#also apparently he talks about KT's chest a lot

[tokillamockingbird427]

Trans Man Rorke headcanons [with some headcanons trans headcanons for Keegan and Neptune mixed in] (this is a but long)

Scared the ever loving shit out of Elias the first time he almost keld over from a painful menstruation cramp

Stocks Chocolate, painkillers, and heating pads in his office

Doesn't bother hiding his top surgery scars, most of the guys thought that he just got into a really weird fight until he explained that they were from a surgery he had in his mid twenties

He came out at the diner table when elias was talking about combing two types of cars together and said “I just don't know where i'm going to put the tranny*” [*he's talking about the transmission] and Gabriel replied, “I’d put the tr*nny in the driver's seat” whilst pointing at himself, cue Elias being horrified and rapidly apologising

He then proceeded to lecture Elias and the rest of the guys over the use of words that double as slurs

Both Keegan and Neptune came out to him later that night [Keegan's FTM and Neptunes FTMTNB]

Rorke immediately lectured Keegan on using unsafe binding materials [ace bandages] and lectured both of them for working out whilst binding. He also took the shopping for binders and packers, and taught them how to use KT tape as an alternative to a binder.

He also offered to pay for ant surgeries the wanted

Neptune took up his offer for top surgery

Keegan, meanwhile, blue screened [poor thing is scared of surgery.][okay it may be more of a fear of being alone+unconscious around a group of people he doesn't know that well]

Gabriel assured him that he doesn't need to have any type of surgery if doesn't what to, and that not having them doesn't make him less valid as a trans man

To this day Keegan still has his tits

He started stocking pads and tampons in his office after this conversation

Rorke also made sure that they both had access to a different set of showers then the rest of the guys

And he double checked that they both had a safe place to live

He wound up putting aside some rooms in his house for them

Keegan wound up moving in with him and Neptune tends to stay over randomly

After Gabriel ‘died’ they found out he had left the house to them and they live together now

Gabriel got a *bit* protective over them as well

He also made sure that they could always have access to their testosterone injections

On that note, Gabriel himself prefers to use a gel testosterone

Gabriel shaves his head for gender confirmation reasons

He originally didn't want to get top surgery, he drank a lot of coffee [which helps shrink breast tissue apparently] and did a lot of weight lifting when he was a teenager in order to build up pectoral muscles, and the combo of those gave him a very masculine presenting chest. He only got the double mastectomy after his mother died from breast cancer, mostly out of fear that he'd develope it as well [he will literally never tell anyone this].

Keegan and Neptune often catch them self looking out for David the same way Gabriel looked out for them

🐺

Trans Neptune truthers, join me, we will conquer the world! ...Or maybe just the fandom. That's more manageable.

I like to think there was zero warning sign before he keeled over so one second Elias is babbling in his ear about supplies and the next Rorke is half collapsed on the floor convincing Elias for a good moment that he just bored his Captain to death.

Merrick simply assumed he got into a weirdly targeted knife fight until Rorke explained.

NOT THE TRANSMISSION

Mf just immediately adopts them. They had no chance.

I gotta see what this mf's house looks like, I always figured it was on the smaller side because I think of him as the practical type but it'd be real funny if it turned out he lived in a big ass house in the suburbs rather than the cabin in the woods. Has a wild lawn rather than the mono-green-dead bullshit tho. (DEATH to plain ass lawns with zero biodiversity.)

He's a HEN! Broody. Hah.

Aw, every time I make fun of him for being bald one of you come in and give me a reason to feel bad about it. Alright Rorke. You get away with it in this scenario.

Oooooo, a secret to take to the grave. Interesting.

Don't let Rorke find out Hesh is trans he might swap Logan for him seeing as he was so quick to grab Neptune+Keegan up

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Start of the Giant

Entertainment Station Interview with Suga Kenta and Kageyama Tatsuya

Full interview translation under the Read More! Please do not repost this translation.

The last show, “Summer of Evolution,” was the most fun.  I thought we’d start by asking about your thoughts of that show.

Kage-chan: Since that was my first Engeki Haikyuu, I really wanted to sink my teeth into it, so to speak.  And those days ended up being such absolutely wild, bewildering days.  

Was there a moment where you felt like: This is Engeki Haikyuu? Kage-chan: It’s really the music that draws you in and gets you excited.  It felt the same as when I was an audience member listening to it.  You get this feeling of, “This!  This is it!” Kenta: Engeki Haikyuu has always been a collaborative production made with everyone’s ideas.  Of course, the last production was like that too.  In the beginning, we separated into groups like in an orientation, and we brainstormed all sorts of things, and that was really fun and interesting.   Kage-chan: We’d draw out our movements and choreography on a whiteboard like Worry-san wanted us to.  For me, all of that was really a first, so it was really fresh and original.

And from there were there many things that you ended up actually using in the show?

Kenta: For example, the new quick attack? Kage-chan: Also the falling toss.  And that was an idea from the actors.   Kenta: Actually, we probably use more ideas from the other actors.  We sort of use those as the baseline and then Worry-san comes in and improves and refines our ideas.  

When we talk about the performances, I want to ask about the show before last, “Winners and Losers,” where Engeki Haikyuu really aimed for perfection.  Based on that, what new things might we see in “Start of the Giant?”

Kenta: Honestly, we haven’t asked that at all yet.  Since Worry-san has been busy (laughs).   Kage-chan: According to what I’ve heard though, this show might actually exceed the amount of exercise from “Winners and Losers”… Kenta: Hm?  I’m not really gonna allow that, you know (laughs).   Kage-chan: How was that actually?  As soon as I saw that show, I really thought that that level of physicality was at the absolute limit of human ability… Kenta: Recently, I watched it when they aired it on TV, and it really is insane, that level of activity (laughs).  It was so intense, it actually felt like I was watching a documentary of someone else’s experiences, not my own.  

You sort of distance yourself from it, I see.  

Kenta: After that match with Aoba Johsai was over, I’d used up absolutely everything I had, so the tears just came naturally.  It’s hard to describe it, but it really was a bizarre feeling.  

And there will come a time when you exceed even that, maybe? Kenta: If we were to talk about Yin and Yang, I think “Winners and Losers” was definitely a darker production.*  For me, it was so tough, that I even thought, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore!’  Mentally and emotionally too, it was a considerably painful tour.  But even though this next show, “Start of the Giant,” is again set in a tournament, one of our opposing teams, Johzenji High, values having fun above all else, so I feel like the mood is going to be on the lighter side for this production.  Even if the level of physical exertion is difficult, the feeling behind it is more, ‘let’s have fun.’  Considering our series of shows, it’ll probably be a more intense version of “Karasuno, Revival!” in terms of atmosphere.  I want to make it a production that has a festival feeling to it.

In the matches against Johzenji High and Wakutani South, the main characters featured will be Sawamura Daichi and Ennoshita Chikara. First I want to ask about Tanaka Keita-san, who’s made a comeback to play Sawamura Daichi, having played him in the first production.  

Kenta: To be honest, I’m very happy to be able to be in another play together.  He does sort of feel like a dad, this person named Tanaka Keita.  He’s a person that smiles at everything and wraps you up.  To have someone like that come back to our company makes me very happy, and I have to thank Ken-chan too for creating a place where Keita-kun could come back.  For me personally, Sawamura is a character where Keita-kun and Ken-chan come together as one person.  So I’m gonna say it’s fate that Keita-kun came back to us.  

I have seen you on social media looking very happy as you’re being hugged by Tanaka-san.

Kenta: You know his chest measures 100 centimeters.  He feels like a pillow (laughs).   Kage-chan: And thanks to him, that’s my only image of Tanaka-san (laughs). Back during our “Summer of Evolution” tour, he did come to the dressing rooms, but all I did was greet him. Since then we haven’t really talked.** So without knowing what kind of person he is, literally the only image I have of him is his chest size (laughs). I just think he’s a guy you can rely on to be a pillow (laughs).  

And now please, tell me about Kawahara Kazuma-san, who plays Ennoshita Chikara.  

Kenta: This time Kazuma-kun gets to shine.  To read his name literally, he really is the “unsung hero”*** that’s been supporting us as part of the cast since the first show. At the beginning, since we didn’t have Kiyoko-san in the plays, we had to adapt the manga and transform it a bit for stage, so that Kazuma-kun took on everything that she did.  I really think he’s been doing all this with a lot of concerns that he never voices.  So the fact that Kazuma-kun can now finally be the pivot of the show, I’m as happy for him as I would be for myself.   Kage-chan: Kazuma-kun and I are both from Shizuoka Prefecture.  To me, he feels like warm and relaxing tea, and I think he and I share that aura (laughs).  Kazuma-kun is someone who helps pull you along step by step, and watches over everything.  Whenever I’d start to get tunnel vision unconsciously, he comes along nonchalantly with some advice like, “Wouldn’t it be better to try it this way?”  That’s Kazuma-kun.  Among us, it’s possible Kazuma-kun is the most talkative.  And when we dance, he’s always the one to count out the beat.   Kenta: He’s Karasuno’s dance leader.  By contrast, Keita-kun’s dancing sucks (laughs).  

This show, we have Johzenji High, whose main play style is “Have fun.”  And on the other side of that, there is the very impactful line, “There will be times when it’s not fun.”  How do you overcome those times when you have to just endure?  

Kenta: When times are tough, I think it’s better to go ahead and think it’s tough.  I’m that type.  Especially if we’re talking about Engeki, I think that then gets conveyed to the audience too.  Since my feelings in that moment are so straightforward, instead of forcing myself and saying, “I’m still ok,” I just think frankly to myself, “I can’t take it anymore,” and then I think everything I do belongs only to the moments in which they happen.  

Do you talk about it when you’re having a hard time?  

Kenta: No, I don’t say anything.  But it shows on my face (laughs).   Kage-chan: I’ve seen it show on his face pretty often.   Kenta: That’s because everyone is getting older.  We can’t move as well as we used to.  But the physical intensity just keeps going up (cries).   Kage-chan: I think I’m the type that wears his heart on his sleeve.  I can’t hide when I’m tired and frazzled.  That’s why, when I have the energy to enjoy something despite everything, it feels more like, “This is the actual me.”  At the very least, when it comes to acting, that’s why I feel like I can be more intense and concentrated.  

In the match against Wakutani South, we have the ‘Small Giant’ showdown between Hinata Shouyou and Nakashima Takeru.  

Kenta: I didn’t think the sub-title for this play would be “Start of the Giant.”  Of course, it does focus pretty heavily on the contest between Hinata and Nakashima, but we do also have the drama of Ennoshita’s story, and in the end, I think those together leave a single impression.  So in the end, the sub-title became “Start of the Giant,” and I feel now like it’s just that much more of a showdown.  At present, Nakashima is said to be the guy that’s closest to the “Small Giant.”  And so, I think Hinata has a lot of thoughts and feelings about that.  I don’t know yet how much we’ll feature on that until we get to rehearsals, but I do want to properly show off the contest between those two.   Kage-chan: For me, after “Summer of Evolution,” this is my second Engeki Haikyuu. To that end, I think I can say that the performance quality I want to have will certainly go up, and I want to be able to really show that off.  The new quick attack is another weapon Kageyama’s gained, and he’s leveled up one more step. For us as actors, we’re brushing up everything, our acting, our volleyball, our dancing, and I want to show our audience all of that effort.  

It’s been announced that with the autumn production, all the members of Karasuno will graduate.  So this will be the last year for both of you.  How do you want to finish things off?  

Kenta: Up until now, I’ve always just naturally thought about how to prepare for the next show, thinking, “Well in the manga after this, we’re anticipating this or that development, so it’s insert this hook into the next show, etc…” Now suddenly, I can’t think about ‘the next time’ and that does make me emotional.  But that’s why I can’t get gloomy about it.  Rather, now I just want to go all out and have the most fun I can until the very last moment.  I want to give it everything I have, sweat it all out.  That’s what I want to do to the very end.   Kage-chan: I haven’t actually thought about our graduation much yet, but I don’t mean that to sound negative.  No matter what, we’re all just going to power through with all we’ve got to do what we need to do.  We don’t stop at 100%, we go to 120%; that’s Engeki Haikyuu’s style, so I just want to run on ahead and look only straight ahead of me.  

 -----

Translation Notes

*In my experience, people always forget that Yin means ‘dark’ and Yang means ‘light.’  I thought about translating it as literally as Hinata said, that Winners and Losers was a Yin show, and that Start of the Giant would be a Yang show, but I wanted to avoid any possible confusion and misinterpretation.

**Although the article doesn’t state when the interview took place, it most likely took place before they started rehearsals, so it’s not like Kage-chan hasn’t spoken to Keita at all even as rehearsals have started.  

***Ennoshita’s name is spelled using the kanji: 縁下 (Ennoshita) 力 (Chikara). His name comes from the expression 縁の下の力持ち, which means a person who does a thankless job, or someone who works without expecting credit or thanks.  

------

Original Interview here: (x)

Translation by @nimbus-cloud If you love the work I do for this blog and the translations I provide, please consider donating a ko-fi~  (x)

[imaginetonyandbucky]

The Buy In

Chapter 10: Epilogue

by @dracusfyre

"I feel like you're going to try to sell me a time share," Bucky said, studying the bland conference room Tony had reserved. It looked like probably every other conference room Bucky had ever been, as if they were all ordered out of the same catalogue; beige walls, carpeted floor that had the feeling of being beige while actually having flecks of red and blue in it, and the tables and chairs with wheels on them so they could be moved easily. Tony had even pulled down a screen and to all appearances, was setting up for a powerpoint presentation. 

"It's all about presentation, Mr. Barnes," Tony said. He picked up a clicker and a red dot appeared on Bucky's chest, then started moving around in what Bucky eventually recognized as a heart shape. "Gotta know your audience and what they'll respond to. Too fancy, and they'll be scared off. Not fancy enough, and they'll feel like they're being scammed. A hotel conference room fits neatly inside that middle ground."

"You've put a lot of thought into this," Bucky said. He glanced at the clock, saw that they had a few minute before people were supposed to arrive and dipped his head for a quick kiss. 

"Well, yeah," Tony started, but then there was a knock on the door. Tony opened it to see that part of the security detail started bringing in the refreshments for the meeting, coffee and donuts and croissants and other breakfast-style food that people would probably pick at and leave mostly untouched. "Natasha helped," he continued, poking at the refreshments table and rearranging everything slightly. "She's better at that side of things, the headology, as she calls it."

"I can see that." Bucky watched Tony putter. Looked like Tony was nervous, which was kind of adorable. "So you can't even give me a sneak peak at what you're talking about today?"

Tony shook his head. "For right now, you're a potential investor, not my lover."

"Ok, ok," Bucky said. He realized he was following Tony around as he puttered aimlessly and made himself stop. "So I got to see KT today. Brought him his laptop so he could start catching up on homework."

That made Tony stop rearranging the plates and napkins and turn to Bucky with a smile. "Good! So that mean's he is doing well?" 

"Yep. Should be out of there soon. Any update on Rumlow?"

Tony's smile turned evil. "From what I hear, he's had a run of bad luck lately, such a shame. He lost his service pistol, which, you know, big no no. And did you know someone stole his patrol car, spray painted it, and left something unmentionable smeared on the seats?  Then did the same with his personal car, which was found laying upside down in front of his apartment building?"

With a force of effort Bucky kept his face blank. "Strange."

"Very strange," Tony agreed. "Insurance didn't even pay out, mysteriously enough. Apparently they had dropped his coverage the day before and he hadn't gotten the notice yet."

"Crime in this city is getting really out of hand," Bucky said seriously. "He's lucky it wasn't something worse."

"Oh it will be, give it time."

There was that smug look again that Bucky loved, and he started to sneak another kiss when there was another knock. This time the security guard was escorting people inside, a middle-aged Black couple that looked around cautiously, like they were expecting the conference room to contain something nefarious. Bucky straightened immediately, trying to look professional, and smiled at them as Tony welcomed them inside, calling them by name and offering them a warm handshake. There was a steady stream after that, until the conference room was about half full. 

"Hello everyone, let's get started," Tony said, taking a head count and looking at the clock. "All of you are here because you either were recommended by a friend or a family, or I sent you a personal invitation. Thank you for being willing to join me today for this presentation, and please save your questions for the end. As you all know, my name is Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, and in this presentation I'm going to ask you for money." Tony grinned as almost everyone laughed. "Then I'm going to tell you what you're going to get for your money, and then I'm going to explain how you're not even going to notice that your money is gone." 

As interested as Bucky was in the presentation, he kept getting distracted by watching Tony effortlessly charm the room, making eye contact with each person and joking just enough to keep people interested without derailing his speech. It was a warmer, more authentic show than what Bucky had seen at the Policeman's Ball and it made Bucky's heart turn over with affection as he watched. KT had been right when he said that the buy-in speech could make you a believer; not just in the astonishing amount of benefits that Tony offered to people who agreed to the buy-in, but because Tony's enthusiasm for the project was contagious. 

"So why do you need our money?" One guy interrupted. "If you've got so much of it?"

"Good question," Tony said. He leaned against one of the tables, putting his hands in his pocket and crossing his legs at the ankle. "Yeah, the majority of the start-up money came from me. Since this organization is technically a nonprofit, I get to write it all off of my taxes, the way rich people often do. But I ask for your money because if I paid for all of it, then it would belong to me, wouldn't it? The whole point of this enterprise is to build ownership and equity in the community. You own the health clinic and the child care centers, the retirement homes and the apartment complexes. Not only does it mean you get to decide what to do with them, but it means that you start having a place at the same table that all of the billionaire developers and well-connected real estate moguls do."

"But the stuff about the taxes and stuff, where we just hand it all to you, that's tax fraud, isn't it? Which is illegal?"

"Well, yes, in a way," Tony said honestly. "You avoid paying taxes the same way rich people avoid paying taxes, by finding loopholes in the tax code and driving semi-trucks through them. But also, I'm the criminal, not you. If we get caught, I'm the big bad con artist that scammed honest folks like you out of your hard earned savings. There will be a class action lawsuit after the criminal proceedings, my lawyer will fight hard but not too hard to defend my assets, then they will eventually get divided up among all my victims in the kind of feel-good, good guys win story that is made for Hallmark TV. In the mean time, my job is to help the community fund the type of social welfare projects that the government should be doing but isn't, by taking from people who don't deserve it and giving it to the people that do. Which the government should also be doing but isn't."  

"So this is like, socialism," a young woman said in accented English. "Instead of paying the government taxes, we give that money to you, and you like, do all this stuff with it."

"Pretty much. Grassroots socialism with a capitalist veneer. I like to think of it as stone soup, from the kid's story."

"But why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Tony said, like it was obvious. Bucky hid his smile in his hand and hoped he didn't look too besotted; he'd sat all the way in the back for a reason. "I don't know else to say it. Why should I have so much when others have so little? I give a lot it away, because there really are so many problems that can be solved by throwing money at them, but some can't. Some need systemic change, which means empowering people, which is what I'm trying to do. That's why it's a buy-in, and not a handout." There was still some obvious reluctance among the group, and Tony's smile turned a little sad. "Look, I get it. You are used to people promising a lot and not delivering. And you think this sounds way too good to be true, right?" No one really answered, but the way they kind of avoided Tony's eyes said a lot. "Let me tell you a story.

"So I've been donating regularly to the free clinic on 17th for a while now. A few years ago, there was a kid volunteering there because he wanted to go to medical school. But he was in a shit position - his parents made too much money to qualify for the grants and needs-based scholarships, but not enough to actually afford tuition or even qualify for good student loans. So the doctor in charge of the clinic emailed me and told me to do something useful with all of the blood money I was getting from Stark Industries, and so I did. I paid for his entire education, and he came back and is currently the head physician at the rehab clinic. So if you want there to be a catch, if you need there to be a catch so that you can believe what I'm telling you, then that's the catch - you have to try to give back at least as much as you were given."

There was a long, thoughtful silence after that, and Tony wisely let it sit for a while instead of trying to fill it with words. "You don't have to answer now," he said after a few moments. "The forms that you would need to fill out for the buy-in are right here," he added, tapping a stack of papers next to him. "Take one with you, and think about it. Any last questions?"

"Yeah, I got one," the young woman said. "I heard you stole Jeff Bezos' car, is that true?"

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

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, come find me over at @marveltrumpshate​ where I will be participating in auctioning off TWO fanfics! One auction is a fic with art (with @massivespacewren) as WrenFyre and the other is a solo fic as Dracusfyre. All the money goes to a good cause of your choosing, so I hope to see you there!

[rkjaemin]

part 2 : interview + extra skill extra skill: inspiration

in his mind, the hardest part is over. the heavy feeling spread across his chest has already disappeared when he stepped out of the room. there was a sense of accomplishment having performed something that showcased not only his self-taught rapping, but also how he performed a song he liked in his own style. he had only seen previous seasons in passing, the last one had led him to explore an aspect of himself he’d never thought he’d have the patience and time for. so much has happened over the course of the year, and he truly believed that his desire to perform and to share this with everyone wiling to listen had grown greatly.

jaemin had practiced this over and over last night, lied awake in bed, thinking of the typical questions they’d throw at him. at times like this, being overly prepared is the only way to be prepared. he’d rehearsed three, if not four, possible answers to every question he’d recalled he’s read from personal accounts online about the mgas. but as they were doing his make-up, he just couldn’t bring himself to concentrate, even the thought of having to rehearse what to say made him think he was boring – and that was the last thing he wanted to be, especially at auditions like this. he looks up at the staff doing his make-up and gave her a smile. “did you do your make-up today, noona?” he receives a proud and confident nod before she flashes him a smile back. “well, i guess i was worrying for nothing…” he lets out, sitting more comfortably this time, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. the faint giggle was enough to make him smirk a little, even with his eyes closed he could feel the smile staying on her lips.

as soon as he hears that he was done, he opens his eyes and leans forward, looking closely at his reflection. “wow, look at that…” he lets out, a little quiet, but loud enough for the older woman to hear. he was about to make more small talk when he was prepared for what they said would be a recorded interview. the questions were just as he had prepared for – typical ones that seemed too general, but also too suspicious to be thought of as just that. in his mind, there was this image that he wanted to portray, someone knowledgeable, one who knows anything and everything perhaps. but as soon as it started, all of it falls away. he was answering just like they were having a conversation, not like the kind he was having with his classmates or acquiantances, but talks he’d have with his closest friends, yerim, renjun, hwi, yujin, and of course, donghyuck.

“companies i’d like to be signed in?” he repeats the questions, humming as he chewed on his bottom lip. “royal, definitely, royal…” at that point, he was still hesitant to be straight forward about why it was royal. he liked their style, the image of their artists, although the management could do with some improvements when it came to promoting artists. But in all honesty, it was all because of han yejin. “kt would be good too.” and again, katie lee. he wasn’t sure if the mgas was the right avenue to reveal himself like this, he remembered having almost tackled a close friend before the unnamed older friend – johnny seo – saw the brave girls area in his room. but it’s not like this is going to get aired, for all he knew, he wouldn’t even make it past this audition process.

“so who would you say would be your musical influences?” he licks his lips and smiles at the question, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down, knowing that he’d be talking a lot more than necessary. “i’ve always been into classical music, and my… my mom loved music a lot, and i grew up listening to her favorites, stevie wonder, phil collins, elton john… and recently, i’ve also gotten into songwriting so i’ve been exposing myself to different artists, i’ve been listening to a lot of dean’s music, groovy room… even eminem, mostly rap and um… girl groups.” those last two words, his voice became quiet, almost as if he didn’t want to say it. but then he was being asked what it was that he had said and he lets out an soft laugh, looking down again, before finally straightening up, “girl groups. i listen to a lot of girl groups.”

and he knew having said that he was into girl groups would lead to the unthinkable. he was asked to showcase another ‘skill’, and he knew from the looks and the reaction he got when the words 'girl groups’ escaped his lips that he had to prove that he wasn’t just saying it for the sake of it. he had his mind set on playing the piano, he could do that with his eyes closed, even matching pitch was like a walk in the park. instead he was showing the staff in the room with him the playlist on his phone, all girl group songs from first to current generation. he tells them that he knows the title of any girl group song just by hearing one to two seconds of it, and of course, there were brows raised. the doubt was apparent as they were preparing to take his phone, but he pockets it instead and tells them, “you can do a random search online and play it.” he sees the interest growing in their eyes, mixed with doubt, confusion, and fascination as they do as he suggested.

when they play the first song, he shakes his head and smiles, “you’re going easy on me, that’s brave girl’s goodbye baby.” they play one song right after another and jaemin gets them all correctly, until they reached their seventh one. “that’s not a girl group song…” he tells them suddenly, but they kept insisting that it was. still jaemin kept his ground, smirking and shaking his head, not a girl group song, “that’s 'i’ by chi chi’s nara, she promoted that as a solo artist, so technically not a girl group song… but that song is 'i’.” the confusion melted into impressed smiles, nods, and fascinated looks as he bowed and made his way out of the room.

the smile on his lips soon fades and he could feel his cheeks grow hot, he had practically told complete strangers about his best kept secret. there hasn’t been any reason to laugh at himself for years, he had been so proud of being so on top of everything, every single planned and followed through. today, he deviated, and for the first time in years, he found a reason to laugh at himself.