#denim n coca cola

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

That’s fine! Could you please do a movie Johnny one instead? Tysm!!!

"Greif is love's souvenir. It's our proof we once loved."

[skinnydpn]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: V I N T A G E 80s Era Coca-Cola Brand Denim Jeans Skirt.

[kinktae]

novocaine || pt. 3 (M)

↳ PART OF MY REWIND SERIES

Going home was hard – painful even. But falling back in love with Jimin, the boy you left behind? Downright gut-wrenching.

pairing: punk!jimin x reader

word count: 7.3k

genre: 1990s au, exes au, angst, smut

warnings: 90s slang, ANGST, mentions of death, SMUT, oral (m), lots of emotions friends

A/N: YEAH BOI ITS ANOTHER SERIES!!!

01 | 02 | 03 | 04

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PART THREE

Your foot tapped against the brick of Guyi's porch nervously, trying to fight back the tiny voice in the back of your head that was telling you to run before it was too late.

The voice vanished as the front door swung open, a surprised looking Guyi greeting you.

"Hey, Y/N!" She smiled, immediately putting you at ease.

She was surprised. You were too. You hadn't spoken properly with your friend in years, yet here you were, showing up at her door in hopes of getting this Jimin situation off your chest and, hopefully, gain some perspective from the most insightful person you knew.

"Hi– Oh, is this a bad time?" You paused, eyes darting past Guyi's shoulder to where a pair of eyes were peering at you from inside the house, a young girl you didn't recognize curled up on the couch.

"Oh, no. Just babysitting Nary." Your old friend explained.

The girl who you assumed was Nary stared at you curiously, unsure what to make of you barging in on her babysitting time.

"Crap, sorry, I should've called beforehand." You tucked your hands into the safety of your denim jacket. "I was gonna cash in on that girls' night offer."

"Oh yeah! Come on in!" Guyi immediately moved to let you in.

"Are you sure? You're babysitting..."

"Nary got her Gameboy back. She won't bother us, trust." She assured as you slipped past her.

You stood awkwardly inside, waiting for Guyi to finish locking up the house before venturing any further into the home. You could see the kitchen from your position– your cheeks warmed at the memory of you and Yoongi getting acquainted there before you shoved him into the spare bedroom and your ex-boyfriend walked in.

"Nary, say hi to Y/N." Guyi pulled you from memory.

"Hi." You smiled meekly, waving at the young girl.

She was about eight years old, hair cut above her shoulders, bangs thick in the unfortunate way children usually wore them.

Nary hummed, gesturing towards the game console in her hand. "Do you know how to play Kirby's Dreamland?"

"Oh, uh... no."

She turned her head away disinterestedly, your answer seemingly solidifying her decision that you did not require her attention.

"Told ya she wouldn't bug us." Guyi smirked walking over to the kitchen. You followed her silently, thanking her as she popped you open a can of cherry Coca-Cola.

"So what's up with you and Jimin?" She questioned, opening up a can for herself.

Your face warmed as the fizzing sound of her open drink filled the kitchen.

"Hm? What— I mean, nothing. Why do you ask?"

Of course, you had come to talk about Jimin. She was spot on. Actually admitting it, however, was proving to be more challenging than you had initially anticipated.

"Y/N." Guyi deadpanned.

"Hm?"

"You, Jimin, Gwen, and Hoseok went into Old Man Carswell's. Four went in. Two came out. I can do the math." She said.

"Ah. Well." You played it coy.

"We all figured it would happen." She shrugged, unfazed by your embarrassment, despite the way her words only made your shame crawl further up your face.

Tapping on the glass of your drink, you ran your fingertip along with the condensation.

"Did everyone notice?" You muttered.

"Pretty much."

"Ugh, that so embarrassing." You grumbled, bringing your cherry coke up to your lips.

Guyi shrugged once more.

"Not really. You and Jimin make sense. Even after all this time. It would be weirder if you guys didn't get back together."

"Right. About that," you set your drink back down, "we aren't actually 'back together,' we kind of just... got together..."

"You guys had sex." She clarified. 

Nodding, you contemplated your following words.

"Yeah... and it went bad."

Guyi looked taken aback, "Wait, the sex was bad?"

"Huh? Oh no, no! The sex was definitely good. I meant what happened after went bad.” You waved your hands frantically. Your childhood friend chuckled, acknowledging the misunderstanding. 

"So, what happened?"

"I think... Jimin wants to get back together." Your brow furrowed.

"And you don't want to?" She cocked her head in what appeared to be confusion.

"No. Well, yes, but– I don't know."

Guyi nodded, "I see."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of tiny footsteps, Nary's purple jelly booties thunking against the tile floor.

"Guyi, can I pretty please have some mac and cheese?" Her eyes were round and pleading, even taking one of Guyi's hands into hers for good measure. 

Your heart melted at the cute girl, but Guyi seemed entirely unfazed. "I fed you like an hour ago."

Nary let out a frustrated groan, letting go of her babysitter's hand, sweet sugary expression now replaced with a bitter one.

"I'm gonna tell my mom you're starving me!" She sneered, sticking her nose up angrily.

What did Guyi call Nary again? A rampaging goblin? You suppose you could see that.

Guyi brought a finger up to her chin, humming in contemplation.

"How about instead I give you a Kool-Aid and push bedtime back 30 minutes?"

Nary's face lit up, a small gasp pushing past her lips.

"The twisty top kind?" She bounced in place.

"Sure, just be careful opening it; if you get any Kool-Aid on your shirt, your mom will freak." Guyi moved towards the pantry, prying it open as she reached to give the kid the promised drink.

"So, what's holding you back?" She asked you as she rummaged.

You hesitated, eyes flickering over to the back of Nary's head, wondering if it was really okay to talk about all this with a child present.

"I just… I'm so afraid of hurting him again." You shifted.

"Hurt who?" Nary turned towards you immediately, clearly the nosy kind.

"Her boyfriend." Guyi handed the little girl the plastic bottle.

You cleared your throat. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Why not?" Nary asked, hand over her drink's tricky twist-off cap.

"Um… long story."

"Like four years long." Guyi snorted.

"It just doesn't make sense, right? For us to get together just for me to leave town again? That would hurt both of us." You pressed, needing to hear her say it. For her to confirm what you already knew.

A small gasp pulled Guyi's eyes off of you, both of you looking over to see a wide-mouthed Nary with a wet, red stain running down the front of her white shirt.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Guyi exclaimed, bounding into action as she grabbed a paper towel and ran it under the kitchen sink, cursing as she began rubbing at Nary's shirt. It was useless, though, the artificial juice proving unforgiving.

Nary didn't seem bothered, bringing the drink back up to her lips, sipping it as her babysitter scrubbed at her shirt furiously.

"It's no use. Go upstairs and wait for me. I'll run you a bath and start the laundry."

"Let me start the laundry. You go help her with the bath, okay?" You offered to which Guyi gave you a grateful smile.

You really didn't mind the change in conversation. It was a nice distraction for the otherwise emotionally draining topic. You hummed to yourself as you emptied out the presently full washer, taking it upon yourself to start the dryer. You waited patiently as Guyi came back downstairs, Nary's stained shirt in one hand and suds in the other.

"All good?"

"Yeah, I put bubbles in the water and gave her her favorite bath time dolls. She'll holler when she's done." She sighed, eyeing the washing machine that was now running.

"Man, bubble bath? It must be nice to be a kid. I'd give anything to go back."

You had said it light heartedly, but for some reason, it evoked a sad expression from Guyi, who was looking at you with her lips pressed together.

"Can I ask you something?" She said suddenly.

Leaning back on the washing machine, you nodded, "Sure, anything."

"Are you okay?" She sounded suddenly serious, taking you by surprise.

You let out a confused laugh, "Yeah, of course–"

"No, I mean, really, Y/N. Are you happy?"

Falling silent, you couldn't conjure up a response.

"We haven't talked since your parents passed. Not really, at least."

You fought back the urge to immediately dismiss her. To tell her that there was nothing to talk about. But you knew that wasn't true.

"Leaving town in the middle of the night and not telling anyone where you're going… drinking yourself sick at the mention of your parents… those aren't healthy coping mechanisms. I'm worried you haven't grieved their deaths properly." Guyi pointed out, always the observant one.

She was right, of course. The moment you had left town, it was city after city, job after job, lover after lover– as many distractions you could grab hold of to keep your mind off your old life and all you had lost.

You swallowed dryly.

"The first year after they died, it felt like I was sleepwalking. I don't actually remember much of it… I don't even remember their funeral. I know that sounds insane–"

Guyi was quick to cut you off, shaking her head as she leaned back next to you.

"Not insane. Memory loss is a common trauma response. It just how the human psyche protects itself." She assured you.

Nodding, you took comfort in her words.

"I guess it just finally starting to feel real. Seeing everyone. Being here while they're not." Your brows furrowed themselves. You felt Guyi's hand fall onto your shoulder, a silent gesture of sympathy, and a promise that she was listening.

"It doesn't feel fair that I get to come back, and they don't." Your voice was small, too scared to speak any louder out of fear that your word might tremble. You blinked away tears. "Fuck, what am I doing back here, Guyi?"

"I don't know." She answered you honestly, pulling a small smile from you.

Then suddenly, she was meeting your eyes intensely.

"But it's okay for you to find out."

You nearly asked what she meant, but she kept going, an earnest timber to her tone.

"Whoever it is, whatever it is— I think you left something behind when you left all those years ago. I think it's why you came back. To look for it. Even if you find it just to let it go again, just know it's okay. It's okay to figure it out as you go. You don't have to know what to do immediately. It's okay." She offered you a small smile.

Something inside you stirred hearing her say that, like a weight that you hadn't notice crushing you had eased somehow.

A single tear fell from you silently and you wiped it away as quickly as it fell, a nod the only response you could work up the courage to give her.

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“Do you want me to come down with you?” Hobi offered.

You were shaking your head before he had even finished that thought. The idea of him joining as you interrogated Jimin about the status of your relationship was beyond embarrassing. That fact that he had driven you to do it was humiliating enough. 

Hoseok pulled his car into park, leaning back into his seat.

“Good luck, then.”

Nodding, you unbuckled your seat belt, eyeing the Park Auto Repair shop carefully as you slipped out of the car.

Tucking your hands into the pocket of your jeans, you tried your best to look nonchalant as you made your way over. The auto shop had been run by the Park family for as long as anyone in this town could remember; it was only a matter of time that Jimin would take up a job there, one day taking over his dad as an owner like his father had done with his grandfather before him.

A handful of mechanics were hard at work, tinkering with their assigned vehicle in the large open garage. None of them seemed to pay you any mind, however. Not that you minded, scouring the uniformed bodies in search of a familiar face. You recognized some of them: a friend of the Park family, a girl from your high school, long time employees. None of which were the person you were hoping to find. 

Your search came to an abrupt stop when emerging from the supply closet came just the man you were looking for.

“Y/N?”

He made his way over, wiping his hands on a stain rag, a grease stain running along the length of his pretty cheeks.

“Hi.” You breathed, suddenly forgetting the whole reason you were here.

Your heart was somersaulting in your chest, words failing as you took note of his hair, damp with sweat but still so attractive.

 He nodded back at you, throwing the rag over his shoulder coolly, “Hey.”

You really were so pathetic. Jimin wasn’t doing anything but standing there in his dirty uniform, and yet you were still rendered a fumbling mess. All you could do was smile back at him, lamenting in silence, knowing he had no idea what kind of effect he had on you.

“Hobi said you’d be here.” You explained, perhaps unnecessarily. 

As if on cue, Jimin looked past you, a handsome grin present as he noticed Hoseok’s car parked across the road.

“Is that him right there?”

“Hobi is also my ride.” You laughed awkwardly. “So um… do you have a minute? Or if you’re busy and working, I can always come back later!”

You were a nervous wreck. And the fact that Jimin was grinning at you, amused at your flustered state, wasn’t making this any easier.

“Hey, pops!” He called across the garage suddenly.

You watched as his father emerged from underneath a car, his expression mirroring Jimin’s as he noticed you standing beside his son.

“Mind if I bounce for a sec?” Jimin continued.

Receiving the okay from his father, you followed your ex-boyfriend towards the back of the garage, letting out a slight satisfied noise at the gust of air conditioning that greeted you as you step through a door in the building. Jimin led you into what seemed to be a break room, stocked with a fridge, table, and small sink.

You might have thought to inspect the room closer if it weren’t for the distracting sight of Jimin bent over the sink, running his hands under the faucet, bringing the water up to his face to clean up before pushing his hair back with his wet hands, much to your dismay.

He turned to face you, completely unaware of how his new slicked-back look had your heart at your throat.

“So, um, you work with your dad now. That’s cool.”

It was a pathetic attempt as small talk, but it was all you could muster up at the moment, what with your painfully attractive and uniformed ex standing in front of you, cross-armed and leaning back against the sink, hair pushed back as he tried his best to supress a smirk.

His shoulders bounced once, showing off his ease, “Sure.”

“Fixing cars. Cool. You must be pretty good at it, huh?” You rambled.

Dear God, someone make you shut up.

“Uh, I guess. I really just help out with the easy fixes, though. Fender benders and whatnot.” Jimin explained.

“Wow, that’s… so cool.” You found yourself repeating.

Say cool one more time.

You had never pegged yourself as someone with a thing for uniforms, but here you were, as giddy as a schoolgirl.

“Bug,” He said. 

“Yeah?”

“Is this what you wanted to talk about?” He chuckled.

“Oh! Oh, no. Yeah. Right.” You tucked a hair behind your ear. “Uh, so basically...”

Jimin was looking at you so intensely – so earnestly – you struggled with your thoughts. It shouldn’t be this hard. You had spent the whole night imagining this conversation in your head over and over, yet now you were akin to a baby lamb, wobbling as it stood on its legs for the first time.

Furrowing your brow, you took a deep breath.

“We’re not just friendly. It’s been years, and I am still in love with you.”

His eyes went wide, taken aback at your sudden confession.

“So in love with you that I stay up at night wishing I never left. Wishing that I came back years earlier. And it scares the shit out of me. It scares me because my head is still telling me that being here is a mistake, but I can’t seem to get my heart to shut up.” You cleared your throat.

Well there. You laid your heart on the line. Mission accomplish.

You watched with uncertainty as Jimin pushed himself back up from the sink, face unreadable as he shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. 

“You still love me?” He marveled.

You didn’t know what to make of his tone. Was it disbelief? Anger? Relief? 

“Are you angry?” An apology already at the tip of your tongue.

The last thing you wanted to do was upset Jimin. You just thought he deserved the truth, but maybe you really were being selfish– perhaps you should’ve let him continue believing the lie that you didn’t love him. Maybe easy was better than honest.

Suddenly he was cupping your face, his thumb rubbing against your jaw gently.

“Angry? Y/N, I have spent the last four years loving you without even knowing where you were.” He cooed softly, and just like that, all your nerves and reservations fell away, melting under his touch.

“I never thought I would see you again.” His voice was velvet, coating you in the familiar warmth you had spent years seeking out from strangers. “And now you’re back.”

“It can’t go back to the way it used to,” you began, eyes falling down onto his lips, only inches from yours.

“I know.” He sounded so far away in comparison to the proximity of his mouth, bottom lip ghosting your very own.

“And I can’t promise you for how long I’ll stay–”

“Lovebug.” He interrupted, fingers sliding down to the back of your neck.

“Yeah?”

“Stop talking.”

“Okay.”

His mouth found yours carefully as if testing the waters for the first time in years. You preened into his mouth, pulling him close as you met his pace. You were starved for his touch, lips parting in time with his. You loved him. He loved you. 

You were on air; pushed back into the wall with Jimin’s mouth on your neck, you were floating.

“I love you.” You breathed. Your cheeks were flushed.

A happy hum was pressed into your skin, painting a harmony alongside the kisses he laid there.

“And I love you.” He promised, meeting you for another kiss, his body pressed against yours.

You kissed him once more, this time far more feverish and needy, the both of you working on savoring the taste of each other. His fingers dug into your sides greedily as he kissed you hard, tongue working against yours.

“I don’t,” you said between heavy breaths, “want to keep you from work.”

Jimin pulled away from your lips with a disappointed sigh. He looked at you with a pout.

“Screw work. Better yet, screw me.”

“Minnie!” You laughed. He returned the giggle, finally pulling away from you.

You loved him. You were almost sick with how much you loved him. Was this really okay? Were you allowed to love him like this again? Because behind the stars in your eyes were comets of doubt and insecurity, blimps of light that told you you were undeserving of the love he promised to give.

“Come see me tonight, okay? I get off at 8.” He asked.

He stole you from your thoughts, as he often did. And just like that, you were in mindless agreement.

“Promise?”

A silent swoon fell over you as his hand reached for yours, bringing your knuckles to his mouth as he lay a gentle kiss there.

Chest tightening, you wondered how on earth you could have ever hurt him.

“I promise.”

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“Fuck me.”

Jimin was sat at the edge of the bed, one fist full of your hair and the other gripping his duvet. He shuttered, his torso flexing with every jerk of his hips.

You knelt on the floor, his cock wrapped around your soft lips, tongue working him in the way only you could. Jimin always thought you looked so pretty like this, eye makeup smudged and drool pooling by the sides of your mouth. You always worked so hard to make him feel good, and he felt so god damn lucky panting into the dark of his room as you simultaneously worked a hand up and down his shaft.

“Forgot how fucking good you were at this. You’re so fucking hot.” He whined, always more honest when your mouth was working him like this.

“I love making you feel good.” You purred against his skin, fingertips pressing into the flesh of his thighs.

He let out a moan, pushing your head down further onto his cock to hear the tiny squeak of surprise that would always follow. You let him guide you, bopping up and down the hot muscle as you ran your tongue around him tactically.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Baby, where can I cum?”

“Anywhere,” you paused, running a slow kitten lick against the angry red tip of his cock before amending your answer, “…everywhere.”

“Fuck, hngh, s-shirt off.”

Slipping off the thin t-shirt, you revealed the bare state of your breasts, nipples hardened as they hit the cool air, cheeks flushed, and lips swollen as you watched your boyfriend jerk himself off, eyes fixated on your naked chest.

“So pretty, baby, so pretty. Gonna paint you with my cum. Fuck’s sake.” He rambled to himself frantically as his movements quickened before finally, a choked grunt escaped him as a string of white fell onto your skin.

It was warm and sticky, and you’d honestly much rather he cum anywhere but your chest, but seeing him sweating and whining your name as he painted your skin white was worth the discomfort.

Jimin’s head lulled forward for a moment, smirking as he recovered his breath. Grinning, you bit his thigh playfully, happy to have made your boyfriend feel good.

“I’m sticky.” You pouted.

“You’re gorgeous.” He countered, moving to cup your breasts in his hands.

You squirmed underneath his touch, face grimacing slightly.

“Sorry,” He pulled back at the sound of your discomfort. “I forget how sensitive they get when you’re on your period.”

You flashed him a sheepish smile, still apologetic that mother nature had limited tonight’s playtime. While Jimin was always down no matter the conditions, you frankly just weren’t in the mood; sore, bloated, and far too lazy to exert any sort of full-body effort.

While Jimin had assured you that he understood and was perfectly fine cuddling all night, you still couldn’t help but find your hand running along the length of his grey sweats, which lead an over the clothes hand job to turn into his dick in your mouth.

“I’ll get you something to clean you off.” He told you, rolling off the bed with a happy sound.

You waited patiently as he came over with a wet rag, cleaning you with ginger hands.

Pressing a kiss against your cheek, he set the rag aside, helping you off your knees and beckoning you back to bed with outstretched arms and an invitation to cuddle.

Feeling somewhat exposed, you turned onto your stomach, resting your chin against his chest.

“You’re warm.” You commented, fingers brushing along the apples of his cheek.

“Post orgasm glow.” He joked, making you chuckle. “Are you sure I can’t return the favor?”

You shook your head, “I appreciate the offer, but I promise cuddles are more than satisfactory.”

Jimin’s fingers were running against your back tenderly, goosebumps breaking out along your exposed skin. His room always ran somewhat cold from what you could remember. Honestly, though, the two of you spent much of your time here tangled up in his sheets so it was kind of hard to say.

Endless naps and endless sex. How the two of you took for granted how simple life used to be.

“You did that back then too.” He said suddenly.

“Hm?”

“Resting your head on my chest. You hardly ever used a pillow when you stayed over.” He reminisced.

“I liked the sound of your heartbeat.” You nodded. “Helped me go to sleep.”

He smiled at your words, eyes wandering over the posters he had pinned onto his ceiling. He hadn’t changed a single one. Not since you left.

A nostalgic feeling washed over him.

“You know… I used to lay in bed at night and stare at my ceiling for hours, imagining what your life was like. Wondering if you were going to bed like I was, or if you had made your way across the country and were just starting your day.”

You stayed silent as he spoke, listening to the way his pulse picked up just slightly.

“I’d keep myself up with thoughts of you meeting someone and resting your head on their chest as you fell asleep,” he chuckled, “man, I really used to tortured myself.”

The memory held a note of bitterness, and you wondered if he had let it slip intentionally or if you were just overthinking once again. 

Pressing a kiss into his skin, you looked up at him. 

“When I got on that bus, I had no plan– not a single clue where I was running to, only where I was running from. As soon as I got off, I walked around aimlessly for hours, just wondering what the hell I was doing. And by chance, I noticed a tiny 24-hour laundromat that was hiring, and… well, that was better than doing nothing.” You thought back with a fond smile.

The dark-haired boy observed as you began to unfold the past four years of your life.

“My coworker was a moody college student named Nisha who spend the entire shift in the storage closet taking a nap. Can’t say I blame her. It’s a pretty cozy room. The owner was nice enough to let me sleep there for a couple of weeks until I found a place I could afford.” You chuckled.

“You lived in a storage closet?” He mused in disbelief.

“Not exactly the high-end city living, huh? Turns out runaways can’t be choosy.” You joked. “I ended up taking another job closer to the hostel I was living at.“

“And... did you meet anyone?” He asked cautiously.

You contemplated his question, unsure of what kind of anyone he was inquiring about.

“Meeting people was hard. I got on well with a couple of coworkers over the years, sure, but I usually left town before we got close. Nisha was the first and last person I told my sob story to. It’s just better to skip around the heavy stuff when meeting people.” You sighed. “I mean, c’mon, dead parents? Kind of a buzzkill.”

Jimin shook his head, “I just can’t believe you’ve been on your own for all these years.” 

You could only shrug in response.

Sure, having friends you could lean on would’ve been great, but your life consisted of constantly moving forward. Putting down roots anywhere would just have meant more to look back at. And looking back hurt.

“When you first left, you were all I could talk about for months. I must’ve sounded like a broken record. Hobi was a great sport about it, but even I know he must have been sick of me.” He told you.

“So when did you stop? When you met Yoongi?” You asked against your better judgment.

You had no right to ask about Yoongi. With the way you left Jimin without warning, for all he knew, you could’ve wanted nothing to do with him. He had every right to attempt to move on. Still, there was so much your greedy heart wanted to know. How long were they together? Was it serious? Did they love each other?

A frown found your boyfriend’s handsome face, “Do we have to talk about him? The image of him on top of you is still burned into my memory.”

You shot him an apologetic look.

“Yeah, okay, we don’t have to talk about him.”

“Good.” He sighed. “Some things are just better off left in the past.”

Some things are just better off left in the past.

Typically, you would agree, but lying next to Jimin in a room you once knew intimately, you couldn’t help but wonder if that was the case here. Sure, you and Jimin loved each other, but was that enough? Were the two of you just fooling yourselves into thinking that a relationship of the past had any future?

You couldn’t hurt Jimin again. You wouldn’t. How could you possibly hurt him again after he had given you another chance? A chance you didn’t deserve.

Jimin watched the way your eyes grew distant, your face falling slightly.

“Bug?”

Your lack of response had him rolling over to face you.

“Hey, hey, look at me.” He cooed, palm finding your cheek.

Your anxious gaze met his sure one.

“I want this. I have always wanted this. And I know it’s not forever, but I don’t care how long we have. Even just right now is enough for me.” 

It felt like he was looking into you, speaking directly to your uncertainties and insecurities. Every scar and bruise, he tended to them all, not noticing the guilt that weighed you down in result.

You swallowed roughly; the selfish bits of your soul clung to his words, refusing to let go of them despite the way the rest of you waded neck-deep in leeriness.

“I’m all in.” He held your glossy eyes. “Are you?”

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"It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you!"

You and Jimin exchanged a look.

"But when we are apart, I feel it too!"

Hoseok threw his head back as he sang along, body jiving from side to side as he drove.

"Oh, he's feeling it." You nodded to your boyfriend, watching as your best friend was fully engulfed by the newest *NSYNC song, the infectious melody filling the entire car.

"And no matter what I do, I feel the pain… with or without you!" Hobi sang enthusiastically, palms smacking his chest in rhythm.

"We really lost him, huh."

Hoseok let out a scoff, fingers wrapping around the radio dial and turning it down, “Can it, emos. You guys are a bunch of haters. Boybands and hip-hop are what is fresh these days, ya know."

"Since when do you care about what's fresh? If I recall, there was a time where you refused to leave the house without your eyeliner on." You laughed.

"I've left all that in the past. That being said... I was a pretty sexy emo, I'll admit." He winked at himself in the rearview mirror.

Jimin stifled a laugh as you rolled your eyes. You suppose it didn't matter what digs he wore, Hobi was still Hobi after all.

"Honestly, though, I'm a happy guy! The music was so angsty. Why were we so angry all the time?" 

"Dead brother." Jimin reminded.

"Dead parents." You added.

"…Right. My bad. Anyway, while I'm glad you guys had that emotional outlet," Hoseok cleared his throat, "I'm just vibing, man. Besides, I still listen to it if it comes on the radio occasionally."

"Speaking of radio, have you guys heard that song, Dammit, yet? It's pretty fly." You remarked.

You watched as Hoseok brought a finger to his chin, tapping it with careful consideration.

"Oh, yeah. It's by that band… Blink 180… something like that. They're not bad." He shrugged.

Nodding in agreement, you continued, "I wanted to swing by the music store and check out the rest of the album if anyone wants to come with."

"I'm down." Jimin agreed easily.

"Ah, it's a no-go for me. I got a Blockbusters date with Gwen tonight." Hoseok told you apologetically.

At the sound of Hoseok's girlfriend's name, you grinned, fond of your new perky pink-haired pal.

"No sweat. Tell her we said hi."

"Guess it's just you and me, bug." Your boyfriend mused, placing a warm hand on top of yours.

Meeting his eyes, you felt a flood of happiness wash over you as your fingers moved to intertwine with his. How good it all felt. How happy you were. It almost felt as if nothing had changed. If you tried hard enough, it was so easy to imagine you and Jimin as you were all those years ago, seventeen and recklessly in love.

"Hey, I meant to ask, why do you call her bug anyway?" Hobi's voice grabbed both of your attention, both of you turning to where he was sat in the front seat of his car.

"Oh, well, it's actually short for Lovebug–"

“Woah, woah, woah! I do not consent to this story being told!" You protested, head shaking wildly as you cut off your boyfriend.

"Wha– No way, José! I'm invested now. Finish the story, dude.” Hobi demanded.

"Basically, it was the night I took Y/N's virginity–"

“Jimin!” You swatted at his arm.

"It's a good story!" The man in question defended, eyes wide.

"It's so embarrassing!" You sulked.

Hobi let out a whine, "C'mon, I gotta know now. Don't leave me hangin'!"

"Whatever. I hate you both." You crossed, your arms over your chest, turning towards the window in defeat, imagining that somehow if you glared at the window hard enough, it would shatter, and you could dive through it and escape.

"This was back before my Pops and I had built my room, and she was too afraid to do it at either of our parents' house. We ended up deciding on doing it in my car." Jimin recalled, making your cheeks heat up.

Hoseok nodded in approval. "Ah, yes, the timeless horny teenager move. Go on."

"Anyway, we were right in the middle of it when a pair of lovebugs got into my car somehow. I didn't really care and tried to keep going, but Y/N was totally wigging out, so I pulled out and spent like ten minutes trying to get these bugs out."

"Damn, dick out and everything?!" Hoseok laughed.

"Dick out and everything," Jimin confirmed.

"So what happened? Did you get the bugs out?"

"Nah, I gave up, and we had sex with them inside." Jimin shrugged.

Hoseok's eyebrows began to dance, his reflection taunting you. "Damn, Y/N, you let Jimin hit it in front of an audience? Super freak!"

"Oh, shut up." You chided.

"Lovebug just stuck after that." Jimin laughed, pressing a kiss to your shoulder, hoping to ease your pout.

Keeping your nose turned upwards, you let your boyfriend shower you in apologetic kisses, trying your best to hide the small smile that threatened its way out onto your face.

"Hobi, you're dropping us off at Grams', right?" Jimin ceased his display of affection, moving to peer out the window.

"Yeah, why?" The designated driver responded automatically.

"Dude. You missed your turn."

Annoyance forgot, you now also turned your attention onto the road, curious as to where in the world Hoseok had wound up.

"Ah, shit!" Hobi frowned, "Eh, I know another way, no biggie."

The car made a sudden sharp turn into a neighborhood, causing you to slide into Jimin. 

"Jeez! Warn us next time!" You laughed.

Ironically enough, despite Hoseok being the first to get his license in your friend group, he was arguably the worst driver. God, things really hadn't changed.

Even as Jimin, Hoseok, and you made your way down the halls of the unfamiliar Walmart in search of hair bleach, there was still a sense of nostalgia that lingered between the three of you. You had almost forgotten what it was like, to be surrounded by people who knew you… who really knew you.

A flash of red pulled you to the present. Watching as you drove past an obnoxiously painted house, a memory lit up inside you. You let out a noise of contemplation. However, it didn't go unnoticed by Jimin, who leaned over to see what had caught your attention.

"You good?"

"I remember that house." You told him.

Brows furrowing, you observed every passing home closely, stomach sinking inch by inch as every single fence and tree began to stir a feeling of familiarity inside you. You knew this road. You drove down it nearly every day for 18 years.

A sharp breath ripped through your chest as your hands began to tremble. It was their neighborhood. It was their road.

"Y/N?" Jimin caught onto your tensing state immediately.

Passing a massive oak that held up an old tire swing that your dad had put up for you made your heart ache, but seeing the building that was built next to it made your heart shatter altogether.

"Stop the car." You muttered before you could think otherwise.

"What was that?" Hoseok called back to you, not hearing you over the harmonies of TLC on the radio.

"Hobi, stop the fucking car!"

You swung your door open before the car had come to a complete stop, moving as if you had seconds to act, and the timer had already begun.

Because the plot of land you had just passed was your parents. And built on top of it was a shiny white building, a flashy sign saying 'Daycare' plastered across the front in childish lettering.

You could hear Hoseok call from behind you. But you didn't answer him. How could you when the way a jungle gym had made itself home atop of where your mother's garden used to be?

"Kid, hey!" 

Hoseok caught up to you, Jimin only seconds behind him.

"I don't understand." You said more to yourself than anyone.

"We're in the middle of the road. Let's get back in the car." Hobi pleaded, eyes flashing from left to right to make sure no other car was making its way down this street.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't they just rebuild it? W-Why..."

Your head was all over the place, your breathing fast and uneven. Suddenly angry, you turned towards Hoseok, remembering that his mother was on the city council. Surely, he could help you make sense of it all.

"How did this happen? They should've fixed up the house. They can't just tear it down and built over it. Like... like it was nothing. Like it never happened."

Eyeing your trembling form, Hobi didn't know how to respond. What could he possibly say that would make up for what you lost. He opted for the truth.

"The town decided it would be best to convert the property into something that would benefit the community. They figured… they figured it was what your parents would have wanted." He told you quietly.

"The town decided? What the fuck does this town know about what my parents would have wanted?" You scoffed.

Hoseok hesitated before replying, "I'm sorry, kid. They ran it past Elvie, and she agreed."

You felt dizzy. 

"How can anyone say what they would've wanted? Did anyone think to ask them? Oh yeah, you can't because they're fucking dead! They're… they're dead…" Your voice gave out as tears pooled your eyes.

And all at once, it hit you. You were wrong. Things had changed. The life you had spent so long reminiscing on was gone. Your parents were gone. Anything you did moving forward would be without them. Your dad would never walk you down the aisle. Your mother would never offer to help babysit your kids. All you had left were your memories of them, and it wasn't enough. How could it possibly be enough?

The corner of Hoseok's mouth jerked downward as he fought off his own wave of emotions watching you break down like this.

"C'mon, bug. Let's go home." Jimin spoke finally, moving towards you.

You took a step back, a sob ripping through you, "I can't." 

Your childhood lover took you into his arms, holding you close as your knees went weak.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." 

"It's not fair. It's just not fair." You wept.

Jimin held you the entire ride back, his cheek pressed against the top of your head, muttering soothing words as you let yourself mourn the death of your parents for the first time since their funeral.

Hoseok drove back carefully, wiping away his tears with the back of his palm as they fell from his eyes.

You had so much regret. It suffocated you.

Your parents did the best they could; between work and a moody teenage daughter, they always put up with your shit. If only you hadn't been so wrapped up in your own bullshit, you could've made more of an effort to be a better daughter, to spend more time with them, instead of running away to your grandmother's at every argument you had with them.

Their absence was an ache in your chest that never left you. From the day the sheriff knocked on your grandmother's door that fateful night, his hat in his hands apologetically, to this very day, when all evidence of your childhood home had been erased, and no one but you seemed to mind much.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

You were tucked up in your tiny bed, silence wrapping around your entire room as you watched blankly as Jimin crawled in next to you, pressing you into him. 

He had gotten you home safely, helping you to bed before going back down to explain to a very worried Grams what had happened to have her granddaughter returning home in a broken-down heap.

You could smell the scent of cinnamon wafting in from downstairs. You could picture the way your grandmother was rummaging through the kitchen, kneading the cookie dough with intent as she whipped up her famous snickerdoodles, an old staple she used to make you whenever you were sick.

You wondered briefly if cookies would help when you felt heartsick too.

"Do you want to talk it out?" He asked you gently, pressing a kiss against your forehead. 

You nodded silently.

"Okay. What's on your mind?"

It was hard to articulate precisely what you were feeling. There was no one word for the grief inside your heart. But still, you had to try.

"That I hate this. I hate this town and what it took from me. And that after all these years, it still hurts this bad." Your voice was rough, a consequence of your sobbing. 

You continued as if suddenly unable to hold everything back. "I feel lost. No matter where I run to, nothing feels like home."

Jimin's eyes held so many unspoken words. There was so much he wanted to say. He could see the way you were breaking slowly in front of him.

"Except for you." You confessed, taking him by surprise. 

"You were always my home, even when mine burnt down. And I never thanked you for that." You held his eyes earnestly. "I love you, Minnie."

"I love you too, bug." He said. And he meant it.

Suddenly, your face crumpled up in melancholy, as if your next words physically hurt to say.

"I love you… I just don't know how to love you here."

A beat of silence passed between the two lovers. You swallowed roughly as tears found you once again.

"But I'm gonna try. I promise I'm gonna try." You grieved.

And for the first time that whole day, Jimin let himself cry. Because loving him was hurting you, and he didn't know how to let you go. 

So he held you tighter, the two of you feeling infinitely small under the faded plastic glow in the dark stars on your ceiling.

[thesmokingguns]

Our Love Story

Word count:2639

Requested by @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky

Summary: Tommy goes over his life with you and the love he has felt for you.

A/N: I don’t think this came out exactly how I wanted and I can’t figure it out so I wrote a second story for this request. I will post it later today! Thank you everyone for the feedback and requests. I do have a couple of requests coming out this week including an LA Guns Request that should be out Thursday or Friday.

The first time that I saw you it was 1975. I had turned 13 a few weeks before and was riding in the back of the bus, like all the cool kids did when they became teenagers. You had shuffled on the bus, fresh meat as a 6th grader, the new Marvel comic in your hands as you edged onto a seat. You were quiet in the chaos and I watched you flip through your comic, a small smile on your face as you looked at the pictures.

When the guy behind you plucked the book from your hand you turned, eyes flashing in annoyance, hands making fists at your side. I had to do something to help you out. It was funny watching you stand up, those eyes flashing with anger. When you wound back and knocked him in the face I realized you didn’t need saving and just liked you more.

The way that you bent down grabbing the comic book and sitting back down on the seat, crossing your legs like you hadn’t just knocked him on his ass...you were cool without even trying to be.

After that on the bus rides I edged away from the back, slowly trying to get closer to you and introduce myself. Even though you were two grades lower than me I was obsessed with you. I watched you tie your shoes outside of the bus, bunny ears and a knot for your red Converse. The way you devoured through comics and how you drank your Coca Cola from a straw were small little things that I liked to watch.

One day I was finally ready to talk to you. It was a week before Christmas and you walked onto the bus a TRex shirt tucked into your flared denim pants, a red corduroy jacket thrown over it. You slid into the front seat, opening the latest comic you were devouring. I slid next to you and watched you peek up at me.

“I’m Y/N.”  You said, flipping the page of your comic. “I’ve noticed you watching me. You could have just introduced yourself instead of being a creep.” You were sharp tongued and to the point.

“I’m Tommy.”

It was 1978 and you were a Freshman. I picked you up on the first day of school in the beat up old van I used to lug around my drums in. You looked annoyed as you jumped up and I knew you were mad I was late.

Over the summer you started to change. I didn't really notice until I saw you skateboarding in a pair of shorts that were tiny, and your rainbow bikini top. When you stopped in front of my house I knew I was staring much like I was doing now in the van.

You made small talk as you toyed with the radio, trying to get a station that worked. When you leaned closer I could smell the body wash you used. It was calming and sexy all at once and I was afraid I was going to crash the car if you didn’t sit back away from me.

“Are you ready for high school?” I couldn’t help but smile at how you scoffed at this.

It had been three years since we met and in that time we had become best friends. You would skate over to my house and listen to the new songs I was working on. I had tried to get you to learn how to play them but music was not where your talents were not one of them.  Our parents ended up becoming friends just because we were together so much.

“Are you finally going to let me go to a party now that I’m in high school or are you going to pretend you’re too cool to go to anything?” you asked me. I hadn’t wanted to let you go to the parties because I was selfish and wanted you to myself. I guess that now I couldn’t hide you away anymore.

“It’s Friday. Tell your mother you made a friend other than me and you are sleeping over. I’ll take you to the party and you can sleep in my garage after.” If you were going to be a pest about things I would take you to the party.

Friday night came and you met me in front of the school. When I pulled up I almost didn’t recognize you. You were always the type of person to just wear jeans and sneakers but now you were dressed up with hair and makeup done and it smelled like you had perfume on.

“Took you long enough.” you snapped stepping into the van with those bare legs seeming to go for miles. I was seeing how gorgeous you were again. My heart racing, palms sweaty, mouth going dry as I tried to think of something to say to you.

“Want to just go to a drive-in instead?” the way you gave me a look made it clear we would not be going to see Paradise Alley tonight.

When we got to the party I thought about laying down ground rules but you took off, walking through the crowds with too many pairs of eyes following you. And I needed to get a drink if I was going to make it through the night. Thinking that my best friend was hot and feeling like I had a crush on them was not exactly what I wanted to be thinking about at the first back to school rager of the weekend. But you had been all I could think about.

The sound of your laughter led me to you an hour later. You were pressed against a door frame, a can of beer in your hands as a group of people stood around you. I knew that you would be the center of attention once you came out of your shell and here you were thriving. As if you knew I was there you looked up, those big eyes looking at me and a small tilt of the head to the door made your plans known. We met on the front lawn and you leaned against me, drunk and tired.

“This is boring. Want to steal a six pack and catch the late night feature?” When you asked me this I realized I might actually be in love with you.

In 1980 you decided that you wanted to upgrade from the four wheels of your skateboard to get four wheels of a car.

When you asked me to teach you how to drive I asked my mother to light a candle for me and say a prayer at church for us just in case.

I watched the way you gripped the steering wheel, knuckles tense as you looked over the dashboard, feet rotating between speeding forward and slamming the brakes so we jerked forward.

“Not so hard. Just ease your foot down.” I tried to coax as the van swayed forward and backwards from your hard motions.

Your teeth were grinding together, the look of determination to learn to drive set hard on your face and I knew that it was going to be a long day.

As we pulled up at my house you forgot where the brake was but lucky for us the garage door was there to stop us. We both sat in a stunned silence, mouths slightly open before the laughter. When we started laughing, tears streamed from our faces.

“Are you okay?” I asked, touching your arm, worry suddenly coming over me. You turned to me, eyes shining from laughter, nodding your head.

At that moment something had changed. I watched the hairpin curve of your lip twitch and before I knew what was happening I was cradling your head in the back of my hand pressing my lips to yours in a feverish need. It was even better than what I had been thinking. For the last five years I had been thinking about kissing you and now that it was happening I wished I had done it sooner.

“TOMMY! Y/N! FINALLY!” My mother was standing there, hands on her hips looking at us and not the damage that the van had done to the garage. You didn’t blush or even look at her standing there, your eyes were fixed on me.

“Did you mean to kiss me?” It was a whisper that came out and my heart was beating so loudly I almost didn’t hear it.

“I meant to kiss you years ago but I finally got around to it now.” You smiled at that and looked at the garage and past me to where my mother was looking at us.

“Sorry about your garage. Tommy will fix it.” I couldn’t even say anything in my defense because you were already jumping out of the van and headed into the house with my mothers arm wrapped around you.

At that moment everything had changed.

In 1982 I was sitting front row at your graduation, two dozen white roses that I had stolen from a florist stand in LA by my feet waiting to be handed over to you. When they called your name you walked so gracefully across the stage, your big smile painted on your face for a photo as everyone cheered you on. I liked to think that I was the loudest.

Making it through High School felt like a huge accomplishment. I had dropped out a few years before to try to make it full time with music. I had the band now and things actually seemed to be going okay for us.

Our lives have mixed pretty well over the past few years. We did prom one night leaving at 10 when it was over and driving to The Roxy so I could play my show at midnight. Or how you would come down for the weekend staying over at the shitty apartment letting me corrupt you with the world of rock and roll.

Now you were moving to UCLA in the fall. Only fifteen minutes away from me. Even better than that was that you would be spending the summer with me. Coming on our tour to Canada and living in a small apartment that I managed to get for us.

We would be playing house. Two kids with big dreams and no idea what they were doing and I was so excited for it.

In 1984 the band was taking off. You were starting your junior year of college. We lived in an apartment where you could open the front door and for your birthday that year I had bought you a new car so you could commute to school.

We were making our dreams come true and I could see the life that we talked about under the covers in bed starting to form from our hard work.

We had talked about getting married. The whole idea of seeing you in white with our family surrounding us, supporting our love was something that I dreamed of. But you had begged me to wait until you graduated. My smart love. You wanted your diploma and I respected you for that.

But I still had bought a ring that I kept hidden in my sock drawer. Just waiting for the right time to give it to you; I loved you. I had loved you for almost ten years at that point. I wanted to love you for the next 100.

We were playing a show at the start of 1986. I was drinking when I caught sight of you in the crowd. Usually you were backstage or you would just meet me after. Seeing you dance along the crowd, smiling up at me in a Motley Crue shirt that I could tell was mine from the rip on the shoulder. My entertainment boosted when you caught my eyes and I was transfixed.

And then you waved at me, this small little notion catching me so off guard that a drumstick slipped from my hands and I had to scoop another one from the bucket.

My mind was on you for the rest of the show and thinking about the jewelry box hidden in a white tube sock.

It was time. I had to do it now. You would be graduating in a couple months. I couldn’t wait any longer.

It was like a fever dream. The show was ending and I was walking towards the front of the stage reaching an arm down and with the help of security hoisting you up on the stage. Your long legs seem to go for days and I see you just wearing my shirt. You’re beautiful and I wonder if I tell you that enough.

“Nice way to get all the attention on us.” You tease as you lace our hands together backstage. I'm on a mission now, pushing past people, glad I didn’t get hammered before the show. “What are you up to, Tommy?” You asked as we got to the alley that I parked my Harley. Security had it blocked off with a box truck at the end.

“Did you drive here?” I dropped you off at campus this morning on my way to the studio. You shook your head no and I just want to get you home alone. I just want it to be us together without any distraction.

“Where are you taking us?” You asked as you slid behind me. Your arms holding on to me and making me feel your love for me. Valentine’s Day was in three days and I needed to come up with a plan.

Roses. Check. Champagne. Check. Ring. Check. Enough candles set up that a misguided step would have the fire department coming? Check.

I was doing the damn thing, tonight. Was it cliche to propose to the love of your life on Valentine’s Day? Probably. But I couldn’t wait any longer. You’d be graduating in two months and I had waited for as long as I could.

“Hey, Tommy I’m home!” I could hear your voice echoing through the house and knew you’d come and find me.

I watched you turn, looking out the glass door that lead to our backyard. You were looking around at the yard that was covered in tea candles, white roses, and then there was me, standing with sweaty palms and a beating heart.

“Hi babe.” Lame opening, I thought to myself. You moved to where I was standing, taking my outstretched hand.

“Is it happening?” You asked in a whisper. I nodded my head and I could see the way you took a deep breath smiling.

“Y/N, I’ve loved you since you knocked out the school bully for stealing your comic book, I loved you since the first high school party we went the together where you stole the beer and we ditched for the drive in, I even loved you the next morning when you puked on the side of the van from all the beer foam, I loved dancing with you at your senior prom in that lavender outfit your mother had worked all month sewing, I loved watching you walk across stage when you graduated, I loved every moment we’ve spent together because you’re the love of my life.” I bent to one knee pulling out the box and opening it to display the shining diamond ring, “Will you marry me?” I asked you. Your hands flew to cover your face, a nod as you agreed.

I stood, sliding the ring on your finger. My heart was hammering in my chest as you leaned forward to kiss me. Our love story started 11 years ago and I couldn't wait for the rest of our lives together.

[charmingyong]

Sassy Girl’s Obsession

Genre: Taeil x fem!reader, university, humour, fluff, angst

Warnings: mentions of stereotype and violence, police scene

Word count: 3.7k

Plot: You were a courageous, energetic, and resolute girl that had boys falling for you. You fell in love at first sight with a particular music student who was also a relative of your friend, Doyoung. Your curiosity grew when he ignored you, making you go through great lengths to win his heart. Taeil was cautious of you and your reputation around campus, but every time he tried to get away from you, you’d always run after him… and secretly he liked it too.

A/N: This obsession is harmless and pretty humourful. Reader’s personality is supposed to be a mix of Hwang Yongsik from ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ and Ko Moonyoung from ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.’ If you see that, then YAY! If not, then just ignore I said that :) There’s a Cardcaptor Sakura reference included if you know that anime.

- ❀ -

《 Picky Picky – Weki Meki 》

You inwardly groaned when Felix nervously stood beside your seat.

“Y/N, I got you this.” He handed you a box wrapped in silver gift wrap with a red envelope taped to the top.

You flashed him a smile, more fake than genuine. “Thanks.”

He beamed at you, not leaving from his spot and waited for your next move.

You quirked an eyebrow. “You want me to open this now?”

He frantically nodded, excited to see your reaction.

You sighed and ripped the envelop off before tearing the gift wrap apart. The box was a set of three perfumes of the most luxurious brands that you had ever heard of. You weren’t interested in two of the scents, but the third one piqued your interest. Japanese cherry blossom.

You chuckled. “Wow,” you breathed out. “And what’s this for?” You didn’t have to ask because every time a guy did this to you, there was only one thing they wanted.

Felix bit his lips nervously and said, “Um, it’s in the card.”

You pulled the card out from the red envelope and flipped it open.

- I really like you. Will you go on a date with me please?

Okay so you did have a soft heart for people who had manners, especially when they used the word please. He was only asking for a date, unlike previous boys who’d straight up ask you to be their girlfriend. However, you simply weren’t into going on a date with someone who liked you. There were guys who had piqued your interest and you went on some dates with them. But they’d all end up boring the hell out of you, flexing about their physique or their love for luxurious cars. Your taste in men had gone from being open to being super selective and picky.

“I’m sorry Felix. I’ll have to turn you down. You can take this back,” you said trying to hand the gift back but he shook his head.

“No please don’t be sorry. I understand you get asked out a lot so I was only taking a chance at it. I really do like you and I wish you keep the gift. Please?”

Oh. “Okay... thanks.”

He smiled and left your side, a little dejected.

Doyoung elbowed your side hard. “Ow! What the hell Dons!”

“Are you crazy? You shouldn’t give a gift back to the same person.”

“Yeah but it was hella expensive.”

“So? Don’t you sell the other ones off?”

“Yeah because they come from assholes. Felix was at least being polite.”

“Then you should have agreed on a date with him.”

“I don’t want to hurt him after by saying that I just did it for the gift so I won’t feel bad about selling it off for tuition.”

He scoffed. “You’re so nice.”

“And you’re mean.” You stuck your tongue out at him.

- ❀ -

《 Heart Attack – AOA 》

You walked your friend to his music class before you went for your coffee break. You spotted a boy that you didn’t recognize standing right outside the music class.

“Oh Taeil!” Doyoung called.

The boy looked at him and the smile that followed after had your heart skipping a beat.

When you and Doyoung stopped right in front of him, your friend did the introductions. “Y/N, this is Taeil. He’s actually my second cousin and he recently transferred here. Taeil, this is Y/N, my friend.”

Taeil smiled warmly at you. “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

You could hear your heartbeat loudly at the sound of his melodic voice and the sweet smile complimented with it.

- ❀ -

In the library, you fell asleep with your forehead planted flat on the table while Doyoung worked on his assignment beside you.

He rolled his eyes at you and shook your shoulder, but no response was received.

“Y/N?”

Still no response.

He huffed and flicked his finger at the top of your head.

You jolted up and yelled “Taeil!”

All eyes landed on you in the library. You apologized to the students and shrunk in your seat, feeling embarrassed.

Doyoung looked at you with suspicious eyes. “Why on earth did his name come out of your mouth?”

You felt heat rise up to your cheeks and laughed it off nervously. “Haha oops.”

He narrowed his eyes on you. “Don’t oops me. What is it?”

You weighed your options. If you told Doyoung, then he could possibly support you. But then, at the same time he wouldn’t because this was about his cousin. Yet above everything, he was your friend.

“I like Taeil.”

“Like? What kind of like?”

“Like I mean like like.”

He exhaled. “You know I’ll be on your side for anything. But this is my cousin we’re talking about. If you mess things up, I don’t think I’ll be able to look at you because my cousin comes first.”

You nodded. “I know, but I think I’m serious about him, Dons.”

He watched your face carefully, trying to discern whether this was fleeting or something deeper. He couldn’t find any hints on the former and slumped his shoulders.

 - ❀ -

《 Signal – Twice 》

You were delighted at the fact that Taeil was in one of your classes with Doyoung. It was unfortunate that he opted to sit more in the middle of the room when you sat at the back. You didn’t like paying attention to the particular professor as his teaching method didn’t work for you. But the newbie being his cousin, Doyoung chose to sit with him.

You didn’t mind that because you were preoccupied by the task at hand. Thankful that you were an ace with your throwing skills, your paper airplane flew across the class.

The couple sitting in front of you threw a look at you, silently asking ‘are you crazy?’ and a few snickers were heard as the plane flew past them.

It hit the back of Taeil’s head and his hand went up to rub the spot. He ignored it shortly and resumed his attention on the lecture at the front.

Your jaw dropped. Did he just ignore it? But you were resolute. You prepared another airplane and flung it to him. This time he noticed something was up and found the airplanes on the floor. He unfolded the flaps and read the message, both of them identical.

- I like you, from your secret admirer, Y/N

Taeil blinked at your handwriting. First, he was surprised that a girl even liked him. He was boring and a nerd. And second, it was you that liked him. He heard about you around campus and he wasn’t sure whether you were serious about him or it was merely an infatuation that you’d get bored of later on.

He whipped his head around to find you sending a flying kiss in his way.

Taeil turned back around to focus on the board, his heart beating erratically. He couldn’t let himself fall for you, only for you to grow tired of and leave him.

You on the other hand were puzzled by his lack of response. No guy had ever overlooked you when sending them a signal and the thought of Taeil being the first one to do it added onto to the fun of you trying to win his heart.

 - ❀ -

《 Not That Type – gugudan 》

Doyoung dragged you to the library after you refused to work on your assignments. All you wanted to do was sleep and you were ready to bolt out the doors until the studious boy that had your heart beating hard caught your sight.

You left your friend’s hold and ran to sit down at the empty seat across him. Taeil was stumped when you sat with your arms crossed on the table, your eyes intently fixed on his face and a smile adorning your beautiful face. “Hi Taeil,” you sweetly greeted.

Doyoung caught up and sat down beside his cousin. “Hey, Taeil. What’s up?”

Taeil ignored you and responded back to him.

You blankly stared at him, perplexed that he once again ignored you. You got his attention once you blurted out, “I like you.”

Taeil stilled and took a deep breath before facing you. “Look Y/N, I really don’t know if you seriously mean that-”

“I’m not lying,” you deadpanned.

“I’m not saying that you are. You could really just be into me for the moment. But I know you’ll get bored of me. So it’s best if you leave me alone.”

Doyoung stayed silent, anxiously observing the conversation between you and his cousin.

You quirked an eyebrow at him. “You really don’t know how I feel about you and I’m going to show it.”

- ❀ -

《 Fancy – Twice 》

You still kept receiving expensive gifts from your admirers and so you decided to sell them off to buy some special things for the one you admired.

When you made your way to your usual seat in the back, you handed Taeil a box wrapped in pink gift wrap. Every time you saw him around campus, you’d handover the gifts to him. They’d range from chocolates, plaid shirts, denim and leather jackets, packs of Coca-Cola as Doyoung had mentioned one time that Taeil loved to drink those.

Next time, you found him sitting on one of the outdoor benches, basking under the sunlight. He noticed your form approaching him and slightly groaned inwardly. Even though he found you super annoying, he couldn’t stop his heart beating unsteadily. He secretly found it thrilling to have you run after him when it’d be vice versa with the other boys, especially when you’d send him numerous gifts of things that he loved. He could tell that you put thought into the presents and weren’t just sending him expensive things. For that, he had to give you plus points.

“Hi Taeil,” you beamed at him, clutching onto his next gift behind your back.

He sighed. “Hi Y/N. What is it now?”

You pulled out a handmade teddy bear with a red ribbon tied into a perfect bow around its neck. “I made this for you.”

He held the plushie carefully, inspecting its customized design. “You made this by yourself?”

You nodded, chuckling quietly. “Yup.”

His heart skipped a beat at the thought of you spending time to build the teddy bear yourself and it was then that he noticed a few bandages wrapped around the tips of your fingers.

Oh Y/N, what are you doing to my heart, he thought.

 - ❀ -

《 I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend – Weki Meki 》

Taeil wanted to test your liking for him and asked his female friend from his music class for help.

You walked with Doyoung into the cafeteria and your heart stopped at the sight of Taeil.

Sitting across a girl.

You didn’t want to feel like the jealous type but you couldn’t stop the green feeling from erupting when you noticed the girl leaning in to give Taeil a peck on his cheek.

You gritted your teeth and clenched your hands tightly into a fist. “Oh that girl is so dead.”

Right before you stormed off, Doyoung grabbed your arm. “What the hell are you going to do?”

You yanked your arm free. “Watch me.”

With fume coming out of your ears, you stomped over to the two being lovey dovey with one another. When Taeil saw your figure from the corner of his eyes, he tried his best to stop the smile from spilling onto his face.

You found a Coca-Cola drink resting beside the girl’s plate and grabbed it, pouring the drink on top of her head.

It took a few seconds for the girl to register what had just happened and when it did, she screamed. “Are you psycho?” She got up and ran out of the cafeteria.

Taeil looked at you in pure disgust and disappointment. “Seriously Y/N? Are you really that desperate for me? Can’t you see that I’m trying to get you to leave me alone?” He wasn’t going to admit just yet of his true feelings for you.

Your lips formed an ‘oh.’ “So was this all an act? To get me to leave you alone?”

He was tugging hard at his hair. “For God’s sake, yes Y/N. You really should go and apologize to my friend. I asked her to do that,” he yelled, his face turning a bit red. “Can you just leave me alone?”

You pursed your lips and nodded. “Okay.”

Your response took him by surprise, his heart dropping a little. “What?”

“I’ll leave you alone.”

He went speechless. He didn’t think you were actually going to leave him alone after all this time of you being after him.

You sighed, looking at the floor, acting in defeat. “You thought I was going to say that, huh?”

He blinked, looking very lost.

You lifted your gaze to his and calmly repeated. “You really thought I’ll leave you alone. I’m never giving up.”

- ❀ -

《 Why – Taeyeon 》

You sat down in your seat waiting for your professor to arrive. You didn’t have either your friend or your crush in that evening lecture, so it was going to be a pain sitting still and not snore off until class was dismissed.

A guy came up to you with his group of friends behind him. Why did they walk up to you, you didn’t know. But you recognized its leader to be one of the guys that you had rejected.

Based on his facial expression, you didn’t like where this could possibly go.

- ❀ -

“Taeil? Have you see Y/N?” Doyoung asked his cousin frantically.

“What? No. Why?”

“I usually meet her at a bubble tea shop after her class ends, but she wasn’t there.” Doyoung’s voice was laced with anxiety. Your phone was switched off, which you’d never do in class as you’d usually be scrolling on your phone.

It was getting dark as the night fell. Even though he was mad at you for the act you pulled in the cafeteria on his friend, he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about you.

A phone rang and Doyoung picked it up. “Hello? Yes I am. WHAT?! Oh my God… Okay I will be there soon.” Doyoung hung up, with a registered shock on his face.

“What happened?” Taeil asked, hoping it had something to do with your whereabouts and you weren’t in danger.

“Do you want to come with me? I need to go to the police station.”

Taeil’s forehead lined with confusion. “Yes but why?”

“Y/N’s been charged with physical assault.”

- ❀ -

You sat on the chair, waiting for your friend to arrive and bail you out. Your arms were crossed as you huffed in anger at the boy sitting beside you. He held his broken nose while his head was slightly cracked open from the glass water bottle that you had smashed on it. He whimpered in pain, making you laugh bitterly in your head.

He deserved it, you thought.

Doyoung arrived, followed by the boy that you didn’t expect to come for you as well. Taeil looked around for you and when he found you, he sighed in relief to see you not hurt. The mere reaction from him made your heart soar, making you think that he was concerned for you. But when your brain reminded you of the thing that you promised yourself to do later, your heart fell.

“Y/N, what happened?” Doyoung asked, almost like he was scolding you.

Before you could reply, the police officer spoke up. “This young lady used physical violence on this man out of the blue.”

You gaped at him and slammed your hands on the officer’s desk, standing up. “It was not out of the blue! He started it!”

“No, she started it, officer,” the injured boy said weakly.

You turned to the boy. “You asked for it! That’s not my fault!” you yelled.

“Miss, please lower your tone,” the officer said sternly.

“Y/N, what exactly happened?” Doyoung asked.

You took a deep breath in, calming yourself down for a few seconds, and narrated the evening. “I was waiting for the lecture to begin, and this guy comes up to me with his friends. He starts talking shit about Taeil, how much of a nerd he is and how he doesn’t deserve someone like me. I got so mad that I broke his nose and I broke my water bottle on his head out of anger. You cannot tell me that this was my fault.”

While Taeil didn’t like that you used violence and risked yourself into getting in trouble, his heart pounded against his chest at the thought of you standing up for him.

The boy only asked for his injuries to be paid for, in which Doyoung agreed to as much as you hated it. After Doyoung bailed you out, you stepped into the night, breathing in the crisp air.

Taeil silently took hold of you hand, startling you, and observed out of concern the small bruise that formed from breaking the person’s nose.

You pulled out of his grasp, confusing him. You met his shining eyes, having something to tell him.

“Taeil, I really like you. Actually… I really love you. I always have and always will. If someone badmouths you, I’m not going to hold back and do nothing. I’m not scared of anyone or anything.” You paused briefly, sighing in defeat. “I know I can’t force you to like me back. I thought I could but I guess I can’t. And I don’t want you to hate me if I continue this ‘obsession’ so while this might seem like I’m ending my desire to win your heart, I’ll still always love you, Taeil.”

You gave him one last sincere smile before turning on your heels and walking away. You hugged yourself as your eyes stung with tears threatening to fall out. You willed yourself to not make a vocal sound of your heart breaking for the boys to hear from the distance.

Doyoung felt his heart become heavy, seeing his friend like that for the first time in his life. He knew he couldn’t do anything as everything was up to his cousin to decide what to do with the confession.

Taeil felt the honesty behind your words, and that made his heart shatter. He always disregarded your true feelings for him and told you off, trying to get you off his back for annoying him. He too liked you but was only being super cautious in case your feelings were short-lived. He made up his mind. He wanted to confess back to you. And for that, he had to do something in order to make it up to you.

- ❀ -

《 Cover Up – Taeyeon 》

“Here,” Doyoung handed you a gift bag and you groaned.

“Don’t tell me this is you breaking our friendship promise to ask my hand in marriage.”

He laughed. “No, but you like the person that this is coming from.”

“What?” You couldn’t believe your ears. Was it really from him? Your heart banged in your chest as you opened up the bag, gasping to see a teddy bear that looked similar to your handmade one except it was in a different shade of brown, lighter to his, and the colour of the ribbon tied around its neck being a light shade of pink.

“There’s a note in the bag too,” he grinned.

“Huh?” You rummaged your hand around in the bag, feeling the card and pulling it out. The card was handmade as well, with a large red heart in the middle of the white space. ‘I LOVE YOU’ was written on the heart in big letters. You flipped the card to check the backside for more writing and your heart stopped.

- I’m sorry Y/N to hurt you like the way I did. But I really like you too. I was scared to be someone who you’d ditch once you’d find someone better than me or get bored of me. That’s why I always tried to avoid you or do things to get you to stop being after me. But your confession outside the police station made me believe in your feelings and I was bad to let you walk away. I wanted to properly apologize before confessing my true feelings for you. This teddy bear is the same diy kit you got to make mine so Y/N… I’m sorry and I love you. From your secret but not so secret admirer, Taeil

You felt your eyes sting hard as you tried to keep your tears at bay. “Doyoung, he…” your voice failed as your emotions were ready to explode.

Your friend smiled. “Yes, Taeil.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s outside our music class, the first place you met him.”

You sprinted down the hallway and turned around the corner. At the distance you found the boy that had all of your heart.

“Taeil!” you yelled and ran up to him.

He turned his head, happy to see you and held his arms open. You crashed into him, wrapping your arms around his waist, and clutched tightly onto the gift bag.

“I can’t believe you like me back!” you cried.

He laughed at your dramatic self and patted the back of your head gently. He pulled back slightly and wiped your tears away, pressing a haste kiss on your forehead. “You’re really cute. How can I not like you?”

[eileyhq]

❛ ✶ ( CINDY KIMBERLY , CISFEMALE , SHE/HER )  —  did you see EILEY RIVERA walking around campus earlier ? i hear a lot of people talking about the TWENTY-TWO year old JUNIOR . from what i know , they are studying PRE-MED and are a part of SIGMA EPSILON CHI . they come across as + SACCHARINE but also - HYPERSENSITIVE , which makes since because on their instagram ( @EILEYS ) it says they are a CANCER . when i see them , i think of LAYERED GOLD NECKLACES, ODDLY SPECIFIC SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS, FLOWY SUNDRESSES, SMALL HIDDEN TATTOOS, & STARGAZING ON A SUMMER NIGHT . the most interesting thing i’ve heard about them though , is the fact that [ REDACTED ] , but don’t tell anyone i told you that .

i am soooooooo sorry this is soooo late. it’s always when i join rps that things come up 🥴

hey hi hello!!! i’m ur local Hot Mess™, brenna lol. i’m so excited for this rp and to have eiley in this lil group bc i’ve honestly always seen her as a Sorority Girl™ and i finally have a space to play that out :’~) hit me up for plots on discord!!! i’m sometimes bad at replying (i get distracted easy lol) so if i don’t message back, feel free to send another message! im so sorry i rlly am i mess :~) DISCORD: ʙʀᴇɴɴᴀ#7518

♡ QUICK STATS ♡

NAME: eiley sofía rivera

FACECLAIM: cindy kimberly

PRONOUNS: she/her

SEXUALITY: heterosexual (unfortunately)

AGE: twenty-two

BIRTHDAY: july 4, 1998

ZODIAC: cancer

♡ BASICS ♡

eiley is originally from weston, ma -- one of the richest towns in massachusetts that’s only twenty-ish minutes east of beaumont university.

her parents are both graduates of beaumont university, both with doctorates in the medical field. that being said, with the combination of their salaries, they’ve got quite the wealth -- and that’s just outside the inherited wealth from each of her parents’ families. that being said, eiley lived quite comfortably.

growing up, eiley cheered competitively and did so throughout most of high school when a rotator cuff injury put her out for her senior season. she did the little cheers on the sidelines of games, but was benched for the competitive season. after her surgery, she just decided to not go back nor pursue collegiate cheer, but to delve into her studies.

she was inspired by both of her parents’ careers that she made it her dream too and pursued that full-speed ahead, even attending the same university that they did after taking a gap year. during her gap year, she gained a lot of popularity on instagram from all of her traveling, thus now gaining the title “instagram model”, but she really doesn’t identify too closely with that. it’s just something she does for fun (with some monetary gain). school & becoming a doctor are ranked higher on her list of priorities than instagram is.

when she got to beaumont, she rushed sigma epsilon chi to be apart of the sisterhood her mother was too apart of. the lifestyle and atmosphere just seemed to feel like home. being a legacy, it was really easy for eiley to be a part of it.

eiley’s first year at beaumont was life-changing. when she started that fall, she had no idea how drastic her life would be as by that thanksgiving break, she would discover she was about 9 weeks pregnant. admittedly, eiley was quite open with her own sexuality and didn't shy away from landing in strangers. if you ask anyone, eiley doesn’t know who the father is and that was a lot for her family to take in. being their only daughter, they had high expectations and pregnancy out of wedlock was not one of them. by the time the baby came that june, they were accepting. she was mostly glad that her sorority sisters helped her through everything and were supportive. that only made her bond with her sisters closer. 

now that her daughter, catalina, is over a year old, they’ve come up with a routine that’s helped everyone out. although eiley would rather be with her baby all the time, she’s pushing through to her doctorate with the help of her family and full-time nanny. about 5 days of the week she sees her baby, whether it be for an hour or for a weekend.

♡ PERSONALITY ♡

she’s such a kind and gentle soul that would genuinely never hurt anyone intentionally. however, once her mind is made up, that’s what she’ll stick to and she’ll try to let you down in the nicest way possible.

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY HER SWEETNESS & KINDNESS!!! if you piss her off enough, she will snap quick and hard while maintaining a calm demeanor (she’ll cry later). her words can be as soft as silk or crack like a whip. don’t cross her.

she’s a very sentimental person. she has a box of things (key chains, post cards, polaroids, etc.) that she likes to keep under her bed and add to whenever something, she feels, memorable happens. her walls are filled of photos of her family, friends, & sorority sisters.

she loves literally every genre of music except classical & heavy metal, BUT even then she’ll sit & listen to it if that’s what you’d like to listen to. currently she’s into more of a 70′s style of soft rock, but she loves listening to pop radio.

she’s no stranger to that good kush™ . she prefers edibles, but is always down for a smoke sesh. anything past weed, she’s not interested in trying.

eiley grew up going to sporting events due to having three sporty brothers, so you’re likely to find her at some of the sporting events if she has the time. although she was a cheerleader and football is expected to be her favorite, you’re most likely to see her at hockey matches or baseball games 

AESTHETIC: gold necklaces, oddly specific spotify playlists, strawberries, white daisies, flowy floral sundresses, vintage polaroid camera, small tattoos, lace bralettes, stacked rings, glitter gel pens, niche mugs as makeup brush holders, fresh peaches, fairy lights, denim jackets with patches, tousled hair, shopping sprees, glass coca-cola bottles, stark white air force ones, vinyl records, succulents, blush pink, oversized hoodies as dresses, big eyeshadow palettes, fluffy slippers, sunny spring days, stilettos, athleisure, rose water, sugar cookies fresh from the oven, big diamond earrings, sunrises, drinking wine from the bottle

♡ WANTED CONNECTIONS ♡

i have i plot page here!!! <333

here u can find a lil page about eiley n all her things (links to a stats page, muse tag, & pinterest board!!

hmu cuties!!! again, super sorry this is so late!!!! & if there’s typos i swear im not illiterate 

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Africa (The Eighties Blasts  Collection, Part 5.)

Description: Jim Hopper died as a hero. But with that, one certain problem rises up - who will now lead the cops of Hawkins? Hopper thought of that - he decided to write a letter, naming his niece, nineteen-year-old student of Indianapolis police academy, Y/N Hopper as a sheriff deputy in a letter. But anybody in the town doesn’t have a clue that being a cop in Hawkins is way more dangerous than it might seem.

A/N: I stan the best single mom™ Steve Harrington and his favorite child Dustin relationship.

Tagging: @charmed-asylum​

Warnings: Robin and Dustin turning out to be the best team ever when it comes to getting Steve a date.

Word count: 2.6 K

Master list: The Eighties Blasts Collection

"Okay. Think. There must be some solution." - Robin said to Dustin as he leaned down next to the cashier. They both watched Steve intensely.

"Are you sure? Maybe he can do it on his own. He's not the hopeless case as you always tell me." - Dustin answered and sipped his strawberry Slurpee, even if it was already a cold November behind the door of the video. He also bought Steve and Robin one, even if he wanted the money back as soon as possible.

"No, I mean... Look at that dude. He's not even trying." - Robin slammed the counter angrily and sipped from her Slurpee. Robin was talking about Steve picking up some chicks. He was really somehow weird - Dustin couldn't exactly name why... But Steve was somehow weird. He wasn't putting his best efforts even if he normally did.

"Okay. There's something wrong, I agree. Have you tried asking him?" - Dustin asked Robin with a look into her face.

"Like a million times, my strange little child friend." - Robin nodded immediately. - "My bets on the new girl. I tell you. It's her."

"You mean... Who exactly?" - Dustin asked without a clue. Robin asked him with a look, it was obvious to her - she mouthed her name without using her voice. She means that Hopper... - "Oh, dang. You think it's Hopper?" - He slurped again and giggled. Robin just watched him frustratedly. - "No, trust me, that's nonsense. It can't... Be Hopper. He told you himself. He doesn't even like her."

"Yeah, detective Henderson, then tell me why dingus out there was shining like a morning sun when he saw her in that red Chevy?" - Robin pointed at him with her eyebrows risen up when he wanted to say something. - "No. Nonono. Listen to me, I have more evidence. One day, he met her in a local supermarket and he told me, how their whole interaction went down. In detail, Dustin. He remembered every single fucking word she said."

At that moment, Dustin looked at Steve's back with a feel of being traited in his look. Steve told him that he doesn't like Hopper - that he just wants to see her get over Hopper. Them? Together? Never ever. Hopper was... Hopper.

"Look at him. She's an ideal girl for him. She's the cop, the man, and he's the girl. Just... Imagine it." - Robin whispered to Dustin when Steve turned to both of them with a question in his face.

"I am imagining it, Robin. It's pretty gross. Can you stop with that gaze?” - Dustin cringed at her face and Robin just slurped again. Steve wasn't even seeing her every day - could it be possible that after just a few interactions, he wants to have... Something with you? Unbelievable.

Without waiting on another word from Dustin, Robin picked up the phone, dialing the number onto the deputy's office as quickly as she could. She was prepared even before she told Dustin about her suspicion about Steve Harrington having an itsy bitsy thing for you. You picked up immediately.

"Hawkins's Police department, Deputy Hopper on the phone, how may I help you?" - Jesus, weren't you just sunshine through the phone? You sounded so kind and light-hearted.

"Hey, miss Hopper. It's Robin Buckley from the Video renting place, you've been here once or twice, we had a conversation..." - She rolled her eyes at Dustin as she introduced herself. Steve was still too interested in choosing the right movie for the ladies before him to hear anything Robin was doing.

"Oh, of course, of course. Hi. Is there an emergency?" - You asked with a slight giggle. Nobody was calling you on your private phone at all - if there was an emergency, people had to call the 911 and then, you, or your colleagues most likely got up and went to solve the situation that was happening. And to be honest, there wasn't really much happening at Hawkins all the time.

"Oh yeah, but not a crime. Just stick with me. You got time on your lunch pause?" - Robin shot a look at Dustin who was listening to the conversation without breath.

"I should have. Do you need anything, Robin?" - You asked again sweetly and Robin chuckled at that. You were still so sweet.

"I do, I do. Would you want to take Steve out on lunch too, he's acting like a child and I might kill him any moment." - Robin laughed sweetly. Dustin was ashamed, so much that he put his face into his palm. But to the shock of both of them...

"Okay... Can I come around one p.m.? I need to talk to Steve anyway." - You laughed a bit on the other side. Robin arched her eyebrows in a surprise and Dustin leaned even closer to hear every single word.

"Around one? I'll tell him. Bye." - Robin hung up after you said goodbye as well. At that moment, Steve was approaching the cashier with a few ladies following him with giggles, he was playing with a few movies in his hand, but didn't even pay attention to their giggling.

"Who was that?" - Steve asked and marked the price on the VHS tapes, reaching out his palm to the ladies with a slight smile. Robin could say that no matter who that is, it clearly isn't Steve Harrington.

"Young Hopper." - Robin gave a quick look to Dustin, leaning into the counter with a content smile. - "She wanted to go out for lunch with you."

And for the first time in forever, Dustin could see something he would swear he'll never be able to witness. Steve Harrington panicked. He quickly finished the payment, wished the ladies a good day and then looked at Robin, his palm was playing with his hair. He coughed a bit so he could be sure that his voice will not fail.

"And what... Did you tell her? Robin, you're freaking me the hell out." - Steve Harrington himself was playing in front of Robin Buckley, nervous like a little preschool kid.

"That she should pick you up at one p.m. I will kindly sacrifice my pause for you, young man, because Dustybun here will bring me a few sandwiches." - She patted Dustin's shoulder proudly and the boy just rolled his eyes.

"I hope that you told her that I'll pay and that I am looking forward to seeing her. How do I even look today?” - Steve asked nervously. Robin started to laugh to her own hand, still watching her old jackass friend being totally nervous. 

“Stop freaking out and be the man, dude.” - Dustin said all of a sudden, almost hitting the counter with the flat of his hand. Steve looked at him, still looking unsettled. - “It's going to be okay, Jesus.”

You came exactly at one p.m. period. You were as precise as a clock, sitting there in your old Chevy with your motor still on, waving into the shop. Steve nervously looked at both Robin and Dustin before heading off. He had his blue denim jacket on and his black jeans as well, his hair was as fabulous as ever. And you looked as great as you did always - you had an old leather jacket on as well as the police shirt underneath it. 

“Hi. Nice to see you.” - You smiled at Steve as he opened up the door to crawl inside the car. 

“Nice to see you too.” - His smile leaned up to a huge one. He was seriously thrilled to go on a lunch with you. At that exact moment, you rose up a paper bag standing next to you on a seat. 

“Took us some sandwiches from the bistro, you up for it?” - A smile appeared on your lips. Steve was ready to pay for your main meal, your drink and even something sweet in the end. 

“Okay? But yeah. I am... Totally up for it.” - Steve nodded with visible confusion. You took a few hours out so you could talk with Steve properly about the things that happened in Hawkins. 

“Can we have lunch near the old mill? There's that small rock when I can park the car. I also have the old Coca Cola with me.” - You smiled at him as you drove away from the shop. 

“Why can't we stay in town, Hopper? You're planning to kill me?” - Steve asked nervously, looking around and preparing a comfortable position for himself because that rock was at least half-hour away from the place you were driving from. 

“Don't be ridiculous, Harrington. What would I get from that? I told Robin that I need to talk to you about something and that is what are we going to do.” - You giggled quietly. 

“You need to talk to me?” - Steve mumbled in surprise and you nodded, adjusting your rearview mirror. The rest of your ride was quiet because of you concentrating on driving on the wet ground. Steve was quiet because he was nervous and he couldn't exactly get around of that. He wasn't usually nervous around a girl - why should he?

With a low growl in your stomach, you parked the old Chevy on a place where you two could watch Hawkins like it was on your palm. You let the motor running as you took the Cola, sandwiches and your bag outside, so you could sit on the trunk. It was cold, so you fastened the jacket up to your chin. Then you laid down an old wool blanket, so you and Steve could sit there. 

“Here. Took you some tuna ones. Hope you still like them.” - You gave them to Steve with a smile, taking yours out as well. - “I still love them, that's nice of you to actually still remember that. So, what do you want to talk about?” - Steve wiggled on his butt and took a sip of cola. It was the truth - he fell in love with tuna sandwiches when he was just a small boy. He was pleasantly surprised that you remembered it. 

“There are a few things I need to ask you about. First things first...” - You took in a deep breath as you looked in front of yourself onto Hawkins. Steve would swear that his heart stopped for a small second and he was basically praying for you to jump at his neck. He couldn't even say why he wanted you to do that, he just did. 

“What happened to Will Byers?” - You shot a look at him. Then Steve almost choked on the spot. Will Byers, Upside Down and Demogorgon, the Gate, Mindflayer, there was a lot of shit that happened. You opened up a file in front of him, showing him some documents and photos of Will's dead body. - “I found this when the new sheriff gave me Hoppers old files. And I can't find a logical solution to any of that. It just doesn't make sense. And this?” - You showed Steve the short sentence written with a red marker. Do NOT trust them, whoever they were. - “Jim wrote that. And you have to know something about that.” 

“Why would you think that I know anything about poor little Byers?” - Steve laughed ironically, looking away from you, stuffing his mouth with the sandwich. 

“I was visiting Nancy yesterday and she told me that Will and Mike are best friends, which means that Mike and Dustin are best friends and in the finale, it means that you know what happened because Dustin is your best friend. People talk, Harrington. People talk.” - You took a bite from your sandwich. 

“That's fair.” - Steve nodded with an ironic face. To be honest, he didn't want to think about that at all. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened or should I try talking to someone else?” - You sighed, covering your upper thighs under the woolen blanket. 

“No, I can tell you what you want to know...” - Steve answered and started talking - his story was a lot simpler and quicker to tell than Nancy’s. You didn't want to say that Steve is dumb or whatever - he wasn't just stopping at the details as Nancy was. Basically, both told you the same story from a different point of view. Everything was there - the Demogorgon, the Mindflayer and even that year's summer. But just like Nancy, he hadn't told you anything about Hopper. 

So you simply asked him in a shy, quiet voice.

“Do you really want to do this, I mean, do you really want to know?” - Steve asked silently, sitting below a woolen blanket as well. - “Because I don't really want to tell you, Y/N.” 

“I need to know it, Steve. A lot of people know, but nobody wants to tell me. I'm not a small girl anymore, Jesus. I can take the truth. Just... Be the one who tells me.” - You rolled your eyes and Steve sighed. 

“The generator under the city, that one which was opening the entrance to Upside Down, that one blew up... Joyce was there with Murray everything happened and she saw everything with her own eyes - she told us that Hopper was there when it blew up and after that... Let's just say that he was gone. The government would put me to jail if anybody gets to know that I told you. I would really appreciate if you shut your mouth about it.” - Steve said quickly, pulling his knees below his chin, so he could rest on them. You shut up as well, closing your eyes, leaning into the back of the trunk.

Until that moment, there was the last piece if hope inside of you, that one which was basically unbreakable until the very last piece evidence was given to you. That piece makes you cry and fall flat on your knees. It was the hope which was whispering to your ear that maybe Jim is still out there somewhere and that he will show up at one moment, opening his arms to hug you as he always did. You would give anybody anything just to hear his bad dad jokes and teasing tone. But Steve just broke down that imagination for you. 

But let's be honest - it truly wasn't his fault.

“Are you hanging out there?” - Steve turned his head on you. Hopper was definitely dead. You were now sure that your dear uncle is not there anymore.  Anywhere. You quickly shook your head and made those tears go away. - “Do you hate me now?” 

“Why should I? Idiot.” - You burst out with laughter, Steve was leaning closer to you with pity on his face. He was almost out of words. You still were crying silently, tears streaming down your cheeks onto the leather jacket.

“It's alright if you want to cry, even I, Steve Harrington, the hero, and ladies man, cry sometimes. Do you want a hug?” - He opened up his arms as you nodded, moving next to him, crying into his shoulder. You sobs were heartbreaking and even if you two were together much longer than for an hour, Steve couldn't leave you in such a state. He knew that Robin would understand.

He held you for a long time, looking down on Hawkins with his chin resting on your temple, his palm drawing small circles on your upper hand. It was just a friendly gesture - nothing more. Just a friendly gesture.

He told you some funny stories from the terrible things that happened - that Robin is actually into girls and Steve was trying to date her, about Dustin and Suzie, after the occasional funny time with the little shitheads. Then you started to talk about Jim, your holiday in Hawkins and how fond you were of those fucking times.

Then you drove him off to his work with a grateful smile, driving back to the department. You sat there the whole afternoon with barely containing the tears inside. It was hard when you could barely hold your head up. Other policemen were trying to make you laugh, but you couldn't. 

When you were sitting in the evening in Jim's old armchair, watching some criminal show, you still played with the file that Jim left at the station. Two people told you basically the same story, just from a different point of view. There must've something happened; you still didn't exactly believe the story about D&D characters, but there must've been something going on - so you took the last paper in the file and a black pen, leaving a small - Don't worry, uncle, I won't under Jim’s handwriting, being proud of him at that very moment.

He was a hero - forever and ever. 

You cried yourself to sleep that evening.

[thestorytellerofkpop]

The Steps in Finding Love; Trust

Title: The Steps in Finding Love; Trust

Word Count: 7.8k+

Rating: T with eventual M

Genre: Realistic fiction, slice of life, drama, fluff with eventual smut

Warnings: Established member x member relationship, bad made up makeup names and references, a desert fantasy, Jungkook is soft, this is part three of a four part series

Pairings: Female Reader x BTS members, Jimin x Jungkook (Jikook)

Summary: “The third step to finding love was trust, and I didn’t know what that truly meant until I got to experience it again.”

1, 2, 3, 4 (finale, coming August 23rd)

You didn’t know what time it was, nor did you seem to care as your fingers diligently typed away at the computer in front of you. The blue haze was your only source of light as you worked in the darkness of your office, besides the faint white light that shined through the glass walls from the end of the hallway. Your eyes were glazed over and your back was bent, leaning towards the screen almost as if that would make you work faster and quicker. But you knew that it was moot. Nothing was working. According to your sales charts and collective data, nothing you would produce would live up to the hype that was Cake. Sure, Taehyung’s creative visions were produced and marketed, as well as the occasional idea from Jimin and Jungkook, and they did well! Don’t confuse yourself, because those sales were great and profitable. But they didn’t reach the numbers that Cake did. None of these ideas that were pitched two days ago would either, according to your analysis. And you were panicking. Sales were steady for now, but were projected to drop off in the next year if you and your team didn’t get something out soon. You refused to be ‘The Proclaimers’ of the makeup industry, only having one huge one-hit wonder then retire after a crappy attempt at a second album (in your case, makeup line). This was your newest dilemma, and oh were you stressed. 

You sighed, running a hand down your face to try and wake yourself up, but it was to no avail. You plopped your head down onto your desk, repeatedly banging your forehead against the cool glass. A soft tapping sound made you look up from your fit, and like an angel descending from the gates of heaven was Taehyung. His manicured nails tapped against the door again, looking at you through the glass with the softest expression you’ve ever seen him have. You tilted your head, and Taehyung entered, pulling along one of the chairs in your office so he could sit with you. Once he plopped down next to you, you sighed, looking up into his eyes.

“Hi,” you mumbled guiltily.

“Hi.” Taehyung’s lips pulled up into a smile, but you could tell from his eyes he wasn’t exactly happy with you. “You know it’s 4 a.m. right?”

“No,” you admitted. “I wasn’t keeping track of the time.”

Taehyung sighed, leaning across the desk to turn on the little lamp there, basking the room into a soft golden glow. He gently closed the laptop in front of you, forcing you to focus only on him. 

He looked beautiful. He always did. White-washed jeans, white t-shirt, round glasses, and his shaggy grey hair really did make him look angelic. He was actually dressed down today. There was no elaborate makeup like usual, only a simple coverup and a swipe of something glossy on his lips. And his jewelry was barren, only simple silver studs were in his ears and a silver band around his pointer finger. This made your eyes crinkle.

“What’s wrong?” you asked him. Taehyung pursed his lips.

“Why would something be wrong?”

“Because you haven’t dressed this simply since high school.” you argued, and this made Taehyung smile.

“Can’t I dress down every once in a while?” he countered.

“Without eyeshadow and contouring?” your eyes studied his face carefully, the corners of your lips twitching in amusement. “Bitch, please.”

This made Taehyung laugh, long and hearty, and you couldn’t help but join him.

“Okay, fine, I resent.” Taehyung said through his dying giggles. “It’s the boys.” you furrowed your brows at his words, shifting to look at him more clearly.

“What’s wrong? Are they okay?” Taehyung sighed, idly picking through the papers on your desk.

“I had to take them into emergency care this morning.”

“What!?” you gasped, watching Taehyung’s face contort into one of despair. You took his hand into yours, scooting closer so that your knees were touching underneath the desk. 

“Both of them?” Taehyung nodded, and with that you pulled him in for a hug, practically pulling the larger male into your lap as he sighed against your neck.

“Will they be okay though?” you mumbled, and you felt Taehyung nod against your skin.

“They’ll be stuck at the hospital for a while though.”

“Hey, look at me,” you guided Taehyung’s head up so you could look at him. “Yeontan and V are the strongest boys I know, they’ll be okay, I promise.”

“It was V that was having complications this morning, and you know how Yeontannie is. He didn’t want to leave his big brother so I had no choice but to leave him with V at the emergency vet center. They’ll be there for the rest of the week.” Taehyung lips pulled into a frown. 

“I was lonely without my fluffy boys, I couldn’t sleep without them in bed with me so that’s why I came to the office. Only to find the second most important girl in my life here looking like a hermit slouched over her computer. So now it’s your turn. What’s wrong?”

“Who’s the most important girl in your life?” you asked curiously.

“My mother.” Taehyung giggled. 

“Fair enough.” you chuckled as Taehyung moved back into his chair. 

“So what’s up Y/N? It’s not like you to stay and work overnight.”

“I know,” you sighed, looking down at the remnants of your work clothes. You had taken off your blouse and changed into one of the BeauV Cosmetics t-shirts that were left in the stock room, the letters curly and bright blue against the black background. You still wore your shorts, opting for the denim instead of your usual work pants since you didn’t have any meetings today. And your heels were in the corner, sparkling and golden. “I’ve been running projections all night.”

“And?” Taehyung asked. You sighed, opening your laptop. Taehyung peered over your shoulder as you pulled up multiple screens and analysis. 

“We’ll be steady for a year before sales will start to exponentially go down. We need another constant. We need another Cake. Another V line, another PJM or JJK. Because everything newer is okay, don’t get me wrong. We have sales and everything. But it’s nothing compared to our first stuff. We’ve been playing too safe recently and until we come up with something amazing, by this time next year we might be forgotten.”

“You know the fans wouldn’t let that happen,” Taehyung tried to reassure you. You knew he was right. You had a loyal fanbase. But…

“Yeah I know. But we’re no James Charles or Jeffree Star. We have fans, sure, but our following isn’t as large.” Taehyung sighed, grabbing your hand just like how you grabbed his.

“You’re right babe, we don’t have as many fans as they do. But y’know what? We aren’t them. We’re us. We’re BeauV. We’re Y/N, Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung. And I wouldn’t change it for the world. We’re amazing, we’re beautiful, and we’re gonna get through this. We just…need a creative spark to boost us up is all.” Taehyung smiled as you contemplated his words.

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

~*~

You crossed your arms as you watched your three friends run around the parking lot, admiring and drooling over the vintage cars. Taehyung had flown you all out to America, Arizona to be exact, for a well needed vacation. He said taking a break and getting out of the country would help get the creative juices flowing. Why he had picked Arizona of all places you didn’t know, but you had to admit you loved the desert. The bright orange Rockies and clear blue skies were visually stunning. 

“Y/N! Y/N!” Jungkook ran up to you, his eyes shinning with child-like glee. “Come look at the car we picked out!” he grabbed your hand, tugging you through the hot, dry air to meet Jimin and Taehyung.

“Oh,” you gasped, gently running the tips of your fingers over the hot, red metal. It was like stepping into every 1950′s movie you watched as a child, the old school Chevy was cherry red, and it’s white top was down, showing off the red leather. The whitewall tires were to die for and you instantly had a craving for Coca-Cola. 

“Beautiful, right?” Jimin chuckled, jumping into the backseat. “She’s ours for the next two weeks!”

“How expensive-”

“Hush,” Taehyung shushed you, placing a finger over your lips. “It’s fine Y/N. Money is but an object.”

“But the business-”

“Y/N,” Jungkook whined, his lips pulling into a pout as he joined Jimin in the back. “This vacation is supposed to take our minds off work, just relax. It’s fine.”

“He’s right. We have savings sweetie, it’s okay, just enjoy yourself.” Jimin coaxed you with a gentle smile. 

“C’mon,” Taehyung opened the passenger door for you, allowing you to sit against the warm leather seats. He closed the door, quickly running to the drivers side before starting the car. The engine purred to life and it’s rumble made your heart beat faster. 

Taehyung drove out of the lot with a squeal of the tires and out into the Arizona sun. The wind whipped through your hair and in between your fingers as you stared in awe at the mountains and cactuses and the long, dusty asphalt roads. Taehyung blared music through the radio, classic rock ringing through your ears with the sounds of the whipping wind. You could hear Jimin and Jungkook singing behind you, and you turned around to sneak a peak at them. 

Their hair was wild, whipping through the wind like yours, but their smiles were radiant, taking in the sun and music as you all drove deeper into the desert. They looked so happy and carefree, so beautiful and so loved that it made your heart clench. They put on each other’s sunglasses and when Jungkook caught you staring he just giggled, pulling an extra pair from his bag and shoving them up your nose, the bright, neon colors becoming a little muted. He bopped your nose, making you smile as you turned to Taehyung. 

He had his sunglasses on too, the wired ones with the pink lenses in them. His smile didn’t waver, weaving the car through twists and turns that caused you all to laugh from the speed. He caught your eye, sending you a sly wink when he grabbed your hand, pulling them up into the wind flying by. You laughed at his antics, throwing up your other hand and for the first time in a long while, you finally felt free. Free from the work, free from the stress. 

You were finally able to just let go.  

You screamed in joy, joining the boys singing in the backseat and you felt like you were home. You could feel the love your boys had for you and each other, and you hoped that they could feel your love for them too. You felt two other hands join yours and Taehyungs in the air, and when you looked and saw all your boys smiling at you, all of you holding each other’s hands, you knew you’d rather be no where else but here underneath the Arizona sun. 

The afternoon went on, the music never stopping and the wind always blowing. The sun soon began to set, and when you stopped for gas you all changed positions as you stretched your legs. Now Jimin was driving; Taehyung joined him up front as you and Jungkook lounged in the backseat. Jimin was slower in his driving, barely going over 30 mph, taking the backroads so that you all could cruise and watch the sunset. 

You were laying against Jungkook, your back pressed up against his chest as both your legs tangled across the length of the seat, Jungkook’s feet touching the other side of the car. You were idly taking pictures of the sunset with your phone, capturing the shades of orange, pink and purple while Jimin and Taehyung sang soft tunes in the front seats, their voices calming as the light breeze traveled around you. Jungkook’s arms were wrapped around you, the fabric of his hoodie soft and comforting. You snuggled further into his embrace, taking your final pictures before dropping your phone to the floor of the car, turning to hide your face into his chest. Jungkook chuckled, nudging his nose against the curve of your cheek gently, his wispy hair tickling your skin.

“Comfortable, sweetheart?” he hummed, his hands gently rubbing circles into your stomach. You nodded, gently grabbing one of Jungkook’s hands as you closed your eyes, feeling Jungkook’s smile against your skin.

“Aww, how cute.” Taehyung cooed from the front seat. You heard Jimin laugh, and could imagine him shaking his head in disbelief. 

“It is pretty cute, the two of them all wrapped up together like that.” Jimin admitted, a light giggle falling past his lips. You heard the shutter of a camera and Taehyung giggling.

“Adorable, especially with the sunset around them,” Jimin cooed, “You really do love cuddling with women, huh Kookie?” Jimin teased, and you could feel Jungkook laugh into your hair.

“I love cuddling with Y/N,” he corrected, “Besides, she lets me be the big spoon.”

Taehyung laughed at this, teasing Jimin for being the big spoon when Jungkook clearly had a good few inches on him.

“Women are just better cuddlers,” Taehyung admitted with a wistful sigh. “They’re so soft, and warm. Plus their boobs dude, they’re like little pillows.”

You giggled into Jungkook’s chest, and if only you could see the bright smile he gave you, his teeth poking out behind his lips as he giggled too.

“Don’t worry babe, you’re still an amazing cuddler.” Jungkook reassured his husband, his fingers gently squeezing your own. “But sometimes you just want a woman’s touch.”

“As long as it’s consensual I don’t care,” Jimin rolled his eyes playfully, a flirtatious glint etched in them. “Besides, I know you’ll always be back in my bed at the end of the day. You can’t resist this ass.” Jimin blew him a kiss and Taehyung laughed so hard that tears pooled into his eyes. 

The sky soon became dark, the stars shining in more amounts than you’ve ever seen, and you all stared in awe at the mass amount of them without the city lights around you.

“We need to find a place for the night.” Jimin said.

“Just keep going down this road, take the right fork back to the main road and go down a couple miles, I found a little place to stay at before we left.” Taehyung told Jimin.

“Jungkookie?”

“Hmm?”

“Where’re we going? What’s our final destination?” Jungkook just smiled, placing a peck into the palm of your hand.

“The beauty of spontaneity Y/N, is that you never really know. But just enjoy the adventure, Taehyung knows what he’s doing.” he whispered to you.

After another fifteen minutes you were all pulling up to an adobe styled hotel, with a central plaza and all. You all took your luggage from the trunk, admiring the clay walls and oil paintings as the hotel keeper showed you all to your rooms. You were with Taehyung again, to save money he said, but really you knew he was lonely without his fluffy dogs to keep him warm at night. Your suspicions were confirmed when you were met with only one, king-sized bed (Jimin and Jungkook later telling you that they both had one as well). The room was tan and beautiful, traditional art and rugs of the region were scattered about and the tiles of the floor were white and pristine. 

You were allowed five minutes to freshen up before the boys pulled you out to hunt for food, finding yourself in a saloon-esque building in another ten. There was a bar on one wall and tables with hungry patrons against the other, but the stage is what caught your eye the most. You knew the building had to have been a strip club at one point, the long cat-walk isle down the center of the room made that obvious. It was unoccupied however, the band of the evening opting to stay on the main stage instead. There were people dancing to the music as well, making you smile and think of the last time you danced with Yoongi under the moonlight. You wondered how he was doing and decided to text him later, after all, he was watching your houseplants for you.

Once your bellies were full of stew and dirty rice, you and Taehyung watched Jimin and Jungkook dance all around the wooden floors as you both nursed glasses of local whiskey. Taehyung hummed low in his throat and you figured now would be as good a time as any to bring up something that was pestering in your mind.

“Tae?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you tell Yoongi about our kiss?” you asked softly. No one knew about that fact except you three, not even Jimin or Jungkook who’ve been with you both for years. Taehyung sighed, groaning softly when he pulled his arms up in a stretch. 

“Confidant?” he said easily, rolling his eyes playfully when he saw your serious expression. “Okay fine. I told him about it as a tipoff.”

“A tipoff for what?” you questioned.

“After Art Walk, Yoongi called me and asked about you. He was whipped for you, extremely so. But that look you had in your eyes after we all left the elevator the night of the Cake launch, I knew you weren’t going to fall in love with him. You were pursuing him after a bad breakup Y/N, it was obvious you were drawn to Yoongi for his comforting words and wisdom. But he was persistent, so then I started talking about us, our friendship, and the kiss was mentioned in passing as a way just to get it over with. A friend trusting a friend. I think that gave him the tipoff that you were only seeing him as some sort of sanctuary. Yoongi knew it too, but he really wanted another’s opinion. And when it comes to you, who knows you better than me?” Taehyung shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. 

“So it was really you that prevented me and Yoongi from getting together.” you huffed, your lips pulling up. “You conniving little shit.” you smacked his arm and he just chuckled.

“Are you mad?”

“No,” you paused, tilting your head in thought. “If you would’ve told me that a few months ago, yes. But I’m kinda glad you did. I don’t want to be in a relationship based on false emotions. I was rushing to find love, but now I know good things come to those who wait.”

“Amen to that.” Taehyung raised his glass, clinking it with yours as you both downed the rest of your whiskey. “Come dance,” he ushered you out of your seat when a slower song started playing. He pressed his chest to your back as he guided you into a slow sway, his arms draped across your waist. You rolled your eyes, allowing your hands to grip onto his biceps.

“You’ve been working out.” you commented.

“Mmhmm.” he hummed into your hair.

“Who’re you trying to impress?” you teased.

“You,” he winked and he took your slap in stride. “What? I’m serious.”

“And so am I. We’ve already talked about this.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Taehyung mocked you, placing a kiss on your cheek. “You know you want me.”

“Only if neither of us are married by thirty-five.”

“Hey, it was thirty last time, you keep changing our contract.” Taehyung whined.

“Ugh, fine. Thirty then. Now for real, who’s the lucky person?”

“There’s a cute newbie working with the scientists,” he mumbled and you could feel the warmth of his blush rise. “He’s extremely sweet and endearing, a total fitness junkie. Him and Kookie workout sometimes. But I think he finds me intimidating and weird.”

“Is it the clothes, the elaborate makeup, or the flamboyantness do you think?” you teased and Taehyung whined behind you. “Okay, okay. Honestly, just talk to him Tae? If he doesn’t like you, your fishnets and crop-tops, your heels or your makeup then he doesn’t deserve someone as wonderful as you.”

“You’re too sweet,” Taehyung cooed, “But thank you.”

You hummed in acknowledgement, continuing to sway in place as you watched Jimin and Jungkook across the dance floor. They were entangled together, light staccato kisses being pressed between their lips as they held each other close. Your heart clenched; they looked so in love it was almost sickening, and no matter how much they teased each other or joked about having threesomes (honestly though, with Jungkook being Jungkook, you wouldn’t doubt it to be very real between them) they always ended up back together in each other’s arms. You guessed that’s what marriage entailed; always wanting to come back to the one you loved the most, the one you’d want to spend the rest of your life with. 

“Well I’ll be damned.” a voice broke you out of your stupor. “Y/N L/S, is that really you?”

You looked up and you gasped, easily breaking out of Taehyung’s grasp as you both looked at the person who spoke in shock. 

~*~

“Hoseok?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we’ll ever see each other again?”

“I’m moving to L.A., not to the moon.” the boy laying next to you chuckled, leaning over to place a tender kiss against your cheek.

“I know, but it’s still so far away, and I’ll miss you.” you admitted, a soft sigh expelling from your lips.

“Hey, look at me,” Hoseok cooed, taking one of your hands. You glanced over at him.

“I promise I’ll call, hell I’ll even write if I have to. Trust me, I’m not going to forget you Y/N.” he smiled, radiant and bright. “And after I graduate high school, I’m going to work and make enough money to move back home to be with you.”

~*~

You thought Hoseok had forgotten you. After he had left with his family, he did call, almost everyday. But as the months went on, after he had graduated, the calls came less and less, and eventually they just stopped. Oh, how you remember the longing for him to call you back, to return just one call, but he never did. It didn’t really “hurt”, after all, you both had left each other on good terms and it was a fleeting high school relationship. One filled with shy kisses and passing notes in class. You knew Hoseok must’ve been busy, making a living in America would certainly be a good enough excuse to forget to call. But he was still your first love, and his actions and loss in a promise made you guard the promises you chose to make, keeping those words tight and close until you knew you could trust another to not break them like Hoseok had. Even when Seokjin came along, the first man you were with after Hoseok, you still kept your guard up, albeit less than before. 

But of all things, you didn’t expect to see him standing in front of you, in a musty saloon in the middle of nowhere in Arizona, many years later. 

“Hoseok?” you questioned, carefully taking a step forward. 

He looked completely different from what you’ve remembered him to be. You always saw the eighteen year-old in your mind whenever you thought of him; mousey brown hair, scattered acne, gangly limbs, bright eyes and a smile to match. The man in front of you had dark red hair, matching the mountains of the desert. His face was tan, smooth, clear, and his arms and legs were taut with muscle and a few scattered scars. But you knew that smile anywhere, and those bright eyes haven’t aged a day, but still, you didn’t want to believe it was him. 

“Who’s my favorite Backstreet Boy?” you asked suddenly and Taehyung giggled behind you. Hoseok rolled his eyes.

“Really, the security question Y/N? C’mon, it’s me.” he tried again, taking a step closer to you.

“Then the answer should be easy.” you challenged.

“Y/N,” Taehyung shook his head with a chuckle, moving in front of you to give your friend a hug. Hoseok chuckled as Taehyung bounded into his arms, holding him close.

“Good to see you too Tae.” he ruffled the younger’s hair, looking at you expectantly. “Don’t I get a hug from you, Y/N?”

“Not until you answer the question.” you were persistent, and you must’ve spoken a little too loud, because Jimin and Jungkook came wandering over.

“Is there a problem here?” Jungkook asked defensively, wrapping a protective arm around your shoulder. Hoseok’s eyes followed Jungkook’s grip, a dark flash of something passing through them before they turned bright again.

“Stand down lover boy,” Taehyung chuckled. “This is Hoseok, a childhood friend from high school.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you!” Jimin, the ever loving man that he was, held out his hand and Hoseok took it with a smile.

“Y/N, this is ridiculous-”

“The security questions weren’t ridiculous in high school.” you countered. 

“That was eight years ago!” Hoseok laughed, shaking his head. “And us three made those up in case a zombie apocalypse broke out and someone was trying to impersonate us.”

“If you could remember all that you should know the answer.” you raised your eyebrow and Hoseok sighed, pursing his lips as he stared at Jungkook’s hand again, the boy’s arm still wrapped around you protectively. 

“Your favorite Backstreet Boy is Nick Carter, because he could dance really well. You used to tease me about him being a better dancer than me just to rile me up.” Hoseok smirked and you sighed in defeat

“Now c’mere,” Hoseok held his arms open and you moved into him, allowing his arms to wrap around you.

Damnit, he was warm, and he smelled so good. You relaxed in hold involuntarily, your guard dropping.

“I’ve missed you. So, so much.” he whispered into your ear. You pulled away from him with a small smile.

“I’ve missed you too, but you have a lot of explaining to do.”

~*~

“You have every right to be upset-”

“Damn right I do.” you agreed, watching as the boys danced around while you and Hoseok took refuge at the table. Taehyung ushered the other two out to dance, knowing you’d want to talk with Hoseok alone and after a few shots, they were more than willing to do so as more party-goers came out to dance to the country twang as the night grew darker.

“You broke your promise.” you continued, your voice a little softer this time. “You, sir, are the cause of a lot of trust issues.”

“Guilty,” Hoseok chuckled, and his laugh was contagious. “After graduation, I knew I didn’t want to stay in L.A.”

“Why’s that?”

“It was too artificial, too showy. But I loved the desert, I loved the mountains.” Hoseok eyes lit up. “I taught dance while I was there though, saved money and bought my own car and I just drove and drove until the car broke down at a Native American reservation about fifty miles from here, over the river.” he paused, biting his lip.

“Hobi?” you questioned, and the corners of his lips turned up at the use of your old nickname.

“Most of the money I saved was originally going towards a plane ticket, to go back home to Korea. To see you.” he admitted. “But something called me here. I couldn’t let it go, so I took the risk and I’ve never been happier. The population is less than 5,000, quiet and local. And I work as a river guide, taking groups down the rapids for hours at a time. I even do multi day excursions, just exploring the flora and fauna and meeting wonderful people as we camp under the stars.”

“Well, that explains the muscles.” you chuckled. Hoseok sighed, reaching out to take your hand in his.

“There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I didn’t think about calling you. About calling your parents or Taehyung when one day your number just didn’t go through anymore. It’s hard out here though, signal’s are always going out.”

“When it was in though, why didn’t you?” you asked. “I missed you, Hoseok. You were my first love, but more than that, you were my friend too.”

“I don’t know why,” he answered honestly. “But I can tell you I missed you too. So much. I saw you in the cactus flowers, the stars in the sky, but none of them compare to you now. You’re so much more beautiful than I remembered you to be.” you chuckled, shaking your head at him.

“You still have your way with words.” you teased.

“No, I genuinely mean it Y/N.” he gripped your hand tighter. “You look more…relaxed, more glowing and bright. It’s gorgeous, you’re gorgeous.”

“Oh, stop.” you blushed, avoiding his gaze.

“I won’t, I have seven years of complimenting to catch up on. I know I’ve broken my promise of coming back, but I never stopped thinking about you in the corner of my mind. Can you forgive me for hurting you? For breaking your trust?” you’ve never heard Hoseok beg before, but you guessed this would as close as you can get to it. He looked so hopeful. You sighed, picking up your drink and taking a tentative sip as Hoseok was practically falling off the edge of his seat. 

“I’ll forgive, but I won’t forget Mr. Jung.” you smirked and Hoseok’s smile permeated your heart and warmth spread through your belly, but you blamed the whiskey for that. 

“I’ll take what I can get.” Hoseok chuckled, his thumb gently rubbing over the back of your hand. “So, what’ve you been doing on the other side of the world while I’ve been scaling the white waters?”

“Well, remember Tae and I’s dream of having our own company?”

“Nah, shut up. You guys didn’t.” Hoseok exclaimed, his smile growing as you pulled up your company’s website on your phone, showing him the PR photos of you and the three boys posing with the Cake palette, each one’s eyeshadows depicting a different look with a mirage of colors. 

“We did.” you giggled as Hoseok scrolled through the products with awe in his eyes.

“I can’t believe it, I’m so proud!” he said, pushing your phone back to you. “Was that Taehyung’s idea? The whole food/cake thing?”

“Actually, it was mine. Our top seller too. These were Tae’s. And Jungkook’s and Jimin’s.” you puffed your chest out with pride, pointing at all of the products. 

“Well I’ll be damned then. It’s beautiful.” Hoseok gave you a thumbs up. “But why is that the only thing you’ve created? Clearly you have the talent.”

“I’ve been having a lot of stress lately. With the marketing, the projections, worrying about finances with Kookie and promotional and social media with Jimin, and allowing Taehyung to experiment and create at his own free will, I guess I lost my creative spark.” you admitted with a sigh. “That’s why we’re all here. Taehyung booked us this vacation to help us relax and get the creativity flowing again, because if we don’t have another sale like Cake, we’re slowly going to go under.”

Hoseok hummed softly in understanding. 

“I guess there’s also the ‘second project’ syndrome that’s messing with my mind too. I’m afraid that whatever I design and produce with the boys won’t live up to the Cake palette’s hype. Cake sold out completely in Korea in two days, and two weeks later they were sold out internationally. Our workers were doing overtime to keep up with sales.” you continued. “I just feel stuck. Even though this place makes me feel free, I know I’ll have to return to that limbo when it’s done, and that scares me.”

“Y’know what you need?” Hoseok told you.

“What?”

“A sense of freedom.”

~*~

That’s what prompted you and the boys to stay in Hoseok’s house for the remainder of your vacation. His house was comfy enough for the five of you, and the homey touches did make you feel better than staying in an artificial hotel. 

Hoseok helped you all let go. 

Hoseok took you all to see the secrets of the mountains and canyons, the river guiding you down trails of adrenaline and clarity. The hiking brought you beautiful horizons, the cactuses providing nourishment from the source, and the river brought you splashing wars and chicken fights, of gentle floating in ravines and laying out on the red sandbars, but it also brought you adventure as the rapids licked your cheeks and flew you over rocks and mini waterfalls. And the rocks aided you all, providing stepping stones, glimpses into the wildlife’s habitat, and great heights to fall into deep pockets of water. Jimin documented it all, only posting the best pictures of your vacation to your SMS, much to Taehyung’s dissatisfaction (”Hyung! I don’t have makeup on, you can’t post that!” “But Taehyung, none of us are, we’re all barefaced.” “Yeah but you guys actually look good without makeup.”).

As Hoseok took you out more and more, your trust in him began to grow again. He showed you friendship, he showed you consistency, he showed you attentiveness and honesty, giving you his everything and anything. He jumped off the cliffs with you into the waters below, he showed you the scorpions and lizards with careful hands, gave you prickly pears and their juice when there wasn’t enough for the five of you, and he fought with you in the water against the other boys, comradery and unity forming between you both again. You both fell back into the friendship you thought you lost, and Hoseok made your heart feel light. You trusted him, from his reoccurring actions and signs of love and clarity. And you had forgiven him, understanding now how easy it would be to isolate yourself into the land of red rocks and sand, living without a care in the world as the sun stroked your back and dried your hair into knots and waves. 

The two weeks seemed to go by too fast, but you knew it happened from the looks of your sun-kissed skin and water-logged locks. A few scars and bruises also joined your skin, caused by falling out of the raft on the rapids and landing on hidden rocks beneath the water. You found yourself and the boys lounging out poolside on the last night of your vacation while Hoseok cleaned up the dinner of smoked barbeque and margaritas. You were laying out on one of Hoseok’s pool chairs with your sketch book, drawing the mountains and setting sun while watching Taehyung and Jungkook fight in the pool. Jimin sat next to you, flipping through the pictures he took that day.

“Y/N?” Jimin called. You looked up at him over the edge of your sunglasses before you heard him snap a picture. He smiled, looking up at you with sweet eyes.

“Beautiful.” he told you, showing you the picture. Your sunglasses and floppy sun hat blocked half of your face, but the edge of a smile laced your lips as Jimin captured your natural expression. You could see the base colors on your sketch pad, your coverup only barely revealing the bikini top you wore with your shorts and flip flops. Your hair was wavy from the chlorinated water you were swimming in earlier, and your cheeks were pink and speckled with sun freckles.

“You really are talented with a camera Jiminie.” you complimented him.

“It’s all you sweetie, just an au-natural Y/N. Beautiful in her natural state.” Jimin’s words made you blush, normally he wasn’t this foreword with you, his flirtation usually just reserved for Jungkook. “I’m so posting this as a teaser that we’re working creatively again.”

“Go ahead Jimin, I won’t whine about it like some people.” you said with a chuckle.

“Heard that!” Taehyung yelled before he was shoved underneath the water again by Jungkook.

“I agree with Jimin.” Hoseok was suddenly behind you, making you jump in surprise. “You look beautiful with Arizona written all over you.”

When Hoseok told you that he would be catching up on his compliments he wasn’t kidding, giving you at least one every day. You didn’t know if it was because he felt guilty or really just wanted you to feel beautiful. Whatever it was though, you appreciated it immensely, his words doing wonders to your ego and self confidence.

“I wanna show you something.” Hoseok told you. His eyes had that spark in them, and you could tell he was eager to drag you out for the rest of the night.

“Okay.”

Hoseok grinned, grabbing your hand and dragging you out the back gate of his home, taking you up the side of the mountain in his backyard. You giggled when he became too excited, almost falling off the side of the red rock with a sheepish smile, heading your advice to go just a little slower. You hiked up the path until the sun had set, following Hoseok until he pulled you away from the main path, following the curves of the rocks until he led you to a tunnel.

“Hoseok…”

“Hmm? Are you scared?” Hoseok teased, playfully pinching your sides.

“It’s really dark,” you said hesitantly, peering into the hole in the rock formation.

“C’mon, it’s safe enough, it’s like a slide.” he smiled, sitting down on the sandy gravel. “I’ll even hold you if you want. Please? It’ll be so worth it.” he held his hand out to you, the other patting the open space between his legs. You bit your lip, your eyes flickering between his expectant stare and the darkness of the tunnel. With a huff you joined him on the ground, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around you like a safety belt.

“If I die tonight, I’m blaming you Jung Hoseok.”

He chuckled, inching you both forward until you were at the mouth of the tunnel.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.” you nodded. Suddenly, you were sliding down an endless tunnel. You could hear Hoseok’s joyful laughter over your screams of shock and then as soon as you started, you stopped, your eyes bulging at what you saw.

You were in some sort of crater in the middle of the mountain, because you could see the sky and the stars above you, creating a ceiling for the tall rock that surrounded you. But there was an oasis in the crater. It couldn’t have been more than fifteen feet wide, but around it’s bank there were little sprouts and cactuses growing, and an old blanket laying across the ground.

“Worth it?” Hoseok asked and you could hear the smugness in his voice.

“I don’t know, I think I bruised my butt on the slide down.” you joked, standing and brushing the dirt off your clothes. You moved closer to the oasis, gently running your fingers over the surface of the water; it was warmer than you thought it’d be.

“A lot of frogs breed here, honestly I think it’s the only place the tadpoles can survive in in a twenty mile radius.” Hoseok commented, crouching down next to you.

“How’d you find this place?” you asked.

“Hiking accident,” he winked. “I fell down the tunnel, slipped on some loose rock and ended up here. It was pretty in the day, but at night, you can see everything. C’mon.”

He took you to the blanket, stretching out and laying against it with his hands supporting his head. You laid down next to him, looking up at the amounts of stars shining above you. The moon added a glow to your vision, the entire little room basking a light blue haze around you both. 

“You can see everything. There’s the North star, and the Little Dipper connecting off of it,” Hoseok pointed to the sky and you followed his finger as he named every constellation you could see. You just watched him with love in your eyes; his passion was evident in the way he spoke about the stars and the region and you honestly couldn’t imagine him being anywhere else but here in this small desert town. When his voice grew silent you focused back on him and saw he was staring at you now, just like how you were absentmindedly staring at him. You blushed, chuckling softly but you didn’t look away.

“You were staring.” Hoseok pointed out.

“I know.”

“Are you still infatuated with my good looks?” he teased, turning onto his side to better face you. You turned onto your side too, making the tips of your noises almost touch. 

“Yeah, you wish.” you giggled. Hoseok gave you a half-hearted chuckle in return, his lips falling into a frown.

“I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days.” Hoseok admitted.

“About?”

“About us.” he said easily. “About what we would’ve become if I hadn’t moved. About what we would’ve been if you came out here. About what would’ve happened if we somehow, someway, stayed together.”

“Hoseok…”

“I don’t regret my actions, not at all. But sometimes I wonder what we could’ve been. Haven’t you?”

You squirmed, playing with your hands as you thought. Sure, you’ve missed Hoseok, immensely so. But you never thought about what could’ve been. The thought didn’t cross your mind after building the business and dealing with love in pain and love in patience back-to-back.

“You’re hesitating,” Hoseok chuckled, stopping your fidgeting movements so you could focus entirely on him. “Why?”

“I guess I have some issues when it comes to talking about romantic relationships now.” you chuckled. “I’ve had two complicated relationships with two different people in the past year and a half, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Y/N, it’s just me, I’m not going to get hurt by what you say. Just be honest. Don’t you trust me enough to do that? I feel offended.” Hoseok laughed and you shook your head quickly.

“No! No that’s not it! After these past weeks, I’ve grown to trust you again Hoseok. Completely with all my heart. If I’m being honest…I hadn’t really thought about us and what could’ve been. I was too busy with the business and the past love complications. I’m sorry.” you sighed. Hoseok just smiled, taking your hand in his.

“Thank you for being honest, and I’m not that surprised really. It’s been seven long years of growth for the both of us. I wouldn’t expect you to think about me that way anymore, but a guy can hope sometimes,” Hoseok laughed and the air around you both still seemed light, and for that you were grateful.

“But still, why so hesitant when talking about love? Honesty should always be the forefront, and that shouldn’t make you uneasy.” Hoseok pestered on.

“I guess I don’t trust myself enough to admit my feelings to myself or others for that matter. Really, I just want to know I actually love a person first before I start trusting myself and my emotions with them. Y’know?”

“Oh Y/N,” Hoseok chuckled, his smile lighting up your soul. “Trust is always built first to allow love to grow. I trust you…so much. You’re honest, you’re reliable, and your heart is so open for love and friendship that it makes mine pound. When you say you love someone or something, you show it to your full capacity. I can see it in the way you look at Taehyung, Jimin, Jungkook, and with me. And that’s worth everything to me, even more so that the actual feeling of love. And if I can see that, then everyone else can too. So allow yourself to trust and be honest with the people you care about, because they can see the truth within you too and will appreciate you more for talking about it.” Hoseok spewed, his eyes light and understanding.

You smiled, realizing the true extent of what Hoseok’s words meant. How trust was built for love, and how his trust equated to his love for you. You suddenly brought him in for hug, making him chuckle.

“Aww, Y/N.” Hoseok cooed, hugging you close to him.

“I love you.” you told him, pulling back to see his reaction. Hoseok’s smile just grew and he placed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“And I love you.” he giggled. 

“Thank you, for making this trip even more amazing than it already was.” Hoseok waved his hand absentmindedly.

“It was my pleasure. Besides, giving up a moment to hang out with you and Tae again? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

“It’s just sad we have to leave you behind.” you pouted.

“You’re not, not really. I’ll always be here.” he said, placing his hand on your chest over where your heart was. You smiled, placing your hand over his chest as well.

“And I’ll be here with you too.” Hoseok smiled, placing a light kiss against your lips. 

It wasn’t more than a peck, like how a mother would kiss her child, but it held so much for you. So much love and understanding and light that you allowed Hoseok to do it again, and again. Until the pecks turned into a full kiss, your lips sliding together as you kissed under the lights of the stars. Hoseok pulled you close, holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world to him. His hands gripped your hips, firm and steady to keep you from physically swooning. You giggled when Hoseok bit your lip, pulling away from you with his signature heart-shaped smile. 

“Just like old times, right?” he teased and you giggled, nodding your head.

“Just like old times.”

“Maybe I’ll come out one day and visit. I can’t leave this place though, the desert is my home now.” Hoseok said, the tips of his fingers running over the top hem of your shorts, occasionally brushing the skin of your back. 

“Please? We missed you more than you know.” you chuckled.

“I promise,” he said, placing a parting kiss on your cheeks. “You’re going to make someone feel very loved someday Y/N. And you’re going to get that same love back, tenfold.”

“It’s nice of you to think so.” you laughed, playfully shoving his shoulder. 

“I know so,” he countered, his eyes growing a little wider as he spoke. “My mom always told me this whenever I mentioned love; ‘The people who trust the most, always love the most, therefore, they will always find someone who loves like they do. Because the ones who love the most, deserve someone who can keep up with them and their love for the world.’.” Hoseok paused, allowing his eyes to roam over your face, to stare into your eyes one more time before he let you go. “And honey, you deserve that kind of loving.”

[pierregaslays]

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 29, 32, 36, 41, 42, 43, 46, annnnnnnnd 49 :3ccc

1) yes thank u

2) anything sweet n sugary

3) love someone - lukas graham has been stuck in my head for a month or idk fam anything by kodaline or lewis capaldi

5) gross. the worst experience of my life. offensive. horrific. i could go on

6) bi af

7) love letters omg

8) angst angst angst

9) yes but also this time it’s for keeps

12) lillies

13) do i have one? idk anything that smells like. is fresh a fragrance? like idk beachy vibes

15) something fun where we could be competitive

17) my clothes

19) S N O W

22) he ain’t fictional but carlos

24) ur asking the person who naturally blushes what makes her blush? LIFE MAKES ME BLUSH FAM. but also. compliments and jokes

27) denim jackets n bomber jackets and leather jackets on special occasions

29) i am not and never plan to be again

32) crazy rich asians

36) star gazing. i’m a lil astronomy nerd

41) coca cola thank u

42) lying dramatically over the sofa. come on dude. lemme be dramatic

43) you are the dancing queen, young and sweet only SEVEEEEEENTEEEEEN (also s/o to waterloo, why did it have to be me, when i kissed the teacher and the winner takes it all)

46) tequila

49) nose kisses holy fuck i’m soft

[mintyvan]

Pacifier song preference 5/4

an angsty!Van tries to prove to himself that he doesn’t need his ex-gf

Bondy finds out something that changes his life, and calls you on the phone upset.

bestfriend!Bob has a shoulder for you to cry on

you’ve got a crush on Benji and the guys are being annoying about it

Larry's taken you on a roadtrip and at the end there’s a surprise

[read under the cut]

Van

Obligatory wine Evidently proves that I don't need you

His words were slurring as he spoke to the bartender. You watched him from afar, curious as to how his life has been without you. You hadn’t expected to see him at a bar so far from home, but then again - you used to come here with him sometimes when he’d stay over at yours. Maybe he’d come for old times’ sake. But this time, he’d come alone.

You debated on whether or not to speak to him - you thought it rude not to, (that’s just how you were raised) but you paused and thought about how it might feel for him, to have his ex girlfriend approach him as he’s pissed drunk in a bar in your territory. 

The wine glass was almost toppling in his drunk hands, sloshing a bit too much for elegance. He took a big gulp, and slouched his shoulders into himself. He checked his phone for notifications. You could tell from your point of view that there were none. He sat back on the barstool, tucked his phone back into his pocket, and took a deep breath, setting the glass of wine on the bar. He looked around, head turning, and then locked eyes with you.

His blue orbs were wider and rounder than you’d ever seen them. He doubted you’d be here. He’d probably expected to get some inspiration by coming to a place you and he used to come to all the time, now abandoned by him as a consequence of the breakup. He was probably looking for an isolated time alone with his thoughts and memories, putting himself through misery in order to get some kind of artistic creation. You knew Van’s songs were about pain. Never about happiness. 

You decided in that moment to come up to him, because he’d not made any moves to leave the barstool. You were surprised he was standing his ground.

“Hi Van,” you said, not letting the awkwardness he was projecting seep into your skin. It had been a year since the breakup. It wasn’t affecting you anymore to look into his baby blue eyes and speak to him. You were almost hoping for closure.

“Hello, Y/N,” he said in that cocky voice of his, the one he put on when he needed a confidence boost. Only you knew about this quirk.

“What brings you to this side of town?” you ask him, genuinely curious.

“Well, not you, that’s for sure.”

“Alright then. I was just trying to be nice.”

“You know, Y/N, I never needed this,” he gestured around to the bar, between you both, and to the general atmosphere. “I never needed it,” he whispered to himself before taking another large gulp of the red wine.

“You hate wine, Van.”

“Not tonight.” He sat up to ask the bartender for the check, and when it was handed to him, you gasped at how much wine he’d been drinking.

“Need it for my lyrics,” he muttered.

“Van.... are you... like.... are you okay?” you asked him, tilting his chin up to look at you. His eyes were sunken, the premature wrinkles above his eyebrows were a little more prominent from a lack of sleep, or alcohol, or both. He looked like shit.

“I’m alright, Y/N, I don’t need you to tell me how I’m doing,” he snapped, moving his chin away from your hand quickly. He signed the check and retrieved his credit card. He put it back in his wallet, slid his wallet in his back pocket, and hopped off the stool. 

You grabbed his arm to steady him, and he looked back up at you with something -- was it tears? -- glistening in his eyes.

“Goodbye, Y/N.” 

And with that, he was out the door.

Bondy

Oh but babe, you know I've tried and failed But you just don't know how it feels To lose something you never have and never will

Bondy’s hands shook as he dialed your number. On the third ring, you picked up. 

“Hey babe, not a suuuper great time to call - I’m kind of at work right now, remember? I can call you in 10 though, when my lunch break starts.”

“Y/N, this can’t really wait.” You could hear the distress in his voice and immediately your back stood straighter in your chair. 

“Oh. Okay, let me, uh, let me tell Julie I’m stepping out for a second.” The worries in your head started bubbling up as you asked your boss if you could take your lunch break early.

Bondy heard shuffling around and muffled conversation on the other line, but soon you were back on, and sitting in your car for privacy.

“What’s wrong, John?” 

A long pause.

“I.... Y/N... remember how we’ve been having the most bangin’ sex ever? And like... how we’ve been trying to have kids?”

“John, did you call me to tell me I’m pregnant? Because I’m pretty sure I’d know before you did. And I’m not,” you chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. 

“I know, I know..... I kind of..... did something behind your back.”

“W-what?”

“I went to the doctor, and--” his sniffles became audible “I got tested and -- I found out I’m not fertile” he choked out.

Your heart dropped. You’d never experienced anything like this before. The image you’d held in your mind of what your future would be like with him slowly melted away. You found a tear slowly leak out your eyes. You’d never be able to have Bondy’s kids. He’d never be able to have yours. 

He broke the silence by crying harder into the phone. “I’m -- I’m so sorry baby -- I never expected--”

“Shhh,” you cooed into the phone despite your own tears rolling down your cheeks. “We’ll find a way to make it work.”

“But I’m fucking broken! My dick is actually broken! I can’t even give you what you want most!” He yelled into the receiver.

He’d held the phone away from his face after that, sobbing into the denim covered knees he’d drawn up around himself on his couch. 

“I’m coming home, John. I love you. And..... we can always adopt, right? I love you. I love you so much. I’m coming straight home. I love you. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Bob

I’m her pacifier

“And cookies for the lady!” Bob exclaimed proudly, putting a hot tray of cookies down in front of you on the coffee table. 

“Thanks, Bob.”

“And don’t forget the cup of almond milk to dip them in!” his singsong voice proclaimed as he set down a glass of milk next to them. You smiled in thanks.

He sat down next to you, curly hair brushing your cheek as he wrapped you in a bear hug. “Everything’s going to be okay, Y/N.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll get over him eventually. He was a piece of shit. A manipulative piece of shit who didn’t deserve someone so kind and loving. He’ll get what’s coming around,” he whispered on top of your hair. 

You pulled away to get a good look at him. “I love you, Bob. So much. Thanks for letting me stay over.”

“Hey, I said nothing about staying over!” he feigned. “But of course you can. You’re my best friend, and I’ll do anything for you. Stay as long as you need; I’ll be here.”

Benji

She said "I'm feeling like it's putting on When you say you don't need me And you want nothing of me."

“Come on, Y/N,” Larry laughed around a mouthful of chips. “You’ve got to like him. You know you do.” 

“Nope.”

“The way you look at Benji is the way I look at Lou. And we all know how I feel about Lou,” Bondy said, blowing smoke out of his mouth as he precariously leaned back in his chair. The rest of the Catfish crew laughed.

“Oh! There he is! The man of the night!” your cousin Van said as Benji re-entered the room. All night, ever since you’d hinted to Van about your crush on Benji, the news had spread like wildfire in the group. Every time Benji would get up to leave, the conversation would recommence.

“And why am I the man of the night?”

“Hopefully later you’ll see,” Bondy winked, and Benji rolled his eyes. He was used to supposedly mindless banter.

“Hey everyone, why don’t we play an old favorite of mine, a game of spin the bottle? There’s enough of us here!” Van said, winking. The winks from everyone were getting annoying and you regretted telling them anything about your crush on Benji at all. 

“I don’t mind kissing Van,” Larry piped up, and settled himself in front of Van. You laughed, and still didn’t understand what Larry saw in your cousin.

“Actually, could I just speak to Benji for a second?” you asked. They definitely weren’t expecting that. 

“Sure, Y/N,” Benji said, to the happiness, and dramatic irony, of the group.

You led Benji outside onto Van’s back patio, and from inside, the boys could see you discussing with him about something, your smile slowly growing wider and wider as you spoke frantically, and then as Benji spoke. At last, through the window, the guys saw you both stick a middle finger in the air, and your lips met for the first time of many.

“Guess we don’t need to play anymore, then?” Bondy snickered, shaking so hard that he fell over in his chair.

Larry

There's always some kid to snide

It was your first roadtrip with Larry, and it had gone magically well so far - the cities you’d gone to were swathed in sunlight, the weather was good all week, and you’d slept well every night with Larry by your side despite being in motels. Even getting snacks was fun; Larry always told you that you could have anything you wanted, and you both laughed hysterically at the strange local items you could find at a gas station. 

It was the last stop of the trip, and the last gas station you were at was just by Larry’s place. You figured you’d still get snacks for when you got home, because you’d had to clean out your fridge before leaving so things wouldn’t go bad.

Larry’s hand wrapped around your shoulder as you both stepped out of the gas station, iced tea, chips, and candy in Larry’s hand and an ice cold Coca Cola and a chocolate bar in yours. He pressed a kiss to the side of your temple, and you smiled back up at him lovingly.

Suddenly, something icy cold hit Larry’s leg and he stumbled over the sidewalk. 

“Oi! Bastard!” he yelled, reclaiming his footing.

You looked down and Larry’s pant legs were soaked from a stream of water as a hooded figure ran away laughing. 

“Wasn’t expecting assholes to run around my hometown with fuckin’ water guns!” Larry exclaimed.

You peered harder at the hooded figure, who was now walking up toward you both with a cheeky smirk.

“Wait.... Van?”

[eyushfoshvoidfjovdfoojojvod]

✁     𝖊𝖟𝖗𝖆  𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖓𝖊𝖗'𝖘  𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖘     .

under  the  cut  you  will  find  that  i  have  completed  the     moreautask:02     for  my     very     angry  white  boy     .     enjoy     !

𝖇𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖘

full  name     :     ezra  james  castner     . nickname     :     ez     . age     :     twenty - three     . date of birth     :     april  twenty - second     . gender     /     pronouns     :     cismale     /     he     ,     him     . sexual  orientation     :     heterosexual     . romantic  orientation     :     heteroromantic     .

𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕𝖘

mother     :     catherine  brinley     . father     :     henry  castner     . siblings     :     none     . children     :     none     . significant other     :     none     .   pets     :     none     .

𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊

faceclaim     :     nick  robinson     . weight     :     180  lbs     . height     :     six - foot  two     . eye color     :     hazel     . hair     :     light  brown     /     relatively  long     /     x     ,     x     ,     x     . build     :     lean     ,     slightly  muscular     . voice     /     accent     :     raspy     ,     articulate     . scar(s)     :     a  midsize  scar  along  his  lower  abdomen     &     another  one  similar  in  size  upon  his  left  lower  leg     . distinguishing  feature(s)     :     prominent  dark  circles  around  the  eyes     ,     untamed  hair     ,     occasional  bruises  upon  the  face  or  body     . dominant hand     :     right     . piercing(s)     :     none     . tattoo(s)     :     none     . physical  habits     :     clenching  of  the  jaw  when  provoked     ,     cracking  his  knuckles  subconsciously     ,     running  his  fingers  through  his  hair     ,     rubbing  his  hand  on  the  back  of  his  neck     .

𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖞𝖑𝖊

hometown     :     san  diego     ,     california     . current  residence     :     los  angeles     ,     california     . nationality     :     american     . ethnicity     :     croatian     ,     swedish     ,     danish     ,     english     . religion     :     atheist     . spoken  languages     :     english     . education     :     high  school  graduate     . financial  status     :     middle  class     . occupation     :     photographer     . likes     :     comic  books     ,     photography     ,     vinyls      ,      sneakers      ,     worn - out  denim     ,     skateboarding     ,     black  coffee     ,     retro  cars     ,     hoodies     ,     polaroids     ,      video  games     ,     art  museums     ,     conspiracy  theories     ,     street lights     ,     books     ,      in-n-out  food     ,     constructive     ,     black     &     white  films     ,     football     ,     cigarettes     ,     animals     ,     nature     . dislikes     :     racism     ,     sexism     ,     homophobia     ,     transphobia     ,     donald  trump     ,     bullies     ,     needles     ,     snobs     ,     arrogance     ,     pollution     ,     littering     ,     fires     ,     crocs     ,     country  music     ,     insults     ,     scolding     ,     disrespect     ,     rumors     ,     gossip     . fears     :     humiliation     ,     betrayal     ,     failure     ,     rejection     ,     heartbreak   . drink     /     smoke     /     drugs     :     yes     /     yes     /     yes     .

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗

label     :     the  irate     . positive  traits     :      insightful     ,     outspoken     ,     independent     ,     resolute     ,     fearless     ,     witty     . negative  traits     :     blunt     ,     sarcastic     ,     mistrustful     ,     hot - tempered     ,      violent     . western  zodiac     :     taurus     . moral  alignment     :     chaotic neutral     . MBTI     :     ISTJ     ‘     logistician     ’     . temperament     :     choleric     . hogwarts  house     :     slytherin     . song     :     seven  nation  army  by  the  white  stripes     .

𝖋𝖆𝖛𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘

food     :     italian     . drink     :     coca  cola     . snack     :     potato  chips     . color     :     black     . season     :     winter     . animal     :     elephant     . memory     :     buying  his  first  camera     . band     /     artist     :     the  weeknd     . song     :     pray  for  me  by  the  weeknd     &     kendrick  lamar     . book     :     catcher  in  the  rye     . movie     :     deadpool     . tv  show     :     mind  hunter     .

[hamiltonaf]

Jeff Atkins x Reader | Friendzone - (Part 1)

A/N: I thought I would post this first because I planned the plot in like 5 mins and currently having writers block for the 2 requested ones but I hope they will be up by next week. Enjoy, like and follow. Requests are not open until further notice. Much love. Send me feedback on what you think so far. Part 2 ? .xx

(Part 2) | (Part 3) | (Part 4)

Life is great when you know you have at least one loyal best friend. It’s better than having 10 okay friends. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to have entered my life and that was my best friend, Jeff Atkins.

We in actual fact met because of our parents since we’re both neighbours and was new to the neighbourhood at the time, Jeff’s parents had invited us over to his house for dinner. I was shy to speak to someone who was as handsome as Jeff, I wasn’t one to speak to boys in a hurry and where I came from was an all girls school. Knowing that I’m going to the same school as him also had given me the chills, who knows what’s in stored for me. Though that night Jeff had gotten me to show my bubbly and loud side - we had a lot in common.

Jeff introduced me to his friends which I was glad they were all easy to make conversations with but I didn’t believe they were being genuine about who they say they were.

Through time, I started to have feelings for Jeff as more than a friend. This really did scare me because I didn’t want to lose the friendship we had. Worst case scenario is me telling him that I love him and have been in love with him since the start, all he would say is nothing and probably laugh at me like everyone else.

I thought to myself that I should set my feelings for him aside and just worry about our friendship. Problem is that he has a girlfriend named Jazmin for a while now. He seems to be head over heels for her and well I can’t change that. She was the new girl at our school, Jeff couldn’t stop talking about her and since Clay was her buddy, it was a bonus for Jeff so he had an excuse to talk to her. They’ve been dating for a good 6 months.

Later today our whole school was invited to Jess’ house party. As much as I didn’t want to go Jeff insisted that I come with and of course Jazmin was going to tag along. No hate to her, she’s really sweet and pretty - everything that I’m not - we both had become acquaintances.

It was currently 3pm and the party was at 6pm. I was busy studying and decided on getting ready at 5 since Jess’ house is literally 5 minutes away from mine. As I was just about to get back to studying my notifications went off, it was a message from Hannah asking if I was going. I replied back saying yes and hoped to see her there. I left my phone aside and was finishing off my summaries. My phone was ringing this time, I groaned in annoyance, we’re all going to see each other later today anyway so I don’t see what’s the need for the messages and phone calls.

It was a call from Jeff. “Hello” I answered plainly. “Sup bestie” Jeff enthused. “Busy studying well was until you interrupted me. How about you ?” I asked. “Oh my bad Miss. Y/L/N looks like the next time I shouldn’t bother to phone you at all” he said sarcastically. “That’s fine by me” I giggled. “Anyways I just wanted to know if you need a ride ? I’m just on my way to fetch Jazmin and thought I can pop by to pick you up” he said. “Nah it’s okay, thanks for the offer, though I’ll walk” I said. “Are you kidding me ? Do you know how dangerous it is for you to walk alone at night ? I’m coming to pick you up. No buts. See you in a bit” he said lastly and ended this call. Gosh this boy.

I left my work as it was on my study table and started looking through my closet for an outfit. I finally picked out a cropped black lace off the shoulder top with denim short shorts paired with adidas original superstars. I left my hair as its natural wavy state with subtle make up on. I sprayed on some perfume, grabbed my phone and decided to sit on my front porch whilst I waited. 2 minutes later Jeff parks in front, I jumped in the back “Hey” I smiled. “Heya” they replied back. “I love your outfit” she said as she looked at me through the rear mirror. “Aww thanks, I love yours too” I said and turned to look at her in the passenger seat. I felt Jeff look at me through the rear mirror but he didn’t say anything.

We got to the party and as soon as we got there we 3 had dispersed. Well, I was on my own and I’m sure they’re somewhere here together. I walked into Jess’ house and taking in my surroundings, as close as Jess and I may stay we aren’t the bestest of friends though we’re good enough acquaintances.

I spotted Clay and Hannah talking by the couch. “Aww well if it ain’t my favourite people” I cooed. They’re so cute honestly get married already. “Oh hey Y/N it’s good to see you here other than worrying about your books” Clay said and pulled me in for a hug. “Look who’s talking, this isn’t my first party Jensen. I’m the one shocked to see you here that goes for you too Han” I said. “I thought I should try something different” Clay said. “Same here” Hannah added. “I can tell you both did, loving the hair by the way Hannah" I said lastly and faded off into the kitchen.

All I need right now was a drink though I’m not talking about alcohol. Alcohol is not always the option when you’re sad. I poured myself a cup of Coca Cola and walked back to where Clay, and Hannah was. “You guys want a drink ?” I asked. “Nah we’re good” Hannah smiled and shook the cup in her hand. I thought I might as well sit next to them on the couch but then Jess and Justin beat me to it. They were both clearly pissed drunk but it was more evident on Jess. “Hey Y/N” she waved. “Hii” I waved back at them. She then moved her attention to the suck and blow game happening in front of them. “Hey ! We want to play too” Jess whined. I took a quick look at all the participants and surprise surprise, Jeff and Jazmin were playing too. Can I even stand to watch this ?

The card started from Zach to Sheri, to Monty to another blonde, to Jeff. I don’t even know his this boy couldn’t hold onto that card for a few seconds longer. It fell from his lips and he was quick to connect his with Jazmin. “Excuse me” I told Clay and Hannah. They know. I walked out to the front yard and sat on the staircase, I tried not to cry from the pain but I was weak. A tear dropped onto my thigh, I quickly wiped away my tears in hopes that no one sees me crying - I don’t want to cause a scene - their was a hand placed on my shoulder. I looked back to the person and it was Zach. “Hey are you okay ?”

[ebizworldwide]

How Small Businesses Can Benefit from a “Lean and Agile” Startup Culture

Do you ever before ask yourself how a little start-up with merely a few individuals can accomplish so a lot quickly? Why are corporations like Coca-Cola, House Depot, and also Panasonic modeling their inner innovation groups after modern technology start-ups? Why are talented university grads selecting a dangerous start-up as opposed to the high wage industrial job?

The responses hinge on startup culture.

Culture isn't really getting a keg as well as ping-pong table or altering the outfit code to denims and also flip-flops. Culture is concerning producing a setting where every staff member can create his/her ideal work.

Focus on individuals and also interactions over procedures and tools. (Agile Manifesto) It begins with the team dynamics. Encourage open communication as well as cooperation. An issue can usually be dealt with fastest interacting. Change needless conferences with fast chats. Several startups use an open flooring strategy that permits rapid interaction as well as issue solving. Invite concepts, comments, and also suggestions from everyone on the team, regardless of their location of competence. Conduct lunch-n-learns created to bring different departments together.

Build a results-driven environment. Provide someone a work as well as trust them to do it. Every person on the team must really feel equipped to produce their most innovative job as well as be given the tools and also atmosphere required to be successful. Do not micromanage. If a job takes one individual 2 hrs to complete as well as another individual discovers a method to finish it in 30 minutes, wonderful! Delegate ownership of tasks as well as tasks based upon group staminas. Enhance for efficiency by doing away with unprofitable things and meetings. Meetings suck the life from individuals. I'm a big fan of "No Fulfilling Mondays," or booking one day a week as a "No Meeting Day." Celebrate successes as a group. When large offers are shut, I have actually seen startups do everything from a team high-five to hitting a gong to breaking out a Top 40 hit from the 90s.

Responding to change over complying with a plan. This is an additional principle in the Agile Manifesto and a key element of the Lean Startup. Be aware of just what is working well and continuously seek methods to enhance the current process. As an example, as opposed to write a typical 50-page job strategy, I advise using the Business Version Canvas. With a heavy focus in client discovery before releasing or rotating, it regularly assists recognize one of the most reliable as well as effective plan.

A team requires to be active adequate to embrace as well as act after time-sensitive possibilities that can considerably influence the lower line. Check out Oreo's quick reaction to the light outage at 2013's Super Dish. Within mins, Oreo tweeted this image.

How can you use these principles in your firm? Are you equipped to do your most imaginative work?

[spicynbachili1]

The rise of hipster colonialism | Europe

Final week, Germany’s Africa Commissioner Gunter Nooke mentioned that European international locations must be allowed to lease land and to construct and run cities in Africa as a way of stemming what he views because the unchecked enlargement of migration from Africa to Europe. For Nooke, permitting the “free improvement” of those areas would stimulate African economies and create “progress and prosperity” and subsequently, scale back the attractiveness of Europe as a vacation spot for migration. 

The proposal has elicited combined reactions. Some have seen it as a novel financial proposition to stem a posh political problem. Constructing on current financial preparations like Particular Financial Zones (SEZs) and Financial Processing Zones (EPZs), they argue that this is able to merely be the following stage within the evolution in the concept financial exclaves that defend industries from the ravages of the open financial system are one of the best ways to stimulate progress. Now, as an alternative of denims and sneakers, we need to optimise folks – or a minimum of labour – by defending them from the realities and ravages of their societies.

Understandably, there has additionally been appreciable pushback. The phrase “colonialism” has been raised, with critics arguing that Germany, particularly, with its historical past of violent colonialism and genocide in Namibia, Cameroon, Tanzania and Togo, has no ethical authority to even desk such an thought. Extra broadly, many African international locations are nonetheless struggling to get better from the injury from European colonisation. In lots of African international locations, land tenure continues to be irregular and skewed to rich and sometimes white minorities, engendering generational financial exclusion. Many African economies have failed to maneuver past the extractive, labour intensive economies they inherited from their European counterparts. The violence of colonisation continues to be very current in Africa – ought to we actually be speaking a couple of new, fashionable colonialism that solely actually hopes to deal with Europe’s paranoia a couple of attainable invasion by black our bodies?

The simplest method to get to the guts of what is improper with this proposal is to return to fundamentals – what’s colonialism and why is it unhealthy? The dictionary defines colonialism as “a coverage or observe of buying full or partial political management over one other nation occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically”. Finally, it is about exploiting an influence differential in an effort to reorganise one society for the financial and social advantage of one other: saying that one society’s financial and social imperatives are extra necessary than the opposite’s.

So, Nooke’s proposal is basically hipster colonialism – making an attempt to reclaim colonialism by couching it in neoliberal developments or ideology whereas advocating for a return to an basically exploitative system of social and financial organisation. A lot of these talking in favour of this proposal achieve this it in sterile and agnostic phrases, specializing in the financial dimensions and the potential monetary progress and leaving out a very powerful ingredient – the folks concerned and affected. Beneath this can be a reductive premise that human beings, and Africans particularly, will not be as totally actualised human beings who deserve holistic life experiences – Africans are simply labour or financial alternatives.

But human beings will not be simply labour – we’re complicated, social and interconnected beings whose wants can’t simply be collapsed into cash. “We don’t need to be reminded that it’s we, the indigenous folks, who’re poor and exploited within the land of our start. These are ideas which the Black Consciousness strategy needs to eradicate from the black man’s thoughts earlier than our society is pushed to chaos by irresponsible folks from Coca-cola and hamburger cultural backgrounds,” mentioned Steve Biko, the founding father of the Black Consciousness motion and a number one gentle within the anti-apartheid motion. 

Biko rightfully noticed that colonisation and apartheid had been about greater than a technique of financial disruption – even whereas that course of particularly centred on the alienation of land was traumatic sufficient. Colonisation was additionally about psychological degradation of black folks in South Africa. The apartheid system was about breaking down the spirits of black folks in order that they might be malleable and even amenable to a system of political organisation that stored them demeaned, powerless and even ashamed in their very own dwelling. Colonisation is about unmaking one society for the good thing about one other.

Extra urgently, Nooke’s hipster colonialism is simply engaging in the event you ignore historical past and certainly, actuality. Some details about migration to Europe simply problem its flawed premises. Nooke does not go to the guts of the financial and political local weather that makes migration a beautiful various for younger African folks. What are they fleeing from that will make near-certain dying on the ocean a extra engaging various to dwelling? Nooke has nothing to say for the large land expropriation by Western companies and Center Japanese governments; of a “warfare on terror” that has criminalised younger black malehood throughout the Sahel and down Africa’s jap seaboard; of a global political system that helps and sustains autocracy in pursuit of stability.

Then there may be the easy subject of numbers. For one, the overwhelming majority of individuals making an attempt emigrate to Europe will not be African – they’re from the Center East. On the peak of Europe’s “migrant disaster” in 2015, of the simply over a million individuals who tried to enter Europe, practically 80 % had been from the better Center East and primarily Syria – a rustic devastated by a warfare that Germany continues to revenue from by way of arms gross sales to the regime that these individuals are fleeing. If Europe is severe about stemming migration, it ought to get severe about stopping warfare. 

Extra broadly, African cities are already performing lots of the features that Nooke’s financial enclaves declare to work in the direction of. Privileged individuals are already capable of entry higher amenities, alternatives and illustration than their rural or city poor counterparts. This hasn’t stemmed the stream of migration. It has simply created an influence differential between the city elite and the poor, in flip exacerbating issues like insecurity and state violence towards the poor who’re criminalised by way of the method of defending the privilege for the few.

European faculties and universities are clearly failing to teach their college students on the underlying social, cultural and structural violence that made colonisation attainable. It is an enchanting coincidence that this dialog is going on within the shadow of the dying of an American missionary making an attempt to take a classic colonial, civilising mission to North Sentinel Island in India. The Sentinelese, a society final contacted by outsiders within the early 20th century, responded to the unsolicited invasion with a volley of arrows that just about immediately killed the younger man. We’re reminded that the “civilising mission” of European colonialism was in the end an invasive, violent course of. Dehumanising, neoliberal, hipster colonialism is being proposed so liberally and uncritically that it’s simple to lose sight of what makes colonialism poisonous. 

Human mobility throughout the Mediterranean is certainly more and more harmful and that requires a sturdy, coordinated and concerted effort to resolve. However we will not ignore actuality and historical past as we throw round variations of outdated insurance policies rephrased in trendy, fashionable language as a result of such half-baked options will inevitably compound no matter issues we search to resolve. Finally, hipster colonialism and Nooke’s proposal is yet one more reminder that we have to re-centre folks in our policymaking – it could possibly’t simply be about cash – and that the street to options begins fairly merely with studying a historical past ebook.

The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

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from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/the-rise-of-hipster-colonialism-europe/

[theramblingwriterblog]

She Keeps Me Up

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1,487

A/N: this is my first one shot containing smut, so please don’t hate. This is also the what happens after the events of the one shot Hey Ho

Warnings: Smut 

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She’s got me nervous

Talkin’ a hundred miles an hour

She’s more than worth it

I swear she smells just a like a flower

I’d fall to pieces if I went anywhere without her

I love when she says what’s wrong with right here on the counter

It had been a few days since you and Dean got together that night at the bar after that Jack guy ditched you. You two had wanted to take things further but Sam was always around and that made things difficult. However the sexual tension between you and Dean was getting to a breaking point. That was clear when Dean had asked Sam to go out for a few hours. Sam got the message and grabbed his jacket and headed out to the bar.

This left you and Dean in the bunker alone and that’s exactly what you wanted was alone time with Dean. Dean’s arm slipped around your waist pulling you from your deeply enchanting thoughts that already had you hot and bothered.

“(y/n).” Dean said barely above a whisper.

“Dean.” You said hissing at the rough slap that landed across your ass.

Turning to face him you pull him into a soul consuming kiss. You guys had walked backwards during the kiss and now stood in the kitchen which was not intentional.

“Bedroom.” Dean groaned as you rubbed his already hard length through the thick denim of his jeans.

“What’s wrong with right here on the counter?” You mused as you continued palming him through the layers of material. The action combined with your words caused him to groan again.

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m supposed to

You pushed him back against the counter as you tugged the flannel shirt down his arms, his black t-shirt tight and revealing his sculpted muscles. Soon you pull off his t-shirt revealing  his beautiful body. Taking a small step back you take off your shirt. You now stood there tight pants and cherry red bra. Reaching around behind you, you unhooked it letting the straps slide down your arms as seductively as possible.

Stepping forward a bit you stoop to your knees popping the button of his jeans open and pulling them down his legs, his boxers following immediately after. Dean groaned as you took his hard length in your hand before feathering the shaft with small open mouthed kisses. This action caused his hips to roll towards you. Using your free hand you push him gently back against the counter telling him to stay there. You started pumping your hand over his length using the pre-cum as lubricant.

“(y/n)” Dean moaned as you worked him closer and closer to his end.

Leaning down you too his tip between your lips sucking gently before taking as much of him in your mouth as you could. Using one hand you worked what you couldn’t fit in your mouth. Your mouth moving up and down in time with your hand. You could feel him getting close.

“(y/n) I’m gonna…” He didn’t even finish his sentence as his orgasm took hold spilling himself in your mouth. The taste of the salty fluid washing over your tongue as you took everything he had to give as you worked him through his high

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m not supposed to

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night)

All night (All night)

When you were done you pulled off of him with an obscene popping noise.

“Damn (y/n) sweetheart that was amazing now let me repay the favor.” Dean said a wicked grin flashed upon his face.

Dean help you to your feet before opening the button of your skin tight jeans helping you out of them and the cherry red panties that matched your bra. He then lifted you up and set you on the counter.  Dropping before you the tips of his fingers dance across your wet folds.

“Already so wet.” He comments with an approving tone, “Did sucking my dick do this to you?” He questioned as one finger inside you.

You tried to answer but your words turned into moans as his tongue darted out finding your clit causing your hips to raise off the counter searching for more friction. Dean added a second finger beside the first curling them against the special spot inside to that makes you see stars. You were getting close with the combination of his fingers and tongue.

Right before you let go he pulls his fingers from you replacing them with his ever so talented tongue. With that you came undone with a white light behind your eyes. Him gladly taking everything that you had to give him before rising to his feet. You bit your lip at the sight of his once again hard cock. A million dirty thoughts ran through your mind. Raising your hand you crooked your fingers telling him to step closer. Once he was in front of you; you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him into a kiss that didn’t stop until you were both breathless.

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night)

All night (All night)

I need her so bad

Sometimes I feel like I can taste it

This evil romance

So good I never wanna waste it

I can’t trust my friends

‘Cause she’s what everybody chases

I know where she’s been

‘Cause it’s on everybody’s faces

“I need to feel you.” You whimpered and Dean gladly obliged and with one swift movement he was seated inside you. After giving you a few moment to adjust to his size he started moving. His pace was slow and agonizing to start.

“I love you Dean Winchester.” You panted as he fucked you into oblivion.

“I love you too.” Dean said barely able to get the words out.

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m not supposed to

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m not supposed to

Deans rhythm began to falter and become more erratic. Each movement had him hitting all the right spots and he thrusted into you without mercy. You both came at the same time working together to ride out your mutual highs.

“Dean.” You panted still short on breath from your orgasm.

“Yes?” He asked still in the same out of breath state.

“That was absolutely amazing.” You said with an exhausted smile on your face.

“I agree with you one hundred percent there.”

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night)

All night (All night)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night)

All night (All night)

I never wanna have to slow down

Gotta be a better way to come down

I’ve gotta stay awake somehow

The two of you reluctantly disentangled yourselves and put your clothes so that way Sam wouldn’t catch you guys in a compromising position. The pair of you walked back into the library of the bunker and took a seat next to each other.

You leaned into him putting your head on his shoulder. He looked over at you before moving his arm and wrapping it around you encouraging you to put your head on his chest. Once you were comfortable you found it very hard to stay awake.

I never wanna have to slow down

Got to be a better way to come down

I’ve gotta stay awake somehow

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m not supposed to

Funky little monkey, she’s a twisted trickster

Everybody wants to be the sisters mister

Coca-Cola rollercoaster

Love her even though I’m not supposed to

Sam came walking through the door with a million dollar smile similar to the ones that you and Dean both wore. None of the three of you in the room spoke a word about it because you all just knew. That was perfectly fine with you, you didn’t really exactly want a conversation about it.

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night) All night (All night)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

She keeps me up (I keep you up)

All night (All night)

All night (All night)

[jesuiscielle]

Barbara Holland imagine #1: First dates. PART 2

Reqeust: Reader tell Barb he/she had a crush on her?And then they go on a date?

Hey so I held this imagine up for so long because I didn’t really know how to write it out. One of the struggles of writing lgbt stuff is if you’re straight! xD Putting more feeling into it is a bit hard, xP

Part 1

You had a casual outfit on; denim jeans, a white shirt and your favourite cardigan, topping it off with a black beanie and scarf.

Your clammy hands were leaving hand prints on shiny surfaces and you struggled to wipe them. When you took off for Barabara’s house, you glanced outside the window, debating on how you should first say to her.

Wiping your hands on your pants, you open the car door, close it and head for her front door. You knock and rock back and fourth on your boots, anxiously waiting.

When the door opens, you take in her warm, smiling face. “You can come in, I’m just gonna finish off my makeup-”

“You look fine without your makeup, though! I mean- you can continue if you want...” You sheepishly trail off, internally cursing yourself for interrupting her.

“If you insist,” she smiles. You smile back and face your car, opening the door for her and then getting in yourself, driving off to your first date.

At the pizza parlour.

When you open the door, the little bell at the top chimes. You smile at Barb as you hold the door open for her. “Why thank you,” she smiles back.

You both go to a table and place your items down. “I’ll go order, what would you like?” You ask. “Hawaiian, with stuffed crust, please.”

You crinkle your nose. “Pineapple?” You glance at Barb, praying that you didn’t hurt her feelings. She starts to laugh, and you join in. “Yup! Pineapple on pizza for days!”

You shake your head, feeling a grin break onto your face, little butterflies fluttering around, your body tingling with a giddy warmth. You order a hawaiian for Barb, a pepperoni for you and two coca cola’s.

When you return to your seat, you chatted with Barb until a waitress shortly approached with your pizza and drinks.

After the meal.

“And then, I just kicked his balls!” “What?! No way!” “Hell yeah! He was bullying one of my friends, he got what he deserved!” “You’re ridiculous!”

You and Barb laughed along harmoniously, her laugh ringing in your ears. Her happiness was contagious, and you loved that. “Oh gosh, Y/N. I didn’t know you’d ever kick anyone’s balls! I always assumed you were the type to alert a teacher or something.”

“Sometimes, you gotta take matters into your own hands,” you smiled.

When you finished strolling around town, you stopped at a park.

“Thank you, so much, honestly, Y/N. I had so much fun.” You both sat at a bench, the wind oh so slightly whispering. The autumn leaves aroud you accentuated the scene. Warm lights from the street lights not too far away were glowing, making Barb’s face looking lovlier than ever.

You move your body, facing her. You grab her hand. “I had a lovely time, too, Barb. Thank you for coming along.”

Slowly, you both lean in. You gently hold her cheek, closing your eyes. When your lips met, you felt fireworks going off in your stomach, smiling into the kiss.