#and then get even more assignments done in the airport on the way back from the work trip and show up in class after getting back at 5 am

[doctor-bus]

not me doing the worst fucking job on an assignment for a strict professor lmao

[felixbit]

i hate to wait so long

pairing: seungmin x gn!reader w. 1.9k genre: fluff summary: your long-distance boyfriend's birthday is coming up but you don't have the funds to visit him this year. surprisingly, seungmin turns up to your door anyways. warnings: reader is a uni student studying abroad a/n: inspired by the lyrics of this song :)

Choosing to study abroad was a good idea in concept. You got to travel and live in another country's culture for a semester as you worked on your degree.

That was, until you got a boyfriend. He lived back at home and you reconnected over old friends when you were first packing to leave. He'd come over to your place and hang out, playing video games and teasing you when you couldn't lift a moving box without help. Not that he could, either.

His name was Seungmin. He asked you out one week before you left for the semester, and it was the best week you'd had in a long time. You spent almost every day together, hanging out and trying new things until you got tired and crashed at each other's places.

When that first week came to a close, you begrudgingly packed up your things. Seungmin drove you to the airport, holding your hand as far into the airport as he could come with you.

It was through a teary-eyed confession from him that revealed he'd never felt closer to someone before than he did with you. He was too scared of saying goodbye and asked to be your boyfriend, even if he was terrified of moving too fast.

When you agreed, he was using his sleeve to rub his eyes and denied ever crying. He told you to have a safe trip and he kissed you for the first time, promising a million more the next time he saw you.

You thought about that moment every day. Sitting at a desk doing work had never felt more dull, especially when you had a perfect boyfriend waiting for you at home. Life abroad wasn't bad, you were loving it, you just missed him more.

Every night, you stayed up to call him and tell him all about your day-to-day. He'd hop on his computer and play video games with you until the sun peeked over the horizon or you resigned to sleep.

When you weren't calling each other, you texted the whole rest of your waking hours. Seungmin would send a plethora of random photos from his day and complain about his band mates while you responded with your own pictures and advice.

It was starting to occur to you how close it was getting to September, which meant Seungmin's birthday was just around the corner. You had already decided on gifts, ready to buy them so they'll be delivered right on time.

But, it dawned on you pretty fast that you didn't have the money to visit. Studying in another country was really expensive and there was only so much time in a day you could work outside of school. Either way, there was no miracle budget to make it possible.

You told him this almost immediately, and he was extremely good about it. He reassured you that it wasn't necessary and he'd make up for all the lost time soon enough when you were done.

The remaining weeks between then had been full of assignments and deadlines coming up, so it snuck up on you. You'd been on a call with Seungmin the night before playing Overwatch when you looked down at the date on your computer.

"What time is it? Lemme- oh, shit." You stopped mid sentence, staring at the date on your computer screen in awe.

Seungmin looked confused, his webcam up on your second screen. "What's wrong? Do I need to back out of the queue?"

"No, no," You shook your head, laughing nervously, "I just saw the date. Your birthday's tomorrow."

"Don't tell me you forgot," Seungmin looked a little dumbfounded.

"I didn't forget, I just.. I've had a lot going on these past few weeks that September kinda went a little too fast."

"It's okay," Seungmin reassured, "I'll forgive you when I get to open the pile of gifts you've been sending me tomorrow morning."

"I wish I could be there to see it," You lamented.

"It's alright. You'll be able to give me them all in person next year, right?"

"Right! Plus, I'll be able to give you Christmas gifts at least."

At that moment, you connected to a game and the topic of conversation switched. The thought of missing his birthday lingered in the back of your mind, but you pushed it away in order to enjoy the night with your boyfriend.

As the night was coming to a close, you made sure to wish him a happy birthday right as the clock rolled over to midnight. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to stay up another three hours, but Seungmin decided to go to bed early and you followed in his footsteps.

Sleeping was nice. It was one of the times you could see Seungmin. He was almost always there waiting for you with a smile on his face. You could do anything together, just in a fantasy land. Maybe he wasn't really there, but it was enough to keep you going.

That night, you laid with him in bed. Your head was on his chest over a soft sweater as he sung to you. It was the first time in a while you'd dreamed of his room, bringing back all of the fond memories from before you'd left. His posters, guitar sat against his record collection, all his bookshelves. His diary was even on the nightstand beside his bed, true to life.

You almost hated waking up. The world was cruel for taking away the perfect dream it had crafted, but you knew soon enough you'd be in his room again.

Seungmin's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so you didn't worry too much about waking up early. When you did inevitably get up, you made sure to text him a few more 'happy birthday' messages just in case he forgot about it himself. He was already up, thanking you for the birthday wishes and sending you a photo of his outfit.

It wasn't really his style to be awake and ready this early in the day, but it was his birthday. He has to make the most of his special day, you thought. So, you sent back some compliments and hearts and moved on with your own morning routine.

As you normally would, you kept Seungmin updated through texts on your morning. He wasn't super chatty, but it was to be expected with whatever he had planned. You expected to see a wall of text on what he was up to by the end of the day, but for now it was quiet.

By noon, you had gotten a little concerned, but brushed it off. His family likely had things to do with him, right? Plus, he had to get in some good meals.

It was almost one in the afternoon when you finally heard back from him. Seeing his name on your phone screen gave you an instant feeling of relief.

seungmin: come outside

You heard a knock at your door. The text had you confused, but you followed along. He couldn't be here, right?

Opening the door, there he stood. He was grinning ear-to-ear, shifting around on his feet. "Surprise."

It was on instinct that you threw your arms around him and hugged him with all the weight in your body. His wrapped around you and squeezed you back until you were wincing from the pressure.

"What are you doing here?!" You looked at him dumbfounded, your head spinning.

He looked back at you sheepishly, "I dunno, just thought it'd be cool if I showed up for a birthday surprise?"

"Yeah, but it's your birthday, Seungmin. That's the kind of thing I should be doing on your special day!"

"Well, I knew you didn't have enough to come visit this year, and I made it work! I really didn't want to wait so long to see you again."

You laced your fingers with his and pulled him inside, and that's when the explanation started.

Seungmin had first come up with the idea to come visit on his birthday almost a month prior when he first learned you couldn't come see him. He'd booked a flight out and made sure there wasn't any huge exams around the day.

That morning, he'd gotten up at six just to get ready and look good in time to catch his flight. He'd sent you photos he'd taken earlier when he was sitting in the airport, hoping it didn't look too suspicious.

The absence in texts was his flight over. It wasn't super long, but it was enough that he worried you'd catch onto his plan. From there, he'd gathered his stuff as quickly as he could and grabbed a ride over to your place.

After his story, you made sure to get him some food and snacks, which you happily enjoyed together as he turned on a show. He got a small tour of your student accommodation after the first episode before revealing that he had some plans set up.

Seungmin had made lunch reservations at a place not too far off campus and wanted to take you on a walk there. Of course, you said yes.

The entire way there, Seungmin refused to let go of your hand. He'd swing it along with your steps, chattering on about what was happening and the music he was making. But, no matter what, his fingers were locked with yours.

That was the fun part: Seungmin wasn't usually a big talker. He'd have lots of input to give when you would talk to him, but he wasn't super into initiating his own discussions. Today was different.

So as you walked down the cracked pavement of the sidewalks, your attention was grabbed by your chatty boyfriend. You got to engage with a lot of what he was saying, but it was nice to just walk and listen to him ramble.

Everything seemed more lively. The birds had their own chorus, the grass looked greener, and there were less loud cars blaring their music. By the time you were coming up on the lunch spot, you found your heart contented with the day already, even if you'd only been with Seungmin less than two hours.

"Minnie?" You squeezed his hand softly as you waited at a sidewalk.

Seungmin turned towards you with a smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming and seeing me," You felt your face flush a little at the thought, "I really don't know how I could've waited any longer without you."

Your boyfriend's big grin couldn't be contained as he let out a quiet laugh. "I don't think I could've waited, either. You've been in my dreams too much lately, and it's been driving me crazy not having you here."

"You see me in your dreams, too?" You asked, recalling the one from the previous night, "It's kind of infuriating, isn't it? It feels so perfect and then it's taken away so quick."

"Yeah, I just couldn't wait another day without having you here with me," Seungmin stopped as you crossed to the other side of the street before pulling you into a hug, "I had to hold you like this for real."

"You're such a dork."

Seungmin snickered as he pulled away from the hug and gave you a quick, yet tender kiss. His lips were soft and tasted sweet, making you miss them the second they were gone. "For you. The rest of the world doesn't matter to me."

"Today really has you in a sentimental mood, huh?" You pulled him in for another kiss, making sure it lasted longer. "Happy birthday."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go get lunch before you make out with me on the street."

[chlorinecake]

🎙️ star-crossed lovers 【 薄幸な恋人 】 ⛦

summ✩ry While collabing with your girl group and Enhypen for a special stage, forbidden feelings spark between you and the main dancer upon dorming together

p✩iring idol!niki x popstar!reader ✩ requested ✩

-> PART 2 HERE

genre band au, fluff, secret romance cw swearing, mild bullying, the word ‘sexy’ like once, kissing, girl drama, reader is younger than Niki wc 4.4k

“Ugh,” Serenity groaned as the hairstylist applied yet another thick layer of chocolate brown hair dye to her scalp.

“This gig better bring in some serious bank, because never in my life would I willingly collab with those overrated wannabes,” she exclaimed, taking a frustrated sip from her vanilla latte.

“Hey, people used to call us wannabe's, too, you know,” Haerin said quietly as she tucked her hands under the UV light.

“Yeah, you should be more mature about this, Serenity... like I always say, professionalism triumphs pride," you added, only half-engaged in the conversation as a certain online article caught your attention.

As the band leader, you were always in charge of everything, so Serenity and Haerin were used to you talking to them this way...

“I’m just glad that we're getting exposure,” Haerin smiled, thinking of the countless nights you and your group spent practicing routines and writing songs for auditions, "it's not often that artists like us get opportunity's to perform internationally."

“For real,” Serenity cheered, “Riot Grrlz for the win!”

The three of you put your hands out to make a circle, “Riot Grrlz for life,” Haerin exclaimed, forgetting that her nails hadn't fully dried yet.

"Whoops," she giggled, just as Jade, the oldest of your group, made her way from the bathroom.

“What took you so long in there?” Serenity asked cheekily, “I thought we were gonna have to call the fire department.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Jade returned, taking a seat beside Haerin so she could get her nails done, too.

“You were talking to the enemy, weren’t you,” Serenity accused.

“No, Ren, I didn’t go behind your back and sell my soul to the devil for fame.”

“Not that enemy,” Serenity grinned, “I'm talking about Mr. Six Foot Moon Eyes.”

“Oooooo,” Haerin amused, pulling your attention away from your phone.

“Ugh, let it up guys. My crush on Sunghoon is long gone, especially now that we’re gonna be working together. Besides, I would never act so recklessly over romance.”

“Who said anything about reckless romance,” you teased, unintentionally giving Jade a full view of the article your were reading on your phone.

"Nobody,” she began, “but I’m surprised you even heard that over all your internet-stalking.”

You were scrolling through a K-Pop news feed when you came across a post.

It was titled: "Enhypen Rumored By Netizens To Be Collabing With THIS Rookie Western Girl Group."

"Shush," you whisper-yelled at Jade, "unless you’re trying to get our record deals pulled!"

Just last week, your management team made you and your group sign a contract of secrecy, swearing silence regarding unpublicized business projects and associations: this included your upcoming collab with Enhypen that Jade nearly just spoiled.

Although, in all honesty, the blog's use of the word "rookie" bothered you more than potentially breaking any contract rules.

"Relax, boss, it's practically a ghost town in here," Jade defended, drawing your attention to the near vacant salon space.

Ding.

It was an email from your manager.

He wanted to inform you all that your chauffeur would be ready around 2:45am to bring you guys to the airport.

"Jeez," you mumbled to yourself, "looks like I'm not getting much sleep tonight."

“Shit,” Serenity whined, “I haven’t even made enough time to brush up on my Korean yet!”

“Luckily me and Haerin here are bilingual baddies,” Jade giggled, giving the cat-eyed girl a fist punch.

“Ahh, watch my nails!!”

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Your company's fashion crew was experimenting with different concepts, assigning each of your members an individual color to permanently represent: Serenity was teal, Jade was purple, Haerin was white, and you were pink.

Some time passed, an you and your group arrived in South Korea around 3:00pm.

Thanks to the fashion tech your management team hired, it wasn't obvious that you and the girls had been in and out of sleep for the past 13 hours.

You couldn't help but stalk the headlines about your group, as rumors about your Enhypen collab continued to spread like wildfire.

So much for swearing silence and secrecy, you thought to yourself.

South Korean pop media had already seemed to build a vendetta against your group, given that you were young, talented, and most importantly, from the states. The xenophobia of most K-netizens was disheartening at best, but you understood that hate was a part of success.

Besides, you were living the dream of many engenes at the moment — most of them would sell their siblings to be in your shoes right now.

“Ahh! This is unreal!!” Jade cheered excitedly in the back of the limousine. You guys had just left the airport around thirty minutes ago, after getting past the pesky crowd of paparazzi.

“I know right? Korean McNuggets slap way harder than back home,” Haerin added while munching on the salty snack.

“Don't get too comfy, Rinnie. We will leave you here,” Serenity joked.

You hadn't even realized the radio was playing until a certain guitar riff blared from the ceiling speakers.

"Oh hell no," Serenity immediately cringed, covering her ears as you, Jade, and Haerin exchanged knowing look, bringing imaginary microphones to your mouths in unison.

It was Enhypen's song Blessed-Cursed, Jay’s voice singing "We go!" over the radio.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, GO!!" The three of you cheered, obnoxiously dancing to the choreo while sitting.

Memories of your group (minus Serenity) binge watching music videos at sleepovers resurfaced in your mind.

Usually, you'd only listen to throwback hits like Britney Spears or Rihanna, mostly because Rnb and Pop beats inspired your own art.

Still and all, Blessed-Cursed was one video that the three of you fell in love, way before your upcoming collab was even a thought.

"Don't get mad when I start recording you clowns," Serenity threatened, thoroughly amused by your behavior.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Upon arriving outside the Hybe Building, a trio of body guards guided you and your girls to an office room where the seven boys stood awkwardly around a large table.

Part of you still couldn't believe this was all actually happening, despite it being right in front of you.

“Hello! We are Enhypen,” Jungwon bowed as the guards exited the room.

Jay visibly cringed at his leaders words, “I promise we were told to introduce ourselves like that. Please don’t judge us.”

“Well, uhm… H-hi,” you stuttered, feeling a bit nervous, “We are the Riot Grrlz. It’s a pleasure being able to work with you all.”

Niki, the tallest of the boys, caught your attention immediately as he greeted you with a peace sign.

Was he always this cute?, you thought to yourself.

That’s when a lady dressed in all black barged through the glass door on the other side of the room.

“Sorry to interrupt… well, not really. Me and the Enhypen boys are already well familiar with each other, but you ladies can call me Kim,” she greeted, waltzing into the office as if owning the place.

She was a fast talker, so you knew you’d have to pay attention to what she was saying or else you might miss something.

“I hope you made use of each others time and gathered everyone’s names? Phone numbers?”

”We were just in the middle of that before you came in, Miss Kim,” Sunoo clarified.

“Very well then. You have a total of 15 minutes to lock in dorming arrangements. As you’ll see on this clipboard here…”

She paused mid-sentence, holding the clipboard dumbly.

“God, can one of you take this thing already?”

“Oh- sorry,” Heeseung chuckled nervously, taking the clipboard from the fiery woman.

“As I was saying, there are four rooms for the eleven of you to somehow divide. And no, just because you’re all hormonal young adults, none of you get a free pass to break the no-dating rule.”

“No-dating rule? What is this, a detention center,” Serenity mumbled.

Kim cleared her throat, feigning a smile as she glared at Serenity with narrowed eyes, “This is a place of utmost professionalism, Princess Land of The Free. If you have a problem adhering to the rules in place here, you are more than welcome to leave.”

“A-and after that? The fifteen minutes, I mean,” Haerin blurted out shyly.

“All of you will meet back in the main lobby, where you will be guided accordingly.”

Miss Kim turned of her black boots, beelining to the door with powerful strides, “The timer starts now” she called out, closing the door behind her.

And with that began your group discussion of rooming arrangements. Unfortunately, though, things didn’t get off to a particularly nice start.

“Are you effing kidding me?” Serenity asked rudely, screwing her eyes toward a now annoyed Heeseung, “Why can't we just get separate hotel rooms?!?”

“Look, there's no perfect way to go about this," he sighed, crossing out the roommate pairs you all had just agreed on. "So you either humble yourself, or sleep in the bathtub for the next two weeks."

“Really guys, the math is simple,” Jake started, “There’s eleven of us and only four rooms to choose from. Nine of us will be divided in groups of three, and the remaining two will share the last room together.”

"Cool! Me, ____, and Jade can share the first room together!" Haerin obliged with a smile.

"Perfect, and where will I go?" Serenity questioned, mocking Haerin's excitement.

"The bathtub, right?" Jay teased, provoking Serenity to argue with him.

Meanwhile, you attempted to make peace with everyone willing to listen, “Guys, I agree with Jake. We need to make a decision quickly before Kim gets back.”

“Right. Everyone in favor of room number 1, provide a show of hands,” Heeseung said, Jay and Jake raising their hands with him.

"And for room 2?" Jungwon initiated, raising his hand with Jade and Haerin.

A pout formed on Jade's face once she realized that Sunghoon wasn't in the same pair as her.

"3's the magic number, I guess…" Sunghoon offered, Serenity raising her hand with him.

Now it was just you, Sunoo, and Niki remaining.

"I'll group with 3, too. All of our name's start with "S," so it just makes sense that way," Sunoo joined shyly.

"Welp, now that leaves the final room for me and..."

"Me..." Niki spoke with a deep voice, flashing a mysterious half-smile-half-smirk that you knew would haunt your mind later.

"Me and me... the odd one's out! Wow, that's actually perfect!" Jake cheered just as the lady in black strut back in.

“Times up,” she said, taking the clipboard from Heeseung to analyze the finalized dorming plans.

“Hmm, interesting,” she mumbled to herself, tucking the clipboard under her arm.

You all made your way down to the main lobby, just as Kim instructed.

One of the security guards mentioned that Hybe suggested a dinner outing for your group and Enhypen as a way to end the night before you started work the next day… or maybe it was mostly a way to officially confirm the rumors about your collab.

Upon arriving, everyone sat at separate tables, divided according to who they agreed to room with.

Although Niki seemed quiet at first, you and him were giggling the babies the entire time you ate.

“Poor Jungwon. He’s gonna be sandwiched between Jade and Haerin for the next two weeks, his biggest fans,” you joked.

“Nah, Sunghoon and Sunoo have it way worse. Serenity’s attitude is enough to send me running,” Niki chuckled, shaking his head.

"Speaking of running, how come you were appointed leader over your group even though you’re a baby," Niki teased.

"Not you baby-shaming me! I was born in 06', you've barely got any experience on me."

"I've had an entire YEAR to catch up on things, for your information."

"Things like what? Potty training?"

"Pfft, probably..." he replied, going quiet for a second before continuing, "If you ever need help, though, I don’t mind practicing with you after hours.”

"Sounds like fun, but that might be past my bedtime," you pouted playfully, taking one of the fries off his plate.

"Hmm."

"Hmm what?"

"Nothing, I just didn't take you as the type to follow rules," he smirked, taking a sip from his soda.

"I guess it depends on what rules we're breaking. Whether it’s worth it or not."

"So rule breaking is a “we” thing now, huh?"

"Probably..." you smiled, the cool breeze of the foreign air sending shivers down your spine.

Or maybe that had something to do with Niki?

Before you knew it, it was time to head back to your dorms for the night. You knew rehearsals in South Korea were taken a lot more seriously than where you're from, so you needed all the rest you could get.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Day one was easy.

The main focus was recording voice samples in the studio, experimenting with different harmonies, and training your vocals as needed.

Now you were on day two, which started with a quick vocal session, leading into the dance rehearsal warm-up right after. After stretching, the studio was split in half, girls taking the left side and boys taking the right.

You all wore numbers on your back. This way, there wouldn’t be any confusion when any of your were being called.

Niki was assigned number eleven, and you had number one.

According to Jake, the numbers were disseminated based on skill level, and out of the 11 of you, that made Niki first place… and you the very last.

As rehearsals went on, your placement was proving to be true.

You were struggling to keep up with the choreography and it was really starting to bug you.

"Are you feeling okay," Niki asked as you sighed for what sounded like the hundredth time.

"Yea, I'm fine, it’s just this footwork is a bit tricky," you admitted.

“Aww, the smallest number for our most inexperienced contributor,” Serenity teased, making a pass at both your age and inability to get this one move right.

“I may be the youngest out of all of us, but I was appointed head over our group for a reason,” you snapped back.

“Yea… and it still shocks me to this day,” she mumbled, Jade and Haerin pausing to listen now.

You scoffed at her ignorance, putting your hands on your hips, “As if you could lead the Riot Grrlz any better.”

Serenity gave you a look that made you wanna drop here right there in front of everyone.

You never understood why she always had an attitude over the simplest things, and given the current work setting, your tolerance for her bull crap was at an all time low.

“Right, the Riot Grrlz. “Rookie Western Girl Group,” huh? And you expect me to be proud of that?”

“With pride of lionesses, of course,” Jade pitched in, leaning down to fasten her shoelaces.

“We should really keep working on our routine, guys,” Haerin mumbled quietly, causing the raging brunette diva to roll her eyes.

Meanwhile, the boys seemed to be getting along rather well with their part of the routine, completely blind to the chaos brewing at their left.

And by the boys, I mean all of them except Niki and Jake, who were both too distracted by your girl drama.

Way to go embarrassing myself again, you thought to yourself

“You’re new to this sort of training, aren’t you,” Jake asked curiously.

“What, did my shitty dance moves give it away?”

You know it wasn’t Jake’s fault, but you were started to doubt your abilities as an artist and performer.

Even Serenity felt as though you were letting your group down.

“You’re not a shitty dancer, ____,” Niki answered, walking closer to you.

“Yeah, Niki’s right. You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Jake added.

“Exactly! Just focus on your strengths,” Serenity pitched in, “your vocals, for example. You might ruin the dance routine, but at least you’ll save all the high notes with Heeseung.”

It was clear that you and Niki were equally fed up with Serenity’s toxicity.

“Okay, can everybody clear out for a moment," Niki clapped, causing everyone to back up against the walls almost instantly.

He pulled you by the hand, turning you to face him as he called out to Sunoo, "Put on a random dance track, real quick. Something upbeat, please."

“Gotcha!”

Turning back to you, Niki took your chin in his hand, making your eyes meet his. “Just follow my lead, okay?” He whispered, taking off the bracelet he wore before sliding it on your wrist, “Do you trust me?”

“Niki...” you started, not sure of what he was trying to do.

“I need you to feel the music, ____. Let it control you," he said, stepping away as a short remix of "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls blared from the radio.

You could hear an amused Serenity and Sunghoon chuckle a bit at Sunoo’s choice of song, but Niki remained serious.

His gaze met the ground before he started freestyling to the song, letting his mind and body get used to the rhythm as he flowed to the beat. You stood awkwardly beside him, not feeling up to dance at the moment.

He caught sight of you standing and nudged your shoulder, "Loosen up, ____," he smiled, finally starting to feel the song himself.

You started by mirroring his movements at first, adding a few steps to make it fit your own style more.

"See? Now you're getting it," he encouraged again, pulling you toward him so you could dance together.

Your friends and the boys cheered you and Niki on while you two danced as if choreographed.

The track ended with Niki's had on your waist, both of your chests heaving from all the action.

Haerin's jaw dropped as she struggled to find the right words or any words to say, “That was…”

“Sexy!” Heeseung smirked while playfully fanning himself, making Niki turn his face in embarrassment.

You could feel your own face getting hot now, too, especially with everyone staring.

"Relax, Rinnie, you're acting like you've never seen a guy dance with a girl before," Jade chuckled.

"N-not... n-never like THAT,” Haerin said with a shocked face, “____, you're amazing!"

"Thanks," you smiled shyly, eyes falling back the bracelet Niki put around your wrist.

"Keep it... it's a good luck charm," he replied softly.

"Alright, alright. You guys can loosen up each other's buttons on your own time," Serenity snapped, interrupting everyone's gawking.

"Right... On second thought, it’s time for our break," Jay called, handing you and Niki a rag for your sweat.

"Great job, you guys. See you in 20," Jungwon added.

"Come on, girls," you chirped, picking up your gym bag as you took a sip from your water jug, heading towards the studio exit.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The rest of the day continued according to your work schedule. One vocal practice followed the other as the initially difficult routine felt more natural with each retake.

You also made a stop by Hybe's fashion team, getting your measurements taken so they could design your outfit for the upcoming stage.

Although this was a work trip, you were having a blast in Korea so far. You liked getting to work with the new people and trying different foods. You especially liked being roomies with Niki.

He was super talented, chill, yet flirty at the same time.

No wonder his fans go so crazy over him, you thought to yourself.

“Hey, ____,” Niki called out, jogging to catch up as you made your way from the dance studio after going back to get the pair of headphones you forgot near the water cooler.

“I wanna show you something…,” he announced, “Well, a thing I like to do.”

“Mhm, and what’s that?” You asked playfully.

He chuckled, “Just a thing that I can’t get away with while in idol mode. My secret escape... Are you interested?”

You meditated on his words before answering, considering the early curfew outlined by both your managers, and how it was already 8:00 at night, “It’s getting pretty late, you know… Is it gonna take long?”

He giggled again, this time leaning into you. “Only if you’re indecisive.”

The sounds of your sneakers tapping against the shiny tiled floors bounced off the hallway walls.

Like you said, girls would sell souls to be in your shoes right now: there’s no way you were gonna pass up on a chance to hang out with Niki…

A chance to explore this reckless romance.

“Ok, let’s go, but we have to be back by midnight,” you agreed.

“Ok, Cinderella. We’re not too far from where I wanna show you,” he beamed, fighting the urge to hold your hand as you followed him out of the Hybe Building, clashing into the night.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The place was reminiscent of a skate park, graffitied ramp-like walls cupping you and Niki in the surface of the arena.

There were a few other people present, but they seemed more wrapped up in their own little worlds to even look your way…

The moon shined behind the thin clouds of the sky, basking you and Niki’s skin with an ethereal glow.

“This is it!” He gestured with open arms, “my secret escape.”

You tucked your hands in your pockets as it was a bit cold out, “A shared secret place?” You corrected, pointing out the tiny groups of people hanging around.

Niki pushed the hoodie from over his head, revealing his two-toned mane, “I guess you could say that… they’re all idols, here. Just like me. They get why I do this.”

“Why you do what,” you inquired, stepping over a few random rocks that decorated the path.

“Why I dance,” he answered almost immediately, looking you in the eyes, “for myself.”

He took a few steps away from you, swaying to the music that rippled from one of the mystery people’s carry-radios.

Like earlier, you mirrored his moves at first, adding your own adjustments based on intuition.

Feeling.

You had so many more questions to ask, but in this moment, you focused on Niki and the way he moved.

The small groups of people developed into a crowd within a matter of seconds, joining you and Niki along with the music.

Although everyone was doing their own thing, in a strange way if felt harmonious.

Some people danced calmly, others were more wild. Either way, you were starting to understand what Niki meant.

Being able to express yourself away from prying eyes, scornful comments, flashing cameras, or a number 1 sign on your back was invigorating.

The music was still going when Niki grabbed your hand and pulled you to the side, a soft look taking over his features.

“Kiss me,” he whispered, staring into your eyes.

“W-what?”

“I just need to know that what I’m feeling right now is real.”

You took his face in your hands, trying to make yourself feel more in control of the situation, “Niki, I don’t think we should do this. Your manager outlined pretty strict rules.”

He paused before responding, “Remember what you said at the restaurant the first day we met?”

His grip on your hands remained delicate despite how strongly he felt for you.

“About us breaking rules together… only if it’s worth it.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, leaning in, “I knew they didn’t call you a riot girl for nothing.”

His lips connecting with yours like a puzzle piece, both your hearts fluttering as if they’d grown butterfly wings.

You felt like your world was spinning at twice its original speed, but at the same time, the moment felt still.

Niki tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he braced a hand at your waist, pulling you closer before finally letting go.

“I like you, ____. Like, a lot,” he confessed, taking in the dreamy expression displayed on your face.

Your mind went blank.

“Say something? Please,” he urged, taking your hands in his.

A smile wavered over your features as you kissed him back on the lips, feeling as though you both stopped breathing for a moment.

“I like you too, Niki. But isn’t this pretty risky?”

“You said so yourself, risks don’t count if it’s worth it,” he nearly whispered.

“Well,” you began, still holding onto him, “if we’re gonna do this, it has to stay between us… no one else can find out.”

And just like that, you were now secretly dating your roommate / coworker / Enhypen’s main dancer and maknae / one of K-pop’s most sought after It-Boy’s, all in a three days.

Great.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

You and Niki made it back to you dorm rooms undetected. It seemed like everyone else was either too tired or too busy to notice that you two were out for so long.

Unlocking the door to as quietly as possible, you and Niki took light steps, trying not to disturb anyone or draw attention to yourselves.

Once the door was closed, you both bust out in a fit of laughter for reasons you didn’t understand nor cared to understand.

You didn’t need a reason laugh when Niki was around… it’s kind of just something that started to happen over the last couple days.

“What’s your secret to performing so well?” You asked him, both laying face-up on the lower bunk bed together.

“Hmm, I feel like nervousness is a strength. It pushes you to go forward in a sense…”

“Yeah… I get that. Sometimes, I feel like being calm is dangerous. It puts you in a safe space, when performing should be all about taking chances.”

“Right,” he agreed, resting a hand over his stomach, “Speaking of chances, they’re precious, you know? I never just assume I’ll get another opportunity to dance.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Like…” he sighed, trying to find the right words, “Every time I get on stage… in front of those lights… in front of my fans… I perform-”

“As if it���s your last…” you answered for him.

“Yeah, that,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “You know, it’s really nice talking to someone who gets me… the dancer part of me.”

“Of course, it’s really nice talking to you, too, Niki,” you smiled softly.

Breaking the calmness of the moment, he sat up in his elbows, meeting your face.

“Top or bottom?” He asked, referring to where you wanted to sleep for the night.

You crawled over his body, climbing into the upper bunk of the bed and laying down to finally rest.

“Good night, number 11,” you teased, snuggling into the mattress.

“Rest well, number 1. Big day tomorrow.”

🎙️ For my baby, @microwvdstrawb3rri3s, I hope it was worth the wait ~ And yes, before you ask, there will be a second part 💕

⛦ Additional tags for my fellow Niki enthusiasts: @fanficfactoryfoxxx @nikisblkgf @yourmomscuntis2tighy @nikimeows @kimjiho1 @nikipedia07 @nishimuradaniel

🎙️ Feel free to check out more fun reads on the pinned post at my home page ~

@ashgonedash, I still felt bad about forgetting to tag you earlier 👑 so here you go, my love :3

Update: THANK YOU ALL SM FOR 400 NOTES!!

[inoreuct]

zosan with abba's super trouper.

is this essentially a pop star au? yes. bear with me anyway.

so the entire vinsmoke family are pop stars and they're perfect in the public eye but actually toxic as HELL, and sanji's sick and tired of it— so he breaks away from them and joins another agency, and zoro's assigned as his bodyguard.

they fight SO MUCH at first. i'm talking screaming and yelling and throwing things across the room (mostly sanji) and being stubborn and straight-up refusing to talk after a certain point (also mostly sanji) and then apologising with food and gifts and not words (mostly, well, both of them). they're like flint and steel; putting them together is just asking for trouble, but the years pass, and somehow through the endless bickering they end up best friends. who would've thought? their sharp edges have softened just enough and they're both too old and too tired and too busy to have cold wars anymore. they know more about each other than perhaps anyone else, and they care.

(they're also both in love and refuse to admit it. idiots.)

and then sanji goes on tour, and zoro has to leave for a training refresher course thing, and sanji's MISERABLE. luffy's with him as a bodyguard instead and it's fine, he's great, sanji loves him— just not the way he loves zoro. he feels fucking homesick in a way he never has because he's never really had a proper home and he knows, he knows it's because zoro isn't here with him. sanji turns around to tell him something and is met with empty air. he keeps trying to order double portions of food and booze before he catches himself and maybe he's being dramatic, but it feels like he's missing a fucking limb.

nami, his manager, has to yell at him to stop moping because all he's doing is eating chocolate and binging french soap operas in his hotel room and huddling up in the big leather jacket that zoro left behind. he just wants to get back to his tiny apartment and curl up on his shitty couch to eat pizza and watch Mean Girls for the hundredth time as zoro complains and gets invested in the drama all over again anyway.

he's nearly dead on his feet as finishes yet another exhausting show, trying to take comfort in the fact that it's his second last; his shoes are kicked off to the corner, his makeup barely removed, and just when he's about to turn in for the night his phone rings and when he sees the caller ID he SCRAMBLES to pick up.

"hey," zoro says, low and rumbly and so achingly familiar that sanji doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice," he breathes, and he means it. he means it more than he even knew he did and it hits him all at once as soon as the words leave his mouth. he misses his best friend, no matter everything else that zoro is to him.

zoro's chuckle is a balm to his soul. "i'm coming to see you tomorrow."

sanji sits bolt upright from where he'd been laid back against the pillows, eyes going wide. "are you serious?" he can't help the hope and excitement that unspools in his gut, the warm rush in his blood as zoro laughs.

"yeah. i'm done with the course. speedran the fucking thing and scored so well they had no choice but to let me go. couldn't miss the last chance i had to see you on tour, could i?" sanji can hear his grin through the phone. "i'm flying in tomorrow morning."

"i'll come pick you up from the airport."

"like hell you will," zoro retorts immediately. "you have a press conference at ten."

shit, he'd forgotten about that. "how'd you know, huh?" sanji counters, faux-petty and reclining back against his plush bedding. god, if there was one good thing about being on tour, it was the fancy hotels.

"been talking to nami," comes the reply, amused and teasing, and sanji groans. "what's this i hear about you acting like a widowed husband?"

"you fucking wish, you moron," he snaps, curling up on his side and hugging a pillow to his chest. the bed is awfully big and awfully cold.

zoro sighs, and there's the sound of something zipping up briskly. "missed you too, curls. look, listen— i gotta get to the airport. see you tomorrow night?"

"...yeah," sanji says, because there's so much he wants to tell zoro and no idea how. he doesn't know where he'd start. he doesn't even know what he wants to say. "yeah, i'll see you. you'll be in the crowd, right?"

"mhm," zoro confirms, accompanied by what sounds like the chirp of an electronic lock. "you just sit tight, curly. i'm coming home."

they exchange a few more words before the line cuts off, but sanji's mind is stuck on three specific words and the possible space for three more after. i'm coming home. but he isn't home right now; he's in a foreign country, in a bed that isn't his, and zoro's flying to him. this isn't home to either of them. unless... and that silence afterwards, like zoro had wanted to say something that would have fit right in. something that would have been a natural end to that string of syllables.

sanji takes a deep breath and does his best to push all thoughts of i love you, spoken or not, to the back of his mind.

still, he can't help but let it all boost him up like a buoy bobbing merrily on the sea. one call from zoro, one short conversation, and he's fucking effervescent; he wakes up smiling and breezes through the press conference with effortless charm. he's bouncing on the toes of his heeled boots even before he steps onto the stage, thrilled by the thought of zoro being in the audience. thousands of eyes on him, thousands of people screaming his name, and he only cares about one. he takes a deep breath as the lights change and the platform he's on begins to rise, fingers tightening around his mic. it's his last night here. he's doing it all for zoro.

it turns out to be the best performance of his life, if he does say so himself. he powers through the entire two hours with ease and hits every note perfectly. he enjoys himself for the first time in a long time, soaks up the glitter and glamour and blinding lights, lets the atmosphere wrap him up and tousle his hair, and he wonders just how it's possible that one person's presence could change so much.

(he doesn't need to wonder. he already knows.)

when he says his final goodbyes for the night he's breathless, heart pounding, anticipatory. the hands patting at his back in congratulation backstage are superficial compared to who he knows is here, and he spares nami a few seconds for a rare squeeze, pausing for a few more when she whispers i'm proud of you in his ear.

and then sanji sees him, and nothing, nothing else fucking matters.

he sprints forward and they crash together and something slams into place inside of him. zoro sweeps him off his feet, squeezing him tight enough that he laughs, bright and merry and real as they spin around and around and he's so dizzy when he's set back down, light-headed and his heart full. he doesn't care where he is, he's home.

zoro takes his weight as easily as anything, tucking sanji to his chest. "god, fuck, you were amazing up there," he says breathlessly, the words pressed into sanji's bejewelled hair. "you were incredible."

the words rumble through his chest and sanji clings tighter, holding zoro desperately around the waist and taking in deep lungfuls of laundry detergent and the fancy pine-and-sandalwood body wash he'd given zoro for christmas. "you're here."

"'course i am," zoro replies, matter-of-fact. "said i'd be here, so i'm here."

his earrings press against sanji's cheek. "can we go get pizza?" he asks meekly.

zoro's answering laugh pours into the horrible aching pit that's been gnawing away at him, fills it up with liquid sunlight as he answers, "we can do whatever the hell you want."

they get pizza. sanji lets zoro pull him around town swearing at the Google Maps on his phone before he finally takes pity and steers them towards the little pizzeria he'd found when he'd snuck out with luffy on their first night here. the tongue-lashing from nami had been worth it, but even so the experience back then had been dull. muted, at best.

now it's like he's seeing the whole world through a whole different lens; the fluorescent sign in the window beams charmingly as the bell above the door chimes, and sanji doesn't even care about the raised eyebrow zoro gives him when he wiggles into the booth seat with undisguised glee. between them they put away a large four-cheese pizza and a frankly massive slice of apple pie à la mode, and sanji's feeling pleasantly stuffed as he finishes up his vanilla milkshake and successfully fends zoro off from stealing sips when he isn't looking. he has plenty of experience with that, after all.

the walk back is filled with comfortable silence. sanji doesn't need anything else— zoro here with him is more than he could ask for. scary dog privilege aside, the man next to him is sanji's best friend, and he loves zoro more than he can, or will, ever say.

zoro drops him off at his room and hugs him goodnight. sanji strips down, blasts the shower as hot as it can go, and scrubs the gel out of his hair along with any of the remaining dregs of emptiness he resolutely tells himself are not there right down the drain.

it can't stop him from thinking, though. of zoro. of compression shirts and cargo pants and worn black boots. of the nights zoro had taught him self-defense and the time sanji nearly broken his jaw with a roundhouse kick neither of them had known he was capable of; the other had grinned up with him with blood all over his teeth, proud and raring to go, barking again! and sanji had glowed. his mind swims with it all even as he towels off and slips into his silk pyjamas— memories of late-night talks with wine and beer, sometimes tea, quips all around, beds shared back-to-back under unspoken agreements when neither of them wanted to sleep alone.

three knocks sound on his door.

sanji hates the way he rushes to the peephole and yanks it open as soon as he confirms who it is. zoro stands there, one hand on the back of his neck, looking bored yet unsettled in his baggy tee with his damp hair sticking up everywhere. "jetlag?" sanji asks, raising an eyebrow as zoro grunts.

"you could say that."

he steps aside in a silent invitation, and zoro looks around as he goes in. sanji topples onto the bed with a sigh of relief and crawls under the blankets, patting the space beside him as he switches on the television. "mean girls?"

"god, i fucking hate you," zoro groans, but he settles in anyways, and sanji grins triumphantly.

it's still not his apartment or his shitty couch— but zoro's here, so it's the next best thing.

they make it through the movie without incident. zoro parrots the dialogue and cheers when regina gets hit by the bus like he does without fail every time. sanji knees him in the thigh for it with a scowl like he always does and it starts a fierce kicking battle under the sheets that results in zoro dangling half off the mattress and sanji laughing so hard he can't breathe.

when they've mostly calmed down, sanji sighs out one final chuckle and sinks back into the pillows. "think you can fall asleep now?" he murmurs, turning to look at where zoro has his head propped in one hand.

"maybe," the other allows, and sanji swallows before he smiles.

"goodnight, marimo."

"goodnight."

the flick of the light switch feels like finality. in regards to what, sanji doesn't know, but now that they're in the darkness and zoro begins to get comfortable behind him he cannot deny that he wants.

he wants those arms around him. wants to sleep even better than he does when they're back to back, wants to fit within the circle of zoro's embrace like he belongs there. wants to belong there. wants zoro as his best friend and everything more. it manifests as a tight ache in the centre of his chest, a knot around his heart that he knows he cannot untangle by himself. sanji curls up into a ball and hugs a pillow to his chest, biting his lip— because zoro is right next to him instead of thousands of miles away, and he's still untouchable all the same.

he's on the cusp of restless sleep when he feels zoro shift, and he prays that the hitch in his breath is unnoticeable. he forces the rise and fall of his chest to stay even as the blankets are smoothed securely around his shoulders, a callused palm brushing his hair away from his face; a soft kiss is pressed to his forehead, a hand cupping his face tenderly and trailing away with the brush of a thumb over his cheekbone. "sweet dreams, curls," zoro whispers, before light cracks in from the hallway as his room door opens and shuts.

the electronic lock beeps, and sanji's eyes fly open. the white ceiling swims as he stares at it, unseeing, and the sheets on the right side of the bed are still warm. there's an indent where zoro's body was and sanji gasps as he drags himself into it, huddling down and pulling the covers over his head until all he can smell is zoro.

his heart stutters, mind racing, fingers tightening in the plush duvet. he's confused, so confused. hopeful. a little mad, if he's being honest, and his next breath trembles out of his lungs. mostly still confused, though, because what the fuck did that mean?

he'll find out, he swears. he will. he'll storm his way to zoro's room and break the damn door down if he has to. but for now, if he hides for a little while until he stops feeling like he's about to cry—

well, that's a secret for his hotel room to keep.

[pedrito-friskito]

// track 1 - fortnight //

-> welcome officially to TTWD! (kay’s version). first on our track list is some sweet, smutty lovin’ from my favourite lover boy, marcus pike🤍

word count: 2.5k

warnings: drinking, meet-cute, unprotected p-in-v (wrap it before u tap it), marcus is a pleasure dom we all know this, kay knows nothing about the FBI LOL

Marcus has always hated paperwork. Finds it tedious, though he knows it’s necessary, but he loathes it, much preferring to celebrate a job well done than to rehash his assignment alone in his office.

It’s that exact hatred that had him sneaking out of the building, heading in the direction of the bar not far from his temporary workplace, one he’d visited earlier in the week with a few friends.

He’s only here for a few weeks, two to be exact. And with the way things are going, he has a feeling he’ll be heading back to Washington earlier than anticipated. He doesn’t mind the travel, it’s always been a perk of the job, though he knows it’s probably part of the reason he has yet to settle down.

After the fiasco in Austin with Robin, he’d sworn off dating for a while. Washington was a fresh start in every sense, but no sooner had he unpacked his bag, they were sending him to Maine on a job, then to Seattle, then Colorado, then Tulsa, the list went on and on. For a stretch of at least four months, he hadn’t even set foot in his apartment, living out of a bag and becoming far too accustomed to sleeping on those godawful chairs in the airport.

Seattle had been a highlight, however.

You were the commanding officer of your division, as much of an art geek as Marcus, and damn good at your job. Marcus had fallen easily into step beside you, and his week-long visit was shorted to a weekend after your success, but he found himself lingering, hesitant to tell his own CO that the job was done. He knew the news would make its way up the flagpole regardless, but he wanted to stay.

Wanted to know you better.

You let him, the pair of you starting with a dinner that was so full of conversation that you didn’t realize the place was closing until your polite-as-hell waiter gently suggested you head across the street to a 24-hour diner with the best cup of coffee in the city. You’d headed over, Marcus holding an umbrella over you both against the sudden downpour.

He lost count of the cups of coffee, enraptured by the way your hand kept inching closer to his on the tabletop, how your gaze flickered between his mouth and his eyes. On a whim, he reached out, curling his fingers around yours and rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.

The rain outside had thinned to a drizzle, and he leaned across the table. “You wanna get out of here?”

It was you who ended up taking him home, to the small house near the coast you called home. “Much nicer than whatever hotel they have you in, I can guarantee,” you commented as you fumbled with the lock.

The moment you were over the threshold, he had your face in his hands and was brushing his mouth over yours, the taste of coffee lingering on both your tongues, Marcus stepping forward so you would step back, until your shoulders hit the wall and he could press himself against you.

You took him to bed, and called in the next day, more content to spend the day with him. You didn’t leave the bedroom much, and the week progressed like that, wrapped up in sex and conversation and coffee, until Marcus’s phone rang and the bubble popped.

“We need you in Colorado. Your flight leaves in four hours.”

He saw it move through your face, then you shrugged and said, “It’s the job. I get it.”

He didn’t want to leave. But he had to. You said over and over that you understood, and when he asked if you could stay in touch, that maybe this could work, your eyes clouded.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Marcus.”

Crushed, he got himself drunk in the airport bar, and by morning, he had a new assignment, and knew he had to put you behind him.

Fate, however, seems to have another plan in mind.

Stepping into the bar, he sighs, heading toward the same stool he’d occupied a few nights ago, when a familiar face catches his eye. His heart stutters in his chest as he reaches his seat, letting his suit jacket slide off his shoulders.

Your hair is shorter than he remembers — maybe a trim, maybe his mind is playing tricks on him — but the rest is the same. Better, somehow, like a restored painting in his mind as he drinks you in again like it’s the first time. Perched at the bar, your fingers curled around a glass, one heeled foot floating in the air. 

He recognizes those heels. He took you out for dinner another night in Seattle, and when you got home that night, he told you to keep them on. And you did. He felt the marks in his back for weeks, but it was worth it.

He orders a scotch, knowing he’s going to need more than a little courage. But how is he going to play this? What’s the best way to—

“Marcus?”

You’ve made the decision for him, your excited gaze meeting his across the few stools separating you. There’s a light in your eyes he remembers, knows you’ve probably had more than one drink, and that your next will be water. You had a system, he remembers you telling him.

The bartender slides him his drink, and Marcus takes it over to where you’re sitting, sinking into the stool beside you. “Fancy meeting you here.”

You grin wider. “Of all the gin joints in all the world…”

His heart does that stuttering thing again. “You finally watched Casablanca?”

“I did,” you reply, nodding, looking up at him through your lashes. “Cried like a baby.”

“Told you.” Tossing back some of his scotch, he signals the bartender to bring you a water. “I can’t believe it.”

You’re still smiling, your head cocked slightly to the side. “You know, I had the strangest feeling I was going to run into you? It sounds insane, I’m sure.”

“Not insane,” he shakes his head, setting his glass down inches from yours. If he straightened his fingers, he could brush the tips along yours. “I’m calling it fate.”

“Fate?”

He nods, taking a healthy sip of his drink. Liquid courage. “I’ve been wanting to call you since I left Seattle.”

You scoff. “It’s been three months, Marcus.”

He leans forward, contemplating putting his hand on your knee but thinking better of it. “I know, and I feel awful. I just…didn’t know what to say. When I left, it didn’t exactly sound like you wanted to hear from me again.”

“I didn’t,” you say bluntly, sipping your drink and mumbling thank you as the bartender brings you your water. “It wasn’t going to work; we both knew that.”

“And yet, here we are.”

You sigh, shaking your head. “Fate, huh?”

The corner of his mouth tugs up. “Or something like it. I’ve missed you. A week wasn’t nearly long enough.”

Your gaze meets his and lingers, flickering between his mouth and his eyes. “How long are you in town for?”

“Two weeks,” he answers. “Maybe less. I’m on assignment, but I plan to stay right through. Been slacking on my paperwork. Then once I get back to Washington, I’m hoping to stay in one spot for a while. What about you?”

“Two weeks,” you echo, and he grins.

“Fate, I tell you.”

“We shouldn’t do this again,�� you say, leaning back slightly, your brow pinching. “Rekindle what we had just to have it pulled away again? It isn’t fair, Marcus.”

Defeat sinks onto him like a weighted blanket around his shoulders, and he tosses back the rest of his drink, the glass feeling like lead in his hand. “You’re right, it’s not—”

“We shouldn’t,” you cut him off, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

Before he can get another word out, you’ve got your fingers curled around his tie, tugging him down your level. Your lips are soft, tasting faintly of lime and mint, and Marcus can’t help himself. His free hand dives into your hair, fingers locking around the strands, tugging until your lips part against his and he can kiss you more thoroughly, tongue stroking yours.

You pull back with a soft moan, still gripping his tie. “You wanna get out of here?”

Twenty minutes later, he’s pushing the door of his hotel room open, your fingers linked together. 

“Don’t mind the mess,” he starts, but barely gets the words out as the door shuts behind you. It’s his back that hits the wall, a low grunt falling past his lips as you tug on his tie again, using it as leverage to drag yourself closer, closing the distance between your bodies.

Marcus groans as you fit your face into his neck, teeth scraping his pulse as his hands find homes on your hips. Clothes start to fall away, landing in puddles of fabric on the floor until you’re both bare and falling into his unmade bed together. He lays you out on your back, trails kisses right down the front of you, over each hip and along the inside of your thigh. He doesn’t stop until you’re keening, back arching and one hand locked in his hair.

You’re soaked when he strokes his fingers along you, his name sung like a prayer when he presses them inside you. “Fuck,” he grits, curling up and dragging slow, watching the way your body reacts, the way it shapes to him. “Just as tight as I remember.”

You whimper, head falling back as he pushes deeper, seeking out that rough patch inside you, remembering how it made you fall apart before. The hand not in his hair shoots down, fingers wrapped around his wrist, forcing him deeper.

He lowers himself, kneeling at the edge of the bed, surveying how you’re spread out before him, your knee hooked over his arm. “Look at you,” he purrs, dragging his mouth along your thigh again. He can feel your muscles twitch, see the way your breath chokes out. “What do you need, sweet thing?”

Body writhing, your head lifts just enough for your eyes to meet.

“More.”

He’s more than happy to oblige, lowering his mouth to your cunt, laving his tongue around the place you’re split around his fingers. You moan loudly, one hand clapping over your mouth a moment later, and he snakes his free hand up your chest, squeezing your breast and pinching your nipple between his knuckles.

“I want to hear you,” he mumbles against you, moving up ever so slightly to suck your clit between his lips. It makes your whole body go tighter than sin, bearing down on his fingers as your breath hitches. He doesn’t stop, swirling his tongue against your clit, releasing it only to lap at you over and over, his fingers never stopping until you go tighter still, every muscle going taut as you cum, his name moaned over and over until your body starts to go lax.

He pulls his fingers from you slowly, still tonguing at your cunt as he does, pulling away only when you push lightly at his head. He stands slowly, cock hard as a rock against his stomach, and watches your eyes roam up his body as he licks his fingers clean.

“Come here,” you beckon as he leans over the bed, planting a hand on either side of you. Your hand curls around the back of his neck, pulling him close. “I still need more, Marcus.”

He doesn’t make you wait long, using his knees to spread your thighs further. His cock taps against your cunt as he lowers his body to yours, and you gasp, finding his mouth with yours. He drinks down your noises as he presses himself inside of you, the pleasure snaking down his spine like a memory.

He’ll be the first to admit that this is what he’s thought of these last three months. You, underneath him, your body soft and pliant and his. It hasn’t been far from his mind, playing like a movie in his mind whenever he’s taken care of himself.

But just like seeing you again in the bar, this is another thing entirely.

Your body accepts everything he has to offer, your heels hooking around his calves, hips rocking up into his. You’re still so fucking tight, and he knows he’s not going to last long, knows that’s why he made sure you came first.

The room fills with the sound of skin-on-skin, with your breathy moans and his quiet grunts. You hook one hand under his ribs, the other finding the back of his head and tugging at his hair, putting your gaze to his. “I want to hear you, too,” you tell him, a sly smile on your face, and he nearly cums on the spot.

He didn’t need the permission, but it unlocks him all the same, the quiet grunts growing louder until he’s all but growling your name in your ear, fitting his face into your neck and biting down as he feels the pleasure coil tighter and tighter until he knows he’s about to cum.

It starts to rip its way through him, and he pulls himself from you, painting the crease of your thigh with his cum, chest heaving. You watch him, eyes darting between his face and his twitching cock. The look on your face tells him you have other plans for him.

Good, because he’s got other plans for you, too.

And fuck the two weeks, he’s not letting you go again.

As you both come down, Marcus having retrieved a cloth from the bathroom to clean you up, both of you sharing. a glass of water, your face turns sheepish as you hand him back the water. “What is it?”

Your mouth opens, closes, and then opens again. “You know how I said I thought I was going to run into you earlier? I think the reason I was feeling that…was because I’ve been meaning to call you, too. Since you left, I wanted to call you, and then something happened and I just…”

“What happened?” he asks, sinking onto the bed beside where you’re laid out, pillow bunched under your arm, head tilted into your hand.

“I got a job offer,” you say, and before he can congratulate you, you lift a hand. “I got a job offer, and you were the first person I wanted to call, but I wasn’t sure if I should. Because it’s been three months and you’re amazing and I kept telling myself you found someone else and that was why you never called. But then I got this job offer, and I…”

You trail off, shaking your head, staring him down. “What’s the job, sweet thing?” he asks, reaching out and putting his hand on your leg, covered by the blanket.

The sheepishness disappears and you grin. “It’s in Washington.”

// TTWD track list //

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Change of Plans

A/N: Although I am SEVERAL days late at this point, this is a gift for @something-tofightfor - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHAEL! I hope your day was all that you wanted it to be, and that this year is the best fucking one yet. I so badly wanted this to be done in time, but you know me. Anywho, I love your guts and I hope you enjoy this chaotic little cake I whipped up with the help of one of your favorite cowboys.

Word count: 4k

Warnings: listen, don't do what Reader does here. Other than that... just some language. It's very tame. But don't do it.

Summary: Jack is there on business. You're there for pleasure.

He noticed you right away. 

Sitting in the waiting area near gate A-7, right leg crossed over your left and an open book in one hand, you caught his eye -

Well hello, gorgeous.

- and he had to repeatedly free his focus from your direction, reminding himself why he was at the airport in the first place. 

Damn it, Agent, you’ve got a job to do.

You turned the page of the book you were reading, letting out a sigh and stretching your neck, and Jack adjusted his position on the barstool he occupied so that he was forced to change his line of sight. He cleared his throat, lifting his glass to his lips and taking a sip. The bold, smoky flavor of the deep amber whiskey coated his tongue, and by the time he swallowed he was back on his task. 

He’d been sent to locate and detain a known associate of a crime boss that Statesman was attempting to bring down. Intel gathered from Agents assigned to the case suggested that the associate - a mid level player who occasionally dealt in black market weapons - would be traveling through Louisville on his way to meet with the mysterious and nefarious man they knew only as The Gatekeeper. The current theory was that The Gatekeeper was operating out of San Francisco - or more specifically, out of a secret underwater lair that was built into one of the foundational structures of the Golden Gate Bridge, hence his nickname. But Statesman had been unable to confirm that yet. Catching up with the Gatekeeper’s gun runner was their best bet when it came to pinning down his location for sure, and since he had the most experience with facial recognition and planting trackers, the assignment had gone to Agent Whiskey. 

So let’s find this shit kicker and get on with it so I can get on with… He resisted the urge to turn back in your direction. 

Setting his glass down on the cork coaster it was served to him on, he brought his newly emptied hand up to tap the arm of his gold wire glasses. At the touch of his fingertip, the stealth lens screens activated, and he used them to scan the faces of the people moving through the terminal. So far none had hit as a match for the Gatekeeper’s associate, but since the man was clever enough to book himself tickets on multiple flights that day to make it harder for anyone who might be looking to follow him, Jack had to keep checking until he either found his target or the last of those flights had taken off. 

I’ll find him. Soon as he shows up I’ll- 

But Jack didn’t even need to finish the thought, because his lenses detected the person he’d been waiting for before he could. Just as he was about to get up from his seat and position himself to intercept his target, though, he saw something else flash across his lenses. 

Mission directive has changed. Do not detain. Intel from Kingsman suggests associate may also be working with Golden Circle remnants in Canada. New directive is only to place the tracker and not to pursue until we know for sure who he is meeting. Agents in Vancouver and San Francisco have been put on alert and will be activated as needed. 

Jack blinked twice to acknowledge Ginger’s message, then used the movement of his eyes to send a question in response. 

Received. Return to HQ? 

He had his jet on standby there at the airport in the event that he needed to abscond with The Gatekeeper’s man, and he assumed that since that was no longer necessary, Champ and Ginger would want him to come back and await further information. Keeping one eye on his target, he used the other to read the new message that flashed across his lens, finding it to be a surprise. 

Negative. Don’t want to risk the chance of counter tracking. Take the Pony somewhere for a few days first. Vegas or Denver are preferable but Mexico City is also available. 

Well, shoot. Looks like I’m takin’ a vacation. My favorite kind of mission. 

Ginger had listed cities where Statesman owned properties that were reserved for off duty use - for when Agents had to lay low for a while, or for when they needed a safe place to recover from injuries sustained in the line of duty. There were several more located around the world, but judging by the selection that was presented to him, they wanted him to stay close enough to either have him back in Kentucky in a matter of hours, or send him to California or British Columbia in a pinch when the intel on who the associate was meeting with came back. 

Received. Target inbound. Contact when directive complete. 

With that, he lifted his finger up to tap the arm of his glasses once more, the screens deactivating so that he could remove them, folding them for safe storage in the inner pocket of his jacket. In a turn of luck, his mark headed straight for the bar he was seated at and sat down two stools over. He showed no signs of having made Jack for a secret operative, not even bothering to look in his direction as he ordered a drink from the bartender. 

Perfect. 

Jack’s grin was imperceptible as he used his thumb and pointer finger to pull one of the small “buttons” from the cuff of his jacket sleeve. Flattening it with a tight pinch, he dropped the bio-tracker into his own beverage and watched as it dissolved into the liquid. It finished just as the bartender placed a rocks glass of whiskey on a coaster in front of Jack’s target. He waited for the other man to take a sip, and then he closed the distance, scooting over one stool so that he was right next to him, and then he greeted the man with a jovial tone. 

“Did my ears deceive me just now, or did I hear you order the Statesman 12 year, my friend?” Jack pointed to the other man’s glass while holding his own. 

The other man turned to face Jack, a semi-scowl on his face, his annoyance over being addressed by a seemingly drunken stranger as a “friend” clearly written in gray-green eyes. “What?” He glanced down at Jack’s glass and then at his own. “Oh.” He grunted and gave Jack a nod before taking another sip of his drink. “Yeah. You drinking the same, I take it?” He arched one eyebrow and turned back to face the television screen behind the bar without waiting for the answer to the question he’d just asked. 

“Smoothest bourbon there is.” Jack held up his glass, inspecting the contents. To anyone else’s eye - even the man beside him - it would appear as though he were simply appreciating the way the overhead lights streaked through the rich amber liquid. In truth, he was making sure that the button-turned-tracker had been completely infused into the drink. Seeing that it was, he glanced over and caught his mark with his own glass midway to his lips once more.

Slow down there, son, leave some for our toast. 

Reaching for the man’s elbow, he stopped him from draining the last of his beverage. “How about we both raise our glasses to good taste and safe travels?” 

The other man jerked his arm away as though he’d been burned, the motion accompanied by a deeply frustrated sigh. Checking his watch, he rolled his eyes and shook his head at Jack. “Sure Fine. Just make it quick, I have a flight to catch.” 

As he presented his glass for the toast, Jack aggressively clinked the rim of his against it - with just enough force so that some of his drink had sloshed into the other man’s glass without him noticing. “Quick it is. Safe travels.” 

“Uh huh.” The sketch of a scowl was back as the man nodded again, knocking back the remainder of his drink, including the tracker. “Same to you.” With that, he slapped a fifty on the bar and left his empty glass, on his way to whatever gate would take him to whatever scumbag was waiting for him. 

The Gatekeeper or the Golden Circle… or whoever the fuck else. We’ll know soon enough. 

Taking his glasses back out of his pocket, Jack unfolded them and put them back on his face. With a tap of his finger the one-way screens hidden in the lenses activated again, and through a series of blinks and subtle eye movements, he sent confirmation of his mission back to Ginger Ale. 

Tracker planted. Target in motion. 

Before he got a response, though, he was distracted by a voice coming from over his shoulder. “Excuse me? Is anyone sitting there?” 

He turned towards the speaker and his eyes widened, lips lifting into a slight grin when he saw that it was you. 

Hot damn, she’s even prettier up close. 

His grin grew at your sudden, small intake of breath when your eyes met. “All yours.” Using one hand, he pulled the stool out for you as Ginger’s message started to scroll across his field of vision. 

You muttered a thank you as you chewed your lower lip. “You didn’t have to-” 

Well done Agent Whiskey. The tracker is live and we are following its movement. Which location did you select? 

“Now darlin’, what kind of gentleman would I be if I only did what I had to do?” He smiled, covertly answering Ginger’s question. 

Not sure yet. Stay tuned. 

You let out a sound that was almost a laugh, shrugging. “You’d be like most gentlemen I’ve known, I guess.” 

Agent, we need to know- 

Jack brought his hand up and tapped the side of his glasses, closing the communication screen and letting Ginger’s message go unfinished. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it and it wouldn’t be the last. He always eventually got back to her and never made her wait too long. But his focus had been drawn to you all afternoon, and now that you were sitting directly beside him, he wasn’t going to rush the interaction he’d been putting off for hours. 

“Then allow me to introduce to you a different kind.” He reached up and swept his hat from his head, laying it on the bartop, and extended his free hand to you.  “Jack Daniels.” 

–  –  – 

15 Minutes Earlier…

You checked your watch with a sigh, noting that you still had a little under an hour before you’d be called for boarding. 

It’s fine. That means I can start another chapter now. You rolled your eyes. I’ll need a new book for the flight home at this rate, though. 

It was one of those flights that didn’t make sense - with a 4 hour layover in a city that was completely out of the way of your destination. But that was why you’d been able to find tickets for only $48 each way, less than three days out. Things at work had been hectic, and you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to get the time off until the very last minute. So even though it certainly wouldn’t have been your first choice if you’d been able to book it months ago when the trip was first brought up, you were perfectly content to take the unnecessary stopover in Louisville on your way to Las Vegas. 

Doesn’t hurt when the people watching prospects are this interesting, either. 

You glanced over at the nearby bar and the astoundingly attractive man seated there who’d snagged your attention as soon as he arrived. He, like a handful of others in the terminal, wore a dark felted Stetson But unlike most, it suited him. As did his perfectly tailored suit and- 

Oh, fuck, he’s wearing glasses now. And they look damn good on him, too. 

You cleared your throat and forced your thoughts back to your trip and your reason for taking the less than desirable layover. Even though it meant spending hours alone in an airport, you were excited, because it also meant being able to see several of your friends who lived far away, and being able to celebrate your birthday with them. Well, not just your birthday. The trip was meant to be a group celebration to make up for the fact that you hadn’t all been able to get together for a birthday in years. Since there happened to be two of you who had birthdays in January, that was the month that was chosen. But the dates that were settled on had included your actual birthday smack dab in the middle of them, and you were looking forward to having something fun to do with people you missed. 

Which was why you groaned as you read the notification that popped up on your phone regarding the flight status. 

Delayed - Mechanical Issues 

“Fuck.” You muttered under your breath, closing the airline app and tapping your phone screen to open the group chat so you could fill the others in on your situation. Before you finished typing though, your phone vibrated in your hand and a picture popped up of two of your friends - Jess and Maddy - both wearing ear to ear smiles at Harry Reid International, the text from Jess simply reading two words followed by several exclamation marks: We’re here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Kayla chimed in next, responding with an emphatic YAY! and sending a screenshot of her GPS, showing that she was just under 2 hours out. Be there so soon! 

Nat still had her phone on airplane mode since she’d only taken off from LAX about an hour earlier, so you didn’t bother waiting for an update from her before you finished typing your own. 

Bad news, my flight out of Louisville is delayed. :( Mechanical issues… No idea when I’ll be there now, but I’ll keep you all posted. 

You sent the message and tucked your phone into the outer pocket of your bag as disappointment set in. As it was, the rest of your friends were already supposed to arrive half a day before you. But now, it was looking like you were going to miss out on the entire first day of the trip. 

Or more. 

Frowning at the thought, you tried not to let yourself get too upset until you had a better idea of your situation. You told yourself that it could be something quick and easy to remedy - maybe you’d only have to wait one more hour. Maybe less. Either way, you decided that since half of the group was already there, it meant that the vacation had unofficially started, and it was time you treated yourself to a drink. 

And if I know Jess and Maddy, they’re doing the same right now. 

You picked up your bag, slinging the strap over your shoulder, and headed towards the bar. It was moderately crowded, only a few stools left vacant scattered here and between other travelers. But as you got closer you noticed that the man you’d caught yourself spending more time watching than any of the others was still seated there - and that the seat beside him had just become empty. 

Perfect timing. 

That confidence lasted only until the man spun at the sound of your voice, and seeing him up close had nearly knocked the breath from your lungs. 

Oh, shit. He’s- 

By the time he’d given you his name along with his hand to shake, you’d noticed things about him that you hadn’t from across the room. Like the flecks of tan and gold that lightened his dark brown eyes, the distinct bow of his upper lip beneath his mustache and how it rested against the plush pillow of the lower one, the way you couldn’t see a stitch of leather on him aside from his boots, but the smell of it - along with bergamot - clung to him and made him even more appealing. 

You swallowed, his warm hand wrapping around yours and squeezing as you managed to tell him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack.” 

Without letting go of your hand or releasing your eyes from the lock his own had on them, he repeated your name back to you, the sound of it making your face grow warm. “Pleasure’s all mine, I promise you.” 

When he winked as he withdrew his hand, you knew you were screwed. You ordered yourself a drink - something local, a bourbon you’d not seen before called Statesman - and Jack, though approving of your choice, simply asked for a glass of water. As you brought the glass to your lips, another thought popped into your head. 

But am I really screwed, though? Because… he seems just as interested as I am. 

Over the next half hour, you and Jack made small talk and subtly flirted in smirks and glances. You asked him what brought him to the airport that day, to which he’d answered: 

“Had some business here earlier. But that’s done, so the rest of my evening is completely free.” 

You shook your head at that, taking another sip of your drink. Damn that’s good. “Don’t you have a flight to catch?” 

At that, he grinned and spread his large hands wide. “Ah, well, that is one of the perks of being my own pilot.” He raised one eyebrow and leaned towards you. “I can leave whenever I choose.” 

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. That definitely makes him even more attractive somehow, though. 

You mouthed the word wow and let out a stunted laugh as you reached into your bag to retrieve your phone. Some time had passed and you were hoping that there would be another notification about the status of your delayed flight. “That must be nice.” You groaned as you saw that there was nothing new from the airline, and several texts from your friends expressing their dismay over your travel woes. Shaking the phone in your hand, you sighed. “I’m here on a layover that got delayed and the rest of my friends are already in Vegas.” Looking over at him, you wet your lips with your tongue. “I’d love to be able to just… hop in and take off whenever I wanted to.”

–  –  –  

Well, shit. Did she just say Vegas? 

Clearing his throat, Jack reached up to tap the arm of his glasses. Several missed messages came through at once, all from Ginger, but he blinked them away as he spoke. “Well, I know we’ve only just met, and I’m not trying to make any suggestions-” Though I could. “- But I happen to be going to Sin City myself tonight.” He had to contain his grin at the flash in your eyes as he used the nickname for the gambling town. “I’d be more than happy to take you with me.” 

Destination selected. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 

You sucked in a breath at his proposition, and though he knew you were likely considering saying no, he hoped you’d say yes. “I… Jack, I couldn’t ask you to-” 

“You’re not. I’m askin’. I’ll show you my license and everything to prove that I’m legit, but darlin’, I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.” He tilted his head towards the window. “No tellin’ how long they’ll need to fix that bird, and if your friends are already there…” He trailed off and shrugged, returning his gaze to you. “My jet is fully fueled and ready to go. I could get you there so you don’t have to miss out too much. More than you already have, I mean.” 

He could practically hear Ginger’s reply when it came through, but he fought the urge to let out a snort as he read it. 

IT’S ABOUT TIME, AGENT. Make sure your friend buckles up. We’ll contact you when you can return to HQ. 

You bit your lower lip again, and he couldn’t help but watch the way your teeth dug into your flesh. “I…” He saw the rest of your protest dissolve the same way the tracker had earlier, your eyes shifting from skeptical to excited until that’s all he saw in them. You laughed, then, lifting your hand and holding up one finger. “Alright. I’ll… yes. I’ll take you up on it. But on one condition.” 

Received. Will await contact. Over. 

Jack reached up to tap his glasses before removing them and stowing them in his pocket. He leaned in closer to you, concentrating on the quirk of your lips and the mixture of impulse and instinct in your eyes. “Let’s hear it.” 

“You let me buy you a drink once we get there.” You said it over the rim of your glass as you finished the last of it, eyes on him as you swallowed. 

An excuse to go out with a beautiful woman? That’s the condition? 

Jack flashed you a smile. “I think those terms are more than agreeable, ma’am.” 

–  –  –  

What the fuck am I doing? 

You half laughed at yourself, but at the same time there was something about Jack that made you feel like you could trust him. You were aware that that could be a danger in and of itself, but your gut told you he was a good man, and you had always felt that you were a good and accurate judge of character. 

How’s it any different from meeting a guy and getting in his car with him? It’s not, really. 

It was, and you knew it was, but you hadn’t been wrong yet. And as much as you wanted to get to Vegas to see your friends, you also found yourself wanting more time to get to know Jack. He was offering you the chance to do both of those things, and even though you were looking for one, you couldn’t find a downside. 

Pulling out your phone, you opened the group chat and sent one text before switching it to airplane mode. 

Change of plans. Met a (really good looking) pilot who was on his way to Vegas and offered me a ride. Sending a screenshot of his license number in case I go missing hahaha. Just kidding. I’ll be fine. See you soon!

You knew what they’d say when they saw your message. 

Jess would likely just send a thumbs up - or possibly a photo of herself giving a thumbs up. 

Maddy would emphasize your message and respond with something like Okay but don’t die! 

Kayla’s message would be a more whimsical reaction like Jesus take the wheel! (Wait do planes have wheels?) or Life is short, take rides from hot pilots when you can with the peace sign emoji. 

And Nat would send advice from several documentaries and podcasts she’d seen or listened to, about what to do if you were being abducted. 

You laughed to yourself again at the entire situation. 

“Alright, Jack.” You hopped down from your stool and picked up your bag. “I’m ready when you are.” 

He stood, taking his hat from the bartop and placing it on his head. “No time like the present.” Running his hands over his clothes, he smoothed out his suit jacket. “Follow me, darlin’. And give me that.” He pointed his chin towards your bag. “I’m a gentleman, remember? Where would my manners be if I let a lady carry her own bags?” 

You shook your head with a smile and handed over your carry-on, leaving you with only your purse. “I don’t know. You’re teaching me about gentlemen, remember?” 

You knew when you saw his eyes darken that you’d made the right call. 

“Oh, sugar. I remember. Few hours to Vegas. Plenty of time for me to teach you things.” With that he started walking and you were left to follow, slightly stunned at the implications in his tone and in his words. 

This is definitely going to be a trip to remember, that’s for sure. 

.

.

.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please feel free to let me know by sending a message or filling out the form on my masterlist! :)

tags: @something-tofightfor @dihra-vesa @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson @harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @trickstersp8 @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @competentpotato @pedro-pedrito-pascalito @jedi-in-crocs @hannahkatharine @novemberrain221 @chiyo13 @myloveistoolittle @Noisynightmarepoetry

[gotjacobian]

Coming back from China tomorrow. I wasn’t able to do the chronological journaling thing I did from Japan (this was jointly a tourism and “meeting my gf’s family” trip, so I had a lot less solo downtime overall.) BUT I got to do a bunch of cool stuff I want to have feelings about, so instead I’m gonna share in a sort of ranked list. First are Things I Think Are Worth Going To China For. Like, on their own - the once-in-a-lifetime stuff that’s worth structuring a trip around.

- The Great Wall. Probably the least surprising thing I could put here, but like, the name says it. It’s a pretty good wall. We went my second day here, to the stretch that’s near Beijing and is some of the most heavily touristed. The view is amazing. It’s one of the most “wow, this looks exactly how people draw it” things I’ve seen in my life. I couldn’t stop myself from commenting repeatedly on how photogenic it was for something that very much predates cameras. Like, just look at this:

It requires a lot of walking on stairs and uneven ground. If you pay extra, you can take a chair lift up (great if you can handle heights) and a toboggan slide-thing down. It’s like, slightly sketchier than your average US six flags experience? But only slightly. You get a brake that controls your own speed going down. I got assigned “young person who’s eyeing that toboggan a little too hard” by the ride operators and they made me wait a few minutes behind the group in front of us before starting the slide, and I’m proud to say I did still catch up to them.

Another thing, because I don’t know where else to put it - I was expecting to be taller relative to the general population in china than I am in the US. But I was surprised there were a few times I had to squeeze myself into whatever people infrastructure was available. I’m not *that* tall, but have absurdly long legs for my height. In the shuttlebus up to the wall, my knees were jammed into the seat in front of me even when it wasn’t leaned back. There wasn’t really any way to avoid it. I have no idea what i.e. my 6’4” father would’ve done.

One last note - there were cats! No one told me there would be cats, but there were a LOT of them. People were lined up to take pictures of the first one here, who was just chilling on the wall itself.

- Next, the Beijing Lantern Festival. We ended up here as a last minute thing. It was *technically* a Mid Autumn Festival attraction, which was before my trip. But it lasted into October and my gf’s parents offered to take us on a night we had no other plans. Parking was hell, it took us 15 minutes to figure out how to get in, and then:

It’s basically a small theme park of foods, souvenirs, and giant lantern displays. It was gorgeous. Walking through it was maybe my favorite part of the trip. Pictures don’t do it justice - a lot of the displays flashed or moved or reacted when you walked past. The construction and use of the lantern ribbing in the design were so, so cool. I was walking around with my jaw dragging on the sidewalk. Like, let it be known that I’m an easy mark for this kind of thing. But if you also are, I honestly think it’s worth timing a trip around.

You could also buy a small lantern to carry around as a souvenir. My gf and I got this red lotus one. I cannot express enough how gratifying it is in practice to get to carry around a pretty light at the pretty light show.

- Seeing China. Weird thing to include - like, obviously you want to see a place you’re going - but it was a defining feeling on the whole trip for me. I was really struck when we were driving into Beijing from the airport how much less I knew about what places in China look like than I did about Japan before going there. It’s not like it’s a secret, exactly, but I think the additional barriers to western tourism (it’s the only place I, an American, have been that I had to pre-apply for a visa to go. More on that later.) and uncensored internet access make a big difference in how the information diffuses. And China is bigger than Japan (and South Korea, but I feel less able to compare my experiences there bc I was only in Seoul, and only for a couple days). So there’s less of a centralized picture to sell, and when there was, it felt very… politicized. Not to mention that information on China in the US often comes with a lot of political and cultural baggage on the receiving end. The information landscape is just different.

Potentially reflecting that, there were way, way fewer western tourists here than in Japan. I was the only obviously non-chinese person anywhere I went except the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Some of this might’ve been timing? And some of it might’ve been that a lot of my travel was facilitated by people who literally live here, so I probably spent less time in “touristy” areas overall. But even there, the vibe was different - much more geared towards chinese tourists than western ones (think no english audio guide at a museum, or a guide assuming knowledge of china’s history beyond a US AP World History level). My layman’s read, fwiw, is that China feels like it has put a lot less effort into “courting” western tourists in general, and presenting a united picture of China For Tourists than i.e. Japan has. And has put more effort into selling a picture of What China Is to Chinese citizens. I’m now very curious if this is what the US (especially DC) feels like to non-american tourists.

But anyway, tl;dr: It was cool to actually see the country I’d only heard about secondhand. Maybe the one I have the most secondhand connection to, across several close relationships. It was interesting to try and put the cultural diffusion to the US in context. And it was affecting to go there and see even mundane stuff that was hard to see otherwise. I found some of the exact souvenirs I’d been given as gifts by friends in middle and high school. I took a lot more pictures than I normally would. Beijing felt a lot like Dallas to me in some ways (lots of 70s era buildings, lots of highways connecting a wide radius of suburbs) and a lot like a brutalist DC in the rest of its vibes. Chengdu felt like a cross between Chicago and Orlando- a beach city with no beaches. Tianjin was… beautiful but weird. I have too many photos to put in a tumblr post, but would be happy to share more with anyone who’s interested.

[the-new-ribbon]

I’ve Been Loving You For Quite Some Time (and it’s about time we do something about it)

synopsis: Gwyn Berdara and Azriel Night have been friends since their senior year of college. Years later they find themselves both working at Moonlight University. They've strictly stuck to being friends, but when they travel to Nesta and Cassian’s elopement, the last thing they ever expected was to wind up drunk and standing at the altar of a drive-thru wedding chapel.

word count: 1825

read here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54767785/chapters/138810226

or below the cut!

Gwyn

The hot and dry air welcomes Gwyn and Azriel as they step out of the airport. There is also a tension between her and Az that was stronger than before. She wonders if his heart beat is as fast as hers. Heart palpitations from a crush wouldn’t be the worst way to do, but it would be just a tad embarrassing. Unrequited love because she couldn’t get it together and tell Azriel how she feels.

Nesta and Cassian are standing in front of their Jeep they rented for the weekend.

Gwyn’s bag is left behind on the sidewalk when she spots Nesta and runs at full speed towards her. “Gwyn, you made it!”

“Were you worried I wasn’t? You’re my best friend, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Plus my students love me since I canceled class today and Monday.” one of the many reasons why she is one of the most popular professors at Moonlight. Other reasons included that she didn’t give ridiculous homework assignments, rather they just read romance books and discussed them in each class. Az on the other hand is the grumpy professor who’s always giving out homework and never cancels class.

“No, I knew you would be here. I was worried you’d be bored with Mr. Grumpy Professor.” Nesta breaks eye contact and shoots a look at Az, who’s now holding Gwyn’s discarded bag.

He’s making it very difficult to just be friends. If he keeps doing stuff like this she’ll get down on one knee and marry him now. And being in Adriata, there’s a heightened sense of romance, making it only more difficult to be just friends with Azriel Night.

First it was the first class ticket, then it was their banter about her bag, him saying her name as he begged for her attention just so he could read one of her books, plus all the other things he’s done since their senior year of college.

“Good to see you, Gwynnie.” Cassian wraps his arm around Gwyn in a hug. His shoulder length hair is tied into a bun, a few small pieces have even fallen or were pulled out for some shaping. 

“Hi Cassian.” 

“We should get going. We have to get ready for tonight.” Nesta cuts it. “We’re celebrating my last night before becoming a wife!” 

Cassian clears his throat and tightens his hold on Nesta in a loving way, “Sweetheart, you’ve been my wife since the day I put that ring on your finger.”

“I know and I love you for it. But technically speaking, it’s my last night as a fiancee.” Nesta looks up and smiles at her fiance.

The four of them climb into the car, Nesta and Cassian grab hands as soon as they’re situated but there’s a weird tension between Gwyn and Azriel. The middle seat of the back seat is empty, Gwyn’s right hand rests in it and Azriel’s left hand is only a few inches apart. 

Without thinking, as the car gets closer to the hotel, Gwyn feels a warm hand cover her freezing ones. She looks away from the window and sees Azriel looking at her. His longing gaze makes her stomach fill with butterflies. A simple, beautiful smile spreads on her face and Gwyn feels like she could faint. Az never smiles but Gwyn learns that she might be more special than others around him.

While they were walking out of the airport, Azriel and Gwyn made a promise that when they got to the hotel, they’d immediately take Nesta and Cassian to get ready. Nesta was spending the weekend in the same room with Gwyn, and Azriel and Cassian would be in the same room. 

That’s exactly what they do. Gwyn’s hand intertwines with Nesta’s and begins to pull her to the elevator.

“Wait!” Nesta shouts, stopping in her tracks. She runs back to Azriel and Cassian, jumping into Cassian’s arms and kissing him. “I love you, I’ll see you in an hour. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I’m going to do one stupid thing, I’m hanging out with Az afterall, but it won’t affect our wedding or you.”

She gives Cassian a look that makes Cassian smile. 

“Okay, okay. I won’t do anything stupid. I love you, sweetheart.” 

The white marble floors have a light blue undertone that matches the waves crashing outside the window. The large columns have seahorses carved into them. Gwyn and Nesta’s room is full of natural light and has a matching aesthetic as the lobby and the rest of the hotel.

The two of them each unpack; setting their toiletries on the pearl colored counter. Gwyn’s copper colored hair and Nesta’s golden brown hair reflect the sun as Gwyn rests her head on Nesta’s shoulder in the mirror. 

“I’m really happy for you Nesta.” Gwyn says.

“Thank you. I’m happy you’re here with me, Gwyn. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t set me up on that date.” Gwyn and Azriel met before Nesta met Cassian, but with Gwyn being best friends with Nesta and Azriel being best friends with Cassian, the two worked tirelessly to get them both at the same place at the same time. Nesta protested since Thomas broke her heart just weeks before, but with Cassian’s charming smile and personality, it worked. Even if it hasn’t always been easy.

“I think Cassian would have gotten your attention sooner or later, he’s very in love with you and has been for a very long time.” 

A cherry red blush covers Nesta’s cheeks.

*~~~*

Gwyn applies eyeliner to her freckled eyelids, and a light pink gloss to her lips. Nesta applies a dark red lipstick to her lips and steps away from the bathroom counter to the full length mirror on the adjacent wall.

“So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”  Nesta asks, adjusting her black, skin tight dress in the mirror. She spins to look over her shoulder at the back of her dress.

Gwyn finishes tying a white ribbon in her hair and looks at Nesta, “What are you talking about?”

“Gwyneth Berdara, Azriel has eyes for you and has a giant crush on you.” Nesta says loudly. Gwyn’s stomach drops and she feels her cheeks warm. 

Her arms go behind her back as she thinks back to what happened on the drive here and the flirtiness on the plane. The teasing in the gate at the airport about her bag. 

“I think he was flirting with me on the plane, he even asked to read one of my books.” Gwyn says with a huge smile on her face. “But I’m not sure, maybe he was just being friendly.”

“Two things. One, “just friends,” don’t look at or act like you two. You two are basically dating. Two, which book did you give him?”

“My favorite book, A Dance of Shadows, of course!” with plenty of post-it tabs and notes in the margins, even highlights of her favorite quotes and scenes. 

“Good choice, Berdara. He’ll definitely like it.” especially because it’s your favorite, Gwyn, is unsaid but Gwyn can see it on Nesta’s face.

“There’s one more thing.” Nesta’s head shoots up and she steps closer to Gwyn. “Heheldmyhandinthecaronthewayhere.”

Nesta’s jaw drops and Gwyn’s hands move from behind her back to her face, covering her smile but it’s so big that smile lines form around her eyes. 

Azriel 

To say that holding Gwyn’s hand changed his entire life would be an understatement. It changed his entire universe. New stars formed in the sky and the world is suddenly brighter than it was just hours ago. He used to think that he never had a chance with her but these past few hours proved that he might have a chance. Her freckled hand against his scarred hand that once made him shudder in unworthiness and flood with insecurities. But with Gwyn, those feelings and insecurities aren’t there anymore. He just felt something that feels a little like something like fondness. With Gwyn, a new sense of intimacy he’s never felt before comes to light.

“Az!” Cassian slams his hand on Azriel’s back. “This is my wedding weekend but why can I feel that you’re keeping something a secret? You’ve been different since we picked you and Gwyn from the airport.”

“I flirted with Gwyn on the plane and then I held her hand in the car on the way here.” He confesses, feeling like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder but still feeling a smaller weight on his heart. Why can’t he just tell Gwyn how he feels? It’s been years, small flirty comments here and there but it’s finally caught up to him. It’s taken over his thoughts.

“Well it’s about time. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. You’ve been in love with her for years, I’m surprised it took you this long to finally say it out loud.”

Cassian has this ridiculous smile on his face and ruffles Azriel’s hair. Azriel elbows him in the stomach. “You’re an ass,’’ he says even with a smile on his face.

“Correction, I’m your best friend.” Cassian says, holding his pointer finger up.

*~~~*

Azriel changes into a black button up shirt and black slacks, and a pair of dressier, but not too fancy, black shoes. His silver chain around his neck peeks out from behind the couple of undone buttons. He runs his fingers through his inky black hair and fixes all his ringers on his fingers before grabbing his glasses from the table, sliding them back on his nose.

Tell her how you feel, Az. You can’t keep going down this path of avoiding your feelings and continuing to flirt with Gwyn if you aren’t going to do anything about it. She doesn’t deserve it.

Cassian strolls out of the second room, a red button up forms around his defined biceps, his hair tied back. 

“Ready to go? We should get down there before Nes and Gwyn.” Cass says, fixing the black leather bracelet Nesta gave him last Christms.

There aren’t many people in the lobby – a few hotel workers walking around making sure everything looks good while a few guests talk at the bar across the way. Az and Cass find two empty chairs with a view of the elevators to wait.

When the elevator door chimes a few moments later, the two males stand up, tucking their hands into the front pockets of their pants. Gwyn and Nesta walk out of the elevator, Gwyn’s arm looped through Nesta’s, and giant smiles on their faces.

Gwyn's attention leaves Nesta and focuses on Azriel. She smiles at him from across the lobby, waving at him, and contrary to everyone else, he smiles and waves back. It isn’t a small, toothless smile either, it is a full on smile that makes his dimples pop and his cheeks hurt.

His smiles are reserved for Gwyn only.

[tomtenadia]

Stranded - part 2

Here we go with part 2. I have the final part in the works. This will be a super fluffy fic...

PART 1

Rowan left the hotel and huddled in his coat. He hadn’t done a Terrasen run in winter in a while and had forgotten how harsh the winters could be. According to the hotel staff -10C was mild for them and said that at the beginning of December the temperatures would easily plunge as low as -24C.

Aelin had given him a meeting point and the staff had helped him with how to get there. Almost giddy, he stepped outside the hotel and his nose lifted up. The sky was the deepest blue and the air smelt fresh and crispy. It was a wonderful scent.

The subway was packed and slowly he navigated the station until he got to his platform.

He was glad Aelin had offered to be his guide. If it wasn’t for her he would have just spent the day at the hotel and ordered room service. Aelin had been right, he visited new places but never bothered much to really explore. Now he wanted to and it was all thanks to the woman he had met at an airport. In the span of twenty-four hours she had made him realise that perhaps it was time to stop being his usual cynical self and try to crack a smile from time to time. What had she done to him?

He chuckled lightly and finally got off the subway and stepped out of the main entrance and the centre of the city appeared in front of him. Lights and decorations were everywhere. Aelin had explained to him that Terrasen was big on the Solstice, their main holiday and the winter festival would start at the end of November and continued until the beginning of January.

Aelin had promised to meet him at the exit of the subway so he stood there and kept an eye for her. It was five minutes later when he saw her walking hurriedly towards him. A smile appeared on his face. She had a woolly hat that resembled an elf, at the sides it even had arms. She was cute. More than that. The smile she gave him as soon as she spotted him almost took the air out of his lungs.

“You made it.”

She had a big scarf wrapped around her neck and elf gloves. Her cheeks were flush from the cold and at the sight something fluttered in his stomach.

“I did, and I am all ready to explore.”

Aelin stepped in front of him and tightened his scarf “You are not used to this cold,” then she noticed his hands “No gloves?”

He shook his head.

“First mission of the day: we are getting you gloves.” She took his hand and pulled him and Rowan was happy to follow her wherever.

Twenty minutes later they left the shop and now he was sporting a set of warm gloves almost matching hers. He was wearing elf gloves and didn’t even feel silly. Aelin was doing a number on him.

His hand folded around hers “Lead the way.”

She gave him the most beautiful smile and he admitted that he’d do anything to see her happy.

A moment later, he paused and thought about the strange feelings budding in his heart. They had known each other for only two days, how was it possible? He had felt giddy when he was assigned to the Terrasen flight. The crew had even asked him how it felt to fly his girlfriend home.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not realised that Aelin was talking to him.

“Hm?”

“I was saying that we can have breakfast now at my favourite cafe, if you like.”

Rowan nodded. Together they walked through the packed streets and Aelin told him all about the old part of Orynth. Apparently there was also an amazing bookstore that they had to visit.

“Here we go.”

The place was called Emrys and it had a cozy vibe. It was all in wood and Rowan loved it as soon as he stepped in.

“Aelin?”

He watched her interact with the owner as if they were old friends and was positive a stupid smile had appeared on his face.

Looking around he spotted a table near the window and sat down. Aelin had told him she was going to order and pay for the drinks. He tried to protest but she had been stubborn.

Ten minutes later she came back with a tray in her hands “Mind if I sit here?”

He rolled his eyes in fake annoyance “if you really have to.”

“I got you a black coffee and a cinnamon roll. Emrys’ are the best ones you can get in Orynth. His pastries are divine.”

Rowan looked at her drink and chuckled “Is that a unicorn hot chocolate?”

Aelin shook her golden curls “no, just a good old fashioned winter festive hot chocolate. No unicorns were used in this drink.”

“Do you come here often? The owner seems to know you well.”

Aelin lifted her head from her drink and Rowan smiled at her chocolate moustache. Why all of a sudden his brain sent images of him kissing her? What was happening to him? With a napkin he gently removed the chocolate.

“When I was still in Orynth I would come here all the time and once I moved I’d visit every time I was in town. It’s my magical place.”

Rowan nodded and took a bite of the cinnamon roll. Aelin was right. It was divine.

“What does Wendlyn celebrate in December?”

“We have Yulemas on the 25th.”

“Do you get to be at home?”

Rowan drank his coffee “Most times. But sometimes I am on a long haul flight and I can’t get back in time, so crew and I just have a party at the hotel.”

“That sucks.”

He shrugged, he was used to it.

“Do you have a big family? Do they miss you on Yulemas?”

“I am an only child. My parents live in the countryside, and I live in Doranelle.” He explained “but our clan is vast and I have a gigantic number of cousins and sometimes my uncle throws a huge party at his estate.”

“That sounds amazing.”

Rowan chuckled “It is, and I usually gain a few kilos in the span of two days. Cooking is a big thing in my family.”

“I love Wendlyn food,” she exclaimed happily “I got obsessed with it while I lived there.”

He paused and stared at her “how…” another pause “how does it feel to be back?”

Aelin lowered her mug “I missed it. Yes, it was my choice to move away for a job, but when all fell apart I started missing my friends and family especially when I fell into deep depression and Chaol ignored me.”

“What a prick. I mean, you went through something heartbreaking and instead of being at your side he was busy screwing another woman? What a bastard.”

Aelin’s blue eyes landed on him and in that instant it was as if she was looking in his soul. That’s also when her hand moved to cover his and gave it a gentle squeeze “you are not as bad as I thought at the beginning.”

He rolled his hand and grabbed hers, squeezing it back.

*

After breakfast, Aelin dragged him to the bookstore and Rowan knew someone would have to drag him out by force.

“Aelin, this place is…”

“Incredible, isn’t it?”

He nodded and with her hand in his they walked under the door that looked like a thick tree branch. He hadn’t left her hand since they left the cafe. A part of him did not want let go at all.

“This is the fantasy section.”

He started walking along the corridors looking at books.

“This,” Aelin walked to him with a book on her hand “I edited this. It’s a really good one, and by the way, I am really picky.”

Rowan smiled and took it from her hands “well, I need to buy it now.”

She hummed happily and he stared at her walking along the rows of books. She was a force of nature and with each passing moments he felt dragged to her a little more.

“Do you work on fantasy books only?”

Aelin flicked a book in her hands “I have done some general fiction ones for a smaller company, then tried sci-fi but eventually I landed the big gig with fantasy.”

“Do you have a new job lined up here in Orynth?”

“No,” a wicked smile appeared on her face “my friend Lys and I are planning on opening our own bookstore. One that supports mostly small and indie authors. Thanks to my contacts it should be okay. We will sell bigger names too, of course.”

He listened to her in fascination.

“There is a location near the Florine, our main river, that is a sort of artist corner of the city. It is full of independent craft shops, artists galleries and Lys and I think that it lacks a bookstore. It’s a very popular area.”

“Can we go there tomorrow?”

The smile she gave him was as bright as the sun.

*

Aelin was ready for another day of exploring with Rowan. The previous day had been perfect. They had spent almost all of the afternoon in the bookstore and Rowan possibly splurged a nice chunk of his salary on books and she was amazed when he listened to all of her suggestion. It had given her fuzzy feelings. She went as far as to admit to herself that she had started to like the man a lot. The previous day she had managed to discover a part of him that he had carefully hidden at the airport. He was a caring man. And an avid reader. He had been fascinated by her job and bombarded her with questions and in return she did the same. They had settled in a nice friendship and a part of her was sad at the idea that he was probably meant to fly again soon. This was a brief and unexpected layover.

The previous night she had talked to her mum and explained what was happening with Rowan. Evalin had asked her if she was falling for Rowan but Aelin shook her head. How could that be? They had known each other for only two days. 

“Your father and I married after six months, and almost forty years later I still love him.” Her mother had told her. Maybe what happened with Chaol had hardened her, but her mother was right. Sometimes love at first sight happened and worked too. 

Maybe he is not even interested, reminded her the rational part of her brain.

A shrug and she finished getting ready to go out again.

Rowan met her at the metro station in the centre as agreed and then they both rode the tram all the way along the Florine. When they stepped out Aelin noticed his expression of delight at the sight. It was a colourful and interesting part of the city with old buildings in exposed brick stones.

“Come, I’ll show you the location we are thinking about.”

Aelin took his gloved hand and smiled internally. He still had her the elf gloves she bought him.

As they walked, she gave him a rundown of all the shops and eateries present and he followed happily. She finally reached a closed up store in a corner of a busy square. All around it had cafes with colourful awnings, a music shop, a deli, a few small restaurants and some clothing shops.

“That’s the shop.” She pointed at the location “Lys’ husband is a lawyer and is helping us in placing a bid to actually win it.”

“It’s in a lovely location.”

“Are these cafes any good?”

“They are, but we are going somewhere else.”

Aelin took his hand once more and they went round the corner and entered a cafe - The Oakwald, and he loved it had a slight forest/nature them. It exuded a sense of peace.

“What are those?”

Aelin turned her head towards the wall with painting of the Little Folk “Oh, they are the Little Folk. Spirits who live and protect Oakwald forest. As a kid you are taught that when you go in the woods you should leave offering to them near boulders.”

Rowan chuckled and Aelin loved the sound.

“We take our nature very seriously and Oakwald has a protected status.”

“I love that.”

They sat down outside on the patio and Rowan was impressed by the fact that it was not cold. The outdoor seating area had heaters and it actually felt nice. In front of them the Florine ran lazily and Rowan loved the moment.

Aelin removed her hat, gloves and coat and tackled the menu “the food here is delicious.”

Rowan sat opposite her and then took her hand.

“Aelin I…”

She look at him pause and a sense of dread surged in her.

“I have to fly back tomorrow.”

Aelin’s heart sank. She knew it was going to happen but was trying to ignore it. 

She felt his hand cup hers “The crew manager had to reshuffle all the shifts. The storm caused a bit of a mess. I am not sure when my next Terrasen run will be.”

She nodded in silence. Why she felt like crying? She did not want him to go.

“It’s okay.”

“Aelin…” she saw his hand pull a wild lock of hair behind her ear “I had a good time. And I wish…” she saw him pause and then sigh “it was the best layover I ever had. Thanks to you.”

“You have my number…” was all she managed to say.

“I will annoy you to no end during my down time in an airport.”

Aelin laughed at that “Please do. I want to hear al of your rants.”

They spent the day together until after dinner Rowan confessed that he had to go back to the hotel and get ready for the next day. They had separated with the promise of seeing each other again when he was in Terrasen.

*

Rowan was in his room and was packing all of his belongings when sadness hit him. His time with Aelin had been perfect and special and now he was positive that the emotions he had were actually feelings for her. Big damn feelings. As soon as he was back he was going to bid for as many Terrasen runs as he could and try and spend every possible moment with the woman that in the span of days had somehow stolen his heart and his soul.

Before he went to bed he texted her and when she replied he let himself fall asleep.

*

Six months later

Rowan stepped out of the cockpit, said his goodbyes to the crew and with a spring in his step he moved quickly out of the tunnel and into the airport. Outside on the concourse he flagged a taxi and gave him the address. 

He hadn’t seen Aelin in three weeks. His job had taken him all over the place but never closer to her and he missed her. In the months since the storm they had kept in touch on a daily basis and he had managed to fly to Terrasen a lot thanks to his colleagues swapping with him. Three months prior he and Aelin had finally decided to get serious and put a label on their relationship. Long distance had been tough but they had endured. In the meantime Aelin and Lysandra had worked on their project and that was the day of the bookstore   launch. He was so excited for her. She really had worked hard.

The taxi stopped, he paid the driver and got off. Rowan was still wearing his uniform and carrying his suitcase. He wanted to see Aelin so badly that he had decided to forego the stop at his hotel. Plus, she loved him in uniform.

Throughout the months, Aelin had sent him a photographic update of the bookshop so he knew what to look for. The place had balloons outside the main door and guests crowded the entrance. On his visits he had met her friends and knew that she was very close with Lysandra and Elide. The former was the one who spotted him first.

“Rowan, you are here. Aelin is inside.”

Once inside, he admired the store. It was even better than the photos.

One moment his feet started moving towards a bookshelf, the next a blonde tornado was in his arms. The familiar smell of lemon verbena hit his nostrils as her hair landed on his face. His arms wrapped around her “Hey Fireheart.”

“You are here.” She looked up at him and Rowan all of a sudden felt at home.

“Give me the suitcase, I’ll put it in the office.” She ran away and came back a moment later.

Rowan pulled her close and kissed her deeply. A hum left her mouth.

“I missed you so much…” his forehead touching hers “The past three weeks have been hell.”

She snuggled against his chest and for a moment it was just the two of them.

“The shop looks amazing.”

She looked up at him and stole his captain cap, placing it on her head “Lys and I are very proud.”

The guests started to gather and Aelin passed Rowan to Elide while she and Lys prepared for the inauguration speech.

“They have done an amazing job, haven’t they?”

Rowan turned to the brunette woman with a wide grin “Indeed, the shop looks amazing.”

“So, are you staying for long this time?”

Rowan shook his head and went back staring at Aelin “just a quick visit.” And he hoped Elide did not notice his tiny smile.

Rowan chatted with Elide then, eventually, excused himself and started wandering around the shelves. At the fantasy section he went browsing and was intrigued by the selection of titles. Within five minutes he already had three books ready to be bought.

And that’s where Aelin found him.

“Do you like my selection?”

At her voice he turned “impressive indeed,” he lifted the books “and dating a woman with a bookshop might ruin me.”

Aelin closed the distance and buried her face in his chest, a heavy sigh leaving her.

Rowan squeezed her tight.

“How long are you here, this time?” He had not missed the pain in her voice.

“What if…” he teased her and Aelin’s eyes locked on him.

“Ro?”

“How would you feel about having me being around a bit more?”

Aelin pulled back “what do you mean? You don’t have to give up your job.”

Rowan chuckled and pulled her back in his arms “No, silly…” a soft kiss on her head “a friend of mine who flies for Terrasen airlines told me about a pilot job.”

Aelin squealed. They were in a quiet corner of the shop and in that instant she did not care about guests “And?”

“I had an interview about a month ago. I was in Orynth for a quick layover.”

“You were here and did not tell me?”

He sighed “is that what you fix on? It was a five hours layover. I barely had enough time for the interview and then away again.”

“Rowan, you are killing me.”

The laugh that left him was almost as carefree as she had the power to make him feel “I got the job. I have one last week, then I will be based in Orynth.”

Aelin threw her arms around his neck and kissed him “no more long distance?”

He shook his head “I might have the odd long haul, but I am not expecting anything more than one day layover.”

“Ro… are you sure?” She did not want him to sacrifice something he loved.

“Pay is still good, with the added bonus that I can be with you.”

“We can find a flat together. I think I am ready to move out of my parent’s house.”

Rowan gave her a genuine grin “that was going to be my next question. I will need to find a flat. Will you move in with me?”

Aelin’s arms wound around his waist and Rowan wrapped her too.

“I love you,” Aelin’s words were a whisper against his lips.

He kissed her back then pulled away “come on, your guests are expecting you to do the honours.” He pretended to push her away “I have more books to buy,” his hand reluctantly left hers.

Aelin gave him a sweet kiss and walked away with a big smile on her face.

Rowan stood in a corner of the fantasy section and admired her from distance as she interacted with all the friends and guests they had invited. He was proud of her.

Six months ago she had been an annoying woman who sat at his table during a snow storm and would not let him alone.

Now he could not think of being away from her. 

For her he was ready to upend his life and move to a land of unforgiven winters.

A storm had brought them together and he wished they could withstand together whatever fate threw at them.

TAGS

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp​ @swankii-art-teacher​ @whimsicallyreading​ @elentiyawhitethorn​ @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj​ @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories​ @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire​ @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn​ @backtobl4ck @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee

[myceliumbean]

My brain refused to quit thinking about Boris and his four chaotic-and-over-energized forklift medics

So here comes the four of them!

Leader: Eva (Black with white lines, ice-blue eyes color)

She's the oldest of the four forklifts, and the most experienced one as an agent of CBP.

Eva is about the same age as Boris, but unlike the IL-76 took being an agent as his second career, she's dedicated to be an agent from the begining.

She joined the training program of CBP to be a field agent, but Eva turned out to be gifted at medical science. Thus, after she completed her training program as an field agent, Eva continued her training- but as a field medic serving under the CBP.

She did quite well through the training, and as her last field case, she saved a severly injured agent in the simulation, but soon found out this case wasn't as obvious as she saw.

That "agent" got a pressure bomb inside them, and the pressure from those fluid Eva just put back into the poor car would cause the bomb to explode and kill everyone on stage.

Eva knew this was what almost happened back than because this case was written inside the book on the chapters featuring engine management and fluid transfusion. She gave herself one second and decided to save the agent. After all, she did ask about what should be done to not let the bomb explode and how to safely removed it.

Eventually, Eva made it. Since then, she was given a spot among the leaders of the medics, as she had proven herself a good candidate for dangerous and high-pressure missions.

SIC: Daniil (Sky-blue, dark-brown eyes color)

Long before assigned as the SIC of the team, Daniil was already known as being surprisingly calm, cool-headed, and rational. Being a field medic, Daniil is professional.

He, not quite similar as Eva, was in fact wanting to be a field medic all the time, and thus had a not-so-exciting training time for the basic of being an agent.

Most of the time, Daniil is the one who is responsible to pull back and get everyone under control, except for ONE thing.

He's a bit low on alcohol tolerance.

It's not a way to say that Daniil goes crazy after he drinks too much, he's just not pulling the team back that hard to make things stay under control, and eventually Boris has to step in and drag his crazy little partners to somewhere that they can let off stream without causing trouble.

Teammate: Alyona (Yellow and red, green eyes color)

Alyona paired up with Boris when they both finished their training for being a rescue uint. She then accidently went on an emergency rescue mission assigned to Boris when the IL-76 was supposed to drop Alyona near her house, and eventually made her career more exciting than before.

As the youngest of the team, Alyona is totally over-energized, and that is not some symptoms caused by caffeine. In fact, no one should ever give Alyona something with enough caffeine to make normal automobiles function at a standard level. The team has learned it the hard way.

Teammate: Michaele (Red and white, sea-blue eyes color)

Participated in MSF for quite some years, Michaele finally made his desicion, and applied for the CBP's new training program. Luckly, as an experienced field medic, he was confirmed to become one of the trainee.

But when he set off and arrived at the airport, he heard someone calling for emergency medical assistance. Staring at his ticket and the time his plane was going to depart, Michaele turned to the car calling for help and fought to keep his pace even with the car.

There were already one medic in the hangar. Michaele didn't pay much attention on what was a wounded car doing in here, his full concern was how bad the injury was and how long had the car been injured. The medic there was still trying to save the car. Oil and fluid spread out under the two automobiles.

Michaele could even tell which angle the car had been shot by his experience, and thankfully, all he needed to do is make sure there's enough fuel and fluid storage, then, just tore the car's side open until he got out that bullet stuck inside, which was blocking the pipes from pumping life-essential matters into the core.

Then, before the car bled out, Michaele and the medic did their best to seal the injury and gave the car a fluid transfusion.

At that point, Michaele's plane had already departed. Losing his very only chance to work with the CBP, he was quite down, but he wouldn't blame anyone since it's his desicion to stay and help.

What he didn't see was one of the cars in the hanger took out something like a scanner. After a brief scanning through him, the car cracked into a small smile, put down the scanner, and held out a tire to welcome Michaele to come with them.

Michaele could see his name flickering on the screen of the scanner.

They were the CBP, and from how the cars around him were all relieved and cheering and friendly patting him and the medic with their tires, Michaele believed they had just save an agent without him knowing it.

So, welcome the forklifts!

Thanks again to @longjiaojiao with the ideas of building up the agents' story!

[poisonouswritings]

Rant below:

(TLDR; One of my classes had a two part final exam, I did both parts and triple-checked they were submitted, I log on yesterday and it says one half wasn't even started and says I'm un-enrolled from the class. Today (20th) is the day the teacher is inputting final grades. I've emailed the teacher and am waiting for a response and am going to throw myself down a set of stairs.)

I am soooo fucking exhausted. I had this class, right? And I joined late. Within the allotted time (three weeks from the start of the semester) but late. And because I joined late, there were three assignments that I had missed. I did them and submitted them within the first week of being in the class. Emailed the teacher and she said she would add them in. Because of the way the categories were weighted, one singular 1.0 point assignment made up 30% of my total grade (because it was the only assignment in that category). And she just never fucking added it in. I emailed her at least five times about it. Nothing. She still hasn't added it in and we're technically done with the class now. That means that even though I was getting ≈90% on every single thing I was submitting, I was barely at a C because of that one category. And then she finally added something else to that category that was worth way more points, and my grade finally went from like a 72% to a 94% and it was like. Okay. Fine. You still didn't add the original three assignments that I repeatedly emailed you about, but fine. Whatever. I'll drop it.

Our final was online. Opened on Wednesday the 14th, closed Monday the 19th at 10PM. There were two parts. I finished them both on Wednesday at around 6 and 7 PM respectively. I triple-checked they were both submitted. I went to the completed assessments tab (this was in a separate site that we used specifically for tests, not the main grade site) and they both showed up but said the grades were unavailable until Monday the 19th after 10PM. Okay. Fine. I checked again on Friday the 16th and Sunday the 18th, thinking that maybe if everyone finished early the grades would release sooner. Didn't happen. Both assignments showed up as completed, but I couldn't see the grades. That's fine.

Yesterday (the 19th), I had a final in the morning/afternoon. My last final, specifically. And then I went to the airport to pick my sister up because she's coming to visit for Christmas. I get home at around 11:30 PM. I decide I'm gonna go check on my final grade because I'm curious as to what I got. I log onto the testing site and it says one half of the test wasn't even started.

Um. What the fuck.

I immediately try to go to the completed assessments tab where it fucking said I had finished them both on Wednesday, and I get a 'You Are No Longer Enrolled In This Course' message (meaning the course has been closed for access).

Um. What the fuck.

I try to go back onto my dashboard to where it says the test wasn't even started. I get the same not-enrolled message.

Um. What the fuck.

So at this point it's 11:49 PM and I'm emailing my teacher and on the verge of a panic attack because I have put soooo much fucking work into this stupid fucking class all semester. I did that fucking exam. But guess what? If this situation doesn't get fixed, and she just marks it as incomplete (just like with the first three fucking assignments), my grade goes from a 96% to a fucking 78% because of the way the columns are weighted.

I'm. Just. So fucking exhausted. I feel painfully burnt out. What's the point of trying if I'm just gonna get dicked over again and again? It's barely 7AM so I obviously haven't received a response yet. She said in an announcement earlier on Monday that she's finalizing grades today (the 20th). And I'm fucking terrified that she's just going to ignore my emails like she did at the beginning of the semester. I'm fully prepared to escalate this to the damn department heads if I have to, but I am just,,,, so. tired.

[roosterbruiser]

As a liberal arts major I absolutely need some Faye and Bob hijinks. I do if I’m projecting when I say that I feel those two would make it a habit to lovingly torture their profs. Or maybe they’re the quiet kids? I just started my semester this past week and it’s already kicking my ass.

and as an English major, I would absolutely agree that we need Faye and Bob hijinks!!

and girly, I also started my semester last week and I am also getting my ass kicked!! we are all in this together and I BELIEVE IN YOU!! you can do this!!

canonically, they met their senior year and I feel like there would be a mutual sadness that they didn't have more time together! but I can see a situation happening where Bob was way, way too shy his freshman year to do a bunch of the traditions freshman were supposed to do. for example, maybe all freshman are supposed to swim in a fountain on campus after dark. it's not technically allowed, but everyone does it. and when Faye hears that Bob hasn't done this, she's like, "oh, Bobby. you're in for a treat."

and she makes Bob go to campus with her in the middle of the night--they're both still in their day clothes and he's so nervous about being caught that he is nonstop chattering about jail time for trespassing. she gets in first, dunking herself while she's fully dressed and he watches from the sideline completely overcome with anxiety. but then she promises that everything will be okay and he finally get comfortable enough to put his glasses aside and hop on in! and what do you know? they have so much fun together! and they don't get caught, much to Bob's relief!

I feel like Bob was socially awkward in college so he didn't make a whole lot of friends in all of his classes. but becoming friends with Faye really opened his world up. he's more comfortable going around campus when she's there: saving a seat for her in class, going to poetry readings in their best turtle necks, meeting at coffee shops, thrifting for books, going to bars, maybe even letting her help him get ready for some dates here and there!!

in terms of how they act in class: they're definitely their professor's favorite students. not just because they always add really insightful dialogue to whatever novel they're discussing and they've collectively never gotten anything less than an A on any assignment they've turned in, but because they're not ass-kissers. I'm projecting that their professors are kind of like my professors where they like to razz their students a little bit and are overjoyed when the students can razz them back! before he was friends with Faye, Bob was definitely the quietest kid in class who turned in great papers but never spoke. but now that he's friends with Faye, they both kick their feet up and make the professor sweat a little bit when they veer the conversation towards the homoerotic undertones of whatever classic lit book they're on.

if Bob is running late to class because Faye just reallyyyy needed that almond milk latte, Faye will stall the professor for a good ten minutes after class starts. and if Faye is ever running late because her car broke down or because she had to drop Maggie back off at the airport, Bob is more than willing to start a discussion that he knows will take the professor an eon to get the class back on track.

they are definitely the it-people of their major and are very popular within their niche little group! they're the full package for English majors: smart, nice, funny, non-pretentious.

okay I literally have to ask.........how cute would it have been if Bob and Faye were college sweethearts? ugh. be still my heart!!

[rhetoricandlogic]

David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

By: Gautam Bhatia

Issue: 9 December 2019

David Mogo is an ordinary Godhunter, scouring the streets of Lagos to find and capture stray gods in return for payment. For this is no ordinary Lagos: here, the city is populated by gods of all descriptions, who arrived there in an event known as the “Falling.” Now, they dominate one part of the city, which has become a no-go zone for humans. Mogo, a “demigod” of unknown descent, considers himself to be an ordinary guy, surviving in the new god-oriented economy by solving small problems, such as those caused by godlings stuck in water tanks.

But all that changes when Mogo accepts a lucrative assignment from Lukmon Ajala, a local Baálẹ̀, to capture two gods and bring them back to him. During the course of his assignment, Mogo realizes that there is more to it than meets the eye. Before he knows it, he is neck-deep into an ancient internecine struggle of the gods, a struggle whose consequences threaten to spill over into Lagos, and from there, into the rest of the world. It is a struggle that will envelop Mogo and those around him: Papa Udi, the old “divinery” (or “wizard”) who has brought him up, Taiwo and Kehinde, the twin gods he was supposed to hunt but who become allies, his absent god-mother (who turns out to be the goddess of war), and the women and men he meets along the way, struggling to survive in a god-besieged Lagos.

Suyi Davies Okungbowa’s debut novel takes us careening into contemporary Lagos, and the Yoruba pantheon. A blurb reference describes it as belonging to the “Nigerian Godpunk genre.” While the word “Godpunk” comes with its own historical baggage, it is perhaps a reasonable placeholder: Okungbowa writes in a gritty and fast-paced—but eloquent—register (people “cling to the shadows of the evening,” there is laughter like the “clatter of metal sheets in the wind,” and voices like a “whiff of black pepper in the air”); the story tracks the familiar theme of conflicting relationships between humans and deities on (primarily) human terrain; and finally, the conflict is (sought to be) resolved through a military confrontation, where god-powers clash spectacularly upon a human battlefield, in a war that is—quite literally—larger than life.

Beyond some of the overarching themes that place it within the “Godpunk” genre, however, what immediately stands out in David Mogo, Godhunter, is just how situated it is (“Growing up Nigerian, nights without lights are not new to me”). The novel is of the city of Lagos, much like Neverwhere (1996) is of the city of London, or Djinn City (2015) is of Dhaka. This doesn’t simply mean that the novel is set in the city; but rather, that the events of the novel are deeply entwined with the city’s geography (spatial, economic, and social) and daily life. Or, in other words, it is the city that gives the novel its identity, and it is impossible to imagine that novel set anywhere else. Okungbowa accomplishes this with a very rich visual—almost visceral—account of the locales of Lagos, from its lagoons to the airport (visual enough that I kept thinking, while reading, about how good a cinematic adaptation would look like!):

The smell of faeces in stagnant water is still there, overpowering. Papa Udi, Fatoumata, Femi and Shonuga cough and choke, wrapping their palms around their noses. Mosquitoes buzz around us. The familiar swish of lagoon water is a welcoming sound; I’ve missed it, holed up in that airport for months. I get a flash of Hafiz’s orange ankara cloth and Justice’s Pasuma Wonder t-shirt, and realise I’ve missed them too—I should stop by and greet them once we’re done here.

At the same time, however, these are unfamiliar locales. The colonial history of the world, and how we, its inhabitants, are given that world, ensures that (for example) to an Indian like me, the underground stations of Neverwhere will provide an immediate set of reference points. On the other hand, Lagos’s Third Mainland Bridge or the floating neighbourhood of Makoko (both of which constitute spectacular set pieces for some of the significant events of the novel) will not. Importantly, David Mogo, Godhunter elects not to give the reader those reference points: the reader is presumed to know of the Third Mainland Bridge or Makoko just as well as they know of Blackfriars or Islington; and she is presumed to know exactly what it means when the narrative voice wryly remarks, for example, that “trying to get the owners of divineries to band together for a common cause is like asking Hausa northerners and Igbo easterners to come together and eat from the same bowl.”

This is a risky authorial choice, but—I believe—a necessary one: because, if decolonisation is to mean anything, it must surely mean that books of London and of Lagos are read on their own terms, and there is no additional burden of translation upon the latter. In the end, the quality of Okungbowa’s writing, and the vividness of his descriptions make the problem of translation a moot one. Nonetheless, I did think—as I read the book alongside open Wikipedia links to Lagos’ geography—about the unfairness of a situation that requires a novel set in Lagos to either engage in geographic explanations, or be simply so good that the absence of explanation ceases to matter.

There is, of course, a similar issue when it comes to the gods themselves. “Godpunk” novels such as Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (2001), for example, or some of the works of James Lovegrove, are familiar and comforting in their pantheons, because familiarity with the Greek, Egyptian and Norse gods has become something of a lingua franca amidst the cosmopolitan, English-speaking population that constitutes English-language SF’s global constituency. Okungbowa’s Yoruba pantheon offers no similar comfort (in this respect, it is similar in some ways to Marlon James’ recent Black Leopard, Red Wolf [2019]). We begin our acquaintances with Olorun the creator from scratch, Esu the trickster and the god of the crossroads, Ọya, goddess of the river, and many many more. The loss—as we soon realise—has been ours all this while, and there is something quite fascinating (and, dare I say it, magical) in watching a fresh pantheon unfold before your eyes, where the gods (in general) do not act in ways that you expect gods to act, and gods (in particular) come unburdened with the weight of far too many layers of prior, English-language interpretation:

The god’s signature flashes across my consciousness: the beauty of sunset and waterfalls; the smell of raw incense; the sound of water from a fountain; a bell pinging underwater; a chalice—big and beautiful and royal—made for wealth alone; wine, drunk from this chalice, the back of my tongue tasting of grapes, but also of fish; a bleak day of mist and fog, but which is really a dream; the cry of a big fish, calling to its mates underwater. I reach out, heady with nausea, pushing my godessence, asking the signature questions of its origin.

There may come a day, of course, when we know exactly what Olokun will do with water, what the “sponge ritual” really is, and why shigidis exist; perhaps, on that day, novels will be trying to disrupt those expectations, and that will perhaps be the day that SFF is truly decolonized; but until that time, we can perhaps only be grateful that there are worlds yet left to discover, and writers like Okungbowa to guide us through them.

Finally, David Mogo, Godhunter is not just about spectacularly choreographed battle scenes amidst the wreckage of the neighbourhoods of Lagos. It is also a bildungsroman, tracing the interior life of David Mogo from hesitant demigod and general chancer, to one of the protagonists of an epic struggle, suddenly faced with the prospect of bearing the moral and ethical weight of the consequences of his decisions. Through Mogo’s evolving interactions with the people around him, Okungbowa also has the opportunity to bring on to the stage a host of keenly-drawn characters (gods and humans both), forming a network of relationships that is explored by a sensitive—and loving—authorial eye. Perhaps most interestingly, however, Okungbowa chooses to give his villains good arguments as well; so at the end of the novel, there is just that hint of lingering doubt about whether we’ve really been rooting for the good guys all this while.

You couldn’t ask much more of this “Nigerian godpunk novel”!

[dashielldeveron]

Okay Shy Anon from before back here, I’ve been re-reading in anticipation and I so want to know!! Who do you imagine Shinsou got off with during the villain attack (trying to be as vague as possible for anybody who hasn’t read it yet)?

Touya’s prosthetic!! It seems like he has complex functional use of it and reader couldn’t tell it wasn’t the arm he was born with when appreciating him shirtless. Was your idea that it was some specialized quirk-enhanced prosthetic? Did Enji abuse his power to get his son top of the line technology from a support item company??

Also!! It seemed like Touya had control over the soulmate bond sometimes, the connection stopping or starting at extremely convenient times for him. Is it just extremely lucky coincidence? Does he have an innate control over the bond? Or maybe because he’s technically had half of the bond going for presumably longer than reader (it seemed implied to me that he was exposed before and when reader was exposed both pieces snapped into place)? Like a muscle he’s subconsciously been exercising, when everything connected he was already practiced and given enough time reader will be able to turn it on and off at will?

Also also, I don’t think I properly conveyed this im my first gush, but the remnants of his shrine still existing is so devastating. A constant reminder in his eyes that he’s dead to them. They got Dabi back, but the Touya they used to love is still dead, like he can’t be good enough now after what he’s done (whether that’s true or not). Sorry to keep blowing you up, you just occupy so much of my brainpower lately.

i am throwing flower petals on your head. i hand you a jug of wine and loaf of bread. we spread out our blanket for our beautiful picnic.

answered below cut, bc spoilers (?) for aizawa's/shinsou's/dabi's routes of soulmate trope

shinsou and seredipity: there's a line in shinsou's route said by aizawa along the lines of "just be grateful you were trapped alone" in the aftermath of the airport stuff. i imagined shinsou to have been separated from the group in a place where serendipity's quirk didn't even leak into. this is mostly bc

1) i think shinsou wouldn't've had the energy to have that conversation with ito if he'd had to deal with serendipity's quirk already, and

2) lololol if shinsou were in the same place as the rest of them, it gives them all an easy way out with his quirk--and in my head, i think it's funnier if bakugou says "i'm not gonna suck icy-hot's dick" and then he does. (i actually think it'd be more in character for bakugou to get one of them to give him a handjob but critique their method the whole time, but the dick sucking thing is funnier).

touya's prosthetic: i like to think that such prosthetics are available on the market for everyone. unrealistic, i know, but it's my fic, and i have high hopes for humanity. but since there's quirks specific enough to, say, matching colour palettes to complement skin tone, why shouldn't there be quirks to make lightweight but mechanically complex prosthetics? if endeavor interfered, i'd like to think that it was only to get an exact skin tone match made or perhaps as a rush order.

touya's control over the bond: FUCK that's so good that's SO good. i wish i had thought of that. the reason it cuts at convenient times is bc i needed it to cut for the plot lololol. in my head, yes, touya breathed in the dust first, but since his assigned soulmate hadn't yet breathed it in, it's like the quirk sat dormant, like a sleeper agent, until reader was affected. but fuck the idea of him practising with it is so cool!!! i bet that he and reader could use that to practise with the link now that they're together!!! that would make it safer when, like, one of them is driving or something lololol. and could lead to adorable shenanigans.

touya's empty shrine: urgHUGHrughrughhgurhg you're the perfect reader. you're exactly whom i want reading my bullshit. because yes yes yes it's fucking devastating that touya has to walk by essentially his grave!! and since his fam has cleared it out, they've clearly been, like, "yes this is inappropriate bc touya is living," but since they've left the shell, it still leaves the message that they're still mourning whom he used to be!!!! screams

my beloved picnic-companion!!! don't apologise!!! i am so achingly desperate to talk about this stuff, esp. bc my beta reader doesn't even like anime and thus doesn't catch detail work!!!! but i am tickled pink that you've been thinking about the fic so much!!! i'm so glad it can fill some of your time and make you happy :)

i am working hard on shigaraki's route!!! i hope you like it, too!!! xx.

[missguomeiyun]

❆ SEATTLE (ep43): Stuck at SEA for over 28hrs...

This is going to be a lengthy post but I assure you, it’s gonna be an exciting one! DL & I had to spend the night camping out in the Seattle airport, where we stayed for over 28hrs. ..

*Date of this event: Mon-Tues February 11-12, 2019!

We got up at 7am.

Looked outside & noticed there wasn’t much snow. Then we proceeded to pack & check the news regarding our flight to Vancouver.

The packing was, of course, alright, & we finished that very quickly. As for our flight to YVR, it was still happening despite a lot of delays & cancellations =/ Everything SEEMED okay. For now.

We had a small breakfast consisting of cup noodles & coffee - very unexciting so I didn’t take a picture.

Got down to the main floor to wait for our LYFT service. Here’s the lobby one last time.

Done checking out.

The Walgreens across the street from our hotel.

The LYFT came around 0815h. The LYFT we requested turned out to be a mini van, & there were also other passengers on it. You can request to have the whole vehicle but it is more expensive, & DL & I didn’t feel the need to do that. Our ride was only for the trip from our hotel to Westlake Station.

We then took the train to get to the airport.

The line up at the airport to go through screening. .. >.<

So the airport system here was 2-fold. I don’t travel to the States often so I’m not sure about this. .. but they have a screen desk where they scan your passport, & then you get assigned a line to actually go through security (where you walk through the metal detector & your luggage gets the xray). Are other American airports like this too...??? 

Anyway, of course, we passed & the security line actually didn’t take as long as we thought it would. We got our boarding passes & everything. .. only 1100h!

We took the airport train to get to our terminal.

We got to our ‘area’ & realized our flight is now canceled!!! O_O

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  DL has been checking the flight status religiously every 15mins & it was all fine. That’s why we went thru security. THEY EVEN PRINTED OUR BOARDING PASSES like.. literally 15mins ago. WHAT HAPPENED?!

In fact, the airport displays (other ones around the airport) still says our flight was on time.. . Turned out they didn’t have time (/staff?) to update the boards in a timely manner & of course, the upfront ppl doing screening/security had no idea -.-”

Didn’t know what to do momentarily. Literally just stared at each other & sighed. .. looked out the window & saw how ‘bad’ it looked.

Honestly, it didn’t look that bad. .. lol coming from 2 Edmontonians who have flown in the middle of winter.

What do we do now????

Our flight from Seattle to Vancouver was with Alaska Airlines so we went to the Alaska Airline customer service desk. We passed by some display boards along the way & noticed other Seattle to Vancouver flights were canceled too. ..

1200h: When we got to the Alaska Airline customer service area, there was a BIG crowd. I’m not kidding. .. you know when you go to concerts, there’s often merch pre-sale or like a VIP opening time type of thing. .. & ppl just camp out/wait in line? It was sort of like that! Ppl lined up against the wall sitting on the floor, all the chairs in the waiting area were occupied. More groups of ppl just sitting on the floor with our luggage. We waited in line, trying to be patient but everyone was just like... annoyed & tired & everything. .. Each traveler took a long time at the desk with the agent. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Things were so uncertain, & NGL, I was a bit nervous. I wasn’t sure if going back to our hotel or just in downtown somewhere was even possible as they’ve now shut down some of the highways & train service. Yeah. .. it was really bad.

Essentially, after the consultation with the agent, the ‘conclusion’ was . .. bcos we are both Canadian passport holders, Alaska Airlines switched us over to Air Canada.

HOWEVERRRRR the paperwork that they gave us was not a ticket or boarding pass or anything. We still didn’t know what time our flight was gonna be. .. the paperwork they gave us was simply a sheet of paper with the transfer info from Alaska Airlines to Air Canada. Umm. .. I mean. . better than nothing, I guess. Of course, we didn’t have to pay extra but at the same time, there was no compensation either! So now. .. we headed to the Air Canada counter, which was Terminal A, Gate 20/21.

After some time, it was confirmed - we got boarding passes, will be leaving Seattle for Vancouver at 1820h!

TBH, I don’t know what DL was thinking but my hopes weren’t high. I mean, just look at the outside!

I didn’t really think we could fly out at 1820h. .. in about 4hrs or so.

At this point, we were hungry but didn’t feel like eating anything. The whole process with the transfer, including the lining up & speaking to the agents at both airlines etc. .. it was tiring. But. .. we needed to eat.

Closest thing at the time.

Got a simple ham & cheese panini. I also got a mango smoothie from this place but I didn’t take a picture. It was alright. Airport always charges SO much for the food.

Did some exploring & settling down as we have several hrs to kill. During this time, we also called our Vancouver hotel to let them know we will be super late due to the flight situation. They were very understanding & actually refunded 1 night of our stay since. .. we didn’t check in at our scheduled time. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Airport art display.

Another airport art display. ..

This was all 1 piece but I didn’t think they were coherent for some reason. What are your thoughts?

These look good on its own & the black pieces look good on its own.

Spotted a coffeeshop. ..

Hojicha latte. Not sure why I got this. .. I got an upset stomach from this bcos it contained hot cream/milk.

Random display. ..

Heading back to Gate 20 now.

Yup, I was right! The snow situation outside got worse. The amount of snow kept accumulating & they couldn’t clear the runways for take-off or landing. Seattle airport completely at a halt.

Officially canceled, WITHOUT any further updates.

The agent said the desk is gonna close soon as there’s no staff to guard it AND they have no info anyway - she told us to come again / be around in the morning. She said there are flights leaving before noon to Vancouver & she marked our names down in the system (& gave us temporary paperwork).

.

.

.

Stay tuned for more as the night deepens at the Seattle airport.

[kalorphic]

CHAPTER TWO SNIPPET

It’s Noah’s time to shine! This is a snippet from Noah’s PoV regarding MC and Cody arriving in Vegas, rather than a face-to-face interaction because I want you guys to experience that in-game 👀

Warnings: Noah being kind of stalkerish (of mc and Cody at the airport through the use of camera’s), implied pre-planned abduction (related to the snippet involving Cody), mentions of past homophobia (related to Cody).

“${nser}, ${mctitle} ${mclastname} and Mx. O’Sullivan’s plane has landed.”

Noah ducked ${ntheir} head in acknowledgment, “thank you, Marcus.”

Marcus didn’t linger. He knew a dismissal when he heard one. It was something that Noah liked about him.

It took mere seconds for ${ntheir} thoughts to move from their assistant to the MI6 handlers that had just arrived in Noah’s playground.

Perfect.

Noah had had extensive research done on everyone worth ${ntheir} time, and that included ${mcname} and Cody.

Intel told ${nthem} that Cody was a talented young coder, one of the best and brightest at MI6. They had quickly moved up the ranks and seemed to have a knack for handling more difficult agents. Cody’s background was high-class, but they were largely ignored and unloved by their family as a child, until they were finally disowned for coming out as queer.

Noah’s lip curls into a snarl of disgust at the thought. People like that won’t exist when I’m done.

But alas, ${nthey} are getting off-topic.

Cody was taken in by their uncle who was also disowned and who, despite not having much to his name, loved them unconditionally and tried to give them every opportunity possible.

I wonder if it would be strange to send Mr. O’Sullivan a gift basket?

Yes, moron, it would.

Ugh, why does my voice of reason have to sound like Manon.

Ah well. Perhaps it’ll be something to consider when Noah is in charge. Anyway, back to Cody.

They joined MI6, and were assigned a Flat with a flatmate pending. Which they were eventually assigned. Bringing them to ${mcname}.

[a/n] this part is largely dependent on the choices you’ve previously made.

${mcname} was an equal to Cody in every way, perhaps even better when it came to [hacking | tactics | building relationships | quickly responding to problems]. ${mcthey} came from a lower middle-class background with rather ordinary parents and an entrepreneur for an older [brother | sister | sibling]. [${mcname} emigrated when they were [age (up to 16)] from the continent of [Africa | Europe | North America | South America | Oceania | Asia] and] after ${mcthey} graduated colleg– ah university, they spent time [working | travelling | doing post-graduate studying] until they joined MI6 when they were [23 | 24 | 25 | 26].

However, what made ${mcthem} truly incredible in espionage circles (and in ${ntheir} more shady ones) was ${mctheir} handling of Agent X, an agent who had been renown for being extremely difficult for anyone to work with, and yet, here was this newbie who had managed to tame the dragon in just three months.

And now you show up here to save them…is X your lover, perhaps?

Noah tilts ${ntheir} head and stares at ${mcname}’s picture.

You intrigue me. I want to know more about you.

I want you to understand me.

${nthey} tap a few buttons on the screen in front of ${nthem} and CCTV footage of LAS appears. Noah scans the screens to catch a glimpse of the handlers.

“Ah, there they are.”

Noah doesn’t realise that ${ntheir} smiling until ${ntheir} face starts to hurt from how wide it is.

“We’ll be meeting very soon.”

${nthey} watch as you pace, impatiently waiting for your luggage to come around the belt.

I can’t wait.