#congratulations on your remix completion!

[downtofragglerock]

Thinking about how kind of insane Romana's journey is

Ok so imagine that you're a recent college grad, did very well, high honors, stem major with a polysci minor or something like that

And then, like very shortly after you graduate, a literal god kidnaps you and puts you on a fetch quest where the continued existence of the spacetime continuum is on the line.

This is not as big of a deal for you compared to someone else, as you come from a society that deals with time stuff on the regs. Granted, the stakes at play are pretty damn dire, but again, you majored in the sciences of your society, which have advanced to the point of being viewed as borderline sorcery to most other civilizations

You're assigned a partner for this, another member of your society. This makes sense, while you're up for the task, having another person equally qualified will probably make the whole thing easier.

Only the guy the literal god gets for your partner is the biggest weirdo your society has ever produced. He barely graduated every school he was in and currently lives out of an old busted up van that he stole literal lifetimes ago and also barely works.

But you go along anyway and start the fetch quest. On the final leg, you end up encountering a woman that you just become enraptured with, though you'll never externalize this at the time, nor examine why you, a woman, may be feeling the things you're feeling about this other woman.

The fetch quest is over and time is saved and all that, but you're still traveling in the busted up van with this absolute freak, although his charm has grown on you. You're still fixated on that woman though, to the point where you self induce complete cellular remixing to become an exact body double of that woman. You don't examine why exactly you did this.

You keep traveling with the weirdo, and you're really starting to like his shtick, so much that you resolve to start aping it, only better (certainly with better dress sense at the very least), and hey, maybe you don't wanna go home, at least for a bit.

Eventually you two get trapped in a parallel dimension, you accidentally pick up an annoying teenage boy, but you don't have to deal with him for very long, as when your weirdo friend finally figures out how to get out of there, you stay behind to help some furries or something. You'll get back on your own time. Also you took the robot dog with you (he had a robot dog this entire time).

Some time passes and you eventually not only make it back to your own reality, but also your home. You end up meeting another woman who your weirdo friend hung out with before you met him, and she also triggers those feeling you had that last time made you commit the ultimate form of identity fraud.

But no time to ruminate on any of those unexplored things, you run for president, and win. Congratulations, you are now in charge of your entire society after what timescale-wise basically amounted to taking a slightly longer than normal gap year after graduating from college.

That is the tale of Romanadvoratrelundar, aka Romana, aka Fred

[i-am-skinny-sir]

If we’re in the business of giving out awards for deserving, boundary-pushing work, then Chalamet’s best actor campaign – unofficial and often unspoken efforts to sway awards voters and build public sentiment – deserves its own Oscar. For the past several months, ostensibly in support of A Complete Unknown but seemingly just as much for laughs, Chalamet has embarked on a rare press run of consistent wins that generated viral moments and appealed to the reference-averse, absurdist sensibilities of his generation, bucking the usually staid methods of Hollywood promotion. Whereas past best actor hopefuls have erred on the side of grateful, serious and dutiful to the self-importance of the boomer-skewing Academy, Chalamet has worn kitschy outfits to red carpet events, treated social media like an ironic art experiment and made the rounds with influencers. In other words, though Chalamet is technically a millennial (born in 1995), we are witnessing the first genZ Oscar campaign.

And what a delight it’s been. There is plenty to be cynical about when it comes to awards season – the repetition, the speeches written by consultants, the cloying campaign-ness of it all – but Chalamet out-predicting professional sports analysts on College Gameday (?!) is not one of them. The first sign that Chalamet would be up to something different – that he would be in on the joke – was back in October, two months before the domestic release of A Complete Unknown, when he crashed a crowdsourced lookalike contest in New York’s Washington Square Park, temporarily causing gleeful pandemonium (until the cops showed up). He followed with a series of wacky, weird, surprising public appearances that have deftly threaded a needle of sincere and unserious, from dressing up as Bob Dylan circa 2003’s Sundance, blond bangs and all, to remixing Dylan deep cuts on Saturday Night Live as one of the few musical guests who isn’t a recording artist.

A non-exhaustive list of highlights: riding a Lime bike on to a red carpet (and later telling a French interviewer that he was fined £65 for illegal parking); giving podcast bro Theo Von a lesson on publicly subsidized housing (Chalamet grew up in Mitchell-Lama arts housing in Manhattan); fanboying over Kendrick Lamar in a ride-along “interview” for the Super Bowl; hosting a bizarre Instagram live from an empty warehouse in which he smashed a guitar, writhed with confetti to the 2009 Black Eyed Peas track I Gotta Feeling, and appeared in front of a screen with intentionally misspelled messages like “congratulations timmothee”.

For every conventional, in-the-feels interview stop – a classic Serious Artist Rolling Stone cover, a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper on honing his ambition, an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe on inhabiting Dylan’s music – there have been multiple ridiculous, internet-aiming victory laps. See: talking Brat with oddball Canadian music journalist Nardwuar, and an absurd and delightful interview with YouTuber Brittany Broski in which he described his lean aesthetic as “empowering the anemic”. And that’s not even getting into a series of lo-fi Instagram videos in which Chalamet sings along to various songs – the Dylan track Visions of Johanna, a number from the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack – at various outdoor locations in a style I can best describe as “aspirational performing arts school project”.

All of this evinces a fact that many forget: being an actor and being a movie star are not the same thing. Timothée Chalamet is a phenomenally talented actor who, by his own admission, strives to be considered one of the greats. He said the quiet part out loud (unusual) in his Sag acceptance speech a week before the Oscars – his first major award after nearly two dozen nominations by the age of 30: “I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” he said, wearing a lime green shirt, leather suit and bolo tie in tribute to another archival Dylan look. “I know people don’t usually talk like that but I want to be one of the greats.”

But awards campaigns are never just about talent, and Chalamet is, crucially, great at being a celebrity. This entire press run has evinced his concurrent talent for holding attention in the ways he wants to, for not taking oneself too seriously while also maintaining deep reverence for the craft, for balancing the esoteric and the very dumb, with some clear YouTube research. And mostly, to laugh at oneself in a way that also benefits one’s appeal, a through-line from the lookalike contest to showing Cooper a video of his high school rap alter ego, Timmy Tim. Chalamet is the rare extremely famous person who seems to actually enjoy being famous – or, at the very least, is having some harmless fun with it. So here’s to Chalamet’s Oscar campaign, a breath of fresh air in a practice that tends to range from just moderately enjoyable to outright annoying. Especially this year, the Oscars season, and pop culture at large, needed it.

[swayziiwriter]

Congratulations | Trent Alexander-Arnold

summary: after Liverpool pull off a much needed victory against Manchester United you decide to extend an “innocent” congratulation to Trent.

WARNING: 18+, sexual content

Trent let out a throaty moan, reaching his hands to grip the pillows on each side of your head.

He was thrusting into you relentlessly, the force of his hips snapping up into yours had you shaking. You had already came around his aroused cock, nails gripping into his back dragging down right before his ass. Trent was making you feel sensations you hadn't know were possible, the heat and close proximity between your bodies was dangerous. Clouding your judgement,

Liverpool had beaten Manchester United 7-0. What was supposed to be an innocent exchange of congratulations, ended with you under Trent, moaning his name out as he pounded you into the bed. It felt like Trent was everywhere. You could feel his hands roaming all over your body, sending you bursts of pleasure as his movements never faltered.

"So dirty for me" Trent groaned into your shoulder, biting down on the soft flesh lightly before licking the now red area. "You want this cock deeper?" he asked, it wasn't a real question. Trent was going to deeper with each thrust, your soaking core allowing him to slip back inside with no halts. Trent Brough his face down, burying it between your breasts as you pulled at his dreads.

Small beads of sweat dripping down from them as you continued to squirm, "so good- good Trent" you moaned out.

He lifted his head looking into your eyes as you begged for him to fuck you silly, praising his cock like it was the last time you would ever get it.

He smirked, the image of you begging for him would replay in his mind as he jerked himself off, wishing that it could it be yours hands and lips wrapped so tight around his cook

Trent hit your g-spot with a hard thrust, making your mind go blank as you let out a pornographic moan.

You clenched around him, feeling his cock twitch inside of you as Trent's body shuddered. Your hands went to his face, bringing it to level with your trying to figure out the reason for his subtle halt. "You feel so tight when you clench around me" he moaned, his strokes now slowing down becoming hard and long. "Like this?" you questioned clenching around his hard dick that was buried deep inside of your pussy, waiting for a release.

Trent's head fell to your chest, his breathing becoming uneasy as his eyes closed in pleasure. The sensation was overtaking his body, you took advantage of this. Trent was close, you could feel it as his cock twitched inside of you once again. You lifted your back arching to the side, prompting Trent to lift his head.

"Give it to me Trent, make me cum again" you begged giving him the push to speed up his movements again.

Speed up he did, your second orgasam washed over you before you even had the chance to tell Trent you were cumming. He felt your warm juice coat his dick, your hands reaching to his hair, tugging on his locks as Trent chased his high. He was so close, his cock begging for a release. So, you decided to give him some words of encouragement.

"Gonna cum in me?, fill me up Trent. Give it to me, cum in me Trent." you said tauntingly. Trent snapped his hips into you forcefully as you clenched around him, sending him cumming into your tight pussy. His warm seed painting your walls, you moaned to the feeling.

"Fill me up so good" was the last complete sentence you got out before Trent flipped your body to be laying on your chest. Running his cock up and down your ass, before sliding back into you dripping core.

You knew you were in for a long, steamy night with Trent.

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #68: 2017

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Ed Sheeran, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar, The Chainsmokers, Migos, The Chainsmokers, Sam Hunt, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone. End description]

More information about this blog here

It's easier more than ever to see the effects of streaming on the pop charts. As electropop and club music become a distant memory, the pop music of the late 2010's works better with individual listening. As mentioned before, streaming works better for album listening, much more than the iTunes era which encouraged the purchasing of individual songs (which was great for singles artists, but not necessarily for albums). Some artists were able to hack this system. For example, Drake's Views (featured on the previous poll) was notable for having 20 songs on its tracklist -- which is a lot for a pop release. Unlike the iTunes era or even the CD era before, longer albums with shorter songs flourish more in the streaming landscape.

Streaming also helped to continue blurring the line between genres and audiences. Without going too much into it (because this is a topic I could ramble on about endlessly), genres were not handed down to us from Mount Olympus or something. Genre is a tool of marketing, and the lines drawn between them can have a variety of cultural, racial, economic, gender, religious, and other variables between them. These lines were more prominent in previous years before streaming made it easier to access just about every kind of music at once. This is when we start to see the rise of a concept known as the "monogenre". In order to cater to as wide an audience as possible, everything starts to sound like everything. A little rock, a little indie, a little trap, a little tropical house, a little festival EDM. There were also those who criticized the streaming era in how it promotes a more "passive" listening style, since playlists and algorithms could continue playing ad infinitum without the listener needing to seek out new music themselves. While I certainly see the evidence of that on the charts, I don't think this tells the complete story.

As a less cynical counter-argument, streaming has made it easier for listeners to find music that otherwise wouldn't have been marketed to them. I believe that this could be one of the factors behind reggaeton finding a growing audience among English speakers. Obviously reggaeton did not originate this year. The roots of the genre can be traced back to the 1980's in Panama where it would later grow an even larger audience in Puerto Rico. The genre would grow in popularity in the States as well, especially in the early 2000's. But if you weren't paying attention to Spanish language music (and you didn't grow up in the Southwest), it was easy for mainstream audiences to miss it. Reggaeton includes influences from dancehall and hip-hop, so it makes sense that the genre would find a mainstream English-speaking audience when those two genres were also shaping pop music. Because Despacito wasn't just big for a reggaeton song. It wasn't even big for a Latin pop song. Despacito led to Daddy Yankee becoming the sixth most listened-to artist on Spotify in 2017, and led to an influx of Latin and reggaeton artists who were able to cross over without English language remixes. Billboard magazine has an article here about the "Despacito Effect".

[lnights]

@10yearsofblindchannel

Aleksi day! 1328 words, Joel/Joonas, Joel/Joonas/Aleksi.

Aleksi always knew he was going to be in the music industry.

His dad would take him around while he worked with his clients, one of his earliest memories was running around a studio; he was exposed early and he knew working in music is what he wanted to do.

He hadn't thought it would be DJing when he was younger, he had loved the little rock band he had with his friends, he had thought he looked so cool as a drummer.

But like the vast majority of childhood bands they had faded, everyone going their own way. And while he had been studying music production he came to find his love for sampling as well as percussion, some experimentation led him to buy his first deck and becoming a DJ had become his career path 

But of course he still loves rock and metal, that wouldn't go away just because he found himself working with more pop artists both for remixes and production. He liked to think his taste was varied, after all. 

Which is how he found himself at Bring Me The Horizon, all alone because none of his friends had wanted to go, but there was no way he would miss them when they were actually in Helsinki headlining.

He has been waiting in line before the venue opened, hoping to go to a good spot, but the overwhelming urge to get merch had won out and he found himself in line, just hoping the hoodie he wanted would still be in stock in his size by the time he got up there. And maybe a-

Someone knocked into him from behind, making him stumble into the two people standing in front of him.

"Hey!" The taller of the two turned to look at him with a scowl.

"Sorry," Aleksi said quickly "someone bumped into me and- wait a minute, I know you."

The person standing next to him turned around at that, an equally unamused look on his face, somewhat undercut by rounded cheeks and platinum blonde hair in his eyes

"You guys are from Blind Channel right?" Aleksi asked with a smile, "I love your guys' music! I've been listening to Another Sun on repeat and Darker Than Black is-"

The taller of the two, Aleksi was pretty sure his name was Joel, snorted. "Oh now you like our music? Where was that enthusiasm five months ago?"

Aleksi frowned, "what do you mean?"

"Joel-" the other member, their guitarist? Put a hand on his arm

"I reached out to you about a collab," Joel told him, "I heard your stuff on the radio and thought you might like to remix one of our songs or we could work together or something, you left me on read!"

'No I didn't!" Aleksi told him, "I never leave people on read, if I don't want to work with them I just tell them that. I wouldn't have…" He felt the blood drain from his face; he had a distinct memory of getting the message right when he was leaving the house to do a day's full of errands. He had told himself he would reply when he got home and could devote more time to it.

He must have completely forgotten.

"Oh shit." Aleksi groaned, "I swear that was an accident, I would absolutely want to work with you guys."

The shorter of the two hummed, "really?"

"Yes!" Aleksi nodded hard, "I promise it was an accident. Can I buy you guys a beer?"

The taller laughed, "yeah, I think you can do that."

It didn't take long before the three of them were chatting like old friends, newly acquired merch and beers in their hands while they found spots to enjoy the concert.

Despite the misstep, Joel still wanted to work with him and Joonas insisted he should meet the rest of the band in Oulu eventually.

"Did the rest of them not want to come to this?" Aleksi asked.

"This was actually a trip for our anniversary." Joonas told him, "we've been together for three years as of a month ago."

Joel smiled and wrapped an arm around Joonas' waist.

"Congratulations." Aleksi told them, the two of them certainly made a striking pair, both tall and handsome with sparkling blue eyes and-

No, he didn't need to go down that line of thought.

They enjoyed the concert, talking more between songs and dancing to the music with Joonas while Joel bobbed his head and jumped along, all three of them singing along to the songs; they left in the crush of people and Joel took one of his hands and Joonas took the other so they wouldn't get separated from each other.

Aleksi tried to not think how warm it was, especially when they didn't let go of him as they got to the parking lot. Their cars were surprisingly close to each other and the three of them ended up leaning against his while they watched everyone else leave.

"We've been talking for way over an hour." Joonas eventually murmured.

Aleksi blinked and looked at his phone, he would have sworn it had only been twenty minutes, but it was closer to two hours than one since the concert had let out, the parking lot basically empty.

"Oh wow." Aleksi said, "didn't you guys say you were going to drive back tonight?"

"Yeah, it's a long drive but we couldn't find a hotel room for the night." Joel sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Come stay the night with me." Aleksi blurted out before he could think it through, "I have an apartment nearby."

Joel and Joonas exchanged looks, communicating silently. "That would be great." Joel told him with a smile, "we'll follow you over."

Aleksi nodded and went to get in his car, his mouth suddenly dry when he realized he didn't have a guest bed and the couch wouldn't hold both of them.

Should he offer to let them share the bed and he take the couch? Rilla would like that.

He truly wondered if he had gone crazy, inviting two strangers over to his home, but the worry faded as they parked and he led them up, their easy banter picking up where it had left off.

Joonas went nuts for Rilla, who was woken up by them opening the door, and they all ended up on the couch to talk more about music and work and everything under the sun.

It was well passed two in the morning when they all admitted to being tired.

"I can grab pillows and blankets," Aleksi yawned, "but I don't have a guest bed, I should have mentioned…"

"Don't worry about it," Joel told him, "we would have been happy on the floor."

"Or with you." Joonas mumbled, eyes half shut and leaning against Joel.

Aleksi blinked at him, "do… do you guys want to?"

Joel looked away but gave a small nod, Joonas smiling a little.

Heat shot through Aleksi and he got up to lead them to his room, Joel and Joonas waiting for his nod of approval before discarding their jeans and crawling into bed in their boxers and band shirts.

Aleksi smiled a bit at how Joel took the middle, Joonas spooning him in a way that seems instinctual. He slid under the blankets next to him and closed his eyes, falling asleep easily and much more comfortable than he should have.

He woke up only a couple hours later, Joel and Joonas still fast asleep, and it took him a moment to realize why he was awake. Joel had tugged him closer and was hugging him like a teddy bear.

Maybe he should be uncomfortable, after all he didn't really know Joel, but he could feel his warmth on his back, feel a hand that had to be Joonas' in his hair, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

He dozed off again, feeling safe.

[goat-and-coat]

UT Yellow Spoilers Ahead.

So. Here’s some buffer text so this shouldn’t show up in your notifications. The spoilery parts. The spoiliest. Consider this your spoiler warning.

Yeah, this is probably long enough. I’m just gonna shotgun this lol.

We’re going to start with the good.

So the good!

Yeah. There’s a LOT. Way too much to mention, so here’s some highlights.

Toriel showing up is obviously a necessity. But it was such a cool little moment to have the rescue ending (:

Nice callback to UT’s little “wait for something to happen” moments that happen in the Core and Ruins.

The music, of course, is amazing. Whether it’s the original music or the remix (I dig that Hopes and Memes remix), they did a phenomenal job.

On the front of artistic expression, the art. Sprites are amazing. The flashback art is amazing. The videos are super cool. The animations are really good.

Gameplay is pretty in line with Undertale. You’ll find yourself holding X a lot more to slow yourself down than you did in UT.

I like how the game makes callouts to beloved characters we don’t see directly, like Alphys and Undyne. It was nice to see more of the same side characters, too. The expansion on monsters is good- like Dalv. And we finally see farms.

I love Clover, Martlet, and the Feisty Five. Cerboro… well, we’ll talk about her later. Their dialogue is always great. I don’t think there was even a single bad line.

The hugs at the end! And the hand holding! And how much everyone just loves Clover aaaaah

Also Flowey (:

Good cowboy representation!!!

Snowdin expansion (:

More of the Ruins we never got to see (:

We got to see the city up close wooo!!

The map is just good. My favorite part was the Dunes. I liked seeing the UG Apartment Complex. The Royal statue specifically. Nice smaller detail that I’m glad didn’t go forgotten.

Also! UT Yellow successfully retains the writing and goofiness of UT. While the drama doesn’t hit AS hard, it’s still definitely a tearjerker! It really makes you see the six kids as more than just a number. Helps to put gravity and weight on that.

But most importantly, the creators very clearly have such love and respect for UT. It shows in their creation. A lot of hard work and effort went into it. UT Yellow is what all fan games should look to do in my opinion. I want you to keep this in mind for what I’m going to say about the dislikes.

Here’s what I didn’t like:

Do you wish every fight was as bad as Sans? Do you hate everyone and yourself? Do you wish to inflict pain on your mental well-being? Do you straight up suck at dodging, but love seeing game over screens?

Congratulations. This game is for you. It’s a mix bag for me. Extra challenge is good, but this was extreme.

The boss fights don’t hold back. So this could easily be in the “good” category if you’re a masch… maschochist? Masc… enjoy pain. I can’t spell it, okay??? And I ain’t gonna Google it.

Axis took me close to two and a half hours to beat (in comparison, the dance boss took only about an hour and a half).

That’s my only real complaint about the pacifist run as far as combat goes. No way monsters would’ve been locked away without a single soul during the war if they were this strong.

I will say the world makes the Underground seem TOO big, which contradicts the whole “the underground is too small” narrative Undertale pushed. I think Yellow mentions it once or twice, too? HOWEVER!! I am totally and completely willing to ignore this because cowboy hehe (:

Plus, it explains some food source. Little curious how they’re growing crops underground, but I’ll just go with “it’s magic so it doesn’t need sunlight” as my excuse.

Flowey. I know I said I liked him, too. So here’s what’s going on.

This is gonna be weird to people because Asriel and Frisk are my favorite UT characters. And I don’t even dislike Flowey in Yellow! He’s super funny.

But he should not be there.

His presence opens up a whole can of worms.

1- He can save and load while Clover can’t (he is Clover’s save point). This isn’t an issue in itself, but it is an issue at the same time because Flowey’s goal to take human souls would be ten billion times easier if he just bodied Clover at the very first opportunity like he tried to do with Frisk. This is a kid who throws a temper tantrum after about five seconds of you not dying to his bullets. I don’t think he would have the patience to play the long con.

2- Flowey doesn’t seem to have met a human other than Chara and Frisk… and the ones who killed him, I guess. The True Lab implies that before him, LemonBread had the SAVE/LOAD ability for a short time.

3- Flowey’s presence also stuffs the timeline in a box. We’re to assume Flowey in UT woke up relatively recently, because he’s been screwing with timelines. But Toriel tells us a human hasn’t been underground in “a long time” in both games. I can picture this being 7-10 years minimum.

Are we really going to believe Alphys had people locked in her basement for ten years? Because I couldn’t see that lasting more than 3 months tbh. 6 months would be a MASSIVE stretch before people stormed the gates. I feel like Alphys’s mention should’ve been left at “the new Royal scientist made a robot.”

Leave out the subplot of Cerbora’s blatant disregard for child safety. You wouldn’t even need to do away with the (frankly busted) fight she had (I did most of it with the silver scarf btw).

My final thing that is a total complaint is the genocide ending. Clover gains the LOAD/SAVE, one shots Asgore, murks Flowey, and frees the souls. But they’d still be trapped down there lol.

I feel like Asgore should’ve just skewered Clover and that should’ve been the genocide ending. Flowey being left out would’ve nullified my dislike of him dying (for realsies).

Though I will say, the art made exclusively for it is disturbing as heck and belongs in a horror game. So they definitely did a great job on that part of it.

Speaking of Asgore… he seems really out of character to just fire someone like he does. I can disregard this as him wanting kids to NOT die. Axis is very clearly a way bigger threat than MTT could ever dream to be.

So really, my complaints boil down to:

1- Game too hard ):

2- Biiiig place but cool so it’s worth it (but how the heck is there a desert down here? Who cares!? Worth it!)

3- Genocide ending sad and dumb and I hate it because sad and weird):

4- Flowey’s presence

5- Timeline confuzzlement.

The first is a skill issue (even if I know I haven’t had nearly as many issues as some other people).

The second is really just a mix bag. It makes sense in most places (Snowdin, Hotland, New Home, Home/the Ruins) but less so in other places (the Dunes, aka my favorite spot in Yellow. Damn, I’m willing to compromise just to keep this tho.)

The third is just personal preference I guess… I don’t like how it’s contradictory to UT. As a stand-alone thing, it’s perfectly fine. Just too depressing for me.

The fourth… well… okay, this is the only complaint I don’t see myself budging on.

The fifth just needs some minor corrections.

How is Yellow overall?

If Undertale is a 9, which frankly it is, I’d give UT Yellow a solid 8.75. It should be impossible to make a fan game that’s almost as good as the content it was based on, but the absolute madlads did it. They really did it.

Jury’s still out on DeltaRune, but I rate it around an 8.25 so far.

For context, out of all of my favorite games, I’ve never once thought of a game as a ten. Not even the fantastic Fallout: New Vegas or the reliable (Halo) Reach.

[cyarskj52]

BET Awards 2023: See The Complete List Of Winners 

By Tony M. Centeno

June 25, 2023

Photo: Getty Images

The results are in!  On Sunday night, June 25, the BET Awards 2023revealed this year's winners in 21 categories. Some of the winners were announced during the official pre-show. Libianca received the award for Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act following her performance at Red Carpet Live! Meanwhile, Beyoncé won big by claiming the awards for BET Her and Viewer's Choice Award while newcomers Latto and Coco Jones also claimed trophies at the annual awards show. The biggest winner of the night was Busta Rhymes, who took home the Lifetime Achievement Award. He's only the third rapper in the network's history to receive the award following Queen Latifah and Diddy. 

Earlier this month, BET shared the full list of nominees. Drake took the lead with seven nominations including Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Best Group with 21 Savage and Best Collaboration with Future and Tems. GloRilla came in second with six nominations including Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Best New Artist, Album of the Year for Anyways, Life’s Great..., Video Of The Year and Best Collaboration. 21 Savage and Lizzo tied as the third-most nominated artists with five nominations each.  Congratulations to all the winners! See who won in bold below. 

Album Of The Year

Anyways, Life's Great GloRilla

Breezy Chris Brown

God Did DJ Khaled

Her Loss Drake & 21 Savage

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Kendrick Lamar

Renaissance Beyoncé - WINNER

SOS SZA - WINNER

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Ari Lennox

Beyoncé

Coco Jones

H.E.R.

Lizzo

SZA - WINNER

Tems

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

Blxst

Brent Faiyaz

Burna Boy

Chris Brown - WINNER

Drake

The Weeknd

Usher - WINNER Best Group

City Girls

Drake & 21 Savage - WINNER

Dvsn

Flo

Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin

Quavo & Takeoff

Wanmor

Best Collaboration

“Big Energy” (Remix) - Latto & Mariah Carey featuring DJ Khaled

“Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” - Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice

“Call Me Every Day” - Chris Brown featuring Wizkid

“Can't Stop Won't Stop” - King Combs featuring Kodak Black

“Creepin'” - Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage

“F.N.F. (Let's Go)” - Hitkidd & Glorilla

“Tomorrow 2” - GloRilla & Cardi B

“Wait For U” - Future featuring Drake & Tems - WINNER

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Cardi B

Coi Leray

GloRilla

Ice Spice

Latto - WINNER

Megan Thee Stallion

Nicki Minaj

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

21 Savage

Drake

Future

J. Cole

Jack Harlow

Kendrick Lamar - WINNER

Lil Baby

Video Of The Year

“We (Warm Embrace)” - Chris Brown

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Benny Boom

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Cole Bennett

Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar

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Ambré

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Emancipation

Nope

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Till

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

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[zee-writes-and-draws]

Truly Important

Summary: A look at some of the more important birthdays that Saw Paing has had, and the one he celebrated right after the tournament.

A/n: It's still July 8th, so I'm on time w/this. Nonetheless, I slept five hours so I apologize for lack of proofreading.

------

The first birthday that Saw Paing truly considers important is his fifth one, the day he gets to start Lethwei training for the very first time. He comes home covered in scratches and bruises and a trickle of blood running down his forehead. His father fusses a little and his ma doesn’t let him up until she bandages every little cut and bruise but nothing can spoil his good mood as Ne Win Paing puts him in a headlock and their little sister congratulates him on the start of his training.

------

Most birthdays to Saw Paing aren’t majorly important beyond the fact that even as a fighter Pa Paing did his best to see every single child on their birthday every year. But some are important because there’s new people in his life, people who aren't’ there, certain benchmarks and events that are important in and of themselves, but are easier to tie to years and dates and celebrations.

Saw Paing’s sixteenth birthday is remembered fondly only because it is one week before he meets his eternal rival for the very first time, a boy named Gaolang Wongsawat.

------

Seventeen. Nothing particularly important. Current youngest brother starts his training that year.

Eighteen. Important solely by the freedom it grants in travelling. Almost all countries recognize eighteen as an age of majority, an age where you can do a lot of things that would be illegal otherwise like go somewhere without an adult’s supervision or rent a car so you have your own transport. Going to places outside of Myanmar and Thailand is the most interesting he’s done in his entire life.

Nineteen. He finally gets a job outside the village. The weapons corporation that hired him is run by an old man and a teenage girl with a vicious streak longer than the destruction radius of the missiles she’s designed. Still, they hired him to safety test things and work to rescue people in afflicted areas, not attack them. It’s Togo Tomari’s brilliant ruthlessness that causes him to end up in the same place as Muteba for a month. Another friendship struck up with someone he’s fought against. A birthday gift of an absolutely gorgeous button-up with twelve patterns and wild color is dropped off at his door that year. Even though the gifter will likely never see it, Saw Paing wears the shirt with pride as often as he can for the next few years.

Twenty. Barely important but it was Gaolang’s eighteenth birthday that year and the time the title ‘God of War’ starts creeping into people’s thoughts about him. Saw Paing cheers his rival on whenever possible.

Twenty-one. Nothing. Little sister asks out crush, dates her for seven months and change before they have to break up because the crush’s family is moving. He and Muteba have each others numbers saved and text between missions.

Twenty-two. He and Ne Win Paing get to fight outside of legal matches for the first time. It’s exhilarating. Their father hugs them both afterwards and tells them how proud he is.

Twenty-three. The first birthday in their family celebrated after Pa Paing passes. It’s somber. Saw Paing would rather have skipped the day entirely if not for how his youngest siblings all seemed determined to follow traditions for at least the illusion of normalcy  and he’s not about to ruin their coping process just because he’s sad. With Ne Win Paing travelling nearly full-time and recovering when he’s home, Saw Paing is the de facto leader of the family and he’s not going to let them down so easily.

That night there’s a card delivered to him by a hassled-looking mail carrier. It’s from Gaolang.

I heard about your father’s death, Saw Paing. My deepest condolences to both you and your family. Take care of yourself. Do what you must to feel more stable.

To anyone else the writing would be cold and impersonal. Saw Paing re-reads it over and over until a drop splashes onto it and the crinkling of paper registers and then he hurriedly folds it and drops it onto the desk in his room so it doesn’t get destroyed.

If in two weeks when they next see each other, Gaolang relents and truly fights Saw Paing for twenty minutes before declaring a defeat form boredom, neither of them acknowledge the change in routine anymore than they acknowledge that Saw Paing’s yelling is more like loud talking and that Gaolang had made an extra plate of his favorite fish seemingly just in case.

------

Twenty-four. Saw Paing meets Sayaka for the very first time that year, a bright and sunshine-sweet teenager who screams out his intro and doesn’t seem to mind that he’s super-loud or that his opponent throws him into the commentators box and nearly crushes her by accident.

When he had apologized she made a joke about it. He made one back. A friendship stronger than any other he’d made was started that day. Sayaka reminds him of his little sisters, friendly and upbeat and ready to take on the world if she has to and come out with a smile, sharp wit and keen mind concealed under a bubbly layer that requires no lying to maintain.

That year his birthday includes a surprise delivery of a completely new set of cookware with a small note attached.

Happy birthday, Saw! Sorry I couldn’t make it, dad scheduled fifty matches for this week alone so I’m not even sleeping, but I hope you like it! See you in May (PS I’m secretly rooting for you!)

That night Saw Paing makes dinner for everyone with said cookware and an unflappable grin on his face.

------

Twenty-five. Nothing.

Twenty-six. His little sister is now formally competing on a near-national level. His brothers, no longer so small but always little in his eyes, work hard to bring in food and water and trade with the local villages and Saw Paing never stops feeling proud of them.

Twenty-seven. More and more fights in the arena. He leaves Tomari’s contracts behind but keeps in touch with Muteba. A chance metal concert allows him to meet Yoshiko, who in turn introduces him to Sawada. Saw Paing mails him several CDs of traditional Burmese music for the other man’s birthday. Gets a collection of ballet remixes in exchange. Listens to the collection every night for weeks and weeks on end until he can whistle half the songs without thinking. Smiles at how many small reminders he has now of the people he cares about.

------

Twenty-eight. The coldest and harshest one yet. Ne Win Paing is not there that year. Everyone’s energy is lower than usual. Saw Paing spends the day mostly taking care of the youngest siblings and visiting the graves of those he’s lost. He can feel the wrongness of this land on his skin, it’s Yoroizuka’s home and that’s better than the alternatives but it is not his home or their home or the home that his family deserved and had grown up in and lost because of Ne Win Paing or maybe because Saw Paing should have noticed sooner, should have caught onto the damage his brother had taken.

Sayaka leaves twenty voicemails and thirty texts, all reassurance and compassion and kindness that Saw Paing is beginning to doubt he deserves. Sawada had arranged for several boxes of their favorite sweets from all over the world to be delivered to his house. Muteba messages him a list of names and places if he needs to fight the emotions out or to talk to a professional specializing in fighters and loss of loved ones and tells him to cherish the rest of his family.

Gaolang visits that evening, sleeplessness evident in his posture and eyebags. It���s rarer and rarer for the two of them to see each other now, between the jobs they both hold and duties they’re bound to. Saw Paing’s first priority will always be his family, just as at the end of the day the Thai God of War is not that but the bodyguard of Prince Rama of Thailand. And yet here they are, sitting next to a firepit just outside a house that was not truly meant for Saw Paing’s family, in a country outside of Gaolang’s own.

“Are you alright?” Gaolang asks him. Saw Paing looks up.

I’ll be fine, he wants to say, thinks instead because even things like talking feel like too much right now. He settles for a nod instead, one that feels too slow and tired to really be him but has to be because who else could he be? Gaolang does not look reassured by this. He sits down next to Saw Paing and talks. That quiet voice, normally at least partially twinged with annoyance and exhaustion, now flows with an undertone of gentle energy. It’s not the fire that Saw Paing usually feels running through his veins. Nor is it Ne Win Paing’s quick fury or Pa Paing’s ruthless confidence.

No, it’s the other kind of energy, the kind that Gaolang always emits though it’s hidden under the day-to-day life’s mundaneness. Gaolang tell him about fights, about what guarding Prince Rama has been like for him, some recipe his parents love and he despises because of how annoyingly spicy it is and how Saw Paing would probably like it. And then he talks about staring into a fire.

“Look,” Gaolang motions at it. “It moves so incredibly, alive and unalive at once.” Saw Paing looks into the fire, watches the moving flames flicker and dance in and out of existence. Next to him, Gaolang smiles.

“It reminds me of you sometimes. The difference is fire burns out. I truly hope you never do.” They sit next to each other, watching for a while until something in Saw Paing’s chest undoes itself, letting some feeling back in. Gaolang notices.

“Tell me about Ne Win Paing,” he asks, shoulder brushing against Saw Paing’s own, warmer than the air around by just enough to be noticeable without feeling too off-balance. And so he does, spilling out every little detail he can remember about his brother and all of the memories that were crafted for as long as he can remember. The sky is light when he finishes, still tired but somehow lighter. That something that had unwound a bit earlier is almost completely gone. He’s still saddened by the loss of one of the greatest people in his life, but things look a little better.

Gaolang leaves then, apologetic but unable to stay. Saw Paing nods at him again to say it’s alright and it must come across sufficiently this time, because Gaolang’s smiling softly as he walks to his car and drives back to his too-loud and too-busy life for such a quiet man and yet a life that couldn’t be anyone else’s.

Saw Paing’s younger siblings are slowly waking up, coming out to check up on him and start their day. He hugs them, feeling his spirit coming back to something normal.

------

Twenty-nine. Still a tad colder than before but mostly better.

Thirty. A year with little occurring beyond the increasing amount of kengan matches and the frequency that he gets to see old friends like Sayaka. The tournament that happens later in the year is undoubtedly something unforgettable that he;ll treasure for the rest of his life. So many new friends made, so many bonds forged and strengthened. He makes it a point to keep correspondence with all of them, even the more quiet ones like Karo and Rei. They clearly need the company if they're quite that quiet.

Thirty-one. He wakes up expecting another birthday that’s rather insignificant. His sisters and brothers in college call and Skype and do whatever else they need to say hello first thing in the morning, yelling through the screen loud enough that he can her the dorm’s complaints through the call. The siblings still at home whether from sentimentality or youth wake him minutes before that by running into his room and wishing a happy birthday to him at the top of their lungs. He’s so proud of their lung training being quite so successful.

He checks his phone after all of the younger siblings hang up out of habit. There’s another twelve messages from various members of the assassin clans he’s befriended, a missed call from Cosmo, a notification about a post from Adam, and an alert of the local post office telling him about several packages that are addressed to him.

On the journey to the post office and back he gets six more calls. As he’s balancing reading a short ‘happy birthday!’ texted to him from Cosmo and a rambly congratulation courtesy of Okubo that is interrupted by an incoming call from either Hanafusa or Yoshizawa, a wonderfully familiar voice calls out.

“Saw! Over here!” Sayaka stands by the edge of the road, looking as red carpet-ready as always, except for the small trolley of boxes and bags she’s keeping from rolling away.

“HEY SAYAKAAAA!!!!!” He yells to her as he runs over. She’s hugging him so there’s no reason not to complete their usual greeting by picking her up and spinning in several circles.

“Happy birthday, Saw!” She laughs as he puts her down. “Sorry I didn’t warn you, but there was a lot of last minute stuff and everyone wanted to send something to you and it was ‘one more thing’ this and ‘oh wait here!’ that, and it’s so great to see you again! Here!” the packages he was holding until two seconds ago are now in Sayaka’s hands, traded for a fancy-looking photo album.

“It’s for you. I wish I could stay, but Retsudo’s been flipping out for six hours and he threatened to send a SAR squad again, but I promise i’ll call this evening, kay? See ya soon, Saw Paing!” She runs to the familiar figures of Takyama and Misasa, waving the whole time they drive away until she’s out of his line of sight. Only tnen does Saw Paing turn his attention to the trolley and the photo album.

Getting everything home requires ignoring messages and calls so his plan to find out what these things are that everyone was so determined to send to him has to wait another hour or so but then he finally has the time to check everything out.

There’s two gorgeous shirts that fit perfectly, bright greens and yellows combining with the soft fabric and reminding him of his old shirt but nicer. This, he knows without even needing to check the card, is a gift that only someone like Muteba would have gotten him. A thick book of various recipes from several different regions in Japan, along with an impressively full binder of leaflet instructions for dishes made in the mountains is sent courtesy of Sekibayashi and Haruo.

A sharp-looking knife that seems to be more familiar with intestines sliding across its blade than vegetables is gifted by the Kures he’d met after Hayami’s rebellion, right next to several ‘free assassination’ coupons Reichii and Fusui must have snuck in as a half-joke and and half-true gift.

Most of the things are actually quite small, just fragile and packaged with an insane amount of cushioning, he realizes. It’s nothing particularly fancy, but they’re all things that will remind him of the senders, be it the scalpel that Hanafusa mailed him with instructions on how to DIY surgery or the old shogi set Kaneda gifts along with a book on most famous shogi strategies played throughout history.

Saw Paing moves everything to where it should be once everything but the photo album has been looked through. The cookbooks go to a specific shelf in the kitchen that no one else can reach. The weapons are hidden in a small box under his bed to avoid any incidents. Muteba’s shirts go onto hangers, Sawada’s fancy candies are set on a plate for eating while looking at this final gift, and then the album is opened.

The first photo makes him smile, a perfect snapshot from one of his earliest fights in the Kengan matches, capturing the moment they had both gone from enemies to friends mid-blow. A date, presumably of when the photo was taken, is written on the border in Sayaka’s neat writing. The second one is of Ne Win Paing from seven years ago. This time, the date is in heavier, blockier writing, not unlike Hollis’s. Saw Paing flips through the album a little more, taking it in. there’s plenty of photos of his various friends, fellow fighters, and even some family from the tournament and before it, but there’s also old photos of his brother and father, and even one of his mother back when she had fought in occasional matches, along with candids of some of the more stoic people. They must have been collected over several months, and not just by Sayaka.

Saw Paing already knows what will happen this evening. Gaolang will come over with some kind of small yet so deeply personal way of also saying happy birthday. Sayaka will call again, most likely throwing a small party in the Katahara house and inviting everyone she can. Rei might stop by and even if he doesn’t, he’ll Skype before the sun sets because he’s a punctual person by both nature and training.

But that’s still hours away, and in the meantime, Saw Paing decides to keep looking at the beautiful snapshots of the past, enjoying the present to it’s fullest.

------

END.

[searchingwardrobes]

Not the Type - 6/8

Finally! A new update :) Sorry for the delay, but the muse has been fickle as of late. In this chapter, Emma has her first competition of the season, and it's psyching her out. Will Killian be her encouragement, or will she push him away in the midst of it all? This chapter includes another iconic scene from the movie, when Torrance dances around her room to Cliff's song. I wanted to use the actual lyrics to the song, but in looking at it, there were a few lines that bothered me. One literally says "I'd bring you flowers every day just to roll you in the hay." And then there's a constant refrain that says "I'll make you mine." Those lines just don't seem to jive for me with Killian's character when in canon he specifically tells David that he doesn't see Emma as loot and tells Emma that he will win her heart, but not through any trickery. We know he isn't the kind of guy to give a woman flowers in order to manipulate her into sleeping with him. We also know how much agency means to him, so I didn't think telling Emma in song "I'll make you mine" fit either. Anyways, that's a long way of explaining that the lyrics are 99% like the ones in the movie, minus those two parts.

Massive thanks to my beta, @hookedonapirate who takes my confusing sentences and makes them sound purty ;) You’re the best! And thanks also to the @captainswanmoviemarathon​ for putting together this event and being massively supportive and patient. 

Summary: Emma Swan first notices him in the stands at the Friday night football game. She can tell right away Killian Jones is not the football type. Then again, she’s not the cheerleader type either, but here she is with pom poms. Life hasn’t ever gone the way Emma planned. Lately, that’s actually been a good thing. Maybe Killian Jones is a good thing, too.

My loose Captain Swan AU of the movie Bring it On

Rated: T

Also on Ao3

Tagging: @kmomof4  @snowbellewells @whimsicallyenchantedrose @xhookswenchx @teamhook @let-it-raines @winterbythesea @spartanguard @shireness-says @superchocovian @thesschesthair @resident-of-storybrooke @vvbooklady1256 @hookedonapirate @ultraluckycatnd @hollyethecurious @welllpthisishappening @wellhellotragic @bethacaciakay @optomisticgirl @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @ekr032-blog-blog @itsfabianadocarmo @profdanglaisstuff @thisonesatellite @winterbaby89 @tiganasummertree @xsajx @jennjenn615 @zaharadessert @stahlop @scientificapricot @thislassishooked @kday426 @ultraluckycatnd @carpedzem @ohmakemeahercules @branlovestowrite @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @snidgetsafan @lassluna​

The room was thick with hair spray, and Emma and the rest of the Storybrooke Knights Cheerleaders were sucking on orange slices. Except for Ruby who was touching up her blood red lipstick in front of one of the mirrors propped up on the classroom’s smart board. 

“I think they’re red enough already, Ruby,” Coach Ava remarked as she sprayed more Aquanet all over her daughter’s hair. MM was having to wear a hair extension so she didn’t look out of place with their “hair” theme, and Coach was paranoid it was going to go flying across the gym floor during their routine. Emma wasn’t sure hairspray worked that way, but she wasn’t about to say so. 

Ruby smacked her lips together with a loud pop. “The redder the better, I say. I want them to see my smile.”

She turned to the rest of the group and flashed a toothy grin. They all laughed, and Belle grimaced. 

“More like a predator about to devour her prey.”

Ruby winked at Belle and growled, resulting in more laughter. Coach Ava rolled her eyes as she capped the hairspray. “Just don’t get it all over your teeth, okay Lucas?”

“No worries, Coach, it’s that long-lasting stuff that isn’t supposed to come off.”

“So why did you need fifty coats?” Tiana quipped.

They were all still laughing when a woman wearing a t-shirt that read, East Maybrook Invitational and holding an ipad poked her head into the classroom. “Storybrooke High in the hole!”

The girls all stood, gathering up their things, tossing orange peels into the trash bins and giving their hair and make up one last glance in the mirror. They followed the woman in the official t-shirt down two hallways to East Maybrook High’s cafeteria where cheer mats had been set up in the same configuration as on the performance floor. The girls took their places as if they were really performing, and marked out the routine while Coach Ava counted out the beats. If something went wrong with the music, they would have to keep going. They only pantomimed doing the stunts, however, not wanting to risk a last minute injury. 

After running through the routine, a nervous silence fell among them. Some girls stretched, others did a few jumps, or even a back handspring. Anything to handle their nervous energy. Emma bounced on the balls of her feet, heart pounding in her chest more than usual. A phone call had followed the letter: someone from the UK cheer staff would be in the stands today. 

And she still hadn’t told her friends about it.

“Storybrooke High on deck!” 

The girls gave each other nervous glances and clasped hands in little groups as they followed the woman out of the cafeteria doors. Emma had Ruby on her left and Mary Margaret on her right, their arms threaded together. For once, Ruby was quiet. 

As they neared the gym, the girls could hear the familiar sounds of competition: loud music, an announcer's voice, shouts as the audience cheered for the cheerleaders for once. It made the adrenaline pump even harder. It usually was at this moment that Emma went into her competitive “zone” where everything around her went fuzzy and her mind became laser focused on the routine and what she had to do. Today, however, she felt like she was on sensory overload, unable to turn off all the sights, sounds, and smells around her. 

Before she could even process everything, Storybrooke was being announced to the crowd. Emma ran out onto the floor with a huge smile, cheers, and fist pumps for the crowd, but it felt like she was outside of herself, watching. She took her place on the floor, standing in prep, her arms straight at her sides and her head down. Her fists were clenched, and she tried to control the nervous tremors coursing through her as she waited for their music to start. 

A synth-pop remix of “Hair” from the Broadway musical started to play, and the Storybrooke Knights whipped their ponytails as they started their back handspring/back tuck peel-offs. Coach Ava always said that the music needed to appeal to every generation represented in the judge’s panel as well as the crowd, and as Emma flawlessly landed her tumbling pass to roaring applause, she saw the two boomer judges smiling and bopping to the music. 

She reprimanded herself for looking at the judges as she jogged across the floor for her next tumbling pass. Nevertheless, she scanned the crowd just before she started her pass, wondering where that UK recruiter was. It was the most difficult pass in the entire routine: a back handspring into an arabian, then a double whip into a full twisting double back. She hesitated, stumbling, before getting started because of her distraction, and by the time she did her second whip, she had a sinking feeling. Sure enough, when she landed her double back, she was way out of bounds. She didn’t need the loud buzzer from the line judge to alert her to the fact. She gritted her teeth in frustration, but then remembered to fake a smile as she got into the dance formation. Her face ached from her forced smile as she swung her hips to the rhythm of “Whip My Hair.”

Emma’s next mistake came in the squad’s first pyramid. It felt like she had a weight attached to her ankle, and she couldn’t lift her leg as high as she normally did to connect to Mary Margaret’s stunt group to her left. She almost lost her balance completely, but Ruby compensated and saved it. Mary Margaret didn’t falter either, thank God. Emma was practically shaking as she went into the twist up stunt - her nemesis in this routine. Kelly Rowland singing “Crown” as Emma popped up, her hand grasping her ponytail, helped her power through, as cheesy as it sounded. 

Despite the mistakes Emma was berating herself for, the crowd was going crazy for the combination of the theme, the music, and the cool tricks. By the end, the entire gymnasium was on its feet with thunderous applause. Emma ended the routine seated on the mat, back to the audience with her head flung back. Since she saw them all upside down, she couldn’t pick out her family or anyone in Kentucky blue. 

Ruby yanked Emma to her feet, screaming loud enough to shatter her eardrums. Mary Margaret and Ariel sandwiched her in a hug, and then they were swept away by the rest of their ecstatic teammates. 

“Amazing job, girls!” Coach Ava praised, gathering them in a big, squirming, awkward group hug. “Mary Margaret didn’t even lose her hair!’’

They all laughed giddily, except for Emma. Her mind was reeling. “I went out of bounds,” she confessed.

Coach Ava waved off her words. “It’s our first competition. It’s normal for there to be kinks to work out. Let’s not worry about that until the next practice, though. For now, let’s just celebrate a solid opening for the season.”

Her teammates seemed to all be in agreement, and so did the judges, awarding The Storybrooke Knights with a third place finish. It wasn’t their best opening - that had been last year’s first place trophy to kick off the season - but making the top three was the goal of every top squad right out of the gate. Even the UK recruiter had congratulated her on a solid routine.

“I could see the nerves a bit,” she told Emma, her smile kind and reassuring, “but the level of tumbling skill you possess is rare. Top five I’ve seen so far, no doubt about it. We’ll definitely be in touch.”

Emma, however, couldn’t shake the feeling of failure that clung to her. 

“I’m blown away, Swan, that was amazing!”

Emma was in Killian’s arms before she could even register that he’d rushed out of the bleachers and onto the floor to greet her. He brushed a kiss to her cheek and deposited a bouquet of white daisies into her arms. 

“It wasn’t amazing,” Emma whispered, staring down at the white flowers. 

“Come now, don’t be modest.” Killian’s grin conveyed giddy pride in her which she found inexplicably annoying. 

“I stepped out of bounds on my big tumbling pass, I almost took down our first pyramid, and I was shaky on every single stunt!”

Killian’s eyes narrowed. “Your team doesn’t seem put out with you.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “They’re being nice. If we hadn’t placed, it would have been a different story. It would have all been my fault.”

“Whatever happened to the whole we win as a team, we fail as a team thing?”

“My team relies on me keeping my head on straight!” Her voice had risen, and she slashed the air with the bouquet of flowers. White petals fluttered to the gym floor. 

Killian cocked his head and studied her. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing!”

“It’s something, Swan.” 

He stepped forward, reaching for her, but she stepped out of his reach. 

“I just let everyone down, but no one will be straight with me. Why can’t you all just admit I screwed up today?”

Killian shook his head. “I don’t think you’re seeing things clearly. I saw an amazingly talented athlete today, Swan. You were amazing.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Of course you’d say that. You’re a high school guy. You’ll say anything you have to to get in a cheerleader’s panties.”

Killian’s eyes widened and his head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “You really think so little of me?”

She tilted her chin. “I’m no fool. Did you think tonight would be the night? Show up to my little competition, compliment me, throw in some flowers, and I’d spread my legs for you?”

Killian backed away, his jaw clenching, nostrils flaring. “I’m going to assume you don’t mean any of that, Emma, so I’m walking away before either of us can say anything we might regret.”

“Fine!” she yelled as he turned and walked toward the gym doors. “Walk away! That’s what every guy does when a girl won’t put out.” She threw the flowers at his retreating form. She watched the white petals swirl through the air and the green stems hit the parquet floor with a soft swish and crinkle of cellophane wrapper. 

“Emma!”

She whirled around to see Ruth standing there, frown upon her face and her brow furrowed. David stood next to her, his arms crossed in disapproval. Nearby a cluster of her teammates stared as if she’d morphed into some mythological creature with two heads. Her face burned as she realized how loudly she’d yelled at her boyfriend. 

Probably ex-boyfriend now. 

Humiliated, she turned and fled, fingers pressed to her flaming cheeks. 

*********************************************

“Go away,” Emma muttered into her pillow.

“What if I were Mom with a plate of brownies?”

Emma grabbed a teddy bear, clutching two tiny red pom poms (a gift from Ruth after last year’s state championship win), and smacked her brother in the head with it. She glared at him through one eye, the rest of her face still smashed into the pillow. 

“I knew it was you because you crashed down on my bed hard enough to catapult me out the window. Ruth’s more subtle.”

David just laughed as he rubbed at his cheek where the bear had met his face. 

“Go away,” she repeated, turning her face fully into the pillow again.

“You left your phone downstairs.”

“So?”

“So, you have like fifty text messages and thirty missed calls.”

Emma rolled over, still clutching her pillow to her chest. “Well, he’s persistent, I’ll give him that.”

“It wasn’t just Killian. Your entire team is worried about you.”

“Because I choked?”

“Because you're delusional,” David shot back with equal parts humor and frustration. “You didn’t choke. You didn’t let any of us down. You didn’t give a lousy performance, or any of a thousand other ridiculous claims you’ve made in the past few hours.”

Emma turned to look at her brother. “I made mistakes, David.”

He shrugged. “Who doesn’t? It was one competition, Emma, not the Olympics. It wasn’t even the state championships or regionals. One. Competition. At some tiny high school in the middle of nowhere, Maine.”

Emma groaned as she pushed herself up to the headboard and let her head drop to David’s shoulder. He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about Kentucky?”

Emma sighed. When the recruiter had called, she insisted on speaking to Ruth as well. Emma should have known she would spill the beans to her son, especially after Emma acted like a complete lunatic. 

Yes, a delusional lunatic. Her brother wasn’t wrong. 

“I don’t know, it was just . . . a lot to process. And a lot rides on this. I mean, there aren’t any football recruiters looking at you, which means college is gonna be expensive, Mr. Quarterback. If my tuition is taken care of, Ruth can just worry about you.”

“I could get other scholarships.”

“You’re a white, middle class male. You aren't getting any other scholarships.”

He chuckled and poked her in the ribs. “Regardless of all that, Mom just wants what’s best for you. We’ll figure out college and the money and all that, but we’ll do it together. That’s what a family does. Okay?”

This family thing was still new for Emma, so she just nodded in agreement against David’s shoulder. 

“But speaking of Killian,” David said, waving her phone in front of her face, “some of these calls and texts are from him. He sent you a video, too. Then called me and pretty much begged me to get you to watch it, so just give him that much, okay? So he’ll leave me alone?”

Emma rolled her eyes as she took the phone. David could protest all he wanted, but she knew about the little bromance he had with her boyfriend. 

She waited until her brother went downstairs before she sat cross-legged in the center of her bed and pulled up the video from Killian. She gnawed on her bottom lip nervously before pressing “play.” 

And there Killian was, on the tiny screen, smiling like they’d never had a fight. Emma’s lips pulled up into a grin of her own. He was also holding his guitar in his lap and fidgeting.

“Hi, Emma,” he said with a nervous little wave. “You’ve been ignoring all my calls and texts, so I decided to pull out the big guns. I was gonna give this to you as a gift for like Valentine’s Day or something, but  . . . you know . . . desperate times call for desperate measures.”

He cleared his throat and shifted again, and Emma blinked back tears. She’d never seen him at such a loss for words. 

“I wrote you a song,’ he continued, “so, I’ll just shut up and sing it already.”

Emma gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as he began to strum his electric. It started 

out as a kind of slow, cheeky punk rock ballad.

Oh, Emma, I don’t get your cheerleading squad, but I love your pom-poms. I'd feed you bon-bons all night.

Then it transitioned into a full on rock song, and Killian began to shred on his guitar. He was really good, and the song had Emma bobbing her head to the music. 

1,2,3,4. Yeah, you got me to feel all those butterflies inside. In your locker I would hide. The truth, it's only you I see, and you're just what I need. I'll bring you flowers all the time in hopes that you’ll be mine. Well I'm feelin' fine, I'm right on time. I hope I’ll win your heart.

When he transitioned into the chorus, Emma leapt up from her bed. She propped her phone on her nightstand and began to dance around the room to Killian’s song.

And you're just what I need. And you're just what I need. Not everything works as it seems. Is that so hard to believe? So I went down to the record store. Picked my head up off the floor. The truth, it's only you I see. And you're just what I need. And if it's my world that you fear, let me make this very clear. Well I'm feelin' fine, I'm right on time. I hope I’ll win your heart. And you're just what I need.

The chorus repeated a couple more times, and Emma danced around her room like she hadn’t in a long time. She even grabbed an old pair of pom poms she’d gotten as a joke at the squad’s white elephant Christmas party. They were those enormous pom poms cheerleaders used to wave in the long ago days of letter sweaters and megaphones. They made a fun swishing sound as she bounced around the room to Killian’s song. 

A song he’d written for her! A song about her! If she wasn’t so giddy and happy, she would burst into tears. 

When the song ended, Emma collapsed onto her bed, panting from her ridiculous dance party and grinning ear to ear. She rolled over and grabbed her phone. She texted rapidly, her fingers trembling. 

I watched your song. 

Did you like it? 

I LOVED it!

Good. I meant every word. 

I’m sorry. 

I know. 

[mostly-marvel-musings]

We were on a break - Chapter 1

A/N: Some characters from Agents of Shield make an appearance but I’ve taken way too many creative liberties to stick to that plot. Feedback is welcome as always :))

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Summary: Circumstances have led (Y/N) and Tony to part ways. Continuing to work with Shield, a latest mission requires you and a few others to track down a business tycoon who could possibly be working for Hydra. Your plan to get into the man’s inner circle goes awry when a remorseful Tony shows up at the mission location.

Series Masterlist

Taglists open! If you wish to be tagged in future chapters, send me an ask.

Warning: Strong language, angst, smut in future chapters.

Word count: 1147

Tags: @shipatheart @tone-stark @thevanishedillusion @kahlanmars @loveisallyouneed1125 @kaestatic @swaggysposts @lieswithoutfairytales @agustdowney @booktease21 @panicattheeverywherekid @taina-eny​ 

…

Persistent ringing coming from somewhere on your left, brought you to consciousness. You groaned and turned away, hoping to block it out. Through half open eyes, you saw Clint scrambling about, trying not to trip on his own feet as he answered his phone.

He was speaking to his wife a bit too loudly for your hung over self, making you blindly reach for a pillow and throw it in his general direction. Natasha chuckled at your attempt as you saw her sitting up beside you, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Fuck off, Barton! It’s not even morning yet.” You grumbled, not bothering to actually check the time.

“It’s ten o’ clock, sleeping beauty. And Laura wants to talk to you.” Clint grinned as he handed you the phone, making you glare at him.

You weren’t exactly in the mood to have the ‘how are you holding up’ conversation post your break-up or break or whatever it was with Tony. But you knew you had to face Laura, she meant well and cared for you just like the other two agents currently lounging in your apartment.

Begrudgingly, you took the phone throwing the blankets away and walked out onto the balcony.

After fifteen long minutes of ‘it’s gonna get better sweetie’ and ‘you should come over for a chat’, you got back inside. A visit to the Barton household was due, given that Laura was expecting a baby and you missed her and the kids.

“So, did she give you her ‘you’re better off without him’ speech?” Natasha asked, walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, you following closely behind.

“Oh yes. Got the remix version of it.” chuckling, you shook your head as you sat down on the breakfast counter, waiting for either of the two to make coffee.

You partied a bit too much last night, a little at the bar, a lot back at your apartment. It ended with Clint showing off his archery skills in your balcony, and you bawling your eyes out over your failed relationships with Nat consoling you. You had also asked how Tony was doing in your drunken haze. As far as you remembered the conversation with Nat, he was equally distraught which relieved you to some extent.

“God we’re really getting old. My head is killing me.” You sat back on the sofa, massaging your temples.

“At least you don’t have to report to HQ today. Barton and I have a debriefing this afternoon.” Nat muttered, rolling her eyes as she sat opposite you on a lounge chair.

“So does (Y/N). She’s my boss now remember?” Clint yelled out from the kitchen, over the whirring sound of a blender. As happy as you were about the level up, you were in dire need of sleep.

Clint sauntered into the living room holding two large glasses of banana milkshake his hands, making you scowl. His famous hangover cure.

“Drink up boss. We gotta go.”

…

The HQ was bustling with agents as you arrived and headed straight for Maria Hill’s office. She called you in as Nat and Clint were summoned by another agent for some work.

You felt your stomach drop as you saw the man you never thought you’d see turn around in a swivel chair to look at you.

Your mouth went dry as you locked eyes with the man whom you hadn’t seen in weeks, who despite being described as ‘heartbroken’ by Nat had made no attempts of calling you. You didn’t expect him come begging but you hadn’t expected complete radio silence either, which had just added fuel to fire.

Cursing your mind to start functioning properly, you walked further into the office space, putting a considerable distance between you and Tony Stark.

Agent Hill cleared her throat snapping you back to reality.

“Agent (Y/L/N), glad you could join us. I was just finishing up here, let’s head to the conference room.”

Couldn’t she have had you wait in there instead of here with him staring at your nervous form?

He looked much more composed and unruffled than you, then again he’d been putting on a facade for media and the world for years now. He wasn’t a stranger to the practiced ‘poker face’.

“Agent (Y/L/N)?”

You had been busy staring at the ground to notice Maria Hill holding the door open for you to step out and Tony was nowhere to be seen.

When the hell did he walk out?

You saw Tony and Maria exchange a hushed conversation from the corner of your eye as you continued to walk down the hall.

Mentally shaking yourself to get it together, you reached the conference room to find Clint, Agent Simmons, Agent Ward waiting for the debriefing to begin. You exchanged pleasantries, glancing at the door every now and then, in case Tony decided to show up here too. He didn’t.

Agent Hill walked in few moments later, alone. She gave you a cursory glance before sitting at the far end of the table.

“We have a lead on the man we’ve been tracking for months, Andrew Leeds. Agent (Y/L/N), this will be your first mission as a Level 8 agent. Safe to say these guys will be taking orders from you. But first, Mr Stark had some information on Leeds as he’s had an encountered him a few times.” Maria Hill began, the lights dimmed and the conference table converted into a screen, bathing the room in a blue white glow.

“Leeds has been dealing in weapons almost for as long as Stark Industries. They met at a convention once or twice. He has a close circle of four maybe five people who do his bidding and dirty work for him. The man has a reputation for hosting lavish parties and being a flirt.”

You kept your gaze on the screen below which flashed photos of your target at various events.

Tony would never miss an opportunity to lead a team, even if it was just to give info. Why hadn’t he come in?

Your alter ego rolled her eyes at the obvious. He didn’t come in because of you.

Agent Hill began explaining the details on Leeds’ last known location, putting your obsessive thoughts on the back burner.

…

Natasha and Clint had to hang back so you drove back alone, the sky grey with gloom, picking up dinner from your favorite Thai place near your apartment. Throwing the keys in the bowl blindly, you switched on the lights and began stripping on your way to the bedroom for a shower.

Stepping out in a towel, you were rummaging through the underwear drawer when your phone buzzed. Putting on sweatpants and Tony’s old MIT hoodie that you never returned, you checked the notification.

Congratulations on your promotion, Pep told me. You deserve it, Agent (Y/L/N). – T.S.

…

[lvanter]

note: content??? from josie ??????? never heard of her

warning: swearing, some sexual ,, references,, sdgsjd (nothing bad i promise)

wc: 1.1k

watching you perform. skz

chan

chan my baby

you had told him about the performance but he hadn’t seen any of it and didn’t know what the concept was

so when you show up on the stage in some fucking silk shirt and glittery makeup he went :o

now,, chan has obviously seen you at different award shows—he's seen you all dressed up and pretty before but idk man your stylist just went fuck chan lives and made you look like a god

chan is sitting like :o before the music even started,,

when the music did start and he realized it was a sexy (sexier) remix of your most recent comeback he froze completely

congratulations, you broke him

he’s in awe

you look and sound amazing ;; he cannot look away from you

definitely gonna show you how much he loves you take that as you want *wink wink*

minho!!

mr minho pls return my calls you need to pay child support ,,, it’s me,, i’m the child you need to support

when you and minho started dating you made a pact sdfhdjsjsfg

basically it was just ‘show the other 10 seconds of your new song or performance’

the reason for the pact being you were each other’s biggest fans and wanted previews

you had shown minho the 10 seconds but nothing could prepare him for the entirety of the performance

he was blown away,, jaw down on the floor, eyes glued to you moving around gracefully on the stage

like he knew you were sexy ( ,, i hate the word sexy sdgshdjs) as fuck but holy shit you went off and minho didn’t know how to feel

on the outside he was sitting calmly, singing along and tapping his foot to the beat but on the inside,,,,, you best believe he was going “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

after the award show he found you and gave you a big smooch and maybe something else but i’m not gonna get about that

changbin

mr. seo, hello.

not saying he mouthed “what the fuck” when your performance began but he most definitely mouthed “what the fuck” (in a good way sdfgdhgh)

also not saying he got just a tiny bit turned on while watching you work you magic

ew i really typed thatdfhsbddjsj

changbin was just looking at you with heart eyes the entire time

when you showed up on the big screen he felt like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest because like !! that’s you!! his partner!!! you’re his!!! he’s yours!!! what a concept !!!!!!!!!!!!

you’re just fucking killing it on the stage and changbin is just aaaaaAAAAAAAAA

you best believe he’s gonna be talking about this for a loooooong time

he’s just so proud of you bc like youre really out there!!!! doing shit!!!!! and looking hella good while doing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hyunjin

fucking hwang hyunjin that demon

hyunjin is a dramatic boy

he is also your biggest fan and will fuking die if you do something

when i say something i mean anything at all,,,,, he’s just so in love with you and finds everything you do adorable (except when you come for his neck and do something seccy)

the first 30 seconds of your performance he’s just sat there like,,,, (♡o♡)

but then after he’s over his holy shit you’re performing he goes into Fan Mode,,,

which includes, but not limited to, screaming, crying, feeling like death, we’ve all been there

seriously,,, he so in love with the way you move on stage ,,,,and in general but especially on stage

you’re so elegant,and hot at the same time and hyunjin is losing his mind

jisung

okay han jisung i see u

jisung is your #1 hype man, has been since before you even started dating and he is Proud Of His Title

he hypes you up no matter what you do

you took a bath?? you wrote a song?? you learned something completely useless?? jisung is in the background with a sign that says THATS MY MF BABEY!!!!!!!!!!!! yelling loudly how proud he is

but ,, unfortunately,, he can’t do that doing a award show :(( chan told him no :(( so did his manager :(( :(( sad boi hours

but that didn’t mean he wasn’t screaming in his head but he was calm on the outside on singing along like any other idol would

he’s just !!!!!!!!!!!!aaaaaaAAAAAA YOURE DOING SO WELL!!!!!!!!!!THATS HIS MF BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

you best fucking believe you’re getting a bunch of kithes when he sees you backstage

felix

felix yes hello

felix b like Hello I Am Very Proud Of My MY Baby At All Times No Matter What Fucking Fight Me

he had seen the set list and knew you were gonna perform but HolY Shit he wasn’t ready

the fit! the vocals! the rap! the performance! his baby!!!

he went from (･□･) to (♡□♡) in less than 0.5 seconds

like okay He knew you were a fucking god but AAAAA you look so good!!!!!! what the fuck!!!!!!!!!

you did sosososososososo well and felix was sososososososososososososo proud

he’s trying to keep it lowkey but ultimately failing when you winked at the camera, he felt his soul leave his body

God (Name) Shut The Fuck Up I Have An Image!

seungmin

rapper!seungmin needs a comeback okay bye

seungmin. yes. king of looking at you like you’re a complete idiot while still loving the fuck out of you. yes.

you, obviously, told seungmin about the performance the second you knew it was happening

so he knew it was happening — he was prepared

of so he thought

he was not prepared. at all.

he malfunctioned. very much.

you! YOU!!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jeongin waved his hand in front of seungmins face bc my boy was in a daze

he was soooooo focused on your movement, clapping hard when the performance was done

jeongin

jeongin stop growing juseyo

jeongin was REEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY for your performance

he had been anticipating your performance the entire day,, and boy oh boy,, when it happened !!!!!!!!!!!!!

he was almost jumping up and down in his seat, but minho stopped him and held him down :(( minho u bitch

you always amaze him, even when you’re just breathing so when youre on stage,,, doing ur thing,,,,,,, he’s so fucjing in love with u oh my gOD

his mouth is slightly open and his eyes are glued to you, watching very , very , carefully so he can remember everything . e v e r y t h i n g

bruh when you get down from stage and meet him backstage be prepared bc hes not letting you go for the rest of the night

[tossawary]

Obviously not an official entry for your game because I'm anon (and I'm always anon!) but if you're partly just curious about how / why people ID you, I'm would guess that you wrote the Star Wars SVSS one. Which as great! I think that because (1) it was super long, (2) you like classic media cross-overs, (3) like, the general level of description of the setting. And if I'm wrong I'm not going to be ashamed! Ah, the beauty of anon.

Congratulations, Anon, you nailed it! I wrote the SVSSS fic “this point of pale light” for the 2021 MXTX Remix -> a Star Wars / Space Opera AU starring Shen Jiu with Shen Yuan as a symbiote! 

I know I said that my fic was “somewhere among the SVSSS, MDZS, and The Untamed works (not TGCF, because I haven’t read TGCF yet). Yes, it’s true, I write MDZS/Untamed fanfiction too sometimes!”, but that’s because there weren’t that many Scum Villain fics in the collection and I was afraid that my wordcount combined with the writing and formatting style would give me away immediately! I had to give myself a fighting chance! 

I do like classic media crossovers. The person whose fic I was remixing is a Star Wars fan, which gave me the perfect excuse to indulge in some Space Opera aesthetic, on top of some Liushen with some Sci-Fi twists. 

Thank you to everyone who indulged me and made a guess, and either put me through the mortifying ordeal of being seen or gave me some awesome new fic recs! I’ll be replying to asks shortly, as soon as I’ve double-checked that my list is complete. And I’ll have the details for sticker requests up soon. 

😘💕❤️

[star-puff]

Hiya!! Congratulations on 1k 🎉🎉🎉 I’ve been a lurker for awhile (found you through Jin) and I truly enjoy your content 🤗

Im wondering if I can request the song matchup for your event? I have a YT playlist but it’s kinda big so I picked a couple favorites from it:

The playlist - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW7rhDRYKbydyCCOZq9oXVoUukQxRQ9VJ

The favorites -

I’d also like to know some of YOUR favorite songs if you have the time 🎶

tunes matchup for: iridescesara

i match you with kozume kenma! all of these tracks have a very "late night, bass-thrumming, tracks to play in the background while on stream" type of vibe, which i think timeskip!kenma is perfect for! he probably plays it with the rainbow lights in his custom pc flashing and his matching rainbow lights on his mechanical keyboard flashing as well T-T though of course, the set wouldn't be complete without the headphones you gifted him for christmas around his neck :3

[degenerate-perturbation]

Ultimate Good Omens Fic Recommendations

I read the entire AO3 archive. I started sometime in November 2018 and read all the way back to 1999. I did not read every story, but I tried. Here are my recommendations.

(Most Good Omens fic is very good, which is why I bothered to read the entire archive instead of just scrolling through the first few pages, despairing, and giving up, which is what I usually do when I read fanfiction. So if your fic is not here, congratulations! I probably still read it and liked it but this post is already very long.)

My Absolute Top Favorites

Deus Ex Machina by clockwork_spider -  Angels really aren't the most sentimental bunch, so when Crowley was escorted back to Hell, Aziraphale's initial reaction was to do nothing. But let it be known that God moves in ineffable ways.

Tryst On a Hot Church Roof by Macdicilla -  Crowley has some fantasies. Aziraphale encourages him to explore them and not to be embarrassed. Neither of them can really take roleplay seriously but they still have a good time.

Re-Recalled by Jennistar -  Halfway through an argument, Aziraphale gets accidentally discorporated and doesn't come back. Crowley does the sensible thing and panics.

The love that dare not speak its name by Lunasong365, sous_le_saule  -  London, late nineteenth century. Aziraphale finds that time moves slowly while waiting for Crowley to wake up. Meeting Oscar Wilde should break the monotony. But perhaps it will bring more of a change than the angel anticipated…

Safe Haven by JAMoczo -  A remix of Prodigal Son: January 1945; Aziraphale has a crisis of Faith.

(The rest below the cut, in convenient categories)

General

Five Things That Never Happened To Aziraphale by imperfectcircle - Five things.

Down to the Earth with Violence by Daegaer -  Crowley and Aziraphale meet after the end of the world.

Coming to an Arrangement by Daegaer  - The long, slow path to the Arrangement.

Act of Redemption by copperbadge -  After the world failed to end, Crowley got depressed.

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot by xylodemon -  In which Crowley starts over. Again, and again, and again.

A Few Conversations, Which are Mostly Related to Christmas by xylodemon - In which there is cocoa, conversation, and more Christmas cheer than Crowley think is strictly necessary.

The Ghost and A. J. Crowley by Argyle -  A heartwarming tale of grisly ghost plants and fearsome floral apparitions. Has Crowley finally met his match? Will Aziraphale come to the rescue? And just how difficult is it to remove dirt stains from white carpet?

Five Meetings (Steps in the Fall and Rise to Grace) by icarus_chained -  GO Noir AU. Bad things are brewing in the City of Angels, and one tired ex-cop is stuck in the middle of it.

How to Make Friends and Influence Flora aka Radio Four Never Mentioned This by WinterEyes -  The Fear of Crowley isn't all it's cracked up to be

Suntne Angeli? by Macdicilla -  Adam answers the question of whether angels need to eat and drink, and accidentally creates a major change in the (pants) fabric of reality.

Field Agents by Lunasong365, sous_le_saule -  How did ‘Human’ Resources (both Demonic and Angelic) recruit Crawly and Aziraphale to be field agents? Is it a coincidence that they both found themselves back on Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden?

The Devil Went Down to Georgia by ImprobableDreams900 -  Now Crowley went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal, cause he was in a bind and way behind and he was willing to make a deal.

Major Failings by irisbleufic -  It was quick and messy, the sort of thing that took you off-guard no matter how many beheadings, torture stints, and vivisections you'd seen otherwise. Actually, Crowley wasn't certain how many of any of those he'd actually seen. He tended to lower his eyes or look away at the last second. This was also a major failing in a demon.

Pre-Relationship

Gavotte by bunnyfication -  Crowley sleeps a decade or a few, and suddenly Aziraphale is dressing fashionably? And asking him to a dance at a club with a "select clientele"? Clearly something is amiss.

Something About Flamingos by Plumbeo -  Aziraphale and Crowley have a petty, stupid, pointless fight. After four days of not talking to each other, the angel decides to break the silence - in an equally stupid way.

it giveth light unto all in the house (the let's have some wine remix) by pocky_slash -  There's loving Crowley the way he loves their waiter at the café and the ducks in St. James Park and linzer tarts and there's—well.

growing season by ghostsoldier - In which Aziraphale kills plants, and Crowley is a generous sort of demon.

Afternoons and Espresso Spoons by Kirathaune

Home by LysanderandHermia - Crowley has a realization, and it's about the angel drooling on the couch while he sleeps.

Sweet Dreams, Angel! by sous_le_saule -  Aziraphale’s never been able to sleep. Crowley takes up the challenge.

Be Ye Therefore Merciful by AmberDiceless -  Crowley does something utterly unexpected, and Aziraphale must face an opponent who cannot be thwarted.

Saunter by Aria -  There is nothing to do but feel out of sorts, disjointed and slightly askew from the world, and watch as Aziraphale absently eats the apple, the world's hundred millionth apple, symbolic of nothing at all.

They Get Together In These Ones

And when he falls by torch -  There are many ways to celebrate having avoided the apocalypse.

The Member of the Wedding by Aja - Crowley comes to a realization.

Survivors' Guilt / For All the World by irisbleufic -  It was a dark and stormy night, and nobody was enjoying it.

Goodbody by copperbadge -  Aziraphael's new body is causing some problems.

Sunday (Or the First Day Of the Rest of Their Lives) by pollitt -  Sunday at the park

Under Cover by bliumchik -  There's a new little problem in Tadfield...

An Excellent Long-Term Solution by Beth H (bethbethbeth) - In which Hell seems more forgiving than Heaven, Aziraphale seems to have got himself into a bit of a pickle, and Crowley seems to have come up with the perfect solution, almost all on his own.

Firebird: III. Finale by htebazytook -  "In the background Crowley and Aziraphale met on the tops of buses, and in art galleries, and at concerts, compared notes, and smiled."

Old Fashioned by htebazytook -  Hell has changed.

Very Complicated Solitaire by htebazytook

Ordinary People (The Anything But Ordinary Remix) by cimorene  -  Crowley has started to take a proprietary interest in Aziraphale's bookshop.

The Speck in the London Eye by Vulgarweed -  A hot dame, a missing youth, a quirky consultant—and much much more than meets the eye at stake. Private Investigator A.J. Crowley just might be in over his head this time.

TwoFish by Grindylowe -  A love story about angels and demons. Also, fish.  

Snowy Evenings by htebazytook -  Five times Crowley couldn't stand the snow, and one time he could.

A Peculiar Sensation by Elvendork -  It happens at the Ritz: Aziraphale comes to a startling realistion, but takes it in his stride remarkably well.

As Above, So Below by JenTheSweetie - Crowley and Aziraphale talk, drink, complete paperwork, drink, fall asleep with abandon, drink, and do other stuff (maybe). And drink.

Modern Love by punkfaery -  Crowley, Aziraphale, and a series of religious buildings.

A Backwards Proposal by HoloXam -  An encounter with a bride-to-be puts an idea in Aziraphale's head. Crowley doesn't react very well.

Post-Relationship

Recall by busaikko -  RECALL: 1. To ask or order to return; 2. To summon back to awareness; 3. To remember; recollect.

That Subtle Knot by apple_pi -  I wonder. Does an angel get his wings when the bell is set off by a demon?

Never Mind the Gravitation by Argyle -  Sure, there's life on Mars. But Crowley can hardly call it living.

Flamingos by Interrobam -  "Las Vegas, Crowley had always maintained, was technically Aziraphale's fault." Crowley and Aziraphale go to Las Vegas, contemplate the history of civilization and the meaning of existence.

Snapshots by mirawonderfulstar -  Five photographs on the wall of Aziraphale’s shop.

A Resort By Any Other Name by TheLifeOfEmm -  Or in which Crowley and Aziraphale go on holiday, but have a bit of trouble with the weather.

Hell's Bells (Wedding Bells) by Macdicilla -  Hell finds out that Aziraphale and Crowley are together, and eventually Heaven does too. Hell sends its [unwelcome] congratulations.

Categorization by SleepsWithCoyotes -  Crowley calls 'em like he sees 'em.

Black Dog by HoloXam -  In which Crowley feels bad and Aziraphale makes tea.

The Flame No Dampness Dulls by mirawonderfulstar -     Aziraphale doesn't understand why Crowley's spent the last two months trying to seduce him when the demon hasn't ever shown any interest in sex.

heaven is a place where nothing ever happens by Contra -  After the end of the world, there comes a new morning.

These Ones Have Sex

Lethe For Two by SleepsWithCoyotes -  A visit from the Angel of Oblivion sounds pretty ominous, doesn't it?

Monday, Half Past Four by TruckThat -  Crowley decides that almost any course of action is justified if it manages to distract him from the fact that it's been nearly two days and so far nothing else is going wrong.

The Reason for the Season by Vulgarweed -  Adam and Pepper, now married with children of their own, worry that their kids might be losing some of the magic of the season. Adam calls in a little favour from some old friends - with a nice little bonus that's in it for them.

No Such Thing by irisbleufic -  "You mean [Agnes] was trying to reassure us the whole time that the world wasn't, in fact, going to end?"

Historical

Casual as Birds by apple_pi -  Aziraphale and Crowley in London, 1944.

New Day (The Dreaming of You Remix) by Daegaer -  Ettore dreams of friendship and love.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Argyle - The Devil has all the best tunes. (London, 1940)

Theatrical Sins: A Play in Three Acts by Aria -  "What did you do?" Crowley asked in horror, the first time he saw Aziraphale after sleeping away most of the nineteenth century.

Natural Laws by Argyle -  Every object in the Universe attracts every other object. (Lincolnshire, 1665)

Species, Origins by bliumchik -  A prehistoric chat.

Lessons in Falling by Argyle -  You never forget how. (London, 1866/1899)

The Visible Universe by Argyle -  It was not a remarkable day. (England, 1928)

How Crowley Saved Christmas by such_heights -  It was 1842, and Aziraphale really didn’t want to do it.

Letters by inabathrobe for miss_narla -  Aziraphale and Crowley burn letters and bridges.

Myths Will Be Myths by palavreado -  Aziraphale says goodbye to an old friend.

On Transmutation (and Tortoises) by Vermin_Disciple -  c. 1859. In which Aziraphale reads the latest bestseller, and he and Crowley take a trip to the Galapagos.  

i wanted to hurt you but the victory is that i could not stomach it by gyzym

Three Times Aziraphale Was Almost Too Much Of A Bastard To Be Worth Liking by feverbeats -  They have to stop meeting like this.

Safe Haven by JAMoczo -  A remix of Prodigal Son: January 1945; Aziraphale has a crisis of Faith.

In der H'lle by Copinggoggles -  Snapshot in the trenches.

Hell Is Empty by bemusedlybespectacled (ardentintoxication) -  Crowley goes to investigate this Inquisition he supposedly helped to start and finds Aziraphale instead.

And All The Devils Are Here by bemusedlybespectacled (ardentintoxication) -  Aziraphale is taken in by the Inquisition for witchcraft and finds help from an unexpected source.

The Widening Gyre by Vulgarweed -  In the spring of 1916, some in London and Dublin were fighting a war on two fronts. Three, if you include the heart. (Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of it.)

Bacchanalia by furchte_die_schildkrote -  The first time Crowley was kissed by an angel, Aziraphale had wine on his breath, a nearly full moon hung in the sky, and Rome was burning.

Carmina Burana by Lunasong365 - Carmina Burana has been described as: Profane. Sensual. Irreverent. Satirical of religion.So why was its source text discovered in a monastery?

The Fourteenth Century by Elsinore_and_Inverness -  An Angel, a Demon and the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages

“O Serpent heart… Fiend Angelical, Dove Feather Raven” -William Shakespeare (R&J, 3.2.74-76) by Elsinore_and_Inverness -  'There are no sonnets immortalizing a demon with eyes like the sun. This is probably just as well.'

Don't Mind You Under My Skin by 50artists -  Five times that Crowley tempted Aziraphale (with mixed success), and one time Aziraphale tempted him.

Biblical

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Daegaer

Over the Face of all the Earth by Daegaer - The Tower of Babel seemed like a good idea at the time . . .

Father of Nations by Daegaer -  Crowley and Aziraphale keep having dealings with the same family.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Apple by Argyle -  In which one thing leads to another, and the Garden awakens.

build me a city, call it jerusalem by gyzym -  Man begets man begets The Tales of Men, and there's nothing godly in that; Those Above and Them Below haven't any need for the stories humans have been hungry for since the snake and the Angel with the flaming sword.

for I am come to send fire on the earth by tomato_greens -  The worst of it was that Crowley had already received a commendation, gleaming, from Below.

And Find for Herself a Place to Rest by tomato_greens -  So long as you avoided the thorns, it was a nice tree.

Another One Bites the Dust by diefiend -  Crowley and Aziraphale and the Crucifixion.

Other Characters

Revisited and Riding Out by Patrick Phelan

Of Woman Born by slythwolf -  A brief biography of Adam's biological mother.

Pennies From Heaven (Pound Notes From Hell) by Ineffabilitea -  Warlock just wants to feel special again.

Forgotten, As A Dream by Clodius Pulcher (Clodia) -  "They'll be back. They're never far away..." Pippin Galadriel Moonchild, aged eleven and a half, dreams red. Or rather, Red.

Good Help is Hard to Find, or The Hazards of Reading Prophecy by Fleur Rochard (fleurrochard), somnolentblue -  Wherein Aziraphale hires a shop assistant.

Love Me Tender by tomato_greens -  Bright lights and ice cream: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except when it doesn't.

Memory Yields by Interrobam -  The thing about being destined to bring about the apocalypse when you're eleven was that no one quite made plans for how you were supposed to go about the rest of your life.

The Morning After the Morning After the End of the World by Aegialia -  Anathema moves on and figures herself out.

In which Adam challenges Crowley to a drinking contest and it is a terrible idea by Macdicilla -  It is a rather foolish thing to set a bet with the devil, or even with a devil, unless you have an ace—or better yet, all the aces in the deck—up your sleeve.

Anything by LoveChilde -  About ten years after the world didn’t end, Pippin Galadriel Moonchild meets an angel. Or maybe just a harmless homosexual. They have tea.

Forgive Those Who Trespass by JAMoczo -  Crowley and Shadwell share Madame Tracy and Aziraphale for a week. God help us all.

Crossovers

The Nice and Accurate Adventures of Aziraphale in Ankh-Morpork by Glinda -  All truly good second-hand bookshops are really genteel black-holes that have learned how to read.

Bargain Breakfast by Daegaer -  Crowley gets a suspicious sort of customer.

The Corsair of Carcosa by Vulgarweed -  Aziraphale gets his hands on a rare copy of the play The King in Yellow. Reading and its consequences ensue.

[ranwing]

KADAM FIC: LEARNING TO FLY (20/20)

Title: Learning to Fly Series: A New Direction (was Season Four Remix) Pairing(s), Characters(s): Kadam, Kurt Hummel, Adam Crawford, Burt Hummel, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Carmen Tibideaux, Cassandra July, Artie Abrams, Tina Cohen-Chang, Elliot “Starchild” Gilbert, Dani, Adam’s Apples, Original Characters Rating: PG13 (rating may change) Genre(s): canon divergence. Parts: 20/20 (Completed!)

Summary: As another school year starts at NYADA, Kurt seemed to have it all. The respect of his teachers, a group of wonderful friends and best of all, getting to live with the man that he’d come to love. So of course the universe would throw a few curve balls in his direction.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen

On AO3

A/N - Whoo... Cannot believe that this monster is finally finished! This series has been such a labor of love for me, and the level of support I've gotten from my readers has left me humbled and deeply appreciative. You guys have been wonderful in encouraging me to continue writing and bringing my stories out to be ready.

I have more planned for this series, and so many other story ideas that I want to explore. I again want to thank everyone who's read my stories. Every reblog and comment just makes my day. Thank you, everyone.

Kurt sealed the last box closed and sat back on his bare mattress with a satisfied sigh, letting the depleted roll of packing tape fall to the floor. Finally, he thought contentedly. The instant that he’d finished his last exam that morning, he was on the phone with Adam to let him know that he was ready. All he needed was a few hours to get the last of his belongings packed up.

He looked about his dorm room, the bare cinderblock walls looking as sterile as they had when he’d first arrived now that they’d been stripped of his decorations. It felt almost shocking at how easily the room had shed his efforts at personalization, making it very clear that this had been at best a transitory accommodation. While living there it hadn’t been the ordeal he’d feared and he’d enjoyed the convenience, Kurt was glad to be leaving. He missed having his own space.

With the tests done and the spring term officially at an end, many other students boarding in the dorms were also making their preparations to leave and the common area was a hive of activity. There were parents picking up their freshman children, listening to stories about how tough NYADA was and their relief that they’d survived the first year. Upper classmen weren’t quite so effusive, but there were plenty of hugs as they bid friends and classmates goodbye until the fall. There was even a senior or two, taking one long last look at the school that had trained them before they left for the last time.

He spotted Jamie walking into the common area, pulling his suitcases behind him and waved him down.

“Hey, Kurt… So, this is it,” the taller man surmised with a tired sigh.

Kurt nodded understandingly. The last few weeks of school were always the hardest and everyone needed a bit of a break before starting on their summer jobs and projects. Kurt was just thankful that he and Adam would have a few days to settle and regroup before they found their lives uprooted again. It seemed like they were going to be in a constant cycle of racing and pausing for the foreseeable future.

“Heading home for a bit?” Kurt asked, seeing the travel pillow looped through the handle of one of Jamie’s bags.

Jamie nodded. “I definitely owe the folks a visit since we were so busy with the show this spring,” he answered. “And my internship with the community theater starts next week, so I’ll have a few days to relax. Figure that should keep me busy this summer.”

“Yeah, we start rehearsals next week,” Kurt said, running a hand through his hair. Part of him wished that he could have taken a few weeks to just unwind since this past year had left him little time to take stoke of all he’d accomplished, but he didn’t have that luxury. The experience he gained with the Garrison festival was just too valuable to pass up. Not to mention getting the chance to work with Adam and his closest friends.

Jamie offered a consoling smile. “Maybe it’s better to just keep moving,” he theorized. “You don’t lose momentum.”

Kurt chuckled tiredly. “Like we need excuses to burn the candle at both ends,” he answered back. Nobody studied at NYADA if they wanted to take it easy. “Are you dorming again next term?”

Jamie smiled and shook his head. “No. Katya and I decided that it’s time to move things forward,” he stated happily. “Her roommate is moving out over the summer so we’re going to share the apartment.”

“Congratulations!” Kurt pronounced, happy for his friends.

“Well, it’s a little overdue,” Jamie admitted ruefully. “Fortunately, she got fed up with the prima donna she was living with and dropped some suggestions that she might want to find someplace else to live before school starts in the fall.”

“That’s great. I’m really happy for the two of you,” Kurt insisted.

“Thanks. You’re heading over to your new place now?” Jamie asked.

Kurt nodded happily. “Like you said, it’s overdue.”

“Well, good luck this summer,” Jamie wished, reaching out to pull his friend into a hug. He and Kurt patted one another’s back, savoring the contact before they separated for the season. “I’m looking forward to hearing all your war stories.”

Kurt knew that this would be the norm for their lives as they continued to develop and grow in their careers.. Connecting, making friends in their industry, then separating depending on where work took them. It made him want to keep those connections even closer since they could be so tenuous.

The next two years would be difficult ones, as they continued to build towards what they hoped would be fruitful professional careers. Kurt knew that not all their classmates would return in the fall; some falling out because of the increasing pressure to grow and succeed or to take their chances on finding work. As talented as his classmates were, Kurt thought that there were a few who very possibly have progressed as much as they were going to and he wouldn’t be terribly surprised if they didn’t show up in September.

But he had no doubt that Jamie, Katya and Analisa would be there when he returned in the fall. Along with himself and Rachel, they had repeatedly proven themselves, rising to the occasion and showing that they wanted to be better. It probably wasn’t a surprise that the five of them had come together; not just as respected peers, but good friends.

“You too,” Kurt said. “Text me when you start at the theater. I’d love to hear how they do things.”

“I will,” Jamie promised. They’d have plenty of stories to share in the fall. “I’d better get moving if I’m going to catch my plane. I’ll see you in September.”

Kurt hugged his friend again before letting him go to meet his transportation to the airport. Around him there were other partings of friends with many tearful goodbyes and promises to keep in touch over the summer. For all the competition that the school fostered among the student body, it was nice to see that it also helped create real and lasting friendships.

It wasn’t much later that his phone chimed, advising of a text message. Kurt fished his phone out of his pocket and smiled at seeing the message from Adam. Taking up the handle of his suitcase, he walked out the front doors of the school where he saw his boyfriend standing next to a sensible rental car.

“Hi,” Kurt greeted happily, hurrying over and turning his face up for a kiss.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Adam answered, obliging his lover and pulling him in for a lingering embrace. “Do you have a lot of stuff?”

“Just this and a few boxes with my books,” Kurt confirmed. “I’ll start bringing them out.”

“Need help?” Adam asked as he moved to open the trunk.

“No,” Kurt assured him. “It won’t take me long. I’ll be right back.”

It took a few trips to transport all the boxes out of the room, and Kurt knew that it was telling that when he carried the final box out and closed the door behind him that he didn’t look back.

The drive to their apartment took nearly no time at all, Adam pulling in by the hydrant in front of their building so he could quickly drop off Kurt and his things.

“I’m just going to run the car back,” he assured Kurt. “Are you okay to get everything up yourself?”

Kurt mentally appraised the small collection and nodded. “I think so. They’re not too heavy. I’ll be okay.”

Adam smiled and kissed Kurt again. “Give me about half an hour,” he promised. “Wait for me if you need help.”

Once Adam had driven off to return the car, Kurt took on the task of bringing his belongings upstairs, knowing better than to leave his belongings sitting out on the sidewalk. Once they were safely behind a closed front door, he hurried upstairs to unlock their apartment door before carrying the boxes up one at a time.

He shoved the boxes into a corner of their bedroom and had his suitcase open, sorting through his clothes and tossing his laundry into the hamper to take care of later. There was no real rush to deal with his books, but Kurt couldn’t help from smiling that Adam made sure to leave the top two shelves of the bookcase open for him. The bust of Shakespeare sat atop the bookcase where the Bard of Avon had a clear view of the room and seeming to offer Kurt a subtle smile, welcoming him home.

Kurt wandered about the apartment while he waited for Adam’s return, reacquainting himself with all the things that he’d loved about their new residence. Adam had left the air conditioner running, so the apartment was comfortable, and it hadn’t escaped Kurt’s notice that the bed was freshly made up. Opening the fridge revealed a selection of cheese and fruit for them to share when his lover returned, along with a bottle of wine with a label that caused Kurt to raise an eyebrow in surprise. It was a pricier vintage than they usually indulged with and usually only for special occasions. Kurt supposed that this would certainly qualify so he wouldn’t complain about Adam spending so much. His lover had already collected a selection of take out menus from the local restaurants, so they’d have plenty of options if they decided to stay in and… celebrate.

The main living room was just as he’d remembered, with the windows letting in plenty of sunlight through the filtering blinds, brightening the space and drawing one’s eye to the exposed brick wall that was Kurt’s favorite feature. While they still needed to consider getting some kind of dining set, he was pleased to see that what furniture they did already have suited their apartment nicely.

He felt a sudden need to sit down on every piece of furniture, like a cat wanting to make sure that his scent was everywhere to mark his territory. Adam would be highly amused that that little flight of whimsy, but after being apart for so long, Kurt couldn’t deny the need to all but rub himself against the chair he sat in as he waited for Adam to return.

He perked up when he heard a key in the front door lock and smiled brightly when Adam stepped inside, looking a bit rung out from the heat. “Hey,” he greeted from his spot in his chair.

Adam smiled and stalked over to him, leaning down to give him a warm kiss. “Hi, love,” he answered back. “Settling in?”

Kurt shrugged. “I haven’t started tackling the boxes yet,” he admitted, not ashamed of procrastinating a little. “Just wanted to enjoy being here for a moment.”

“Got room for me in there?” Adam asked, nodding towards the chair that Kurt was currently occupying.

Kurt nodded with a smile, getting up so that Adam could sit and settling in his lap. He cuddled in happily as Adam wrapped his arms about him, enjoying the feeling of their first real shared moment in their new home. Not that they hadn’t spent a good amount of time there since Adam returned to New York getting “reacquainted”, Kurt considered with a mischievous smile, but this was different. Kurt wouldn’t be hurrying back to the dorms because of an early morning class or staying for the weekend like an out of town guest. They were both finally home.

“This is nice,” Kurt cooed happily, nestling into his boyfriend’s embrace.

Adam sighed in contentment, glad to have this quiet moment before reality intruded again. They did have to shop for their housewarming party, as all of the Apples still in the city were impatient to celebrate the return of their old leader and offer their best wishes for their new place. And they had a bare week before rehearsals started in Garrison. But for now, this small space in the universe was just for them.

“I was thinking about staying in tonight,” Adam suggested, resting his cheek against Kurt’s hair and taking in the scent of his lover. “I know that we wanted to explore the neighborhood a bit more, but I’d kind of like to just have a quiet evening if that’s okay with you.”

Kurt smiled, nodding. “That’s just what I was thinking,” he answered agreeably. They’d have plenty of time go check out the local places in the coming months. For now, they just wanted to have a little time to themselves, cocooned in their private sanctuary. “Sounds perfect.”

“I’ve got a bottle of one of your favorites in the fridge,” Adam informed him. “I wanted to celebrate tonight.”

“I saw,” Kurt answered with a smile. “Why don’t I crack it open while you get our snacks set up?”

Adam smiled and gave Kurt a quick kiss on the tip of his nose before letting his lover climb off him. He couldn’t resist offering the lovely backside in his face an affectionate pat as he sent Kurt on his way.

They were going to be okay. Kurt was as confident about that truth as he was in the law of gravity. As Adam put together a plate of cheese and fruit for them to enjoy, he got out the corkscrew from their utensil drawer and deftly opening the bottle of Australian white. He carried the bottle along with two of the good wine glasses that Elliot had given as a housewarming gift to the couch where he poured the wine and waited for Adam to join him.

Settled there, Kurt allowed a feeling of warm contentment to wash over them as they nestled together, feeding one another and enjoying gentle kisses between sips of tart wine. He was keenly aware that their lives wouldn’t allow for many moments like this in the coming weeks. Rehearsals would keep him busy while Adam learned about the practicalities of staging a large production. Their lives going forward would be a constant cycle of rehearsals, productions, classes and day jobs. Lulls like this needed to be cherished, because they were all the more precious for their rarity.

There would be plenty of time for them to worry about work and their careers. At that moment, all Kurt wanted to do was savor their time together.

* * *

“I’m not going to take no for an answer, man,” Elliot insisted to Adam, taking a sip of his beer.

“Elliot, Kurt’s starting rehearsals next week,” Adam reminded him. “I wanted him to have some down time before he starts. This past semester was really rough on him.

“And I just got back. We’re still barely settled.”

“I know,” Elliot granted. “But this isn’t like our usual show. It’s our last one before everyone heads home for the summer and I promise, it’s going to be really informal. No crazy costumes or anything. It’s just a chance to give our audience a bit of fun before we take a break and to show our thing.”

Adam sighed, looking about the crowded room for Kurt to come rescue him since he was closer to Elliot, but the younger man was currently occupied with Mei, Tommy and several other of the older Apples. They appeared to be regaling one another about their experiences from the spring musical and the weeks in class that followed. He managed to catch Kurt’s eye and made a pleading face, hoping that Kurt would be the voice of reason. Kurt nodded in understanding and excused himself from their friends before bouncing over to them.

“Hey, did you tell Adam about the show?” Kurt asked Elliot, sinking Adam’s hopes for a quick resolution to Elliot’s request.

Elliot grinned and nodded. “I’m trying to tell him that it’s not going to be as intense as our last ones,” he assured Kurt. “It’s more like a big jam session with our best fans in attendance. You do what you do best, and they eat it up.”

Kurt’s eyes were shining brightly at the prospect of another stage to command and looked to his lover. “It was a lot of fun,” he assured Adam. “It’s like Callbacks, but with a better band. Everyone’s going to be there, and I’ve even convinced some of the Apples to join in.”

Adam sighed reluctantly, knowing that he’d lost this one. It was very hard to tell Kurt no much of the time and it wasn’t worth an argument over something so silly. If he was being totally honest with himself, he missed singing with Kurt the past few months and it wouldn’t hurt to keep his pipes in practice.

“Maybe Niall and Cynthia would enjoy the show,” he suggested, offering Kurt a smile. He knew that he’d lost this one and at least he could be cordial in his defeat. “He’d enjoy watching me make a fool of myself and we did promise them a chance to get together.”

Kurt’s smile widened when he realized that Adam had come around and pressed a quick kiss on him to thank the older man for his agreement. He hurried back to their friends, probably to announce that Adam would be performing causing the Englishman to sigh. He didn’t miss the knowing grin on Elliot’s face.

“Oh, stop looking so smug,” he groused, mildly annoyed that he didn’t have a graceful way to withdraw without disappointing Kurt.

“I promise, you won’t make a fool of yourself,” he assured Adam.

Adam knew that, but that didn’t change the matter of him just not fitting in with that sort of crowd. “I’m not the showman that you and Kurt are,” he admitted. “I’m afraid that I’m going to be something of a wet hen in your group.”

“Bullshit,” Elliot laughed, his blue eyes flashing. “You’ve got your own strengths as a performer and I missed seeing that while you were away.”

Knowing that he’d been beaten, Adam allowed himself to smile courteously. It was hard to hold a grudge with Kurt’s and Elliot’s enthusiasm. “If you say so,” he granted. “So… Kurt was telling me about the job you got lined up…”

Whatever misgivings Adam might have felt about performing in such a venue, he didn’t have very much time to dwell on them. Not with Kurt’s excitement over both the planned evening and starting rehearsals in Garrison. Niall and Cynthia happily accepted the invitation, looking forward to a night out with friends. The four of them spent some time before the show at a tapas bar near the venue. Small plates of tortilla and Iberico ham and glasses of red Rioja shared with good company made him feel much better about the evening.

The show wasn’t scheduled to start until ten, giving the two couples plenty of time to reconnect and discover that they got along beyond reasons of necessity. To be honest, Adam enjoyed making friends with another couple which was a refreshing change from just hanging out with a large group of mostly singles. Perhaps Rachel and her new beau would be nice to socialize with as well.

By the time they arrived at the nightclub hosting the Hellfire Circus, Adam was nicely relaxed from the wine and more enthusiastic about the chance to perform. Then again, how could he be reluctant to perform with his Kurt? As promised, it was a much more low-key event than the Valentine’s Day show and he hoped that he wouldn’t stand out in a negative way.

Thankfully everyone was casually dressed, with even Elliot wearing jeans and an old Queen t-shirt. His sole concession to his usual performance style was a bit of artfully smudged eyeliner that made his already brilliant eyes stand out even more. He was helping Dani and the band set up while Santana watched, offering her usual stream of unhelpful commentary.

“Thank God, there’s a bar,” Niall pronounced.

His wife gave him a nudge that was just shy of being gentle. “Behave,” she reprimanded playfully. “You’d think that we haven’t been drinking wine all night.”

“Wine isn’t drinking,” Niall insisted with more seriousness than was probably warranted, but Adam felt himself nodding in agreement. Kurt rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about idiot Englishmen.

Elliot gave a whistle and called the performers over to him, signaling that they would be starting shortly. Kurt looked to Cynthia and said, “We’d better get over there. Try to get seats up front if you can. Don’t think that we need to worry about a splash zone tonight.”

She smiled and gave her friend a quick kiss to his cheek. “Break a leg,” she offered before taking her husband’s hand. “Come on, you. If I get you a beer, maybe you’ll stop complaining.”

“And no beer for you,” Kurt warned Adam, taking his arm and pulling him in the opposite direction of the bar. “I need you sober for our set.”

“Darling, would I ever embarrass you?” Adam demanded teasingly, offering his lover a crooked smile to assure him that he wasn’t even mildly offended. He knew that Kurt’s habit of trying to control his environment sometimes had him stepping on toes without meaning to and he knew that the younger man wasn’t trying to insult him. Kurt knew that Adam certainly wasn’t a heavy drinker by any stretch and could count the number of time’s he’d gotten totally pissed since they got together on one hand.

Kurt’s cheeks took on a warm flush of pink when he realized that he might have overstepped. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, giving Adam’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You know that I always get stupid when I have performance brain.”

Adam bent down to press a quick kiss to his lips. “It’s okay,” he reassured Kurt. “You’ve already built a relationship with this bunch and I’m stepping onto your turf here. I’ll be following your lead.”

Kurt sighed, looking quite repentant for his gaffe. “I really am sorry,” he insisted. “It feels like we need to relearn one another a little bit.”

Adam nodded, in complete agreement. They would have to learn one another’s ways again after so long and discover the kind of men that they had grown into over the past months. They both had undergone many deep changes and had discovered much about themselves while they were apart. Teaching one another who they were would only make their relationship stronger. It would be like revisiting those heady early days of their romance, when everything felt so exciting and new.

Unquestionably they would end up jostling more than a little bit as they did so. Both of them had developed new habits and boundaries that their partner would need to navigate, and they’d probably be stepping on one another’s toes more than a few times. While that was probably inevitable, Adam had no doubt that they would manage without too much in the way of hurt feelings. They just needed to make sure that they communicated with one another; that when something bothered one of them, they didn’t stay silent and allow hurt feelings to fester. There shouldn’t be anything that they couldn’t handle if they spoke like the mature adult men they were supposed to be.

“Hey,” Adam said, pulling Kurt into his arms. He bent his head to kiss his lover soundly, making it clear that he really wasn’t at all upset. “We’re good. And I can’t wait to see you singing again.”

“You are such a damn pushover,” Kurt groused good naturedly, his mood resolved by the older man’s assurance that his misstep was a minor one.

“Nah… I just have the good sense to know what’s worth raising a stink over,” Adam claimed loftily. “But if you insist on submitting my application for sainthood, I won’t complain too much.”

Kurt gave a huff, nudging Adam playfully with his body.

Elliot waved the last stragglers over to him as the band finished setting up. “Come on guys,” he demanded, his smile absolutely brilliant with the excitement over having the chance to perform again. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Much like the show that Adam had watched online while he’d been traveling, the show boasted a wide array of talents. The dancers were all phenomenal, easily among the best he’d ever seen while the fire eaters were trying out some new tricks to amaze their audience. The singers ranged in ability from generally good to amazing, each of them giving the audience their best efforts.

Elliot was a remarkable showman and lead the company with a ringmaster’s flair for the dramatic. Besides his own remarkable talent, he had a definite knack for staging a show to its best advantage. Even without the bells and whistles that the group normally employed, the show was engaging and showed a clear ebb and flow as it was building towards a climax. Elliot had organized the show to show off the best qualities of each performer, giving everyone a moment to shine while at the same time keeping the energy coherent and engaging.

To say that it was an enjoyable show would be a definite understatement of the grandest proportions. After performing a gorgeous duet together, Artie and Tina rejoined their friends looking extraordinarily pleased with themselves. “You look like you had a good time,” he complimented with a smile.

Artie looked a bit winded from his performance but looked very happy. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to sing like that,” he admitted. “We don’t have a lot of opportunities to sing at school unless it’s for a project and I’m out of practice.”

Tina wrapped her arms about her boyfriend’s shoulders from behind and leaned in with a big smile. “You’ve still got it, babe,” she assured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Kurt was seated at his side, his head resting on Adam’s shoulder as they watched the other performers. Whatever misgivings Adam might have had were fading away as he watched several members of the Apples performing a playful rendition of “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, giving the classic metal number a peppy, boy-band vibe. Seeing his friends welcomed and having a place to show off their creative spirits outside of their club was gratifying and he was starting to think that Elliot was a really good, smart bloke and that he could really get behind the idea of this cabaret.

It was pretty mindboggling just how talented everyone was, and his Apples fit in perfectly. Santana and Dani did a sultry duet of “Cheek to Cheek” that had just enough sexual heat without going too far, and Santana was proving why she was so popular at her piano club. They finished with a kiss that was sure to set all the straight men up with material for their spank banks but clearly wasn’t done at all with their audience in mind.

“Hey Rachel,” Elliot called out to the young woman, who’d been enjoying the show between heated kisses with her boyfriend. “You’re up.”

She looked up at Elliot, and it took all of Adam’s control not to chuckle aloud at the sight of her pink lipstick smeared over the face of the young man who’s lap she was occupying. She gave Neil another quick kiss before getting up and after a quick makeup check, hurried to take her spot on the stage. Dani took up her guitar to strum out an accompaniment to her song.

“Drinking wine and thinking bliss, is on the other side of this,” she sang, her voice rising sweetly on the guitar notes. She looked to Kurt and offered him a soft smile. “I just need a compass and a willing accomplice. All my doubts that fill my head, cascading up and down again. Up and down and round again, down and up and down again.

“Oh, I’ve had my chances and I’ve taken them all,” she assured the audience with a world-weary wisdom. “Just to end up right back here on the floor. To end up right back here on the floor.

She looked up at her audience with soft eyes and a gentle, bemused smile and she seemed to contemplate the mistakes of her life. “Pennies in a well, a million dollars in the fountain of a hotel. Fortune teller that says maybe you will go to hell. But I’m not scared at all,” Rachel promised. “The cracks in the crystal… the cracks in the crystal ball.”

After months of watching Rachel sing every song as if her life depended on belting every note out at full volume, Adam thought that this was a refreshing change. She had such a lovely tone to her singing, and he felt that she was drawing him into her performance instead of just demanding that he admire what she could do with her voice. It was a far richer, more nuanced presentation than he could remember seeing from her.

Rachel offered her audience a sad smile as she considered the regrets of her life. “Sometimes you think everything is wrapped inside a diamond ring. Love just needs a witness, and a little forgiveness…”

That was certainly true, Adam thought, pulling Kurt close to him. Rachel certainly had plenty to look back upon, people that she had hurt and things that he was sure she wished that she had done differently. To see regret and doubt portrayed so sincerely hinted that Kurt’s friend had undergone a great many changes while he’d been away.

“And a halo of patience and a less sporadic pace and I’m learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes,” she assured them, her expression one of sadness but determination. “Oh, I’ve felt that fire and I’ve been burned. But I wouldn’t trade the pain for what I’ve learned. I wouldn’t trade the pain for what I’ve learned.”

Adam was glad for her. She seemed to have finally found a place of peace within her. That she was secure enough to know that she could fail and be able to get up again, to know that she could make mistakes and learn from them. And that she would have people around her ready to help when her own strength failed. The misgivings that he’d had about her previous one-sided friendship with Kurt eased because it was clear that she had grown in ways that he wouldn’t have considered possible when he’d first met her.

He was happy not just for Kurt, because he knew how much Kurt’s friendship with Rachel meant. His greatest happiess was for Rachel herself because she seemed to be so much more content.

She shook her head sadly, seeming to look back on her past and her mistakes. “Irony, irony… this hate and love, hate and love. What it does to me, what it’s done to me… what is done… done…”

Dani began to play more strongly, her fingers dancing over her guitar’s strings and Rachel’s voice rose to match it, the two artists playing off one another and building up to the song’s climax. “Pennies in a well, a million dollars in the fountain of a hotel,” she sang, stealing her shoulders with determination. “Broken mirrors and a black cat’s cold stare. Walk under ladders on my way to hell, I’ll meet you there.”

Rachel reined her voice back in, returning to the gentle introspection. “But I’m not scared at all, hmmm…” she assured the audience with a gentle smile. “I’m not scared at all… of the cracks in the crystal, the cracks in the crystal ball…”

Dani played the final notes with a soft flourish and the audience applauded for the young women who’d offered such a gentle but emotionally rich performance. Adam nodded approvingly, giving his respect to the young woman who continued to surprise him so thoroughly. Kurt was grinning brilliantly, applauding for his friend and giving a loud whistle to express his regard. When Rachel stepped off the stage to make way for the dancer set to perform next, Kurt was already on his feet to greet her and pulled her into a warm embrace.

“That was amazing!” he praised effusively, hugging her so tightly that she was lifted off her feet. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

“Really?” she asked, clearly wanting his approval. “I tried to copy a bit of what you do, but I wasn’t sure if it would really carry over.”

He smiled reassuringly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “It was stunning,” he promised.

Elliot came over, resting his hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “You guys are up next,” he advised, keeping an eye on the flow of the show. “The stage lights are set to hit you once Ruthie is done. You’d better get to your marks.”

Kurt nodded, then turned wide, excited eyes to his partner. “You ready?”

Adam smiled confidently. “Born ready, darling.”

The Englishman took his place by the stage, giving the audience little cue that he was set to perform at any time. Kurt was already on stage, hidden in the darkness while he waited for the belly dancer to finish her set. Adam was glad that they set up their performance like this, so he’d have a chance to watch Kurt for a little bit.

Once Ruthie shimmied off the stage in a trail of flowing veils, a spotlight hit Kurt who was sitting on a tall stool. He had one leg crossed over the other and giving the audience an impish smile as the band began to play his music. Adam couldn’t resist tapping his foot to the engaging rhythm and couldn’t help from smiling at seeing Kurt’s shoulder’s shimmy just a bit in time with the music.

“I look up to the little bird, that glides across the sky.” Kurt sang, using that gorgeous upper register of his. He turned his gaze upward, as if watching that imaginary bird in flight. Adam was once again struck by how easily Kurt commanded the attention of his audience, with just a few gloriously sung words.

“He sings the clearest melody. It makes me want to cry,” Kurt trilled, allowing just the slightest bit of grit color his bright notes. “It makes me want to sit right down and cry cry cry…”

He slipped off the stool and strode to the center of the stage, his movements perfectly in time with the music. “I walk along the city streets. So dark with rage and fear,” he sang. “And I… I wish that I could be that bird and fly away from here. I wish I had the wings to fly away from here.

“But my my… I feel so low! My my… where do I go?” he asked, looking to his audience as if they had the answers. “My my… what do I know? My my… we reap what we sow.”

He stood at the front of the stage, legs apart as if bracing himself to the ground. “They always said that you knew best,” he accused, pointing a finger accusingly. “But this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now. I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed, so I’ve just got to put these wings to test…”

Adam couldn’t help from nodding in agreement, thinking how apt the lyrics were for Kurt. Whatever boundaries he’d faced all his life, Kurt had long since surpassed them. He didn’t know of anymore more courageous and so willing to put everything on the line for what he wanted. Kurt had always amazed him in his ability to strive towards his goals no matter how steep the odds against him were. He certainly did not need any coaxing before taking wing.

Watching Kurt absolutely command that stage filled Adam with pride. That this remarkable creature was in his life was a gift that he would always treasure. If he could help Kurt reach his potential in any small way, by supporting him and keeping his aspirations in mind while chasing his own dreams, that would be a fine exchange to ensure that Kurt stood by his side.

Kurt moved about the stage with an ease and confidence that normally one would expect in only the most seasoned performer, dancing in time to the music and giving the impression of pride that a young bird might have when discovering his own strength in flight. It was so engrossing that Adam nearly forgot that he had his own cue coming up. If he missed it, Kurt would be so cross with him.

“For I am just a troubled soul,” Kurt advised the audience, his hips gyrating in time with the beat. “Who’s weighted… weighted to the ground.”

“Weighted to the ground,” Adam sang in counterpoint, his warmer tone highlighting the brightness of Kurt’s voice. “Weighted to the ground.”

Kurt smiled at hearing Adam’s voice coming in to support his. “Give me the strength to carry on,” he pleaded, turning his gaze to where his boyfriend was sitting. “Till I can lay this burden down.”

Adam stood, leaning casually up against a post as he watched his lover. “Lay this burden down,” he intoned, giving Kurt a nod of support. “Lay this burden down.”

“Give me the strength to lay this burden down down down, yeah,” Kurt sang, his eyes shining brilliantly, He moved towards Adam, circling about as if showing off how well he could fly to his more mature mate. “Give me the strength to lay it down.”

“Lay it down. Lay it down, yeah!” they sang together, Adam stepping up to join Kurt but not taking away from Kurt’s moment in the spotlight. His time was coming soon enough.

“But my my… I feel so low,” Kurt insisted, wanting Adam’s support so that he could fly on his own but not wanting to be carried. Adam knew that was the last thing that Kurt would ever want. “My my… where do I go? My my… what do I know? My my… we reap what we sow.”

Watching Kurt do what he’d learned he was capable of was both a gift and a privilege and Adam was grateful beyond belief that he had gone to that Winter Showcase performance and had Kurt shoved into his life. Whatever the future might hold for them, Adam knew that they would have the strength to meet it. All of the success in the world wouldn’t mean very much if Kurt wasn’t a part of his world.

“They always said that you knew best,” Kurt accused those who’d tried to hold his back. “But this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now. I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed, so I’ve just got to put these wings to test!”

The audience applauded, giving Kurt the respect that he deserved, and Adam had the pleasure of seeing the most telling change in his lover. He couldn’t help from thinking back to that night when he saw Kurt perform for the first time, and how shocked he’d been when the audience of industry luminaries rose to their feet for him. Now he only seemed pleased as he nodded his thanks for their ovation, accepting it as something he deserved. Adam felt his chest swell with pride for Kurt, thrilled to see the confidence that Kurt was now displaying.

The band began to play the music for their second song and Adam let himself slip easily into his role. Stepping forward to stand just behind Kurt, he placed his hands gently on the younger man’s shoulders.

“Into the distance, a ribbon of black. Stretched to the point of no turning back,” he crooned over the softly lifting music. “A flight of fancy on a windswept field. Standing alone, my senses reeled.”

He traced a gentle finger down Kurt’s arm to take his hand. “A fatal attraction is holding me fast,” he sang as he leaned in, seeming to whisper some great secret into the younger man’s ear. “How can I escape this irresistible grasp?”

Kurt turned his gaze up to meet Adam’s, his eyes questioning what his older lover had in mind. Adam just smiled reassuringly, .Kurt’s voice rose up to join Adam’s, using his high range to accent Adam’s warm tenor.

“Can’t keep my eyes from the circling sky,” they sang together, as if alone in the room. “Tongue-tied and twisted. Just an earth-bound misfit, I…”

Adam released Kurt, allowing him to drift away, as if needing to find his own way while Adam watched him from afar. There was the trust that he could render aid if Kurt required it but trusting the younger man to be able to take care of himself.

“Ice is forming on the tips of my wings,” Adam sang, watching as Kurt danced and looked very much like a young bird in flight. “Unheeded warnings. I thought, I thought of everything. No navigator to find my way home. Unladsened, empty, and turned to stone.”

The past months had been so hard for the both of them, being apart and forced to find their own way in the world. Adam had felt cast adrift and lost at times, unable to help Kurt as he struggled with the pressures that were only increasing as he continued to grow.

“A soul in tension that’s learning to fly. Condition grounded but determined to try,” they sang, instinctively knowing how to fit their voices together so that they sounded best. Neither one overpowered the other. Instead, they melded in a harmony that showcased the finest qualities of both. “Can’t keep my eyes from the circling skies. Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I…”

Kurt then moved back towards Adam and they began to move about one another, drifting in lazy circles in time to the music. When they’d been working out their choreography, Adam had noted that it did resemble something of a mating flight and very well suited their choice of material. They had accented that impression with their clothing choices, the shades of tan and grey they both wore resembling a hawk’s plumage as they moved together.

There would come a time when Kurt would have to fly off on his own for a time in order to chase his dreams. Adam knew that well, because Kurt would not be satisfied to just wait for opportunities to come to him. He would fight and run towards any openings that they world might present. Adam had to be strong enough to let Kurt do so, ready to return the support that Kurt had shown him and be confident that Kurt would indeed return to him. They would continue to face challenges as they continued to discover just how much they were capable of.

He reached out to cup Kurt’s face in his hand, gazing at that much-loved visage and knew that he would never try to clip Kurt’s wings now that the younger man was starting to truly discover just how high he could fly. They would take to the air together.

“Above the planet, on a wing and a prayer,” he sang softly, his words as much a promise as a performance. “My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air. Above the clouds I see my shadow fly, out of the corner of my watering eye.

“A dream unthreatened by the morning night, could blow this soul right through the roof of the night.”

Kurt understood what Adam was saying and his eyes were all but glowing with happiness that he had found someone to fly with. He fell into step with Adam, letting the other man guide him through their dance as their voices rose up together.

“There’s no sensation to compare with this. Suspended animation, a state of bliss… Can’t keep my mind from the circling skies. Tongue-tied and twisted. Just an earth-bound misfit, I…”

Kurt nearly laughed when Adam lifted him up above his head with a sudden heave, holding him there as the music swirled around them .The younger man stretched out his arms as if they were wings, tossing his head back as Adam held him aloft, confident that his lover wouldn’t drop him. As the music drew to a gentle conclusion, Kurt was lowered to the ground, finding his place back in Adam’s embrace.

The cheering and applause around them didn’t matter so much. Not when they could gaze into one another’s eyes and see their futures there. Not just of stages to command and roles to play, but of the security of having a nest to return to.

Then stepped off the stage together, Adam keeping one arm about Kurt’s shoulders to keep him close. Elliot smiled and nodded his approval before moving on to make sure that the next acts made it to the stage and Adam was happy to admit that he was enjoying himself. He always did enjoy performing and watching other talented people. He could understand why this group had such an enthusiastic following, as some of the performers wouldn’t have so many venues to show off their skills. That was the very reason he’d founded the Apples; to give people a chance to experiment and perform outside of the normal school sponsored venues.

But it was seeing Kurt’s response to all this that made him glad to have joined in that night. Seeing the way anticipation lit up in the younger man’s eyes and the sheer joy he felt performing alone made overcoming his reservations worthwhile. Adam knew that for Kurt, music was another language that he was naturally fluent in. Whereas singing was something that Adam had always enjoyed and had some decent talent in, Kurt absolutely lived and breathed for it.

After the last act finished, they had the opportunity to socialize and relax with their fans. This was a new experience for Adam; he was very familiar with the gatherings and kind words at the stage door, but he rarely had a chance to really meet and have conversations with an audience about what they thought about a show.

As if to make up for his earlier misstep, Kurt got him a beer from the bar and offered it with a smile and a kiss. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, remembering Adam’s earlier misgivings and the older man had about participating.

Adam nodded, not reluctant to admit that he’d made the wrong assumption about the cabaret. “It was fun,” he assured Kurt without reservation. “And I’d missed singing with you.”

“Me too,” Kurt admitted. He cocked his head towards the cabaret regulars. “They’re not to scary, are they?”

“Not at all,” Adam agreed. “I’m glad we did this.”

Kurt smiled broadly and leaned up to kiss Adam soundly. “Let’s go find Niall and Cynthia,” he suggested. “I’m curious to see what they thought.”

The venue turned into quite the party as performers and spectators mingled, enjoying this last get together before the cabaret’s summer hiatus. Niall clapped his hand on Adam’s shoulder, offering his friend a warm grin.

“That was bloody fantastic, mate,” he insisted while Cynthia was offering her regards to Kurt.

“Thanks,” Adam said thankfully, sipping at his beer. “It was all Kurt’s idea. I just followed his lead.”

“Nah,” Niall corrected. “You held your own there. Didn’t know you were that much of a singer.”

Adam shrugged. “I’m not. Not the way Kurt is,” he insisted. “But I can hold my own in the right crowd with the right material.”

He caught up Kurt in his arms, pulling the laughing young man to him and pressing a sound kiss to the top of his head. “This one, on the other hand…”

Kurt swatted Adam’s arm. “You’re such a goof,” he complained playfully.

They mingled a bit more with the audience and Adam found that the crowd that had attended was both knowledgeable and appreciative, which was always a pleasure for a performer. He noted a man eyeing Kurt with an air of resignation, but who’d raised his glass to toast his partner. Kurt had seen him and nodded his thanks, seeming to recognize him.

There was probably a little bit of a story there, Adam decided, but not an important one. He’d ask Kurt later, but had a feeling it was something that they’d be able to share a laugh over. After all, if someone didn’t admire his Kurt, then it was obvious that they had no taste. He’d be more offended if Kurt didn’t garner the interest of others.

It was nearly three in the morning by the time they’d returned to their nest, the pair of them happy and laughing as they fell into bed together. Adam pulled the younger man close, burying his face in his hair and felt utterly and completely at peace.

He had no idea what the future might hold for the both of them. There would be triumphs and successes and times when nothing would work in their favor. They would have weeks together and months apart as they worked in a profession that offered nothing in the way of stability.

But together, they would fly.

* * *

Rachel's solo - "Crystal Ball" by P!nk

Kurt's solo - "Little Bird" by Annie Lennox

Adam's solo - "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd

[sherwynphilip]

⚠️ BTS' "Life Goes On" debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot100, as BTS completely decimates the entire Billboard charts this week

BTS on the Billboards [Nov. 30, 2020]

As BTS "BE" becomes the group's fifth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard200 this week, "Life Goes On" also soars to the top of the Hot100 chart, becoming the first ever Korean-lyric song, and only the third non-English song in history (after Los del Rio's "Macarena" in 1996, and Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" in 2017) to snag the chart's highest position. .

BTS joins Taylor Swift as the sole members of an exclusive Billboard chart club. Dating back to the launch of the Billboard 200 albums chart on March 24, 1956, and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart dated Aug. 4, 1958, BTS and Swift are the only acts in history to have debuted a song and album at No. 1 on each ranking in the same week.

What makes this achievement all the more incredible is that BTS did this with only one version of the album, without radio support, no collaborations, no remixes, no bundles, and no playlisting.

"Life Goes On" snagging the No. 1 position on the Hot100 this week makes BTS the first and only group in history with multiple No. 1 debuts on the Hot100, their previous chart-topoing debut being "Dynamite."

According to Billboard, BTS lands a staggering total of 7 songs on the Hot100 this week:

(1) Life Goes On

(3) Dynamite

(13) Blue & Grey

(22) Stay

(69) Fly to My Room

(70) Telepathy, and

(72) Dis-ease

Up until this week, BTS hadn't charted more than three songs on the #Hot100 simultaneously.

With previous Hot100 toppers "Dynamite" and "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)," and covering a span of exactly three months (Sept. 5 - Dec. 5 - dated charts), BTS earns the fastest accumulation of three #Hot100 No. 1s in 42 years, since the BeeGees earned three No. 1s in two months and three weeks ("How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever").

So far this year, 21 songs have topped the Hot100 chart, and three of those No. 1s are by BTS. With that, BTS now ties Ariana Grande for the most No. 1 hits on the Hot100 of 2020, as they've both scored three. With this, BTS also climbs back to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart

"Life Goes On" also debuts at No. 1 simultaneously on the Global200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. With previous chart-toppers "Dynamite" and "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)", BTS now becomes the first act in history to have three No. 1 hits on the Global200 chart.

Overall, BTS has completely decimated the competition on this week's charts, landing a Billboard Perfect All-Kill (BPAK), being No. 1 on all eight major Billboard charts: Billboard 200, Hot 100, Artist 100, BB Global 200 Singles, Global 200, Global 200 Excl. US, Digital Song Sales, and BB Social 50.

Congratulations, BTS! ARMYs are so proud of you. 🏆👏👏👏

#BTS #BTS3rdBillboardHot100No1 #BTS5thBillboard200No1 #BTSPavedTheWay #BTSWorldDonination

news video clip: @arirangtvnews