#and I didn’t like the comp flipped

[sorisketches]

[mikeystrawberry]

Today is Dungeons & Daddies’s 5th Anniversary!

I haven’t been listening for nearly that long but the podcast and all its characters means a lot to me. Happy Anniversary!!!

Throwing the cropped sections under the cut because there’s a lot of stuff going on and I know Tumblr likes to throw half the pixel quality out the window. And also so I can ramble a bit about this piece!!!

This piece has been months in the making, possibly an entire year. And by that I mean I’ve had a sketch of the comp scribbled on my whiteboard for ages because I wanted to save this specifically for 5th anni art. Now onto design stuff!

(First off a random thought: I really love how the garlic knot came out, I kind of want it as an enamel pin.)

I knew I wanted to make this a stained glass piece since the beginning, but I was also going to add flowers at one point but quickly dropped the idea. It felt like too much and I also didn’t want to fuss over flower language assignments for everyone. I was also going to add Doodler tentacles, but also dropped that idea pretty early. Kind of on accident, right at the end, I figured out how to make it even more stained glass-like but taking a duplicated lineart underneath the regular layer and turning the brightness all the way down, then setting it to overlay and adding a guassian blur. It’s very subtle but it adds that tiny bit of depth that makes it look more real. As for shading on the lineart/gold, I tried adding more highlight on the characters who died but once I evened everything out it wasn’t as noticeable anymore so I’m throwing that thought here so the attempt at least known lol.

The order of characters only changed a little bit from my original comp, I flipped the Wilsons and the Oaks so the rainbow could work. As for the anchors, specifically in season 2, I lined them up to the teens since the season 1 anchors lined up with each dad:

Tony —> Scary: his death was the beginning of Scary’s betrayal arc and also Willy killed him.

Guitar Pick —> Taylor: it’s not really aligned with Taylor at all, but the anchor was with Glenn so I put it next to his blunt.

Scroll —> Normal: was only because it was the last left to give him, but there’s the whole scene of him and Hermie in the Green Room so it still works!

Garlic Knot —> Link: one of two that he broke, but the more significant of the two with him telling Grant he never wants to see him again.

Small notes on the season 1 anchors: I put the layer of mold in the overnight oats but you can’t really tell with the overlay. And to make the supper bowl more interesting I added the fantasy sodas mix they dumped into it. The lure of actually drawn before so I just traced my own art lol.

As for the other smaller triangles, it took me a bit to figure out what I wanted to put there. I didn’t even think of adding the vehicles until two days ago but I’m so glad I did. I don’t really have my own take on the mascot version of the Doodler (yet?) so I borrowed the design from one of the stickers in their merch shop. Teeny was terrifying as just a front facing head so I made him cute again.

In the outer circles, I put what I felt was the most significant quotes for each family. I really wanted to use “It’s okay to be angry, it’s not okay to be cruel” but it was just a little too long.

That’s all I can think of! If you read all the way through, thank you for indulging me in my excitement to gush over this piece.

[imbored1201]

Barca fem x reader

Beach day with everyone? Ideas: Mapi throws reader into reader, Lucy teaches reader how to play volleyball, volleyball comp between everyone?, alexia scolding reader for not applying more sunscreen, alexia being very mum basically, reader plays chicken, just beachy stuff! Not pressure I’m sure your busy writing just thought I’d suggest something

Beach Shenanigans

Barcelona Femeni x Teen Reader

Word Count: 1,330

 

You didn't want to be here, you would rather be using your day off to play video games, but you got dragged over here to the beach on a sunny day for team bonding.

You heavily despised Mapi right now since it was her idea in the first place, and she knew you didn't like her right now either. Considering the way she was grinning at you.

You glared at her the whole time, even when Alexia was putting sunscreen all over your face.

"Don't start with the attitude, Carino; have fun." Alexia tried, but you simply huffed and stormed far away from the team to make a sand castle. 

Before you could start and open your little sandcastle toy set Lucy bought you, it was snatched away. "Hey!" You looked up and rolled your eyes, Lucy. 

"Ona thinks she could beat me at volleyball, so we're playing a game, and I need five people." "I don't know how to play."

"Kid, I don't care, all you do is hit the ball and make sure it doesn't hit the ground. Now hurry up so I can get Ingrid and Fridolina. We need the tall girls; you go get Irene." You nodded as she ran into the water to where Frido and Ingrid were.

"Shit," you cursed when you saw Ona already talking to Irene. Lucy would kill you if you came back without her. Quickly thinking, you grabbed a rock and set it down in front of you, then sat down. 

"Ow!" You yelled, and Irene, of course, having that mom instinct, quickly turned to your direction. "Irene!" You yelled for her, and she was quick to run to you. "What happened?" She asked as she kneeled beside you. 

"I stubbed my toe because of this dumb rock," you pouted, and she patted your back. "You’re being dramatic again, aren't you?" She was already used to this; you did the exact same thing towards the end of training to get out of running. 

You nodded. "Lucy told me to ask you to be on our team for volleyball." Irene nodded as she helped you up and led you to where Lucy was with Frido and Ingrid, who were drying up now. 

You smirked as you turned around to where Ona was standing in disbelief and flipped her off. 

—————

The teams were settled; it was you, Lucy, Irene, Fridolina, and Ingrid against Ona, Salma, Patri, Cata, and Pina. 

“Look, do what I’m doing,” you copied Lucy’s hands, “or you can spike it.” You tried to look like you understood what she was saying, but you didn’t. 

You didn't even hit the ball once. Mostly because, when you tried, Lucy would push you out of the way to get it. 

You guys did win, though. "Losers," you told Pina and Patri. "You didn't even do anything," Patri pointed out. "I still won though, and you two are still losers," you shrieked as they tried grabbing you and ran off. 

You went back to your old spot and went back to building sand castles, but of course, you couldn't get at least 10 minutes of peace. 

Mapi came running up to you and decided to tackle you. "Ew, Mapi, get off. Your all wet," she got off you and stood up. 

"Come on, let's go swimming." She jumped up and down like a child. You shook your head and threw the toy shovel straight at her face. 

"That's it!" you shrieked as she forced you up and threw you over her shoulder. "Mapi! No!" You yelled as she full-on sprinted to the water. "Yes!" She yelled back as she threw you into the water.

Ingrid quickly grabbed you to help you stand. "Mapi! You could have hurt her," she said as she patted your back. "She's fine." Mapi patted you on the head. "I didn't want to wet my hair," you whined.

"We're at the beach, Carino; have some fun, this is one of those rare moments where Alexia lets you leave her side," she had a point. 

"Only for a couple of minutes," Mapi nodded and grabbed you and suplexed you, getting another scolding from Ingrid. 

You were done after one last push from Mapi, you rushed out of the water. Mumbling curse words under your breath. 

"Bebe!" Alexia yelled for you. You put your innocent smile back on and walked over to her. She threw a towel at you and motioned for you to sit by her. 

When you saw the sunscreen, you tried leaving again, but she grabbed your arm. "You're going to get burned if you don't put more on, and I don't want you crying the whole day over being sunburnt," she ranted, applying sunscreen to your face. 

"Now go and behave," you nodded and pouted as you saw Patri and Pina over where your sandcastle was still in the process of being built, playing with the volleyball around it. 

"Hey!" You yelled as you ran over there to push them away. "Let's play monkey in the middle," Pina said. "No," you told them sternly, sitting down to build your sand castle. 

"Yes," Patri forced you to stand up. "Patri no," you whined, "yes, get it." She threw the ball to Pina, as you ran to get Pina, she threw it back to Patri. 

That made you mad; now you were determined to get that dumb ball and throw it far into the ocean. You tackled Patri, who laughed, and threw it to Pina. 

After six more dumb attempts at trying to get the ball, you gave up. "This isn't fair," you pointed out. "Don't be a sore loser," Patri teased.

"Let me build my sandcastle; I want to make a kingdom." They shook their heads and decided to start doing some keep-ups. Near your castle.

Again. Not even 10 minutes later. 

"Kid! Get over here!" You heard Fridolina yell at you. You groaned as Pina lost control of the volleyball, and it landed straight into your sandcastle. 

"Sorry!" She quickly said, and hid behind Patri. You grabbed the ball and threw it at Alexia, who was sun bathing now near the three of you.

Alexia sat up quickly and looked for the person who threw the ball. You quickly pointed to Pina and even pointed to your poor sandcastle. "Claudia! Ven aqui!" Alexia yelled, and you quickly stood up and ran to Fridolina.

"Yes," you told her, still standing far away from the water. "Get on my shoulders; we're going to show Mapi and Ingrid that just because they're a couple doesn't mean that they'll win every game together," Fridolina said, determined as she motioned for you to go closer to her. 

"But Mapi is way stronger than me," you said as Mapi was already climbing Ingrid's shoulders. "And you're a better cheater; come on, put that cheating mentality to the test." You nodded as you got into the water and onto Fridolina's shoulders.

You giggled as you shoved Ingrid's shoulder with your foot. "Hey!" She yelled as she stumbled back a bit. Mapi lost her balance and fell into the water. 

You and Frido cheered, and she jumped around with you. Mapi stood up and pushed you off. "Hey! Sore loser. Ingrid, control your girlfriend," you told the taller girl, spitting to get that disgusting salt water taste out of your mouth. 

"Rematch cheater," Mapi poked your stomach, and you shook your head. "I won fair and square; I get bragging rights; now I'm tired; goodbye," you told her, and rushed out of the water. 

Alexia gave you an amused look as you laid down on the towel next to her. "Mapi is a sore loser," you told her. "Maybe you're just a cheater," she said back. 

"I won fair and square." "Yeah, sure, pack up; we’re leaving.” You cheered and jumped up to pack everything up. 

For the next 4 months, Mapi and Ingrid did not hear the end of your little victory. 

[thewingedwolf]

tags from @pinkhysteria

Idc what anyone says, getting rid of Hisam was the beginning of the end. It was way too early to turn on one of their own and it started a Butterfly effect of Cameron steam rolling and keeping all the handful intact.

[jelliezellie]

Kiss the Cook - Levi Ackerman x Reader

The sun peeked through the curtains. Levi stirred in his sleep, holding you tighter. Something about how he was hugging you and muttering little comp[laints in his sleep made him seem so much more human. 

In a world of inhumanity, it was nice to know that the person you go to sleep with and wake up with is human. His brows, for once, weren’t furrowed and his eyes weren’t dark with worry or disappointment. Instead, his expressions as that of complete peace. His lips, not thick, nor thin, were slightly parted. 

His eyes slowly fluttered open as he took in his surroundings. The amount of light in the room surprised him at first and he hid his face in your chest, groaning. His arms ventured up into your hair and he tucked your hair behind your ear. “Morning,” he mumbled, his eyes finally getting used to the light. He stared up at you with a sleepy expression. He had the ghost of a smile on his face. “How come you look so angelic in the morning?”

“How come you look so cute when you’re sleeping?” You replied with a question. 

“Since when did you watch me when I sleep?” He teased, pressing a kiss against your neck. 

You chuckled. “Since you slept in.” 

He held himself above you by placing his hands next to your shoulders. He trailed kisses up to your jawline, then finally, your lips. “You’re so stunning,” he whispered. You kissed him back. 

Levi always seemed to get affectionate in the mornings. It was his form of meditation, almost. Showing that there was still love in him—feeling the love he still had to give—was comforting to him. And in your shared bed, which was warm (a blessing from the cold winter wind), he’d always wake up the same; with you by his side. 

You ran your hands through his hair. “Levi,” you whispered, “you’re so pretty.” His cheeks were tinted pink and, on instinct, he nearly looked away to hide his expression. But he stopped himself. His eyes remained on your charming face as he smiled. 

“Are you hungry?” He asked suddenly. 

You guffawed. “I am. Do you want to make breakfast?”

He nodded. “I’ll make breakfast. You can stay in bed.”

You tilted your head. “Why’s that?”

“You trained way too hard yesterday, love.” He climbed out of bed and left the room. Your bed felt cold without him. It felt like you were missing your blanket. Like you were missing your pillow, your mattress, or every part of the bed that made it your bed. 

You sighed and stood up. Levi was right; your thighs were still taut and strained and for a moment, you thought your legs would collapse beneath you. You stretched and your back popped several times. Your triceps and biceps and whatever other ‘ceps’ you had in your body were all in pain. 

Nonetheless, you were hungry and you missed your boyfriend, so you left your room and struggled to walk a few steps to get to your kitchen. Levi was brewing tea and you grinned mischievously. He was turned around.

You snuck up behind him and as soon as you got a few feet away…

“Do you want honey?”

You frowned. “What? How’d you know I was coming? I was completely silent!”

“Oh, were you trying to scare me?” He asked with a groggy smile on his face. “The only thing scary here is your cooking, hence, why breakfast is cooking safely under my supervision.” He flipped a pancake. “So, do you want honey?”

You crossed your arms. “No.”

“Brat,” he mumbled, throwing a glance at you over his shoulder. Levi finished cooking them and placed a few pancakes on a plate for you. He carried it over to you but didn’t give it to you. You reached for it, but he moved it out of your reach with a teasing smile. “Ever heard of the phrase ‘kiss the cook?’”

“God, did Hange teach you that one?” You mumbled.

“Doesn’t matter. It still applies.” He grabbed your chin softly and pressed his lips on yours. You closed your eyes and kissed back. Satisfied, he set your plate down in front of you. “Still so obedient,” he teased, “cute.”

[dnfao3tags]

Monthly Fic Roundup - November 2023

i will make separate posts for dnf week fics so look forward to that. here are the regular fics posted this month :]

please take a couple seconds to leave some love !

— noughts & crosses by sageafk (expl. | comp. | 12k)

It's just instincts, but with everyone assuming Dream is an alpha and his sister sharing the news of her new litter of pups, George feels a little short. He needs to be fucked and bred and knotted, and his omega boyfriend will do everything he can to make him feel better.

— There's Hope Out The Window by Scoops (consciousness_streaming) (expl. | comp. | 14k)

Dream and George make a late night run for snacks and end up involved in a gas station robbery that makes them question everything they thought they knew.

— just his luck by dreamskis (expl. | comp. | 11k)

There is no way Dream just walked in on George getting off, evidence still pulled up on the screen in full high definition glory, and instead of doing the normal person thing and leaving to avoid any awkward conversations, he just… Plops himself down. Right on the other end of the couch, just a few feet away from where George is clutching the pillow to his lap for dear life, flames burning in his cheeks. As if this is any other normal interaction for the two of them. Like he walked in on George watching a new episode of Better Call Saul and not Brunet Twink is a Cock-Hungry Slut: Part II.

— you're not a friend again by cqfnce (mat. | comp. | 7k)

Dream blinks at him, big eyes wide. “George… That’s not how- Kissing does not work like that.” “So you’re good at kissing then?” George teases. Dream grins. “The best, actually.” “Prove it,” George replies, the words on the edge of his tongue since the conversation had started.

— tried and true blue by twostorms (expl. | comp. | 13k)

Sapnap decides to move out. George isn't sure what that means for him and Dream.

— just go home by hardtofindneuro (expl. | comp. | 14k)

Dream's busy and always expects George to change around the plans for him but George is tired of it. When George refuses to budge on his birthday plans, Dream tells him the one thing that makes him regret even coming to America in the first place.

— Can You Hear Me? by VicIsWriting (expl. | comp. | 12k)

He's pictured it a million different ways, maybe Dream meets him in the airport and they run into each other's arms while all the busy noise of Orlando International Airport melts away– and all they can hear is I love you radiating through their souls. It didn’t happen like that, obviously. Instead it was a driveway and sweltering heat, with Sapnap watching on. It was Dream walking out looking like a damn god with the sun glowing behind him, it’s an awkward hug and an unfamiliar smell.

— teach you how forever feels like by jack_not_found (mat. | comp. | 27k)

a spontaneous match on a dating app leads to the best thing that's ever happened to george: dream, and his son.

— goddamn blaze in the dark (you started it) by brokenlikeastitch (teen | comp. | 25k)

This is it, the culmination of seven years of friendship and a little over three years of…something else. George’s lips part, expectant, and just as he’s about to push forward and join them entirely, the kitchen light flips on. It’s abrupt the way the bubble around them pops, and Dream flinches back, startled at the interruption. George immediately feels colder, and his stomach sinks. So fucking close.

— time’s uncertain wing by snowdreamr (teen | comp. | 14k)

On loneliness and distance, but above all else, on the agony of being known—inside, out, and all around.

— if i got one thing right by nervouswaltz (teen | comp. | 4k)

George wants to adopt a cat. Dream realizes, with time, that he wants more.

— it's your birthday (make a wish) by newsouls (expl. | comp. | 1k)

In the shower before George's stream, he gets his first birthday gift of the day.

remember, you can always send your own favourites of the month for me to include!

[s0fter-sin]

i’ve been watching yannis marshall choreography for like 15 minutes and i’m back thinking about my dancer au

gaz suggests a pole dancing segment for the music video for price and ghost shuts it down hard, saying he doesn’t do pole. gaz calls him selfish, that he’s just saying no to spite him but ghost holds firm; not even listening to soap as he tries to reason with him and reach a compromise

soap gets to practice early like he always does, just to see ghost blasting another life by motionless in white and doing a flawless pole routine. he’s as mesmerised by him as he always is, such beautiful movements contrasted by the seemingly harsh music, and waits for him to break before teasing, “i thought you said you couldn’t do pole dancin’.”

ghost just wipes the sweat off his face with a towel. he knew he was there

he always knows when soap’s there

“i said i didn’t do pole; not that i couldn’t.”

“what’s stoppin’ you?” soap asks, genuine and innocently curious and it’s the only reason ghost doesn’t completely shut him down

“what ‘bout you?” he asks instead. “ever done pole?”

he shrugs and sets his bag down. “enough to get in a twirl or two. ‘sides, gaz’s better suited to that kinda delicate work.”

“now, that i know is bullshit,” ghost scoffs and soap tenses, expecting him to go off on another rant about his best mate (just like he waits through gaz going off on ghost) but- “i’ve seen your competition tapes; you’re plenty strong enough to work a pole.”

soap stares at him. “how have you-?”

“price,” he answers simply, throwing the towel on top of his gear and all but stalks towards him. “i like knowin’ who i’m working with; he sent me your breakdancin’ comps. if you can hold a three-fingered hollowback handstand, you can bend on a pole.”

soap sputters as ghost grips his tank top and yanks him over to the pole, setting his hands in place on the body-warmed metal; bracketing his body with his own. he guides his body through the motions; teaches him how to fall and catch himself in a spin, how to gracefully climb and hold his body in midair

soap laughs as he throws himself into a spin just to bend his legs over his head, twisting his body to latch onto the pole with knee and lean perfectly horizontal with his other leg splayed out; his arm thrown above his head

he tips his head back to catch ghost’s grin and almost drops himself as he jumps up to join him; artfully climbing above him and holding his whole weight on his hip as he flips down to look at him

soap’s breath catches at the scant distance between their faces; so close he can count the near invisible freckles on ghosts skin, his fair lashes and the deep flecks of gold in his dark eyes

ghost is just as entranced; his grin slowly fading as he looks into the light sparkling in soap’s eyes. he tips his head towards the mirrors lining the studio and they slowly turn to look at themselves; fitting perfectly together

“see?” he whispers. “we don’t look all that outta place, do we?”

“no,” soap whispers back. “we don’t.”

[paras-atashnak]

i promise i’m not saying this because i don’t like him or want him to be proven wrong or anything, but i fully believe cory would still be in the house right now too at final 5 if he didn’t flip the vote on izzy. it’s really such a shame because between cory/izzy/cirie those three would’ve been able to control the second half of the game with their social agency and the power struggle wouldn’t have been centered around comps at all but who is getting numbers behind them. i don’t blame him for picking america over his game because he’s human, but i do blame him for handing the season over to the comp beasts and ruining what could’ve been a really complex, fluid, and dynamic end game.

[cloudbattrolls]

Dead Silent

This drabble is preceded by Digging Deeper and directly followed by Abrasion.

Death can come in such strange ways. I am not one to dwell on it, but I will admit; the method here surprised even me.

--

Naturally, Ullane asks Yarrex to help investigate these leads. He checks on the graffiti, which seems to be nothing out of the ordinary - the word ‘Q-Bag’ is included, to Ullane’s dryly amused snort. She can guess where that one came from. 

He finds out that the last person to use the unlocked door was one Giorni Valtop - one of the medical staff - on his smoke break, but that the clinic’s camera footage shows no signs of a trespasser coming through it. 

Ullane muses that perhaps they could figure out if someone using cloaking tech or the like came through it, to which Yarrex responds he’s not psychic, though that would be pretty cool. He remarks that they’re not sure who threw the phone away, but he could have chrono-reactive lenses installed last night to zoom in on the trash can and find out (Ulalne rolls her eyes at that).

He hands the phone to her, having already gone dumpster diving for it in preparation, and remarks that it’s an old-style one, the kind you flip open, imagine. Also, the memory and battery cards have been removed.

Ullane mentions that such a person could still be tracked by visible breath or movement in the air, or yes, with a psychic; it’s too bad Zanzul is away now. Yarrex responds that he’s aware, but their cameras’ resolution isn’t top of the line and they’re in static positions. 

She also comments that the phone’s state isn’t strange at all; clearly it was used to communicate something the caller didn’t want any record of, and it means Halvir may not be the murderer at all, it could be someone else entirely. 

Yarrex points out that it would’ve made more sense to throw the phone away outside the clinic, and Ullane agrees. If they didn’t do that, perhaps they couldn’t, they had to get rid of it immediately for some reason…

…or, she says, struck by a sudden thought, it wasn’t a burner phone at all. It was used in some other incriminating way.

Yarrex shrugs and says he hasn’t the foggiest what it was used for if not making villainous calls.

Ullane rolls her eyes and says that their…opposition…is not ‘villainous’. At least, no more than she used to be. She isn’t an expert on technology, but she could ask Xrumon.

The brownblood warns her that if she stays too vague she’s liable to put on a tinfoil hat. He has some made, just in case. 

She retorts that she looks stupid when she wears any hat, and that she’s intentionally being careful.

Her head of security thoughtfully remarks that the walls have sponge clots…and they ooze green slime, but only on Tuesdays.

Ullane pushes him a little. Stop it with the Spongebob, she says, she hears it enough from Thrixe.

Yarrex collapses in agony, wailing for workman’s comp.

She prods him with a toe. Save it for the theater, Fissaa. Get up.

He takes out a copy of the movie “Up” from his sylladex and hands it to her. She baps him in the face with it and then puts it away in her own, silently wondering how he keeps pulling out oddly fitting objects to match what she says.

Once Ullane goes to Xrumon, he looks at the phone and says it’s a phone. Has she considered giving him a battery to turn it back on with or should he power it with one made out of spite?

Ullane placidly replies that it seems like something he could do, but she leaves and returns with a slightly odd looking battery for him to use.

Xrumon boots up the phone and notes that someone wiped the internal memory on top of tossing the external card, asking her what she thinks it was used for. 

Ullane tells him that she thinks it was used to hack the nanotech, which she knows sounds ridiculous, but she isn’t ruling anything out.

He replies that that’s easy to prove; just bring him a nanobot and a piece of bread.

Ullane frowns, finding it hard to believe it’s that simple, then retrieves the needed things quickly. She explains that usually, Friday simply controls the nanotech with her psi, since they’re technically part of her; made from her own cells’ extremely effective DNA repair that she has so her body can cope with her radioactivity manipulation ability.

But when other clinic staff use them, of course they have manual commands via a remote, or a pre-made code, like a normal robot. It’s dangerous to alter their instructions too much once they’re inside a body, though, she adds.

She hadn’t even thought they could be hacked, she muses. Or maybe the batch itself was interfered with during creation, but that seems less likely.

Xrumon, asks if there’s a specific radio frequency the nanites listen to, and Ullane confirms there is; that’s Friday’s power, after all. Electromagnetic manipulation.

The tealblood goes into the phone’s ringtone and connects it to his laptop, nothing that funnily enough their past work on Reality’s Song is helpful here. 

At first, his work produces only a tuneless noise that becomes inaudible when he puts it on the correct frequency. Then he holds it up to the piece of bread and presses play.

There is no sound.

Yet as both trolls watch, the piece of bread tears itself to pieces, spurred on by the noiseless song.

--

Such trouble gone to, simply to kill one man. Trolls die of less and for less all the time.

But one death, well placed and timed, can change everything.

[nothing-lasts-forever27]

Tagged By:

THE homie @ssoheartbreak :D (I miss you!!! ♡)

Favorite Ship Ever:

It’s been so long since I’ve been in a fandom for a work of fiction that I don’t think I have any ships anymore?? I know I definitely had some, probably a lot, but I can’t really remember most of them? Like I know I used to ship Retsuko and Haida from Aggretsuko, but I haven’t watched it since season 3 in 2020 so I don’t know if I still ship them or not bc I’m missing canon info lmao

Last Song:

Through actually listening on my own: either Work Harder - Widdly 2 Diddly & Marina Hova or Blowout - Noisemaker (both are part of the LISA OST) but the actual most recent song I listened to was a Pepper Steak remix by All Levels At Once on one of Wayne’s streams (originally by Alias Conrad Coldwood if the internet is answering my questions correctly lol also part of the OFF! OST)

Last Movie:

The last movie I *willingly* watched was The Ballad of Buster Scruggs back in early December, although I was forced to watch Christmas movies after that happened so (not counting them though bc I didn’t pay attention to them and don’t remember what they were lol)

Currently Reading:

Do tumblr posts count? Bc that’s about it haha

Currently Watching:

Lots and lots of VODs/YouTube comps of streamers I enjoy! Mostly been watching WayneRadioTV, Socpens, and Jerma985! (Current fave VODs: Wayne’s Pizza Tower stream, ANY of Scorpy’s Sims streams (Sims 2 DS/GBA are v good), and Jerma’s Wobbledogs stream)

Currently Consuming:

At this exact moment I am drinking an Ultra Sunrise Monster Energy, and I’m probably gonna eat a key lime pie flavored Chobani Flip later :) my go-to foods/drinks lately though have been Monster (Ultra Sunrise/Ultra Paradise/Pipeline Punch/Pacific Punch are my faves ^_^), Polar Seltzer (cranberry lime sweep!), Dr. Pepper, and Chex Mix (bold uwu)

Currently Craving:

A top tier nap, absolutely 10/10, fully rested and relaxed, no stiffness, pain, or agitation upon waking up, just completely rejuvenated and recovered ;w;

Tagging:

Literally anybody who sees this and wants to do it, as well as @wavecrester7 lol

(Mutuals I am compelling you to do this >:3€)

[carmodance]

I find it interesting that your reasoning for NYCDA not releasing their schedule is due to the fact that they want to keep it from “fans”. It’s giving delusion. I also think that if that is the case and a convention is releasing their schedule that they promised to release 3 days prior in just shy of 24 hours before the event simply to avoid fans… then they should rethink their policies. The parents and students should all have the necessary info with ample time. They dropped the ball.

That’s not at all what I said.

First I said the studios DO have the schedules. Most comps I can think of do get an emailed out version of the schedule earlier than it’s on the website (at least they get their studio’s schedule)

Second, the people wanting it up on the website are the fans, not registered clients. As clients would already have it. And they aren’t purposely not putting it up to keep it from fans. They just aren’t catering to their needs and wants. It could just be an oversight like someone didn’t flip the switch to release it. But no one ever writes in about schedules not being released on time unless a studio like p21 is going and it happens across the board

[wonkyreads]

Evergreen by Devil Greenlee

2.5 magical blooms out of 5

Evergreen is only in the loosest sense a reimagining of The Secret Garden, which was the main point of interest for me personally going into it, but at this point I take most comps with a grain of salt anyway. (This book is also a lesson in not judging based solely off of covers because for some reason I went into this thinking it was sapphic??)

Honestly, though, Evergreen is an urban fantasy coming of age story that leans heavily into a romance between Quill, the first male druid and a bit of a Rapunzel character, and Liam, the boy next door. Quill is tasked with taking care of his family’s magical garden while he struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s 17 and hasn’t shown any magical capabilities of his own.

Quill is stubborn and selfish, sarcastic and incredibly bitter, yet so fully naive at times. I tend to really enjoy unlikable narrators and he definitely fits the bill, though I can’t tell if it was intentional or not. For most of the book the fact that Quill was just a teenager who made stupid or silly decisions felt like a nice change, but there’s a point where you expect the main character to grow. With Quill that switch comes late and sudden when I’d have thoroughly enjoyed a slow build. Outside of that he was sometimes very inconsistent with his narration in a way that doesn’t feel intentional. Something about him stumbling his way through the human world was just so fun to read, though what he knew and didn’t know felt like this part of his character could have benefited from being a little more thought out.

There were also times when the information he was conveying was inconsistent as well. He’d wax poetic about how he knew every inch of the garden in one chapter, then the next introduce a room he’s never been allowed inside of, then the next reveal that he hardly ever strayed past the front of the garden actually, and a few chapters later complain that he’d walked every inch of it a hundred times over the years. That inconsistency existed in other areas of the writing too, creating plot holes and convenient excuses that were difficult to ignore. I found myself fact checking (tap water does have chlorine in it more often than not and like 90% of gummy worms aren’t vegan) and constantly flipping back and forth to make sure that I wasn’t actually crazy and that there were direct contradictions happening.

That said, getting to read a story based around a family of dryads was interesting and the fantasy elements built into the world were very soft and generally fun and easy to understand. I think the soft world building was the most developed part of the story and allowed for moments that genuinely shone in my opinion. It stayed consistent in ways the other parts of the writing just didn’t.

Honestly, this book just needed another round or two of edits and some more in-depth development. The idea is solid and there are parts that made me want to like the whole book far more than I did. For instance, the ‘big bad’ and the last quarter of the book? Imagining someone just walking into town and finding that situation? Fantastic creeping horror idea. It’s going to haunt me, genuinely. (I’m trying to avoid spoilers so bad, guys.)

There are scenes that shine and the bones to a really great story, but in the end there just wasn’t enough development. I think Greenlee could do some really cool things in the future, this debut was just a little too rushed. It would have benefited from some more eyes on it and another draft, but he’s an author I’ll be keeping an eye on for sure.

[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.]

[mass-convergence]

…. Honestly I had never thought of this before this morning but …

When I was a kid I’d definitely rip through books like no one’s business. Even when watching TV became a thing in my life like … I’d read books. Why? Because back in ye olden days, we didn’t have easy access to bingeable shows. Shit came out piecemeal, episode by episode and the whole concept of just releasing a season in one go was unheard of. So when the show I was hyper fixated on ended I would be like “AAAAAA CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE” then flipped through a bunch of other channels and realized everything else was boring and then either grabbed a book and went outside to build forts in the woods.

Obviously if a series has been out for a while you could find it online through legal or slightly less legal methods and watch it in one go. Which I definitely did. But I was young and poor and didn’t want to risk getting like malware on my computer.

And I could be misremembering things but really I feel like the tipping point was when I got to college and I suddenly had unfettered access to my iPhone. In high school, I had an iPhone for my senior year but it was high school and I was a goody two shoes and scared of consequences. Use of phones was not allowed during school hours and the vice principle put the fear of god in me so I never used it. (Still pissed that she reamed me out for doing my stats homework in comp sci when I had already finished my assignment in that class and the teacher had kinda tacitly told me it was cool for me to work on other shit while people were finishing up)

But college? Hoooo boy.

Especially since iPhones were starting to get these fun things called apps

Specifically gaming apps. Like Clash of Clans.

Anyway I think that was the main turning point from me pivoting from reading a fuck ton of books to just being glued to my screen. I found a new way to hit up that dopamine dispenser.

So no… the iPhone nor TV made me ADHD. I was already ADHD since childhood when I didn’t even get access to a PC let alone a phone until like middle school. If y’all want to know how bad it got - the reason I never did my homework? The reason I procrastinated on doing an important project?

It was because I had my nose in a book.

My mom literally took my books away from me because I was reading them instead of doing my homework assignments. I distinctly remember a time in middle school when I was reading Order of the Phoenix (yeah I know but we didn’t know what we knew now about her) instead of doing work on my National History Day project and my mom like stormed into my room and yelled at me for it.

Like … phones were not the problem here. Screens were not the problem here. My brain chemistry was definitely the issue.

[saturdaysoundtrack]

Author Deborah (Marbury) McDaniel Year 2022 in Review

January

I have had a great year. I started the year continuing my year as a high school English teacher at Cleveland Central Catholic High School. Kel Shabazz, my colleague, and I were in the midst of planning for a Black History Month celebration. It was the first at CCC, and my first since 2017, I believe. After leaving Warrensville Heights High School in June 2015 to embark on a career in real estate and to work on my writing career, my finances had suffered greatly. However, I had recently completed the purchase of the properties that I owned with my sister in October 2021, and I was in the midst of my second  year at CCC.  I felt like things were going well, especially  since I’d been given the opportunity to plan the Black History Celebration.

February

On Friday, February 25, 2022, Kel and I launched the Black History Celebration, it was themed African American Poets. We paid tribute to Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, and Common. We had a guest spoken-word poet, Tru Poetry, come to speak to the students and present a spoken-word poem. The students performed poetry, and the choir sang a few songs. We had a soul food luncheon catered by Frederick’s. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

March

Things were starting to get a little sticky for me at CCC. The teachers I worked with didn’t seem to like me, and I had lost favor with the principal. The worst part about it was I didn’t really know why. I believe it was racially-motivated, but, of course, nothing I could  prove. In the meantime, at home, I worked on preparing to sell a property I owned in Bedford Heights. I was hoping to sell it for about $65,000–a 2-bedroom townhouse condo.

April

Now, this was the month that things got bad. The principal at CCC, informed me that she would not be renewing my contract for the 2022-23 academic year. I was heart-broken. I had hoped to finish my career at CCC. However, a voice came to encourage me, and the Holy Spirit whispered, “Deborah, you know if God allowed this door to close, then He will open up another door.” So, I tried not to be discouraged. I chose to believe that this ending of my tenure at CCC was God’s plan and purpose for my life.

May

This turned out to be a pretty good month. I realized that once my job ended at CCC, I could file for unemployment, and I could sell my property and start flipping houses. And as God would have it, I finished the improvements on the Bedford Heights property, and on May 18th, I was ready to sell. I contacted my sister-in-law, Kristie Marbury, an agent with Howard Hanna. Unfortunately, the comps on the properties had dropped to the low $50s, so we planned to list the property at $52,900 instead of the mid $60s that I’d hoped. Nevertheless, that same day, she got an offer for $53,200 contingent upon inspection. The buyer inspected the property the next day and proceeded with the offer, and I accepted.

June

My school year ended at CCC, and I was patiently waiting for the sale of my property to close so that I could embark on my new career in flipping houses. I had started to look at foreclosed properties and upcoming auctions. The only problem was that I needed the money from the sale of my property to move forward.  In the meantime, I applied  for unemployment, and by the end of the month, I had started to collect.

July

Now, things were starting to move, my property closed on July 8th. However, I discovered that there was a $14,000 lien on the property for a credit card, and I owed  $7000 in property taxes. So, I only cleared $25,000 to start a flipping business. I needed at least $40,000 or $50,000 in the sellers’ market to get started. I tried to purchase a property for about $20,000 in an auction, but other bidders drove the price up for more than I could afford, and I knew that I would probably experience only more of the same in future. Coincidentally, in order to meet the requirements for collecting unemployment, I had to apply to two (2) schools every week for a job, which I did. Furthermore, when I got beat out of the bid for the foreclosed property, the Dean of Students from CCC called to offer me an English teaching position at Villa Angela St. Joseph’s. Also, I applied at John F. Kennedy High School (my alma mater) as a part of my weekly requirement. Well, as fate would have it, the principal at Kennedy called me the next day after I submitted my resume to tell me that he wanted me to interview. To make a long story short, I was offered jobs at both VASJ and John F. Kennedy. Once I realized that my salary would be significantly more at my alma mater, I chose John F. Kennedy High School as my new place of employment. Additionally, my sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, held their national conference in Philadelphia, PA in July, and I attended to sell my novels. I sold about 100 copies, and I enjoyed seeing my sisters of Zeta Phi Beta.

August

I turned 59 on August 13th, and started thinking toward preparing for my 60th celebration in 2023. I started my new job at John F. Kennedy, and I decided to use the proceeds from the sale of my Bedford Heights property to purchase new windows and doors for one of my rental properties, and I bought new doors for my home. Unfortunately, I said good-bye to my former first lady, Sister Katie Eppinger. I discovered that she passed away after a battle with cancer, and I was able to attend her homegoing. She was a  wonderful person, and I was saddened by her passing.

September

Nothing special happened this month, except I continued to bask in the blessing of my new position at John F. Kennedy. I was scheduled to teach Creative Writing, Drama/Theater Appreciation, and 11th grade English.

October

During this month, the Dean of Student Engagement asked me to plan a Christmas production for the school. So, I had a play that I had done at Warrensville Heights High School that I adapted for Kennedy. The name, A JFK Christmas Carol. The students seemed somewhat excited about it, and we started to rehearse for it.

November

I started the month by attending my first sorority meeting this year and since about 2016. I paid my local dues, and I got the information in order to get back active and financial with the sorority at the national, regional and state levels. We continued to rehearse for the play. However, the students were starting to flake out a bit, and I was getting worried, but I pressed on. Thanksgiving was okay. I cooked greens, mac and cheese, and my man deep-fried a turkey. I went to a birthday party on that Saturday of my good friend, Lisa Lynn. I grew up with her in the Village, and it was good to see her entire family. She has nine (9)  siblings, and eight (8) of them were at her party.

December

December was okay. On December 7th, I celebrated my 38th Zetaversary with my sands, Felicia. We had dinner at the Outback. The Christmas production was on December 9th, and it went well despite two (2) students not showing up. I think everyone enjoyed it. Winter break started on Monday, December 19th. I am looking forward to 2023. I have big plans, and I am enjoying life. I owe all the glory to God!

2023 Plans

I would like to do a few things in the new year. First, I would like to complete ghostwriting projects for three (3) clients. I would like to launch my 4th novel, Love Thy Neighbor. I would also like to have a big celebration for my 60th birthday. Lastly, I would like to do some home improvements to my house including windows, floors, painting, and exterior improvements. So, may God bless  me indeed and continue to enlarge my territory, and may He bless the readers of this update!

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

story page | talk to me/join the tag list | the playlist

wc: 5K

PART 13

Three days later you stood in the booth and listened back to the take you’d just finished. “Yeah, if you want to comp it you can,” you said into the mic, a thumbs up from your producer when you took off the headphones.

You weren’t ignoring Jason, weren’t trying to avoid him by any means, but you weren’t sure how to proceed and he wasn’t giving any cues.

Were you allowed to be annoyed? You’d asked for space but then slept with him, tangled him up in your family and maybe it was all too much.

You came out of the booth to find Mia in the same spot you’d left her, cross-legged on the red couch with her computer on her lap. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “Did you bring your phone in there?”

“No,” you shook your head, pointing to where it hid. Wedged between the cushions beside crumbs of snacks past and loose change.

“Jason called me--twice.”

“What?” You asked quickly, moving to pick up your phone. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “I didn’t answer!”

You scrolled through the texts he’d sent, two missed calls on your phone, too.

Jason (3:45pm): Can I come over tonight? We should talk.

Jason (4:12pm): I can bring food

Jason (4:41pm): Actually, where are you?

Jason (5:01pm): Nevermind!

Your eyes were bugging out of your head, Mia looked up in horror but when you met her eyes, she smiled a little.

“I have no idea what’s happening,” you said, phone pressed to your ear. A thousand thoughts in the milliseconds between the rings. Was he breaking up with you? Was he okay? Were his kids okay? Did something happen?

“Hey, hi--”

“Are you okay?” You said quickly when he answered.

“Yeah, I’m in the lobby.”

“What lobby?”

“I’m here, I came to see you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you didn’t answer your phone,” he laughed a little bit.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll see you in a minute!”

“Jason!”

He hung up, Mia’s eyes were wide in anticipation when you turned to see her.

“I said I didn’t answer,” she clarified. “Never said I didn’t text him to tell him where he could find you.”

“You suck,” you pointed a finger. “Almost as much as him but it’s fucking close at this point.”

“He said it was important! Said he really needed to talk to you.”

Another stomach flip. “I look like shit,” you wiped under your eyes to clear any mascara smudges, rushed over to a mirror on the wall to inspect. Studio days meant sweatpants, hair in a bun, bags of Cheetos even when your producer reminded you to save your voice. If you were going to get dumped, at least you could try to look presentable. “I haven’t brushed my hair all day because I didn’t plan to see anyone.”

“You look fine,” Mia watched you with a look of judgment. “He’s also seen you looking way worse.”

“Thanks,” you shot her a glare.

A knock on the door, a lump in your throat. You let out a slow exhale, preparing yourself for the worst: he couldn’t do this, he needed more space, this was never going to work anyway. Hopefully he’d at least let you down gently.

You pulled the door open and found him standing there, a smile on his face when he saw you.

“Hi,” he greeted.

“Hi,” you said, thrown off by the fact that he wasn’t frowning, didn’t look angry or upset. Actually, he looked happy. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he laughed a little. “I wanted to come talk to you, about the other day and--”

“You freaked me the fuck out,” you whacked him in the chest, a wave of relief that crashed into anger. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Calling Mia? That’s emergency level shit!”

“No it’s not!” he laughed, not at all guilty for the near heart attack he’d caused. “Emergency level shit would be saying it’s an emergency,” he quirked his eyebrows to sell his point. “I never said that.”

You wanted to be mad, but the way he smiled down at you pulled a smirk to your lips. You redirected: “why are you here then?”

“Can we go for a walk?”

“A walk?” Your eyebrows lifted. “Outside?”

“S’typically where people walk, yeah.”

“I was referring to the fact that we’re in New York City and there’s paparazzi, but--thanks for being a sarcastic prick.”

“You’re welcome,” he nodded sincerely. You rolled your eyes but turned on your heel to find your coat. Be right back, just getting some air, Mia gave a knowing glance and your producer waved you off, plenty of work to do.

So you followed him down to the lobby and out onto the sidewalk, day had faded into dusk, Christmas lights blinked overhead, strung to the street lights in a park down the block.

“You know--before I bought my house in Brooklyn I lived a few blocks up from here, near the river.”

“Really?” You looked over your shoulder, down the cross street that would lead in that direction.

“I used to come walk in this park with Otis when he was a baby and wouldn’t sleep. So I spent a lot of time here in 2014.”

You smiled up at him, felt a wave of butterflies when he met your eyes. A few more steps before he sat on a bench, patted the spot next to him in an invitation to sit. Dark enough that you had twenty minutes, hopefully no one would recognize you beneath the glow of a street lamp.

“I’m sorry I freaked out the other day--I wasn’t trying to be an asshole.”

“You weren’t being an asshole. I get it, that was kind of a lot to drag you into. I didn’t even think about it.”

“No,” he laughed a little. “It’s fine, I was glad to go with you.”

You eyed him suspiciously, playfully. “Didn’t seem that way.”

“Yeah, well, I got in my own head.”

You nodded, you knew the feeling.

He let out a sigh, let his knee knock into yours. “I’ve been thinking a lot, over the last few days, about you and about me and about…vegetable gardens.”

A small smile, still nervous. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “A lot, a lot. And, you know, if that’s something that’s really important to you, I don’t want to take it off the table. It’s just, obviously, I thought I was done, you know? I thought a lot of things would be different about my life and--things change and that’s great, in a lot of ways, because it means now I get to hang out with you. And you were just--I didn’t expect it. A total curveball, if you will.”

You felt a jolt of electricity at the familiar word, a zip down your spine in the chilly winter air. That had to be a sign, right?

“What are you saying?”

He thought on it for a second, decided to just come out with it. “I’m saying that if you want a vegetable garden with me I would be open to that conversation.”

You pulled your head back in shock, eyes wide at his words when he smiled.

“Didn’t see that one coming, huh?”

“No,” you admitted, a bit of a laugh when you sighed. “Not at all.”

“You don’t have to have any thoughts, or anything, I just wanted to be honest because,” a pause, he shrugged like his words were simple and true and didn’t need to be dressed up. “Because I love you.”

You blurted it out quickly, unplanned and unexpected when you shook your head. “I don’t think I do.”

“Love me?” He looked concerned.

“No,” you giggled, “I don’t think I want a vegetable garden.”

“Oh.” He was quiet, still, like the world was frozen and like he didn’t know what to do. You blinked a few times, the admission aloud felt suffocating and terrifying, but relief washed over you when he asked: “are you sure?”

“So far. For now, yeah.”

A quiet laugh, he reached a hand forward, laced his fingers in the space between yours. “I don’t want you to say that because you think that’s what I want you to say.”

“Is that what you want me to say?” You challenged, a smirk on your face, the tension in the air broke in half.

“I want you to tell the truth, Y/N.”

You kept his gaze for a second, nodded and then looked to the ground. “I feel like I’m supposed to want one. But I don’t feel so pulled to it that I can’t imagine my life without one. And I certainly don’t want one enough to choose that over you.”

He smiled at that, “yeah?”

“Yeah. So maybe, I don’t know, we just…put a pin in that? See if anything changes for us?”

“Deal,” he nodded.

“And maybe I can, I don’t know, hang out in your garden or something? I don’t know. Not if you don’t want me to.”

“No,” he laughed, a grin on his face. “I want you to, and that sounds really sexual now that I’m hearing you say it back to me, so just know that I’m into both of those things. The sexual and nonsexual meaning behind that.”

You rolled your eyes, saw someone slow to a stop on the other side of the street as their eyes settled on you.

“One o’clock,” you lowered your voice. “Potential sighting.”

He wiggled his eyebrows after he glanced over, “spy talk is kind of hot.”

You stood from the bench and held out your hand, a roll of your eyes when he took it and fell into step with you.

“Hey,” he tugged on your hand, pulling your attention back to him. “I love you.”

“Okay,” you nodded, a smile when he made a face.

“Okay?” He laughed a little. “That’s all I get?”

You nodded playfully, rolling your eyes and exaggerating your own emotion.

“Do you love me?” He asked with an offended look, you fought the smile and bit your tongue, chanced a look up at him to see how much he’d squirm. Apparently your acting skills had gotten better, you saw a flash of fear in his eyes before you relented.

“Yes, fine, okay! I love you, I do.”

“Jesus,” he sighed, dropping your hand quickly. “don’t pause like that. You’re fucked up, you’re a sick human!”

“I’ve learned my comedic timing from the best,” you shot him a narrowed glare.

He was a few steps ahead now, heading back for the studio building on West 12th Street as he quickened his pace. “Yeah, well, you’re not supposed to trick the trickster.”

“Oh get over yourself,” you laughed. “Can’t take your own medicine?”

“No,” he slung an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side when he kissed your temple. “I’m a big baby and I’m requesting that you never joke like that with me again.”

“I can’t make that promise. Especially after you pulled an asshole move today by freaking me out.”

“I came here to make up, to apologize!” He laughed.

“So are we done taking space? Is this the resuming that you wanted?”

He smiled down at you, a slow nod. He paused for a second like he was thinking, deciding whether or not to take the leap. “I’d like that. And on that note, not a decision for right now, but something to think about…”

Oh god. Your stomach sank, a nervous feeling in your core despite the smile on his face. “Yeah?”

“Maybe you could come to London with me. After the holidays, when I go back to film.”

You smiled up at him, pulled on his hand just like he’d done before, reached up to kiss him on the mouth even though there were plenty of people on the sidewalk and there were plenty of reasons to wait until you got inside.

But you didn’t want to, so you didn’t.

__

Daisy was in the other room, eyes glued to the big TV on the wall when Jason poured you a glass of wine. You were about to take it, clink it against his when his phone buzzed on the counter.

“Uh oh,” he looked down. “That’s Alexander’s mom.”

You sipped your wine when he answered it, you agreed to be here with one of them. Come have dinner, stay the night, we’ll hang out with Daisy. It’ll be fine.

You agreed because so far, she felt less intimidating. He’d divulged on your first date that she liked your music, she seemed less confused by your presence the first time you found yourself face to face with her in this very house.

Now, she was quietly watching TV and didn’t seem to think anything of the fact that you sat in the kitchen with her father. Her age made her mostly oblivious, that’s what Jason said, at least. So you showed up and smiled when she answered the door and invited you in.

Hey, yeah--oh, shoot, did he? I can bring it over. Yeah, of course! No, no, thanks for letting me know. Sure, I’ll see you soon. Okay, great, bye.

You took another sip of wine and eyed him when he hung up.

“He forgot his sleeping bag. They’re sleeping in the living room, so--he needs it. I’m gonna go bring it to him.”

You glanced towards the living room quickly, then looked back at him with a fear in your eyes. He could sense it.

“You’ll be fine,” he leaned to the left to get a peek into the living room. “She’s basically in a Paw Patrol coma.”

“Jason--do you not remember what happened the last time you left me alone in this house?”

“It’s like 10 minutes away. I won’t be long.” He reached for his keys on the counter and you let out a sigh. “She likes you! She literally laughed at your joke before.”

You whisper-yelled as you peered around the corner: “she’d laugh at anything if you mention Peppa Pig!”

“She’ll probably be hungry soon, just make the box of mac and cheese on the counter if she gets whiny, she’ll love you forever.”

“I have to feed her?”

“You just handled a two week old with no issue, I think you’ll be fine, babe.”

“I had Nolan for emotional support!”

“I have a hard time believing he provided any level of emotional support.”

You made a face, true. “Fine,” you admitted. “But I at least had another set of hands.”

“She’s five,” he reminded, heading into the living room. “Nine times out of ten she can wipe by herself.”

“Oh Jesus Christ,” you groaned.

He rolled his eyes at you, let his hand rest on top of her head when he briefed her on the unfolding situation. “Hey, Daisy--daddy’s gotta run over to Otis’ friend’s house, okay? I’ve got to bring him his sleeping bag.”

She looked at him and then eyed you over his shoulder. “Okay.”

“Okay? Y/N’s gonna be here, can she watch TV with you?”

Another hesitant look when she shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he laughed a little, looking at you quickly. “Just think back to those babysitting classes you took.”

A middle school extracurricular you never should have disclosed. Fuck you, you mouthed, censoring yourself in front of his daughter. He stepped forward, kissed you on the mouth but then pulled back quickly. He hadn’t done that before with her in the same room.

She wasn’t looking, she was staring at the TV like she had been for the last 23 minutes.

“Okay,” he stepped backwards and into the foyer, picked up the sleeping bag that had been forgotten, then smiled. “I’ll be back, call me if you need me. Love you!”

You started to say it back, but then realized he was probably talking to Daisy. She muttered a tiny love you without even peeling her eyes away from the screen.

He shut the door, out into the cold night air. You sank into the couch and let your eyes flicker between Daisy and the TV, wondering if she’d even acknowledge your presence. How were you supposed to make small talk with a small child?

“Good show, huh?”

She looked at you for a second, ignored what you said, and then looked back to the TV.

Okay, so there was that.

Maybe you’d just wait it out: sit here and watch the show until he came back through the door and saved you from having to interact too much. Maybe you wouldn’t even talk to her at all.

It’s not that you didn’t want to. I mean, if anything, you wanted her to like you and hoped that this would be a bonding experience in one way or another. Should you offer to braid her hair? Buy her a new doll? You swallowed the anxiety that bubbled, just be patient.

Four minutes until the episode ended. When it did, she turned to see you.

“Do you like my dad?”

You paused, weighing the options in your head.

“I do.”

She nodded as if your answer made sense. “He said he likes you.”

“That’s nice of him,” you smiled.

She mirrored your smile. “Do you like fudgsicles?”

“Fudgsicles?” You giggled a little. “They’re the best type of popsicle.”

Her face lit up and she giggled. “That’s what I think too! I’m hungry for a fudgsicle.”

“Do you know if your dad has any?”

“No,” she shook her head before leaping off the couch and into the kitchen. “Let’s check!”

You followed behind her, watched as she tugged the freezer open with both of her tiny arms and then looked inside.

“Do you see any?”

“No,” she frowned, turning around to show you just how disappointing this was. “Can we go get some?”

“Oh--I don’t--maybe we can call your dad and ask him to get some on his way back?”

“No! We can go to the store, the one that daddy brings me to.”

“On the corner?”

“Yeah!” She hurried over to the door and jumped up to reach her jacket on the hook.

“What about the mac and cheese?”

“I don’t want that, I want a fudgsicle!”

“Hold on, I don’t know--let me call your dad.”

“Please!” She turned around to pout at you.

“I can call him--”

“Please, Y/N!”

She knew your name? Of course she did, he’d said it and you’d said it and obviously she’d heard it. But she’d never said it. Maybe that’s what broke you, a swelling of your heart and you knew it: you’d probably do anything she asked.

“We can go quick and if they don’t have them, we’re coming straight home,” you bargained. “We’re coming straight home either way.”

She whooped in excitement, sat on the stairs and you helped her get her shoes on before you sent a text:

Y/N (7:02pm): We’re walking to the corner store to get fudgsicles. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

You held her hand on the sidewalk, listened when she told you about her day at school and wondered if he’d freak out that you took her outside of the house.

A reply when Daisy tugged open the door and the overhead bells chimed:

Jason (7:08pm): Wow, she got her way quick

Jason (7:09pm): On my way back!

A sigh of relief when she pointed to them through the glass door. There they are! She walked them up to the register, you pulled out your wallet and smiled at the teenager behind the counter, a small smile in gratitude for not asking for a photo despite the wide eyes that stared back at you.

She practically ran home, tore into one before you even got your coat off. She settled back into the couch, the box in between her legs like her own personal treasure when you came to sit beside her.

“Yummy?”

She nodded, reached in and tugged another out, holding it out for you. You couldn’t help but smile. She wouldn’t offer you one if she hated you, right? She was too tiny and pure and innocent to get caught up in the drama in your relationship, so you took it and smiled.

Once it was out of the wrapper, she tapped hers against yours, mumbled cheers when she pressed play on the remote and turned her attention back to her show.

You sat there, stealing glances in her direction every few seconds to make sure she didn’t choke or stop breathing or do anything else that would ruin the otherwise successful night.

Another ten minutes before he pushed the door open, wiped his sneakers on the mat near the door and smiled.

You hopped up off the couch, licked your second fudgsicle as you walked over to him. You wiggled your brows, curtsied silently to in honor of your outstanding performance: best girlfriend turned babysitter.

He smiled, came to drape an arm over your shoulders.

“Hey Dais—”

“Hi dad,” she waved over her shoulder but didn’t look, earning a laugh from him as you both headed for the kitchen.

Once you were out of earshot, he turned to see you.

“Not too miserable, right?”

“I guess not,” you admitted.

“Did she eat dinner?”

“Dinner?” You asked, eyeing the unopened box of mac n’ cheese on the counter.

“Yeah, you know. The meal after lunch but before you go to sleep.”

You rolled your eyes, waited a second before admitting: “Fudgsicles.”

“Fudgsicles?” His eyebrows arched, amused. “That’s all she ate for dinner?”

“Is that bad?”

“Oh, no, no—” he made a funny face, rolled his eyes before looking at you again. “Yes! Yes that’s bad! That’s not dinner food.”

You laughed, “I’m sorry! Okay? I don’t know what to do with children.”

“You’re selling yourself short, but I’ll let it slide since this was your first babysitting gig.”

“This suddenly sounds like a porno.”

He eyed you over his shoulder when he went to put the box back in the pantry, “we can make it one.”

“I tried to get her to eat it but she was pretty adamant about going to the store. She practically held a gun to my head and I didn’t want to chance her murdering me if I said no, so—”

“Yeah she can be kind of violent,” he said sarcastically, a roll of his eyes at your exaggeration.

“Oh relax, she’s clearly fine,” you motioned to the living room.

“She is,” he agreed. “But you definitely bribed my daughter with popsicles.”

“Fudgsicles,” you corrected.

“Right, that.”

He watched you for a second, laughed when you offered an innocent look. He put her to bed around 9pm, came back to the kitchen to find you nursing the glass of wine you’d abandoned earlier for Paw Patrol.

You sat at the counter now, the lights dim when he leaned on the granite across from you. Quiet for a few seconds, you fluttered your lashes and pushed him. “Yes?”

A shrug of his left shoulder when he let his eyes glance down to the floor. You weren’t used to him being nervous, if anything you’d gotten all too familiar with the smirks and the challenging but playful smiles that accompanied most of his words. The dishwasher churned and he cleared his throat.

“I meant what I said the other night about London.” His eyes met yours briefly, you nodded but then he looked away, fumbled with a loose iPhone charger. “I don’t want to go six months without you.”

His voice was quiet, like admitting the truth might shatter whatever there was between you: love, uncertainty, hesitation.

He chanced a look up in your direction, vulnerability on his face when you smiled.

“But I also think it’s worth talking about what that would look like.”

That threw you off a bit. You nodded, let your chin rest in the palm of your hand when he stood up straight and took a breath.

“Liv is gonna come, you know, so we’re all in the same place. Separate places, obviously, same city. You could stay with me, I know that’s kind of a lot, but it’s only six months. Obviously your tour starts in the spring, and you don’t have to come the whole time, if you don’t want to.”

You smiled at the way he rambled, touched by the fragility in his voice and the look on his face: please say yes.

You hadn’t meant to give a noncommittal answer earlier in the week: let me talk to Mia, to my team, look at the calendar. If anything the invitation caught you off guard and while most of you wanted to shout yes, of course, yes, you also knew that it’d require more thought than that.

“So the kids will be with me, some of the time. They’ll do school, obviously, stay with Liv a lot. But just, you know, to be transparent. They’ll all be there, too.”

You nodded again in understanding, just like last year. He was quiet now, trying to read the look on your face to determine where you stood.

“I do want to come,” you admitted, a slow nod that first pulled a smile to his face, but then confusion.

A soft laugh. “Sounds like there’s a gentle let down coming…”

“But I don’t want it to be too much…for them.”

“For them?”

“For your family,” you shrugged, a knot in your stomach when you realized that phrase would always include her.

“I wouldn’t ask you if I thought it would be.”

“I know,” you said quickly, a bit of a smile when you looked up at him. He’d never do something that was bad for his kids, he’d never float a suggestion like this if he hadn’t already thought it through and then through again. “That’s a lot of time to spend together, though.”

“For you and me, or for all of us?”

“Well, I meant for you and me but…both.”

“You don’t want to wake up beside me every day?” He brought a hand to his chest and let his eyebrows dip in feigned shock. “And go to sleep next to me every night?”

“I don’t want to intrude,” you corrected, a smile tugging at your lips. Always so dramatic.

“You and the intruding,” he shook his head, narrowed his eyes at you playfully.

“I’ve never done this before,” you defended, a little more honest when he rounded the counter to be closer to you.

“Done what?”

You hadn’t expected him to throw it back at you so quickly. Your lips parted when you hesitated, a breath before you admitted: “Been involved with someone who has a whole family. One that I’m not a part of.”

He kept his eyes on you for a second, you saw the flash of emotion in them when he smiled, a confession in the dark kitchen when the clock on the wall ticked.

“I want you to be a part of it, Y/N, that’s what I’m asking. Come with me, live with me there, burn some more pancakes in my kitchen--but this time my kids might be around so just make sure you’re wearing pants.”

“I was wearing pants last time!” You defended, a smile on your lips when he rolled his eyes.

“I know, I know—and unfortunately that will have to remain the pattern if they’re squandering in my house.”

“Squandering?” You eyed him, really? “They’re your children.”

“I think they are,” he shrugged, never one to give up on a joke that easy. He regained composure and cleared his throat, serious again.

“I want you to come, I mean it.”

You rolled your eyes, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest.

“Fine,” you mumbled into his chest.

“What was that?” He pulled back, stuck his chin out and looked down at you. “What’d you say?”

“I said okay,” you rolled your eyes, biting back a laugh at his playfulness: never a dull moment.

“Okay what?”

“Oh my god,” you shoved him away, laughed when you walked to put your empty wine glass in the sink. “You’re annoying.”

“I’m sorry, I just have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Jason,” you turned around, tried your best to shoot him an unimpressed glare.

“Y/N,” he replied, an innocent look on his face when he put both hands on the counter. “You just need to say it.”

“Say what?” You played along now, pulling a scoff from him.

“You’re unbelievable!” He laughed. “You want to come to London.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you walked past him, heading for the stairs.

He followed behind, excitement threaded through his words. “Sounds like someone decided she’s gonna move in with someone.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” you looked over your shoulder.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looked up at you when you turned on your heel and crossed your arms.

He was going to wait you out--you knew the look on his face and you knew he’d play this game all night if he needed to. His eyebrows rose, eyes went wide as if to say go ahead, I’m waiting.

“Alright, okay,” you relented theatrically. “I’m someone and I want to come.”

“You do?” He smiled.

“I do.”

A few steps up until he was on the one right below you. “Okay, roomie,” he teased. “Should we shake on it?”

You rolled your eyes, he offered a hand in truce, but you kissed him instead.

story page | talk to me/join the tag list | the playlist

tag list: @golden-hoax @fineelineee @westcoastrry @missing-you-like-war @trulymadlykiki @caplikeme @baueoud @tiredbuthappy @whymyparentscheckmyphone @tedlassostan @tegan8314 @yourgoldengirls

AN: Hi friends!!!! So excited to give part 13! I will be honest and say that I might not be able to post weekly moving forward as I've been v busy at work, but I do have a lot up my sleeve for this story!!!! Thanks for reading and sending lots of love!

[btssunnyboy]

Unbelievable - Choi San

He was always rude to you, embarrassing you in front of everyone. So why is he mad that someone better made you an offer?

Warning - Profanity, mention of caffeine, San is mean as fuck, Yandere towards the end, He makes a threat.

Word Count - 3,362 idk if they will be a part 2!

BTS , NCT , ATEEZ — request open.

__________________________________________

Good god, your blood was boiling the moment you saw his door crack open. You could feel your fingernails digging into your palms as you tried to remain calm. The last thing you needed to do was lose your temper and give this man another opportunity to ridicule in front of your co-workers. But judging by that horrendous look on his face you already have a gut feeling that all taht hard work to keep your anger in check is going to fly right through the window. Taking the deepest breath you could take and plastering on that fake smile, you gladly greeted the man that makes your life a living hell.

“These numbers are definitely not to my liking and I refused to be the laughing stock at the board meeting tomorrow.” He huffed heavily as he practically threw the binder down onto your desk. The heavy plastic slamming against the steel desk with a loud thud that echoed through the big hallway. The wind from the fall making papers that previously occupied your desk go flying in every single direction. You could feel your anger bubble up in your chest at the mere disrespect that this man was giving you, and it was driving you insane.

“With all do respect sir, it’s already twelve thirty, and I highly doubt I’ll be able to go over all of these documents by seven thirty in the morning.” You resisted their urge to grit your teeth as you wanted to appear somehow considerate of his complications. Truth be told you didn’t want to do another all nighter when you barely pulled through from the other night. “Besides, I looked over the revenue and margin growths three times before I sent them to your office.”

He scoffed loudly as he licked one of his fingers and then continued to rummage through the papers that were bonded together. His long finger skimmed over the lines multiple times and he flipped each page within a minute. Those piercing eyes stayed locked in on every single number that crossed the page. “Ah, right here it states that we made a profit revenue of fifty million last year, but then it states that this year we’ve only grossed sixty five million. And that’s definitely less than the fifty percent revenue growth that we expected.”

“So, sixty five is not as bad as you’re making it out to be, besides multiple people double checked.” You spoke tiredly as you started packing up your briefcase. Different papers getting stacked together and even crumpled because of the rapid pace that you were going. No matter what happens tonight you were leaving before the clock strikes one in the morning. As you were packing up your eyes met his furious ones and it felt like your world was crumbling down. “Mr. Choi, I’m being honest, your accounting department checked all of these numbers multiple times and I looked over them as much as I could.”

“I know for a fact that we had a fifty percent increase in revenue, now look over these damn numbers again. Or you’ll be kissing this cushy office job goodbye in the morning.” He harshly slammed the binder closed and stalked over to his office door. The audacity of that stupid man, how dare he even threaten you with this job. But as much as you wanted to spit in his face and tell him to shove it you really needed this job, this really well paying job.

You poked your cheek with your tongue out of agitation and roughly grabbed your purse. The bottle of caffeine pills made a clicking sound as you unscrewed the cap within a second. Without a drink of water you downed the pill and grabbed the ugly binder. This was going to be a long night, and these numbers were not going to supposedly fix themselves.

Your fingers tapped the keys on the keyboard rapidly as you searched each collaboration revenue. All of these numbers were lining up, no matter what you searched. Out of the six collaborations Choi enterprise only grossed sixty five million, but for some reason he just won’t listen. All you wanted to do at this point was slump forward and go to sleep, but with that anger that Mr.Choi has you’re scared he might kill you in your sleep. But as the long hours went on and on, you could feel yourself slipping. Your eyelids felt like a ton, and your head was suddenly too heavy for your neck to hold. Before you knew you were out like a light.

—

You’d shoot the person who was jabbing their finger into side if you could. Their bony finger feeling a knife stabbing your rib cage with immense pressure. “Please wake up, y/n, if he notices you’re asleep, who knows what he’ll do!” The jabbing didn’t cease one bit, in fact they just jabbed even harder.

“Okay! I’m up!” You groggily scoffed as your vision was trying to focus on the object in front of you. The figure was simply a mush of different colors all moving in different directions. The harsh lights in the office are in no way making the situation any better. You could make out their hand moving from left to right to try and grab your attention. “Hongjoong?”

“What are you, blind? Of course it’s me, but please I’m begging you get up and go freshen up in the bathroom.” He sighed sadly as he helped your wobbly stance straighten up. His soft hands wrapping around your waist and pulling you close. The soft scent of his cologne filling your nose as you clung to him. “Do you still carry extra clothes in your car?”

“Thankfully yes, but what time is it?” You question as you rubbed your eyes, trying to make all the colors of the world blend back together to form one coherent thing. “Oh god, is it past seven thirty, oh shit! He’s gonna kill me!”

“Calm down, it's only six thirty, but he always gets here at seven. So please go wipe that old makeup off and I’ll get your other clothes.” Hongjoong smiled slightly at you before his eyes shifted towards the oh so famous brown binder. “Did that dick make you go over more numbers the whole night?”

“God yes and it was terrible, but I looked over all six collaborations and I kid you not it all equals sixty five.” You could hear a pin drop on the silence that coated the room. It was beginning to feel suffocating and you physically felt your chest growing heavy with dread. “There were only six right, because that’s all the forms I received.”

“Maybe i'm just thinking of something else, because maybe just maybe -“

“Stop wasting time! Is there more than six?” You panicked as you shoved him away and pulled the rolling chair back to your side. Before your fingers could even reach the keys, Hongjoong’s were there in a second. They tapped rapidly and skimmed through all your emails at a neck breaking pace. “Oh my god I never refreshed the email.”

“We don’t have time to sit here and panic, we have three pages of numbers to go through.” Hongjoong tried to make the situation less tense by offering a helping hand, but he knew that if these numbers weren’t corrected all hell would break loose. And no one wanted to see what Choi San was like when he more than ticked off. He’d probably be past the point of furious if ever saw these unfinished numbers.

—

San’s eyes were narrowed as he eyed the unfamiliar man at your desk. Where the hell were you? He didn’t pay a shit ton of money for you to be everywhere and not in that chair looking pretty. But at this moment he couldn’t control himself as the words flew from his mouth. “What the hell is this?”

That look, that gorgeous look of fear that made his blood rush and his heart pound. Was etched across the unknown man's face and he was basking in the glory of it. San cocked his eyebrow slightly as he leaned forwards on his palms. “Did I suddenly grow two heads or some shit, no? Then answer my question, what the hell is this.”

“I’m so sorry Mr.Choi, but I didn’t notice that there were seven collaborations. I only had six in my email. And Mr.Kim was only helping me scrunch the numbers.”

“You mean to tell me that these numbers aren’t finished! And this meeting is in less than an hour?” His demeanor was calm but the sheer venom in his voice was enough to bring you to your knees. He poked his cheek with his tongue and gave a mean smile in your direction. “I mean it, l/n you’re on thin ice. But if those numbers aren’t corrected then you’re fired.”

“Yes sir.” You gulped as you watched him take heavy steps towards his office. You were in deep shit now. San rubbed his chin as he tried to remain calm and not fire you on the spot. Out of all the times you could have missed up, you decided now was the perfect time. Messing up these numbers would make other investors think that this company cannot handle the responsibility of simply matching numbers. This mistake could completely tank the company and put everyone here out of a job.

Fifty five minutes have passed and investors from other companies are already showing up at the doors. And here he was sitting at the head of the table empty handed, and it was all your fault. It was your fault for not refreshing that damn email, for not paying closer attention to the numbers, for simply not giving it your all. And now it’s going to be your fault that the entire company crumbles and falls straight into the depths below.

“So San, when is this meeting going to officially begin?” Questioned one of the many associates as he leaned back against the velvet chair. A smile bright on his face as if he didn’t care to wait a moment or two for it to begin. But, on the other hand, the leader of the meeting was so furious he could start foaming at the mouth. Because guess what crucial piece of information still wasn’t on his desk.

“We will begin momentarily if my secretary would get her head out of her ass and bring them those god damn numbers.” San spoke with a soft smile on his face. The look he gave the men was a completely different tone from the words he just spoke. Those words help fury and degradation but his smile was so bright it could light up a room or cause someone’s heart to flutter out of their chest. But at this moment all of those men knew at this moment San was anything, but happy.

The sound of the doorknob being yanked on caught everyone’s attention. Their heads jolted towards the cause of the noise as they watched you fiddled with the dozens of papers in her hand. Your smile was uneasy as you tried to reorganize them on your way towards the head of the table. They watched your clammy hands shake with fear as San ripped the paper from your hands. Judging by the way you quickly held your pointed and middle finger they could only guess what happened.

“Why the hell are you still standing here? Do I need to draw you a picture and make it clear that you’re done here?” San scolded as he shoved you a bit and forced you to walk to the door. Fumbling over your own two feet and almost hitting the floor head on at one point. But he didn’t care, because all he wanted to do right now was get this meeting over with. With a final shove and a quick slam of the glass door, he swiftly turned back around to be met with very difficult to decipher expressions.

“Well now that all distractions are gone, let’s get down to business.”

—

Your face was flushed and you could feel your hands start to shake. From the mere interaction with the stupid CEO. The vivid picture of his icy eyes and cold stare were burned into your brain, as his words pounded in your skull without mercy. The man practically belittled you, in a room full of successful CEOs who now probably think you’re a joke.

“Hey, don't worry yourself sick. It was an honest mistake.” Hongjoong consoled you as he eyed your shaken form. The tearful eyes and the constant bouncing of your leg was a dead giveaway of the way you felt at this moment. And he wanted nothing more than to just say everything will be okay, that everything is going to be just fine. But he can’t, because who knows what the jerk will do you do considering your almost costed him a deal.

“Do you think he’ll fire me?” The question hung in the air with such heaviness that it was almost hard to breathe. The thought of losing this job was sending you into a whirlwind of erratic emotions. If this job is gone, there goes the ability to afford your car, hell there goes the ability to afford the damn apartment you’re living in at this moment. You’ll lose eveything, if you’re cut off.

“He better not, and trust me if he ever does, I would be more than happy to have you on my team.” A new man smiled brightly in your direction as he made his way over to your desk. He wasn’t an unfamiliar face around the office as he and Mr.Choi have done business deals of many kinds in the past. “It would truly be an honor to have someone like you working at Jeon Marketing.”

A small smile took over your face as you eyed the man in front of you. Mr.Jeon was an extremely well known CEO in this business, and he’s not too much older than Mr.Choi. You’re genuinely surprised these men are allies in this type of business, if anything you thought they’d be enemies. “Thank you for such kind words, but trust me your opinion on me may change soon.”

“Nonsense, I’ve seen the way you handle situations at this company, especially time crunched ones. I can tell just by looking at your face you stayed up hours just to make sure his numbers were perfect.” Mr Jeon stated as he leaned forward on the desk and clapped his hand together. “And truth be told I wouldn’t mind having such a beautiful face be the face of my company.”

His compliment left you stumped as you eyed his face. The tone he held was lighthearted because he knew this stressful situation needed a little laughter, but you knew from the look on his face he was being serious. About both of his statements. Before you could form a response, he long fingers were reaching into his jacket pocket. “I promise, if you ever need anything. I’m just a call away.”

“His top rival and best friend just offered you a sweet ass deal, are you gonna take it?”

You truly didn’t know the answer to that. I mean on one hand you have your secretary job here, and it pays well. The boss may be a pain in the ass, but it’s the only thing keeping you afloat. And you know that these two companies are neck and neck right now for the top spot, so it’s hard to decipher just how much he’s willing to pay you. But would there be any harm in simply asking the man?

“I’m not gonna lie and say it doesn’t intrigue me, but at the same time I don’t wanna leave you all alone.” You mumbled as you tapped away at the computer keys. Just trying to find any small amount of information about his company. But only mere surface information popped up in the search box. “Would it be a bad thing if I did leave?”

“Sometimes trying something new is good thing, but it really all depends on how you feel. And I have a friend that works there and she told me she makes over 250k a year.” Hongjoong shrugged his shoulders as he stood up to leave. His soft eyes giving a sense of comfort as he started to walk away. “I promise whatever option you pick, you’ll be fine.”

A heavy huff of air passed through your lips as you tried to think of the right answer. If he was right you’d make just a little bit more working for him and he genuinely seems like a nicer boss in general. So the real question is what’s keeping you tied to this job? The only perk about this job is working with Hongjoong and he’s the main reason why you’ve stuck around this long. The men from before were now exiting San’s offer with bright smiles on their faces, and you could only conclude that those numbers truly were the right ones. But just as your eyes leave their smiles you’re met with someone who has the complete opposite expression.

He briskly walked towards you and hastily cleared his throat. The stone cold expression he was supporting made a shiver go down your spine. Without a second thought he grabbed your hand and hauled you off in the direction of his office, with his nails piercing the skin of your wrist. Within a second he shoved you into his office and slammed the door behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His stern voice echoed in the office. Bouncing off the walls left and right and continuing to bounce inside your skull. The fingernails that were pressing into your skin felt like sharp needles protruding into you. You could have sworn you saw blood pass through his fingers. “Answer me!”

“I’m sorry! But I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” You panicked as you tried to yank your arm away from his hardened grasp. Those eyes of his start to terrify you the longer you stay in his touch. But he wasn’t letting you get away if anything the more you struggled against him the tighter his hold got.

“I saw that dumb fucker hand you his card, and for some unknown reason you took it. So what that’s it, you’re just gonna fucking leave after everything I’ve done for you?” He spat words at you left and right. Not bothering to back up any of his claims. He speaks as if he’s given you pure gold to walk but in reality all he’s given you is eggshells. You have to be careful around you, you’re never treated well, and he wants to sit up on his throne and act as if he’s treated you like royalty?

“If anything you’ve given me shit! You’re treating me like crap any chance you get, I made one mistake and your response to that is belittling me in front of other people!” You shouted back with just as much venom as he has done to you. With a final yank from your arm, you relaxed yourself from his grip. Tired of his antics you looked him dead in the eyes and spoke. “And so what if I take his offer, he’d be a better boss than you ever were!”

“I mean it, L/n, you take that deal and I’ll make your life a living hell.” He threatened as he got closer and closer. His minty breath fanned your face slightly as he harshly grabbed your chin. “Trust me, this is one bet you’ll regret taking if you leave.”

“I’ll take that damn bet any day.” You tried to push his chest back but he was stronger than you. What surprised you the most was the cackle-like laugh that passed through his lips. A wide smile taking over his face and that somehow made the situation more sinister.

“I warned you, Y/n.”