#Who knows maybe I’ll just go to art school and be a starving artist

[deeneedsaname]

Omg I love having career anxieties!!!

[courtingchaos]

.

I am staring down the barrel of 35. It’s a loaded gun but there’s no finger on the trigger yet. It inches closer every year but turning 33 means I can feel it pressed into the bridge of my nose. Cold but warming to my touch.

I don’t know what to do about it because I never thought this far, at least not realistically. Objectively I’d have had a degree in fine arts and I would be story boarding my own show right now. I would have toiled away in Orlando or Anaheim at a Disney studio until I’d had my million dollar idea and I’d be making my own Steven Universe or Over the Garden Wall. Being weird and artsy would have paid off and I would have made friends in the right places and I would have been able to show everyone that I did know what I was talking about, thankyouverymuch.

I went to school. 4 times actually. First time for art and I failed out of two math classes. Second time for English and I failed out of one of those math classes again. Third time was the charm I thought and I ended up not going back to my culinary class because they got rid of my chef. Fourth time was for carpentry and I got sick of listening to old men tell me what I was going to have to put up with on sites so I didn’t go back when the semester ended. I don’t think I’m built for school, the thought of it terrifies my little mammal brain. The only time I ever wanted to pursue anything I was told I’d be a starving artist and I let any of the threads of talent unravel.

My whole life my parents have always told me that they support me. I’m an only child who’s always been a homebody so they never had anything to worry about. I didn’t sneak out, I didn’t party, I didn’t date anyone until I was 16. They’re proud of me but every time I’m home I’m asked when I’m going back to school. When I’m quitting my job that I hate. When I’m having a kid. A lot of questions from people who have given me, in writing and words, their pride.

In my daydreams at 15 I’d said I wouldn’t get married until I had a degree and I wouldn’t have kids until I had a career, until I was stable in some way. It’s fun getting to your thirties and finding out your mentally unwell and then all the pieces fall into place. A lot of what ifs and could have beens if my brain worked correctly. I think a lot about things I wished I’d done when I was younger and I realize I never could have done these things because it was just never in the cards. People talk about a squandered youth when they mention parties and friends, trips for nothing other than to drive somewhere for the day and I want to cry.

I have a squandered youth and she’s holding the barrel to my nose for all my regrets. I’ve been angry my whole life and I’ve never found peace with it. It’s never carved a home out in my chest to lay in, to rest in. It paces tirelessly through my ribs and makes my chest ache. It blurs my vision and makes my thoughts run quick while it hangs like a ghoul in the background of my life. I joke that I do all things out of spite but it’s not a joke anymore. I spitefully get out of bed every day. I spitefully do my job well. I spitefully try to curate my hobby and hone my craft. I spitefully keep friends in my life to prove to myself that I’m not as miserable as the girl holding the gun to my face likes to make me think I am.

I am tired and I am unfulfilled. My life feels too small for my body, or maybe my body is too big for my life. I feel like Alice growing out of her home, arms pushed through windows and legs out the front door. I keep growing in weird spots and no one knows how to help me least of all myself.

All things through spite though. I’ll break out of the house and I’ll slap the gun away. I’ll wrangle my youth into a bear hug and when she least expects it I’ll put her in a headlock and we can start this whole game again when 40 is coming down the line.

[solrika]

So I guess I’ve just fallen into another fandom? And made an AU where Eli and Thrawn are Rebel spies who adopt our favorite ISB agent? (I’m using the wonderful Failover as the backstory for Eli+Thrawn.)

Enjoy the bits and pieces.

cw: eating disorders; Empire-typical violence

~

“What do you think of Agent Kallus?” Thrawn asks, when they’re alone in their rooms.

“He’s got the look of a starved akk-hound,” Eli says, shaking his head. “Sharp. Hungry. Not particularly concerned with whatever it gets between its teeth.” Eli’s used to ISB agents having an edge, but Kallus–he’s something else. Maybe something they can use. Leaning against Thrawn’s shoulder, he adds, “You think if we feed him, he’ll be loyal?”

Thrawn’s lip quirks up. “What kinds of treats do you propose?”

“Honestly?” Eli huffs a mirthless laugh. “I think he just needs a kind hand. You’ve seen how cutthroat the ISB can be.”

“Hm.” Thrawn taps his fingers against the bed in thought. “You are—better equipped for that.” 

“Hey, you can be sweet.” Eli swings their joined hands as evidence. “But sure, I’ll make the first overtures.”

“He will be suspicious,” Thrawn warns. “Any lie may turn him against us.”

“So I’ll tell him the truth,” Eli says. “I’m from the Outer Rim, you’re nonhuman, he’s Coruscant gutter scum. Us misfits have to stick together.”

~

“Are you familiar with this artist’s work, Agent Kallus?” Thrawn asked.

“No.” Kallus drifted closer, though, inspecting the holoimage. “Before the Academy, I could never afford the museums, and after I had no time.” 

Thrawn hummed. “Do you wish to?” 

Kallus glanced up from where he was peering intently at the sculpture’s intricate engravings. ��Pardon?” 

“When we dock at Illush, I plan to visit the local galleries. I would appreciate having a companion.” 

Kallus blinked. “You’re not taking Vanto with you?”

Thrawn sighed. “Lieutenant Vanto, for all his merits, has no appreciation for art.” He nodded towards the holoimage. “You at least seem intrigued.”

“If you’d like, sir.”

“I would.” 

Something small and pleased flashed across Kallus’ face before he schooled it to stillness. “I’ll be sure to clear space on my schedule for it.” 

“Good.” Thrawn favored him with a half-smile, before turning to the holotable. “As much as I would prefer to discuss this piece with you, we have business. Later, perhaps.”

~

Eli took a deep breath to settle himself. Fixed an easy smile in place. And only then knocked on Kallus’ door. When Kallus peered out, Eli said, “Hey, you. Time to talk?”

Kallus huffed out a little laugh. “As if you and Thrawn don’t know my schedule. Come in.” They went through the usual pleasantries–an offer of caf from Kallus, and a question about Kallus’ day from Eli–while they settled at the table. 

Eli took a sip of his kaf, glad for the cream and sugar that disguised the bitterness of Kallus’ preferred blend. Running a hand through his hair, he confessed, “Hate to say it, but I’m here on business, not pleasure, Kal.” 

“Oh?” Kallus frowned, his eyes sharpening. “You could have said in the morning briefing.” 

“Well,” Eli said, drawing the word out. “It’s a little. Ah. Personal.” 

Kallus simply took a sip of caf, raising his eyebrows in invitation. 

Eli reached into his jacket, pulling out a data puck. “You know that Thrawn’s set to be promoted to captain soon, yeah? And that they put each new captaincy on the ‘net?” At Kallus’ nod, he flicked on the puck. “This fine lady,” and he couldn’t help the scorn in his voice, “commands a ship on the outer rim. Before we got Thrawn into the Academy, we had a run-in with her. Didn’t go well.” 

Kallus reached out for the puck, scrolling through its information. “You think she might cause problems for Thrawn once he’s a high enough rank for public knowledge.” He glanced up at Eli, eyes glinting with that hunting-vornskr focus. “You want me to get her out of your way.” 

Eli forced a casual shrug, trying to keep his fingers from tightening on his caf cup.

“This isn’t a small favor, Vanto,” Kallus murmured. He flicked the puck off, but kept ahold of it, absently flipping it through his fingers. “In the right light, you could call it treason.”

Feeling his smile edging towards a grimace, Eli took a swig of caf.  “Not if you’re eliminating a threat to the Empire. There’s Rebel activity in the Outer Rim, you know.” 

“Hm.” Kallus tapped the puck against the table. “Perhaps.”

“You picked that up from Thrawn.”

“I did.” Looking down at the puck, Kallus tilted his head to the side, considering. “What if I want a favor in return?”

Refusing to let himself hope–Kallus, like Thrawn, had a habit of playing with his prey–Eli said, “We’d be good for it. That’s what friendship is, isn’t it? Goes both ways.” 

“Hm,” Kallus said, and sipped his caf. Eli made himself be patient, refused to listen to the part of him that told him to make a run for it while he could. This was ISB-021, yes, but it was also Kal, who shared his weird tastes in music with Eli and found obscure art holodocs for Thrawn. If nothing else, he’d give Eli the decency of a head start. 

“You know I was involved in the Lasan campaign, yes?” Kallus asked abruptly. 

“Yeah?” Now it was Eli’s turn to frown, watching Kallus’ eyes go distant. “Why?”

“It was not–” Shaking his head, Kallus refocused on Eli. “You two have Senate connections.”

Eli held up a hand, waved it in a so-so motion. 

“They’re enough for what I want.” Kallus stood, walked quickly over to his bed. He pulled a vibroknife, and before Eli could react, crouched to slit open his mattress. It only took a bit of rummaging before he pulled out a datachip, and then he was striding back across the room to toss it in front of Eli. 

Carefully, mindful of the still-humming blade, Eli picked up the chip. “What’s this?”

“What really happened on Lasan.” Kallus’ lip twisted in a sudden snarl before he schooled his face back into stillness. “People need to know. It shouldn’t—it can’t happen again. It’s not—” With a shudder, he flicked off the vibroknife, slipping it back into the recesses of his jacket. “There’s order through force, and then there’s cruelty. It’s not how the Empire should be.”

Oh, sweetheart, Eli thought, heart twisting at Kallus’ idealism, there was never anything but cruelty to the Empire. Still, he nodded, tucking the chip away in his pocket. “We can do that, Kal. Don’t even have to call it a favor.” 

Kallus didn’t sigh in relief, but he did slump back into his chair and take a more vehement swig of caf than usual. “Good.” Tapping the puck, he added, “Consider this taken care of.” 

Eli did sigh in relief, shaking his head. “Had me worried there for a little, Kal.” 

Kallus just shrugged, a hint of his Imperial bastard smile slipping across his face. “Have to get my entertainment where I can, Eli.”

~

That was the sound of retching. And he knew those boots.

“Shit,” Eli muttered, rushing over to Kallus’ side. “What’s the matter? Did the food make you sick?”

Kallus wiped his mouth, looking almost confused as he met Eli’s eyes. “What? No. I’m fine.”

“Mate, you’re throwing up. That’s not fine.” Crouching down besides Kallus, Eli reached out to feel his forehead. “You’re not burning up, but we should go to medbay–”

“I’m fine,” Kallus replied, jerking his head away. Raising a hand, he shook a little bottle of pills at Eli. “I induced it.” 

On autopilot, Eli took the pills, scanning the label. Ipecac. “You—why?” 

The only tell Eli got was Kallus’ eyes flickering to the side, but it was enough. “It’s fine, Eli.” 

“Stars, you’d think an ISB agent would be better at lying,” Eli grumped, and then tugged gently at Kallus’ arm. “C’mon, up, we’re not having this conversation in the middle of a public ‘fresher.” 

Kallus’ eyes darted from Eli to the door, his body coiling in preparation for motion. “We’re not having this conversation at all–”

“You try to escape and I will sic Thrawn on you,” Eli hissed. “You’re coming back to our rooms and we’re talking.” 

Kallus’ lips thinned, but he allowed Eli to pull him up, reaching out to flush the toilet before following Eli out of the stall. They paused just long enough for Kallus to rinse his mouth out before heading into the hallway. He seemed steady enough, but Eli couldn’t help reaching out to place a supporting hand at the small of his back.

Thrawn was still up when they entered, idly listening to some holodoc on traditional Ryl art. His eyes flickered up, narrowed. Eli stepped directly behind Kallus, pushing him inside and closing the door before the agent could escape. In answer to Thrawn’s unspoken question, he announced, “Found this one throwing up in the ‘freshers.” 

It took a bit of muscle to steer Kallus, but Eli managed, plopping him down opposite Thrawn at the tiny table. The agent avoided both of their eyes, staring fixedly at a point somewhere above Thrawn’s head. 

Eli continued, “Turns out he was doing it on purpose.” Propping his hip against Thrawn’s chair, he added, “Damn fool.”

Kallus went tight around the eyes, snarled, “You’re not my mother, Vanto–” 

“I’m sure the agent has his reasons,” Thrawn said soothingly, before Kallus could bolt. He leant forward the barest amount–interested, not threatening–and added, “I would like to hear them.” 

Kallus looked between the two of them. Shifted. Finally huffed, crossing his arms, and muttered, “What we ate tonight. It’s not the approved diet–and I—it’s too much. I shouldn’t have indulged.” 

Only the quick squeeze of Thrawn’s hand on his thigh kept Eli from voicing his thoughts about that banthashit. Swallowing down his words, he nodded towards his partner: you take this. 

“You won’t be operating at full capacity if you do this for every meal while we’re on-planet,” Thrawn said. Holding up a hand to forestall Kallus’ protest, he added, “I will requisition ration bars for you. I trust those are acceptable?” 

“Yes.” Kallus threw a glare at Eli. “Can I leave?” 

“I would feel better about your physical state if you ate something now,” Thrawn said, pushing the fruit bowl towards Kallus. 

“I–”

“Stars, Kallus, it’s one papple,” Eli burst out. “You’ll burn through that before you even wake up tomorrow.” 

Glaring, Kallus grabbed the papple and bit into it as if he was wishing it was Eli between his teeth. It was hard to chew angrily, but somehow he managed, eating the papple in quick, jerky bites. When just the core was left, he snapped, “Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes.” Thrawn reached out, grabbing the core and throwing it into the waste bin with unerring accuracy. Turning back to Kallus, he leant forwards, gently taking the agent’s hands in his. Kallus–didn’t startle, exactly, but stared down at their joined hands, eyes wide. As if talking to a spooked fathier, Thrawn murmured, “We mean no offense. You are our most favored ally, and Eli–I–simply want to assure your health.” 

Swallowing jerkily, Kallus nodded. Thrawn gave him a smile–a tiny thing, though no less real for its size–and released his hands, sitting back. “Thank you for letting us care for you, Kallus.”

 Wide-eyed, Kallus said, “I–well. Yes. You’re welcome.” Visibly pulling himself back together, he stood. “I won’t keep you awake any longer.” 

Eli gave him a lazy salute, and Thrawn said, “Have a good night, agent.” 

“You–you also.” As if in a daze, Kallus stood. For a moment, he just blinked down at them both, and then gave himself a little shake and walked out. 

Eli waited until the door had closed to say, “You say you’re not good at gentle, but he was ready to run until you stepped in.” 

Thrawn shrugged, leaning forwards to turn his holodoc back on. “You got him here, Eli.”

“Still. Good work.” Letting out a gusty sigh, Eli flopped down into the chair next to his partner. “We’re not going to let him keep up with that diet banthashit, are we?”

“No. I find the situation unsatisfactory as well,” Thrawn muttered, leaning against Eli’s shoulder. “Though I am unsure how to change it.” 

“You just set up the first steps.”

“Mmh.” Thrawn sighed. “We go on as we have. Carefully. I doubt this can be fixed as quickly as his wardrobe.” Letting just a flash of fang show, he added scornfully, “The ISB is so excellent at inflicting trauma.” 

“Not so great at fixing it,” Eli snorted. He shook his head. “Whatever. We’ll take care of it. Just not tonight.” 

“Tired?” Thrawn lifted an arm, and Eli gratefully leant against his side, sinking into the Chiss’ warmth. 

“I’m more than happy napping here. Finish your holodoc, sweetheart.”

[brandywine-tomatoes]

Hello! I was wondering if you could write a fluffy Lydia x reader where the reader is really bad at flirting, but absolutely loves being flirted with, as well as cuddling and being cuddled! Y’know, the usual fluff stuff. ❤️❤️❤️ Love ur aesthetics btw!

Natural Beauty

Masterlist

1 634 words

tw: none, just a bit of fluff in hallways at lunch

a/n: ahhhh!! Thank you so much for the request! I’m sorry it took this long, chemistry is taking up a lot of my time. I hope this is alright!! (and thank you for being my first request 💕)

“You need to learn how to repress your feelings better, it’s incredibly obvious,” your friend Anya said out of the blue from the desk beside you.

You whipped your head around. “What? What’s obvious?”

“You like her, plain as day, you’ve been staring at her for weeks. She’s your best friend, just tell her,” she went back to writing whatever was written on the chalkboard.

“I do not!” Your voice rose an octave. “She’s just that, a friend.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” she smirked at you.

You hadn’t been staring at her, just... admiring her. She was a work of the best artist, her smile perfect and lifted the clouds from your mind, how could anyone not admire her? But this was different. She was your closest friend, and you were her first friend at school, though that had been a different time. You both were young and innocent, now you were a year away from graduating and everything seemed to become more free-flowing and fast-paced. But Lydia was always there, she was the constant throughout all of it, who helped you when no one else could. She laughed at your terrible puns and stayed late on the phone to help you stop crying. She’d trusted you enough that she even invited you to meet her dad and stepmother and told you ghost stories until you drifted off to sleep beside her.

“You’re staring again,” Anya mumbled.

“I’m never sitting next to you again,” you sarcastically grumbled, trying to catch up on the photography notes.

Lydia sat a couple rows in front of you beside the window, her face always illuminated by the natural light while she furiously scribbled down notes and listened intently. She was incredibly talented; she could be accepted into the best schools for photography and that would be with her ‘worst’ photos. She just loved it so much.

“Okay class,” the teacher started, standing up to pack her bags. “There will be a project due in the next couple of days, very simple and covers what we’ve learned so far. I want you to find a natural beauty and capture it, keeping in mind the composition techniques we’ve learned. This will determine your status in the course.”

As she finished, the irritating bell rang over the intercom, signalling the start of lunch and a bit of freedom.

You and Anya packed your things and left the classroom in a hurry, not wanting to be caught in the stampede of students. You both stood close to the wall, waiting for Lydia.

The highway of students thinned out and only the ones who hung out in the hallways at lunch were occupying it.

“What’s taking her so long, I’ve got food to eat,” Anya asked.

“Dunno, maybe she’s talking with Ms. Wilson?” You shrugged.

“If she doesn’t come out soon, I’m gonna starve to death. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, she can’t be much longer,” you reasoned, looping your arm in hers so she wouldn’t abandon you.

“This could be considered hostage-taking,” she retorted.

“This is a sign of friendship.”

She chuckled at that. “You’re so ‘sunshine and rainbows’, maybe Lydia will change that.”

“What am I changing?” Lydia walked out of the classroom with Ms. Wilson behind her, walking in the other direction.

“Apparently I’m too much of a ray of sunshine for little miss ‘I’m a hostage’,” you looped your other arm in hers to her surprise and started walking towards your lockers down the hall.

Lydia held onto your arm, the gesture warming your cheeks a bit. “Oh yeah, 100%, we’ve gotta work towards corrupting you.”

“New project for the spring, corrupt little miss sunshine.” Anya unlopped her arm and went to unlock her locker.

You realized Lydia was still clinging to your arm and your free hand found itself wrapped around hers. Your heart started pounding and you quickly let go to unlock your own locker.

“Any other projects I should be aware of?” You asked jokingly.

Anya gestured to an occupied Lydia opening her locker beside you. “Many in the works.”

You playfully slapped Any’s arm, feeling the heat rising up your neck and locked your locker.

The 3 of you slid down the lockers and started talking about whatever came to mind and shared the food you collectively had. As the minutes ticked away, somehow Lydia’s head ended up in your lap and your hands played with locks of her short black hair while Anya couldn’t stop smiling at the sight.

“So, then I was like ‘he wouldn’t do that! You’ve got be kidding me!’ and they were all ‘nope, he did, he let every bug he could find in into the house’ and then I was like ‘well where is he?’ and they were all-” Lydia went on about her step-uncle, her hands animated in the air for emphasis.

You had a little smile on your face as you looked at her passionately going on about her family. Your back was getting sore from leaning on the locker, but you didn’t dare move.

“Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Lydia’s voice interrupted your thinking.

“Yeah?”

“You were staring,” Anya almost vibrated off the floor in excitement.

Oh no oh no you thought. Lydia could get the wrong idea... or was it the right idea?

“I wasn’t staring, just thinking,” you defended, Lydia looking up at you with curious eyes, causing more anxiety.

“Anyways,” Lydia thankfully interrupted, seeing you were uncomfortable. “I asked if you had any ghost stories.”

“I mean, I believe in them, sure, but I’ve never met any.”

Lydia’s lips quirked up. “You’ll meet some one day.”

“Is that a promise, Deetz?”

“You betcha babe,” Lydia winked. Anya choked on a french fry and you looked anywhere but Lydia, laughing nervously and your face feeling incredibly hot. You were suddenly very aware of your hands still playing with the locks of her hair and slowly pulled them away reluctantly.

“Aw, you’re blushing! You’re so cute when you blush!” She excitedly said as she sat up, her face inches apart. You swallowed and looked to the ground, to the wall behind her, to your fidgeting hands, anywhere but the gorgeous girl in front of you. You finally turned your gaze to her and saw hers was observing your lips. She looked from your lips to your eyes, then again, and you swore the corners of lips turned up when you let your gaze slide to hers.  

The irritating bell rang out, echoing off the walls and made you jump back. Lydia smirked and gathered her things into her bag. You sat there for a moment, stunned and really confused. You thought she was actually going to kiss you, in a school hallway, in front of Anya, around everyone else, against the no PDA rule. You told yourself you didn’t want that to happen as you packed up your things and let Anya help you up who was grinning like an idiot. 

Your breath hitched when Lydia looked at your lips, you almost leaned in, you imagined cupping her cheek and holding her closer then would be considered just platonic, you wanted that to happen. But you always felt like that, you always felt your heart pounding when she grabbed your hand to lead you to class and tried to keep your breathing even when she was bumped closer or when she flirted shamelessly with you.

You vaguely remember saying goodbye to a beaming Anya and walking slowly through the crowd to your next class, lost in thought. Well, lost in figuring out what you were going to do about Lydia.

“What’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours, Y/N?” Lydia came up beside you. You snapped out of it and halfheartedly smiled.

“Oh come on, what’s wrong? Was it something I said?” She stepped in front of you, her eyebrows turned down and a worried look in her eyes. The students behind gave you dirty looks as they passed by.

“No, of course not, you didn’t do anything wrong.” You gave her a reassuring smile, though she didn’t look convinced. You put your hands on her shoulders, trying to ignore your rising heartbeat. “If you did anything wrong, I’d tell you.”

She put her hands on top of yours, a relieved smile overtaking her features. “Come on, I’ll walk you to class.”

“Isn’t your class the other way?”  

She winked and pulled you forward, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “I can run.”

Her short hair tickled your jaw and you could see her dark purple lipstick shimmer in the fluorescent light. The crowd thinned out as everyone got to their classes, leaving you two walking through the empty halls. You walked to your art history class in a comforting silence, consumed by your own thoughts.  

You finally got to the plain entrance of the class and Lydia slid her arm off your shoulder to your dismay. You both faced each other, waiting for the other to say something, a goodbye or a confusion.

“You wanna come over after school? You know, to do the photography assignment?” She asked.

“Uh, sure!” You replied a little too eager. “I don’t really know what to do for it, but I guess I’ll think of something.”

Lydia smirked at you and began walking back down the hallway. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Well, what’s the idea?”

“You.”

She blew a kiss and ran back down the hall, leaving you fumbling and blushing like crazy.

Once your heart slowed down, you smiled to yourself, wondering if the goth girl of Winter River really had a thing for you. Maybe she really did think of you like you thought of her. Maybe you could really be her natural beauty.

[hangovercurse]

Blind Date

After being single for three months, your friends decide to set you and Colson up on a blind date.

Request: Hey!! Could you do one about the reader and Colson meeting by a blind date? Let your creativity go wild ❤️

Colson x Reader

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: This is a little bit different from how I normally write, so let’s see how this goes.

Word Count: 1916

It’s funny how the universe makes things happen. While some people are having their first kiss, others are taking their last breath. Every moment in time is so intricately woven together, it sometimes seems ironic how things happen.

Like tonight, on two sides of California, two very different people were having the same conversation.

“I’m not sure about this.”

“What if she thinks my tattoos are too much?”

“What if he thinks I’m too weird?”

“What if she hates music?”

“What if he hates art?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“I don’t think I can do this.”

Your best friend stared at you from your bed as you paced around the room. “Y/N, you’re going to be fine. You said it yourself, you need to get back out there. Baze says he’s a good guy, and I trust Baze.”

Baze was in a similar situation, laying on the couch as Colson paced around the house. “Colson, dude. It’s gonna be good, she’s gonna like you.”

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I’ve never been on a first fuckin date before. I used to do this shit every night.” He sighed, sitting down.

You let out a frustrated groan, “I know. I just feel like after everything in the past few years I feel like I’ve forgotten how to do first dates.”

“You’re gonna be great, just be yourself. And remember, it’s a blind date, so if you guys don’t hit it off or something goes horribly wrong, you never have to see him again.” She smiled as you threw her a playful glare.

“Colson, I love you man, but you have to do this. I don’t think you’ve even looked at a woman who isn’t Ashleigh in like three months.”

The light-haired man sent his friend a glare, “I’m sorry that I was recovering from the worst heartbreak of my life.”

You finally sat down, pulling on your shoes. “Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe I’m not as ready as I thought I was.”

Your friend sighed, sitting up and placing her arms around your shoulders, “It’s been three months since you and T broke up. You grieved, and now you need to move on. You deserve this.”

“Dude, you said you were over her. You are over her. Now you get to find someone else and try to be happy. You deserve this.”

“Maybe don’t bring up your disastrous ex, Y/N.”

“But please, for the love of god, bro, don’t bring up Megan.”

 You entered the small, classy restaurant, your hands shaking slightly. The entire place was dimly lit, with candles scattered around any surface available. You walked to the hostess stand, “Baker for two.” You told her, a small smile gracing your features.

She nodded, leading you through the floor. “He got here not 30 seconds before you did.” She laughed and you blushed a little bit.

You were grateful he wasn’t late, but you were also grateful he wasn’t extremely early , or else you would have felt awful for making him wait.

You were finally brought to a small table in the back of the restaurant to find one of the prettiest men you have ever laid your eyes on. When his eyes met yours, he stood up immediately, a smile on his face. “Y/N?” He asked.

“Colson.” You responded. He pulled your chair out for you, and you felt heat rushing to your cheeks at the kind gesture. None of the guys you had ever dated pulled your chair out for you, especially not your most recent ex.

“Baze told me you were pretty but this is…” He trailed off, seeming a bit lost for words. “You are absolutely gorgeous.”

He was good at this, good at making you nervous, making you blush like a teenager. “Thank you.” You whispered, “I think you are one of the prettiest people I have ever met.” You returned his compliment with one of your own.

The redness in his cheeks made you smile, a bit of pride rising in your chest. “Baze truthfully didn’t tell me much about you.” He started, “so, what do you do?” He was kicking himself for the lame question, but his mind was half occupied with the color of your eyes and he couldn’t form a coherent thought.

“I’m an artist.” You probably didn’t realize it, but Colson could see the slightest bit of a light in your eyes as you spoke about your passion. “I do graphic designing for websites, making logos and designs and such. That’s my day job, at least. I do some painting and sketching on the side, though. Eventually I’d like to be able to make that my whole job, but it is a hard industry.”

Colson nodded in understanding, his eyes holding the same weight as yours when you spoke of your flailing dreams. You wondered how he knew exactly what you were talking about.

Seemingly reading your mind, he answered. “I get that so much. I’m a musician, so I’ve been there. Luckily, I did make it my full-time job, but I remember before I made it, all the stress and struggles. It gets better.”

You smiled, “easy for you to say, aren’t you like, a big Rockstar?”

He chuckled, looking down, “yeah, sort of. But I wasn’t, you know? Like before all this I was dirt poor and the picture of a starving artist. I mean I’m still not like, winning Grammys or shit now, but I’m not there anymore either.”

You nodded, studying him. “I was lucky, I had support through art school and got a job as soon as I graduated. I’ve never had to struggle in that sense. I don’t think I’d be happy staying where I’m at for the rest of my life, but I am definitely in a stable place right now.”

He seemed so interested in what you were saying. Soon the conversation moved into the type of music he made, and then to your art styles. You flowed together easily, never becoming awkward or uncomfortable. As the night went on, your nerves fell away, as did his.

You were talking about your favorite movies when your food arrived, but even then, your conversation continued. At one point, he paused mid-second. “You’ve got something, “ he pointed to his face. “Fuck it, this is gonna be so cheesy.” He grabbed his napkin and wiped the bit of sauce you had on your cheek off.

You blushed in embarrassment, “thanks.” He was right, the moment was very cheesy. His hand pulled away slowly, lingering near your skin a bit longer than necessary. You didn’t mind though.

As much as you hated to admit it, especially since you had only known him for one night, you could be really into him. And that scared the fuck out of you.

Colson was, too, scared shitless. Why the fuck was his heart fluttering every time you giggled. He’d just met you. But already he could tell you were something special.

 He paid for dinner, like a gentleman, even though you protested. “It’s our first date, I am paying.”

You liked the way that he said, “first date,” implying there may be more. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to pay next time.” You said, smugly.

His eyebrow raised in question, a small smirk on his face. “We’ll see about that. I might just give them my card ahead of time.”

“Then I’ll just have to get there before you.”

You two laughed at your small competition as he led you to the parking lot, his hand in yours. “Did you drive?” He asked and you shook your head no.

“I called an uber. Speaking of…” You reached for your phone before he stopped you.

“Let me drive you home. If that’s okay?”

You let him lead you to his car, hand still tightly in his. He pulled the door open for you, guiding you in. Everything with him seemed like a new experience, his gentleman gestures catching you off guard.

“You should play me some of your music.” You told him when he got in. He smiled at that, pulling his phone out and opening his library.

“I don’t know if you’ll like the type of music I make.” He blushed, scrolling through to find a song he thought you might like.

You rolled your eyes, “well I like you so I think, by proxy, I’ll like your music.”

He bit his lip to hide the way his face lit up at your subtle confession. “Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

You heard a somewhat familiar rhythm, something you had probably heard on the radio. “Wait, this is you? I swear I’ve heard this before.”

He smiled, glancing over at you before turning his attention back to the road. “Yeah, me and my friend Matt dropped this right before my last album release.”

You let the music play, listening to his voice as he sang. “You know, this somehow sounds exactly like you and nothing like you at the same time. Like if you hadn’t told me I don’t think I would’ve known this was you. But I do know so I can hear it.”

He chuckled but didn’t say anything, occasionally looking at you as you nodded your head to the music. A few more of his songs played from Tickets to My Downfall and you seemed to enjoy it. “You’re really good.” You commented. Your voice was truthful, you weren’t trying to flatter him, you were just saying what you thought. Your words were genuine.

He didn’t know why but hearing that from you meant so much more to him than he expected it to. He finally parked in front of your house, getting out and opening your door for you. Like a true gentleman, he walked you to your door, pausing before you unlocked it.

You turned to face him, looking up into his bright eyes. “I had a really good time tonight.” He said softly. “Probably the best night I’ve had in a while, honestly.”

You smiled widely, “I did too, Colson.” You grabbed his hands in yours, swinging them slightly. “I’m really glad we did this.”

He nodded, leaning closer to you, “would you, maybe, wanna do this again?” He asked, his voice falling closer to a whisper.

“I was hoping I had made that obvious when I said I’d pay next time.” You giggled, leaning up closer to him.

He rolled his eyes playfully, “just wanna make sure you didn’t change your mind.”

“Trust me, I didn’t.” You whispered, before leaning up and connecting your lips with his.

The kiss was short and sweet, but it seemed like everything you had ever wanted. When your lips left his, you both stayed very close to each other, hands still clasped. His face was still only inches from yours, eyes studying your every feature.

Eventually he let out a small sigh and leaned back up. “Well, uh, goodnight, Y/N.” He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he took steps backwards towards his car. You smiled at him, waving a small goodbye before turning to unlock your door.

Your hand touched the handle before you turned around, finding Colson in the same situation at his car door, still looking at you. “Do you maybe wanna… come in?” You asked, biting your lip. His face lit up, a smirk highlighting his features.

“I would love that.”

[roleplcyheaux]

DO YOU HAVE ANYMORE IDEAS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO A CHRISTMAS EVENT???

oooh boy! i mean i can definitely try to think of some more! i think it should stated that most of my experience planning events comes from admining town rps so most of these ideas will probably be skewed that way but please feel free to try to make it fit for any group! 

THE ANTI-HOLIDAY EVENT: look, listen, the holidays are exhausting for everyone and there are a lot of people who pretty much despise the holiday season period. why not make an event for the haters? i’m thinking maybe a bar crawl! just imagine the chaosity that could ensue with a bunch of inebriated muses making their way from bar to bar singing whatever the opposite of christmas music is! or a karaoke competition at a popular spot downtown where the only rules are no holiday music or sad songs or it’s immediate disqualification! these could happen shortly before the holidays in character so that muses who are planning to celebrate the holidays with family can have a place to blow some steam and be surrounded by likeminded people before the upcoming festivities!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL STARVING ARTISTS PLS: an art festival!!!! think about it a concert series with local musicians, a pop-up drive in movie marathon / outdoor movie marathon in the park, a craft fair! there are so many ways to center an event around something artistic that muses can enjoy that doesn’t necessarily have to be holiday related! this is also an easy way to incorporate muses who are artistic into plots too!!! people can have their muses doing something at the festival like either performing or selling their art or providing food and drinks! bonus points if this art festival is happening for a good cause, like maybe the local movie theatre is about to go under and this is the town’s last ditch effort to raise enough movie to save it!

A PLOT DROP OF SOME SORT: something admins can do instead of a standard christmas event is to do some sort of plot drop that characters ( and muns ) can use to push along plotlines or maybe shake things up and start new ones for their muses! i think one of the standard ones people tend to do is like a storm or some sort of natural disaster but it’s 2020 and we’re all kinda tired of irl natural disasters so maybe more out of the blue and leaning toward ridiculous but still have some stakes for people to decide how much or how little it’ll effect their muse??? like what if a wild animal gets loose in the town? or there is a group of high school trouble makers going around and breaking into homes a la bling ring style? or maybe it’s a series of mysterious graffiti showing up everywhere? you can have fun with it! 

HANUKKAH EVENT: i’ve already suggested this in my last one but i’ll suggest it again. do whatever you were going to do for a christmas event but center it around hanukkah instead! were you gonna have a christmas fundraiser ( ball / party / gala )? make it a hanukkah one instead! were you gonna do a christmas tree lighting? make it a menorah lighting instead! did you know that hanukkah is often known as the festival of lights? you could literally have an event centered around that concept alone! friendly reminder that hanukkah starts on the 10th this year and ends on the 18th! 

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE BABYYYYY: you know what i miss from 2012 rps??? random af unhinged au events that literally made no sense but were still so much fun! it’s the holidays and usually most groups tend to go on hiatus or like an extended break where activity doesn’t count around this time so people can be with their families but this year i think a lot more of us will be around so why not do something fun that only lasts the duration of said hiatus or little break ( or just a regular event worth of time if your group doesn’t do that!) i’m think TEN YEARS INTO THE FUTURE AU ( typically people pick older fcs for their current muses and rp what their lives in the future is looking like ), or a good ole fashion GENDER SWAP AU ( typically people pick fcs of a different or opposite gender for their muse ), or if you’re a normal non-spn group a SUPERNATURAL AU ( characters get to be mythical creatures ) or if you’re a spn a ( OPPOSITE AU where like human charries get to be supernatural and all the supernatural characters are human! ). listen ANY TYPE OF AU REALLY GOES THESE ARE JUST THE POPULAR ONES I REMEMBER FROM BACK IN THE DAY!

ASK YOUR MEMBERS: you can’t go wrong by asking what your members would like to see instead of the standard christmas event! i’ve never adminned a group where members don’t have opinions and ideas. i promise if you just asked them they would probably be able to give you far more creative ideas than little ole me and that are probably better suited for your groups since they are actually there and know what would work and what wouldn’t

[profoundnet]

PROFOUND MEMBER MASTERPOST FOR NOVEMBER 2020!

Featuring Destiel/Gen works by jscribbles, Jeanne_de_Valois, tiamatv, LeafZelindor, prosopopeya, DragonSgotenks, sketching-fox, kittimau, castielslostwings, FriendofCarlotta, universalsatan, Idjit_01, Destielshipper4Cas, purple_charlie, Maleyah, noeizumispn, kitmistry, TheSongSmith, one_more_offbeat_anthem, interstitial, JusithAndronicus, ArielAquarial, queer-things-do-happen-dean, goldenraeofsun, andimeantittosting, and starprincecas.

Join us on Discord!

Masterpost below the cut.

jscribbles - jscribbles

I’ll Go With You (G, 4.7k)

A coda to 15x18 "Despair".

He hadn't said anything. He hadn't said anything when he'd been given the chance.

Tags: 15.20, reunion, grief, love confession

We Are Real (M, 2.4k)

Smutty sequel to I'll Go With You.

Dean hadn't kissed him yet.

But they were alone now, and free.

Tags: 15.18, smut

404 Error (G, 500 words)

How hablo espaniol?!!

I DON'T KNOW. Neither does Dean.

Tags: spoilers for 15.18, based on spanish dub, crack fic

The Weight of Silence (E, 26k)

The weight of silence is heavy on Dean's shoulders as he learns to live a new kind of life in Heaven. In classic Winchester-style, despite being in a place that isn't supposed to have pain and suffering, Dean rebels against it by being straight-up fucking miserable.

Tags: depression, mentions of john winchesters garbage parenting, canon compliant, 15.20 fix it coda, happy ending, smut, romance, love confessions

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Jeanne_de_Valois - Jeanne_de_Valois

Free Bird (G, 1.7k)

Heaven is an open road and not having to pay for gas.

Heaven is a greasy sandwich and a novelty-sized candy bar.

Heaven is awkward, shuffling, confusing.

Heaven is getting to say what you wished you said, a lifetime ago.

(A Coda to Supernatural 15.20- Carry On)

Tags: Post-Episode: s15e20 Carry On, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Requited Love

~

tiamatv - tiamatv

Stone and Flesh (E, 6k)

Dean didn’t think, even in his filthiest imaginings, that Cas would sound like this in bed—loud, eager, easy with it. He doesn’t give a fuck who hears him enjoying himself. Though maybe Dean should have known. It’s not like Cas has ever once held back on anything he ever wanted to say or do—

Didn’t he?

(Not quite an episode coda for S15e18 per se, but more a "what comes after.")

Tags: AU - canon divergence; Post-Episode S15e18: Despair; Canonical Character Death; Selectively Mute Dean Winchester; Hopeful Ending

Domestic (T, 5.6k)

A little less than a year after the world doesn’t end, he and Cas get married.

Tags: AU - Canon Divergence; Future Fic; Tooth-Rotting Fluff; Domesticity in the Men of Letters Bunker; Kid Fic

Bight (E, 2.5k)

“Do you want more?” Cas asked, against Dean’s thigh. His thumb strummed gently at the soft, folded-up pocket behind Dean’s bound knee.

It tickled, but… didn’t.

Dean didn’t know what the answer to that was.

Tags: AU - Canon Divergence; Rope Bondage; Gentle Dom Castiel; Sub Dean Winchester; Praise Kink

~

LeafZealindor - @leafzelindor

Artwork for “break to let the light in” DCBB2020 (SFW)

Artwork draw for the DCBB2020 fic "break to let the light in"

Tags: fluff, touching, intimacy. Accompanied by fic by PeppermiintsPlease.

~

prosopopeya - prosopopeya

Like Real People Do (G, 4.9k)

Castiel experienced a moment of pure happiness, expecting it to be his last. 

It wasn't.

Tags: Post-15x18, canon divergence, first kiss, angst with a happy ending, first kiss

Under the Same Sun (E, 14k)

In which time is infinite, and so is the list of people willing to help Dean figure out what to do about Cas. 

A fix-it for a lot of things: Dean's repressed bisexuality, Dean's utterly inexplicable failure to realize what Cas meant, the Charlie & Dean brother/sister content I crave, among others.

Tags: Internalized biphobia, Charlie Bradbury & Dean Winchester, angst with a happy ending, post-series, Heaven fic

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DragonSgotenks - DragonSgotenks

Say Cheese (E, 50k)

Dean Winchester is thirty, flirty, and thriving, or at least that's how his best friend Charlie describes him. Either way Dean feels pretty good about his life. He has a decent job, a nice house, and a great group of friends and family. Sure his brother's been living hundreds of miles away to attend law school and an internship, and yeah maybe he wasn't working his dream job, and so, okay, he spent most nights zoning out in front of the tv alone but that was fine. Dean was fine. Until he gets a call about a daughter he didn't know existed and suddenly Dean's quiet (boring) life is turned upside down.

Castiel Novak is a photographer whose passion lies in capturing the beauty of nature. However to pay the bills he works part time at the mall doing portrait photography. Sure it might not be as artistic as he'd like and his odd hours make for a dull social life but he's still doing what he loves. He especially enjoys doing the kids photos and over the last couple of years he's built a bit of a reputation for always getting the shot no matter how unruly or stubborn a child might be. So when a handsome father brings in his grumpy little girl for pictures Castiel thinks it will be just another photo shoot.

He's wrong.

Tags: Destiel, Single parent Dean, kidfic, bottom Dean/top Castiel, mentions of childhood trauma, eventual smut, past Lydia/Dean

~

sketching-fox - @sketching-fox

Dean Winchester Monster Fucker (NSFW)

Arts done for Dean Cas Big Bang in my partnership with LoversAntiquities.

Tags: alleyway, impala, mature content. Accompanied by fic by LoversAntiquities.

~

kittimau - @kmauspn - kittimau

Beg Pretty For Me (E, 5k)

“Cas…” His eyes flutter closed, mind slipping into the warm, pleasant haze of that special place, the one that allows him release, relief. Peace. Heart pounding in his chest, he fights the temptation to touch himself through the delicate material because Cas hasn’t told him to yet and he wants to be good.

“I want to hear you say it, Dean.”

“Fuck…” He swallows thickly. “Yeah. I- I feel beautiful.”

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Phone Sex, Light Dom/Sub, Dean Winchester Wears Panties, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Masturbation, Dom Castiel/Sub Dean Winchester

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castielslostwings - @castielslostwings - Castielslostwings

Loud (G, 4.3k)

Minutes, hours, days, years might have already passed—time is different here, and Castiel has no way of tracking it, and still the Shadow doesn’t come. 

Castiel sits, he stands, he walks and walks and walks and walks. All he ever discovers is more darkness, more nothing.

Tags: 15.19 coda, alternate 15.20, canon fix-it, carry on fix-it, canon-compliant, love confessions, the empty, coda fic, the profound bond

Carry On (E, 8k)

“I think I’ll go for a drive.”

This is what happened between that moment, and Dean meeting Sam on that bridge.

(A 15x20 missing scene/fix-it fic).

Tags: 15x20 fix-it, Carry On coda, love confessions, castiel and dean are in love, first kiss, first time, reunions, Heaven improved, dean gets the funeral he deserves, missing scene

~

FriendofCarlotta - @friendofcarlotta - FriendofCarlotta

The Novel (E, 4.5k)

Dean, Cas, Sam and Eileen are happily retired and living their best lives. There's just one problem: Sam has decided to commemorate the Winchester brothers' adventures by writing a novel, and it's not very good at all.

AKA the episode coda where 15x20 was nothing more than Dean reading a draft of his brother's first novel and becoming increasingly appalled.

Tags: Coda, Episode Fix-It: s15e20 Carry On, Technically Canon-Compliant, First Kiss, Top Cas/Bottom Dean

~

universalsatan - @universalsatan - UniversalSatan

Mortal One, With The Sun in His Hands (E, 135k)

Cowhand Dean Winchester is notorious for risky gambles, rightfully proud of his horse Impala (who has the prettiest speckle in the West), and is stubbornly certain that his life is in apple-pie order. His comfortable existence crumbles apart when he's saved from a fire-and-brimstone death by a mysterious wanderer he discovers to be the infamous White Bandit, mythical Angel of the Desert. While his savior is as fearsome as the legends say, Dean can't help but draw closer to the quiet and endearing man the real Bandit turns out to be... even if he doesn't yet realize they're the same person. This time, Dean may have to reach out to the flame instead of recoil.

Tags: Western, Historical Fantasy, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Cowboys, Plot-Heavy, Hurt/Comfort, Dean Winchester is Bad at Feelings Graphic Depictions of Violence, Explicit Sexual Content (Censored Version Available). Accompanied by art by Artmetica.

~

Idjit_01 - Idjit_01

I’m not gonna say that I’d change it cause you and I know that we can’t (T, 1.3k)

After Lisa's goodbye speech to Dean in 6x14, Dean gets drunk and calls Cas.

Tags: Episode: s06e14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning, Alcohol abuse/Alcoholism, Canon Divergence, Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No comfort, yes both

game over (try again, please) (G, 887 words)

After Case and everyone else's departure in 15x18 Sam and Dean sit and talk. (And yes they discuss Cas's confession)

Tags: Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts, Canonical Character Death, Good Sibling Sam Winchester

There’s blood on your face. (Beer and Nightmares) (G, 1.4k)

Dean wakes up pretty badly shaken from a nightmare. He struggles with it. He goes to the kitchen for a beer, but Cas and Sam are there. In the end, thanks to Cas's shenanigans, he doesn't even remember the nightmare.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Teasing, Touch-Starved Dean Winchester, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester Is So Done

Help(less) (T, 1.9k)

Everyone Chuck took away is back and are doing normal life again. As there are no monsters and everyone around him has someone else, Dean's on his own and feels awful. So he drives away and makes several questionable choices. Featuring: Dean, a missing angel, a moose, Baby and a frankly abused forest

Tags: Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Grief/Mourning, Vomiting, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Attempt, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death

~

Destielshipper4Cas - @destielshipper4cas - Destielshipper4Cas

The Alpha Next Door (E, 36k)

When Cas is placed in WitSec, he gets a fake secondary gender designation to go along with his new name, ‘Jimmy.’ All he has to do until the boss of the omega trafficking ring he escaped is behind bars is keep a low profile, always apply his alpha scent, and not fall in love with an alpha. Well—two out of three ain’t too bad…

Dean has never had a crush on an alpha before. Along comes his new neighbor, Jimmy, an alpha who is alphasexual. There’s just something about him, and to his utter confusion, he finds himself falling for an alpha for the first time in his life.

Tags: Past Rape/Non-con, Strangers to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Omega Verse

~

purple_charlie - purple_charlie

Walk Through Fire for You (T, 2.3k)

Boyfriend.

The word still feels foreign in Dean’s mouth, still brings back echoes of John Winchester’s thinly-veiled (if even that) homophobia. "Man up, don’t be a sissy, I didn’t raise a fairy". It’s a swollen blister in the back of Dean’s mind, throbbing with pain whenever a stranger’s eyes linger too long on Cas’ hand in his, whenever a waitress double-takes at how close they sit in diner booths.

But here, dirty dancing with Cas in a warehouse full of other queer folks, Dean wants to shout from the rooftops- I’m Dean Winchester, I drive the baddest car in town, I lift heavy things for a living, and this is my boyfriend.

Tags: Homophobic parents, homophobic siblings, bisexual Dean, Gay Cas, Pride, marijuana use

~

Maleyah - @maleyah-givemetomorrow - Katherine_Kat

Art for In A State of Perpetual Disrepair (SFW)

Art for my fic, In A State of Perpetual Disrepair, a hurt/comfort A/B/O Destiel fic.

Tags: fanart, A/B/O, hurt/comfort, Alpha!Cas, Omega!Dean

Start of Time (G, 754 words)

Except he never expected to be awake for the aftermath.

You see, he can hear Dean's prayers.

Tags: Castiel POV, Despair, Hope, Coda 15x18, post episode 15x18, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts

We’re Not Gonna Take It (T, 1.4k)

Amara gestures at Dean calmly. “Have you been praying lately by any chance?”

Dean flusters and stammers, hands at his hips to give himself an attitude, while his eyes flick from her to Sam and Jack insecurely. “N… No.”

Tags: Coda 15x19, Post episode 15x19, Fix It, Dean's dirty prayers, Dean Prays to Castiel, Angel Wings, Wings, First Kiss

Drive (M, 1.5k)

Dean's prayers take a turn for the sensual, which drives The Empty to the brink.

Tags: Coda 15x18; post episode 15x18,, Dean Prays to Castiel, Dean's dirty prayers, Angel Wings, Wings, First Kiss, Fix-It, Slight Crack

Now That We’re Dead (M, 2.5k)

“You got everything you could ever want or need or dream. So I guess the question is… What’re you gonna do now, Dean?”

Looking around, he doesn’t know how to answer that question. The obvious is suggested when she turns out to have made it to Heaven too. Dust dances in the air around Baby, shining in the sunlight, tempting him to go for a ride. The endless stretched out road and horizon.

He blinks a few times, slow and owlish.

And right there, his shadow falling long and dark, almost touching Dean’s feet, is Cas.

OR: the one where Cas gets the love he deserves

Tags: 15x20 coda, Fix It, First Kiss, human!Cas, Heaven, Heaven happy ending, Canon divergent from the moment Bobby says "Cas helped", Fix-It

I Wanna Live, Not Just Survive (M, 3.9k)

“Dean Winchester,” Cas drawls. “I did not go to The Empty, so you could get yourself impaled.”

Or: the other one, where Cas and Dean get to be what they deserve.

Tags: coda 15x20, Fix-It, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Earth happy ending, Because let's not bury our gays, First Kiss, Cuddles, Hurt/Comfort

~

noeizumispn - @noeizumispn

Colors (SFW)

Art inspired by Misha's words on Cas' wings

Tags: Rainbow, colors, destiel, wings

~

kitmistry - @kitmistry - Kitmistry

Don’t You Cry No More (T, 4.8k)

There has to be something, he told himself the first night he pulled an all nighter, only to wake up with his cheek smashed against a book, dark circles under his eyes, a throbbing headache, and nowhere closer to the answer than when he started. The light was still on above his head. He didn’t bother turning it off.

Or the one where Dean doesn't die, but he searches for Cas instead. 

Tags: Fix-It, Coda, Episode: s15e20 Carry On, Post-Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending

~

TheSongSmith - TheSongSmith

Four Seasons (G, 754 words)

Cas is the owner of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, and he received a very curious call on a quiet Saturday morning. Dean owns the adult shop next door, and is very confused by what's going on. Good times are had by all, except Donald Trump because fuck that morally-bankrupt tangerine.

Tags: Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Destiel is Canon, 2020 is a dumpster fire so have this fic, twitter made me do it

~

one_more_offbeat_anthem - one_more_offbeat_anthem

So Comes Snow After Fire (G, 11k)

Cas was old, like old-old, like ancient, like here for the beginning of the goddamn cosmos old, like remembers rain being invented old, and he could be anywhere, but instead he was in Dean’s kitchen (well, the bunker’s, but no one else cooked--Jack and Cas were kind of clueless when it came to that stuff, and all Sam made was health food), reading The Hobbit aloud to Dean while Dean himself made them all spaghetti.

(or, they got their win--the biggest win of all--and now autumn is settling in. a nearly-human Cas plants a garden, and Dean helps him along.)

Tags: Post-Canon/Canon-Divergent, Domesticity, Getting together, Fluff and comfort, Gardening Castiel

~

interstitial - interstitial

Thirst Was Made For Water (T, 5.9k)

Cas is hit by a truth spell. The results are unexpected.

And maybe just a tiny bit funny. Unless you're Dean. 

Tags: Dubiously Consensual Courting Behavior, Mildly NSFW Art Included, Profanity, Crack & Fluff, Truth Spells, Animal Transformations, Canon Divergent After s7e17 The Born-Again Identity, Light-Hearted and (Relatively) Wholesome For These Trying Times

~

JudithAndronicus - @judithandronicus - judithandronicus

Up We Go (E, 4.9k)

A coda fic series for 15.18.

Tags: Grieving, Canonical MCD (temporary), Alcoholic Dean, Angst with a Happy Ending

The Kindness of Ravens (E, 7.5k)

Crackfic wherein ravens pooping on Dean lead to feelings realization and eventual smut.

Tags: Fluff, Crack, Feelings Realization, Diners

The Ampersand Chronicles (G, 1.3k)

This is unrepentant canon-adjacent Bunker fluff, set in a universe where everything is kind of the same, except fluffier. Cas lives in the Bunker with Sam and Dean; things like Gadreel and Lucifer aren't a problem; and oh yeah, there's a cat.

Tags: Fluff, Bunker Fic, Kittens

~

ArielAquarial - ArielAquarial

Boyfriend Blues (G, 1k)

“I have a boyfriend!”

It came out of nowhere. One second Dean was shoveling a truly amazing pork roast into his mouth, already planning the meat to mashed potato ratio of his next bite, when Claire opened her mouth and his fork was clattering to the plate. Cas stopped mid-bite to stare at her while Jack, completely oblivious, continued making a Jackson Pollock out of his potatoes and gravy.

Tags: Parenthood, Domestic Fluff, Married Life, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Kid Claire Novak, Kid Jack Kline

Extra Credit (E, 4.2k)

“Hey, babe. Who has the kids?”

“Mr. Winchester…” Cas rumbled, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “You’re cutting it close. My office hours are almost over.”

Dean frowned at him, confused. That didn’t even remotely answer his question. What did he—

Oh…

Oh!

Or, the moment Dean has been waiting for has finally arrived.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Husbands, Professor Castiel (Supernatural), Mechanic Dean Winchester, Sexual Roleplay, Teacher/Student Roleplay, Anniversary

Never in a Million Years (G, 2.5k)

If someone had told Cas six years ago that he was going to be a happily married man with two kids, he would have laughed. Now, with Dean by his side, he couldn't imagine things being different, even if the path to get there had been a little rocky.

Tags: Domestic Fluff, Holiday Traditions, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Backstory, Bickering, Married Life

~

queer-things-do-happen-dean - @queer-things-do-happen-dean - Latter_alice

Tangerine, tangerine (E, 1k)

“So it’s – It’s really nothin’, huh?” Dean swallows and tries to blink away the wetness in his eyes. His gaze don’t weaver from the road. “No, uh, key words ring a bell? Chuck? Angel tablet?” He pauses, flicks his eyes over to Castiel and back. “... Leviathans?"

When Dean pulls Cas out of the Empty, not everything comes back.

Tags: Canon divergent, post series, memory loss

~

goldenraeofsun - @goldenraeofsun - goldenraeofsun

Symmetria (T, 4k)

When all’s said and done with Chuck, Dean takes his time getting used to his new gig as capital D Death. Billie, of course, did not see fit to leave him a training manual. But with his brother-turned-God on his side, and Jack as the new Darkness, they all muddle through.

Finally, all that's left is to rescue Cas from the Empty.

Tags: 15x18 fix-it, alternate post-series AU, Death!Dean, God!Sam, Darkness!Jack, love confessions, first kiss, minor Sam/Eileen

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andimeantittosting - @andimeantittosting - andimeantittosting

We Are (M, 699)

15x18 coda. When they get Cas back, because they do, because somehow, someway, sometimes good things do happen, Dean... 

Tags: Reunion, Resurrected Castiel, Requited Love, Happy Ending

Carrying On (G, 794 words)

15x20 coda. Dean dies and goes to heaven. But then he wakes up.

Tags: Fix-it Fic, Djinn, Happy Ending on Earth

Two Inches to the Left (T, 2.5k)

15x20 coda. Something tells Dean to stop by that bridge, so he does. The last thing he's expecting is for a pair of Vespas to pull up and Becky Rosen to tell him that he's still in Chuck's story. Finally, it's time to write his own.

Tags: Fix-it Fic, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending on Earth, Fangirls Save the Day

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starprincecas - @starprincecas - cuddlesandcas

so it goes (T, 1.4k)

The Empty comes to collect.

Tags: Major Character Death, Episode Tag: s15e18 Despair, Angst

no more waiting on tomorrow (T, 739 words)

For all that they’ve finally won once and for all, the victory feels hollow.

Tags: Episode Tag: s15e19 Inherit the Earth, Fix-It Fic

[animeniacss]

A Palette of Emotions - Artist!Taehyung x Teacher!Reader - Chapter 31 - Forever My Muse - FINALE

Synopsis: Taehyung dreams of being a professional and famous artist one day, but finds that the sea of creativity can be lurking with blood hungry sharks, as well as bland, motionless starfish. Swimming through the sea of opportunities somehow washed him up onto the shore of Bright Star Preschool, as an art teacher. This wasn’t where he expected to be 4 years into his career, but anything to get his big break though, right?

Feat. BTS, TXT, ITZY, Jisoo (BlackPink), Taeyong (NCT)

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Love Triangle, Drama, School Setting, Working!AU

Length: approx. 6k words

Chapter 31 - Forever My Muse -FINALE

-------18 months later------

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be there soon.” You said into the phone. “Mom, I just got off the train. Have Bong-Cha send me your location and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Fine. Just hurry, we ordered appetizers to hold us over but we’re starving.” Rolling your eyes, you closed your phone and stuck it back into your purse. As you exited the train, you made your way up the steps and onto the streets of Itaewon. It was a bustling city you seldom got to visit due to your hectic work schedule, which had only grown in the past year or so. Checking the time, you sighed. Bong-Cha and your mother whisked you out here for a weekend getaway in Itaewon, your mother promising family bonding time, while your sister promised to get you drunk and meet a guy in a club. Honestly, you weren’t sure what you wanted to do, but the new scenery alone was enough to make you already feel at peace.

Making your way down the street, you checked the map on your phone that your sister sent, showing their location.

I’m five minutes away, now. Order me a drink or something, I’ll be there soon. You had texted her. As you stuck your phone in your purse, scanning the last few steps of the map, you noticed a large crowd of individuals at the end of the block. “Hm…” you tilted your head, picking up the pace slightly as you hurried down there to see the commotion. Upon closer inspection, you saw several different stands on individuals spread out for several blocks. All of them looked as if to be selling something, such as previously made jewelry, or drawing created of a person right there by the artist. You watched one of the men, tall with a blue stripe in his hair, doodled a picture of a little brother and sister duo who were sitting in a chair, legs kicking as they grew impatient with every passing minute. Cute. You thought. Maybe Bong-Cha and Mom will want to get one when we finish lunch. With that thought in your mind, you continued heading through the crowds of people in hopes to make it to your destination in under 5 minutes. As you were walking, however, you noticed another table at the corner.

A young girl held a painting up on a table. Her black hair was blowing in the wind as she spoke to a young couple, causing her to pull it into a ponytail, though she continued to speak. “I made the original of this during a final project, and I love it so much, I began making it into a series.” You heard her say. Walking past, you caught a glimpse of the picture, an array of rainbow colors mixed with black to create an abstract rainbow. You could only imagine what the remainder of this “series” looked like. Just as you were about to turn your head away, another voice entered your ears.

“Chaeyoung, don’t sell them lies!” You turned around just as the sound of playful laughter filled the table and trickle into the crowd. When you did, you saw a mess of brown hair underneath a beret, only some poking out near his ears and above his eyes. Despite the hair throwing you off, a familiar boxy grin kept your attention. You watched Chaeyoung playfully slap him, sticking her tongue out as the male returned to his own set of work. You watched as he pulled out what seemed to be a piece of paper and a pencil, looking down at the two met and he began to work. It took less than ten seconds for you to see this man to recognize exactly who it was: Kim Taehyung.

For a moment, your breath caught in your throat and you had to wonder if this was a sick joke being played on you by the world. Never in a lifetime did you expect to see Taehyung again, much less out in Itaewon seemingly selling artwork again. After a moment of silent viewing, you tried to turn and continue walking. However, when a deep, familiar voice called your name, you got chills. A round of chills flooded your body, and you rubbed your arm. Turning your head, you saw Taehyung had circled the table and was standing on the street, people now having to walk around him. “…Hey.” He called.

“…Hey!” You said, forcing an immediate smile. You stepped a bit closer. “I thought that was you. What are you doing here of all places?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.” Taehyung smiled. “Have you become a late-night clubber?” You couldn’t help but laugh a bit, biting your lip.

“No, my mother and sister are here. We can for a family trip, and my sister got to pick this time around. You know her.” Taehyung nodded as he remembered the feisty younger girl. “I’m meeting them for lunch now. In fact, I think I’m late.” Taehyung watched you flip open your phone to check the time, and he nodded.

“Oh right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy when I thought I saw you.”

“He’s definitely going crazy.” You heard a girl, who you saw to be Chaeyoung, shout. She was putting some money in her pocket, and when she looked up at you, she smirked a bit. Giggling, you looked back at Taehyung, who rolled his eyes.

“I’ll let you go. But it was nice to see you.” You looked at his table, which was filled with artwork you had never seen before, new inspirational pieces backed up by new memories. Your mind led you back to when his painted resembled you, and a piece of your heart hurt at the idea that a year had gone by.

“You too.” You said softly. “If you’re still around later, I’d love to come to check out your work.” Taehyung nodded, smiling. “Okay. I’ll see you around…bye.” Taehyung waved his hand, setting it into his pocket as he watched you turn on your heel and headed into the crowd again. Taehyung watched you for a moment, a smile forming on his lips. When he looked over to Chaeyoung, he saw a sly smirk on her face.

“…What?”

--------------------------------------------------

An hour had passed when you arrived at lunch, and you had no intention of bringing up your reunion with Taehyung on the way here. Bong-Cha was chatting about her new boyfriend, and mom was asking questions about school. All the while you ate, nodded quietly and finished your meal without so much as “Taehyung” crossing your mind.

However, when silence filled the table, you felt your chest tighten. With nothing else to distract your thoughts, all you could think about was Taehyung. His new hairstyle, the beret, his adorable smile, the way he looked at you with those gentle, beautiful eyes.

“…I saw Taehyung on the way over here.” You finally blurted out. All eyes were on you, and you glanced up at Bong-Cha from across the table. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape.

“What, you saw him?” Bong-Cha gasped, popping some rice into her mouth. “Did you say hi?”

“Only for a second. He looked so different it took me a while to even recognize him at first.” Bong-Cha giggled.

“Well, it had been like a year since you last spoke to him.” She stated simply.

“18 months…” your mother pointed out simply. You and Bong-Cha looked at her as she returned to silently eating her rice. That had been the only thing she said since you brought the whole event up.

Bong-Cha simply turned back to you and smiled. You immediately noticed the twinkle in her eye; she was invested in this whole situation. “Are you going to go see him again?”

“I was going to go back, but I don’t think it’ll be what you think it is.” You stated simply. “It’s been a whole year-.”

“18-.”

“Yes, Mother, 18 months.” You said quickly. “But despite that, his Instagram was down and his cellphone got disconnected. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, and I’m sure he’s moved on. He was selling art with another girl, after all.” Bong-Cha shrugged.

“I’m not saying anything is going to happen. But I’m saving after screaming your feelings in the walls of a train station and crying yourself to sleep for a month afterward, you deserve to talk to him and get some closure. I’m sure he wants that too.”

“Yeah, maybe…” you said softly.

“No, not maybe; definitely. You guys were like one more kiss away from dating one another, that’s not something people just brush under the rug.” You felt your cheeks go pink as you quickly put your final bite of rice in your mouth. “Mom and I just wanted to go to the hotel and swim, anyway. Go do what you have to do and meet us when you’re done.”

As the waiter came and your mother prepared to pay, you nodded. “Alright, alright. Fine.” You said simply. Bong-Cha nodded, satisfied as she finished her drink and leaned back in her chair. The three of you got up and exited the restaurant, but you parted ways at the door, your sister and mother returning to the hotel, while your feet carried you back towards the main street where Taehyung was. You were nervous at the idea of seeing him again. What would a long conversation lead to? You wondered about what had happened in his life these past 18 months. As you saw the crowds of people swarm the area, you knew that whatever happened, it would lead to answers that you realized you had so desperately wanted.

Chaeyoung was the first one to notice you return to the table. “She’s back.” She pointed out, motioning to you shuffling through the crowds. Taehyung looked up, rising from his seat as he walked back around the table, meeting you as you arrived.

“Hey.” He said again, bounce in his voice. You smiled.

“Hey.” You responded. “You’re pulling out the stops, hm? Getting up and greeting me both times.” Taehyung laughed a bit, running a hand through his hair.

“Is it weird?” he asked curiously. You smiled, shaking your head as you fixed your bag on your shoulder. Chaeyoung watched as you both stood there for a moment, watching each other. When the silence became seemingly unbearable, even for Chaeyoung, you turned to the table.

“These are new paintings?” you asked curiously. Taehyung nodded, walking up beside you and crossing his arms. “As lovely as usual. You never stop amazing me, Taehyung.”

A shy chuckle formed on his face, and he scratched the back of his neck. “Thank you…” he said softly. He glanced at Chaeyoung, who immediately leaned forward. When you looked at her, she was grinning. As you examined her beyond her stunning black hair, you noticed a few small and colorful tattoos on her arms; specifically a set of strawberries on her upper arm.

“Nice to meet you, Unnie. I’m Son Chaeyoung.” You smiled sweetly.

“Nice to meet you, Chaeyoung.” You greeted.

“You know, if you want to go somewhere and catch up, I can watch your stuff for you.” Her eyes immediately flickered to Taehyung, who glanced down at you. You had looked back down at some of his paintings, a hand gently gliding over one of them. “Go on. I’ll be sure to take 10% of any commissions you make on behalf of my selling skill.” Taehyung smiled.

“I knew you’d say that.” He spoke. As you stood up, you felt Taehyung put his hand on the small of your back. It sent shivers up your spine; nostalgic shivers that made your throat close in on itself. Glancing up at Taehyung, he offered you a warm smile. “Want to go get some coffee?”

“Okay…” you said. You waved to Chaeyoung, who nodded her head cheerfully as she watched the two of you walk off into the crowd. When you were gone, she plopped down in her seat and smiled, glancing over to the rest of Taehyung’s paintings beside his chair. She snickered to herself.

-------------------------------------

The two of you found a small coffee shop nearby and made your way inside. Taehyung offered to buy the coffee while you found a seat. As you waited, you watched him. He was talking to the barista as he placed his order, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. You couldn’t help but smile too. This conversation had you excited, you must admit. “Here you go,” Taehyung said, setting the coffee mug down in front of you. He plopped himself down across from you. “So…” you quickly took a sip of your coffee. “How are things at the preschool?”

“Alright.” You smiled sweetly. “We ended up expanding everything so now there are two classrooms. I have one and so does Hoseok. We even started hiring more staff like a permanent gym teacher and…” you shrugged. “And art teacher.”

“That’s awesome.” Taehyung smiled.

“Yeah. And they’re looking for someone to overtake my job in the next year. I decided to go back to school to teach in an actual elementary school. I wanted to expand my horizons a bit, so…” Taehyung nodded. “I finish in one more year.”

“Good luck.” He cheered.

“Thanks. What about you? I figured once you started school, you’d stop selling artwork on the streets and at venues and stuff?” Taehyung shrugged.

“Nah. I still put my work up at school events but going out like this and doing it is just a ton more fun.” He chuckled. “Plus, Chaeyoung really likes it, so we normally make it a weekend trip.” Nodding your head, you looked down at your coffee. You watched the steam rise from it, warming your face as if it were a furnace right under your chin.

“She seems like a sweet girl. You’re lucky.” You said simply. Taehyung laughed a bit, and you glanced up.

“Not really. She and I ended up starting the same year, even though she’s a bit younger than me. We worked on a few projects together and got close. She’s crazy talented, she’s even designed her tattoos.” A small smile crawled on your lips as you heard him speak.

“She seems very kind, like I said, you’re lucky.” Taehyung’s smile faded when he saw you lift your coffee to your lips, taking a long sip of the hot drink. Taehyung quickly leaned forward a bit, staring directly into your eyes. “Don’t get the wrong idea.” He said. “We’re not a thing, she’s just a friend.”

You looked at him. Taehyung glanced down at took your hand into his. “It’s not any of my business, either way.” You said simply.

“You looked bothered. The last thing I want is any more miscommunication between us.” You couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “So yeah, she’s just a friend.”

“Okay.” You said simply.

Silence fell over you for a moment.

“How is Mr. Kim?” Taehyung asked.

“Still running the school. Same as always.” you smiled. Silence again.

“Hoseok-Hyung?” he asked curiously.

“Great now that he has that whole class to himself. He’s doing great.” Taehyung nodded, smiling. Once again, silence.

“Namjoon?” he asked curiously. That was the one he was most interested in.

“Well.” You began. “We lost contact when Kai finished with the preschool. I still talk to him once and a while, but not as often…” Taehyung nodded. Knowing what he knows now, he wondered if Namjoon purposely made that choice to limit contact with you, especially after what he remembered seeing of Namjoon pulling you back from the moving train as you cried. “I know Jungkook is still in school, and I think is still a part-time babysitter.”

“That’s good,” Taehyung said. Silence filled the table once again, this time longer, as neither of you knew what to say anymore. You continued to sip your coffee, and watch as Taehyung did so as well. After what felt like an entire school year, you set your coffee down, you looked at him.

“You never returned my calls, you know.” You spoke. Taehyung looked up as you began to speak. “Then, I looked you up on Instagram and it was deleted, I couldn’t find you.” Taehyung sighed.

“I know. A lot happened after I left, and it happened so fast.” You watched Taehyung push his half-empty cup to the side and lean forward onto his elbows, looking up at you. “First, my phone broke. So, I got a whole new phone, and I had to get a whole new number. It was this whole mess, but whatever.” You chuckled as Taehyung forced a shrug. “I had to cut and redo my hair for school, hence the brown short hair.” You nodded.

“Which looks really good.” You wanted to make sure you pointed them out. Taehyung chuckled, smiling.

“Thanks,” said Taehyung. “Anyway, I settled in with my aunt and we started looking for apartments, which was a nightmare until I got that new phone. So, I found this small apartment right by campus and it was perfect, in walking distance, I started job hunting to save money. Everything was going well for just over a month, right?” you nodded, leaning forward to listen even more closely. “A month passes, I started school and get acquainted, everything is great. I have my new phone, and I noticed I had a weird message on Instagram. Once I got accepted to the school, my account started to blow up a bit more and I was getting these cool brand offers. I took a few, mainly art-based stuff, I felt like an Instagram influencer. It was wild.” Taehyung let out a frustrated sigh, and you knew it was coming to the good part soon. “One of those brands turned out to be a huge scam.”

“Oh god.” You gasped.

“I know. Some crazy girl posed as a brand representative for a new set of paintbrushes and asked me to promote them. Somehow, she hacked into my Instagram and took the whole thing over. She was posting some crazy, sasaeng shit.” Your eyes widened as Taehyung took out his phone, skimming through some of the pictures and holding them up. All posts, which were candid photos of Taehyung all over campus, were paired with a caption about this girl’s love for Taehyung. You scrolled through a few, reading the captions in shock. When you handed back the phone to him, he set it into his pocket. “I saved them in case I found out who it was and sued them.”

“What happened?” you asked.

“I found out it was some girl on campus. We traced everything to her apartment, which was right across the street from mine. She got expelled and I told her if it happened again, I would press charges. She moved out of the apartment and I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Oh my God, Taehyung, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. So, I haven’t remade an Instagram since. I don’t want to be on it anymore.” He sighed. “I deleted a lot of my social media after that, and if I didn’t, I put it all on private.” You nodded. “I’m sorry I never tried to get in contact with you. By the time everything got settled with that, it had been months and I was just mentally exhausted and-.”

“That’s okay.” You said quickly. “It sounds like you went through a lot, I’m sorry I just assumed you didn’t want to speak to me anymore.”

“What? No, no. I wanted to talk to you again, but I lost almost everyone’s contact with my new phone. Jimin had said he hadn’t spoken to you in months when he and I met up…” Taehyung sighed. “Maybe I should have made more of an effort. I couldn’t stop thinking on the train what had happened that had you screaming and crying on the platform. Did you miss me that much?” A smile broke out on your face once again. “Or did you just realize for good that your art teacher was gone?”

“…Both.” You said simply, your thumb gliding along the rim of your cup. You could hear Taehyung chuckle. “But, I’m glad to have that all cleared up a bit more.”

“Me too. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to call you. By the time I had some idea how, I figured it was too late, and it would just be unnecessary.”

“Yeah, I thought you had moved on after Jimin told me you had started school and were doing well. It didn’t feel right to pop up out of nowhere like that, so I figured everything happened for a reason, you know?” Taehyung nodded.

“With that same reasoning, maybe that’s why we ran into each other today,” Taehyung said simply.

“I agree.” You said happily. “I’m happy we did.” Taehyung nodded.

“Just so you know…” Taehyung began adding. “Jimin told me what happened the night I left.” You were silent when he told you that, a smile still on your lips, but a hint of sadness behind it. “About the miscommunication and the train and everything with me and Namjoon.” Taehyung let out a frustrated sigh. “I felt like such an idiot when he told me.”

“You’re not an idiot.” You tried to assure quickly.

“No, I am. If I had just shut up and listened to you for more than just ten seconds, you could have cleared everything up right then and there. Then, you would not have had to make such a fool of yourself on the train platform.” You felt a tinge of shame in that last comment and had to force a shy chuckle.

“Thanks for boosting my confidence, Taehyung…” you said playfully. Taehyung said nothing, as he continued to look at you. You glanced up at those intense, dark eyes, and couldn’t help but gulp. His gaze was piercing right through you, and you weren’t sure what to say. Before you could make a decision, Taehyung spoke up once again.

“I wanted to hear you say it…” he said softly. Your cheeks heated up.

“W-what do you mean?” you asked curiously, flustered as you gripped your mug tightly, grounding you to reality while your body, mind, and soul went on in three different directions.

“Jimin told me the truth of how you felt, and what you were trying to say to me…I wanted to hear you say it more than anything once I knew.”

“…Tae-.”

“You don’t have to.” He added quickly. “Not now. Not ever, if that’s what you’ve decided. It’s been a year-.”

“18 months…” you said, practically a whisper. Taehyung nodded.

“Right.” He said softly. “I just wish I had heard it when I was supposed to.”

“…I know.” That was all you could manage to say.

A part of him really wanted to stay here with you, despite everything.

No, there was so much more you wanted to say to him, so many more questions that needed answers. Taehyung finished his cup of coffee and looked at you, smiling sweetly.

“Are you done? Do you want to head back?” He asked. You glanced down at your cup, seeing it was practically empty, done if you took one more sip. You must have taken too long to answer, because Taehyung reached out and took your hand, making you look back up at him. “Are you okay?”

“Would it have made a difference?” you asked curiously, gripping his hand. “Not that I wanted to hold you back but…if you knew how I really felt, would it have made any kind of a difference?” Taehyung was silent for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek as if he had a piece of gum. You looked down at your hands, still interlocked.

“If I knew then that you had intentions of choosing me rather than rejecting me, I would have tried to set my classes up so I could come back down on weekends and see you.” He squeezed your hands. “It would have made a world of difference.”

Those words hit you like a ton of bricks. You felt something tough bubbling in your throat, and you had to swallow it down with the last sip of your coffee. When you set the empty cup down, your eyes must have been red or watering. “Jimin said something like that…” you said softly.

“Hey, wait, don’t cry,” Taehyung said, lifting a hand to wipe your eyes. His hand lingered on your cheek for a moment, and you were quick to rub your eyes frantically with the palm of your hands. “As I said, I’m sorry you thought otherwise because I have an IQ lower than what your students can count to.” Once again, you had to laugh, this time a more cheerful and hearty laugh as any tears that began to form was dried up and wiped away. Taehyung pulled back from you, smiling softly as he rose from the table. “Let’s go. I don’t want your mother or sister to think you’ve abandoned them on your vacation.”

“I told them I was coming back to see you. Bong-Cha probably thinks I’ll be away all night.” Taehyung laughed a bit as the both of you walked out. Taehyung held the door open for you, as he did, and you happily slipped back out onto the street. “Thank you for the coffee, Taehyung. I’m glad we had this time to catch up on everything.”

“Me too…” he said simply. As the crowds began to increase and people were walking from both directions, you felt Taehyung’s hand on the small of your back. This time, however, you felt no sense of goosebumps or chills. Instead, you felt safe and calm. “Hey.” He said. “I forgot to tip the guy who made our drinks. Head back to the stand, I’ll meet you there, okay? I need to run to the bathroom anyway, I’m sure I’ll have to cover for Chaeyoung when I get back.”

“Oh…okay.” You said softly. Watching Taehyung spin on his heel, he hurried back inside, the door closing behind him. Scanning the area, you tried to remember exactly how far the stands were. Looking through a few people passing by, you saw a familiar head of black hair. Chaeyoung was in view, leaning back in her seat as she taped away on her phone. She looked like whatever she was doing, she was having the time of her life. You hurried over. Chaeyoung noticed you approaching, and smiled.

“Ahh, Unnie. How was the coffee?”

“It was nice.” You smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry if we took too long.”

“Psh, to catch up a whole year? No worries, it’s okay.” You saw Chaeyoung look at where Taehyung’s paintings lied. You noticed a few new ones were put up to fill space, most likely from Chaeyoung selling some of her works. “So, it’s been a whole year since you two saw one another?”

“Even more than that.” You said simply. “So yeah, we had a lot to catch up on.”

“I’m sure. Taehyung-Oppa never stops talking about you.” You glanced back up at her as she smiled. She motioned to some of his works. “He said how much you inspired him to paint while the two of you worked together. He showed me the stuff he made. The commission he did for the CEO of the school and his wife? I had no idea it was inspired by you until he showed me the original.” You felt a sense of pride wash over you, smiling softly as you nodded. “He still keeps painting you. I thought you two were dating until today.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “N-no, no. We’re not.”

“He told me a lot about you,” Chaeyoung repeated. “I feel like I already know you in some ways. You’re a teacher, right?” You nodded.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so fun. If I got to teach, it’d be high school art.” She said simply. “But what I really want to do is be a tattoo artist. A famous one, like one of those people on social media that get tons of clients, even celebrities. That would be cool.” Chaeyoung motioned to the paintings she had set out of Taehyung’s. Upon closer inspection, you got a sense of nostalgia looking them over. Pastel colors around a picture of a woman from the shoulders down, wearing a familiar apron and high heel shoes. Another picture showed a serene lake, with what looked like a small woman sitting in the distance, knees pulled up, and an empty canvas by her side. You continued to scan all of the paintings, smiling. “You really are his muse, Unnie…”

“Heh…That makes me happy.” You admitted. As you held one of the pictures, you heard a voice in the distance that made you turned your head.

“Chaeyoung!” Taehyung called, making the younger girl look over with you. “Did you sell anything?”

“Nah.” She sighed. “None of your stuff, anyway.”

“A shame, because I was going to bump your commission percent to 20 because I took too long. Nevermiiiind.” Chaeyoung gasped as Taehyung laughed a bit at the girl’s wide eyes. You couldn’t help but snicker a bit. “Do you need to take some kind of a water break or anything, Chae? I’ll switch with you.”

Chaeyoung watched as you continued looking back down at the paintings, and grinned. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be back.” Taehyung watched as Chaeyoung scooped her bag up, walking away from the table and back into the crowd. Taehyung turned to you once again, walking over.

“I guess you never really changed your style, hm?” you asked curiously, glancing up at Taehyung as he stood beside you. The man only shrugged.

“Nah. Once a good artist gets his inspiration, his muse, he can keep it forever, even if there’s far apart.”

“…Is that a quote or something?” you asked curiously. Taehyung laughed a bit.

“No, not at all. Probably read some of it off of a bad fortune cookie or something.” He grinned, as you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. Taehyung, who could have sat down in his chair at any moment to continue this conversation, remaining right at your side as he explained each painting, when he made it, and what exactly inspired it. You listened intensely, eyes sparkling at every new painting he showed you.

“I missed so much.” You said in awe. Taehyung nodded. “But you have improved at this school. And that’s saying something, you were already really good.”

“Flattery is not needed, I already paid for the coffee.” He teased.

“I’m serious.” You turned to him as he snickered a bit. As you stared at him, you thought back to what he said in the coffee shop.

I wanted to hear you say it.

It would have made a world of difference.

“…You really would have made so many sacrifices just to be with me?” you asked curiously, so softly that Taehyung might not have even heard you.

“I wouldn’t have considered it a sacrifice,” Taehyung said simply, looking down at you. “Not at all. Just to hear you tell me how you feel would have made me happy.” You bit your lip, nodding your head as you listened to him. You had no intention of pulling away, no intention of stopping this intense feeling in your chest. “Felt.”

“Feel.” You quickly corrected. Taehyung blinked. “How I feel.”

“…Ah….” He hummed. “And…how exactly do you feel?” You glanced over at his paintings, staring at them for a moment before turning your gaze back over to him. He waited with bated breath, silent yet hopeful.

“Taehyung, I love you…” you said softly. “I have, and I will and I wish I said it then because-.” Before you could finish, Taehyung quickly leaned down, planting a kiss on your lips. His hands found their way up to your cheeks, clasping them lovingly. You wasted no time for once, kissing him back as your hands found themselves holding onto his arms, moving up to wrap around the palms of his hands not covered by your cheeks and chin. The kiss was short, but it was full of passion, and as Taehyung pulled away from the kiss, he made sure to keep a close distance from you. Your cheeks were red, ears hot as you looked down at your feet. Taehyung couldn’t help but snicker, as he leaned in to plant a gentle and loving kiss on your forehead.

“Yeah, that was exactly what I wanted. Even better, I think.” You giggled a bit. “I love you too…” Hearing him say that made your entire stomach do a flip in the air, and you smiled, finally pulling back enough to give you some space to breathe. Just in time, too, because the sound of Chaeyoung approaching the table caused Taehyung to stand straight up, hands in his pockets.

“Anything happen while I was gone?” Chaeyoung asked, sitting back down. “Did anything sell?”

“Oh no,” Taehyung said simply. “Nobody came by.” Chaeyoung nodded, leaning back in her seat. You could see a mischievous gleam in her eye as he pulled her phone out.

Taehyung returned to his seat as well, watching as you looked at your phone for the time. Immediately, you took Taehyung’s hand, making him turn to you.

“Will you be in Itaewon for a while?” you asked.

“I’m here until Monday morning.” He smiled. You nodded.

“I need to go so my family doesn’t worry or anything but…you should finally give me your new number.” Taehyung laughed a bit. “I want to see you again…”

“Of course.” Taehyung pulled out his phone, the both of you quickly exchanging numbers. You slipped your phone back into your purse and hummed in satisfaction. “I’m glad that’s settled.”

“Right.” You cooed. “I’ll…call you, okay?” Taehyung nodded. Before you turned away, you stepped closer to him, standing on your tiptoes and making sure to give Taehyung a kiss right on the corner of his mouth. You could see his cheeks starting to grow hot, and all he could do was laugh shyly. A small smile crept onto your face. “I’ll call you later.” You repeated.

“Right. Bye.” Taehyung waved. You turned to Chaeyoung, both of you exchanging goodbyes before you headed down the path. Taehyung watched as you walked, staring at you until you eventually disappeared into a crowd of people.

“Something fun definitely happened while I was away.” Chaeyoung teased, a grin on her face. Taehyung nodded, plopping himself down on his chair. He skimmed through old photos, leading back to a year ago. A picture of you, Hoseok, and Taehyung was seen on Taehyung’s last day, the day of his party. Taehyung was opening gifts from the students that you were bombarding him with, Hoseok cracking up as he sat covered in wrapping paper. He could see the beaming smile on your face, even though it was only a side profile, and it made his heart flutter. His eyes wandered back to where he had just seen you walk off.

Taehyung never thought he would be able to get a scholarship through opportunities provided by that school and his friends. He never thought he would watch as his inspiration blossomed from his mind under the roof of a small building with colorful walls and a few small classrooms inside of it. He never thought in life he would dedicate some of his happiest and meaningful memories to his time spent as an art teacher at Bright Star Preschool. However, inspiration comes from anywhere, no matter how big or how small the moments may seem. Taehyung has spent his life crafting the most perfect artwork in his mind, each memory a new splash of paint on his blank canvas.

As he watched you walk away, he couldn’t help but think how much more beautiful that painting was going to become with you, now adding your own colorful flare onto the canvas as well, your own palette of emotions mixing with his in order to create something truly beautiful.

The End 🖼

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[batterycityghoul]

Hello there! Could you write a Klaus x reader with reader being a tattoo artist? Like they met, when reader started tattooing and Klaus's Hello and Goodbye tattoo is her practicing work. With Their relationship romantic, but no strings attached, because Klaus's comes and goes and reader is his safe place? Thank you! 🥰💖

Title: The Taste of Ink

Pairing: Klaus Hargreeves/Reader

Word Count: 3.1k (I can’t write a drabble to save my life, I’m so sorry)

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for this wonderful prompt! I really hope you like this. 💖 This turned out a bit angsty and I’m so sorry. I couldn’t resist. Also, I watched the Deadpool movies again recently and some of the characters might have been inspired by Deadpool characters. Reader and Klaus are both early 20s at the start of this. 

You didn't grow up with the knowledge that you wanted to some day become a tattoo artist. When you were younger, you were always terrible at art, but you yearned to be better. You joined art club and stayed after school with the art teacher, trying to soak up as much as you could about different styles and techniques.

You kept at it until you started feeling satisfied with your work.  

Still, you never expected to turn to tattooing as a possible career path until you found yourself in desperate need of a job after the company you had worked at for a year and a half suddenly let you go. You had applied to be a receptionist at a tattoo parlor called 'X-Force Ink,' just a few blocks away from your apartment, hoping to make enough money to keep paying rent while you considered your options.  

You had only been there for a couple of weeks when the owner had to fire one of the artists. You knew he was scrambling to find a replacement, so when he caught you doodling on the back of the sign-in sheet, he asked you to show him a portfolio. You hurried to get enough sketches together to hopefully give him an idea of your skill and when he seemed impressed, he offered to start your training right away.

It didn't take you long to realize that you loved it. You loved the focus and intimacy of the job. You loved that someone was trusting you enough to permanently ink art onto their body. You loved the thrill of the idea of watching someone walk out of the shop with a smile on their face because of your art.  

By the end of your first couple of months as an apprentice, you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else with your life. The only problem was that you were in need of more experience. You wanted to find someone who would trust you enough to practice your skills on. You considered asking friends or family, but your first real customer ended up being a complete stranger.

It was a nice, chilly autumn day when he came stumbling into your life. You were in the middle of watching another artist named Weasel tattoo a client when you heard the commotion coming from the front of the shop.  

"Go see what that is," Weasel told you. "Wade might need some help."

"Alright," you agreed, leaving the room and making sure to close the curtain behind you to respect the client's privacy.  

"Good luck!" You heard Weasel call after you.

You rolled your eyes, a fond smile on your face as you made your way out to the front. When you got to the waiting room, it was to see your boss, Wade, attempting to kick out a guy with eyeliner smudged around his eyes and a bottle of tequila in his hand.  

"I don't have any money," the guy was slurring, swaying on his feet as he struggled to keep his eyes focused on Wade. "But I can think of other ways to pay."

You saw Wade roll his eyes before he put a hand to the stranger's shoulders. "Brother, I don't know what you're on, but you need to get the hell out of here before I call the cops."

"Oh, but my brother is a cop! Or he used to be one. Go ahead and call him up." The guy leaned forward, pitching his voice lower, as if imparting a secret. "Between you and me, he won't be too surprised to hear from you."

"Leave. Now," Wade snapped.  

"Wait, wait, wait! Just wait!" The guy pleaded, holding out his palms, the bottle of tequila slipping from his fingers.  

Wade was quick to grab it and set it down on the front counter.  

"Just please listen to me," the guy continued, not even seeming to notice he was no longer holding the tequila.  

You caught the sad, desperate look in the stranger's eyes and couldn't help but feel for him.

"Wade," you called, finally gaining his attention. "Mind if I take it from here?"

"What? No! I'm not letting you deal with this creep."

"Hey! Who are you calling a creep?" The stranger's bottom lip poked out in a pout.

You couldn't help but find him adorable as you cautiously approached him. "I'll get him out of here," you promised Wade. "Just give me a minute."

Wade considered you for a moment before he sighed, giving in to your request. "Call me if he tries anything," Wade told you, shooting a glare at the stranger before he turned and walked down the hallway towards the back rooms.  

"Come on," you coaxed, reaching out to gently wrap your fingers around the guy's wrist. "Let's sober you up a bit."

You led the guy back towards the break room, gently pushing him into a chair at the table before you moved to fill a paper cup with water. You handed it over to him, watching him consider it for a moment as if he thought you were secretly trying to poison him, before he took a sip.  

You sat down in the chair next to his, waiting until he was finished with the water before you chose to talk.  

"What's your name?"

The guy squinted at you before a smile slowly stretched across his face. "Well, hey there," he purred. "What's someone like you doing in a place like this?"

"Jesus," you breathed. "What all did you take?"

He laughed, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. "You know, I can't remember. They were mighty pretty, though." He sat up and reached out to touch his finger to the tip of your nose. "Like you."

You couldn't help but find the stranger oddly charming. There was just something about him that seemed to draw you in. You weren't sure if it was his beautiful, sad green eyes or the way he seemed to have so much weighing him down, but came off as strangely carefree. You wanted to know more about him, though.

"What's your name?" You asked again when he looked like he was able to actually focus on you for more than a couple of seconds at a time.  

"Klaus," he answered. "Or Number Four, according to my father. God, what a prick." You listened to him grumble to himself for a few moments before he glanced to you again. "What's yours?"

"Y/N," you told him, holding your hand out for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Klaus."

Klaus took your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He winked at you before he let go of your hand. "The pleasure is mine," he assured you.  

You huffed out a laugh before you stood and moved over towards the refrigerator. You rummaged through the contents before you found the leftovers from your lunch. You put them in the microwave before you looked to Klaus, noticing that he was watching you intently.

"I hope you like tacos," you told him once you grabbed the reheated food from the microwave.

"Oh, yes, I'm starving," Klaus groaned, barely waiting for the food to be placed in front of him before he grabbed it up, immediately taking a bite.  

You watched him comically try to figure out if burning his mouth was worth the bite of food he just stuffed in his mouth before he landed in favor of swallowing the food.  

"So," you started when he was finished with the first taco. "What brought you here?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to get a tattoo. Isn't that why people come here?"

You barely resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "I figured," you said. "But is it something you actually want or is it something you just thought sounded like a good idea because you're high?"

"And drunk," Klaus pointed out, as if that helped his case at all.  

"And drunk," you repeated, raising an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.  

Klaus sighed, dropping the remains of the taco down on the wrapper, before he rolled up the sleeve of his patchwork coat to show you his left wrist. You caught the umbrella tattooed there before he dropped the sleeve, covering it.  

"My dad made me get that when I was a kid," he told you. “So, I’m not a nervous ink virgin. I know what I��m getting myself into.”

"Your dad?" You asked incredulously, feeling your eyes widen in shock. "What the fuck?"

"That's just Reggie," Klaus dismissed, as if the idea of his father forcibly tattooing his kid wasn't the worst thing he ever did to him. Klaus launched into a ramble about his family and superpowers and being made to save the day when he was a teenager. He talked about how he was walking and saw the sign for the shop and knew he wanted to get a tattoo. He seemed to cycle through at least a dozen tattoo ideas, barely even noticing when you got up to refill his paper cup with water and handed it back to him.  

By the time Klaus stopped talking, picking at the rest of his food, you had made up your mind.

"Klaus," you called softly, getting his attention.  

"Yeah?"  

"I'll tattoo you," you offered. "I'm only an apprentice, so I haven't done much yet, but I'll do it for free if you promise me something."

"Anything," Klaus immediately agreed, shooting you a smile.

"I'll only do it if you come back tomorrow after closing and you're sober enough to tell me what you really want. I want to make sure it's something you actually want."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at you, as if thinking it over, before he sighed and nodded his head. "Fine," he conceded. "It's a deal," he said, holding out his hand for you to shake.  

By the time you got Klaus out to the front room and called him a cab, you assumed you would never see him again.  

Still, the next day you volunteered to close, telling Wade that you had a potential client coming in who would let you work on them.  

Wade tilted his head to the side, considering you, before he shook his head. "It's that kid from yesterday, isn't it?"

"Maybe," you answered, shrugging your shoulders.

"If you have any problems, call me," Wade told you. "That kid was a mess. Don't get sucked into his mess, kid," he warned.

"I'm an adult," you reminded him. "I can fuck up all by myself if I want to."

Wade shot you a grin, reaching out to briefly tug on your ear, before he nodded his head. "Don't forget to lock up. If I get robbed, it's all your fault."

"Noted," you told him, smiling after him when he flipped you off in lieu of a wave goodbye as he left the shop.  

By the time an hour had passed after closing, you were starting to think Klaus wasn't going to show up. You had already resigned to giving him another ten minutes before you left when you were startled by the sound of someone knocking on the front window.  

You glanced over to see Klaus standing there, a wide grin on his face when he realized he had your attention. He waved at you through the glass, practically skipping over towards the front door when you moved to unlock it for him.

"Hello there," he sang, brushing past you once you opened the door.  

"You came," you said, still a bit surprised to see him.

"Well, not yet," he told you with a wink.  

You sighed, deciding not to comment, before you moved to lock the front door again.  

"So, do you know what you want tattooed?" You asked him, turning to consider him again.

A slow, pleased smile stretched across Klaus' face before he nodded his head. "I have the perfect idea."

Ten minutes later, you were starting to question if this was a good idea.

"I'm sorry," you said, shaking your head. "You want a tattoo on your hands?"

"The palms," Klaus corrected, showing them to you as if you wouldn't know what he was talking about otherwise. "One on each of them."

"Are you sure?" You asked helplessly, suddenly not sure if you were up to the job. "Maybe we should let someone else do this," you added. "Someone with more experience."

"Hey," Klaus said, reaching out to grab your hand. "I trust you."

"Why?" You couldn't help but wonder, since you had barely known him for a day.  

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "You helped me," he simply offered in answer.

You studied Klaus for a few moments before you sighed. "Alright," you finally conceded. "Let's do this."

When you were finished, you waited for Klaus to say he hated your work or regretted his decision.

Instead, he graced you with a blinding, satisfied smile and leaned forward to kiss you in thanks.  

You weren't really sure what expression you had on your face when he pulled away, but all you knew was that you wanted more. Klaus' expression softened, his eyes dipping as he took you in, before he gave you a drawn-out, intent look. Slowly, he leaned forward, careful not to put any weight on his bandaged hands, as he brushed his lips against yours again.

This time, you felt almost breathless as he kissed you, your mind blanking out until all you could think about was Klaus pressed against you and how good it felt.  

It wasn't long after that before you both ended up on the couch in Wade's office, half-naked and sated, pressed against each other.  

"I wasn't expecting that," you pointed out, feeling weak-limbed and unsure as you finally pushed yourself up to stand.  

Klaus was watching you when you glanced down at him, his gaze intent. "I was hoping for it," he told you, a smirk forming on his face when you felt your cheeks heat in a blush.  

You held a hand out to Klaus, pulling him off the couch. "It's getting late and I have to lock up. But I live just down the street. Want to come over for coffee?"

"I'd love that," he agreed before he pulled you in for another kiss.  

After that night, Klaus made it a habit to come into the shop every few months. Sometimes, he asked for a new tattoo. Other times, he seemed like he just wanted to talk.  

You fell in love with Klaus over the years. You weren't sure when it really happened. Maybe it happened between inking the star onto his right wrist or the cluster of stars above his left hip. Maybe it was when he showed up at closing one night, a bottle of vodka in one hand and bag of tacos in the other, ignoring the exasperated glare Wade shot him. Maybe it happened when Klaus came into the shop, tears streaming down his face as he made a beeline over to you, asking if you could fit him into your schedule. Maybe it was as you inked a ghost into the skin of his right hip, a design he found hilarious but wouldn't tell you why, as you listened to him talk about losing his brother Ben.  

You saw different sides to Klaus over the years, but he was always Klaus to you. He was in and out of your life so often, but you never minded, because you knew without a doubt that he would always find his way back to you.  

Sometimes, you would go months without seeing Klaus. Other times, he would be a near-constant presence in your life for weeks.  

By the time you had been working at X-Force Ink for almost a decade, you were starting to wonder if your relationship with Klaus would ever move past visits and settle down into something stable. You loved Klaus, so while you were more than happy to take anything he was willing to give, you couldn't help but miss him from time to time.  

When Klaus came into the shop one day in late March, a guy you didn't recognize trailing behind him, you immediately made your way over to him.

"You got new ink," you couldn't help but point out, reaching out to brush your fingers over the tattoo on his bicep. "Should I be jealous?"

Klaus laughed, the sound almost desperate and pained. "I was out of town for a while. Couldn't wait," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He pointed to the guy standing near the front door of the shop. "Y/N, this is Diego. Diego, this is Y/N."

"Your brother?" You asked, tilting your head as you considered Diego. "He's handsome," you told Klaus, wriggling your fingers in a wave at Diego.  

"Now I feel like I should be jealous," Klaus joked.  

You focused back on Klaus, studying him for a moment. "There's something different about you."

Klaus gave a helpless little laugh before he nodded his head. "There's a lot different about me."

"Are you okay?"  

He sighed in answer before pulling you in for a kiss, making it somehow feel melancholy and sweet at the same time.  

"Why does this feel like goodbye?" You asked when he pulled away, his eyes hinting at a sorrow and grief and anguish that hadn't been there the last time you saw him.

"It doesn't have to be," he said before he bit his lip. He winced before glancing back at his brother. "But it might be."

"What does that mean?"  

Klaus wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in until you were pressed up against him. He dropped a kiss to the crown of your head. "It's probably better if you don't know. But I'll fix it. I'll save the world for you."

"Klaus," you started, attempting to pull back so you could look at him, but he didn't seem intent on letting you go. "You're worrying me."

"Sorry," he breathed, finally letting you go. "I just wanted to see you."

You caught what he wasn't really saying. This was likely the last time you would see him. He just wanted to see you before he left. He might not be coming back.  

"Klaus," you repeated, feeling helpless as tears welled in your eyes. "What's really going on?"

"Klaus," you heard Diego call. "Wrap it up."

Klaus groaned, shooting a glare at Diego, before he looked back to you. He cupped your face in his hands, bringing you in for a short, loving kiss before he pulled away from you.  

"I'll see you," he offered, his tone conveying how much he hoped what he said was true.  

"Miss you already," you told him, your own little version of 'I love you.'  

You watched as Klaus left the shop with his brother, shooting you one last look through the glass at the front of the shop. The last you saw of him was his hand raised in a wave, the 'goodbye' you tattooed there years earlier serving as your final message from Klaus.

[apollocomplexx]

Okay, guys, so hear me out. Feel free to add on to this if you guys want.

ALSO THIS INVOLVES SEXUAL IMPLICATIONS(MENTIONS OF HOOK-UP, USAGE OF "LAY", AND FRIENDS W/ BENEFITS), AND BURN VICTIMS. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

But an actual full-length character study of Dabi and Hawks? But like, in an AU where there's no quirks. Dabi, a tattoo artist(i know, so original 🙄) and a burn victim, Hawks. Hawks, who was once a pro athlete who had gotten into an accident ends up having a burn scar smeared right across the side of his face. His backstory is basically similar to his own, but he actually suffered the neglect from his family. So he's got mad mommy and daddy issues. And so, when he was recruited as an athlete(im not sure what sport), he had a full-ride scholarship. He was always a successful person in school and tried to be perfect.

So, he emailed became one of the best AND youngest pro athletes. But, of course, he got caught in a bad accident and he was hospitalized for awhile. Hawks- now Keigo -doesn't have the physical capability to be how he used to. The fastest man alive now barely able to run at a normal speed of the average person. Physical therapy is a bitch.

Because of all his money in reserve, he goes to a therapist. She expresses to him that he seems to have a self-conscious issue with himself. Keigo agrees. Not because he's acknowledging the situation, but because he hates how far he's fallen. He's not the same person he used to be. This prompts the therapist to ask, "Who were you, Keigo?" It throws him for a loop because he can't find himself to be able to scrap up any ideas or proof he actually was a person with a personality.

So, the session ends and he can't stop thinking about it. His best friend, Rumi, encourages him that night whilst eating a a giant bowl full of takeout Ramen that he should, "Try something new! Stop bitching around and wallowing around in your own shit. Life ain't shit. It ain't gonna tell you to get off your ass. You gotta do something." He takes this advice.

There are more troubles when his family ends up contacting him and asking for a stipend on money. You know, to support their "retirement". Keigo, who still has a soft spot and moral compass, reluctantly gives them money. Hie agency had given him a large severance pay when the doctors confirmed to the team and league that he wouldn't be able to play anymore.

Without even contacting Rumi, Keigo decides to do one of the worst(but possibly best decision in his entire life) impulsive things in the textbook. Angrily get a tattoo, that's what he's gonna do. So, he goes to this stupid little tattoo parlor. Isn't the best, the employees are apparently a bit crazy(especially the 18-year-old blonde desk worker, jfc). But he likes the vibe. This is the perfect place to ruin his life. Yes. It's called The League of Villains. Pretty edgy, right? Right, that's the point.

And so he already planned the appointment last night when he was kinda drunk. You know, putting himself in a stupor with deliciously fancy brandy and possible soda in the mix? It was strong. But he was so for this qt the moment. Of course, he was nervous as he got pointed to the closest room. The door was ajar and he could hear some edgy pop punk music he could imagine some teenager in their emo-phase would listen to after their breakup with their first boyfriend they had for like 4 days. So, he opens the door to see this mop of black hair, and instantly, the long overcoat with staples jumps out at him. Oh God, is this guy a teenager stuck in his emo phase?

Said-guy looks up and he has these gorgeous flaming blue eyes that looks like he could drown in and be burnt in at the same time. There were so many piercings on his face, and he looked intense with tattoos. The more he stared. He noticed the leathery burnt flesh underneath the intricately done patchwork of an elaborate tattoo. They were plentiful of electric blue flowers that matched his scorching eyes, monochrome smoke with pairing wild flames that looked something out of a folklore book. It was just utterly magnetic and magical and--

And the tattoo artist glances up at Keigo with this knowing smirk. And wow, he's hot AND pretty. How dare he? His own burn scar visible on his face makes him look so wretched. How can he pull that off so well? And so, that's how Keigo got a Hawks tattoo on the side of his neck. He wasn't that dedicated to get one over his scar like this guy here. Soon enough, he learned that his name is Dabi, he's been a tattoo artist for about three to four years. Before that, he was a starved artist who took like, a couple of years in philosophy(maybe he could be an art student with an associate's???). He blatantly made flirty comments toward Keigo and wow. If he wasn't gay before, he is now.

The two share contact information, they talk, and Keigo genuinely gets 10x better with his mental health. Apparently Dabi had no fucking clue that he was a pro athlete because all he watches are stupid documentaries and terrible reality shows. And maybe some ghibli films, because he's a man of flavor.

Dabi starts to learn a lot about Keigo but Keigo never learns a lot from Dabi. Eventually they start hanging out. This evolves into intense flirting. And then this turns into hook-ups. All Keigo knows is that apparently he's a good lay, Dabi's tongue is very hot for no reason(like temperature don't kill me lmao), and he might have severe commitment issues because he only deems them as friends. Now, Hawks normally wouldn't care. But Dabi then starts to invite him out after he confides in him about his therapy session.

So, they start going on not-dates. To coffee shops, to bakeries, McDonald's at 3am after a quick fuck, and even more stuff that he knows would be deemed as dates but they just aren't. The tattoo artist claims he doesn't care, but it's so evident that he does.

And he doesn't realize Dabi has as many problems as he does when he thinks about the entire situation. He has feelings for the man, and it's apparent that the other wants no strings attached. So, he brings it up after they have an "intimate" moment. Keigo looks over at the raven, and he sees him staring at him with this placid look on his face. And then he swears he sees tears welling up in his eyes. Then there's a slow meld of pink appearing on his face, up on the healthy portion of his skin. Before he knows it, Dabi just fucking up and leaves without much of a word and Keigo just feels-- he feels like shit.

And that's where I stop because I've been typing on my phone for 30 minutes and I'll keep going on. What do you guys thinks lmao

[seokstrivia]

Lovestruck | kth

》 Summary: It was love at first sight, however, what you had imagined was very different from real life. In other words, Kim Taehyung didn’t know you existed.

》 Jock!AU | M.list | word-count; 9k

》 Kim Taehyung x Reader; fluff, soft, pining, mutual pining, slow burn, smut, strangers to lovers au, taehyung is a big soft teddy bear, he’s also a photographer

→ Sun rays & imperfect drawings

The suns rays were growing softer as it gradually disappeared behind tall trees and countless skyscrapers. It was still warm, and there was a smile cast over your lips while you watched Taehyung play football.

He was running across the field, laughing with no care in the world. Sometimes, you wondered what it felt like to be as free as him, to have confidence and laugh at nothing but everything at the same time.

Sometimes you wondered what it would be like to be friends with Kim Taehyung.

He was known for his boxy smile, his cheeky remarks, sense of humour and of course, being talented at football. He was the team captain after all.

Eyes on no one but him, your hand flew swiftly and skilfully across the paper. It wasn’t your first time drawing him, you could draw him with your eyes closed, nevertheless, the drawing had to be perfect.

Even if it did absolutely no justice to the real person.

“I knew I would find you here.”

Youngjae, Choi Youngjae, your best friend. The first to approach you when you moved to his high school, and then, the one who decided to stick with you ever since. He also knew about the not-so-very secret, secret crush you had on the boy with the boxy smile.

“Why don’t you just ask him to model for you?” Questioned Youngjae as he sat beside you. “That way you can add refined detail and get to know him.”

You quirked an eyebrow before shaking your head, “it’s not that easy.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because he doesn’t know I exist.” You stated matter-of-factly.

The sky promptly reflected colours of faded pinks, oranges and pale yellows. It cast different hues onto the field, causing Taehyung to appear tanner and sweatier than he already was.

There was a feeling of satisfaction within you, the kind of feeling you felt after having a delicious and very pleasant meal. One that left you feeling sleepy and completely content. 

You smiled. 

It was when Taehyung swung an arm around his best friend, you knew it was time to leave. It was when he waved the sun goodbye, you knew he was someone special.

Kim Taehyung was rich honey drizzled in warm tea, he was a soft blanket on a cold night. He was that very feeling that made you feel at home, the one feeling which made you feel safe.

There was an affectionate gaze across your features while your mind filled itself with cliché love stories. All starting and ending with the one boy you so desired to get to know, the one boy who caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach.

If only.

A sigh broke your lips, heart sinking into your stomach while you, carefully, placed your sketchbook into your bag before propping it onto your shoulder, and then standing up.

“Come on,” you urged as you smiled at Youngjae. “Let’s go home.”

The walk home mainly consisted of Youngjae telling you stories about his dog, Coco, and how his flatmate Mark was absolutely smitten for the small little ball of fluff.

A smile adorned your profile when he laughed at his own story because it was just that funny. Because Coco peeing on Mark, and Mark cooing at the said dog after it happened was hilarious to him.

→ Cherry blossoms & new faces

If there was anything Taehyung loved about Spring, it was the cherry blossom trees and how they seemed so effortlessly beautiful.

There was a wide grin on his face while he took countless pictures of his best friends, Jungkook and Jimin. He laughed with them as they executed silly poses and faces, happily being themselves without a care in the world.

It was then Taehyung noticed you by the blossoms, admiring the newly bloomed flowers. The way the wind blew your hair and the way the sun beamed through the branches was art in itself.

He took a photo of you without hesitation, he didn’t know who you were, but he knew he’d seen you somewhere before. Whether it was at school or someplace like this, he wasn’t sure.

“Can we eat now?” Jungkook asked becoming excited at the thought of food. “I’m starving.”

Taehyung nodded his head, his signature boxy smile engraved onto his lips. Sometimes Taehyung wondered how his life would be without his two best friends; one thing he knew for sure was that it would very, very, dull.

Before leaving the park to eat an early dinner, Taehyung turned around to see if you were still there. Unfortunately, you weren’t, but the image he captured of you would be with him forever. Hidden safely in his camera.

Perhaps, he’ll see you again, and when he does, he’ll definitely introduce himself and ask for your name.

→ Water droplets & flower petals

Spring showers, but warm weather. It was expected to happen within this season, but the thunderous rumble the sky performed still caught you by surprise.

Eyes wide over how heavy the rainfall was, and over how unprepared you were for this unpredictable weather. A sigh emerged your parted your lips while you thought of an alternative, how were you going to get home without getting wet?

Option one was obviously waiting it out, maybe sitting in the library, and doing homework, or maybe going to the studio to paint.

Option two was to make a run for it, it was only water, albeit cold and icky, it was still water. Plus, you could always hop in the shower as soon as you made it back to your apartment.

Your lips pursed in thought, maybe you should just prop your hood up and walk home. There was no need to stay behind, not when you had a warm place to get to. So, with a deep exhale and a small smile, you stepped into the rain after propping up your hood.

The rain wasn’t as heavy as before, and the route you always used to get home was very artistic and beautiful. Particularly during spring.

Your heart swelled when the bushes full of bloomed flowers took over each side of the path. They were full of colours, varying from oranges to purples to reds, each flower had its own character dripping with water from the rain.

You were admiring each flower when you heard a faint shutter click from behind you, drawing you out of your reverie, the smile on your lips falling instantly before you turned around.

The first thing you noticed was the camera, the third thing you saw was the flash. Your heart was racing by then, head spinning for the second thing you noticed was the box-like smile.

Kim Taehyung.

There was a big grin on his face when he revealed himself from behind his camera. You were lost for words, mind blank and mouth dry, Taehyung was standing right in front of you.

“Hi,” came his deep voice, his form getting closer with each step he took. “I’m Taehyung. Kim Taehyung.”

I know, you thought to yourself.

His grin widened. “What’s your name?”

Snapping out from your bewildered state, you uttered out your name, stammering somewhere in between and losing your breath quicker than you’d ever anticipated.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he spoke again, your name naturally flowing out of his lips. “I hope you don’t mind that I took your picture. You seemed so at peace I had to capture the moment.”

You smiled whilst shaking your head ‘no’, before saying the words, “I don’t mind.”

He beamed in return, happy to know that you weren’t angry or upset he’d taken a picture of you without your permission. It was when Taehyung pulled down his hood, showing his soft hair while he ran a hand through it, you noticed it stopped raining.

“Where are you headed?”

His voice was so deep yet so soothing, that you found yourself thinking about how you could listen to it forever. Other than that, Taehyung was as ethereal as ever, he was everything you’d ever imagined and more. From head to toe, he was everything you couldn’t have, everything you could only reach for in your dreams.

“I’m going home,” you told him after a few moments of silence.

Taehyungs’ eyes were dark with a shine to them, a glint which showered excitement along with something else, something you couldn’t quite figure out. He grinned big and bright, then reached for the flower petal which had fallen so delicately onto your head from the blossoms up above. His hand felt soft when it swept the palm of your hand for that fleeting second.

The flower petal was damp but soft, lightly littered with tiny droplets of rain.

“I’ll walk you home,” he said.

There was no room for arguments as he led the way, pretending to know where he was going, acting like your prince in shining armour.

Thereafter, Taehyung enthusiastically waved goodbye when you reached your building, but didn’t leave before uttering the words, “see you soon.”

→ Another drawing & another meeting

Youngjae was languidly chewing on his sandwich, loudly telling you a story at the same time, when Taehyung saw you again.

He took note of the amusement in your eyes, the smile adorned over your features whilst you listened to the boy next to you. As if he was the only specimen left in the world along with you.

Another thing he took note of was the sketchbook resting on your lap. It’s difficult to see what the pages hold, but it had him feeling curious, and wanting to know what secrets the book held.

Other than that, the whole sight in front of him with the genuine smile on your lips and shine in yours was picture-taking worthy. 

Unfortunately, Taehyung didn’t have his camera with him since he was on his way back from football practice, he tsk’d in disappointment before deciding to use his phone camera. It wasn’t the same quality, it didn’t hold the same magic as his professional camera, but it would have to do for now.

A click resounded through his ears, a satisfied smile took over his face whilst he admired the picture. One of you laughing as though you and Youngjae were the only two left to exist in the world. As if no one else mattered.

Taehyung wished he could have that with someone, he wished he could laugh and smile just like you did. Taehyung, at that moment, wished he knew you the same way your best friend did.

And so he decided to at least, try. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take much convincing, or hesitation in that matter, to approach you. To say ‘hi,’ and ask if he could sit with you because he still needed to eat his lunch.

Taehyung noticed Youngjae wink at you when he sat down, he then noticed a red hue cross your cheeks. Something else he saw was the drawing in your sketchbook, it was one of Mark— a friend in one of his classes— holding a puppy with a big smile etched across his face.

“I’ve never seen Mark smile that big before,” he spoke pointing at the drawing.

Youngjae stopped talking to see what Taehyung was talking about and then smiled while taking the book from your lap, but not before snickering at the panic spanning over your features.

“Y/n actually had to wait for the perfect moment before taking the photo. We had to make sure Mark didn’t notice otherwise we would've gotten into trouble,” Youngjae explained. “Talented isn’t she?”

Taehyung glanced towards you, nodding his head while uttering a, “yeah.”

You felt the heat immediately rush to your cheeks, the only ones who’d ever seen your work was Youngjae, your classmates and your lecturer. Other than that, you preferred to keep quiet about it, still struggling on perfecting what you did.

Even if you knew nothing of such existed.

“Do you wanna flip through?”

Taehyung was about to say yes, as well as, reach for the book. Except, that was when panic struck again and you snatched what belonged to you out of Youngjae’s hands.

“I still have a lot to work on, plus it’s not worth the time,” you lied.

There were drawings you didn’t want him to see, drawings of him in particular. A smirk appeared on your best friend’s face because he knew this, and a confused yet surprised expression on your crushes.

He probably thinks you’re crazy now. You cringed at the thought.

“I’ll show you some other day,” you told him, eyes elsewhere. “Maybe.”

Taehyung beamed in utter happiness and agreed to wait for when you were ready to share your artwork. A sigh of relief, you didn’t know you were holding in, departed your lips when Taehyung mentioned something about another class and final lecture.

“That was magical,” Youngjae teased when Taehyung left.

You scowled in return.

→ Here, there and everywhere

The library was full of students trying their best to study, to do homework, and to focus. They all appeared exhausted, stricken with tired expressions and quiet sighs.

You proceeded towards the back of the library, locating the art books that were probably collecting dust since nobody ever took them out. Apart from you. Which is why it was strange to see someone staring at a book about Vincent Van Gogh. 

It was when you stood beside them, when you glimpsed towards their direction, you found out who it was. Surprise took over your features, a red hue took over your cheeks when you made eye contact. Your heart burst into a million pieces. 

“Oh, hi, y/n!” He beamed fairly quietly.

The smile on his face was captivating as always. His hair in messy soft waves, long and dark, just hiding his eyebrows.

“Hello,” you whispered with a smile of your own. “I didn’t know you were interested in Van Gogh.”

Taehyung nodded his head, showing you the book he’d chosen out of the others.

“He’s one of my favourite artists.”

You licked your lips, listening to Taehyung ramble about his favourite piece of artwork to how said artist inspired him to start painting. He was very enthusiastic about it all, and you envied the way he was in love with art, drawing and painting. Longing to once again feel what he felt now.

“How about you?” He questioned.

Your lips pursed in thought, “my major is art, so... I guess because it’s something I need to do every day, it just feels more like a chore now.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed at your answer, he knew, from what he saw a few days ago, you were very talented in what you did. However, he didn’t know how to feel when he learnt that you didn’t enjoy it as much.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“I’m sorry too,” you returned, staring deeply into his eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He shook his head, letting you know that you’d done absolutely nothing wrong. After picking the books you needed, both of you headed towards the librarian to check out what you’d both chosen.

Taehyung smiled at you once more, his eyes filled with a soft gaze, “maybe we can draw together sometime.”

“Maybe we can.”

It was more of a reply to yourself since he was gone before you could even blink in response.

➴➶➴➶ The cafe ➴➶➴➶

The strong scent of coffee beans swelled in the air around you, chatter reverberated throughout the cafe, and your eyes examined the menu.

The thought of trying something new seemed to peak interest. Considering you always bought the same thing when you came here. It was beginning to get embarrassing since every barista that worked here knew your order.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that, it was just a bit strange. They probably thought you were boring, drinking the same drink every day when they had a huge variety to choose from.

A sigh escaped your lips just before you felt someone tap your shoulder. Confused, because you weren’t meeting anyone, you turned around only to come face to face with Kim Taehyung.

Was it fate or a mere coincidence?

���Hi!” He cheered, eyes bright and smile big.

“Hello,” you chuckled in return.

“What are you getting?”

Another sigh left your lips at his question, you turned to stare at the menu again. Trying to pick a new drink was quite difficult considering you weren’t too keen on trying anything new. Taehyung seemed to pick up on your struggle as he pointed towards a photo of a red drink. The picture made the beverage appear tempting, and very refreshing.

“Try the strawberry iced-tea,” he suggested, face close to yours. “It’s my favourite.”

You aimed to look at him but were met with his right cheek instead of his eyes. When did he get this close to you?

“How about we swap drinks?” He proposed with a quirked eyebrow.

“I guess we could,” you answered after careful consideration. “My drink isn’t really all that exciting, it’s just an iced americano.”

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, not really caring; mainly because it was just a drink. You observed him approach the counter, ordering his strawberry iced-tea, and then telling you he was going to find a table for two while you ordered.

The thought of spending the rest of the day with Taehyung in a cafe had your mind reeling, and heart racing. Never once did you think that this would ever happen in real life, merely three weeks ago, the said boy didn’t even know you existed.

You swallowed hard before proceeding to order your drink, followed by joining Taehyung at the table he chose next to the window.

➴➶➴➶ The record store ➴➶➴➶

After long and careful consideration, you decided that you would not buy a vinyl today. Mainly because, you had too many sitting at home next to your record player, none of them had been touched in a long time since you’d been busy with school.

However, that didn’t mean you had to leave immediately and go home, you could still browse and search for a vinyl you absolutely needed in your life.

“Y/n, can we go? I’m bored.”

Youngjae was trailing behind you like a lost pup, and you knew that dragging him along with you was a bad idea. Especially since you were going to be here for quite a while, there was a lot of records to go through.

So, in the end, you decided to give him the keys to your flat and told him to order some takeout. He didn’t question you any further, grasped the keys out of your hand and dashed out the door without glancing back.

A chuckle parted your lips, he was gone as quick as a pimple could appear.

Now that there were no distractions or worries, you could happily proceed to browse through each pile. The shop owner observed you with a small smile before carrying on with her own work.

The bell of the door went off again, indicating that someone had just entered. You turned to see who it could be, immediately feeling your heartbeat pick up its pace, it definitely had to be fate.

This was your third time running into Taehyung.

He spotted you from where he was standing and cheerfully waved. The only difference this time was that he wasn’t alone, it also seemed as though it was his first time in the store. It didn't seem to be a favourite place to visit from the way he trailed behind Jimin and Jungkook. All with a pout.

You licked your lips as you tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. Taehyung wasn’t really paying attention to what his friends were saying, he was too busy watching you after he noticed you were here too. 

Curiosity filled his mind, eager to know who your favourite artists were to what your favourite song was. There was a lot Taehyung wanted to know about you, he just wasn’t sure if you’d spend the entire day with him. He also wasn’t sure if you would let him ask you an unlimited amount of questions.

“Tae,” you chucked gaining his lost attention when you approached him. “Your friends are about to leave without you.”

The said boy blinked a few times, heart struck by the smile across your lips. The way your eyes shined under the dim lighting was picture worthy, it was a shame he didn’t have his camera with him.

He sighed. And then grinned.

“It’s fate we keep meeting like this, isn’t it?” He ushered out before saying goodbye and following his friends out of the store.

You watched him scramble after them, yelling for them to slow down. There was a blank expression on your face, thoughts filled by the word ‘fate.’

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that boy is falling in love with you.”

The store owner caught your attention and winked in turn before slipping into the back. That was your cue to leave, not because of what she said, no. Never. It was because Youngjae was waiting for you at home with food. 

Yeah, that was it.

→ Peace & Quiet

Days go by, some filled with rain storms others with the sun shining high and radiant. Your minds filled with a list of things you have to do to complete your class. To pass your year.

And you’re stressed.

The drawing you’re doing right now, is one of Youngjae crying. The moment was captured during a sad movie, perfect for your project on human emotions.

Except, you’re lacking the motivation to finish your project, more so, lacking the inspiration to start the next drawing. Everyone else in your class seemed to be doing just fine, it was just you who couldn’t bring yourself to finish this stupid project.

Out of frustration, you yanked your earbuds out of your ears, the music now a faint noise as you tossed them aside. A groan escapes your lungs, a noise of irritation which gained the attention of another who’s walking by.

“Y/n, right?” They greeted as they approach you.

It was a voice you weren’t too familiar with, but one you’d heard before nonetheless. His name was Jungkook, you think, trying hard to remember if Jimin was the shorter one.

Anyway, there’s a smile on his face, one with bunny-like teeth. Bright and carefree. It causes you to smile, somewhat like a contagious laugh would cause you to, well, laugh.

“Hi, Jungkook? Is it?” You questioned.

The said boy nods his head before taking a seat next to you, he does his nosey and glances at your sketchbook. And then points towards your phone.

Curiosity spikes.

“What are you listening to?”

Jungkook was surprisingly comfortable to be around, like a younger brother. Or an old friend, you decided that it felt quite nice.

You picked up one of the buds and handed it to the boy before placing the other in your own ear. Music filled both your ears, causing smiles to widen and heads to bop, Jungkook seemed to like what you were listening to.

“You’ve got a good taste in music,” he tells you.

A ‘thank you’ leaves your lips, feeling somewhat proud of yourself.

Silence shortly befalls, and a few seconds go by of just listening to music, then Jungkook shows interest when you pick up your sketchbook and begin altering your drawing. He’d seen Taehyung draw and paint, but his best friend was nowhere near as talented as you.

“Can you draw me when you have the time?” He asked.

Your eyes met his, no one had asked you to draw them before. Not even Youngjae had asked you, not that you expected him to.

“I guess, if you want me to,” you answered with a blank face. “I’m not that good though.”

“Are you kidding me?” He argued, causing your eyes to widen in surprise. “You’re amazing!”

Jungkook was out of breath, and somewhat frustrated that you didn’t think you were good at what you did. 

“Thanks, I guess,” you smiled softly. “I think I needed to hear that.”

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but he didn’t question it. And it made you laugh, mainly because no one had reacted this way over your work before. Although it felt unusual, it was nice too. 

Jungkook was different, a good kind of different. He was comfortable to be with, even if this was the first time you’d ever spoken to him, and he helped you take your mind off all the stress. Without even knowing.

“I think I understand why Tae likes you so much,” he told you. “And why he talks about you all the time.”

You were taken aback by the sudden confession, but didn’t say anything or question him further. Of course, you wanted to know what he meant, wanted to know what Taehyung said about you, but couldn't bring yourself to do so. 

Fortunately, it was time for him to go. However, he was leaving you with a mind full of questions, what-ifs and a wild imagination. Geez.

→ Vanilla tears & sad smiles

There were two things you always carried with you, one was your class sketchbook, and the other was your own personal sketchbook—a journal. The one that was nowhere to be seen, and you clearly remember putting it in your bag like you always did.

A shaky sigh left your lips, no matter how many times you emptied your bag, the journal wasn’t there. You were lucky that it wasn’t your class sketchbook because that one was important, even if your personal was full of drawings and writings you didn’t want anyone to see.

Well, one person in particular.

Youngjae didn’t seem to understand why it was such a big deal, waving it off with his hand while telling you to just buy a new one. It made you angry because he was being inconsiderate, you argued back and told him to go away if he wasn’t going to help.

He left but not without scoffing and calling you a drama queen.

When he was gone after slamming the door behind him, you sat back down in your seat and let the tears roll down your cheeks. Sure it wasn’t anything big to cry over, and maybe you were being dramatic, but it had some of your best work.

Work you were actually proud of.

However... it also held a written confession to Taehyung, a confession you didn’t want anyone to see or read. Not even Taehyung himself. What were you going to do now? You don’t even know when you lost it.

Taehyung stepped into the lecture hall, remembering he’d forgotten his hoodie all while humming a tune to himself. It was when you dropped your bottle of water he realised he wasn’t alone. A smile adorned his face when he saw that it was you, someone, he was always more than happy to run in to.

“Hi,” he spoke softly, gaining your attention. “What are you still doing here?”

Luckily, you’d dried your tears way before he, or anyone in that matter, entered the hall. That would’ve been embarrassing, how would you have explained why you were crying?

“I lost my journal, it had a lot of drawings in it,” you sighed. “And I have no idea where it is.”

Taehyungs smile softened, he could hear the faint sadness in your voice and it broke his heart a little. “Do you want me to help you look for it?”

It was a kind offer, but you were too tired to even think about where you’d been. About where you could have left your book, so you shook your head, ‘no.’

“It’s okay,” you replied. “I’m just going to go home. Thank you though.”

The smile on your face was genuine but sad, and he could tell how upset you were. Taehyung walked you out of the building, waving bye, but not before cheering you up a little and making your heart flip in your chest.

That night, after football practice, Taehyung found a book on one of the benches. He flipped to a page he probably wasn’t supposed to see, and then slammed it shut.

→ Secret glances & fuzzy feelings

Three days went by, and there was no sign of your book anywhere. However, Youngjae had apologised for being mean and offered to help look for it. So, that was good. 

“It’s gone forever, isn’t it?” You sighed. “Someone’s probably found it and binned it or something.”

“Don’t think like that, did you try lost and found?”

You nodded your head, then told him that nothing had been handed in for three months now. It was no use, you would just need to give up and start on a new sketchbook.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was engulfing himself in so many thoughts, and so many feelings. He didn’t have it in him to give you your sketchbook back. Not yet at least.

He was pacing the locker room, the sketchbook was burning a hole in his bag, and Jimin was watching the whole ordeal, in nothing but, utter amusement. Then there was Jungkook who was nowhere to be seen, according to Yoongi he was on the hunt for banana-milk. 

“Just give her back the book and pretend you didn’t see anything, you nosey little shit,” Jimin teased, receiving a groan from his best friend in return.

Taehyung dropped onto the bench across from his, much shorter, friend and scowled at the smirk on his face. How dare he? Taehyung thought to himself before running a hand through his hair. 

“Or don’t be a dick and confess to her,” Jimin added, but this time with a much more significant smirk. 

There was nothing in his hand to throw at his friend, so Taehyung opted on crossing his arms and huffing in over-exaggerated exasperation. The scene only made Jimin laugh because his friend was being completely absurd. 

It didn't help that he felt guilty for flipping through your sketchbook, it also didn't help that he wanted to keep looking, to closely inspect each page, each drawing. Taehyung was in too deep to let go of it now. 

Amidst sheer determination, he went out to search for you. Only to find you with a pout and disappointed expression, presumably because you hadn't found your book yet. Because he had it and desired to keep it for as long as he could. 

Was it wrong of him to do that? Probably. 

“Y/n,” he called with a slight smile. “The last football match of the term is tonight, woh—would you like to come and watch?”

An effortless smile decorated your features, and you found yourself nodding your head, “I would love to,” you replied. 

A sigh of relief left his lips, causing a laugh to part your own. 

“See you tonight then.”

You nodded once more, sad that he left as quick as he appeared. However, the sadness didn't last long, mainly because you were going to see him later that day. On the football field, cheering him on with a big smile on your face. 

“He really just came out of nowhere, didn't he?” Youngjae sputtered in excitement. 

That evening, the match finished as well as it could have, Taehyung scored the winning goal and cheers interrupted instantly. Everyone one around you stood up, applauding and screaming as they watched the team members crowd together to celebrate. 

You laughed when you noticed Taehyung searching for you in the crowd, it would be mean to keep hiding from him, so you advanced down the steps, and towards the field. There was a huge grin on his face when he spotted you, immediately running towards you. 

The first thing he did was take you into his arms and you spin you around. It didn't take long for your heart to begin pounding rapidly, causing an immense race of butterflies to rush through your stomach. 

Taehyung was so close, he didn't let go when he finished spinning; as if he was afraid you would vanish into thin air. You had no idea what was going through his mind, no idea what he thought of you and how he felt around you. But you couldn't bring yourself to complain about it, not when he was grinning at you as if there was no one else around. 

“Well done, you!” You beamed, finally breaking the silence.

This time, for the first time, a blush rose to Taehyungs cheeks, “thank you.” He smiled shyly, thumbs tracing circles on your lower back. 

It was comforting. 

And then when Yoongi approached you two, Taehyung let go. Embarrassed he’d held onto you longer than required, although, he wished he could have held you for a little bit more.

“Good to see you here, y/n,” Yoongi greeted, playfully nudging your arm. “I was beginning to think you didn't have a social life.”

“Oh, ha-ha,” you mocked with a laugh, he was always teasing you one way or another.

Taehyung stood silently and watched on with his jaw hanging open, he found it hard to believe that his teammate had more friends than just Namjoon and Hoseok. He felt so proud, but also really jealous, because since when were you and Yoongi friends?

Thankfully Namjoon came over and dragged him away because Hoseok wanted to take pictures or something. Leaving the two of you alone once again, Taehyung smiled.

“So, how do you know Yoongi?” He questioned.

You turned to look at Taehyung, a wide grin on your face, “we worked on a project together for psychology.”

Taehyung nodded.

“We’re not close enough to hang out, but he is tolerable to talk to now and then, albeit the teasing and jokes,” you explained.

“Ah,” he nodded once more. 

Soon, people around you gradually started leaving, friends meeting friends for a later dinner, and others getting ready to go partying— to celebrate. It made you wonder what Taehyung was going to do while you watched Yoongi begrudgingly take what Hoseok called, ‘one last picture.’

“So...” Taehyung spoke up again, observing you from where he stood. “ There’s an after-party. Do you want to, maybe, go with me?”

The idea of going to a party with your crush seemed like fun, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to get drunk with him. What if you accidentally confessed all your hidden feelings? And since you were just beginning to get comfortable around him, you didn't want to ruin anything.

Or scare him away for that matter. 

Taehyung seemed to have noticed the hesitation, he cleared his throat, and awkwardly began rubbing the back of his neck, “it's ok, you don’t have to.”

There was a smile on his precious face, and you sighed.

“I’m sorry, I already made plans with Youngjae.”

Witnessing his smile drop was definitely not worth the lie, your heart ached to tell him that you were suddenly free, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Maybe, another time, maybe.

“Don’t worry about it,” he stated. “But, I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you nodded while he left and Youngjae approached.

There was a knowing look on your best friends face, he clicked his tongue before swinging an arm around your shoulder. Guiding you off the field, Youngjae said something regarding a movie night, but you were too occupied thinking about the sad expression on Taehyung’s face.

That night after countless movies, after you finally got into bed, you went on Instagram and noticed Taehyung’s post. He had an arm around a girl, someone you didn't recognise, pulled into his chest with a huge grin on face.

Your heart shouldn't have hurt the way it did, especially since he was just a friend. 

→ Stupid arguments & awkward confessions

The studio was empty just the way you liked it, the windows were open providing cool air to seep through into the room. It felt especially nice today since it was particularly warm outside.

You had music playing in the background, a paintbrush in one hand, and a canvas in front of you. The drawing you’d done of Taehyung, copied from a photograph—an image you managed to capture of him celebrating—looked dull without any colour. 

But you were so afraid to touch paint to canvas, what if the drawing got ruined? You didn't have the time to start all over again, this was your last painting for your project, and you couldn't even bring yourself to finish it. 

Pathetic. 

Taehyung heard you sigh fairly loudly when he stepped into the studio. He felt nervous, not sure what say or how to tell you that he found your sketchbook, and accidentally committed every single page to memory. 

He wasn’t sure what to say at all so he cleared his throat and proceeded to step further into the studio. 

When you twisted around, there was a sort of scowl on your face, and it didn't disappear when you made eye contact with Taehyung. Not even when he smiled the smile you’d grown to adore so much. 

“Can I help you?” You questioned, trying not to think about the post from last night. 

It was kind of hard not to. 

“I—I have your sketchbook,” he said taken aback by your sudden change of demeanour. “I’ve had it for a while now...”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He gulped. 

“Wait, you’ve had it all this time and you didn't bother to return it? Did you open it?”

He didn't answer, but that was enough for you. 

“Did you see?” You sighed. 

Taehyung avoided eye contact, and it was annoying you that he wasn’t saying anything. 

“Taehyung,” you disputed. He winced. “Did you see the letter?”

“Ye-yeah, I did.”

Silence promptly took over, albeit the soft melody playing on your phone. The whole situation; him finding your book, keeping it to himself, flipping through the pages, reading your letter—it all left you speechless and upset. 

Taehyung took a step forward the sketchbook still in his hands, “I didn't want to look and I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself and—And, I don't regret it. I don't regret reading your letter, y/n.”

You let your head fall, eyes staring at the paint-covered floor. 

“Asshole.”

It was a mutter more to yourself, but he still heard you. 

“Y/n, I’m sorry.”

“Dick.”

Taehyung sighed at your argument if that's really what he could call it. 

“I like you too,” he eventually told. 

You raised your head to make eye contact to see if he meant it, and he did. The genuine gaze in his eyes said so, but you couldn't stop thinking about the girl he was with last night. 

“Don’t lie,” you argued. 

“Y/n, I’m not—”

“Yes, you are! Because if you liked me you wouldn't have...” You trailed off, fiddling with your fingers, you dropped eye contact. 

This was ridiculous, the boy you liked just confessed and you were throwing a fit over one picture. What was there to be jealous of? One; he wasn’t your boyfriend. Two; you were overthinking everything that could've happened at the party. 

And it was ridiculous. 

“Sorry,” you grumbled sheepishly after a few moments of stillness. “I overreacted.”

Taehyung shook his head, sadness evident in his eyes. He set your book aside, mind focusing on nothing but you, and how upset you were that he didn't return it straight away like he should have done. 

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he reached for your hand, interlocking it with his. “And I honestly am.”

His actions and genuine words set your heart alight. You chewed on your bottom lip, tightening your grip on his hand. Taehyung was a real sweetheart and here you were calling him an asshole. 

So, in the end, you wordlessly forgave him, you kissed his cheek and gently smiled to let him know that it was okay. Taehyung blushed. 

“So, I was wondering... Would you like to go on a date with me? I’ll make up for being nosey.”

A chuckle parted your lips and you nodded your head, “I thought you would never ask.”

Taehyung shyly squeezed your hand before letting go, feeling the happiest he’d ever felt in a while. But then he remembered that he had class, before leaving, however, he told you he’d meet you later and text you details about the first date. 

You were about to wave goodbye when he spoke up again, motioning to something behind you with a smug smile. 

“Is that me?” He teased. Twisting around, you cringed.

Busted.

→ Moods & attitudes     ↳ 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒, 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝓂𝑒

There was an immense swarm of butterflies in your stomach, and you swear, you could feel them in your throat. You’d been on so many first dates before, but none that made you feel like this. 

Like you were about to combust into a million tiny pieces. 

Taehyung appeared to be doing better than you, telling you countless stories, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as if it was nothing, holding your hand without a second thought, and, and gazing deeply into your eyes with so much affection. 

You were definitely going to combust. 

The picnic he organised for the date was so adorable, there was a small selection of cakes, two cans of beers and different fruits cubed into bite-size pieces. The thought and effort he put into this were so much more than you could ever imagine it to be, and it had you falling harder and deeper. 

“I hope you don't mind that it’s beer,” Taehyung chuckled. “That’s all I had at home.”

“It’s perfect, Tae.”

He beamed in turn, giving you a can before letting you select what you desired to eat. It all seemed to be going well, you were happy, Taehyung was happy and that was all that mattered. 

Until Taehyung pointed at the dark grey clouds. 

“It might rain,” it came out stifled since he’d stuffed a spoonful of chocolate cake into his mouth. 

You chuckled, covering your mouth with your hand, “Tae! Don’t talk with your mouthful.”

He shrugged his shoulders in turn, a small smile on his lips. It felt nice to joke around with you, more so, it felt natural to be around you—almost as if you’d been dating for years and years. 

It felt right. He was lovestruck. 

The two of you continued to playfully bicker and eat, simply enjoying the others company when you felt a single drop of rain swiftly turn into a shower of drops. A scream parted your lips—turning into a laugh while you and Taehyung both did your best to tidy everything up. 

“My place is just around the corner,” He mentioned. “We can go there.”

There was no time to panic, youse were both almost soaked right through, but you couldn't help it. What if something were to happen?  Not that you were complaining... but what if?

Taehyung wasn’t joking when he said his flat was right around the corner, it took no less than ten minutes to run to his. To escape the rain and bask in the warmth, there were smiles on both your faces, small chuckles littering the room as you gazed at the other. 

“That was fun,” you breathed out, earning a nod in return. 

Taehyung cleared his throat before locking his door, eyes now focusing anywhere and everywhere but you. 

“Sit down,” he urged after catching his breath. “I’ll...er... get you some dry clothes to change into.”

Okay, so maybe wearing a white dress on your first date wasn’t a good idea, but to be fair, you didn't know it was going to rain, and you didn't think you would get soaked right through to your skin. And to be honest, you didn't think your bra would show through the wet fabric. 

So, all in all, it wasn’t your fault that Taehyung couldn't breathe properly or make eye contact. Like... at all. 

But, perhaps, it wasn’t such a bad thing. 

It didn’t take Taehyung long to come back with one of his t-shirts and a pair of grey sweats. There was a blush reclining high on his cheeks, and again his eyes were focusing anywhere and everywhere but you. Almost as if he was embarrassed. 

“Here,” he mumbled shyly, handing you the clothes. “You can get changed in my room.”

You quietly thanked him before proceeding towards his room, with his clothes, in his flat. There was a lot going through your mind when you got dressed, eyes scanning the room, from poster to poster, and shelf to shelf.

It all brought a smile to your face.

Taehyung was sitting on the couch, a movie ready to play on the tv when you stepped out of his room. He’d taken the opportunity to change out of his own wet clothes in the bathroom while you were away.

“Sit,” he grinned finally looking at you. “I chose Shrek! I hope you don’t mind.”

You smiled in return, shaking your head as you sat down next to him, “I’m happy to watch whatever you want to.”

Taehyung beamed in excitement, not hesitating to draw you into his chest and cuddle just as he pressed play to start the movie. It didn’t take long to fall into a rhythm of paced breathing and slow blinking. He played with your hair, fingers twirling a single strand every now and then. While you lightly traced various patterns on his arm.

Taehyung really liked having you in his hold, you were warm and he was happy, and there was nothing else in the world he would rather be doing. Because, at that moment, he was certain you were the missing piece in his life.

At that point in time, without so much as a second thought, he kissed your head. leaving a lingering feeling in return, there was a smile on his lips when he moved back. Acting as if nothing happened.

“What was that for?” You asked softly.

He didn’t look at you.

But, it made you smile because the shyness was evident, it was there and you could see it through his own smile and cherry-like cheeks. So, to repay the favour— to show you felt whatever emotion he was feeling too, you kissed his cheek.

Taehyung giggled before finally making eye contact with you, “what was that for?”

Melting into his gaze, melting in his hold and falling even deeper than you already were, you cupped his cheek and left a soft peck on his lips.

Taehyung didn’t let you move away as he chased after your lips. Claiming them as his, he drew you into his chest, urging you to straddle him— to deepen the kiss. His lips were delicate and tasted like strawberries infused with mint.

It didn’t take long for his hands to progress down your sides and rest on your waist, his movements were gradual and cautious. As if he was testing the waters to see how far he could go with you. 

That was when you broke the kiss, a hand passing through his hair before reclining down his chest. Taehyung licked his lips, eyes observing your hand before gazing into your own. 

“You’re beautiful,” he remarked confidently yet shyly. “I got lucky.”

A soft hushed giggle withdrew from your lips, “If anyone got lucky, it was me,” you stated matter-of-factly.

Taehyung used his right hand to draw you in for another kiss, he was craving your touch as if you weren’t sitting on him. This time he kissed you with desire, edging away from the shyness, from the hesitation and becoming confident and more relaxed. 

You moaned against his lips when he softly bit your bottom lip, sucking on it before letting go. There was a new darkness in his eyes, and a new feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

“How far do you want to go?” He asked in a particular tone, his eyes searching for answers in yours. 

“As far as you’ll take me.”

And that was all it took for Taehyung to lift you by your thighs and proceed towards his room. 

It got heated quicker than you predicted— than you ever imagined possible, but there weren’t any complaints parting your lips, there were moans and whines followed by Taehyungs name instead. 

You were sweaty and out of breath, but high in the clouds. Lingering kisses were pressed on your heated skin, cries broke your lips and escaped into the room. Your mind was hazy with skin on skin.

A gasp fled your lips when you felt Taehyung’s right-hand travel down to your core, he was slow and sensual with his movements, more so he was deliberately taking his time so he could watch your reactions and listen to your moans while he teased your clit before sliding a finger in and then another. With certainty in his eyes, Taehyung curved his fingers that were inside causing you to squirm under his grip. 

When you felt soft and wet lips your fingers twist on his soft hair, tugging at the base whilst throwing your head back, the feeling of his tongue felt foreign but so good. There was no way you could’ve helped the plaint that escaped your lips.

There was a self-satisfied grin on his face, pleased that it was him, of all people, that was making you feel this good. You were so close to your first release, and he could tell— he could tell from the way you squirmed and breathed heavier than before. 

“That’s it, princess,” Taehyung murmurs, his thumb massaging the swollen bundle, bringing you closer and closer. “Let go.”

And you do, twisting under his grip, you loudly cry out his name. 

“Fuck,” he mutters, taking you in. “You’re amazing, baby.”

He complimented you as hands crept up your heated body, taking one of your breasts into his soft grip, squeezing, thumb brushing the sensitive skin. His dark eyes notice the way your head is thrown back, Taehyung groans lowly at the pleasure he’s causing you. 

“Are you ready for me now?”

You nodded your head, giving him permission to do as he pleased at that moment. He was careful not to hurt you as he aligned himself and slowly entered until he bottomed out.

Taehyung began gently thrusting into you with ease, his grunts gradually filled the quiet room, merging with your moans. He was confident in what he was doing, and while he felt his release building up, he marked your collar bones, biting the soft skin just as his thrusts became sloppier, he was close, almost.

“Fuck,” you cried out when you felt his thumb on your clit. “Tae, I’m—”

“I know,” he breathed out. “Me too, baby.”

Taehyung sped up for the last few thrusts before pulling out and coming over your stomach, his thumb was still working on your clit as his free-hand elevated his orgasm.

You released one last cry as you came again from his fingers, even though you were out of breath and tired, you felt high in the clouds and content. At the same time as trying to catch your breath, you reached for Taehyung and pulled him down to lie next to you, craving his arms around you. 

“I’m here, baby,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “I’m here.”

The both of you fall asleep holding the other, covers thrown aside, legs tangled accompanied by soft breathing. He was warm and you were happy, and at that moment, that was all you needed. 

→ Lovestruck

When you woke up, you were hidden beneath white sheets and a beige blanket. Taehyung must’ve cleaned up after you’d fallen asleep, you thought. Immediately blushing at the thought of the night before.

There were arms bound around you and a head buried in the crook of your neck. You were lying on your back with almost half of Taehyung’s body on top of you. It brought a smile to your face though, having someone this close felt nice. Especially, someone, you would be able to call yours and love unconditionally.

“Don’t you think it’s too early to be awake?”

Taehyung’s question caught you off guard, you were so sure he was asleep. Yet, here he was muttering a question into your neck and then kissing the heated skin before raising his head to gaze at you.

His messy hair and puffy face caused your smile to grow even bigger. He was so cute. You gushed.

“How did you know I was awake?” You asked.

Taehyung playfully raised an eyebrow as if the answer was so obvious. And apparently, it was.

“I felt your heartbeat get faster,” he told you, eyes gazing deeply into yours. “What were you thinking about?”

You licked your lips, hand moving his fringe to the side, “you.”

Taehyung blushed at your response, clearly not expecting you say that. But it made his heart race nonetheless, he was a goner. All for you.

“I—I, y/n, I know it hasn’t been too long… but, but will you be my girlfriend?”

A chuckle parted your lips over how shy he was, it was sweet though. Really sweet.

“I would love to be yours,” you responded. “But I thought I already was after what happened last night— and so soon as well.”

Taehyung flushed even harder but beamed at your response. He began littering kisses over your exposed skin before meeting your lips last with a long-lasting passionate kiss which had you feeling absolutely breathless, yet craving for more.

That was when Taehyung knew he was undeniably lovestruck.

But so were you. 

➴➶➴➶ ➴➶➴➶  

→ A/N thank you for reading, I’d also like to thank @gukgalore and @kunsdear for the endless support! ← 

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

Smoke and Mirrors Chapter One

Smoke and Mirrors: a magician’s trick, the art of making an entity appear to be floating through the use of smoke and mirrors. In figurative speech, something which, once examined, is proven to be an illusion. Like the moon reflected on water, or a flower reflected in a mirror. Unable to be touched.

Description: Listless idol Jeon Jungkook has lost his creative spark. Something just feels...missing. And between jet-setting across the world and constantly evading public scandals, Jungkook’s life up until now has felt like a movie. One thing Jungkook can count on, however, is video games. Y/N has been gaming forever. And when a new VR game called Arcana is released, both Y/N and Jungkook are all over it. But what will become of Jungkook’s online persona when life forces the two to work together? And will Jungkook manage to keep his identity a secret from one of his closest Internet friends?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (gender unspecified) Reader

Word Count: 12.1k

Tags: Solo Idol!Jungkook, Gamer!Jungkook, Makeup Artist!Reader, Manager!Seokjin, Florist!Hoseok

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Haha....ha....ha....um, well this is awkward isn’t it? I haven’t been active on here in a long, long time! But God does it feel nice to return. In the time I’ve been away, I’ve been working on a lot of things at once. Too many chefs in the kitchen, except the chefs are projects/responsibilities and the kitchen is me and is also on fire. I think right now more than ever, I’ve leaned into writing to help me feel a bit better about the world. So if this story can make you happy that’s honestly all I can ask for. I don’t think I’ll be keeping a posting schedule, as that feels like too much for me right now, but maybe in the future I’ll come up with a schedule that doesn’t feel overwhelming! Regardless, I’ve missed you guys and I’ve really missed posting my writing here. I hope you all still remember me! And I hope you enjoy this story. Really. As always, please feel free to send me any thoughts or concerns! Questions, critique, comments: send them all my way! I can’t wait to get chatting with you all again.

And I’m on Twitter! I’ll put the link here if you want to follow. I’m very active over there!

- Mercury

Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Masterlist

“On God, if you don’t start healing me-!”

“I’m working on it! Christ.”

“Well work harder, damn. Tiki’s about to go down,” you say, gritting your teeth as you whip around toward the dragon staring your party down.

It circles you, never once looking away, several stories tall with glowing yellow eyes that seem to leave trails behind in the darkness of the cavern. You feel at once impossibly small and impossibly fragile in front of such a behemoth, all purple scales and saliva stringing across pointed fangs.

“Just focus on offense for now,” says Sapphire, grunting as he lunges sword-first toward the dragon.

Your brows shoot sky high as Sapphire, a DPS like you, runs straight for the enemy. His silver knight’s armor clanks in his wake. “Wait!” you call, but it’s too late. Your teammate has his sword plunging in and slicing out and slashing wild before you can even prep your next spell. “Jesus, Saph!”

You hear his laughter like bells echo through the cavern, seeming to bounce against the domed ceiling and drip like water from the clinging stalactites. “Tiki! Distract!” you call as the dragon whips wildly: first toward Sapphire and then toward you. “Shit,” you whisper, examining your mana with a hiss. “I need a second to recover!”

Tiki, a massive green orc and also your team’s tank, rushes in with his battle axe. Upon the first hit, the dragon writhes in pain and turns toward Tiki, ire in its yellow eyes. Tiki says nothing, just lets out a string of labored breaths as he swings his heavy weapon. Sapphire is quick to attack at the dragon’s heels. The dragon opens its mouth to spew flames across the charred cavern, aiming right for Tiki, but before it can Zero finally heals him with a flash of white light and a bolt straight to his broad green chest. You jump, turn to the side to see Zero is standing beside you about twenty feet from the dragon.

“Get spelling, Nova!” he shouts, long blonde hair flying in the breeze his spell created.

His voice, deep and gruff, doesn’t suit his pretty, dark-skinned elven body: particularly the well-rendered female…curvature. Every time he talks, it takes you off guard. You shake it off and nod once.

“Loli! Get punching!” you call to your resident monk as she idles near the dragon’s tail. She says nothing. You sigh, rest a hand on your hip. “Loli!”

She jumps to attention. “Sorry! My roommate needed me,” she says with a laugh, rubbing the back of her half-shaven head.

“Tell her to piss off!” calls Tiki as the dragon, halted by Zero’s healing spell, recovers and swings a mighty paw his way.

Your mana is finally restored and, shutting your eyes, you summon a bolt of ice. With a shout, you spin your staff over your head before slamming it down with a thunderous clap. Ice splinters dizzyingly fast from the ground beneath your staff and crawls like frost until it hits the dragon, stunning it still for a few seconds.

“Health’s low! Saph, go for the kill!” Lolita shouts as she lands a solid punch on the dragon’s belly that shatters your freezing spell.

Without waiting a second more, Sapphire shoves his sword into the dragon’s heaving chest as it writhes from pain. It looses a cry that sends vibrations through the cavern. A few rocks tumble from fissures in the cave walls, and a stalactite cracks and careens toward the ground where it explodes into shards.

And, with that, the massive beast falls to its stomach, its head clunking to the ground in front of Tiki’s feet. The ensuing silence rings in your ears as the five of you stand completely still, waiting. It wouldn’t be the first time an enemy has fallen only to reveal a dormant ability that results in a second battle. None of you says a thing until the massive body before you begins to dissolve into pixels, leaving you with only the skull as a prize and a bag of loot in place of a carcass.

Lolita is the first to break the silence with a loud hoot. “Wooh! Hell yeah!” she shouts, clapping her hands.

You chuckle, lean on your staff. “Loli, you can only celebrate halfway since you missed half the fight,” you tease with a fond sigh.

She rushes toward you, wipes off her blue robes and crosses her arms. “My roommate came in!”

“And you didn’t warn us,” Zero chides as he smooths a few flyaway hairs, smiling. That model of his is just too pretty…

“I-,”

“Guys!” Sapphire shouts, jumping once as he examines the loot bag. “Look at this!”

You spin your staff in your hand and jog to stand beside the knight. His red eyes are bright, digging through the bag until he produces in one gloved hand—

“Is that a Philosopher’s Stone Fragment?” asks Tiki, similarly enraptured as he comes up beside Sapphire’s flank.

Sapphire nods. “Which means—,”

“Which means we’re one step closer,” you say, and you lock eager eyes with Sapphire who only nods. “Well shit!”

“Also means we were right to come this way,” Lolita says, holding up one finger as if correcting us. “And whose idea was that?”

Zero shoves Lolita by the head and turns back toward the loot bag. “Anything else?” he asks.

Sapphire digs around before shrugging. “A shield,” he says.

“Don’t need it,” Tiki says.

“And…mm…,” he pauses, brow furrowing as he pulls out a piece of paper. He purses his lips, runs a hand through his blue-black hair, cocks his head to the side. “Schematic?”

“For what?”

“Oh!” he exclaims, turning to you as he hands you the paper. You look it over and scoff. “Superior elemental staff.”

“Cuts down the mana I need to do spells,” you say, rolling your eyes as you pocket the paper. “Coulda used that today.”

Sapphire claps your shoulder. “Next time! We’ve still got three fragments to find before anyone else does.”

You nod. “Well, with that settled…,” you begin, itching to use the bathroom.

“Ah! You gotta leave?” asks Sapphire.

You nod. “Got work in the morning.”

“Eugh,” he sighs, shoulders slumping. “Me too.”

“Me three,” says Zero.

“Ah, the working world. We’re lucky, huh Tiki?” Lolita says with a wistful sigh as water from overhead drips onto her shoulder. She jumps a little, but settles easily. “Don’t you miss your reckless college days?”

You laugh. “I only graduated last year,” you say, turning toward Sapphire. “Speaking of which, Saph did you ever go to school?”

He stiffens. “Ah, uh…,” he begins, glancing at his feet. He’s quiet for a moment. “No. Not past high school,” he says with an almost sheepish nod.

You don’t say anything, but it seems like there’s something he’s keeping to himself, something he doesn’t want to share. Sapphire is always like that, but this feels a little different.

“Hm,” you say, sensing his discomfort. “Welp, I’m gonna peace out for the night. Message me when you guys wanna go for the next fragment. I’ll keep researching where it might be.”

“Mm, sounds good,” says Tiki. “I’m starving. Loli, wanna get some food?”

Lolita glances at Tiki out the corner of her eye. “You mean, like, real food?”

Tiki sighs. “Obviously real food. I don’t wanna waste money on game food.”

She laughs and nods. “Alright. I’ll meet you at your dorm.”

“Mm.”

Without another word, both Tiki and Lolita blink out, leaving nothing behind them. You turn toward Zero and pat his back. “Sorry for getting on your case tonight,” you say. “I was worried Tiki would fall and then…well, you get it.”

Zero shrugs, examining one of his perfect fingernails. “No, I wasn’t on my game tonight. I’ll be better next time.”

“Me too,” you say, waving as Zero too blinks out.

You turn toward Sapphire and offer a smile. “Sorry for asking about college,” you say.

He stiffens, brows raised. “Hm? Oh, no it’s fine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile. “It’s just, uh…well, you know my dad always wanted me to go to college so…”

You wave your hands, shake your head. “Forget it, alright? I won’t bring it up unless you do first.” You smirk. “You played tank tonight, didn’t you?”

He laughs. “Yeah, a little.”

“Don’t do that shit,” you say, but you can’t help your smile. “What would we do if we lost you in the middle of a battle?”

You can see his posture go a little straight. He turns to you, blinking. “You…?” he begins, but cuts himself off with a laugh. “Ah, mm, well…I’d better get going.”

“Mhm. Message me if you get any new info about fragment locations,” you say, then chuckle. “Or if you just wanna talk about The Bachelor or something.”

He laughs with you. “I don’t watch The Bachelor!”

“Well, whatever you watch!” you call as you jog a few paces away. You offer a wave which Sapphire mimics before pressing the disconnect button on your headset.

You shake your head, disoriented as you return to your bedroom, your window sitting before you, the outskirts of Bucheon spreading out in spindly arms around you. Your head throbs a little and you wince, removing your sensor gloves and setting them gently on the light wood table beside your computer. You guide one of the philodendron leaves to the side so it won’t tickle the gloves. You shuck off the sensor jacket too and leave it draped over the back of your gaming chair. Slowly, you return your attention to the window, smiling down at the sea of lights undulating in the dark. It’s a nice evening, you notice as you press the pads of your fingers to the cool glass.

Your phone, until then sitting dormant on the tabletop beside your potted jade plant, pings to life with a notification. Your eyes widen and you grab for it, stretching your torso as you do to work out your aching muscles. Tonight’s session with the group had gone long, and the fatigue on your back is severe from slumping in that gaming chair like a shrimp. And even though you have to move your upper body to activate the full range of Arcana’s sensor controls, your ass feels like you’ve just sat through back-to-back, four-hour lectures.

BeastSlayers™

SacredSapphire: miss u guys already :-(

You laugh, watch as Tiki begins writing a message in response.

TikiTikiRoom: ..

TikiTikiRoom: dont be soft bitch ill kill you

You pad down the hallway, watching your phone as you stumble through the dark apartment with one hand on the wall bracing you. You connect your phone to the TV speakers and play some lofi something or other, bop your head as you enter the kitchen and flip on a flickering yellow light. You rifle through the freezer, produce a cherry red popsicle. You press it to your lips and smile.

Lolovely: I haven’t even made it to Tik’s dorm wtf why are you being sappy already?

CodenameZer0: Looool, Saph? More like SAP.

TikiTikiRoom: press f

SuperNova: I think it’s sweet :’)

SuperNova: Wanna voice chat?

SacredSapphire: nonono

SacredSapphire: someone’s coming over lol

Lolovely: ominous…

You chuckle and take a bite of your popsicle. But as you do, the thing turns to mush and slides from the stick like slop, staining your white shirt and your lips red. “Shit!” you exclaim, then rush to the freezer.

With a sigh, you notice that a layer of ice is frosted over the back. And as you jam your hand in, you can feel that the temperature is higher than it should be. Hence, melty popsicle. You groan, take to it with a knife from the creaky drawer. You chip away at the ice and keep chipping until the back of the freezer is visible once more.

“Cheap piece of crap,” you mumble, kicking the fridge with your socked toe.

You return to the group chat to a slew of messages.

TikiTikiRoom: WAIT SAPH DO YOU HAVE A BOY/GIRL/THEYFRIEND??

TikiTikiRoom: IM GONNA HAVE AN ANEURISM

Lolovely: !!!!!!!!!

Lolovely: ??????

CodenameZer0: Hohohoh

CodenameZer0: Could it be?

SacredSapphire: NO!!

SacredSapphire: i don’t have a boy/girl/theyfriend! i’m too busy, rip

SacredSapphire: it’s just someone

SacredSapphire: don’t worry about it lol

Lolovely: sus…

Lolovely: nova’s better at this stuff

Lolovely: interrogation

Lolovely: think if i scream hard enough nova will come back?

Lolovely: NOVAAAAAA

You laugh and take a few photos. First of the old laminate floor which now resembles a crime scene in cherry popsicle red. Next of your shirt, now streaked in slush. Third, of your face, lips stained like you’ve smeared lip tint on your skin. You pull a pout before snapping the shot, then send all three together.

SuperNova: I crave death.

SuperNova: Stupid cheap fridge. Freezes over literally monthly.

SuperNova: I hate it here.

Lolovely: oooh that pic…

Lolovely: kinda….sexy hehe

SuperNova: ???

You set your phone aside and take to cleaning the floor. Last thing you need in this shithole is an ant infestation. Your music bumps gently through the sound bar beneath your TV. Sure, your apartment is decked out in tech, but the place itself?

You glance around the kitchen, a sanitary white with pretty fixtures, and suppress a sigh. It’s all for show anyway, this apartment. Like almost all the others in the area, it only looks nice. The reality, however…

Well, it’s melted popsicles and a shower that only runs lukewarm.

You check your phone with a hip against the countertop.

TikiTikiRoom: lewd lol

SuperNova: Shut up lmao nothing lewd about my shitty fridge.

SuperNova: Anyway, no I’m not gonna help you bully Saph.

SuperNova: Leave him alone or I’ll bite your ankles.

Lolovely: !!!

Lolovely: qu'est-ce que pas?

Lolovely: Nova…you’ve been defending Saph lately…

Lolovely: hold on i’m seeing something…

CodenameZer0: Don’t threaten my ankles.

SacredSapphire: nova baby ur the only loyal one here

Laughing, you type your response and make your way to the couch, falling flat on your stomach with an unpleasant thump.

Jeon Jungkook sits still, swiveling in his gaming chair with a soft smile as he watches the messages surge through the Discord group chat. Even though they’re busy teasing him, Jungkook can’t help the swell of fondness in his chest for his group mates. He leans back precariously far, the room nearly pitch black save for the shifting LEDs on his keyboard and the purple screensaver on his monitor.

SuperNova: It’s you and me, Saph.

SuperNova: Now come here and get your kith :3

Jungkook chokes a laugh with his hand, covering his mouth as his eyes squint. He tosses his head to the side, lets out a sigh. Quietly, he touches the photo you sent and lets it spread across his screen. He chuckles, examining your expression. Displeased, you eye the camera with furrowed brows and a pout. Briefly, Jungkook considers telling you it’s cute.

But he quickly clicks out of the photo, clears his throat, and catches up with the chat.

CodenameZer0: God, barf.

TikiTikiRoom: no kithes for zero

Lolovely: lolol i want a kith :(

SuperNova: Get in line then. Saph first.

SacredSapphire: i….*blushes*

SacredSapphire: N-N-Noona!

CodenameZer0: FUCKING BARF GOODBYE

Zero’s icon goes offline and Jungkook laughs in earnest now, his head lolling back. But before he can respond, the door to his studio opens with a robotic jingle. He jumps a little, turning his whole body toward the door. He nearly falls off the chair as he swivels.

In the doorway, Kim Seokjin shuffling across the threshold with two cups of coffee in a carrier. He looks a little disheveled, hair windswept and eyes scanning the room round and round. His gaze lingers here and there: resting on Jungkook’s wall of figurines, then on the futon still pulled down and covered in a messy heap of sheets, then on Jungkook’s face as he sits perfectly still, perfectly redhanded. Jungkook’s mouth agape, his fingers poised to type another message to the group chat, his computer monitor showing no lyrics, no notes, no Ableton. Just his screensaver.

Jungkook had planned to pull up his WIP song before Jin arrived, but the opportunity to do that has long since passed.

“Uh…,” Jungkook says, dumbfounded with round eyes glowing in the flashing keyboard lights. “Hey, Seokjin.”

Jin’s nostrils flare, his expression fiery. His attention flashes to the sensor gloves, the controllers sitting beneath them, the sensor jacket left astray on the ground, haphazard.

“Jeon Jungkook-,”

“I can explain!”

Seokjin glares at him, cocks one single brow. “Uh-huh?”

“I…,” Jungkook begins, flustered as he rises to his feet. He feels like he’s in school again. Seokjin’s gaze is disarming, intense, and his knuckles are white as he crushes the cardboard handle of the coffee carrier. “Uh…I was taking a small tiny little break.”

“A small,” Seokjin begins, placing the coffee on Jungkook’s work desk and resting his palm beside it, “tiny,” he continues, leveling his eyes with Jungkook’s, “little break?” Jin’s jaw is clenched.

Jungkook swallows hard. “Mhm…”

Jungkook expects Seokjin to bare his canines, to sneer at him, to scold him to kingdom come. But his manager simply eases into a sigh and leans away from Jungkook, rubbing his forehead. It’s clear the will to fight with Jungkook is slowly leaking, and before long Seokjin has fallen backwards onto the futon, crushing the blanket mountain in his descent.

“Listen,” Seokjin says, fatigue in his voice. “You’ve got…so much going on in the next few months, you know?”

“I know!” Jungkook says, quick to sit beside Seokjin, brows knitting. He feels like a kid again, and the disappointment laced through Jin’s words feels like his childhood. “Trust me, I’m not just…like, procrastinating. It’s not that.”

Jin eyes him sidelong. “Then what is it?”

Jungkook stiffens, his back straight as a board. He clears his throat, stares at the coffee. “Let me get those,” he says, rushing to his feet with a clumsy stumble and grabbing the coffees before returning to his spot beside Jin. He hands Jin a coffee, expectant and, begrudgingly, Seokjin takes it and sips.

“Don’t avoid the question,” he says, stern. “If anyone’ll understand, it’s gotta be me, right?”

Jungkook nods. “No, you’re right!”

“Like, we’ve gone through some hard shit and where have I been? Right behind you. From day one,” he says, leveling a serious look at Jungkook. The lighthearted mood has fled from the room through the cracks in the walls. “All I’m asking is for you to put in the effort.”

Jungkook sighs, rests his forearms on his knees, laces his fingers around the coffee cup. He stares at the space between his toes. “I just…,” he begins, voice choked with insecurity. He doesn’t want to say it. In fact, he’d rather do just about anything else.

Because, after all, saying it means it’s real.

And if it’s real, then it’s a real problem.

“Listen,” Jin begins, patting Jungkook’s back. “I get it. Making music…it can be really tiring, right?” he says. Jungkook can only shrug. “And sometimes you might not feel like you can do it. Like you don’t have the inspiration.”

“Mm…”

Seokjin gives another pat, stronger this time. “But that’s how life is, Jungkook. Work doesn’t just wait. You’re an adult now. You’ve got adult responsibilities. And when you make a passion into your full-time job, you kinda sacrifice the freedom. Deadlines are a thing. You can’t just…be flippant and casual about it.”

“I’m not being casual,” says Jungkook, and for the first time since Jin walked in his voice is strong and steady. He sits up straight and meets Jin’s imploring eyes.

Seokjin offers a small smile. “Good,” he says. “I trust you. And, you know, you’ve got a whole team of producers behind you who wanna see you succeed. All you’ve gotta do is call.”

“I know.”

“You’re not doing it alone, alright?” he asks, and Jungkook’s throat tightens a little. “That’s the good thing about making your passion into your full-time job, huh? Now…well, now it’s not just your responsibility. It’s divided.”

“Yeah.”

“Well…,” Seokjin says, patting his thighs as he pushes to his feet. “Just wanted to drop by and check on you.”

Jungkook offers a smile and nods, standing with his manager. “Yup.”

“You do remember what’s on deck for tomorrow, right?” asks Seokjin, cocking a brow as he takes another swig of coffee.

Jungkook nods again. “Screen test with the drama people.”

Jin smacks the side of Jungkook’s head and crosses his arms. “Not the drama people!” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s IJBC.”

“IJBC, right,” Jungkook says as he tenderly rubs the side of his head. “I remember.”

“Do you even know the name of the drama?” The younger boy falls silent, sheepish. “It’s called Give Up Generation, Jungkook.”

“I remember,” Jungkook says, pouting a little. “I just…forgot for a minute.”

Jin can’t help chuckling. “Get to bed early then so you don’t have dark circles,” Jin says with a smile, nodding as he turns toward the door. “Ah!” Seokjin pivots around, casting a disdainful look over Jungkook’s shoulder at the foldout futon. He pulls a scowl. “Sleep at home tonight, will you?”

Jungkook chuckles. “Alright. Stop nagging now,” he says, patting Jin’s back as he guides him out the door and into the hallway. “Bye, Jin!” he calls, not awaiting a response.

Slowly and with his head down, Jungkook shuffles back inside and slumps into his gaming chair, staring at his screensaver. He heaves a deep down sigh, lets it escape through his lips nearly pinched shut. Like exhaling cigarette smoke.

His phone pings to life with an incoming message.

SuperNova: Alright, I had your back before but I don’t cosign the Noona Agenda. I don’t even know if I am your noona.

Lolovely: seconded.

Lolovely: plus it’s icky.

TikiTikiRoom: boooooo

SuperNova: Wait, I think I just heard something in the hallway. Hold on.

Lolovely: SCARY!

TikiTikiRoom: burglars lol

Lolovely: ctrl z yourself, tiki

Lolovely: what if it is though…?

TikiTikiRoom: doubt it.

SuperNova: !!!

SuperNova: Lol it was a package…?

Lolovely: so late…?

SuperNova: Yeah…Lemme open it hold on.

The next message that comes through is a photo you send. Jungkook sits up straighter, opens it quick, and grins once he realizes what it is. A cardboard box, relatively big, sitting torn open on your kitchen floor, the photo features a look inside at several pretty makeup palettes and brushes. Jungkook doesn’t know the names of everything he sees, but he knows why it’s a big deal.

SacredSapphire: !! they finally sent it!!

SuperNova: They did!!

Lolovely: wait what? what did who send?

SuperNova: Lol, sorry. Uh I guess I only told Saph. But the brand I’ve been communicating with actually sent me a PR package! I’m gonna use it on my next job.

SuperNova: This shit’s super expensive too, so I’m lucky I’ve been in contact with a rep.

SuperNova: Gotta use the best to be the best!

TikiTikiRoom: i forgot ur a makeup artist lol

TikiTikiRoom: .-.

SuperNova: …

SuperNova: We’ve been group mates for like four months jfc

SuperNova: Anyway, yeah I’m glad. I guess they sent it to the wrong apartment? So my neighbor brought it over. He just got back from work.

Lolovely: neighbor?

Lolovely: cute neighbor?

SuperNova: He’s like seventy so no, not really my type.

SacredSapphire: nova, that’s super cool. i’m sure you’re gonna get big gigs soon.

SuperNova: Well, I can hope haha.

SuperNova: No, well…all I can do is work hard.

SuperNova: >:-)

All you can do is work hard, huh?

Jungkook tosses his phone to the side and rubs his hands up and down his face. He pinches his eyes shut and relaxes into the back of his chair, feeling the lull of sleepiness finally pulling at him.

And instead of going home like Jin asked, Jungkook simply pads over to the futon and, without moving the blankets, collapses atop them and falls asleep where he falls.

“I’m very sorry.”

“No…uh, no it’s fine.”

“Of course, you can keep the fees or whatever.”

“Oh, um, I…no, I’ll refund those too.”

“Really? I’ll give you a really good review!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m really sorry.”

You sigh, plant a hand on your forehead and heave a sigh. Forcing a smile, you shake your head and press your phone into the crook of your shoulder, bending down to give your fiddle-leaf fig a hose down with your watering can.

“It’s fine. Things come up, you know?”

The girl on the other side of the phone, a young independent model going in for headshots, had called you an hour ago and had spoken at length about why she has to cancel her appointment with you today. How the photographer did this or that, how she actually watched a few tutorials online and figured she could do it herself, how she felt so so bad. You feel bad for her, of course. Kind of.

“Listen, I’ll give you a shoutout on my page, alright? I’ll tag you in my story,” she says.

You shake your head. “No, that’s fine. Just, um…you know, take care. Remember to clean your brushes.”

At this, she laughs. “Thanks for being so cool. I was actually super nervous to call and cancel. I’ve had to cancel a few things like this before, and I’ve had bad experiences,” she says. “Anyway, I’ll recommend you!”

“Alright.”

“Thanks!”

You nod as she hangs up the phone. Gently, you rise to your feet and set your watering can aside on the kitchen table. You set the phone beside it, pausing to glare at the black screen. Well…there goes your Sunday. You turn over your shoulder, pad to the window, crack it open a little. A bracing breeze whistles through, cooling your skin. You shut your eyes against it — only for a moment — before you turn on your heel, shove your feet into your sneakers sockless, swipe your phone and house keys, and shove out the door.

The florist’s is a healthy walk away, but the weather is nice enough and you’re too tired to brave the subway even if it’s only a few stops. You pass buildings and parks as the landscape becomes more and more urban and the high rises look like they could puncture the cloud layer. Before long, you’re standing in front of Happy Garden and, stepping through the sliding doors that are always left open and all-but nonfunctioning with the lush green plants climbing all around. You breathe a sigh of relief, pat your chest a little as the fresh, grassy scent settles your heart.

You aren’t there for more than half a minute before Hoseok stumbles out from the back room, grinning wide with a bouquet of hydrangeas in his hands, wrapped in butcher paper and twine. He curves around the stumbling greenery littering every surface and encroaching on every walkway and comes to a stop in front of you. He smiles.

“Hey,” you say before he gets the chance. You hold up one limp hand in a lazy wave.

He glances up and down, from your head to your toes, and sighs. Still holding the hydrangeas, he rests a hip on the checkout counter and cocks a brow.

“That is the opposite of encouraging,” you remark with a scowl.

He chuckles, pats your arm. “What’s up?” He jerks his head toward the front of the store where bouquets are displayed and you follow behind him as he leads you there. “Unsuccessful raid?”

“Contrary to popular belief, my life doesn’t revolve around video games, actually,” you say, but his laugh wipes the grimace from your face.

His fluffy hair bounces as he bends down to add the hydrangeas to the display and when he stands upright once more he crosses his arms. “You know what I mean. You’ve been in here a lot lately.”

“Pardon me for trying to raise plants,” you say with a pout.

Again, he laughs. “Jesus, stop trying to pick a fight!” he says. “You must be in a really bad mood if you’re here acting like this.”

“Well what’s that supposed to mean?” you begin, outrage all over your face, before locking eyes with Hoseok and composing yourself. You sigh, nod your head. “Yeah, no I’m being annoying.”

He smiles, heart-shaped, and the apples of his cheeks grow rounder. What a joyful guy, you think to yourself with a wistful sigh. “Tell me about it then.”

He pulls one of the empty display boxes over and offers you a seat as he begins tending to the plants all around. You oblige, settle in, and sigh again. “It’s just…everything kinda feels like a dead end right now.”

“Hm?” he asks over his shoulder, graceful hands guiding a waxy leaf back in place.

“Like with my work,” you say, then shake your head. “No, that’s not it. Not entirely.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…things are okay, you know? I’m getting PR gifts. I’m growing my following on Instagram. I’ve got consistent clients,” you say, nodding. “Like everything is fine, you know?”

“But something feels…missing maybe?” Hoseok offers as he moves to spraying the ferns with water.

You shake your head. “More than that, it’s…like, I feel like I’ve hit the ceiling of what I can do, you know? Like what if this is the best I’ll ever do?”

“Is that bad?” he asks.

You sigh. “Not bad, just…disappointing,” you say. “I wanna work on movies. Red carpets. Editorials.” You rest your chin in your hand and your elbow on your knee. You stare up at Hoseok, now trimming brown leaves from another plant across the store. “I don’t wanna be stuck doing birthday parties forever.”

Hoseok hums, turns toward you with his hands in his apron pocket. He offers a smile. “You sound like a brat.”

You stiffen, eyes wide. “I-,” you start, but there’s really not much you can say to retort. So, softly, you slump once more and shrug. “Yeah…”

“And if you keep that attitude, you’re never gonna be an editorial makeup artist. I can promise you that,” he says with a nod as he approaches once more and crouches before your knees, still smiling. “Everyone has to grow somehow, you know? Be grateful you’ve got opportunities to build your resume.”

You nod. “Yeah.”

“What brought all of this on?”

Shrugging, you glance away toward the big croton plant in the corner, basking in morning sunlight, leaves all stiff and red and green. It’s a pretty plant. You tilt your head to the side, stare longer.

“That model bailed,” you say, but you’ve almost forgotten the self-pity of a moment ago. You stand to your feet and wander toward the plant, hitting halfway up your thigh. You crouch before it and look it over. “Hoseok, this is a really big croton.”

He laughs. “Mhm.”

“How much?”

“With the pot and given its height, it’s going for thirty-five-thousand won.”

You raise your brows. “I expected worse.”

“We’re fair here!” he protests, wagging his finger at you as he comes to stand beside you.

You smile softly, run a finger along the edge of a leaf. “It’s really pretty.”

“Suits you,” he says.

Without noticing, your anxiety begins to subside. “I think I’ll take it.”

“I’ll give you five-thousand off since you’re having a bad day,” he says, patting your back.

You turn to him with a smile. “Thanks.”

He chuckles. “I’ll loan you the dolly so you can get that thing home. Just bring it back before two.”

You stand up, stare down at the plant, nod once. “Mhm.”

Hoseok makes his way toward the cash register, punches in a few numbers. You linger a few steps behind, still staring at the croton. You get a good feeling off that one. Hoseok would tease you if you said as much, but you know when to listen to your intuition.

“Your big break will come Y/N,” Hoseok says as he rings you up, not once glancing to meet your eyes. “Just keep going.”

Jungkook sits with his head leaning against the rattling van window, eyes half-shut. Seoul blurs past him in shades of silvery grey and it’s all he can do to keep himself from falling asleep. For all his nagging, Seokjin had been right about one thing: Jungkook was sporting purplish bags beneath his eyes from a restless night’s sleep. Jin sits beside him now, frowning at his phone as he scrolls through Twitter. He’d given Jungkook a very stern talking to once he’d seen him, and really Jungkook deserved it. He knows that.

“Your voice is in good condition, right?” asks Jin.

Jungkook sits up straight, clears his throat. He shrugs. “Yeah. Why?”

Still stewing over his phone, Seokjin waves his hand without looking up. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jungkook sighs, leans back once more, gazes out the window once more. His phone buzzes once and he grabs it quickly, eager to distract himself.

BeastSlayers™

SuperNova: [image attached]

SuperNova: check him out OJO

Jungkook clicks the image you sent and chuckles as it loads up. The photo features nothing of you save for one hand, reaching out from behind the camera, throwing up a peace sign. Behind your hand, a houseplant. A pretty big one at that.

Jungkook smiles and drafts his reply, but the others are quicker.

CodenameZer0: Another plant? Lol isn’t your apartment overflowing with them by now?

SuperNova: Hush. Look at him.

LoLovely: cute!

LoLovely: does he have a name?

SuperNova: I don’t name my plants.

TikiTikiRoom: lol

TikiTikiRoom: because THAT would be weird

CodenameZer0: At least Nova can care care for a plant in the first place.

CodenameZer0: Let’s be honest here, Nova’s probably the only one among us who is even remotely responsible enough.

SacredSapphire: Nova it’s cute!

SacredSapphire: name him after me ;3

SuperNova: Sapphire?

SacredSapphire: hmmm say my name hehe

CodenameZer0: STOP IT FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST

CodenameZer0: IF THE FLIRTING DOESN’T STOP I’M GETTING YOU A TWO-WEEK BAN ON ARCANA

SacredSapphire: SHIT okay okay, let’s just take it easy

SacredSapphire: talk this out like adults…

SuperNova: Once I’ve finished setting up my new plant, I’m gonna play Animal Crossing. Anyone free to join? I’ve got oranges and mums.

SuperNova: Also had a meteor shower last night and have leftover star fragments first come first served.

The offer is tempting, to be sure. Not only would he receive star fragments, he’d be able to wander your island with the others. It might feel like you guys are side-by-side for real. Jungkook reaches into his backpack, slumped between his knees, and rifles around for his Switch. But as he produces the case, Seokjin shoots him the evil eye.

“If you’ve got time to play games, you’ve got time to review your lines,” he says, cocking a brow.

Jungkook sighs a little, slides the Switch back inside his bag. “I’ll look them over again.”

“Good.”

He takes one last look at his cell phone, checking the group chat with a frown that pinches the sides of his lips.

TikiTikiRoom: MEMEMEME

TikiTikiRoom: if any of you fakes get there before me ill go apeshit

TikiTikiRoom: i need so many

LoLovely: don’t need fragments, just wanna see ur cute face hehe

SuperNova: /blushes

SuperNova: I’ll open the gates once Sapphire Junior is nice and settled.

CodenameZer0: I’ll come too. I wanna shop.

SuperNova: Can’t you be cute like Lolita?

CodenameZer0: /gags

SuperNova: You coming, Saph? I’ll save a few fragments for you.

TikiTikiRoom: FAVORITISM

SuperNova: I am transparent about my favoritism toward Sapphire.

SuperNova: Because he is indeed my favorite.

LoLovely: *shocked pikachu face*

SacredSapphire: soz :-( i can’t

SacredSapphire: working

SuperNova: :-(

SuperNova: Next time we’ll all come to your island.

Jungkook tries not to feel that twinge of melancholy that tugs at his chest. That one he always gets when his friends go out for barbecue or grab drinks and hit the karaoke rooms. The one that feels like he’s really, deeply, fundamentally missing out on something important.

No, he doesn’t feel it. Instead, he focuses his attention on the printout Seokjin had given him three days ago. He scans the lines over and over, committing them to memory.

“No! That’s the thing, she didn’t even tell me!” says the girl below your brush.

You attempt to guide the highlighter across her cheekbones, but before you can make contact with her skin she’s jerked away once more, talking so animatedly that you can’t even tell if you’ve made her eyebrows even.

“That’s shitty,” says her friend beside her, likewise preoccupied as Jieun struggles to match her skintone.

The two of you lock eyes, both hovering over the two women as they chat over matching cups of coffee. Jieun puffs out her cheeks, raises her brows, and goes back to work, smoothing foundation on to the client’s chin with a brush.

You stand in a nice apartment — all marble floors and high ceilings and windowed walls overlooking Seoul. When you’d gotten the offer for a Seoul gig with Jieun, you’d been hesitant. The subway ride is long and you prefer to stay relatively local. But something made you agree. You don’t know exactly what. Call it divine intervention or epiphany or Jung Hoseok, but the words just keep going had been replaying in your brain since you last saw your friend. The pair of women — likely in their thirties — had booked both you and Jieun to do their makeup for a Sunday luncheon.

“And you know she’s looking out for him,” says Hyejin with a scoff. “As if I’m gonna bite the kid’s head off.”

“Maybe you will,” jokes the other woman, laughing just as Jieun reaches in to apply some liquid blush to her cheeks. “You know she’s got a soft spot for him.”

“Yeah well it’s a soft spot in all of our wallets if he doesn’t get his shit together,” says Hyejin, sighing. There is real woe in her expression and you can feel from the shift in atmosphere that things have turned serious. “He’s talented, you know? But…sometimes I think she goes too easy on him,” she continues, and this time her tone is decidedly softer, the movement of her face less pronounced.

You use the opportunity to work some powder beneath her eyes with a sponge. “Well, that’s motherhood for you,” says the other, flippant.

“Have you seen what the folks are saying on Twitter?” asks Hyejin as you apply shadow to her eyelids. “About his voice.”

“Hm?”

“Well some of his bigger hate communities have been compiling all the footage of his stage mistakes and they’re spreading it around,” Hyejin says with a huff. “Stupid, honestly. They’re making it out like he makes those mistakes all the time.”

“Netizens are like that, Hyejin,” says the other woman, now easing into her chair with her eyes shut as Jieun can finally get to work setting her base.

“Still…”

“Now you’re the one defending him,” she remarks with a laugh.

“It’s not that,” Hyejin says, scoffing. “It’s just…like if he doesn’t prove himself soon, all those commenters are gonna have more ammunition, you know? Which is annoying for all of us.”

“Sounds like you care a little bit.”

“I dont.”

“Hm.”

You focus on Hyejin’s full lashes, applying mascara with delicate, steady strokes. She hums a little as you use the pad of your fingertips to tame stubborn eyeshadow into blending more seamlessly. It seems, at least, that the conversation has died down. For that, you are very grateful.

“Say, do you two know anything about k-pop?” asks Jieun’s client.

The two of you lock eyes once more. It’s true that you are well-versed in pop culture: video games, TV shows, YouTube drama. But you’d be lying if you said you tune in to Inkigayo every week. And despite Jieun’s age and her trendy look, you know she’s not the type to keep updated on current idols. And you see in her brown eyes your own shock mirrored.

“Um…no, not particularly,” you answer for the both of you. Jieun releases a breath she’d been holding and smiles her thanks. “Do you two work in the field?”

Hyejin waves her hand and sighs. “Don’t go bothering them with those sorts of questions,” she says, and you notice for the first time the easy poshness that this woman has. Even with her head tilted back and her eyes shut tight, she seems sure of herself.

You envy her just a little for that.

“What? They’re young,” says the other woman, grinning with her eyes shut as Jieun works on her eyeliner. “You ever heard of RTE?”

“Hey now,” says Hyejin, warning in her voice.

“I’m just curious,” the woman continues with a sigh. “Look us up if you haven’t.” The woman chuckles, reaching out blind to smack Hyejin’s upper arm. “Hey, maybe even tweet something nice about our artists!”

“Knock it off and let them work,” Hyejin says, prying open one eye to meet yours. She offers a smile, apologetic, and sighs. “She’s just playing around. You can ignore her. It’s what I do.” She nods her head and leans it back once more.

Quietly, you get back to work. But you can’t help but feel like this woman’s incredible presence makes you paler somehow.

“What’s the point if it makes me unhappy?” Jungkook shouts, brows knitting, eyes growing watery. “The money, the lifestyle…what good is it?” his voice settles into a bare whisper, cracked.

“You only say that because you’re young! You’re stupid! You’re naive! You think things work out just because you want them bad enough?” says his costar, glancing down at the script every now and again as the two stand across from one another.

The set bustles on behind them, crew carrying tall lights and fixtures as they scuttle by. But Jungkook and his costar — a man named Namjoon acting as his older brother — continue their scene under the watchful eye of the cameras, trained right on them. Less of a screen test and more of a chemistry check between actors, Director Lim watches the monitor closely with his scrabbly chin in his palm.

“So what if I fail?” Jungkook asks with a quiver, referencing his script once to make sure he got the line right. “What’re you gonna do? Tattle on me to Dad?”

“I won’t have to,” Namjoon says, sighing as he grips the bridge of his nose. “He’s got his watchdogs trained right on you.”

Jungkook stiffens. “He’s been…following me?”

“I told you you’re too naive for the real world, Jiwon.”

Director Lim claps his hands and in an instant the tension and the scene are broken. Jungkook takes a respectful step back from his costar, and Namjoon offers him a bow of the head. Jungkook returns it, fighting off a nervous grin, and turns to the director as he circles around the equipment to stand in front of them. He’s a middle-aged man, handsome in a way with salt-and-pepper hair and eyes that seem to grab you and hold on like a snare. Jungkook is pinned in place like a bug in a shadowbox.

But Director Lim’s face splits in a crooked smile and Jungkook feels himself ease, exhaling long and slow. “Great job, boys!” he says, clapping both of their shoulders. “You were selling it well.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Jungkook replies too quick, like an eager child.

Director Lim chuckles, pats him again. “I’m praising you, kid. Don’t look so scared.”

He swallows hard. “I…I know. Um…thank you, Sir.”

Behind the trio, a group of stylists cart a rack of costumes quickly to the other side of the set, snagging the back of Jungkook’s shoe as they do. Jungkook stumbles to his knees, caught off guard, and the girls jerk to a stop as they catch themselves on the clothing rack. The two stare down at Jungkook, wide-eyed, and each of them covers their mouths. Immediately, they bow their heads in apology, both muttering sorry, so sorry almost too quietly to hear. Jungkook shakes his head and stands to his feet.

He too bows his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been standing there,” he says gently, hoping to assuage their concerns.

But the girls remain bowed, as if too afraid to even lift their heads. Jungkook, puzzled, leans down slightly to meet their eyes, but they glance away so quickly that he can’t even get a proper look at either of their faces.

“Um…it’s really not a problem,” he says, but before he can say more Director Lim approaches with a grim severity in his eyes. Jungkook, quick to stand up straight and face the director, stutters a little as he settles himself in front of the stylists. “It’s no big deal,” he says to Director Lim, but it’s like the man can’t even hear him.

“We were distracted, Sir,” says one of the girls, raising her head slightly to meet Director Lim’s gaze. “We are very, very sorry.”

“It really isn’t-,” Jungkook begins.

“You think it’s appropriate to crash into my actors? In the middle of a conversation about their performance?” Lim asks, but it’s clear the question isn’t meant to be answered. His tone has shifted into something cold. “You could have very well injured Jungkook.”

“I’m fine-,”

“But what if you weren’t?”

Jungkook shuts his mouth, staring helpless at the girls as they both stand up straight once more, eyes on the floor and hands knitted in front of them. He feels a hand on his back between his shoulder blades and jumps a little, turning quick to find Namjoon standing close.

“Don’t,” is all he says, voice terse and so quiet Jungkook almost doesn’t hear it, before dropping his hand and taking a half step back.

Jungkook’s jaw clenches, his hands work into balls as he stares. The lighting is low, dramatic as if a scene composed by Lim himself. The two girls lift only their eyes to gaze up at him.

“We’re very, very sorry, Sir,” says one of the stylists, guiding a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

“Mhm,” he says, looming. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Can’t afford to replace two stylists and a makeup artist in the same week.”

Jungkook simply stares, Namjoon’s warning freezing through him like ice. His limbs feel leaden. And as the two girls rush off, dragging their rack behind them, Jungkook focuses again on Director Lim.

He swivels back around to the two actors with a bright, fatherly smile. “Pardon me,” he says, waving his hand with a warm laugh. “Gotta keep the crew in check otherwise they’ll slack off.”

“Ha,” Jungkook puffs out in response, smiling in turn.

Namjoon hums a little. “Why don’t we try the reconciliation scene?”

“What in the world do you mean?” Hyejin yells into her phone just as she ushers you into her apartment. You eye her as her face grows red, her brows coming together. “He’s not quitting!”

Hyejin pauses to offer you an apologetic smile. She’s dressed in a modest pajama dress, padding barefoot along the cool marble floors. She leans against the arm of a nice black leather sofa, raises a hand to her flushed cheek, looks at her toes with vexation. Carefully, you set your makeup kit on her kitchen island, meeting her eyes with raised brows as if asking permission. She waves her hand, nods once before pinching the bridge of her nose between her index finger and her thumb.

“Listen, we knew Lim was difficult. But this is a huge opportunity for his career.” Hyejin rubs her kneecap, massaging. Her short hair falls along the line of her jaw as she dips her head in a deep sigh. “I know you know that, Seokjin. But you’re his manager. You’ve gotta keep convincing him.”

You begin unpacking your things, setting them neatly along the edge of the countertop, and try not to eavesdrop as Hyejin continues letting out chopped sighs. You can hear her fidget around the apartment behind you. She’d called you again, only a few days later, to secure you for another important event. A meeting, she’d said. You didn’t want to agree. Wanted to say you were too busy, that the commute was too much.

“Hey,” she whispers behind you. You jump, but turn nonetheless to find her cupping one hand over the phone’s receiver. Her eyes are severe, jaw clenched. “How long can you stay? This call might take a while.”

You raise your brows, think back over your schedule. “Hm…,” you respond, then shake your head. “I’m free all day. But…when’s your meeting?”

She stiffens, eyes flashing to the clock on the oven. “Shit,” she mutters. She approaches you with a frown. “I’ve only got two hours to get everything ready—Yes! Yes, I’m still here Seokjin. Stop panicking, for Christ’s sake—,” she says, her shoulders pinching. She glances at you again. “Um…”

You glance around the apartment. It’s spotless, as usual. But you spy in the corner beside a massive potted umbrella tree a taupe pantsuit, hanging beside a steamer. You’d have thought someone in her position would have sent it to the cleaners to be properly steamed, but perhaps it had slipped her mind. With the way she’s pacing around the apartment, still dressed in her pajamas, you wonder if perhaps she’s not as put together as you thought.

“I’ll steam that,” you say with a nod, pointing to the suit.

She stares at you, wide-eyed. “Oh, no. You don’t have to do something like that-,”

You shake your head. “No problem. What else do you need done here?” you ask, consulting your wristwatch with a hum. “If we keep it light, I can have your makeup done in forty-five minutes.”

She blinks at you. “Uh…well…,” she begins, then jumps a little as a voice in the phone shouts loud enough for you to hear. “No! No! Can you relax? I’ll talk you through it in just a minute! I’ve gotta sort some things out,” she shouts back at the phone. She turns her attention back to you with a sheepish smile. “Um, I need to steam the suit, wrap the fruits — they’re a gift for the client —, call the restaurant to confirm the reservation, shine my shoes, organize our documents chronologically and set them up in a binder,” she says.

You have to admit that the sheer volume of busywork has you taken aback. But you steel yourself with a bracing sigh, nod once, and offer her a smile. “Consider it taken care of,” you say.

“Ah! I…I really feel bad dumping all of this on you,” she says, crossing her arms with knit brows. “Normally I’d have my assistant doing all of this, but she’s ill.”

“Not a problem,” you say, smiling once more. “Just take care of your phone call and leave the rest to me! As long as we’ve got forty-five minutes for makeup, we’ll be fine.”

She lets out a sigh that seems to deflate her, shoulders slumping as if in profound relief. She nods once, smiling, and turns on her heel. “I’ll be in my office, alright? I promise I’ll be out in time!”

You give one wave as she rushes through a clouded glass door and shuts it behind her. You roll up the sleeves of your sweater and get to work on the suit.

Two hours later, and you’re accompanying Hyejin out into the apartment hallway. She pauses as the door clicks shut, waiting for it to give a chime, and turns to you with a sigh. She looks pretty. You had to rush a bit once she emerged from her office, and after taking care of the other chores you found it difficult to focus on her makeup, but you’re proud enough of your work given the circumstances. You’ve managed to match her eyeshadow to her pantsuit with gentle oranges and reds.

Since you were rushing to finish everything in time, the two of you hadn’t had a chance to exchange words. Perhaps you are curious — just a little — about the emergency she had to quell over the phone. Or maybe you just want a proper thank you. So you linger beside her in the well-lit hallway, you let your eyes wander to a potted fern in the corner by the elevator, wait for Hyejin to say something.

“I’m sorry,” she says, sighing. She glances at you through her lashes.

Your eyes go wide. “Hm? What for?”

“For having you do all of that,” she says, flitting one manicured hand. “I feel guilty.”

You shake your head. “No,” you say with a smile. “It’s no problem at all, honestly. You had me booked for an hour and a half anyway.”

She sighs again. “I really feel bad.”

“Don’t worry about it…,” you say, eyeing her. She crosses her arms, vexed, and purses her lips a little. “Um…was that call about an artist?” you ask.

She snaps back to herself, glancing at you. “Oh? Yes. That was about our biggest artist actually,” she says. “I think I’ve got it taken care of though, thanks to you.” She guides the two of you to the elevator. “I’ll pay you extra, alright?”

You laugh. “No, no. It’s fine! I’m just glad it all worked out.”

She stares at you, scanning you for a very long moment as the elevator rises to your floor. You try not to fidget, not to shrink under her scrutiny, but you feel yourself recoiling just a little. Her gaze is intense, knowing, as if she can see right through you and she’s looking for something. And as the elevator arrives, she gives a hum that sounds contented and you wonder if she’s found it.

Jungkook glances around the empty pavilion, scanning the cobbled streets for any sign of escape. From above, a dark mage is laying waste to the small shanty town. Not a single player has ventured out this way, all following a lead in the Elysian Forest to the west. But after you had mentioned a tip you got from researching at the Library of Arcana, you’d suggested visiting the seaside nook on the far south of the map. A legendary evil slumbers hidden, you’d recited over voice chat with a laugh, Sounds about right.

Only now, Jungkook’s alone. His hands are sweaty around the controllers in his palms and the realistic graphics are serving only to make him more nervous as the mage swings low near the central fountain and sets off a spray of fire just in front of him. Jungkook can almost feel the heat.

Jungkook had set out to do some scouting. Nothing extreme. Just a simple peek about, seeing if he could find any clues. He sent a message to the group chat, but he hadn’t waited on a response before he signed in. He’d had no idea that the Big Bad herself would come flying from the fountain the moment he touched the water with his sword. And now she’s circling him like some sort of hawk. Quickly, Jungkook calls up his inventory menu and searches through his items. A few extra swords he picked up, some ritual herbs, his old chainmail armor, some healing potions and…

The fragment…

If this mage takes him out, he’ll end up dropping his entire inventory. Including the fragment.

And by the time he can make his way back over here, other players will have come running from the commotion.

And the fragment will be gone.

“Shit,” he hisses out, dismissing the menu and focusing back on the mage as she releases a chilling cackle.

The quaint village is smoking, with thatched roofs catching fire and whole storefronts crumbling into piles of simmering stone. The sky is nearly blotted out with ash, and all he can see is that mage, swirling around up there in billowing black robes and shiny white teeth exposed in a wicked grin.

Jungkook glances over his shoulder toward the street he’d taken in to the village, but it’s too smokey to see anything more than the outlines of ruined buildings. There’s no way he’ll be able to navigate his way out of here without a lantern. And if it’s this smokey, he’s absolutely positive that nearby players have noticed. Which means more competition.

And more people to snatch his fragment when he falls.

The mage gives a cry, shouts her line, “Not enough yet?!”, and swoops down at a dizzying pace. Jungkook stumbles back, but he’s not fast enough. She’s approaching in a dark blur, too quickly for him to counter. A flash of regret washes through him as he squeezes his eyes shut inside his VR headset. He doesn’t want to see this.

He waits for a tense moment that way, anticipating the melancholy piano chords that accompany in-game death, but none come. Instead, he hears very keenly the sound of the mage grunting as if in pain. And, in an instant, he opens his eyes wide to see standing on the other side of the fountain, a small, white-haired mage, staff searing with frost and ice as the dark mage clutches her chest.

His heart kicks up. “Nova!” he calls to you.

You turn toward him and, to the extent that you’re able in a video game, square him with a sour look. “You moron!” you shout back.

But he can’t help his grin as he stares at your character. “How’d you get here so fast?”

You launch another ball of ice toward the dark mage, sending her hovering just above the cobblestone in front of the fountain. “I saw your message and figured you’d already gone ahead like an idiot so I logged on right away.”

He laughs, but you’re too focused on dealing ice damage to reciprocate. It seems of all his allies, you’re the best equipped to deal with a dark fire mage. He notices in your hand the staff you wield has changed. Where before you used a gnarled tree root with a rune, now you’re swinging a cool white metal staff with a glowing blue gem.

“New staff!” he calls, pointing.

You nod. “Mhm. The schematic from last time,” you say, dealing another blast. The dark mage falls to the ground, groaning. Jungkook is too excited to see you to notice his cue to act, but your head is very much in the game and you jerk your staff toward the fallen mage. “Well? You gonna slash her or what?”

Jungkook stiffens, jumping back into action. He hoists his sword and lunges, giving the mage a few good hits before recoiling back as she rises into the sky once more. The dark mage sends out a barrage of wild, uncontrolled fire that manages to miss Jungkook and hit you.

“Shit!” you call, pausing to glance through your inventory like Jungkook had before. “Dammit! I’m out of health potions,” you say. He notices your health bar is looking low.

“Why are you so hurt?” he asks as you rush toward him.

You sigh. “I ran into some boars in the woods on the way over here and they drained my health a little.”

“Shit,” Jungkook repeats.

“Yeah,” you say, watching as the dark mage readies another spell. “This is why I wanted all of us to go here together.”

“I know,” Jungkook says, his cheeks flaring hot. “I’m sorry.”

You sigh again. “Don’t worry,” you say, flitting your hand. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to start the battle.”

Jungkook is quiet, thinking. You’d always been this way. From the first time the party played together, you’d been generous with him. With everyone. When Tiki fell in the party’s first battle against some goblins, you’d been the one to retrieve his stuff and give up your armor for him. When Zero — the richest player by far — forgot about your scheduled meeting to gather supplies, you’d paid for everyone’s health potions and weapon repairs in his stead.

He shook his head. “No, I shouldn’t have gone off on my own.”

“No you shouldn’t have,” you say, humming. “You need to remember you’ve got a whole team of people who have your back.” He can hear a smile in your voice.

“I-,” he begins, but you cut him off.

“Alright, here’s what we’ll do for now. She’s at half health, so I’ll just wail on her with my ice until she’s within melee range and then you slash her,” you say with a nod. “And if I fall, I fall. Hopefully by then she’ll be low enough health that you can finish her off alone.”

“No, no. If it comes down to it, I’ll take the hit. I’ve got more HP and you’re the one who can do ranged attacks anyway,” Jungkook replies.

There’s no more time to argue, however, because the dark mage turns her fiery eyes toward the two of you and screams before pointing her staff right at Jungkook. Startled, Jungkook glances over at you to see you’re watching too. Neither of you has a chance to say anything before the blast hits, sending the two of you flying back against the fronts of buildings turned to ashy rubble. You let out a shocked gasp through Jungkook’s headset and, as the dust settles, he turns to see your health bar is dangerously low.

“Oh!” he shouts, pulling up his inventory. “Let me grab a health potion! You can have it—,”

“Alright, now I’m pissed,” you interrupt, sidling up to the fountain with measured steps. You consult your inventory and heave a sigh. It seems like you’re mulling something over, but it’s impossible for Jungkook to know what exactly is on your mind. “Use your health potion, Saph!”

He stares at the back of your character’s head, at the capable set of its shoulders. And he feels somehow like he’s really looking at you. The real you. Silhouetted against grey smoke, with a dark mage glowing black and orange in the air above you, he can’t help but think you seem…really cool.

He recalls what you said before. That he has a team of people who have his back.

You grumble something under your breath before deftly swinging your staff around a few times and launching a powerful icy blast toward the mage. She cries out and before she can ready another spell, you’re hurling another ball her way.

“Whoa! Nova, how’re you doing that so fast?” he asks.

“Shut up and heal now!” you shout, and he’s quick to oblige.

You send another blast toward the mage’s chest, and it’s just enough to get her in melee range. But as you do, the staff you’re holding shatters and breaks into shards. The force of the break seems to have some kickback, and you take a few points of damage as you stumble back half a step. You’re down to your very last HP.

“Oh my God! Did it break?” Jungkook asks, stunned.

“Go hit her!” you bark.

Jungkook sends his character rushing the mage once more and gets in a few heavy hits with his sword, pressing furiously on the controllers and moving his arms about wildly in his chair.

He expects her to fly back into the air. Rinse and repeat until she’s finally dead. But this time, perhaps since she’s so low on health, the dark mage simply hovers in front of him. Quickly, she swings her staff back and rears it forward once more, the black orb embedded in the top glowing red.

“She’s gonna hit you!” you shout, and in his shock Jungkook can only turn to look at your character.

Before he can blink, however, you’ve blurred in front of him in a flash of white hair and when the dark mage deals a mighty, close-ranged fire attack, you take it straight to the stomach.

And just like that, your character blinks out of existence, spilling your entire unequipped inventory on the steaming cobblestones in front of Jungkook’s steel shoes.

“Nova?” he calls out, but of course you can’t answer. You’ve warped back to the nearest infirmary somewhere past the woods.

He curses underneath his breath and swings his sword a little wild once, twice, three times until, at last, the dark mage lay prone on the ground, wailing ghostly. She lets out one final scream before withering into pixels. And there, beside your lost inventory, is a canvas loot bag. Jungkook grabs it and pulls from inside a multi chrome shard, glinting in the light refracted through smoke. He examines it. There’s no doubt. It’s a Philosopher’s Stone fragment. Which means your hunch was right.

It also means your party it one step closer to completing the legendary stone, receiving more gold than any of you could ever spend, maxed out HP, and a permanent plaque in Central Square with all of your usernames.

Jungkook sighs as he puts it away in his inventory. He scans through the other loot. A crossbow, some alchemical herbs, and an Imperial Knight’s sword. He pockets everything and, pausing to save, immediately logs off and yanks the headset from his eyes. He drops his controllers, removes his gloves, and sets the sensor jacket aside as he reaches for his phone on his studio desk.

He types in your name in his contact list and calls you right away. Lucky for him, you answer on the second ring.

“Did you get her?” you ask, not sparing even a moment for hellos.

Jungkook stutters a little like an old engine firing up before replying, “Dude what the hell did you do that for?”

You sigh. “I figured you’d have a better shot killing her since I broke my staff.”

“Yeah, but why'd you break your staff?”

“How else were we gonna get her down?”

Jungkook is quiet for a moment. “You spent a long time crafting that, didn’t you?”

You hum. “Not too long.”

“Liar,” he says, but you don’t reply. After a few moments of silence, Jungkook sighs. “I got her.”

He hears you laugh through the phone, followed by a satisfied exhale. “Hell yeah! Then it was worth it.”

“I got the fragment too.”

“She had it!”

Jungkook can’t help but smile a little, staring at his computer screensaver. “Mhm,” he says. “Thanks for taking the hit. I would’ve dropped the first fragment if she’d gotten me.”

You pause. “Oh, you had the first fragment on you?” you ask.

And Jungkook realizes something crucial as the words come crackly through his phone. You didn’t know he was holding it. You didn’t know he could have lost it. You’d jumped in front of that mage not to save the fragment in Jungkook’s inventory, but to save him. He swallows hard, because the silly, stupid sentiment of it makes his eyes a little misty.

“Um…yeah, I did,” Jungkook says slowly, as if testing cold waters.

You sigh. “Why’d you go on your own anyway?”

Jungkook’s shoulders pinch like he’s been struck. Truthfully, he’d logged on after a particularly frustrating call with Seokjin. After begging his manager to let him out of his contract with IJBC, Jungkook had been forced not only to continue working with Director Lim, but to keep good behavior lest the company seize their promotions of his previous album. But after chatting with you, Jungkook’s work is the furthest thing from his mind.

“Um…some issues with my work were getting to me so I figured I’d scout around a little,” he says. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you guys to tell me not to go.”

You laugh. “Turned out okay in the end,” you say easily. “But…your work?”

“Yeah…”

You’re quiet for a moment. While the silence isn’t awkward, it certainly feels thoughtful. “You don’t talk much about your job, so…I guess I was just curious. Like…what sort of issues…,” you continue, voice trailing off.

Jungkook thinks for a moment. What can he safely share without divulging too much? “Um, it’s…like this guy I’m working for is just kind of a dick,” he says, nodding once. “He’s awful to the employees and he’s been firing staff who piss him off. Just the other day he almost fired two people because they ran into me.”

“Oh?” you say, pensive. “So you’re pretty high up then?” you start, then let out a soft grunt and a laugh. “Sorry, I’m prying. Um…he sounds awful. It’s been bothering you working for him?”

Jungkook nods and picks at the skin around his thumb. “Yeah,” he says. “It’s only for a few months, but if it’s this bad after only a few days I don’t really know what to expect. I’m thinking about quitting somehow.”

“Well,” you begin, and Jungkook can hear the sound of things shuffling on the other side of the phone. “Here’s how I see it. If you quit, that’s one less person looking out for the people below you, you know?”

“Hm?”

“Like…if you’re there, maybe you can do some good and prevent other people from getting fired. But if you’re gone, you can’t really help anyone,” you say, then sigh. “I dunno. Just…if you’re forced to work with the guy, I figure you can try to find a way to turn it around. Maybe make things better for the people under you.”

Jungkook is quiet for a long, pregnant moment. He lets your words seep into his skin like a plant photosynthesizing. He really chews on them. “I…I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

You hum. “It’s okay. I can understand how working with someone like that would be really hard,” you say. “But…imagine how hard it is for the people who can’t just up and leave? The folks who have to sit there and take it and don’t have the option to quit, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook says, brows furrowing. He crosses his arms. “That’s true.”

“I mean, obviously you’re an adult and can do whatever you want, but…I dunno, I guess it would be pretty cool of you to stick around and try to help where you can,” you say. Before Jungkook can respond, however, you gasp. “Oh! I got a text from a client.”

“Oh? Who?” he asks.

“Ah, a woman named Kim Hyejin. She works for some entertainment company or something,” you say, and Jungkook’s blood runs cold.

Kim Hyejin. As in Rooftop Entertainment’s Kim Hyejin? As in Jungkook’s manager’s boss? The reason Jungkook can’t quit? He shakes his head, swallows the lump that’s growing in his throat, tries to silence the incessant thumping in his heart. It can’t be her, right? Surely not. But…really, how many Kim Hyejin’s work for ‘some entertainment company’ and require personal makeup artists? Even if the name is common, that’s just too sensational.

“O-Oh…um…is she the client you saw this morning?” Jungkook asks, but his mouth feels cottony. If you, of all people, were to somehow find out about him…

He shakes his head to clear it.

“Mhm, hold on a sec I’m trying to read it,” you say.

Jungkook doesn’t want to hold on. He doesn’t want to sit and wait for you to answer. He wants to end the call and throw his phone on the futon. He wants to take a long walk around the company building. He wants to delete his Arcana account.

But something keeps him on the line, like a string wrapped around his chest. He’s captive to your every word, desperate to know what Kim Hyejin has to say to you. Has she perhaps found out about Jungkook’s online friends? About the Beast Slayers? About you? Is she reaching out to make you sign an NDA? Did she approach you under the pretense of getting her makeup done only to lure you into accepting some sort of bribe to keep his identity secret?

Is she going to force you to stop contacting him…?

“Holy shit,” you say under your breath.

“What? What is it?” Jungkook says, too quick, too breathless.

You scoff. “Holy shit.”

“Please tell me,” he begs, voice frail. His hands are shaking.

Just when he’s found a group of people who he can connect with, who he can play with, who he can feel comfortable with, something has to come in and ruin it. Jungkook’s heart aches with the dread of anticipation.

“Dude,” you begin, but he can tell you’re smiling. “She just offered me a job on a TV show.”

Jungkook feels that same chill from before creeping up his spine like frost across a windowpane. “What show?” he asks.

If not a premeditated approach, then this has to be…

“Give Up Generation.”

Some sort of divine joke.

[dandelionflower]

She Sits Alone

Based off of the haunted mansion AU by @miraculous-of-salt

——————

Marinette was on the bus to the Culpa Mansion and she was sitting alone.

Normally she would feel hurt, but this was nothing new. She sat alone in class, she sat alone on the plane to the US, she was sitting alone on the bus now. She just felt numb by now. So numb she was barely excited for the mansion.

The Culpa Mansion. Marinette could babble about the history of the Culpa Mansion for hours.

~~~

Once the home of the businessman Garfield Culpa, it was a refuge for injured soldiers. One such person was Abigail Laurens, a nurse who got injured when an explosion hit her base. She critiqued his process and he fell in love.

Years after, their daughter Harriet Culpa met Darrian Poll. They were in third grade. He pulled her hair and she chased him around the playground.

They lost contact after high school and reconnected after college. She was a pro wrestler and he was a librarian. They got married as Harriet and Darrian Culpa. (She insisted on keeping her last name.)

Their son Micheal Culpa married Wenda Delair. They were unable to have children and assumed their bloodline would die with them until they saw a young girl rummaging in their trash can. They instantly adopted Rosemary and began training her in watercolor.

Usually, Marinette would be cut off from talking now and she would recite the rest to herself.

Rosemary never married and opened her home to any starving or homeless artist who couldn’t get on their feet. She passed the Culpa mantle to one of the more present artists, Denise.

Denise never married, though she had plenty lovers. She continued the tradition of housing the starving and homeless but allowed them to be employed in the manor as cooks, maids, gardeners, and security. She eventually gave birth to a son, Felix Culpa.

Felix had nearly every trait of the Culpa family, despite not being blood related to any of them. He was caring and cynical, like Garfield and Abigail. He was physically able and a bookworm like Harriet and Darrian. He was a lover of the arts like Micheal, Wenda, and Rosemary, and he was suspicious of the existence of love like his mother.

He became suspicious no longer when he met Bridgette Chang, the designer child of an author and illustrator pair. She designed all of Denise’s favorite gowns and was commissioned for Felix’s first suit. She struck up a conversation about his favorite novel and they became fast friends.

Soon, they fell in love and they were inseparable until Felix left for college. Even then, they were the only thing on each other’s mind. Felix wrote daily letters to Bridgette and whenever she didn’t read them, she was weeping in the private room Felix gave her.

The minute he returned, he proposed. They were set to be married, if not for one tiny detail.

Delila Ross.

She was a fellow member of Felix’s college and was obsessed with him. She almost got her hooks into him when she used a love spell. Luckily, Felix knew some witchcraft of his own and was able to fight it off. She disappeared soon after.

However, the day of the wedding, she returned to kill Bridgette. Felix warned all of the staff against her and threatened them with extreme punishment. She came in and, assisted by the staff, stabbed Bridgette through the heart with her favorite flower pin.

Theorists say Felix went insane, but Marinette didn’t believe that part. He allegedly killed every member of the staff that allowed Delila to enter the mansion and soon he died himself. Legend has it that he roams the halls of the mansion, now a hotel, in search of the reincarnated soul of his loved one and when he found her, he would have the power to return from the dead and be with her until the end of his days.

~~~

Before she met Adrien, Marinette had fantasied about being the reincarnation of Bridgette, after all, Chang and Cheng were very similar. However, now she had met Adrien and was dating him.

Speaking of, Marinette checked her phone. Sure enough, there was a text from her boyfriend.

Sunshine 😍: Hey sorry bout not sitting w/ u 😰

Sunshine 😍: It would have seemed rude if I turned lila down

Princess 💞: It’s fine! I totally get it.

No, she didn’t get it! She was Adrien’s girlfriend and he still managed to make Lila a priority over her. And not just Lila either, Marinette knew Adrien thought she didn’t notice the stars in his eyes whenever Ladybug was mentioned. How touchy he would get with other models during a shoot.

Marinette growled and pulled out the vest she was embroidering. Half was black with small white snowflakes and the other half was pink with little flowers. It was based off of Felix and Bridgette’s favorite seasons; spring and winter. She had already made a strictly Felix themed outfit for the trip and a Bridgette themed outfit, she wanted to make one based off of the relationship the two had.

After finishing, she took a nap, dreams of swirling snowflakes and a blue eyed cat approaching her filling her mind. She woke up with Adrien sitting next to her, tapping her shoulder.

“Hey, Princess. We’re here.”

She bolted up and pressed her face to the window. “What? I missed it? But I heard such great things about the gardens…”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “We’ll find some time to check them out, promise.”

“‘Kay.” She hummed and leaned forward for a proper kiss, before another popped up.

“Hey, Adrien?” Lila. “You mind helping us out back here? We’re stuck on a level of Super Penguino, and I, as an award winning player, need a partner. Would you want to help me out?” She bat her eyes innocently and Marinette felt the all too familiar sense of rage well up inside her.

No, don’t do that again, she reminded herself. You don’t need this, Adrien loves you and he doesn’t want you to get in trouble.

“Sure, Lila! I’m sure Marinette won’t mind.” He pressed another kiss to her temple and went back to Lila’s seat.

Marinette sighed and stared out the window as they finally approached the mansion.

———-

There was a bit of concern over rooming, there was an odd number of students and the teacher surely couldn’t room with anyone. They talked about three in a room, but Lila said she read a study that claimed that three in a room was harmful to sleeping patterns.

“Alya! Want to room with me?”

Alya gave Marinette a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, girl. I told Lila I’d room with her.”

“Oh, alright.” That meant she’d be rooming by herself then. “Have fun.” She sat on the bench again, alone.

She heard a giggle from across the room. “Yeah, I’m definitely the distant relative of Bridgette. Who knows? Maybe I’m his soulmate and Felix will come back from the dead for me.”

“He’s supposed to come back for the reincarnated soul.” Marinette muttered. “Not the relative.”

“You know that?” A red headed boy in a cap approached her. “No one knows that, Grace and I usually have to tell them a million times. Grace!” He shouted over his shoulder. “Grace! Come over here! This chick knows the Culpa story!”

“Wait, really?” A girl with a two long braids walked over from the reception desk. “No one knows the Culpa story.”

“My parents told me some when I was little, I did some research.”

“Well, the fact that you know it makes you a celebrity to us. I’m Grace, this is Finny. What’s your name, celebrity?”

She grinned. “I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m with the school trip from Paris.”

Finny gasped. “You mean you’re, the Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The same Marinette Dupain-Cheng who designed Jagged Stone’s favorite sunglasses, and his album cover?!?!”

“Fin’s a bit of a music nerd.” Grace snorted.

Fin, meanwhile, was patting his pockets down for a pen. “I don’t have a pen! Grace! Can you give me a pen?”

“No, ask her for he autograph later, dork. It’s the middle of the night, she probably wants to get back to her room.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head. “But I am totally asking for one later.”

Marinette winked. “That’s fine with me.”

“Where are you staying, anyway?”

“Umm, I actually don’t know. There was a room problem.”

“I can handle that.” Grace winked and Marinette noticed her eyes were a beautiful silver. “I’ve got some pull.” She sashayed over to the desk and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Apparently satisfied, she picked up a key and tossed it to Marinette. “Here. It’s the key to Bridgette’s room. A huge honor. Not something we take lightly around here.”

“Thank you! It’s not something I take lightly either.” Then, seeing her class was leaving, she lifted her bag and followed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I hope!”

“We hope so too!” Finny yelled after her.

—————

Marinette hummed to herself as she began unpacking, planning her outfits for each day.

Her Felix themed set for museum day.

Her Bridgette themed set for the art museums.

Her Felix and Bridgette themed one for tour day.

And her ghost themed ones for all the other days.

Satisfied, she turned around and admired the room. It was exactly what she would have wanted. Pink everywhere, a beautiful white lace canopy over the bed, flowers all over the balcony and above the bed there was a portrait of Felix and Bridgette mid-proposal, Felix on one knee.

Marinette snapped a picture of it. Perfect for inspiration.

She texted Adrien a quick goodnight and went to sleep, soon to be struck with the same dreams of the blue eyed cat and the swirling snowflakes.

——————

Meanwhile, a sleek black fox and an orange bee held a meeting in the basement.

You think he knows yet? The bee asked.

I don’t know, Fin. He will once he makes his rounds.

She has to be her. Gracie, her life directly parallels with Bridgette’s. All the way down to the company she keeps.

Speaking of, we need to get everyone locked down and in their punishments for the night before Felix starts his rounds.

Before you do, a white and turquoise turtle crawled into view, we need to have a conversation about the other her.

What about her? Grace asked innocently.

What will we do about the ghosts? If they see her...

They’ll go insane.

Maybe they won’t, Finny suggested, they might just ignore her.

Unlikely. They’re more likely to torment her, which will end on the mansion being quarantined.

They won’t do anything without Felix’s permission, Allegra. Grace rolled her eyes. Which he won’t give until he has his bride.

But, it wouldn’t hurt if we let them scare her a little… Finny landed on Grace’s head. Would it?

Allegra and Grace smirked, well, as much as a fox and turtle could smirk.

Probably not… Allegra mused

I’ll spread the word when I lock up my section. See ya, Allegra.

As the bee and the fox climbed out of the basement, unnoticed in the empty halls, thunder cracked and a red headed boy, paired with a raven haired girl strolled the mansion, unaffected by the ghoulish shrieks of horror that followed them.

—

The rest

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 2.8 (Inner Beauty)

Miranda and Lizzie making detention fun

- Gordo wants to expand his filmmaking repertoire and so, he wants to shoot his own music video for the song, ‘Us Against The World’ by Play, starring his best friends, Lizzie and Miranda whom are both practicing their dance moves in Lizzie’s living room:

“Britney, Britney, Janet and J Lo” vs “ Brtiney, Janet, Janet...”

- The both of them then take a snack break to which Gordo get all concerned about because he thinks they’re not taking his new venture seriously. Relax Gordo, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break lol. 

- In school the next day, we see Miranda being upset about getting a B on a recent Science test. She basically feels like she’s coming up short, which I can totally relate. 

- To make matters worse, she now thinks she’s fat after looking at the stills Gordo took of them from rehearsals the other day. It’s sad to see her nitpick every single body part on that photo. Anyways, it’s pretty clear what direction this episode is going to take and what issues that are going to be tackled, which are body dysmorphia and eating disorders. I definitely have my own personal opinions regarding how Miranda’s storyline was handled in this episode but I’ll save it for the ‘Overall Thoughts’ section. 

- Lizzie and Gordo are clearly shocked to hear how negatively Miranda views herself and she also declares to them that she’s going on a diet. 

Crash Diet Woes

- At lunch, Gordo notices that Miranda isn’t having anything to eat. Miranda gives the excuse that she had a very heavy breakfast in the morning. Even after Lizzie tries to offer her some of her own lunch, she strangely acts like she just got a paper cut and has to go to the bathroom to run her finger over cold water. Girl, we know you’re not a good actress...stop it! 

- After leaving in a hurry, both Lizzie and Gordo are even more concerned now because it’s obvious that Miranda is forcing herself to go on a strict diet. Lizzie even points out that Miranda is not that kind of person to starve herself like that.  

-  After school, Lizzie and Miranda are going through another practice session and this time around, they’re showing their moves in front of Lizzie’s mom, Jo. Jo is super impressed with the girls and asks Gordo if she can be in his MV (music video) too. but he kind of indirectly shot her down lol. But worst of all, she was trying to act all cool despite being disappointed about being turned down:

Her face here definitely does not read “I’m kidding” lmao

- Anyways, throughout the rehearsal, it’s very apparent that Miranda is starting to feel woozy based on her facial expressions. Despite this, she still insists that she and Lizzie continue practicing. Big mistake here because a few seconds into their next run-through, she becomes lightheaded and drops to the floor. They all rush over to help her up and they ask her what’s up. Miranda lies again and says she had a really heavy lunch when she definitely did not. Lizzie is definitely concerned about her best friend’s wellbeing. 

Defensive Miranda

- Some time after Miranda’s fainting spell, Lizzie and Gordo are discussing what they should say or do with regards to Miranda’s problem. Well, it’s mostly Gordo who’s talking because he’s not giving Lizzie any chance to give her two cents. But I got to say this; It’s unfortunate that Gordo thinks that just because Miranda is a girl, he feels like he can’t talk to her about the issues she’s facing with her body image. As her best friend, I feel like he should at least hear out what's going through her mind. But again, I need to remember that Gordo is just a teenage boy and he can’t help but to feel awkward in this type of circumstance.

-  Next, we see Lizzie at the mall with Miranda to shop for new outfits for their upcoming MV shoot. As I’ve predicted, Miranda feels dejected going through the rack of clothes she thinks she won’t look good in. Lizzie tries putting things into perspective with Miranda but she just gives off this nasty and defensive attitude towards Lizzie.

Again, what’s with the attitude?

- Lizzie decides to come clean and be honest with her best friend by saying that she’s making a bad decision by going on all these crazy fasts. I generally feel like what Lizzie said to Miranda was appropriate, especially after reminding her that they’re best friends and she should feel comfortable being able to open up to her. 

- Miranda is just not having it with Lizzie and says something really passive aggressive and in the end, she just storms off. I feel like being Miranda’s friend is exhausting at times. 

- At home, Lizzie is feeling down about what just happened and she explains to her mom about the problems she’s facing without revealing Miranda’s identity. Poor Jo first thought that her own daughter was the one with body image issues. Also, who is Lizzie fooling when she tells Jo that she’s talking about a friend? It’s pretty clear that this friend she’s referring to is Miranda lol. Well, at least to me it would have been obvious.

-  Well, Jo is just as shocked to find out that the person is actually Miranda and she freaks out about it some more after connecting this to the fainting incident in their living room a few days ago. Luckily, she calms down and tells Lizzie that if the situation doesn’t improve in a few days, she will have a sit down with  both Miranda herself and with Miranda’s mom. Daniela. 

Opening Up

- It’s the day of the actual music video shoot and Miranda surprisingly shows up. Gordo tries apologizing to her for the comment he made about her eating too much but Ms. Sanchez is still upset at him for who knows why. Lizzie then steps in and apologizes to her for butting into her life and her issues at the mall.  But she also tells her that she’s very concerned about her wellbeing and it’s actually scaring her. Aww poor baby.

- In my opinion, I feel like Lizzie doesn’t have to explain her concern over Miranda. I think it’s very obvious that Lizzie only has good intentions. But I guess sometimes it’s good to break it down to the other person who is going through the motions. Fortunately for all three of them, Miranda opens up to them about all the issues she’s facing at school and the pressure she feels coming from her parents regarding what she wants to do in the future. 

- Because of the overwhelming pressure she’s facing, she feels like she needs something in her life that she is able control, which are her eating habits. I think this is a very common feeling to have amongst people who suffer from eating disorders or body dysmorphia. And I like how Miranda explains that it’s something that she really feels deep within even though it doesn’t make sense on paper. It’s just how our brain works really. 

I wonder if that look Miranda is giving to Gordo is a good one or a bad one lol

- Lizzie explains to Miranda that she relates to her struggles as well because she too, feels pressure to fit in. Even Gordo shares the same feeling for being non-muscular and probably short lol. She then reassures Miranda that being her best friends means that they will support her through this no matter what.  And  in the end, Miranda thanks them for having her back. I'm glad she came around lol.

Rock those flips Hilary!

The teacher definitely has some moves of his own too!

- The episode ends with our favorite trio watching the fully-shot iconic MV of Miranda and Lizzie dancing incredibly and looking amazing together at the same time. But most importantly, they look healthy and happy.

Miranda is definitely feeling herself in this music video

B-Plot: Matt’s 5687th Career, An Artist 

The resemblance is uncanny

- In this episode, Matt’s storyline centers around him being an artist, to which his school apparently thinks he’s a very talented one at that. They notify Jo about his ‘newfound talent’ and she wants to nurture that in him. I can already tell this whole plot is going to be campy. At least Sam is questioning this whole thing:

“Sensitive? Matt eats mud!”. ICONIC

-  We then see Matt creating a portrait of Lanny in the backyard using the splatter paint technique, if I’m not mistaken. As expected, he makes a mess outside because he got his paint all over the patio, the plants and even Lanny himself. I don’t get why Jo is encouraging this given all the shenanigans he  pursued in majority of the past episodes. But most of all, I wonder who is the teacher at his school who thinks he has this talent? I could be wrong though; He might actually have a gift....

- Later, they decide to take Matt’s work outside and both Matt and Lanny are now going through pieces of junk outside to see what can be used for his next masterpiece. I smell disaster in the horizons for sure.

- And I was right! The Mcguire home is ridden with all the trash Matt and Lanny brought home with them from the junkyard.  Jo and Sam sees this and they are just shocked. But I’m very surprised to see that Jo is still trying to encourage Matt. I thought she would put her foot down by now. 

OK. This should be the trigger lol

- Matt pretty much butchered poor Sam’s car. Jo finally sees that Matt has crossed the line (when she should have reeled him in days ago) and tells him to stick to creating art on paper. This boy needs to be restricted, which come to think of it...it’s not really an appropriate word to use given the main storyline of this episode but I’ll just leave it at that lol.

Overall Thoughts

- I feel like this is the first episode of Lizzie Mcguire so far that dealt with a very serious topic, apart from maybe the bullying situation Matt was facing in the season 1 episode, ‘Sibling Bonds’. Episodes like this one really stood out to me over the years till today because it was mainly on an issue a main character was facing both physically and internally.  And it had nothing to do with relationship drama or girl drama. So naturally, the episode was very memorable.

- In terms of the execution of Miranda’s eating disorder storyline, I had issues with it but I also have some positives to say. Let’s start with the negatives; I just feel like the show kind of made it seem that Miranda’s body image issues went away within a week of it popping up. You can see by the end, Miranda was happy with how she looked in the music video. In fact, she was even praising herself. And that’s just not the reality of most people’s struggles with ED and body dysmorphia. These things just don’t go away so quickly. That being said, I definitely don’t think Miranda had an eating disorder based on what I’ve seen in this episode. But because things are shown through the lens of a children’s TV show camera, things might not appear to be so clear cut. 

- But I could view them having showed the viewers that Lizzie and Gordo having Miranda’s back no matter what means that they will continue to be there for her in case the issues she’s facing do come back. Moreover, I wish that the show would’ve added a separate conversation between Miranda and her mom or at least show Jo talking to Miranda because I think including adults in this would add more seriousness to the situation. Again, this is a TV show that is targeted towards kids and young preteens. So, there’s bound to be some problems here and there. 

- As for the positives, I recall myself pointing out earlier in this review that Gordo should feel like he should be able to talk to Miranda about her issues. And so, I’m very glad that he was included in the scene by the school staircase with Miranda and Lizzie. If it were just the two girls, I would honestly be upset because Gordo is supposed to be Miranda’s best friend too and differences in gender shouldn’t dictate the conversations best friends should have with one another. So, that made me feel really glad.

[dangan-happy]

(To Leon, Sayaka Hifumi Kazuichi) I have been dealing with no self motivation to draw or really do any of things I really loved, I have also really lost my motive to eat anything really being scared of gaining weight thinking that people would judge me if I’m just a little overweight, I have also been very overwhelmed with School and homework could I get a hug?

This sounds like art block to me Anon, although it’s probably not the same kind of art block you’re experiencing. While I am an artist, also an alternative to singer, we go through blockage as well. Such as writing with lyrics, coming up with tunes, anything like that. But I’m not sure if this is something you are going through, however, I think you should try drawing again. It’s probably difficult for you right now but maybe you can find enjoyment in it again.

I know you’re scared of gaining weight and I can see why you would want to skip meals, but please know that you need to eat regularly Anon. There is never wrong with a little bit of weight, as long as you carefully monitor it and don’t go overboard. If people judge, that is their issue, not yours. Unfortunately, there are always going to be people that judge you for no reason and dislike you for the silliest reasons.

Being overwhelmed with school is awful and you most definitely can have a hug Anon, I’ll hold you in my arms for as long as you need, you’re doing so well powering through all of this and I hope that you can feel better soon.

---

Yup, you can get a hug from me too, Mx. Anon! I don’t mind giving out hugs, in fact I feel honored that you want a hug from me!

Hmm...There are a couple ways you can raise your motivation, just don’t try to rush through this kind of thing. Start with something little, like simple sketches, to start getting back into drawing, and then go from there. If you’re having trouble figuring out things to draw, it can help to listen to music or look at other’s art pieces to find some inspiration and ideas! Just try to do what made you like art in the first place!

Oh Mx. Anon, it’s okay to be a little overweight! If you really do feel the need to lose weight, choosing not to eat or starving yourself is an unhealthy way of doing so, there are safer ways to lose some weight! Anyways, you shouldn’t worry about what others say, their opinion means nothing! Anyone who judges you on appearance alone has a terrible opinion, it’s the inside that matters!

Count me in if you need a hug still, Anon! I know that there are people that will always judge you but you don’t need to bother with haters like that, ok?

Take it from me, I’m going into music and when you go into anything like that you gotta be the coolest right!? But the thing is even if you are the coolest you’ll still gets a bunch of jealous asses that just wanna bring ya down!

So if there are people that even wanna bring down a confident guy you can at least know that they’ll just attack anyone they can. I don’t think there’s anything wrong if you ever were a few pounds overweight and anyone that finds a problem with that is just the same kinda lot that would bring down artists like Sayaka and me! Eating is important, I can’t stress it enough but if you can’t eat much something is still better than nothing, y’know? 

Just keep trying and you’ll get better and I’m sure that if we can help you get some motivation for art that you can always use it to vent or whatever it is that artists like you do! If I were you, I’d just focus on the things you like whether you have a lack of motivation or not. I know a lot of artists do warmup sketches and stuff kinda like the warm ups I used to do for practice and all before my games. I mean, when I showed up still that is. Just go ahead and use drawing as something to pass the time and don’t worry so much about the end result. Sometimes doing stuff mindlessly helps you get some good ideas and helps relieve stress! Pretty awesome, right!?

[dianapana]

SasuHina Month 2020 - Day 5

Prompt –Collage AU

Long Distance- Part 3

Hinata POV

Sasuke drives like a pro; whenever I’m in the car with Ino I fear for my life, Neji drives really smoothly but he always goes really really and I mean really fast so, I find myself griping the side of my seat a lot. But with Sasuke the speed is good I don’t feel like we’re about to pierce to the vail of time and his movements are confident and easy; he seems to be at ease. We’ve been on the road for about 45 minutes and we haven’t really spoken much but the silence is pleasant and it doesn’t bother me.

“So, you’re from Konoha and about my age how come we never met in school?” Sasuke is the one to break the silence.

“I was homeschooled until 10th grade. And after that I went to Suna Academy for girls. I am what you would call ‘sheltered’. My mom told my dad I should attend public school before university but he just about had a heart attack. He didn’t really want me going to University either” I didn’t mind being homeschooled I’m more of an introvert and I know that; it’s not because I didn’t go to public school it’s just how I am and I’m ok with that. But I did want to go to university so I fought for that as well and when mom came to my aid too dad didn’t stand a chance. I’m happy with my decision; I’ve made a few really good friends and enjoyed the experience so far. I also loved the freedom of doing whatever I wanted without asking for permission. I’m not a party person but I did discover I enjoy certain things that mom or dad would never allow.

“Ah makes sense. My older brother was homeschooled for about 2 years but neither mom nor dad really liked that so when I started school, they sent me to public school from the get go”

“Are you going to be a senior this year?” he looks older and more mature than I do, or at least than I feel.

“Yep, what about you?” I look from the corner of my eyes at the way his muscles move in his arm when he changes the gear. He’s not built like most guys in my classes.

“I’m also going to be a senior. What’s your major?”

“I only declared my major last semester so despite it being my last year I’ll have a lot of courses to take. I’m majoring in education. I was accepted on athletic scholarship and have been a starter on the hokey team since the second semester of my freshman year so I plan to either go pro or coach. What about you?”

“I major in creative writing and minor in photography or as my dad says, I’m paying money to become a starving artist. I’ve never seen a hockey game; my sister likes it and played a little in middle school but I was away in Suna so I never went to any of her games.”

We talk a little more about collage, I find out that he lives with one of his teammates who is also his best friend and another friend that’s a tattoo artist and is majoring in fine arts at KU. I also applied there but the creative writing program is better at the UoA. I did hear that the graphic design department from KU has some of the pest teachers in the country. I told him about Ino who I met at orientation but, we also share the same minor; her major though is flower arts, surprisingly she has a lot of business-oriented courses to pretty much teach her how to run her own shop. We’re about 15 minutes away from KU and once again I feel guilty; he’s been on the road for 4 hours even though under normal circumstances he’d just now hit the road. After passing KU we finally hit the highway and Sasuke speeds up but it’s still comfortable.  

We talk a little more for the following few hours and I’m surprised by how easy it is to talk to him. He even explains hockey to me as briefly as possible and says he’ll invite me to a game when the season starts. The implication that we will talk after the end of this pleases me. We’re about half the way to Konoha when we stop so Sasuke can fill the tank and so we can go to the bathroom, maybe drink another coffee since we drank the extra ones I packed as well already and eat something. Thankfully the gas station has a McDonalds next to it.

Sasuke POV

Once we hit the road again after eating the only noise is the radio but we don’t talk. The silence isn’t unwelcomed and awkward. After a couple more minutes I peek at Hinata and see she has fallen asleep. I dim the music a little and continue driving. We have about 5 more hours to go.

About 4 hours later I make another stop at the gas station; I need to go to the bathroom. Hinata hasn’t woken up yet. I’m debating whether to wake her up or not when her phone starts ringing loudly and waking her up anyway. She wakes up and answers in a hurry while rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

“Hey mom. Yea we’re about…” she looks towards me and I mouth ‘1 hour away’ “1 hour away. We just stopped at a gas station. I’ll see you soon ok? I want to go to the bathroom. Bye” she hangs up not really waiting for a reply.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry I fell asleep for like 4 hours.” Her cheeks are red and I can tell she feel guilty and embarrassed but I shrug.

“No big deal” It looks like she wants to apologize again so I get out of the car. Each of us goes to the bathroom and then Hinata buys some snacks and I get myself a Pepsi and we get back on the road.

Hinata rips open the packet of candy she bought and eats a few. “Do you want some?” she asks. Usually I’m not a huge fan of sweets but I do want some sugar to get energy so I nod. I can’t take my hand that instant off the wheel so I make a small pause with full intention to extend it in a few moments but before I can do that Hinata leans over and pops a candy in my mouth. I am shocked and I look at her from the corner of my eye and she is frozen in place, her face red as a beat.

“I…umm I am sorry” her voice is barely a whisper and she leans back in her seat. “I did that without thinking sorry. I do that whenever Ino drives. In the beginning she would take her hand pff the wheel mid turn and it would freak me out so I developed this habit of feeding her rather than her letting go of the wheel. I am so so so sorry” she talks really fast and her hands are over her cheeks.

“It’s ok. You just surprised me” I say. Hinata I realize is very socially awkward. She blushes easily and apologizes a lot about everything. Despite me trying to reassure her she doesn’t talk much for the rest of the road.

Hinata POV

The candy incident happened almost 20 minutes ago but my heart still beats way too fast. I did that on instinct and the moment my fingertips touched his lips I was gone. I am way too aware of him now to be able to talk to him normally. Even if I don’t want to I notice everything about him. From his muscles that shift whenever he moves the slightest bit, to his beautiful profile, to his dark and shiny hair.

I keep my hands joined in my lap because I’m scared, I’ll do something embarrassing again. I want to touch him. I want to take pictures of him. He would be a great subject for a photoshoot. Images of him in a studio dim lighted and a bit destroyed fill my brain. He would suite something grunge or maybe something with neon lights to give him an eerie atmosphere. That is his attitude, if we were to talk about his looks, he is handsome and beautiful; he would look good surrounded by white, that would make him look like an angel. The angel analogy starts to run while when I imagine him naked with only a silk sheet over his lap. I feel my cheeks growing redder again.

I shake my head and look out the window. The familiar scenery tells me we’re only about 15 minutes away from my house, after waking up I gave him my address to put into the GPS. I curse myself for sleeping half of the ride. There’s no use lying to myself. I like Sasuke, he’s easy to talk and cool. His good looks only aid this predicament.

“We’re almost home” I say.

“You don’t sound that happy. You did say you didn’t want to return. Why is that?” He answers, eyes still focused on the road, his voice even. He really does not think about the candy incident. The knowledge hurts a little. I kind of wanted him to be as shook as I am.

“I liked the freedom I have at University. I’ve never really been the one in charge before” Mom and Hanabi are the only ones home which means we will be doing a lot of shopping. They’ll make me try on things I don’t particularly like. Most of my closet consisted of thing mom and Hanabi think look good on me but that I don’t like to wear so when I got to University I started selling them.

“I get that, I feel the same. That was also my reason for not coming back home” He admits and it shocks me a little, Sasuke doesn’t seem like someone that would let himself be controlled by someone else. This makes me relate to him, admire him for admitting something like that, Neji is very prideful and he would never say something like this.

When the car pulls to a stop in front of my house, I have to admit I am glad. I like spending time with him but I feel myself developing a crush on him that can only lead to my own demise. I look to the front door half expecting mother to come running outside but she doesn’t. Sasuke gets out of the car as well and helps me with the suitcases. I go to open the door but it is locked. I unlock it and the house is silent. Sasuke asks me where to take the suitcases and I abuse his kindness and tell him to follow me to my room. In the mean time I call mother.

“Hey mom I got home…but where are you?”

“Hinata baby I’m over at Mikoto’s come with Sasuke. She wants to meet you and we can all have a nice late lunch or early dinner” Her voice is chipper and light, is…is mom drunk?

“O….k?”

“See you soon baby” She says and hangs up on. I look at my phone and then to Sasuke.

“Um…she’s at your house” I say and he laughs.

“Of course, she is. How did we not see this coming?” Sasuke asks rhetorically as we walk back to the car. I top to lock the door. “I mean they are best friends so of course they are together.”

The drive to his home takes about another 10 minutes and this time when the car stops mom and another woman, I assume Sasuke’s mother wait for us on the front porch and they each have a wine glass in their hands. Mom is smiling wide and chats with Mikoto lively.

“Are they drunk?” I say out loud. Sasuke narrows his eyes.

“I don’t know about your mother but my mom is a lightweight. If she drank a glass of wine, she is not only drunk but wasted.”

“Mom can’t hold her alcohol very well either” I admit, we both turn to look at them still chatting away, obvious to the fact that we have arrived. We turn to look at each other and chuckle a little.

“Come o let’s go join them, drink a glass of wine too. Why should they be the only ones to have fun?” He says and gets out of the car. My heart is beating faster once again. I can’t move for a moment. Sasuke opens my door and extends his hand to me, I look at it and take it. His skin is warm and rough but I feel sparks going up my arm. I look up at him and he’s smirking at me. The sun is just now setting behind Sasuke and it gives him a golden glow. That is the moment when I realize that I already like him, this boy I met today. He lets go of my hand to go get his own bags but I can still feel his touch. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in. When I open them he’s next to me and nods towards out mothers, I nod back and we start walking up the driveway. The two of them finally see us, put their wine glasses down and come towards us for hugs. Mom kisses my cheek and tells me how much she missed me; than she hugs Sasuke and thanks him for bringing me while Mikoto hugs me and tells me how nice it is to meet me.

Looking at this scene with them so happy makes me realize that I don’t regret coming home. I’m glad I could make mom happy. I’m glad to see her having fun with a new friend. I peer from the corner of my eye towards Sasuke. I’m glad I came because I met him. I’m still looking at him when he turns his eyes to me as well and smirks. I wonder what he’s thinking. I wonder if he feels even remotely like I do. Even if he doesn’t, I hope he will still be my friend because Sasuke Uchiha is pretty cool and I’d love to have him in my life. If his mother is anything like him, I can’t blame mom for calling Mikoto her best friend already.  

Part 1 (This happens after the 2nd and 3rd part)

Part 2