

ᡣ𐭩 yangyang

yangyang is definitely,,, 

hard to miss

whether it’s the whispered conversations that always seem to carry from whichever corner of the lecture theatre he’s sitting in

or the raucous laughter that bursts through the silence of your cohort at random intervals

he never allows his presence to remain unknown for longer than a day after the semester begins

all that being said, you had never actually met the man

until the fateful day when you woke up late and had to find a seat near the back 

which you didn’t mind too much, and naturally just proceeded to make your notes as you always did

and you were just skimming the notes you had made while doing the readings to consolidate a concept 

when a precisely made paper aeroplane sailed through the air and crashed right into the nape of your neck

the immediate gasp from behind you was easy to recognise given your experience of yangyang’s voice interrupting your lessons

but honestly,,, you hadn’t expected him to be so apologetic

like full on getting out of his seat and going to the end of the row just to shuffle past all the people sitting alongside you

until he eventually reached the seat next to yours where he spent the remaining 20 minutes of the lecture telling you he felt rly bad and he hadn’t expected it to actually hit somebody

and he was being so kind that you didn’t have the heart to tell him that his repeated apologies were far more distracting than the plane itself had been

but you still allowed him to buy you a coffee once the lecture was over

just because you knew he felt bad though,, definitely no other reason 👀

ᡣ𐭩 zhong chenle

already besties fr

like y’all pick the classes that work for the both of you cos it’s always more engaging with the other around

and you can split your workload + be together for projects + all that good stuff

but mayhaps you were a wee bit too loud the last time you had professor yoo

cos the second you get into her class for the new semester she’s politely suggesting that you might prefer to sit with new people this time around

and aside from muttering about her under his breath chenle is pretty compliant

so you guys sit on opposite sides of the class

him slumping into one of the back seats by the window

so he can wistfully stare into the courtyard and think about all the hilarious jokes he’d be telling you if your professor wasn’t so boring smh

but after a week and too many coffee shop rants for you to remember he finally figures out what to do

and the next time you’re in that class

actually getting work done for once but chenle doesn’t need to know that

you keep getting that one notification sound that is only for airdrops

so you check your phone and lo and behold,, it’s a screenshot of a note chenle has clearly just written

which you barely even have the chance to read before a new one pings onto your phone

and before you know it you’re getting a running commentary sent to you

which he admittedly could’ve done way more subtly 

considering he’s so pleased with half of his jokes he starts laughing before he’s even sent them

and it’s not like there’s any mistaking which corner of the room the laughter is coming from

ᡣ𐭩 park jisung

okay no bc he’s so sweet

like he’d be the best classmate

always follows your lead in lessons and stuff

like lets you put your head down and work when you’re trying to focus

but also makes you laugh and will lean over to explain stuff if you’re not getting it straight away

not that he finds the classes the easiest himself

but he just wants to make school the littlest bit less painful for you if he can :”)

i feel like his handwriting is rly messy most of the time?

but if you look through his notes you can see which days you were sick and had to miss class

because suddenly his handwriting is perfect and all the information is arranged really neatly and coherently

because he doesn’t want you to stress out about missing content so he always makes his notes super easy to understand so you can go through them and get yourself up to date as soon as you’re feeling better

[clairedaring]

random msi ep 7 thoughts - joe's guilt and obligations to the old owner of his new body/life

so i did my reread of the chapters last weekend in preparation for this week's episode and one part stood out to me that i missed in last few rereads was this precious bit where joe expresses his guilt about about using his new body for sex

“Mom, it’s true. I also think that I came across such a good thing. He said that I can repay him slowly, but he’ll lend me the money first for our pressing needs. This money is really nothing to him. The money we owed, we can repay a part of it first. I’ll work hard. It’ll definitely get better in the future. So Mom, you must not have any burden. You must comply with the treatments. It’s only if you live that we can have hope, okay?” [Ing]’s voice trembled, “There is really such good people? How can there be such good people?” [Joe] smiled and confirmed the matter over and over again; only for [Ing] to feel as ease. If she knew that he agreed to such a deal… he wouldn’t dare to think about the consequences. If it was his former body, he may not feel as terrible. He is not a woman, not to mention that he had slept with [Ming] before. However, this body was not his. Although they have converged for so long, [Joe] still could not fully accept this body. Using [Ing]’s son’s body to do this made his heart filled with a sense of guilt. Moreover, when he thought of [Ming] using this body as a (substitute)……he could not describe his feelings. Embarrassed, awkward, and resentful. [Joe]’s heart is full of negative emotions. - Chapter 60, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

And obviously since these are more of Joe's inner thoughts, I thought we weren't gonna get them. But then MSI team really took me by surprise by incorporating that bit seamlessly into this scene.

gif courtesy of @pharawee

it's a tiny detail. but one i appreciate very much to the team for having joe (the soul) remains considerate to the old owner of his body, someone he owes his new life to.

and it's actually not the only bit in the novel where he is constantly reminded by the old owner of his new body. like for example, when he first learned of ing's illness, he also considered donating one of his kidneys.

[Joe] made an arrangement with the doctor to have his kidney tested for compatibility the next time he come. This he did secretly behind [Ing]’s back. Even if his kidney is a match, the first issue is that he has no money for the surgery and second is that he’s afraid [Ing] would rather die than to agree to accept his kidney. But no matter what, he has to give it a try. At least there’s more hope to save her. Although [Joe] felt a little fearful on the possibility of having a kidney removed, he had no reason to back down. This body was not his to start with, but belonged to this youngster named [Joe]. He was just a dying person fortunate enough to have his soul hosted in this body to continue on living his life. This youngster is [Ing]’s son. On this body that hosted his soul, every strand of hair, skin and even this life came from [Ing]. He is the closest relative to [Ing]. He cannot evade nor can he be selfish. - Chapter 57, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

and i also really like that even in as early as the beginning of the novel, since joe's woken up from his coma he's already committed to being ing's son because he's indebted to the old owner of his new body for giving him a 'renewed treasured life'.

[Joe] glanced at her. Although this woman is not his mother, he thinks that he has the responsibility to take care of her for the rest of her life because he took over her son’s body, making her lose her son forever. He, on the other hand, got a renewed treasured life. He can’t just accept that. He should also take up the responsibility that this life should have taken and complete his obligations. - Chapter 3, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

anyhow this was not really a thoughts post, more like an excuse to gush about how much i love this novel and how well the series has been able to capture nuances that i thought would be left out due to tv constraints.

[respectthepetty]

I love these two for various reasons.

First, the restaurant owner has blackout sleeve tattoos.

Beyond that being sexy *bites knuckles*, it's also gangsta.

Which is why he was guarding the entry to his establishment, and only let Qian in but not his schoolmates.

This is also why meeting there bothered Xiong so much.

Because this is a gangsta's restaurant.

Yet later on, we know Xiong frequently visits the restaurant on his own accord, but even more importantly, that he is allowed to visit. It's now a mutual respect.

And this is a gangsta's clinic.

They are NOT a front for gang activity (probably, most likely, maybe?), but a majority of the clientele are gangstas.

Which means these places serve the community and as a safe space for gangstas because they need to trust that the people who make their food and stitch them up won't snitch or try to kill them.

Which is why Zu Guan knew Le Ge was back, and it's why Le Ge was at the restaurant and not his office. He needs to make his presence known, but also, it's a sign of respect to visit the people who held it down while he has been away.

Le Ge knows that Qian doesn't trust him, but there is a level of respect and honor among gangstas, which is why Le Ge trusted the restaurant owner to keep his gun, and it's why the owner was ready to leave it all behind to go with Le Ge knowing full well what Le Ge was planning.

Because he knows that life.

It's also why Le Ge made sure everyone got their shot including himself.

Le Ge stated he doesn't deal drugs, so he probably is in money laundering and reinforcement by offering protection and collection for a fee.

And Qian owes him.

Le Ge gave Qian a legit job, then when Qian needed more money, Le Ge gave him a less legit job. Le Ge not only gave Yuan his name but the official documents to go with that name. Le Ge's clinic fixed Qian and his family up for a nominal fee. Le Ge's restaurant gave Qian the privacy to do business without prying ears. And, yeah, Qian could've died trying to get out, but Le Ge isn't asking anything of anyone else that he, himself, wouldn't do.

And as much as Qian doesn't like or trust Le Ge, he respects him.

Because Le Ge is a man of his word. He doesn't blame others. He takes responsibility. And he keeps his promises.

That's why, unlike A Hu who sees Yuan as Qian's weakness and uses Yuan again to get to Qian, Le Ge understands that Yuan is Qian's strength. It's why he got upset that A Hu took Yuan the first time, and it's why he is pissed when he sees the video A Hu sent him.

When Qian told Yuan he could come home, we understood that Qian was "home" for Yuan. And we understand that Qian's entire life is his family. So Le Ge knows Qian will fight harder for Yuan. Le Ge knows Qian will kill for Yuan. And Le Ge knows Qian would die for Yuan because Qian's life is nothing to him without his family.

Which is why he reminds A Hu that his leg is the way it is NOT because of Qian, but because A Hu underestimated Qian. Le Ge tells A Hu he must take responsibility for his choices and his life.

Because Qian has always taken responsibility for his life.

I'll pay you back. Everything I owe you.

Because his entire life is his family.

Everything I own is yours whether you want it or not

And Le Ge gave him that.

Qian is Yuan's entire life, from beginning to end.

I can sum up my life with two words, Wei Qian

And Le Ge gave them that life love.

[wei-ying-kexing-apologist]

WKA's 2024 Tumblr Top 10

I was tagged in this game by @lurkingshan did it on my phone and therefore did not spend a lot of time making it look nice. But since I was just tagged in this again by @telomeke I figured I'd take advantage of the edit feature to zhuzh it up a little bit. So!

1. PhayaTharn's Informative Morning- 441 notes - Jan 3 2024

gif by @firstmix

I am so lucky that I love writing essays and that I do not do it for the notes or the clout, because this post took me like two seconds to create and was my most popular of the year.

2. Feelings Made Visible: Design Choices in The Sign essay- 409 notes - Jan 5 2024

gif by @thisautistic

I am so sad about the trajectory of my enjoyment of The Sign because I was having fun writing essays about it at the beginning. But by the end I was strongly contemplating writing a fix-it fic, though I quickly decided I did not have the brain space to write that whole thing out. ANYWAY...I really enjoyed writing this essay because lighting is my favorite part of theater performances and something I really love seeing and talking about in all visual mediums, but I have far fewer opportunities to do so in television because a lot of the time the lighting is more dedicated to looking realistic. The Sign gave me the opportunity to talk about lighting choices for the first time in forever.

3. Symptoms of a Systems Error essay- 399 notes - Feb 2 2024

gif by @dramascene

ALL THESE END OF YEAR POSTS ARE REMINDING ME THAT @lurkingshan AND I OWE THIS SHOW THE RE-WATCH WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO DO. I was definitely a little skeptical going in to this show about the premise of this man being in a video game, but it had one of the smartest uses of that setting I've seen and I really enjoyed all the subtle ways that they used the world around them to deepen the story at hand and I'm really glad so many people seemed to enjoy this essay as well!

4. Episode 10: The Couch essay- 353 notes - Apr 21 2024

Here is a great example of @lurkingshan demonstrating that I can and will take essay requests for shows I am watching. I cannot begin to explain in words the chokehold this show had on me, so hopefully ya'll will just see the fact that I wrote ten essays about only six episodes of this show as evidence of how much back rent this show owes me for living in my head. I LOVE MICROEXPRESSIONS AND CHRIS CHU DID SUCH A PHENOMENAL GODDAMN JOB WITH HIS PORTRAYAL OF WEI QIAN AND I NEED TO SCREAM THAT FROM THE HEAVENS AT EVERY GIVEN OPPORTUNITY~

5. Parallels in Unknown Episode 9 essay- 329 notes - Apr 14 2024

gif by @ueasking

It appears like Unknown fever was taking hold of a hell of a lot of us on this website considering that literally half of my most popular posts of 2024 were from this show. I think a really important aspect of this show and why I enjoyed it so much was that it was really taking its time demonstrating how much history Wei Qian has to overcome in order to take on that mental shift of viewing Wei Zi Yuan as a romantic partner instead of as his brother. Which is why I was so sad that they fucked up the sex scene in Ep 11 and did not spend as much time as they really should have cementing Qian's shifted feelings after the confrontation at the stairs at the end of Episode 10. EITHER WAY I do think the use of parallels was a really smart way of showing that recontextualization.

6. Fantasy v. Reality: The Sign Episode 7 essay- 328 notes - Jan 8 2024

I am such a huge proponent of talking about sex scenes in television not only because they are enjoyable to watch but because they are choreographed scenes that take a lot of planning and a lot of work and I think it is important to be able to see and approach conversations around intimacy on screen in such a way. Getting a chance to write about how the sex scene in episode 7 merged Phaya and Tharn's fantasies and also their lighting cues was really fun! I hope that 2025 grants me enough energy to get back on the essay writing wagon in full force because I miss doing it but also have felt incredibly uninspired by a lot of what I've seen in the BL sector the last couple months.

7. LOSING MY MIND OVER UNKNOWN EPISODE 8 essay- 284 notes - Apr 10 2024

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

So sorry to you, Wei Qian, but unfortunately you sent your brother to America in hopes he would lose interest in you and instead he came back a menace!

8. Top Five "Oh" Moments ask- 282 notes - Jan 15 2024

let this be a lesson folks that it is a-okay to ask questions if you have them. I love getting asks and I know a lot of my mutuals do as well! I really loved getting this question and being allowed to talk about my top five!

9. Unknown Episode 7 Brain Rot Moments essay- 281 notes - Apr 1 2024

Going back through these posts is fun for me because I really like seeing the different ways I have engaged in media analysis and commentary. This time it was literally just a bullet-pointed list of things that I knew were making me chew glass about this show and I still loved writing it!

10. Unknown, Ep 10: Qian and Yuan- 166 notes - Apr 26 2024

Yippe! A good old fashioned Captain Hands Scene Breakdown what a time I had!

Created by TumblrTop10

I will tag @aeternallis and @kangarew-tail-7 in this, obviously you are under no obligation to participate if you do not wish to!

[bengiyo]

Unknown Ep 12 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Wei Qian and Xiao Yuan consummated the physical desire in their relationship, before Wei Qian ended up trying to deal with his head injury on his own again. Yuan broke through that and the two went home together, where Li Li was being supported by San Pang. I'm still feeling some consternation about the way they framed that sex scene and how they handled the emotional aftermath.

Li Li is reminding me of my own sister handling my coming out somewhat poorly because she was mad that she wasn't informed sooner.

I like her moving around the table to talk more intimately with Yuan after getting the big answers she needed.

Episode 12: Us

I like everyone trying to navigate this dynamic between Wei Qian and Yuan carefully. I'm a big fan of Xiong wanting to make sure he knows he's on their side.

Wei Qian looks so much better when it doesn't look like he's being crushed by the weight of the world.

Men should grab each other by their ties and kiss each other more often.

Yuan is a menace! He was not going to keep this on the DL at all.

Oh no...top-bottom discourse. Thank you for shutting it down, Wei Qian.

Li Li is pregante!!

This hallway scene is phenomenal. Wei Qian really is such a good brother, and I really love the way this scene reminds us of that. This thing with Yuan was super confusing, but he kept his cool so quickly with Li Li and focused on the important things. Yuan coming out of her room to intercept Qian. Li Li coming out of Yuan's room to talk. San Pang entering from Qian's room, and then the ensuing fight across all three rooms.

See all of Qian's reactions here are well-grounded in what we know of his relationship with Li Li and how hard things were with their mother.

Not me crying because of this group handhold.

I'm not sure it was clear earlier that their mom chose to die. This adds another harsh layer to Wei Qian's worries for Li Li.

They're doing that thing where they focus on Yuan maybe a little too much.

I'm relieved to know that Li Li had her baby without many lingering worries.

Final Verdict: 8.5, Recommended. I think the early parts of his series were incredibly strong, but I think there were some problems after they sent Yuan away to NYC. I feel like they didn't properly capture the turn for Wei Qian where things go from fraternal to romantic, and especially sexual. They introduced terrible sexual trauma to his story in a way that went unresolved, so it hurt the big moment where he decided to accept things with Yuan. I'm also high-key mad about this head injury plotline because they ended this show without telling us about the surgery, too. It didn't fully-connect with the family angst they were going for and left me a bit unsatisfied with it as a running plot in the background. That said, I think this show took the found family and relationship change conceits seriously and I respect that.

[waitmyturtles]

I’ve been internally comparing Yuan to Old Fashion Cupcake’s Togawa, which isn’t quite fair, because a shade of Togawa is his self-shame at what he revealed to Nozue when he admitted his feelings in OFC episode 5. But at least Yuan and Togawa share this strong and bold sense of sassiness within and vis à vis their attraction and list for the older men they court.

Today, in Unknown, episode 9, I got a sense of Nozue in Qian. I know that embrace at the end of the episode may be read in part as a shipping embrace, but what I also realized about that hug was that:

As Nozue had to contemplate “crossing a line,” as it were, to DECIDE on embracing his queer revelation, what is so beautiful about watching Qian’s process of change is that we get to watch his DECISION-MAKING about crossing A FIRST line from big brother/father to lover, and we’re seeing ALL THE BURDENS and senses of responsibility he has to his YOUNGER BROTHER/CHILD there. There’s a lot more there than a queer revelation, so much more — there’s a decision that he has also has to walk away (because Yuan is now self-sufficient) from brotherly/parental RESPONSIBILITY. He needs to process this, and San Peng is there to remind Qian of this.

These are two BIG LINES! (Togawa even talks to Nozue, at the end of OFC, about being identified as a social minority — but we’re not even there yet in Unknown, and that separately is a huge behavioral decision and deal for the outcome of any queer revelation we see in dramas, that someone who previously identified as straight and who will come out as queer will have to contemplate a minority social status. The second season of She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat covered this beautifully.)

We’re being blessed or cursed with Unknown spoilers of Qian and Yuan smoochin’, but this episode 9 embrace meant a lot more to me than a prelude to smooching. I think this show in part is affecting me so much as a mom, because Qian has GOT to accept Yuan as a self-sufficient and emotionally responsible adult before making an emotional transition to becoming a lover.

Not the lover part as much, but the acceptance that a kid has grown up: that is something that parents and older siblings really struggle with, because we want to box our youngsters into a segment of our memories when they were younger, dependent, unconditionally loving, and we as caretakers could BE depended on in an expected and reliable way. Admittedly, so many of us parents even want and explore the unbalanced power dynamic there.

Yuan’s fuckin’ up that power dynamic with his damn sassiness, it is so amazing to see, but I also empathize with Qian so much, because the adult growth transitions that HE has to make as a former caretaker are just really emotionally huge. And the show is allowing him his pace of growth that’s right for his character, and it’s really just getting me in the gut for how emotionally sound and empathic this journey is going.

[mimicha-arts]

Qian Jin

Hello and sorry. I’m here again with my “catch the details faster than the frame changes.” Let's talk about Qian Jin! I'm pretty sure we'll learn new information in the next episode because of the flashback, so I want to get ahead of things a little and play bingo ;)

SPOILERS FOR S2

1. Romeo and Juliet Many have discussed this, but we will go deeper. One of the main key points in the s2 is the Romeo and Juliet theme and poster, which we now know is related to Qian Jin's story.

In my opinion, his whole scene with the poster looked very personal, hardly just "symbolism" of his feelings after losing his wife or something like that. And here I will try to explain why. Because, most likely, the actress on the poster is Qian Jin's wife. Her name was shown for such a brief moment that I actually nearly lost my mind while trying to capture the frame. So, her name is probably Chen Nan (陈楠). And I really don't think it was necessary to include such details if they are minor.

Well. Pure speculations. We all remember that initially everything was wrong with the case, the suspect in the murder of Qian Jin‘s wife after some time committed suicide and left a note with a confession. Although I can read some words, I can't rely on my eyes, so I can't string them together into complete sentences. But what I can guess is that there are two characters in the signature, and the surname kinda looks like Zhuang (庄).

So. Which character also has the surname Zhuang, who has already been "shown" in the series… On the same poster of "Romeo and Juliet", where the actress, theoretically, was Qian Jin's wife… Yeah. Zhuang Shuai (庄帅)

Okay, this could all be a coincidence, my imagination, speculation. But is these details actually connected, for now, until this has been refuted, I suspect that the story of the murder of Qian Jin's wife was much more personal and deep. Like, now we are convinced that after he found out about Cheng Xiaoshi's ability, his motivation is obviously to capture Cheng Xiaoshi in order to rewrite the past. Likely to save his wife (?). But I'm not sure how much more complex it will be?

If any of this is confirmed, I rather think that Qian Jin's wife was killed by Zhuang Shuai out of jealousy. I also need to say, for now I don't think that 戴绿帽子 is a possible situation here, seems TOO cruel for me, but who knows.

2. Qian Jin and details Eyes. We were all confused because Qian Jin's eyes were not common, but icy yellow. In fact, his eyes can be said to have three states. I also note that sometimes pupils are not drawn or too small because of 2D graphics, so I take into account only obvious close-ups. First type: present, yellow eyes with a vertical pupil. We see that kind of his eyes in most of his scenes. The same type of eyes are in his character design pictures and intro.

Second type: present, yellow with a round pupil. This type of eyes appears specifically in episode 4.

(Technically) third type: the past, yellow eyes with a round pupil. In all the close-up scenes in flashbacks, his pupils are round.

Abilities: It's hard to guess, but at the moment I don't think he personally has any special abilities. It seems to me, given his one line, that Qian Jin relies more on his skills, plans and his people, treating abilities (at least in this situation) in a rather lenient way. Also, his real words sound more special and poetic - If there is a way to reach the sky, it will be difficult to fly away even with wings (friendly reminder, I'm not a translator or native speaker)

But there is one dubious detail. OK. Speaking of gloves, he probably uses gloves to avoid accidentally touching Li Tianchen and getting controlled, which is a pretty logical conclusion after episode 8. But. At some point, while talking to Li Tianchen, when the frame points to Qian Jin, there is a rather small movement of the hand and the sound of either the rustle of clothes, or the sound of something being handed over (ep 7, 1:22-1:28). This was weird.

This may be a trick, but at some point, when it gets to 7pm, Qian Jin claps his hands. And given to Cheng Xiaoshi's abilities, we know that clapping can be a means of activating/disabling an ability.

Speculation: Since we can't fully rely on changing the shape of the eyes, pupil, eye color, due to the change in visual "rules" compared to season 1 + animation errors, but for now I'll make assumptions.

In fact, in some of these scenes, Qian Jin may be possessed by Cheng Xiaoshi (which is trite, but possible)

Someone uses their abilities on Qian Jin, they are in cooperation. This person either possess him either they watches events through Qian Jin's eyes from time to time, as if through a camera.

Qian Jin gave something to Li Tianchen in the car, and that will play a role in the plot.

The change of eyes is an attempt to show the change in his personality, but I don't think it's that simple.

3. Something beyond my understanding

The man with a hat. They are obviously connected, and I already wrote a big theory about this, if the man in the hat turns out to be Liu Xiao, let's not dwell on this, if you want to read, click on - Person in the shadows.

Dates In his intro, although there is some information, as always, the year is not indicated. Obviously, the current year is still 2021 (according to s1). But in the second season, we are not shown specific dates anywhere (even with the twins, although we can find out their year of birth by literally subtracting 19), and here. There is an event, there is a blurry date. Not specified. I guess something is wrong with time already or is this a hint that it doesn’t matter, because the events are looped / will be erased.

Player and music And probably the most ??????? thing. When Qian Jin is in the car, there is a VERY short frame before he takes the call. If you catch it... here is a player on the screen. The music is Symphony of Fate (生命交响乐). And the player does not have a "back" button, only forward.

Time is like music, yeah. Thank you for reading once again ~ I hope episode 9 gives us more information and answers some questions though… *cries*. Feel free to discuss!

[peanutpinet]

Protection - Mafia! Jungwoo x fem reader

A/N: yes, this is another mafia NCT, this time, for a member that I rarely ever did but because my lovely friend @mymoodwriting is a fan of Jungwoo and she has always give in to writing for me, I want to do something for her and her bias. Hope you like it, Lin :)

Also, to the one that requested Jaemin, that is my next to-do and I already have a bit of a plot in mind. Minor spoiler in this one. Oh and you don't have to read Jeno, Haechan, or Taeyong's one to understand this but if you want to, I'll link it right below

Synopsis: NCT was developing a new technology to help them expand more and help them to always be one step ahead of their enemy

Warnings: mafia activities, a bit of cursing, slight angst, torture\

Taeyong's story: here

Jeno's story: here

Haechan's story: here

A smile could hide so many things that a person is feeling or doing. Whether it is their feelings or true identity. But Jungwoo learned to use his smile to not only protect his personal feelings but to also hide his true identity.

To his neighbours, Jungwoo was just a smart young man who was working in one of the best tech companies in the country, Neo-Tech. When in reality, Jungwoo co-owns the tech company along with Lee Taeyong, the leader of NCT, an infamous mafia in South Korea that has members from different parts of the world and has worldwide connections.

The only thing that people didn’t know was the core NCT members. While everyone knew the core leaders, Lee Taeyong, Mark Lee, and Qian Kun. There were many other core members under the leaders who were not made known to the world and oftentimes were just blending among the regular people. One of which was Jungwoo.

Walking into the tall building, Jungwoo greeted every single worker, from the security, the administration, to even the cleaning services of the building; all with a smile. Despite his tall, slightly unreachable figure, Jungwoo tries to be kind to everyone. Jungwoo would help the old lady from finance bring her paperwork, hold the door to the content team who were bringing big and heavy filming equipment to help his coworker’s work even if it wasn’t what he did.

Arriving at his desk, Jungwoo took his regular working laptop and got to work which was helping the HR filter out some candidates for an internship to be working under Jungwoo. Hours went by and Jungwoo started to get a bit hungry so he ordered some food while going to the breakroom to get coffee when he saw Taeyong and his personal assistant, Doyoung walking pass the breakroom. Stopping when he noticed Jungwoo gossipping with one of his coworkers.

“Ehem” Taeyong coughed, grabbing both Jungwoo and his coworker’s attention. “My office, now, Jungwoo” Taeyong stated, leaving his office but Jungwoo caught Doyoung eyeing and signalling him to come asap

“Sorry, I have to go. Boss is calling. But I hope that your operation will go well, Ms Choi” Jungwoo replied, throwing the paper cup into the trash as he went back to his desk to grab the necessary paperwork and laptop to Taeyong’s office, not forgetting to lock the door and closing the blinds

“You wanted to see me, boss” Jungwoo joked, acting as if he was a new worker in the company

“Drop the act, Jungwoo” Taeyong stated, unamused

“Geez, would it kill you to just live a little?” Jungwoo shrugged, sitting across Taeyong while Doyoung stood next to him. “Also, since when do you follow TY around?” Jungwoo asked, looking at Doyoung

“I’m part of the HR team here and his personal assistant regarding other business” Doyoung replied, rolling his eyes at the younger one

“Still. You follow him around like a pet” Jungwoo commented, annoying Doyoung that he almost strangled Jungwoo

“Enough. I can’t believe the younger ones are more easier to tame than you both” Taeyong reminded, making the two younger members stop

“So, what is it that you need from me? Broken weapons? Need an upgrade for your vehicle?” Jungwoo asked, crossing his leg over the other one

“Doyoung” Taeyong commanded and Doyoung took his tab out that showed a resume of a young college girl, placing it right in front of Jungwoo

“A college student?” Jungwoo questioned, swiping the tab to read more of the girl. “Holy. She’s from Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST)?! Top of her class?! Researched about the potential worldwide satellite tracker?!” Jungwoo gasped

“She’s applying for internship here and will be directly under you. I want you to get close and work together to figure out that worldwide satellite tracker” Taeyong stated, making Jungwoo stopped scrolling

“You mean, you actually want me and this girl to upgrade our current satellite tracker to be able to be used worldwide?! Hyung, I’ve been researching and doing trials here and there for the past few months. I—” Jungwoo complained but Taeyong stopped him

“Don’t underestimate the girl, Jungwoo. I didn’t underestimate you when you first join us. When your college “friends” betrayed you and used your findings against you” Taeyong stated, standing up from his chair and swiped the tab once again

“She’s won multiple science fair since junior high. Always at the top of her class when it comes to anything science or maths related subject. Always receive scholarships since high school up till university. Her research on the worldwide satellite tracker won multiple attention from many other scientists. Even the US government wanted her knowledge. But of course, our government made a deal with us and it would benefit us greatly if you both actually managed to complete that tracker” Taeyong explained. “I don’t need you both to finish it that quickly but I need you to get as many information from her to upgrade our current tracker. She’s only going to be interning with us for only 6 months. Make them count” Taeyong added, placing a handful of the intern’s research in front of Jungwoo right as there was a knock to the door

“Come in” Taeyong mentioned. “Sorry to disturb you sir, the intern is here” the building’s security mentioned. “Right, bring her in, thank you” Taeyong mentioned and the security opened the door wider to reveal the new intern

“H-hi” the intern stuttered, clearly nervous when entering the boss’ room

“Hi. Don’t be nervous. Come, take a seat. That’s Jungwoo, by the way. He’s going to be your supervisor throughout your internship” Taeyong greeted the new intern

“H-hi. I’m (y/n). Please to meet you” the intern bowed at the older men before taking her seat right beside Jungwoo

“Hi. I’m Jungwoo. Welcome aboard! I promise you that you’ll learn lots of things and there won’t ever be a dull day with me around” Jungwoo exclaimed, taking in on (y/n)’s feature

“Oh, is that my research on the worldwide satellite tracker?” (y/n) questioned, looking at the paper on Taeyong’s table

“Right. I was just telling Jungwoo that you were also researching about that tracker. Jungwoo himself has been trying different things and I believe that with you onboard, it would help him a lot. You don’t have to finish it by the end of your internship. But if Jungwoo does manage to finish it with your help, there’ll be a big bonus for both of you” Taeyong explained

“I’ve never actually tried it myself since you know, I don’t have the equipment” (y/n) mentioned

“Then this is the perfect time for us to try it together. We have the equipment and you have the brains!” Jungwoo exclaimed, making (y/n) chuckle. “Yes, we can”

“Well, looks like the two of you are getting along. I trust Jungwoo will teach you around. Also, we don’t to overtime unless there’s a launching event but you don’t have to worry about that because we’ll compensate you for it. If Jungwoo gets a bit too much, feel free to tell Doyoung here. He’s the main HR of the company and my personal assistant” Taeyong explained

“Got it, boss!” (y/n) exclaimed back. “Here’s your laptop and welcome goodie bag. Jungwoo will show you around before actually giving you your tasks” Taeyong mentioned, taking out a laptop and goodie bag, handing it to (y/n)

“Oh?! Thank you!” (y/n) thanked Taeyong. “Here, let me help you. Let’s go, shall we?” Jungwoo offered, taking (y/n)’s laptop and standing up from his seat

Right before both Jungwoo and (y/n) leave, Taeyong called out to Jungwoo. “Jungwoo. Think about it” Taeyong reminded the younger one as Jungwoo and (y/n) left

Jungwoo’s POV After the little meeting with Taeyong, I helped (y/n) take some of her things to her new table which was right beside mine. Introducing her to the rest of the team before bringing her around the office for a mini office tour.

We started off with the regular floor which is where everyone does their work, a mini breakroom to make coffee or heat up some food or drinks. I then directed her towards our pantry where people can come to cook, have breakfast because as cold as Taeyong looks, he’s pretty considerate and provide different kinds of food, beverages, and snacks for everyone.

“Can we really take any of these food and drinks?” (y/n) asked

“Of course. I know Taeyong might look intimidating but he’s a very considerate boss. He pays us all well. He doesn’t push us. He would oftentime be hands on in some of the work, especially when it’s a busy week like launching a new product. You have nothing to worry about when Taeyong is the boss. Well, as long as you don’t get on his bad side” I joked

We then went to the floor where we do product testing where everyone run tests on the products, tries it, making revisions on the spot and even taking product pictures and video shots.

“So, this is where we do all our testing. We have 2 floors for testing. Well, we mainly use this floor for testing and the other floor is more so for product shots and videos. Sometimes with models as well” I explained

“Jungwoo, I need your help because Hae— is this the new intern?” I heard Jaehyun calling out to me

“Yeah, meet (y/n), the new intern. She’s directly under me. (y/n) meet…” I introduced (y/n) but apparently it seems that she knows Jaehyun first

“Jung Jaehyun, right? I’ve seen you model for Prada. Your last drama series was also amazing! I can’t believe that I get to see you. In real life!” (y/n) exclaimed, making Jaehyun’s ears turn bright red. “Thank you for the compliment, it’s always a pleasure to meet a fan. I hope Jungwoo hasn’t been too much for you” Jaehyun replied

“I’m right here?! What were you saying again, hyung?” I asked

“We can talk later, Jungwoo” Jaehyun brushed me off. “So, (y/n), I heard that you did research regarding the worldwide satellite tracker?” Jaehyun asked (y/n)

“Yeap. It was just a theory. But Taeyong boss said that me and Jungwoo oppa might be able to test the theory out!” (y/n) explained, her energy was very cheerful despite being at the office this early in the morning

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I read your research paper and let me tell you, you’re definitely smarter than Jungwoo” Jaehyun half-whispered. “I heard you, hyung!” I scoffed whereas (y/n) just giggled

“A-are you a fan of all these science things? Sorry, I didn’t mean to just, you seem quite different from your on-screen persona” (y/n) asked

“No worries. I guess it’s because I’ve been a close friend of Taeyong for a long time. We go back since like senior year of high school and we’ve helped each other since. When Taeyong said that he needed my help to model his products, I was more than happy to help since Taeyong had helped me before. Plus, I used to suck with technology until this one taught me some tricks I could do with some of the products” Jaehyun explained, pointing at me

“Okay!! That’s enough backstory of you and Taeyong-hyung. Come (y/n), let’s go to the other floors and then we can start upgrading the satellite system” I mentioned, placing my hands on both of (y/n)’s shoulders, guiding her away from Jaehyun

“Don’t forget that I need to talk to you later, Jungwoo!” Jaehyun exclaimed and I waved him off

After bringing (y/n) around, it was lunchtime and I took (y/n) to our cafeteria and got her some food as we sat near the entrance since we came in a bit later than everyone else. Right as we were talking and getting to know each other, Haechan decided to come and disturb us.

“Hi. The name is Haechan. You must be the new intern” Haechan mentioned, sliding right beside (y/n) who was shocked at the sudden presence beside her

“Ya! You can’t just suddenly waltz in like that. Can’t you see we’re having lunch and how scared she is? Ignore him. He’s just a weirdo” I mentioned, reassuring (y/n) that Haechan is harmless

“I’m alright, Jungwoo-oppa, thank you. Hi! I’m (y/n), nice to meet you” (y/n) replied, taking her hand out which Haechan took to shake

“See, Jungwoo. You’re overreacting. Anyways, I’m Haechan, as I’ve mentioned. I work part-time here as the IT guy and part-time streamer. If there’s anything wrong with your laptop or anything wrong in terms of your technology, I’m the guy for it” Haechan boasted himself, making me scoff

“Thank you, Haechan. I’ll keep that in mind” (y/n) giggled

“Another thing to keep in mind is to not get on Taeyong’s bad side, you can bully Doyoung whenever you like because it’s fun. Oh and, I’m not sure if Jungwoo mentioned this to you already but do not. I repeat. Do. Not. Go to the absolutely forbidden place in this entire building. The backup backup storage room. Whether someone you know is in there and needs your help, do not go in there. Even if you have the access, you ask? Yes. Do not go in there” Haechan pointed out a piece of information that I accidentally forgot to mention

“Why? You keep dead bodies in there?” (y/n) joked, making me and Haechan look at each other

“Just don’t go in there, (y/n). You might not have access to that room but just in case if anyone who has it accidentally drops it, don’t use it to go in there. Even if there is an earthquake or whatever disaster” I mentioned, my tone was serious that it might’ve scared her a bit

“Okay. I won’t. I promise. Oh, lunchtime is over, shall we go, Jungwoo-oppa?” (y/n) asked

“Yeap. Let’s go grab some snacks from the snack bar and then start our work of the day” I exclaimed, helping (y/n) grab her tray. “See you later, Haechan” I mentioned

“Bye, hyung. Bye (y/n)!!” Haechan exclaimed

After grabbing some snacks, (y/n) and I went to one of the testing rooms to get started on our worldwide satellite tracker. I started by telling her about our current satellite tracking system which uses the current South Korean database hence we could find anyone in South Korea.

“It’s more complex when we’re talking worldwide database and we have already tried to access lots of the database from here and there but sometimes the connection would cut off” I explained, showing (y/n) the database that we had connected to the satellite

“Ahh right, I mentioned this in my thesis. I wrote that we need connectors in each continent like one in Asia, one in Europe. It acts like a phone, like our SNS in a way. You connect with one another to give and take information with each other” (y/n) explained

“Great. All we have to do is just build the connection devices, right?” I exclaimed

“Not quite. Each connection/transmitter device needs to be built with a chip that connects each of them together and activates them as a transmitter that links the data with one another” (y/n) explained. “Meaning, we need to create a chip that can be linked to our own devices so whenever our database is updated, so do the transmitters and the satellite” (y/n) added on

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to work!” I exclaimed, smiling at (y/n) as she turned a slight pink hue

Time Skip to 5 Months Later

Throughout the past 5 months of (y/n)’s internship, we’ve gotten closer and even went to hang out with each other outside of working hours. I’ve come to know that (y/n) didn’t have the brightest childhood with her parents being harsh on her as she was their oldest daughter.

Not only that, she was always compared to her other family members who either are running a business, a doctor/lawyer, married to a rich guy and have kids already, and the list just goes on. It was heartbreaking to hear a young talented and smart girl being put down like this just because she was different from what most girls enjoy.

Plus, I also found out that her parents didn’t like her taking mechanical engineering, saying how it’s “too manly” and they even went as far as not wanting to fund her degree. But luckily enough, (y/n) was a smart and bright girl that she managed to get a fully funded scholarship from the university.

Throughout those 5 months, both (y/n) and I have slowly built all the chips that were linked to our main computer where our team would always update the database and while we haven't gotten to the exact part of building the transmitters, we have made much more progress as compared to before (y/n) joined us.

Because of this, I talked to Taeyong about potentially bringing (y/n) into our company full-time which he agreed since we were making a lot of progress because we’ve tested the chips on other devices between our internal NCT members to connect the database and it worked perfectly fine. Now the only thing left was building the transmitters; which is the easier job and then assembling everything and testing it in a larger distance. Which is the hard part.

3rd POV

But of course, building the machines wasn’t just the hard part because Haechan mentioned that there was a mole in the company who was working for one of NCT’s enemies who was also in the tech industry. While NCT wasn’t looking to sell our worldwide satellite tracking system, our enemies were and they have been eyeing (y/n) ever since her thesis on the tracking system went viral.

During lunchtime, Jungwoo was talking with (y/n) and Haechan like any other day when Kyungtae, one of their IT employees went up to their table, telling Jungwoo and Haechan that there was a bug, a virus in the company’s main computer, saying that one of the new IT guys accidentally bugged their computer which spread out through the company’s central computer.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. I told you that the new guy was weird. C’mon, Taeyong is gonna kill us” Haechan exclaimed

“(y/n), you’ll most probably leave early today so don’t wait on me. I’ll call a cab for you, alright?” Jungwoo mentioned, getting up along with Haechan. “Thanks for letting us know, Kyungtae” Jungwoo added, patting Kyungtae on his shoulder

“No problem, hyung” Kyungtae replied, patting Jungwoo back

“Alright. Be careful then, two of you! Hope everything will get resolved quickly” (y/n) reassured them, offering a smile as she watched the two males leave her

“You’re the new intern, (y/n), right?” Kyungtae asked, looking at (y/n)

“Yeap, that’s me. I think I’ve seen you before. You’re from IT, right? Sorry, I don’t know your name. I’m always in the lab with Jungwoo-oppa” (y/n) replied

“No worries. It’s Kyungtae. I heard that Jungwoo was going to call a cab for you, do you happen to go home alone?” Kyungtae asked

“Yeap. Typically I take public transportation but Jungwoo-oppa has been dropping me off since he found out I took public transport late at night” (y/n) replied

“Well, I can take you home, if you’d like. Jungwoo is right to take you home since it’s not really safe to be going home alone late at night” Kyungtae offered

“I’ll think about it. If I do, I’ll need to text Jungwoo-oppa first. Anyways, I think I should get back to my work. I’m finishing up my transmitters and my internship report. See you later, Kyungtae-oppa” (y/n) replied, slightly bowing before leaving the office canteen and going back to her work

Jungwoo’s POV

Haechan and I rushed to Taeyong’s office after walking past the IT section who were all in chaos trying to figure out the virus that was spreading through the computer. Knocking on Taeyong’s office door, we heard a rough sound from Taeyong, telling us to come in.

“Hyung? We heard what happened” I mentioned, coming in with Haechan

“It’s not just a regular virus. Someone breached all of our security and nearly reached the one that NCT made” Taeyong replied, showing us each security wall that was breached

“Shit. Let me check it real quick, hyung” Haechan exclaimed, going over towards Taeyong’s desk and opening the computer to review all the security walls that were broken by the virus

“Also, there’s a mole working in this company” Taeyong pointed out, making both me and Haechan look at him in shock. “Do you have any leads on who it could be?” I asked

“Someone from IT. Because the only people who would and could access anything on our database would be the IT system and engineer. But I’m 100% sure that it’s the IT because only someone that smart and knows the computer and system back and forth would be able to come here and even hack into the system” Taeyong replied

“Hyung!! We need access to the NCT system” Haechan mentioned

“Alright, let’s go there then” Taeyong replied as the 3 of us headed to the forbidden storage room where we have one of NCT’s main computers that helps power up all the tech and database for the company.

However, upon reaching and opening the door to the storage room, all three of us were shocked to see (y/n) in the room. Without even thinking, I yanked (y/n)’s wrist. Questioning her on why she was here. “What are you doing here?! Who brought you in here?! You’re going to get in trouble” I exclaimed

“What’s the difference with you?” (y/n) whispered back, making me confused

“What are you?” I asked. “You used me. All of you! You just wanted me to finish your satellite and then ditch me, weren’t you?” (y/n) confronted and that’s when I noticed all the computers behind her showing all her background information

“(y/n), let’s talk about this, alright?” I reasoned but she yanked her arm away from my grip and walked away, standing in front of Taeyong

“Are you going to do some MIB shit and wipe my memory of all of this? Or are you going to put me somewhere until you know what you want to do to me?” (y/n) asked and Taeyong let out a long harsh sigh. “You didn’t see much since the important information is completely protected by the top cyber security in the country. So, go to my office and wait until I get back” Taeyong stated and (y/n) just slightly bowed before leaving the room, leaving the three of us together

“Which one of you lost the card?” Taeyong asked right when (y/n) left and the door was locked again

“I have it with me since I was the one that opened it” Haechan replied and both him and Taeyong looked over at me

“It’s in my…” I mumbled but as I rummaged in every single one of my pockets, it was nowhere and I instantly panicked. “Shit. I, I lost it. I swear I always have it with me, hyung” I exclaimed

“Haechan, fix the virus that’s spreading in the company. I’ll find Jungwoo’s key access card” Taeyong-hyung stated, going towards one of the computers to find my card since every single one of our cards have a tracking chip on it

“My card. It’s…” I mumbled. “Moving. Someone stole your card. Recall anyone touching you near your pockets or anything? Because it’s moving fast from this building to another…” Taeyong asked as he tries to use our current satellite tracker to track my card

I tried to recall who would steal the card or who touched me, specifically my pockets throughout the day since I know for a fact that I still had my card the other day. Right as I was trying to remember, Jaehyun suddenly called us through our in-ear.

“Guys. Is (y/n) alright? I saw her going into Taeyong’s office but right when I walked past again, she was gone. I asked someone if they saw anything and one of the staff mentioned that Kyungtae was carrying her and that she was unconscious. Kyungtae said that she fainted right as he was putting some paperwork into Taeyong’s office” Jaehyun mentioned

“She was fine literally a few minutes ago” Haechan replied, finally fixing the cyber security of our company. “Hyung, you might want to check this” Haechan exclaimed and we went to his side right as Haechan opened the front security camera and saw Kyungtae putting (y/n) in a black minivan

“Jaehyun! Go with Jeno and find this van” Taeyong exclaimed, sending Jaehyun and Jeno the security footage that we just saw

“Jungwoo. Finish that global tracker. We need it. Kyungtae must know that there’s a tracker chip in that card. He’s going to eventually take that chip out. So I suggest you finish that tracker while you can” Taeyong instructed

“But hyung, the transmitters should be placed in each continent to collect the data” I debated. “We don’t need to go that far just yet. But we do need every information about (y/n) and Kyungtae. I’m sure that that won’t be so hard since it’s just an upgrade from our Korea tracker” Taeyong replied

“Alright. I’m going to grab the chips and put it in the computer” I mentioned, going out of the room to grab the chips that both me and (y/n) finished making and even testing

Back in the storage room, both Haechan and I put in the chips with the new database and started to look for (y/n) and Kyungtae through every single security camera in South Korea. Hacking into every tech device that has a built-in camera to search for their faces, what vehicles are they in, and even tracking their live location.

“Taeyong. The signal is gone. They took out the chip” Jaehyun stated. “Jungwoo” Taeyong called out to me

“We’re just about done, hyung. Our computer is using the satellite to connect with every tech devices in South Korea. There we go, they…They’re at the harbour in Busan. They’re going to make an escape to another country!” I exclaimed, immediately rushing out

“Hold on!” Taeyong exclaimed. “Haechan, I’ll have Doyoung come here and accompany you. Standby and keep us updated. Jaehyun, Jeno, go after them. Make sure they don’t escape. Go on the ship if you have to. Jungwoo, you can bring one of the chips and they’ll still be connected with the one Haechan is handling, right?” Taeyong added and I nodded

“Alright. Grab one of the chips, we’re going to sea. I’ll let Yuta, Hendery, and Johnny know that we might need their help since it’ll be on sea” Taeyong mentioned and I quickly followed him

Arriving at the Busan harbour, Jaehyun and Jeno told us that Kyungtae hasn’t left yet because according to Yuta and his Japan team, they were waiting for backup from Japan but Yuta and his team found out about it first and hijacked their ship so when Kyungtae is waiting for backup, it’ll actually be our backup.

After Taeyong instructed us on the plan, both Jaehyun and Jeno immediately confronted Kyungtae who was immediately flustered. “Better stop what you’re thinking. Even if you escape, we’ll always find you again” Jaehyun mentioned but Kyungtae just laughed

“Because you build that tracker that can track almost anyone? So what? I have the girl that can build a device to counter yours” Kyungtae exclaimed but Taeyong and I immediately came towards the other side, cornering Kyungtae

“No way we’re letting you take her with you” I exclaimed, grabbing everyone’s attention

“Right, because you need her to finish your little transmitters?” Kyungtae questioned, taking the blueprints that both (y/n) and I worked day and night to finish then ripped it in front of us right as a ship from Japan arrived

“Even if the leader of NCT himself is here, you all can’t possibly match up against a lot of people, now can you?” Kyungtae chuckled as he took an unconscious (y/n) out of his car, making sure to hold a knife right by her neck, just to make sure that we wouldn’t do anything

But right as Kyungtae thought that it was his backup that came, Yuta held a gun right behind Kyungtae’s head, making him shudder. “I think you want to rethink that” Yuta growled right as Jeno and Jaehyun handled Kyungtae while I took (y/n) out of Kyungtae’s grip

Jungwoo’s apartment - 9:12 pm

It’s been hours since I came back and Xiaojun and Kun took a look at (y/n), telling me that she was just asleep since Kyungtae most probably drugged her and the only injury she had were just a few bruises which Kun concluded that she got them from trying to fight off Kyungtae.

Not knowing when she’d wake up, I decided to clean up the apartment, cook some soup just in case (y/n) woke up hungry and showered. Right when I finished my shower, I heard some shuffling from (y/n)’s room and quietly opened the door to see her slowly wake up.

“Hey. Are you hungry? I made some soup” I uttered, grabbing (y/n)’s attention but she didn’t respond to me. Instead, she just scanned the room she was in. “You’re in my apartment. I brought you back here. To make sure that you’re alright. And to apologise” I added but (y/n) still didn’t respond so I just kept on going.

“I’m sorry that it might seem that I, Taeyong, and the company were using you by offering you a large amount of income. But I’m not sorry that we were the ones that took you in first. Sure, maybe during the first few weeks was just me trying to get more information out of you but after a few months, all that thought of using you was gone. I even convinced Taeyong that you should join us, permanently. We were about to break the news to you but then you went into the storage room and found some of our information” I admitted. “I know that it might feel that we, I, am betraying you because I know how much you yearned for that recognition from someone close to you and it seemed that we were using you but we’re not. And I promise you that you’ll be save under us” I added, sitting right by her feet

“It’s not like I got much of a choice, is it? Even if you guys let me off and I want to just bury everything underground, you will always be watching me and I don’t want that” (y/n) finally uttered and I instinctively grabbed her hand. “You’ll always have a choice. I promise you that. Watching over you is not because you saw something that’s supposed to be a secret but because I made it so that you’re under our protection” I replied

“I know that things might’ve gotten a bit…rough but I hope that you’ll forgive us because it’d be a bummer if we don’t get to finish that thesis of yours” I joked, making (y/n) chuckle a bit

“I get that you guys have your secrets but don’t ever do something like this to another person. Ever.” (y/n) argued and I chuckled. “Promise” I smiled at her

NCT Base - 2:17 am

“This is like the third guy that won’t admit unless Taeyong gracefully walks in and enlightens us with his presence” Haechan groaned

“What do you expect, he’s the leader after all” Jeno replied, making Haechan roll his eyes

“I expect for us to be done quicker so I can go home and cuddle” Haechan ranted. “Why don’t we just, you know, somewhat drown him but not drown him? Just make it so that he’s on the verge of not being able to breathe, you know?” Haechan added on, standing right behind Kyungtae. “I mean, you wanted to go to Japan, right? How about we help you, you know, just in case your ship drowns and you have to swim all the way to Japan?” Haechan provoked

“Lee Haechan” Taeyong scolded, making the younger one backed away. “No fun at all” Haechan scoffed

“You had your fun, remember Haechan?” Taeyong stated, making Haechan huff in annoyance

“Going to talk? Or I’ll let Jungwoo and Haechan have their way with you. Who do you work for and why do you want (y/n)?” Taeyong questioned

“You don’t know. Do you?” Kyungtae scoffed but it intrigued Taeyong

“See, I have many enemies. And many wanted (y/n) to work for them so they could have the most advanced technology. Unfortunately for you and your client, we have her first” Taeyong replied

“My client doesn’t want (y/n) to just advance their technology. There’s a specific person he’s searching for” Kyungtae stated but when Taeyong questioned him again, Kyungtae stayed silent

Taeyong looked over to Jungwoo and signalled him. Jungwoo then moved to stick some patches on the side of Kyungtae’s temple. “Wh-what are you doing?!” Kyungtae protested

“Nothing much. Be grateful that you’re going to be our first test subject” Jungwoo smiled as he turned on the machine, shocking Kyungtae’s brain, making him have an intense headache but also gathering some data

“Who is this specific person that they’re looking for? My members? Me?” Taeyong questioned again but Kyungtae refused to answer again which made Jungwoo send more shockwaves to his brain

“See, we have all night to do this and when we get tired and bored with your brain, we can have other kinds of fun. Maybe even let Haechan help you swim” Taeyong taunted

“You. You don’t understand. He’ll kill me if I admit everything to you” Kyungtae pleaded

“Could be worse. I’d have you torture first until you admit something or you wish we would’ve killed you. Now talk while I’m being patient. Who is it” Taeyong taunted

When Kyungtae didn’t let out any sound, Jungwoo was ready to fire the shockwave again until Taeyong stopped him. Telling him that Kyungtae let out a whisper. A name. A name that he hasn’t heard since the day he helped Na Jaemin. Nam Goongmin.

A/N: Yeap, that's a tiny spoiler for the next mafia story, Na Jaemin :)) Also to anyone who wants to request a fanfic while also supporting my writing, you can request it on my Fiverr. Hope you all enjoyed reading this story and I'll see y'all in the next one. Stay safe and healthy xoxo vinet

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[heretherebedork]

I just love Qian being the lil spoon. It's like Yuan is reminding him he'll love, care for, and protect him always.

Qian needs that protection. Both Lili and Yuan know that. He's always been protecting them and now it's their turn to take care of him and protect him so he can rest and take care of himself.

That's why Qian is the little spoon.

That's also why Yuan bit him.

Because Qian needs other people to look out for him and to help him take care of himself, to protect him, to hold him and to let him finally relax.

And Yuan has known that for a very long time. Only now does he get the chance to act on it, to love Qian and to make him love himself.