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merakiaes · 5 years ago

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Falling - Oscar “Spooky” Diaz

Pairing: Oscar “Spooky” Diaz x reader

Requested: No.

Prompts: None.

Warnings/notes: This wasn’t a requested piece, I just got this idea when I was watching the pool scene in ‘Bring It On Again’ the other day. It’s shit and it’s messy but it took me the entire day to write so please show it some love and let me know what you think xx NOT PROOFREAD!

Wordcount: 6776

Summary: You distract Oscar from the fight with his father and take his mind off of the fact that he left again, helping him be happy if only for a short moment.

Freeridge was nothing like the neighborhood you had grown up in, of that much you were sure, and it was tough for you to get used to the big change considering the heavy circumstances under which you had been forced to move.

You had grown up in a really nice neighborhood, surrounded by rich, upper-class snobs pretty much your entire life. You had lived in a big, white villa and attended a fancy private school and never had to worry about anything in your entire life.

Your parents were both deadbeats, having abandoned you when you were still very young to be raised by your single grandfather, but you couldn’t bring yourself to complain about it no matter how much it had scarred you, because you knew that you lived a life that others could only dream of.

But that all changed when your grandfather lost his two-year-long battle against cancer and you were left entirely on your own.

He left everything he owned to your name in his will but you had to take it all and pay off his last hospital bills and funeral and even then, it wasn’t enough to pay off the ridiculously large sums and you were forced to sell his house.

It pained you to do so, with all of the memories you had in the place, but you knew you had to move on from the past and start a new chapter of your life, and you wouldn’t have been able to afford to keep that big of a house, anyway.

So you sold it and started looking for a new place, and Jasmine had wasted no time in jumping to your rescue when you came out short in your search.

She was a longtime friend of yours, the two of you having met online and kept in touch on a daily basis over the course of four years, way before your grandfather got his diagnosis.

You had found her a bit strange to a start. She was a few years younger than you and she over-shared to the point that you knew that she had a birthmark in the shape of a pear in her groin and that she had a heavy blood-flow during her monthlies – mind you, you found this out already during the first week of knowing her.

She wasn’t shy, that much was for sure.

But in the end, it was her strange personality that made you like her, and it was also because of her that you grew out of the shy, held back bubble you had been trapped in since early in your traumatizing childhood.

She was loyal and always there for you, as were you for her. You were pretty much each other’s only real friends, despite the large age gap. You knew that people her own age made fun of her, and she knew that you had a very hard time trusting people, and you adjusted yourselves to properly be able to be there for one another.

So, of course, it was a given that she was there for you when you needed to find a new home, too.

You had talked to her dad on a few occasions over video chat and he had been the one kind enough to find you a house for sale in Freeridge.

It wasn’t nearly as big as your childhood home had been and it was in a pretty bad shape, with flaky paint and broken plumbing, but you managed to make it feel like home with the help of your grandfather’s furniture, and either way, it was just big enough for just you.

It didn’t take long for you to learn first-hand how tight and supportive the community in a less-fortunate neighborhood really was when Dwayne Turner turned up at your doorstep to offer you a job at his barbeque restaurant without ever having spoken a word to you, only having heard about you and your need for a stable income in order to pay for your studies from Jasmine’s dad.

Neighbors were constantly helping out, doing each other favors and opening their homes to people in need of a roof over their head, and you felt more at home there than you ever had in your old neighborhood.

There, everything was about money. Whether it was about having a more expensive breed of dog, a faster car or bigger jewels, people were always trying to be better than each other. Over there, there was no such thing as celebrating each other’s success, something your grandfather had never stood beside.

You knew he would have liked Freeridge, despite the high criminal activity and dangerous streets. He would have liked the solidarity, selflessness and connection between people.

Jasmine had rounded up all of her friends, including Cesar who you found out was living right across the street, and they had spent the entire day helping you move your things in.

Cesar and Jamal had been quick to offer to repaint the front wall of the house, and you had left them alone at the house to go pick up some paint.

Oscar had come home from an odd job when you were gone, finding his little brother and all of his friends busying themselves with carrying boxes inside the house on the other side of the street, right across from theirs.

Him and his fellow Santos had made themselves comfortable in the couch in front of the house, watching from a distance as a shiny, red car drove up the street and parked right in front of the house as the driveway was already occupied by another, cheaper car.

The beautiful car had instantly caught Oscar’s interest and it had piqued even higher when he watched you step outside with a can of paint in your hand, his brother coming up and grabbing it from you almost instantly.

That’s how you had first met the infamous Spooky, leader of the Santos. He had wasted no time in getting out of his seat and crossing the street to introduce himself to you, asking questions about your car.

It was a Pontiac LeMans from 1969, painted in a pristine coat of maroon with a glittery hint to it. It was beautiful and in a condition that almost made it look like it had never been touched, not a dent or scratch in sight and tires, rims and interior in perfect condition.

It was the only thing aside from some furniture that you had kept of your grandfather’s, but of course you didn’t tell Oscar that, not wanting to bore him with your sob story.

Your shared interest in cars was the first conversation you ever had with each other.

After interrogating you about your grandpa’s car, he showed you his 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS, briefly introducing you to the Santos still sitting around on the couch, watching you, before Jasmine and Ruby came and stole you back.

After that first day, Jasmine and her friends kept coming over to your house almost every day. You cooked for them and gave them a place to hold the strange meetings they had ever so often and drove them around when they needed to go somewhere and Spooky and Ruby’s abuela weren’t available.

They had you wrapped around their fingers but you didn’t mind. They were like the younger siblings you never had and you owed it to Jasmine after the way she had been there for you every day for four years.

When Cesar was alienated by his brother and his gang, you offered him a place to stay for as long as it was safe, keeping it a secret from Oscar whenever you happened to bump into him.

He didn’t find out that you had been giving his brother shelter before the shit with the Prophets was cleared and he allowed him back home, but when he did, he thanked you, and you and Cesar remained close after having spent so much time together.

You didn’t hold a particular friendship with the gang leader even though you considered each other mutuals, but that all changed when his dad returned home after being released from prison.

He was offered a job at Dwayne’s restaurant already on his first day back just like you had, making you co-workers.

He was a good cook and he talked fondly about Oscar and Cesar a lot during your days working together.

You could hear in his voice when he talked about them how much he really loved them, but you also knew he had a lot of internal battles that came in the way of him showing that in the right way.

You liked him despite his mistakes, but you could also understand why Oscar would resent him. He had left him and Cesar to fend for themselves just like your parents had left you and you understood his anger.

Cesar was over the moon to have his dad back in his life but Oscar couldn’t even bear to be in the same house as him when he was home, which originally was what drove him to you.

You had offered him to come inside for a beer one night when seeing him storm out of the house, being able to put two and two together when seeing Ray looking after him in the window, and he had accepted.

You didn’t talk about his dad. In fact, you stayed as far away from the subject of parents as you possibly could as you could see that it wasn’t something he wanted to be reminded off more than necessary.

Instead, you talked about your studies to become a nurse, and he told you about how good he had been doing in high school before he was forced to step up and raise his brother.

At the end of that night, you had learned that he had won the spelling bee two years in a row in seventh and eighth grade, that he liked to cook and swim, and that his favourite kind of donut was the ones with sprinkles on top.

They weren’t the deepest or most significant things to know, but even the dumbest person on earth would have been able to understand that it was a big deal that someone like Spooky was opening up at all, so you took what you could get.

He luckily didn’t ask about your family either, probably because he knew that you would ask him too if he did. But you were glad that he didn’t because no matter how much you loved hanging around Jasmine and the others, Oscar was the first acquaintance you had made that was your own age.

It felt nice to be able to be at the same level as someone and you didn’t want that to be ruined by him finding out that you were a former uptown girl who had been spoiled to bits throughout your entire life while he had been fighting to make ends meet every day of his life since he was probably very young.

You knew rich people weren’t very smiled upon in these parts and you understood why. Most of them were truly horrible.

That first night you had spent together hadn’t been the last by far. Whenever he needed a distraction from the jealousy and anger that came naturally when watching Cesar having so much fun with their dad, he would come right to you.

Some nights you talked, but most of the times you barely said a word to one another, sitting silently side by side in your backyard with a beer each, looking up at the sky.

On this day in particular you were taking the nice weather to your advantage by sitting outside and studying for your upcoming exam about the muscles of the body.

The sun was blinding, forcing you to wear a pair of really dark sunglasses, but the sun was soon about to set.

Jasmine had been by for lunch a few hours ago when Cesar, Monse, Jamal and Ruby had, once again, excluded her from their shady activities, but unfortunately she had to leave pretty quickly when her internship shift at the police station started, again leaving you in your lonesome.

Your concentration was starting to waver after a good hour and a half in the sun despite the fact that the only sounds that could be heard were the light breeze going through the leaves of the trees and the chirping of birds.

The words in your book seemed to blur together and you soon realized that you wouldn’t be getting any more studying done on this afternoon.

You closed the book after a final minute of trying to regain your concentration and dropped it on the glass table in front of you. Letting out a loud and long sigh, you slid down in your chair and closed your eyes, enjoying the last minutes of sunshine.

Just then, the sound of a door opening rather violently across the street cut through the peaceful air, and your head instantly turned to look at the Diaz residence where Ray was now walking out with a bag in his hand, Oscar marching after him while yelling loudly.

“Everything bad that’s ever happened in my life is because of you! You’re gonna crush him the same way you crushed me!” Oscar yelled out and you instantly connected the dots; the angry and hurt look on Oscar’s face along with the bag Ray was holding.

Ray stopped, looking down at the ground. Oscar kept talking, his voice now too low for you to be able to catch what he was saying, but whatever it was caused Ray to turn back around.

As Oscar kept talking, Ray walked back over to him, stopping right in front of him, and you watched as Oscar’s face suddenly screwed up in pain, tears now evident in his eyes as he spoke.

Before you knew it, Ray had wrapped his arms around his shoulder, pulling him into an embrace.

Oscar responded by hesitantly wrapping his arms around his dad and just for the slightest moment, your heart jumped with hope that they were resolving things, but then Oscar violently tore himself out of the embrace and shoved him away.

The sight forced you to turn your head away, the guilt of invading their private moment finally catching up with you, along with the hurt you felt for Oscar.

You looked down at the ground for a few seconds, gulping down the tears that were building up in your eyes as the situation hit so close to home for you.

Your pulse was beating in your ears and you carefully turned your head back to look at them, finding that Ray was now once again walking away from the house.

Your eyes met his briefly as he walked past your house, but he quickly averted his gaze out of shame, knowing you had witnessed the entire thing.

As he walked away from the scene, you moved your gaze to Oscar who was still standing in front of his house, finding that he was already looking at you.

Your eyes connected and you swallowed simultaneously, his Adam’s apple bobbing and his face stern as he was obviously trying to hold back the tears.

You slowly and hesitantly raised your hand in a small wave at him, and when you did, he seemed to break out of the trance he had been in and turned around, furiously storming back inside, the front door slamming shut behind him.

You remained still in your seat for a moment after that, thinking over what you had just witnessed.

You had been lucky enough to only be abandoned once by your parents, but Oscar had just been abandoned another time, and who knows how many other times before this he had been walked out on.

Your heart bled for him, and you suddenly felt a desperate need to take his pain away, so you stood up from your seat with your book in hand and walked inside.

You dropped the book on the table in the hallway and walked into the kitchen where you picked up the keys to your grandpa’s car – that had been standing in the garage ever since you moved in - and turned right back around, returning outside and quickly locking up the front door before heading across the road.

Before you knew it, you were standing in front of Oscar’s door, contemplating whether or not you should actually disturb him right now.

But you knew that the worst thing that could happen was that he would get angry at you and when there was a slight chance that you could distract him for a while, that didn’t seem all too bad.

So before you could change your mind, you raised your hand and knocked three times on the door. The sound of heavy footsteps reached your ears within a second and the door was almost instantly flung open.

Oscar towered over you where he now stood in the doorway, tracks of dried tears visible on his tanned cheeks. He looked at you with a glare, as if he had known it was you before he even opened the door.

"What do you want?" He wasted no time in spitting out, squaring his shoulders that you knew without a doubt in your mind was his way to cover up his vulnerability.

You were at loss at words for a moment. You had expected him to be unwelcoming given the circumstances, but his tone still managed to stun you, as it was always so easy going when you talked otherwise.

But you quickly regained your composure, trying to look as unsympathetic as possible. “Do you want to go on a ride?” You asked, tilting your head slightly and fiddling with the keys in your hands. “I promise I won’t ask questions."

His glare hardened at your words. "I don't need your pity." He said, glowering down at you, but for some reason, you didn’t find him intimidating at all.

"Good.” You agreed, the words coming more easily to you now. “Because you're not getting it." You mustered a smile at him, trying to keep a playful hint to your tone in an attempt to ease the situation.

But his glare didn’t waver even for a second and the next thing you knew, he had taken a step back into the house and started shutting the door in your face.

Before it could close, however, you hurried and stuck your foot in between the door and the doorframe. You could see his furious face through the small crack of the door and held up the keys in your hand, your eyes pleading.

"I'll let you drive my car."

He stared at you for a good few seconds, before kissing his teeth and opening the door wider again, snatching the keys from your hand and angrily marching past you towards your house, the door slamming shut behind him.

You were forced to run in order to keep up with his long strides, and wordlessly opened the door to the garage once you came back to your house.

Oscar didn’t utter a single word to you as he walked to the driver’s side of the car and got in behind the wheel, leaving you to find your own way to the passenger side.

Once you were both situated, he stuck the keys into the ignition and turned them.

You watched his face from the side silently, taking in the way his eyes flickered with much more positive emotion for a just a second as he listened to the engine of the car roar alive.

It was only a brief change of attitude, but it was enough to have you smiling as he backed the car out of the garage; it was the first time it was driven since your first day in Freeridge.

You sped down the streets of Los Angeles, the roof of the car down and your hair whipping around in the air.

The dark had now fallen and you hadn’t spoken a word to each other since leaving, but you could feel Oscar slowly starting to relax in his seat beside you.

After an hour of just driving around with no particular destination in mind, you told him to make a right to take you back to Freeridge, and not long after, you found yourself pulling up in front of the neighborhood pool.

As he turned the car off, you wasted no time in opening your door and getting out, slamming it shut behind you.

You turned around to look at him, meeting his wary eyes, and flashed him a grin, nodding your head backward. “Come on.” You urged him, and he narrowed his eyes, letting his gaze flicker from you to the fence behind you.

“It’s closed.” He said, speaking for the first time in over an hour.

You snorted as he stated the obvious. “No shit.”

He gave you a look but didn’t question you any further, following your lead and getting out of the car, making sure to take the keys out of the ignition.

You turned back around and headed right for the fence, gripping at the wires. As he came up behind you, you turned your head to the side and threw him a look over your shoulder. “Hoist me up.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise, but his eyes were amused. “You a criminal now?” He questioned and you smirked.

“I’m hanging out with the leader of a gang, what’s a little break-in in comparison to that?”

He hummed, as if to say ‘good point’, and bent down by the knees, clasping his hands and allowing you to put your foot in his grasp.

He hoisted you up like requested with barely any struggle at all and wasted no time in jumping over the fence himself once you were successfully standing on the other side.

When his feet hit the ground, you were already walking straight for the pool, where lights were lighting up the water and casting a blue shimmer all around the entire area, making it look near magical.

By the time Oscar had caught up to you, you had already removed your shoes and pulled up the legs of your pants, your feet now dangling in the water.

He followed your example, pulling the legs of his grey sweatpants up to his knees and kicking his shoes to the side, dipping his feet into the water as he sat himself down beside you.

You sat in silence for a while, your eyes trained on the small ruffles of the water in front of you and your hands gripping the edge of the pool, your feet swirling around.

Crickets were chirping by then and was the only sound you could hear aside from the sound of the water hitting the walls of the pool.

Turning your head to the side slightly, your eyes fell upon Oscar’s profile. He was staring down into the water just like you had been doing only seconds before, looking to be deep in thought.

His diamond earrings sparkled in the light of the pool and his Santos cross dangled from around his neck, the black and white plaid he was wearing almost looking green in the blue hue surrounding you.

Your eyes traveled from his face and down to his feet where they were hanging limply off the edge, catching sight of a long, ragged scar going down the side of his knee.

Before you could stop yourself, you had reached your hand out and flicked the scar lightly, instantly making his head turn to you.

“What happened there?” You asked and watched as his eyes flickered away from yours and to the scar in question, his fingers reaching out to touch it.

“Got caught up with some bad people in prison.” He responded, and you hummed, chewing on the inside of your cheek.

“Have you ever considered leaving this life behind and starting fresh?”

He glanced at you, before turning his head back to the water. “I think about it every day.”

At his confession you tilted your head to the side, a frown settling over your face. “So why don’t you?”

“You’re smart-” He turned to look at you, his eyes now narrowed. “You know it’s not as simple as that. And even if it was, los Santos is my family.”

You knew that the defensive look in his eyes and strained tone of his voice should have been enough of a sign for you to drop the subject, but stupid and curious as you were, you kept pressing it, insisting.

“It can’t be fun to be running from the law all the time, to handle every moment of your life with hatred and anger. That’s no life.”

“It’s the only life I know.” He defended, staring straight into your eyes, and you shrugged your shoulders, the corners of your lips tugging into a soft, lopsided smile.

“Doesn’t have to be.” You argued. “Letting go of what isn’t right for you won’t be the end of you but rather the beginning. It’s clearing a path for what’s waiting, what’s pulling you, what’s telling you there’s something better out there, even if you don’t know what it is yet.”

“It’s not that simple.” He shook his head, tensing his jaw. “I wish it was, but it’s not.”

“It is what you make it to be, isn’t it?”

His head whipped around to face you in one swift movement, admittedly frightening you slightly. “It’s my turn to ask you something.” He demanded, eyes narrowed with slight annoyance.

You only nodded your head slowly in return, letting out a breath. “Okay.” You agreed.

He raised his head slightly, sending you a questioning glance. "How come you never drive your car?"

You instantly felt the insides of your stomach starting to twist into a knot.

“I drive my car.” You answered quickly, a little too quickly, and you knew he could see right through you and identify the stress that was quickly building up from now being the one in the spotlight.

“I meant the nice one.” He clarified flatly, knowing that you already knew what he was talking about. “Not the heap of twigs you drive my mano and his friends around in every day.”

You tensed your jaw, but didn’t break eye-contact, knowing fully well that you had walked yourself into this position.

"It was my grandpa's car.” You admitted, swallowing. “It's the last thing I have of him and I don’t trust my clumsy ass not to mess it up."

He scanned your face, trying to figure you out. "You let me drive it." He pointed out and you adverted your eyes back to the water.

"I guess I trust you more than I do myself." You mumbled with a shrug, and he chuckled.

"Bad idea."

You could see him shaking his head in the corner of your eye and the sight of his smile caused your lips to tug.

"Probably." You agreed.

"Were you close?” He asked. “You and your abuelo."

You could feel his stare burning into the side of your face but you didn’t move your eyes from the water, kicking it slowly as you nodded.

"I never spent a day without him.” You told him softly. “He watched over me, made sure I had clothes on my back, food on the table, a roof over my head and a good education. He raised me and made me who I am today.”

Oscar nodded again, his eyes soft and understanding. "He sounds like a good guy.” He said and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before asking. “No parents?”

That question brought an automatic scoff from your lips. "Barely.” You muttered, turning your head to meet his eyes. “Deadbeats." You shrugged and he nodded.

“I feel you.”

“Do you want to tell me about your dad?” The question slipped out before you could stop it, and he tensed. But your stupid mouth just had to keep running. “I’ve only heard his side of the story, and Cesar doesn’t seem to know much about him.”

You expected him to glare, to stand up and leave, but much to your surprise, he smiled at you; a playful smirk.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t ask questions.”

His voice was teasing, clearly trying to be polite, but it was clear that his true feelings didn’t match the forced smile on his lips. His eyes were sad, a flurry of emotions battling against each other behind them, and he was obviously trying very hard not to lose control of his temper.

So you finally decided not to press it any further, and before you even got the chance, he took the subject into his own hands.

“What about your parents?” He asked. “Chicas are always so quick to complain about their problems, but not you. Why don’t you talk about them?”

Unlike him, you didn’t find it hard to talk about your parents. You had forgiven them a long time ago. Not for them, but for yourself, and ever since you had, you had been able to talk openly about them.

The only reason you hadn’t talked to him about your parents before was because you didn’t want him to see you as some spoiled brat, but now that you knew that he still saw you as an equal, there was no reason for you not to open up.

It was the least you could do after he had actually agreed to come here with you, despite the circumstances.

"Parents or no parents, I was privileged growing up. I know it and I don't deny it.” You shrugged simply. “People have bigger problems than I do so I don't like going around complaining and feeling sorry about myself."

He nodded his head along as you spoke, a wide smile stretching across his full lips when you finished, and for the first time that night, it actually seemed to reach his eyes, dimples becoming visible at the corners of his lips.

"There's something I've never heard before.” He looked at you, amused but impressed.

"Well, there’s a first for everything.” You chuckled, raising your eyebrows with a smile. “We're not all spoiled and oblivious to our privileges. I might not live a life in luxury anymore but I’m still better off than most and I’m grateful, for all that I have."

He nodded his head again, his eyes turning softer. "I like that about you." He said, shocking you. It wasn’t like him to say something like that at all.

It made your smile widen, and you raised an eyebrow teasingly, your attitude growing playful. "Oh yeah?” You challenged. “What else do you like about me?"

“You got one of those pretty smiles." He said, and while your smirk turned genuine, his smile turned into a smirk as he joined in on the teasing. "And you have a nice ass, too." He drawled, raising his eyebrows and pulling a hand over his goatee as he shamelessly leaned backward and checked your ass out where you sat.

The shameless flirting brought an amused scoff out of your lips, your hand shooting out to slap him on the chest, heat crawling up the back of your neck. "Idiot."

He laughed, using his hands to protect himself. “What?” He asked. “You’re a fine ass hyna, mamas.”

“Oh, yeah?” You raised an eyebrow, an evil smirk rising to your lips, and before he had the chance to answer or even process what happened next, you delivered a rough push to his shoulder, the unexpected force sending him right into the water.

You let out a high laugh as he disappeared under the surface, shielding your face with your arms as droplets of water went flying into the air.

Oscar quickly came back up to the surface, his face murderous.

“¡Qué mierda!” He swore, furiously wiping the water out of his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” You laughed loudly. “I thought you liked to swim.”

“What’s wrong with you?!” He yelled, glaring as he fought against the weight of his wet clothes, now heavy with water. But you only smirked, kicking some more water at him with your foot.

He let out a guttural growl, wiping his hands over his face, and when his eyes made contact with yours again, you knew you were in trouble.

“No, no-“ You quickly tried to protest, eyes growing wide as you began shuffling backward. But he was faster.

“You asked for it.” He growled, and before you knew it, his wet hand clasped around your ankle and pulled you toward him, your body being submerged in water only a second later. And it was cold.

You flailed your arms in the water and kicked your legs, trying to get to the surface as quickly as possible. Your head soon emerged with a splash and a loud gasp immediately left your lips. “Fuck me, it’s freezing!”

The glare was now long gone from Oscar’s face, his head thrown back with laughter as he swam around you. “You brought it on yourself, mami.” He mused and you smirked, blowing some water off your lip.

“Oh, you’re on.”

You raised your hands and started sending waves of water into his face and he wasted no time in covering himself with his own hands, trying to move out of your line of fire.

Your laughter mixed in with the sound of splashing water, but your fun was short-lived when he managed to get a grip of your wrists.

All of a sudden, you were pulled into his chest, and your laughter died down when your eyes met his.

Your hands automatically went to his shoulders in order to hold yourself steady and your chests pressed together.

His face was stern, his hands slowly dropping your wrists and falling back into water, and he was just tall enough to be able to stand on the bottom of the pool. The expression on his face was unreadable, and the look in his eyes was nothing you had seen before.

He blinked, small droplets of water dropping from his long, black eyelashes, matching droplets spread through his dark facial hair.

You weren’t sure when the atmosphere between you turned from playful to… this, but you regretted to admit that it was making your heart feel like it was about to beat out of your chest.

The look in his eyes was so intense, like he was staring straight into your soul, and it was making your head spin.

His hands suddenly made contact with your waist and you jumped at the sudden and unexpected touch, but you got no time to think or react to it, suddenly feeling a wet pair of lips pressing against yours.

A small sound of surprise rose in your throat but it was muffled into the kiss.

His hands were gripping at your waist like he hadn’t touched another human in a lifetime and as you came back to your senses, you found yourself responding to his actions with just as much desperations.

Your eyes fell closed and your hands moved up from his shoulders to the back of his neck, your legs wrapping around his hips in the water, pulling him as close as you possible could.

A guttural groan formed in his throat at the feeling of your groin rubbing against his and you moaned into the kiss, tingles spreading through your core and your breath getting heavy as his hands roamed up and down your body.

They moved from your waist to your back, back down to your hips and down to your ass where he held you with a firm grip, pushing your pelvis closer to his which only caused you to hold onto him even harder.

Your head had been spinning before, when you hadn’t been doing anything other than looking into each other’s eyes, but now you were barely even able to form a coherent thought.

Tingles were going through your entire body, your chest heaving against his and your fantasy running. But before things could get too heated, the two of you pulled apart, both breathless and in desperate need of oxygen.

Your eyes met again and your foreheads pressed together, the two of you still holding onto each other like your lives depended on it.

“Holy shit…” You breathed, sucking your swollen lips into your mouth and letting out a breathy chuckle. “That was…”

You raised your eyebrows. You couldn’t even find the right words, still dizzy from the intense moment you had just shared.

But no words were needed. The tiny smile tugging at his lips told you that he knew exactly what you meant, and that the feeling went both ways.

You watched as his eyes fell shut and listened as a small sigh escaped through his nose. Your hands moved from the back of his neck to his jaw, cradling his face, thumbs caressing the stubble of his cheeks.

“What are you thinking?” You whispered, searching his face.

Another breath left his nose, his lips pulling into a tight line and his grip on your waist tensing. “I’m gonna have to tell Cesar about that pendejo leaving.” He spoke, the strain evident in his voice. “He’s going to blame me. I know it.”

“Hey.” Your eyebrows furrowed together and you raised his head, watching his eyes open and meet yours. “Whatever happens, your brother loves you to pieces. You're the one who raised him and at the end of the day, he'll always remember that. So don’t beat yourself up."

His brown eyes were hard, suspicious. “Why are you being so nice to me?” He asked.

His question caused your eyebrow to raise. “We just made out in a pool and you’re asking me why I’m being nice to you?” You asked, finding the question amusing. But he wasn’t amused, he was as serious as ever, as if he really didn’t understand it.

“Not just now.” He clarified, raising his head in a nod. “You’ve treated me like a person ever since day one.”

“Isn’t that what you are?” A smile played on your lips and your head tilted to the side. You leaned in closer to his face, rubbing your nose against his playfully. “I’m nice to you because I like you, stupid.”

The small, childish act of affection caused his serious attitude to falter, a smile rising to his face, but it fell just as quickly as it got there, his face turning cold again.

“Are you angry at your parents for walking out on you?”

You were taken back by the sudden change of topic, and unexpected topic at that. Every time you had tried to have a sentimental conversation with him, he had shut right off. And now there you were, with him initiating a conversation himself.

“I used to be.” You answered honestly, a crease forming in between your eyebrows as you scanned the thoughtful look on his face. “Furious, really. But not anymore.”

He looked at you, hesitant, battling his own mind. “What changed?” He asked, and you shrugged.

“It was controlling my life so I let it go.”

Understanding what you were trying to hint at, he scoffed, turning his head to the side. “Easier said than done.”

You smiled sadly and softly pushed at his face, forcing him to look back at you. “I know it is.” You agreed. “But you can do it, if you really set your mind to it.”

His eyes fell shut at the feeling of your fingers tracing the lines of the tattoo on his neck, his breathing slowing down.

“I used to have potential and shit.” He said, and you listened silently, not stopping your movements. “I was smart, had straight A’s. Planned to go to a good college and culinary school. I gave it all up to raise Cesar because our mom kept leaving and Ray got himself locked up.”

You listened with a heavy heart as he finally opened up to you about his personal life, absentmindedly stroking his jaw and keeping to nimbly move your fingers over the inked skin with your other hand.

“You still have a lot of time to make yourself what you want to be.” You spoke softly, slowly. “It’ll come when the time is right. I believe in you.”

The smile playing on your lips when you said those last words were more genuine than any smile he had ever seen in his life.

He gave you one last look before burying his face in your neck, holding you close and tensing his jaw as he realized things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Your soft, understanding and non-judgmental personality wasn’t at all what he was used to be at the receiving end of.

He hadn’t been looking, not even a little, but you had found him and he knew that he was fucked because he was falling. He was falling fast, and he was falling hard.

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malfoys-demigod · 4 years ago

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Professor Crane - Tim Drake x Reader

Summary: A jealous Tim feels like you’ve been spending more time devoting yourself to the new psychology teacher as he’s been hearing that students have been gushing over him.

A/N: Let’s be real, Jonathan Crane in the Dark Knight movie franchise was hot, especially in the first movie.

Another year at Gotham Academy, another year of sleepless nights doing patrols, causing Tim Drake to lose energy and time for his academics. Great. It was only last year when school was something he was looking forward to as he actually befriended somebody at school. And that person was you.

He can easily recall the moment you both shared your first interactions with each other. The both of you had Chemistry class together and with having a sleepless night the night before, neither of you knew that there was going to be a paired up experiment. As the class divided to their pairs, you and Tim were the only ones left partnerless. Tim made the first move and asked if you were comfortable doing the experiment together, and you said yes as your dreams of being with Tim Drake, the boy you found handsome, were accomplished. From there on, you two became best of friends, not knowing that the two of you developed deep feelings for each other.

This school year, the both of you managed to choose the same classes, hoping you’d be together all day everyday. And it came true. You shared notes, fell asleep together, did each others homeworks, and so on. Tim felt like your friendship was going stronger each day spent together. That was until the original Psychology teacher suddenly resigned, bringing in a new, younger, and good looking teacher, causing all the girls (including you) swoon as he made his first appearance.

The new teacher gracefully entered the classroom, placing his brief case on the table, and removing his glasses to face the class. “Hello, everyone. I’m Professor Jonathan Crane and I will be continuing your Psychology class throughout the year.” he smiled, now turning to the board to write his name. As he turned away, all the girls silently pretended to faint and started claiming him. Tim was surprised to notice you, staring at him with big heart eyes. You glanced at your best friend who was sitting beside you, “It’s getting hot in here, isn’t it?” you said blushing and removing your school jacket. Tim rolled his eyes, upset that his chances of asking you out lowered.

As weeks, and eventually months passed by, Tim seriously noticed how less you’ve been hanging out with him. In every other class, sure, you’d still exchange jokes and laughs, but when it was Crane’s class, a single word wouldn’t come out of your mouth, only when you wanted to recite every time you had the chance, trying to gain acknowledgement from your professor. Heck, even after school your daily visits to coffee shops with Tim started stopping as you told him you’d swing by Crane’s classroom to join a bunch of girls to be tutored by him, even if Tim could single handedly do that and you both were A+ students.

There was that one night you two finally shared together. It was late, like at around 10pm, Tim, being extremely exhausted, just finished patrolling the night and decided to change and stop by his favorite coffee shop, only to find you there. “Y/N.” he tiredly exhaled from his breath and walked over to your booth. “Is that school work?” he raised his eyebrows, looking at your tired figure as you were typing on your laptop.

“Yeah, just some extra credit for Psychology.”

“I don’t see the point in all of this.” he said, sitting across you. “You and I are in the top of his class, yet you have the urge to visit him after school hours. I barely get to see you now! Please don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those girls who have been falling all over his looks! They annoy me.”

You, being caught red handedly frowned at the fact that you’ve been giving your time and attention to your professor more than him. “I am SO not like them!” you scolded Tim, gathering your things, “In fact, he told me that he’s giving me the honor to test his psychology project this week after class. I believe you’re just jealous that I became number one in his class.” you stood up, leaving an upset Tim by the booth. You knew he was right, that you’ve been all over Crane, and that you realized how much coffee dates and hangouts at the Manor you’ve missed. You realized how you’ve been leaving your longtime crush in the dark all along. You were going to try your best to make it up to him. You were going to promise that this project Crane had for you were to be the last attention you’d give him.

And it was.

You were spending your afternoon after class at Professor Crane’s classroom while Tim was spending another lonely after class at the Manor. His brothers obviously were aware of how sad he was. They missed the sight of Tim being happy at home while you were there to make him smile. They also missed you being a constant source of happiness as they all lived a gruesome life.

Tim was just in the couch with his brothers, drinking another mug of coffee until Bruce popped into the living room with a very serious look. “There was an accident at Gotham Academy. Someone’s getting away, let’s go.” Tim dropped his mug, assuming that you were still there at school. “Y/N’s still there.” Bruce nodded, “You get her while the rest of us find the culprit.”

Tim uncaringly took took Jason’s motorcycle and sped to school, praying that you were safe.

As he arrived campus, he hopped off the bike and dashed directly to Crane’s office to find you in the corner of the floor, hugging your knees and crying. He enveloped you in a hug, trying to calm you down, “You’re going to be alright, Y/N, you’re going to be alright. Do you think you can tell me what happened?” he said, brushing a strand of hair to the side.

“P-professor C-crane.” you choked.

“What about him?”

“H-he... asked i-if he I w-wanted to see his... m-mask.” you took another deep breath, “T-then g-gas came out and h-he turned into m-my worst f-fears. It was h-horrible, Tim.”

“You’re alright now. I’m here Y/N and I’m never leaving you ever again.”

“I’m s-sorry Tim, for everything. I r-realized how much of a horrible friend I w-was to you. I forgot h-how much I loved you.” you said, hugging him tighter. Tim gave a caring smile at the last line and kissed you on the forehead, “I’m never losing sight of the love of my life ever again, you hear me?” he asked, looking at you nod in response. “I love you.”

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noona-clock · 4 years ago

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The Bartender - Part 3

Genre: Bartender!AU

Pairing: Jinhwan x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Words: 2,241

Oh, my god.

You were kissing Jinhwan right now. In front of your longtime friend. In his bar. With tons of people around.

You were kissing him. On the lips!

Why?

Why had you thought this was a good idea?

I mean, don’t get me wrong. You were enjoying it. Your heart was dancing around in your chest, and your stomach was filled with chaotic butterflies. It had been a long time since you’d kissed anyone, and you’d almost forgotten just how nice it was.

But still. You were kissing Jinhwan!

Before you had the chance to pull away, though, Jinhwan gently took hold of your shoulders and pushed you away.

...Oh.

“I -- I think you’ve had too much --”

Oh, my god. Jinhwan thought you’d had too much to drink and that’s why you were kissing him.

Your heart immediately sunk down to your stomach.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, avoiding his gaze and quickly reaching behind you to retrieve your bag from inside the booth.

Without even looking at Emma, you turned on your heel and headed for the door.

Just as the warm night breeze hit your skin as you stepped out of the bar, Emma caught up to you and took hold of your elbow.

“Y/N, wait,” she said a bit breathlessly. “What --”

“Can we please go home?” you asked softly, your brow furrowed deeply. You were too embarrassed to even talk about it or say his name. You just wanted to go home, get in bed, and curl up under your covers.

Emma slowly let go of you, murmuring a ‘Yeah, sure’ before getting out her phone and requesting a ride.

In less than half an hour, your wish had come true: you had gone home, got in bed (after going through your evening routine and changing into your pajamas), and were now curled up under your covers.

But... was this any better? Because, even though you weren’t face-to-face with Jinhwan anymore, you were still thinking about it.

The kiss.

Why had you done it? Why had you gotten the urge to kiss him and, more importantly, why had you given into it?

It wasn’t the alcohol despite what he clearly thought. I mean, it wasn’t just the alcohol.

Yes, you’d had quite enough to drink. But you certainly hadn’t been drunk. If anything, you had been just a little bit more than tipsy, and that was not nearly enough to justify kissing someone.

You had never actually done anything like that in your life, now that you were really thinking about it.

You’d had enough alcohol before -- more than enough on a few occasions -- and you had probably talked to and flirted with some guys or girls you maybe shouldn’t have. But you’d never kissed anyone before. At least, not without going on at least two dates with them -- typically three.

If you were being honest with yourself, though... you were kind of proud. You had enjoyed the kiss, and you’d done something you never thought you’d have the guts to do. You’d never even thought about kissing someone like that before.

So, in that regard, you were impressed.

But then you thought about how the kiss ended.

Jinhwan had quite literally pushed you away. The kiss had been too quick -- and you had been stressing out about it way too much -- for you to really judge if he had kissed you back in any way, but based on his actions... he probably had not. If he had pushed you away, it was very likely he hadn’t wanted to kiss you in the first place.

...Except that really didn’t make sense.

The guy had been flirting with you for two years. He had asked you out on a date not even two minutes before you’d kissed him! Surely, he wanted to kiss you!

You groaned in frustration, burying your head into your pillow and hoping that, by morning, all of this would be forgotten. You would wake up and discover this had all been a dream. You actually hadn’t gone to Jay’s with Emma, and you hadn’t had enough to drink to make you emotional, and you hadn’t kissed Jinhwan out of nowhere, and he hadn’t pushed you away.

But, of course, we all know it doesn’t work like that.

A girl can dream, though.

When you trudged out of bed the next morning, you were still of a mind that Jinhwan had deemed you too drunk to kiss last night. He had thought you only kissed him because there had been too much alcohol in your system. Which was pretty reasonable considering he’d only ever seen you on the job, and he most certainly had you pegged as someone who took everything in life far too seriously. Someone who didn’t really know how to let loose and relax.

You couldn’t blame him for thinking that, of course, because you kind of were that someone. At the very least, you took your job seriously, and since he’d only ever seen you working, he really had no choice but to imagine you were professional all day, every day.

As you shuffled up to your kitchen counter and began to prepare a pot of coffee, you let out a soft sigh and shook your head to yourself.

If only he knew you had never done that before -- kissed someone on a whim -- and that you really hadn’t been drunk at all.

Just as the coffee pot began to gurgle and drip the hot liquid into your mug... you remembered. He had known! You’d told him that you hadn’t been drunk and that you were just a lightweight.

So, either he hadn’t believed you or he hadn’t really wanted to kiss you.

And you found it hard to reason that he hadn’t believed you. Even though he didn’t know you all that well, he had to know that you wouldn’t lie -- especially not about something like that.

Which only left the option that he hadn’t really wanted to kiss you.

Of course, that didn’t make much sense either, but it made more sense than him thinking you were lying about being drunk. ...Kind of.

You briefly buried your face in your hands, letting out a deep, frustrated sigh and wishing you could zap all of these over-analyzing thoughts away.

As soon as the last drop of coffee fell into your cup, you turned off the pot and headed over to your kitchen table to (try to) enjoy your quiet morning.

But the more you drank your coffee, the more you realized... you were kind of offended that he had pushed you away. You were kind of offended that he hadn’t wanted to kiss you, and even if he had pushed you away because he’d thought you were drunk, you were offended by that, too!

And, to be honest, you were also still embarrassed by the whole thing. Feeling a mix of offense and embarrassment was not fun, let me tell you.

By the time you made your way to the dishwasher to put your empty mug away, you were glad Jinhwan didn’t have a way to contact you so you could simply avoid him for the next six months. Surely, by the time you went back for another health inspection, this would’ve blown over and you would be able to face him like a rational, professional human being.

Just as you reached your bedroom to get ready for the day, you heard your phone vibrating on your bedside table. You jogged over, picking it up and seeing the number had no contact name attached to it. It was probably something work-related, and even though it was the weekend, you picked up.

“Hello?” you answered.

You heard a soft sigh on the other line, and your brow immediately furrowed in confusion.

“Please don’t hang up,” Jinhwan said quickly. “I’m sorry, I just thought --”

“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” you interrupted in short, clipped tones. Now that you were faced with actually talking to him, your professional side took over. “Obviously, it was a mistake. I let my emotions get the best of me, and I apologize for my actions. It won’t happen again.”

You took the phone from your ear, and just before you hung up, you heard him say “No, wait -- !”

But you didn’t wait to hear what he had to say. You ended the call.

Your heart was racing with anxiety as you stared at your phone screen. A part of you was glad you had gotten it over with, but another part of you was even more embarrassed than you had been before.

He probably thought you were some sort of crazy robot!

You started to put your phone back down on your bedside table, but then a thought suddenly popped into your head.

...How had he gotten your number?!

Without thinking twice about it, you pulled your phone back up and navigated to your recent calls, pressing on the one at the top from just a few minutes ago.

Jinhwan picked up after the first ring and said, “Can I please --”

“How did you get my number?” you asked a bit more forcefully than you’d intended.

There was a brief pause before he answered you. “Your friend called the bar last night and gave it to me.”

Emma. Of course.

“Can you please delete it?” you requested.

“No, wait,” he replied, way more quickly than he had answered your previous question. “Can you please just listen to me?”

“Why? So you can explain why you physically pushed me away from you when I tried to kiss you? Do you know how embarrassing that is?!

“I’m sorry,” he said with a slight whine to his voice. “I’m really sorry. It just happened so quickly, and I wasn’t expecting it -- especially from you, and --”

“Especially from me?” you interrupted with a chuckle of disbelief.

“Yes, especially from you. Especially from a person who has shown no romantic interest in me for two years until last night.”

You were about to retort that it wasn’t true, but you realized he’d said shown no interest. Not had no interest. And, in that regard, he was correct.

“Well, I wasn’t about to flirt with you while I was working,” you said instead.

“But you could’ve come into the bar,” he pointed out. “If you really wanted to go out with me, you could’ve come into the bar a lot earlier and told me.”

He was right, of course. Again.

You hated not being right.

“Well, I didn’t. And there’s nothing I can do about it now just like there’s nothing I can about the fact that I kissed you and I wasn’t drunk and you didn’t want it.”

“Oh, I want it,” he chuckled. “Trust me. I want it. Just... not really... like that.”

Somehow, that didn’t do anything to relieve your embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” you stated. “I just -- I just wanted to kiss you, so I did. I don’t know why because I’ve literally never done that ever in my whole --”

“You’ve never done that before?”

“No! Of course, not! I don’t go around kissing people I barely know! I never have, and I certainly never will!”

Jinhwan chuckled again, and you could so very obviously hear the smirk on his lips right now.

“Well, then, I’m sorry for not being more gracious. I didn’t realize how lucky I was.”

“Oh, be quiet,” you sighed.

“Can I still take you out?” he asked.

Your brow furrowed instantly. “...You still want to go out with me?”

“I absolutely do. Please, let me take you out, and you can kiss me as much as you want.”

A tiny smile played at your lips, and you shook your head to yourself. There was very little chance of that happening. Your pride was still too wounded to even think about kissing him again anytime soon.

Honestly, your pride might even be too wounded to go on a date with him.

“I -- I don’t know,” you murmured. “Maybe it isn’t such a good idea after all. I mean, I --”

“It’s an excellent idea, and I’m going to take you out. You said ‘yes’ last night, and you were not drunk, so it’s binding. You can’t take it back.”

“Jinhwan --”

“Y/N, no arguments,” he grinned. “Are you free tomorrow?”

...Unfortunately, you were, and you felt too guilty to lie about it.

“Yes, I am free tomorrow.”

“If I send you a location, will you meet me there?”

“It depends on what the location is.”

“You’ll like it, I promise,” he assured you. “And it’ll be very clean. Full marks on the last health inspection.”

“Wow,” you chuckled. “You really know how to woo a girl, don’t you?”

“I think I know how to woo you, at least.”

...Sadly, he wasn’t lying. It was pretty important that any place you visited passed their health inspections with flying colors. You knew what it meant to get points taken off, and trust me -- once you know, you can never unknow.

“All right,” you relented. “Send me a location, and I’ll be there.”

And now you agreed with Jinhwan. You’d given your word, and there was no taking it back now.

You were going on a date with Jinhwan.

Part 4

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bymaellena · 3 years ago

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Touching the Stars | Chapter #1

With a loud thud, Anna Park had been abruptly taken out of her dreams. The subway had finally arrived at her station.

When she was in High School, becoming a manager was nothing like that. She thought she would have a good car, a beautiful house and idols to take care. She could run in the morning, drink a coffee in the cafeteria next to her house after a hot shower and receive a smile from all her respectful co-workers. She would have friends to dinner with and have lots of fun activities on her schedule to entertain fans at the same time she would make sure all the stress provided by fame could be taken away from her protegees.

And, in the weekends, she could finally seat in peace at her sofa and enjoy some dramas and mukbangs while eating her favorite foods. Or, if the weather was good, she could just stargaze in the terrace while waiting for her homemade barbecue to be ready. Peace, silence and fullness.

Instead of the beautiful and complex scenario that a 16 year old girl could create in her mind, ten years later her life couldn't be more different. She had not gotten a place in the college of her choice and the internship she had gotten was in a company so small that the only artist who promoted it was one of the founders. Serving coffee was never her dream, let alone living in a tiny room with thousands of stairs and taking two hours to get to the company. Incredibly, despite all the endless walks and stairs that were cursed daily, she had put on weight too.

She blamed the huge amount of sleepless nights and noodles that she ate. But she was immensely dedicated to the company. Although not her dream company, what she discovered in a hidden dark corner of Gangnam-do was something beyond what she studied in college. She found CEOs who cared so much for the artists and staff that they forced her to at least doze off in the break room for a few hours daily. Four solo artists, three groups and two changes of address later, all the blood, sweat and tears had made the company grow and managed to house more artists than she had imagined.

Twenty trainees growing up year after year was something she hadn't imagined she would be able to witness. Some were younger, some older, but all talented and incredible enough to win a place in their hearts. Despite being different from what she had dreamed of, her life wasn't that bad. She only complained when reality hit her hard.

And reality literally decided to slam the door in her face as she tried to get out of the crowded subway. Missing the station would mean five minutes late. Five minutes that it would take to arrive at the cafeteria of the building just to see the queue for the giant cafe, and having to decide whether to be scolded for being late or for not bringing coffee for the entire team. It was her fault that she slept late enough not to be able to wake up on time, but it was for good reason.

She finally got a dorm room good enough for all twenty trainees who were going to move in an attempt to finally get her debut. An apartment near Gangnam-do with five bedrooms was not easy to find, in fact, it was impossible. But something she had learned at that company was that all the staff were responsible for doing the impossible to make the artists feel good. After so much bad news of idols being harmed in all different ways and in all different ways, all I wanted was for the girls, too young to be able to handle everything that fame could bring, to be able to rest in peace after a long day . If she couldn't have the apartment of her dreams, at least the girls could.

"I was almost asleep without your coffee, Anna." Kang Hyunsik jokes, getting up and helping the girl with all the boxes and bags she carried. "Are you preparing for war?" Anna laughed, feeling the full weight of the stress go away with the boxes she was carrying. After all these years, she was still surprised at how Hyunsik managed to have that effect on everyone.

He might not be handsome enough to be an idol, but his smile was enough to brighten up the room and his selfless attitude was what attracted the girl to the team in the first place. He was a talented manager, above all, managing his artists as best as possible and always making sure that they slept at least six hours a day. "Preparing for the war against the press, for sure. Did you forget that the news from the reality show is out today?"

"How could I forget? This place hasn't stopped for a second in the past month, it's insane," he took a deep breath, escorting her to the meeting room. "Do you really think that a reality show is the best way to debut girls? Twenty girls competing for nine places seems very cruel, and we know how much it can affect them," Anna asked, still concerned.

Six months later and she still hadn't gotten used to the idea of playing teenagers in a place with cameras filming all the time and an invisible jury to look at their whole lives, without mercy. "It was taking too long for you to say that," Hyunsik laughed, delighted by her friend's motherly attitude.

"Despite not being the most appropriate according to the company's parameters, it will be a good thing. We promise, and we sign, that they will not be filmed all the time, they will have a day of rest a week and will have daily medical and psychological monitoring. . If any of them are not comfortable, we will take care of them "He breathed, placing the boxes on the floor of the elevator and pressing the button. "Besides, they will be in good hands."

Anna laughed, taking a break from the walk she had taken there. Some days, her body missed when the company was smaller. "Do you really think so?", She asked anxiously. After so many years dreaming, the opportunity to finally look after some group had fallen into her hands, leaving her excited and apprehensive at the same time.

"Anna, you work here as long as I do, you deserve this job. Besides, with someone who cares about them most of the time, I'm sure they will love you as a manager." And there it was, one more of those radiant smiles that filled her with confidence. It was impressive, as if all the charms of a smile came together in one person, it was almost as if it were in some cliché drama. Or in a toothpaste commercial.

They entered the meeting room, finding the others responsible for making that dream happen. There were two ways that described ONE Entertainment founder and main producer, Lee Jimin. Genius, responsible and CEO were the words that came together in all the stories about him, followed by all the awards he had won throughout his career, either for his music or for those he composed for his artists.

But if Anna could really describe her superior, it would be quite different. He was an extremely relaxed and funny guy, always forgetting where he had put his car keys, cell phone and glasses. Most of the time she was humming around the building and loved to spend most of her time on the terrace, as if the absence of sunlight from the studios blocked her source of inspiration.Above all, Jimin was like an older brother to Anna. He always offered her a ride and took milk from a box when he had time, helping her with all the jobs she received. Certainly a key part for the growth of it and the company as a whole.

Walking around with a half-empty cup of coffee in hand, the elegant woman was Nam Bora. She spoke emphatically on the phone, in a language she couldn't understand. Even if she were English, Anna would probably not understand. The company's co-founder was responsible for finance and international transactions.

She didn't spend a lot of time with the managing team, always traveling, but she always brought souvenirs for everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. It was almost as if she had a spreadsheet with the names of everyone in that building. And she probably had it, being addicted to Excel and organization.

Bora had become one of Anna's best friends after hanging out with the team and sharing her entire life with the intern, even without being drunk. Bora said that she saw a lot of potential in the girl and always gave her work, just as often as she asked her to shop or go to the movies. She was like the big sister she never had.

Sitting next to them, Daniel Wu read quietly, for the tenth time, Harry Potter. He was quiet and smart, always checking to see if anyone needed anything. Anna did not understand how he was still single. He was as handsome as he was polite. When the company started to grow, he stopped riding in the car to take the subway and the bus together with the whole team. It was his way of remembering the company's roots, something very different for the chairman of a company.

Anna admired it in him, never forgot where it came from. She often bought whole meals for the company and made sure everyone felt welcome, from longtime employees to the birds on the terrace. Maybe that's why the whole company felt like a huge family, due to Daniel's quiet and sure effort.

Ahn Namjoon was the only one missing, nothing they were not used to. He was not often late, but he was always the last to arrive, and when he did, he was never empty-handed. As the manager of the boy group Kingdom, he was the oldest of the team and the director of the managing team too. He always had some unusual idea that solved everyone's problem, he was someone who lived outside the box.

Anna had met his family at a barbecue and could tell that she cared for the boys in the group just as she cared for her son. Just as she took care of herself and Hyunsik as if they were older children. He was the one who had hired Anna, saying he had the potential to build the entire company. If anyone had catalyzed the company's growth, it was him. More often than he would like, he said that Anna and Hyunsik were a couple as good as popsicles in the summer.

Analyzing that scene well, she could understand why she liked that reality so different from his dreams. Nobody was normal in that company, just like her, but everyone worked to grow the company and each other as well. A coexistence that added, like a healthy family. It was not the family she was born into, but the one she chose to love.

Hyunsik helped her organize the things she had brought to the meeting, while Namjoon finally arrived with a box full of sweets and snacks, hoping to turn the meeting into a brunch. "Sorry for the delay, I couldn't help bringing these brownies, they just came out of the oven!"

From a distance, they almost looked like a happy family at their weekly meeting. Life could have hit Anna in the face a lot, but she would have done it all again just for that moment. "Anna, please tell me you got a place for the girls," Bora asked as she bit into the cupcake with more frosting, getting a judgmental look from Daniel for eating the candy before it was salted.

"I got it last night! It's just a ten-minute walk from here, two blocks from a supermarket and one from the pharmacy. It's a townhouse with five rooms and a terrace that they'll love! We can take them there as soon as the cleaning is over, probably tonight. I drafted how they can get organized in there too. " she showed the papers excitedly, ignoring Hyunsik's concerned look.

"Always proactive, huh?" Namjoon praised, trying to eat a chicken salty without dropping crumbs on himself. "Great! I'll check with the film crew if they can record their reaction. If it's not good enough for the show, at least we can keep it as a souvenir." Daniel started to write things down in his pocketbook as he spoke. "We should take them out to dinner beforehand, so we can celebrate the start of this new phase of their career. Anna and Hyunsik, can you handle this?" Both nodded, nodding excitedly.

"Namjoon, can you take charge of taking the judges to practice before filming tomorrow morning? I'm worried that Elle still doesn't feel comfortable enough to get back on stage." Namjoon agreed, while everyone worried in silence. It was like a secret that ran within the apparent perfect family, everyone knew, but nobody commented on it. "I'll take some brownies to cheer you up." He smiled and packed the candy from the table.

"Great. Let's hope there are no more problems to solve by tomorrow morning" Bora summed up the meeting, looking at his cell phone watch and swallowing that morning's fifth candy. "One fam, fighting!", And with that she got up and hurriedly left the room, as usual.

"Well, it's time for me to leave too." announced Daniel, after smiling at his friend's attitude and picking up his book along with a box of oatmeal cookies. "Thank you so much for breakfast. If you need me, you know where to find me." before walking out the door, now ajar, he turned to the table. "And Anna, after taking care of the girls, goes home to sleep. A great job also needs a night's rest, and we're going to need it to its fullest tomorrow." He smiled and left the room.

"He's right, we can't debut these girls if you fall exhausted in the hall. Hyunsik, after escorting the girls to the celebration dinner, take her home, please." Jimin asked, hurrying to finish an argument that would have no end if it depended on Anna. Her persistence was great for the job, but when she became stubborn, no one could stop her. "Anyway, as soon as they finish cleaning their new house we should go over there to examine the route. Namjoon, after finishing Prism's comeback schedule, take them to lunch, and they worked hard for it."

"We agreed to celebrate at dinner, I already booked their favorite karaoke room. Wheenie will spend the afternoon with you in the studio finishing recording the solo, Moon is finishing the choreography for the final survival stage, Stelar is getting ready for the recordings. of the new drama and I asked Hyejin to rest before tomorrow ". The older man remembered, earning a smile from the CEO, amused by his own distraction. "And that is why I will never work without you! Anna and Hyunsik will be able to take care of the trainees and organize them in the new house then? Or Kingdom also has some schedule that I don't remember?", He laughed at the joke itself.

"They will be rehearsing for the final stage today as well, but nothing that requires my presence. I can follow Anna and the girls without any problems." He shrugged, proud to have released his schedule for that day. "Great! Anna, if you can move on to Hyunsik how the dorm will be organized, I appreciate it. Do we close our meeting then?" Everyone waved, standing up. With a smile and a nod, Jimin left the room with three boxes of food that he would probably take to the recording studio and would support him for the rest of the day.

Namjoon opened the door for the youngest and headed for the dance studio on the third floor, beginning another pleasant day at work. Anna went to her table, followed by a concerned Hyunsik, almost like a puppy. "I thought about separating them by age, so they don't have to worry too much about formalities and any problems they encounter can be easily solved ..."

"Anna." Hyunsik called out worriedly, failing to interrupt her friend. "I know it is not what they are used to, but I think it is a good idea to help them interact independently from the group that is formed. After all, in this industry, any friendship is essential for their mental strengthening ..."

"Anna." She tried again in vain to stop the train of thoughts that kept flowing. "I'm more concerned with the younger ones, if they don't debut they will be extremely frustrated, if they debut it will take a lot more than someone normal their age. I'm worried about Hiyori, Lyra and Seoryu too. They are the oldest, they are probably thinking that if they don't debut now they won't have a chance and- "

"Anna!" The girl was interrupted by Hyunsik now holding her shoulders and turning all her attention to him. After realizing the position they were in, he released her and took a deep breath. "I won't scold you about how important it is that you sleep, I know you don't want to hear that." The girl took a deep breath of relief. She liked her friend's concern, but she just wanted to worry about leaving the girls well, and if she needed to sacrifice every night's sleep for the next six months, that was what she would do. "If you want to check on them, I'll just see if the boys need anything else. I'll meet you at the studios as soon as I can, okay?" The girl waved smiling, earning a smile back. "And don't worry about dinner, I know the perfect place for us to go together!"

Anna's eyes shone with anticipation, there was only one place that would accept booking the entire restaurant for so many people in the nick of time. Omma Jigu was her favorite restaurant and went whenever she had money, she would never forget how Hyunsik's mother welcomed her when she joined the company as if she were her own mother, let alone all the dumplings she took home that day. Smiling and jumping with joy, she headed to the second floor to find her future protégés. She hoped from the bottom of her heart that the girls would feel as welcome in that place as she had, and hoped even more that, regardless of the outcome, they could feel welcomed by the family that that company had become over the years. Even if some of them could not make their debut at that time, she knew very well that they would not be abandoned. After all, inside his briefcase he contained a plan B for each of them.

#wip #kpop #fanfic #survival #reality show #drama-ish

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Enquirer, December 14

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Prince William’s secret cancer crisis

Page 2: Chris Martin is caught between girlfriend Dakota Johnson and ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow who are both hawking sex toys -- Gwyneth is accusing Dakota of copying her Goop brand and she’s letting Chris know it loud and clear -- Dakota signed on as co-creative director with the sexual wellness brand Maude to launch a line of hip sex products and Dakota’s gotten wind of Gwyn’s whining and thinks she’s being ridiculous -- Chris is proud of Dakota and he feels for Gwyneth but he really wants to be left out of this

Page 3: Martha Stewart has whipped up a new recipe for romance which is red-hot dates with a string of men ordered up online and she may be 79 years old but she’s still cooking with gas in the dating department -- Martha’s getting more dates now than she ever has and she’s saying it makes her feel younger and hotter than ever but all the guys know the deal that there’s no pressure and no commitment and it’s just for the fun and the good company because Martha’s not looking for a relationship

Page 4: Just weeks after Blake Shelton popped the question to longtime love Gwen Stefani they have something else to celebrate as Gwen is expecting a miracle baby at 51 -- after years of trying and failing to have a child together new photos show Gwen sporting what looks like a telltale baby bump -- after years of enduring grueling rounds of IVF treatment without any success Gwen had given up hope of being able to conceive again and she and Blake even looked into adopting but their baby dream has come true naturally

* Reba McEntire’s romance with actor Rex Linn is less than a year old but she’s already driving him crazy -- it was wonderful for the first few months but Reba is so controlling Rex is begging her to give him some space -- Reba wants to be together 24/7 and while Rex loves being with her he’s starting to find her a bit suffocating -- Reba also sees red whenever Rex mentions his former fiancee Renee DeRese and she’s worried Rex is talking to his ex when he’s not around and he has a good relationship with his ex and believes that’s none of Reba’s business

Page 5: Britney Spears lost her bid to have her father Jamie Spears removed from a controlling role in her conservatorship so she’s spending whatever money she can get her hands on to exact her revenge -- Britney is worth about $60 million and she gets a very healthy stipend from that so she’s going through it like water to thumb her nose at her dad and her recent no-holds-barred trip to Maui to celebrate her 39th birthday was more than a little payback because dropping $50,000 on a birthday trip to Hawaii was a satisfying slap in the face to her dad

Page 6: Matthew McConaughey is taking his midlife crisis to an all-time high by planning to do a stand-up comedy tour -- after baring his soul in a memoir the 51-year-old star is totally gung-ho about the comedy thing and he’s cleared his schedule and hired a coach to work on his timing and punch up his jokes -- he’s written a lot of jokes and tried them out on his wife Camila and friends but they’re already tired of his cheesy one-liners and dad jokes and fart gags -- Camila wants to be supportive but she can’t fake it and friends wonder if Matthew’s lost the plot and others claim he might get more inspiration is he took up smoking weed again

Page 7: Grieving Bobby Brown worries he’s cursed after the tragic death of his 28-year-old son Bobby Brown Jr. -- his son’s death follows the deaths of his ex-wife Whitney Houston in 2012 and the couple’s 22-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in 2015 -- Bobby has suffered through so much pain in his life and it’s left him feeling like he’s cursed and he’s a loving father who always does the best he can and what’s right for his kids but there seems to be no escaping tragedy -- no foul play is expected in the death of Bobby Jr. but the coroner has yes to release the cause of death but Bobby Jr. seemed fit and healthy and had never been a drug user and was excited about a singing career after releasing his first single in September

* Donny Osmond is heading back to the Vegas strip to do a one-man show without his sister Marie Osmond and she’s fuming over the betrayal -- Marie is still smarting after getting dumped by The Talk and she thinks Donny could have been sensitive enough to at least invite her to join him -- Marie’s jealous co-stars on The Talk drove her off the daytime chat show because they couldn’t handle being overshadowed by her -- Donny will debut his new solo show at Harrah’s in August

Page 8: Doting Dolly Parton swooped in to save goddaughter Miley Cyrus from a meltdown after Miley trashed her sobriety during a boozy bender -- Miley has been on the wagon for six months after years of indulging in weed and alcohol but the boredom of lockdown pushed her over the edge -- Dolly has been a source of inspiration and strength to Miley during this difficult time and she’s never lectured Miley about her lifestyle only shown her unconditional love and understanding and that’s what Miley’s responded to

Page 9: Lady Gaga hopes to tango with Brad Pitt and they’re close to making a love connection -- the two have been in deep talks about working on a big-screen thriller and the conversations have turned up close and personal because the two have more in common than people realize -- Brad has always been a huge music nerd and Gaga wants to throw herself into movies in a big way after the success of A Star Is Born -- Gaga is ready to cash out of her latest relationship with businessman Michael Polansky because they quarantined together and things got a little too close for her tastes and she’s now set her sights on Brad who recently became unattached after giving the brush-off to German model Nicole Poturalski -- Gaga’s interest in Brad has not gone unreciprocated because Brad is fascinated by Gaga saying she’s cool and talented beyond words and he’s made it clear she’s his number one choice to star alongside him in next movie and as a result the new duo is set to spend months together in Japan filming the racy thriller Bullet Train and they both think that this will be a great opportunity to see if the chemistry they’ve shared in conversations is real

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Julia Garner filmed her role as a phony heiress in Inventing Anna in NYC, Gary Busey picked up a copy of the National Enquirer at a Malibu newsstand, Jay-Z tossed around a football with pals during a Hawaiian getaway, Heidi Klum shot Germany’s Next Top Model in Berlin

Page 11: In the latest tragedy to strike the Getty dynasty 52-year-old John Gilbert Getty was found dead in a Texas hotel room -- he was a descendant of J. Paul Getty the oil tycoon who was once the world’s richest man -- the Getty fortune is worth an estimated $5 billion but the family has been rocked by a string of tragedies

* Gutsy Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman kept his colon cancer diagnosis secret from his own brothers Derrick L. Boseman who is a pastor in Murfreesboro in Tennessee -- but when Derrick called Chadwick to congratulate him on his career the actor broke the tragic news -- Chadwick’s last words to him still echo in his heart: Chadwick said, “I’m in the fourth quarter and I need you to get me out of the game,” which Derrick understood to mean it was time for him to go -- Chadwick died on August 28

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- the scrawny look of the holiday tree at Rockefeller Center revealed something that happens every year -- the tree is always filled with faux branches because that’s the only way the tree can sustain 50,000 LED lights

* Marie Osmond hasn’t spoken to Sharon Osbourne since she left The Talk because Marie and Sharon were professional but never friends

* Scarlett Johansson is worth $165 million while her new husband Colin Jost tops out a $6 million but despite the difference Colin bought both wedding rings -- some men may be intimidated by a wife who’s rich and famous but not Colin and paying the bills is something the two have worked out together

* Woody Harrelson chats with police after a day filming The Man from Toronto in Ontario (picture)

Page 13: Conan O’Brien is putting on a happy face on his retirement from late-night TV but he was forced out -- after nearly three decades hosting a daily show Conan announced he’s leaving his TBS talker for a weekly variety series on HBO Max but he knew he had to go even before he was asked because he was made aware months ago that his show would not be renewed because the ratings weren’t great and the network was looking to replace him so he started looking for other opportunities

* Lizzo wailing about the pitfalls of fame in an emotional TikTok post has sent out the alarm among her friends who fear she is days away from a full-on meltdown -- she seems to be hanging by a thread and is trying to numb the pain with endless cycles of comfort eating and she already weighs 350 pounds -- Lizzo’s unhappy with her weight and hates the sight of herself when she looks in the mirror but she’s unable to stick to a diet and ends up binge eating through the night

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Emboldened by his legal victories last year accused sexual abuser Kevin Spacey is denying all the allegations in a 2020 lawsuit in New York against him and demanding the case be brought to trial so he can clear his name -- Kevin is feeling pretty confident after two sexual harassment cases against him in Los Angeles and Massachusetts were dismissed last year and he wants his day in court to prove he is not the monster these charges paint him to be -- in the September suit two male accusers charged Spacey sexually assaulted them when they were 14 and the first accuser alleged Spacey assaulted him on multiple occasions after they met in an acting class in the ‘80s -- in the same suit actor Anthony Rapp charged Spacey invited him to a party at his home and grabbed his buttocks and lifted him onto a bed and lay on top of him

* Serial killer Ted Bundy relived the details of one of his horrific killings in his final conversation before he was fried in the electric chair in 1989 -- Bundy who was convicted of killing 30 women and suspected of doing the same to many more across four states in the 1970s and ‘80s spilled his guts to a psychologist just hours before his execution death and it can be heard in its frightening entirety on the Crimedoor app -- Bundy details the murder of Georgann Hawkins

Page 16: Accused Jeffrey Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell is under quarantine in a federal pen after being exposed to a guard with COVID-19 and now sources fear she could die before facing justice on child sex trafficking charges next year

Page 17: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton’s kids are devastated after their best friend Lupo the family dog passed away -- the beloved dog had become a fixture in family photos but sadly died at age nine leaving Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte and especially Prince George enormously upset -- for George especially this is a tremendous upset as Lupo was his best friend and he has been there his entire life and this is his first experience with loss and he’s been crying nonstop and asking where Lupo is now

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Russia is using a brain-frying microwave weapon to target American envoys in the U.S. and around the world -- a team of doctors and scientists at CIA headquarters determined the mysterious illness that’s plagued embassy workers in recent years was the handiwork of a weapon that can send a mind-scrambling sonic beam through windows and walls from two miles away -- since 2018 the weapon has zapped 26 diplomats in Cuba who reported suffering from migraines and ringing in the ears and dizziness and vertigo -- Some has longer-term effects such as fatigue and loss of vision and difficulty sleeping symptoms dubbed the Havana Syndrome

* Elon Musk is already designing posh planetary digs for residents of his future city on Mars and he said the first million Earthlings to arrive will live in glass domes -- Musk’s outer-space enterprise is still a little sketchy on details of how to ship a million people to Mars by 2050 and change the atmosphere by terraforming or planting the right stuff to create oxygen

Page 21: American Pie singer Don McLean’s daughter has blasted him as a verbally abusive tyrant who left her with deep psychological scars -- Jackie McLean claimed her father insulted and degraded her and forbade her from following in his musical footsteps and even threatened to exclude her from his $50 million fortune if she spoke out against him -- despite her dad’s warning Jackie has embarked on a musical career with her husband Shawn Strack forming the group Roan Yellowthorpe

Page 22: Hey, Big Spender! Hollywood’s tippers and tightwads -- Jessica Simpson, Mick Jagger, Rachael Ray, Taylor Swift

Page 23: Russell Crowe, Donnie Wahlberg, Jeremy Piven, Johnny Depp, Bill Cosby

Page 25: Justin Bieber is questioning his future in the scandal-scarred Hillsong church after his former pal and pastor Carl Lentz was booted out in disgrace -- the singer has long relied on Hillsong which some have branded a cult and Lentz to help him navigate fame -- Justin’s at a crossroads right now because he definitely felt betrayed by Carl and now he and his wife Hailey Bieber are deciding whether to stay with the church

Page 26: Viola Davis has revealed how growing up poor in Rhode Island affected her self-worth saying what comes with poverty is invisibility and we just want to be somebody desperately -- Viola says her feeling of I’m Important helped drive her career which has led to an Oscar and two Tonys and an Emmy

* Hollywood Hookups -- Vanessa Hudgens is dating Cole Tucker of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jordan Fisher and Ellie Woods married, Luann De Lesseps dating Garth Wakeford

Page 27: Nicole Kidman has revealed there is only one cure for her desperate struggles with loneliness which is in the arms of husband Keith Urban -- Nicole said she practices psychological discipline to keep her career and home life separate but isolation still plagues her

* Dallas star Linda Gray is mourning the death of her son Jeff Thrasher at the age of 56 -- she’s heard from some former Dallas colleagues who have rallied around her and expressed their condolences -- no cause of death for Jeff has been revealed

Page 28: Cover Story -- Prince William is trapped in a cancer nightmare after medical tests have led doctors to suspect the heir to Britain’s throne may be fighting a slow-moving form of the deadly disease and now the 38-year-old royal and his family are terrified he is in severe danger and medical experts are monitoring his health for any symptoms of the illness -- there’s talk around the palace the prince’s decision to reveal he tested positive for COVID-19 during the spring is really an attempt to explain away his condition because doctors found something funky when they checked for the virus -- if William’s health takes a turn for the worse it could further erode confidence in the monarchy which has already endured Prince Andrew’s sex scandal and the defection of Prince Harry -- when William’s doctors dropped their cancer bombshell his wife Duchess Kate Middleton locked herself away with just their kids for five days and she’s practically had a breakdown but she’s learned to be a royal and is now coping very bravely and confronting the future with steely resolve but she is urging William to mend fences with his estranged brother Harry

Page 32: Health Watch

Page 36: Jessica Simpson is preparing her windpipes for a post-pandemic musical comeback -- she hasn’t released an album since Happy Christmas a decade ago but wants to storm the pop charts once again and recruit some of her wider family to give her a disco edge because Jessica has always looked up to Diana Ross who is sister Ashlee Simpson’s mother-in-law and Jessica has been bugging Ashlee to hook her up with Diana and she thinks they could do an incredible duet

Page 38: Paul McCartney has taken a seething jab at a two-faced gold-digging mystery woman in his new song Lavatory Lil but insisted it’s not about his ex-wife Heather Mills

* Lil Wayne’s ex-girlfriend fears he will go insane behind bars -- the rapper is a convicted felon banned from possessing a weapon and now faces up to 10 years in jail after federal agents in Miami caught him with heroin and cocaine and ecstasy and marijuana and a gold-plated gun -- former girlfriend Melissa Howe says he won’t cope and it took him years to get his life back to normal after his last trip inside so for it to happen again for him to be put behind bars it would really get to him mentally

Page 42: Red Carpet -- American Music Awards -- Kristin Cavallari, Christian Serratos, Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Megan Fox

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- LeAnn Rimes holding a dog on Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family

Page 47: Odd List

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shefanispeculator · 5 years ago

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Ghost – Ray Fulcher

If you haven’t caught him on the Ole Red stage, you’ve probably listened to a few of his songs. That’s right – Ray is an artist-songwriter and has co-wrote eight songs on Luke Combs platinum debut album “This Ones For You,” including the #1 single “When It Rains It Pours.” He is our current Neon Light Feature Artist, and “Ghost” is his most recent single.

Going Going Gone – Ryan Griffin

Fun Fact: Blake Shelton and Ryan are “label mates,” both are signed with Warner Music Nashville. Ryan has played at both Ole Red Gatlinburg and Ole Red Nashville before as a Neon Light Feature Artist. This song is his most recent single inspired by his wife. Don’t you just love, love?

The Ground – Anna Vaus

This talented young female artist was asked to make her Grand Ole Opry Debut on the Ole Red Nashville stage last summer. As a singer-songwriter, Anna brings the heart and soul back to Country Music. This is one of our favorite tracks off her EP “The California Kid.”

Stoned Age – Hannah Dasher

As another former Neon Light Featured Artist, we’ve been lucky enough to have Hannah grace the stages of both Ole Red Nashville and Ole Red Gatlinburg. If you’re a big fan of 90s country, her music has a way of bringing it back to 2020. Hannah received an invitation to make her Grand Ole Opry debut on the Ole Red stage.

Nobody But You (Acoustic) – Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani

What’s a country playlist without Blake Shelton? Check out the boss man’s newest release!

Pushing Up Daisies – Mikayla Lane

You can catch this 16-year-old Oklahoma native rockin’ the Ole Red Tishomingo stage on any given Saturday night. Don’t let her age fool you, this girl’s got the heart, sass, and pipes to be the next Carrie Underwood.

Ghost – Sara Collins

Sara has been a long time Ole Red Gatlinburg artist, and one that we’re lucky to have. We had to share her with The Voice this season, but we don’t mind. Until it’s safe to come back in and see her at Ole Red, we recommend replaying her Voice performances. We know we are.

Undefeated – Zach Ray

There must be something in the Oklahoma water. Originally an Okie like Blake himself, Zach plays the stage at both Ole Red Nashville and Ole Red Gatlinburg. Raised on Country Music and Jesus, there’s a little something for everyone in Zach’s music. Check out this special tune from his most recent self-titled EP. Here’s to staying undefeated y’all.

Tailgate Town – Matt Rogers

Here at Ole Red, we know a little something about Tailgate Towns, and Matt knows a little something about writing a hit song. If Matt’s not playing at Ole Red Nashville, he’s out writing, and it shows.

My Love – Nick Hickman

Authentic is one of the best words to describe Nick, as an artist and as a person. Formerly an artist of the month at Ole Red Nashville, Nick brings energy and personality to every performance he makes. We bet you’ll have this tune stuck in your head for days.

How Lucky – Rachel Horter

Rachel is at Ole Red Nashville on a nearly weekly basis. Her smooth vocals are unforgettable and showcased at their best in her single “How Lucky.” If you love it, be sure to check out the music video she just released to go along with it.

Straight from Kentucky – JD Shelburne

You’ll know when JD is in the house at Ole Red Nashville. People travel from far and wide to see this super star, and if you listen to his songs, you’ll understand why. Meet us and JD at the Ole Red Nashville stage when all is safe, you hear?

Dear Love – Johnny Cochran

This guy opened up for Blake Shelton at Ole Red Nashville, and man was it killer! “Dear Love” is his most recent single and showcases his strong vocals and electric guitar riffs.

Night Things – Shaun Abbott

We’re always ecstatic to have Shaun at Ole Red Gatlinburg. This song seemed fitting for right now… stuck in self-isolation, there are no rules. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. We’ll leave the interpretation up to you.

Goodbye Caroline – Monroeville

Monroeville is truly an Ole Red Gatlinburg favorite. Providing the perfect balance between country and bluegrass, this band sets the mood in the Smokies. Let ‘em set the mood in your living room tonight. Turn on some “Goodbye Caroline” and grab that special someone for a slow dance or two.

Shaking Hands – Cole Sitzlar

Cole’s outlaw country attitude cuts through in every one of his lyrics and guitar licks in this song. You could walk into Ole Red Gatlinburg on any given week, and almost guarantee catchin’ a performance from Cole.

Leave Her Wild – Sundance Head

One of the best parts of having your own venue, is getting your friends to play it. One of Blake’s favorites to invite back to the Ole Red Tishomingo stage is Sundance Head. As Season 11 winner of The Voice, Sundance Head brings big time talent to our small town venue.

Game Over – Gracee Shriver

Blake stole this Okie from Kelly Clarkson on the most recent season of The Voice, and boy are we happy he did. If you haven’t already listened to Gracee, it’s “game over” when you do. We can’t wait to bring this talented local and national talent to Ole Red Tishomingo soon.

Mystery – Jesse Labelle

Opening up for artists like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, and Big & Rich, we’re lucky to have Jesse on the stage at Ole Red Nashville. Originally from Canada, Jesse made the trek to Nashville to pursue his dream of becoming a country artist. We think he’s doing pretty darn good so far, but we’ll let his music do the talking.

Daddy’s Money – Ricochet

Anytime we have this classic 90s group at Ole Red Tishomingo, y’all are grabbing your daddy’s money to buy a ticket to see them. No judgement, we understand. But really, this song is a country hit, you probably already know it.

Keep Up – Rae Lynn

A longtime friend of Blake’s, Rae frequents Ole Reds to play her newest tunes and hang out with the boss. You can always count on Rae to bring the sass and energy to the dullest of times. Her newest single “Keep Up” will bring some excitement to your self-isolation.

Country as Cornbread – Red Marlow

As another member of Team Blake alum, Red has been around for many Ole Red “firsts.” Red is Blake’s buddy and performed this song back at Ole Red Nashville in November 2019. We loved it so much we had to share it. Plus, we know a little something about good country music and cornbread.

Out of Love’s Way – Aly Cutter

It’s truly crazy how small the world is. Aly wrote a few songs for Blake’s good friend Trace Adkins, so it only made sense to have her on the Ole Red Nashville Stage. You know how it is, a friend of a friend of a friend. Now we’re all friends.

There Goes My Heart – Lance and Lea

Y’all know the saying that two is better than one? It’s true. Lance goes with Lea like biscuits go with gravy. You can’t have one without the other. This duo was the Ole Red Nashville artist of the month back in February 2020, and “There Goes My Heart” is one of our favorites from them.

Rockin’ Chair – Craig Wayne Boyd

Blake won season 7 of The Voice with Craig, so at this point you already know it’s a no-brainer that he rocks the stage at Ole Red. We’re proud #Yallers! (That’s a hardcore Craig fan.)

Recycled – Mae Estes

New to the Ole Red family, but you wouldn’t know it. Mae says “I write songs and sing ‘em and that’s about all I’ve got figured out.” Let’s just say, she could have fooled us. Her newest single “Recycle” brings you back home within the first 15 seconds.

Down in Nogales – Shannon Raines

We owe a lot the weekend rug cuttin’ at Ole Red Tishomingo to Shannon Raines and his band. There’s not a lot of current artists who can make classic country sound this good.

Travelin’ On – The Swon Brothers, Vince Gill

Here at Ole Red, we have some of our own holiday traditions. One of them is bringing The Swon Brothers to Tishomingo right around thanksgiving. It’s really hard not to be thankful when you’re listening to this duo. Teaming up with country legend Vince Gill on this track is just icing on the cake.

Burnin’ Gas – Tim Cote

Part time security guard, full-time artist. We like to joke that we’re not sure if Tim actually ever leaves Ole Red Nashville. When this guy isn’t jumping around on stage, he’s at the door keeping y’all safe. This is his newest single, “Burnin’ Gas.”

How The Car’s Running – Emily Ann Roberts

As an East Tennessee native, Emily Ann is close to Ole Red Gatlinburg, but even closer to our hearts. Too sappy? We’ll stop, but it’s a treat any time this one stops by Ole Red. Another one of Blake’s friends we’re lucky to have.

Off My Chest – Stephen Paul

Stephen is rising quickly in the Nashville music scene and “Off My Chest” is the title track on his latest EP release. We just started having him at Ole Red Nashville, and maybe it’s too soon… but Stephen, we love you. Sorry, we had something to get off our chests too.

Good Guy – Alex Smith

Good guy. Incredible and authentic artist. Just listen.

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cosmitasiarts-moved · 5 years ago

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Wrote a fic about uuh. something? this one is still angsty but less horribly depressing I promise, it’s about Ness revisiting Magicant. on AO3 at works/21412765

After their journey to save the world, life was gradually settling down and returning to how things used to be, give or take a few friendships. Despite mostly gaining friends, getting a boost in popularity at school, and the fulfillment of saving the world as its own reward, Ness couldn’t help but feel a profound loss and unending emptiness weighing on him.

He felt so disconnected from the people in his life, he’d never experienced it before. He couldn’t even feel the presence of his close friends, let alone the sudden influx of people who suddenly decided it was cool to be friends with the psychic kid who saved the world (They totally never made him feel like dirt or anything before now, not at all.) It was overwhelming to be bombarded with all the attention, even if it was starting to die down as of late.

For the longest time, Ness was trying to figure out why he’s remained so agitated, even long after his journey ended. It’s been months, everyone else around him was able to resume their lives as usual, or maybe that was just him letting his irrational frustration impact how he perceived the state of the world and people around him.

He thought, maybe it was just a reaction to the trauma. Maybe it was losing his longtime best friend. Maybe it was the blatantly artificial friendliness of the people in town and at school. Most realistically, it was everything blended together and building up. The most irritating part to him was the fact that he’s never been impacted by anything this heavily for this long before. He should have bounced back by now! He’s supposed to be the fun, positive friend, that’s what he’s always been.

The restlessness wasn’t getting any better. The dwelling on his anger, grief, and guilt, letting the thoughts cycle viciously through his head over and over, holding the same excruciating impact each time. He still couldn’t sleep soundly half a year later, those same disordered swirls of red assaulting his mind whenever he closed his eyes. The best he could do is toss and turn until his body gets too exhausted to move. After god knows how long he spent going through that same routine in his bed, a rare night came where he was finally able to slip out of consciousness.

The world melted away around him into a dream, easing him back into the familiar ethereal country of his mind’s creation, Magicant. He had no idea why he was back, he hadn’t been back to this place since the final sanctuary. He figured it would have disappeared, or at least be out of his reach, after his initial visit. He stood on his feet, the fatigue on his physical body fortunately not ailing him here.

Taking a moment to look around, he realized the once brightly colored island full of residents and personality had deteriorated into a barren, gloomy wasteland. He couldn’t see far, as a thick fog formed throughout the area. Something was tugging him to trek deeper. He began his return to the depths of Magicant, the dead grass crunching under his socked feet. It was lonely and eerily quiet, last time he had been here he had stumbled across plenty of familiar faces, but this time he was only getting fleeting images of people in the corners of his eyes that would vanish when he tried to focus on them for too long.

As he got further, the terrain shifted to dirty slush covered ground. Ness’s pace was reduced to a creep, trudging through the deepening slush. Coupled with the area’s change, the air went cold and heavy, making breathing increasingly difficult. Despite the frigid air stinging his skin accompanied by the thoroughly unpleasant sensation of snowy, wet socks, the feeling in his body remained in tact.

Ness was forced to a halt, kneeling over to cough, straining to catch his breath. The pressure of the air around him became far too encumbering for him to continue forward without rest. He took a moment to observe his surroundings again, he couldn’t tell how long or how far he’d been walking for. The phantoms of people became rarer, though more recognizable. None of them stuck around too long, all he could do was watch the memories and recreations replay before him until they inevitably dissolved. There were some members from his baseball team hanging out together. Tracy and her friends messing around. Paula, Jeff, and Pu saying goodbye to him. Pokey-

Pokey.

He ran off as soon as Ness registered who he was. Ness sprung back to his feet in pursuit, desperately trying to reach forward as his old friend receded into the oppressive haze. Eventually the slush under him dissipated to a solid ground of deep magenta, and the dread filling his stomach grew stronger.

Something inside of him knew he wouldn’t ever be able to see his old friend again, he wouldn’t ever be able to catch him. Against his better judgement, he forced his aching legs to continue racing through the darkening fog, getting caught up in his delusional hope to just see his long lost best friend one more time.

By the time he finally reached the center of the spiral, Ness’ lungs were burning and his legs wobbled under his weight, which he now realized was feeling like much more than his real body. He collapsed before the coil growing from the center, taking time trying to accept the fact that he was never going to catch his old friend. Though the sorrow gathered and set in his throat, he couldn’t even bring himself to cry about it anymore.

He remained slouched on the ground for a while, heaving his chest. Finally, he hesitantly moved to place his hand on the coil, his vision filled with a blinding light while he felt the land fall away beneath him, plunging him into murky, violet water. A haunting, detached voice resonated faintly from the center of the sea, drawing him towards it.

I… … … … … g… … d…

He waded towards the source of the voice, the water feeling much thicker and impeding his movement much more than he remembered. The restricted pace him gave him plenty of time to ponder. This place has changed so much since his last visit, he could only imagine what he’s going to encounter at the heart of this ocean this time.

I… … … p … … y...

There were no sea monsters infesting the waters this time around. In fact, even with Ness's ever intensifying sense of unease, he hadn’t come across anything immediately dangerous.

N… t… r… … … ht…

Ness couldn’t tell how much time has passed since he got here or how far he’s traveled. Although he was fairly lucid in this dreamlike realm, the rate in which time was passing was completely indiscernible. The only way he could tell he was making any progress was the clarity of the eerie cries.

N… … … s… i… h… … ts…

He was getting close.

Ness!

At last, there was a break in the fog, revealing a weathered, broken down iteration of the statue Ness had been met with before. Ness trembled with apprehension, but readied himself in a defensive and worked his way closer to it. His first step forward, it began to crack. Another step, pieces chipped and fall away. His last step towards it and-

In that instant, the statue shattered, erupting with tendrils of darkness. They sprawled out, completely consuming the sea around Ness, engulfing his sight and chilling him to the bone. Swirls of seething crimson spilled through the void, scorching against his skin and burning his eyes. A deafening cacophony of anguished screeches and Ness's name ripping the air. The overwhelming mixture of numbing cold, searing pain, and incomprehensible white noise rendered Ness unable to move, any thoughts he could attempt to formulate being drowned out to be replaced by overlapping mixtures of his own voice and that of the creature that never ceased tormenting him.

The most vile things inside of his mind smothered Ness, up until this point it had been rotting him from the inside out, only now has it begun the inevitable process of violently tearing him to pieces. The horrid mass flooding from his own conscience was seeping through his body bit-by-bit, causing the burning sensation coursing through his veins.

Hopelessness ravaged Ness's brain while he urgently wracked his mind for solace, a way out, something, anything to save him. Every thought and feeling that had resided in his head for the past months that he repeatedly tried to shelve and push away were all caving in on him at once, he had never experienced anything like this before, tears welled in his eyes, he couldn’t deal with it all on his own.

He doesn’t have to.

In the midst of the thunderous, scarlet whirlpool threatening to shred Ness’ body to pieces, it occurred to him. “Mom…” he choked a sob out into the brutal storm, which seemingly responded by becoming more vicious. He closed his eyes against the harsh force and finally let tears stream down his face. ”... Paula… Please…” his voice was hoarse, the cyclone grew angrier. ”Jeff…” it ripped into him deeper, he had to resist the rising urge to hurl from the pain. ”Pu…” ever so slightly, Ness felt like he could see openings in the darkness overrunning his mind when he opened his eyes.

”Please… I need… I-I… I can’t…” Ness’ aching body shuddered with another sob. ”I need help! Please!” he begged as his stiff legs gave way and he landed on his knees, every inch of his body inside and out screaming at him in pain, though, it was less than before. The pitch black surroundings and red swirls were starting to give way to the purple sea he had remembered from what feels like so long ago. ”I need you guys… I can’t do this by myself...” he whimpered.

The storm continued to lash at Ness’ body, but it’s power over him was weakening. Even if he couldn’t see it, or hear it, he felt a comforting presence enveloping him, as if it were cradling him in a tender hug. “Thank you- thank you… Please stay with me…” He clung to whatever, whoever surrounded him as if his life depended on it, which, it probably does.

The poison red deluge recoiled from him furiously, surrendering to the returning color of the sea and lifting fog, falling back to the center and slowly draining away. As the last of the corruption dispelled, Ness let out a shaky sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and felt himself being pulled back into consciousness.

#earthbound #mother 2 #mother series #ness #ness earthbound #ness mother 2 #fanfic #cosmitasia writes

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dayseternal-blog · 5 years ago

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A NaruHina Sports AU

Summary: She knows that if he were to ever ask her out, she would accept in a heartbeat. After all, he's the star quarterback and basketball player. Plus, she's liked him since...forever. But when her home phone rings, and he's on the other line, she hangs up.

Chapter 1: Hard to Get

Shrieks of laughter sound over the roar and creak of carnival machinery. The sun beats down on the park, and she wipes a bead of perspiration from her forehead as they make their way across the grass, avoiding the bare patches of dust and dirt.

“Oooh! Let’s go on the Zipper next!” Sakura points to the tall, imposing machine.

Her eyes widen at the ride where passengers teeter precariously, rocking back and forth, upside down, clinging to the bars. It looks like she’ll come off it dizzy and sick. “Okay!”

Her childhood friend smiles excitedly, and the two rush to the line.

The bluenette ties her long hair up into a ponytail as they wait. When she’s not at practice, she likes to wear her hair down, but it’s just too hot today.

The Zipper whirs to life again, spinning its screaming occupants in circles.

She shares a nervous smile with Sakura before letting her attention drift over to watch the rest of the school carnival.

Just across the way, a large tent houses games, like the dime toss, darts, and Pepsi ring toss. Stuffed animals that aren’t exactly cute hang enticingly from the signs as crowds of teens try their luck. Girls affectionately hug the prizes their boyfriends won for them.

A boy with golden hair and just the most wonderfully lean build emerges from the tent, heading toward their line. With a girl, a lanky brunette, hanging on his arm.

The smile she didn’t realize she was wearing until just now falters a bit.

“Hey, Naruto!! NARUTO! HEYY! NARUTO!!” Sakura yells.

She winces at her friend’s amazing lung capacity. She glances at Sakura, a part of her wishing that she wouldn’t call him over (with that girl).

She looks back to see if he’s coming over. Even with the noise, there’s absolutely no way he didn’t hear her.

But suddenly he’s toting that girl in the opposite direction.

“What the hell?! I know he saw us!” Sakura huffs.

A part of her is relieved. A part of her that clings onto this impossible crush is disappointed. The last time she saw him was briefly at the football game three weeks ago. They didn’t talk, except for an exchange of greetings. The usual, nothing more, nothing less. But with her best friend dating his best friend since intermediate school, they see each other often enough, despite attending rival high schools, for her to carry on with this infatuation.

She hardly even knows him. Well, correction, he hardly even knows her. She’s noticed him since elementary school. She’s loved him just as long.

Along with all the other girls.

She was 9 when she first saw him. The bus was taking her basketball team to the neighboring school’s gym for a tournament. They made a pit stop to pick up another team that was stranded due to engine problems. She remembers it clearly. Peering out the window and seeing him. A shining smile, tan skin, a confident gait as he ribbed with his teammates. He was cute. Her eyes followed him as they got on their bus.

And she couldn’t stop watching him. He was amazing. The way he ran across the court with smooth strides, the way he sharply juked his opponents, the way he handled the ball.

She and her teammates were swooning.

He never once looked their way.

His obliviousness didn’t deter her. When she learned he had club football practice in the park next to her school, she watched him everyday from the basketball court as she shot hoops. Standing from a distance, she noted the car he got into, its color, brand, the side of the car he sits in. On the road, she looked for his family’s car, wondering if maybe he was in the lane beside her.

She adored him.

It could be argued that she stalked him.

Her crush was so obvious throughout elementary and intermediate school, there isn’t a person who knows her who doesn’t know about her feelings.

But she’s been doing her very best to get over him. Especially now. When he obviously has a girlfriend. After all, she doesn’t stand a chance. He’s the star quarterback and basketball player of Konoha High School. And she’s just some distant girl attending the neighboring Hi no Tera High School.

So she knows it’s a really sick prank when she answers the house phone the next afternoon.

“Hello, can I speak to Hinata?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Naruto.”

“...” Well, that’s just not possible. “Okay, really funny,” she says, deadpan. She hangs up. She’s not falling for that. All of her friends and cousins know that it’s her life dream for him to call her and ask her out.

But it gets worse. Twenty minutes later, the phone rings again.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Hinata? This is Naruto.”

So she hangs up.

Ten minutes later, the phone rings again.

“Hello?”

“Hinata, this is Naruto.”

She hangs up. But somehow this prank caller is really not getting the picture. Because he calls again. And again. And again.

“Hello?” She tries to keep the annoyance out of her voice in case it’s actually someone else.

“Hinata-”

The voice is different, but the caller knows she’s on the other end. “Okay, please stop-”

“No, wait, don’t hang up!”

“Just stop-”

“Hinata! This is Sasuke.”

She’s upset. He should know better than to do this to her. “Sasuke-kun, what are you doing? It's not funny.”

“That really was Naruto.”

She doesn’t believe him. At all. “Okay, alright.” Her tone conveys her disbelief.

“...Can you bring Sakura over to Konoha High School?”

She hesitates in doing him this favor. She purses her lips and rolls her eyes. But she’s too nice to say no. Like her, Sakura attends Hi no Tera High School and hardly ever gets to see her boyfriend. And she’s the only one with a car. She’s basically responsible for how long their relationship has lasted. She keeps herself from sighing her aggravation. “Okay.”

“Thank you, Hinata.”

When she and Sakura pull up to Konoha High School, Sasuke and Naruto are sitting on the school field’s wall. They look a little tired. Football practice apparently just ended.

Her brow furrows at seeing the golden boy here. He is actually here with Sasuke. So did he actually call her all of those times? Doubt and hope shut her up, and she can’t hardly say a word as Sakura prances up to Sasuke.

The two lovebirds start talking about everything, somehow excluding her and Naruto.

She stands awkwardly next to her longtime crush, waiting for him to say something. Maybe a “hi” or “hello.” She gathers her courage to look at him, which in itself, feels like a huge feat. He’s gorgeous--blue eyes, tousled hair, broad shoulders, defined muscles.

But he says nothing. He’s looking at her unblinkingly and then averts his gaze toward Sakura.

Not that she should have expected anything. She grabs her basketball from her car and heads to the court. Sakura and Sasuke don’t notice or care.

She starts shooting hoops.

She’s on her fifth basket when he comes onto the court. Her stomach knots in nerves, and still, he says nothing. Just shifts his weight near the fence and watches her shoot a 2-pointer.

She dribbles the ball a couple of times and shoots again. She obviously glances over at him.

He’s watching her, and his head tilts a bit, seeing that she’s giving him some attention.

Not knowing what else to do, she passes him the ball.

He dribbles it a couple of times and then shoots. The ball makes that satisfying swish sound in the net. And of course, his form is perfect. He looks her in the eye and passes the ball back to her.

They switch off, bouncing the ball between them, taking shots at the basket until Sakura and Sasuke are ready to leave.

It’s not until later that night, the house phone rings again.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Hinata?”

“Yes?”

“This is Naruto.”

It really is his voice. Slightly husky and warm. Incredibly attractive.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She realizes he’s referring to that afternoon. And today just keeps getting stranger and stranger. “Well um...why didn’t you say anything?” She’s honestly wondering.

“I...didn't say anything because you didn't say anything...”

She was supposed to talk first? Oh. "Well...I didn't say anything because you didn't say anything..."

"..."

She meets his silence with silence.

“Why did you keep hanging up on me?”

Can she tell him that she didn’t think it could possibly be him? After all, he has a girlfriend. “Well...you have a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yesterday, you were walking around with a girl.” She doesn’t know why she has to remind him.

“Oh...her?...She’s not my girlfriend.”

She doesn’t know why she has to explain this to him. “You were holding hands.”

“Ah, naah, she’s not my girlfriend.”

This is all too good to be true because how can this possibly be true. Her fingers tangle with the phone’s spiral cord in anticipation.

“...You wanna go out to the movies with me?”

“Okay.” Her response is a little too automatic. But she doesn’t have it in her to care because the hope is building up inside her, and it’s not until after the call is over that she freaks out in happiness.

“He was nice. It was really fun,” she recaps, remembering how he smiled at her when they met the night before at the theater. How he opened the door for her. How they sat next to each other in the dark room. How they talked about the movie afterwards. How he asked her out to the beach for next time.

They’re sitting around at Sakura’s house because her best friend just had to know how their first date went.

Sakura’s shaking her head, silently giggling. “Sasuke-kun, tell her what you told me.” Sakura’s expression is one of barely-contained mirth.

The raven-haired boy smirks. “You know the day he kept calling you and you kept on hanging up?”

“Um, yes?”

“We were at football practice.”

She nods, remembering how they met up with them afterwards.

Sasuke waits for a second to see if she catches on to whatever he’s trying to imply.

She looks at him blankly.

Sasuke nods and repeats, “We were at football practice.”

She still doesn’t get it.

“Every time our coach gave us a water break, he ran to the payphone to call you.”

Realization crosses her mind. The closest payphone to the Konoha football field is across the baseball field and basketball courts, then on the other side of the administration building, next to the street.

Sakura is shaking with silent laughter.

“I asked him how it went when he came running back, but he said that you hung up on him. So the next break comes, he runs to his bag, gets out his coins, runs to the payphone, comes running back, he’s shaking his head, and practice is starting again. And the next break comes, he does it again--runs to his bag, runs to the payphone, runs back, said you hung up on him. And I’m wondering what the idiot’s doing wrong. So eventually he was asking me for quarters, and that’s when I went with him.”

The pinkette finally lets out her cackles of amusement.

He ran back and forth during their water breaks to the payphone just to call her. And she hung up on him. The star quarterback and basketball player. Her longtime crush. Every single time.

#naruhina #fanfic #romance #sports au #ao3 #fluff #naruhina fanfiction

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lonely-full-of-secrets · 7 years ago

Text

Sweet Dreams (Sweet Pea x Reader)

Masterlist - Part 2

Word Count: 3097

A/n: I really didn’t know what to name this fic but I left it as sweet dreams since this is based on a dream I had. This will have a part 2!

Sweet Pea was someone you always had a crush on ever since you were kids. He was mean and more aggressive towards others who weren’t his friends, except with you. He was never mean to you.

Freshman year:

Once you were both in high school you started seeing him less and less since he started hanging around with the Southside Serpents and that made you sad. You hardly saw him as it was.

But one day you two got partnered up for a project.

“Hey Y/n, long time no see” he said.

You blushed and smiled, “I could say the same thing. How has Serpent life been treating you?” He wasn't an official Serpent yet but you knew it was only a matter of time.

“Not bad all things considered” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Good, well I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

Something like surprise flashed across his face but quickly went away.

Since hanging out with the Serpents, Sweet Pea’s academic track record hasn’t been the best. You were afraid of being ditched and left to do the project on your own.

However that was not the case. He showed up to class everyday, on time and even met up with you a couple of times outside of school to work on it.

It all seemed to be going fine and you were even considering that he might like you back. How else would you explain why he didn't ditch and leave you to do the project on your own. Maybe he would have if he had been partnered up with anyone else.

Seeing as it was the end of the school year, you went in search for Sweet Pea to ask if he maybe wanted to hang out over the summer break.

It couldn't hurt to ask right? What's the worst that can happen?

You were shocked to see Sweet Pea lip locking with his longtime friend Toni Topaz (before the fishnets and pink hair).

It hurt to see but he didn’t owe you anything, you two weren't even friends. And that was just the beginning of the longest most miserable summer break ever.

In small towns, everyone knows everyone and there are only so many places you can go to in town. So, it's a given that you'll bump into your classmates eventually. That includes Sweet Pea and Toni.

But they just seemed to be taunting you, everywhere you went, you saw the lovey dovey couple which made you a bit jealous but then guilty for feeling jealous.

Eventually you had to bury your feelings since it was clear nothing would ever happen between you two.

Sophomore year:

Towards the end of summer you stopped seeing the couple everywhere. At first you just thought that you had simply learned to block them out but when school started back up again things were different.

Pea was still so obviously in love with Toni but she didn’t seem to reciprocate it as loudly as she had during the summer. To everyone else, they were going as strong as ever, but only you saw that Toni seemed distracted and not all there.

Eventually the truth came out. Toni broke up with Sweet Pea and came out as bisexual. That wasn't the issue though. It was that she started hanging out with some northsider named Cheryl right after.

That was Sweet Pea’s first and last relationship. Toni had undoubtedly broken Sweet Pea’s heart.

You could tell that Pea had put in all he had into the relationship but it didn’t work in his favor. You knew his heart had been broken but he brushed it off as if he didn't care.

What was worse is that they remained friends and Pea had to hear all out how sensational Cheryl was. That must of stung.

After that, his casual school appearances became less and less frequent.

You hadn’t seen him in such a long time that for a moment you wondered if he had ever been a real person or something out of your imagination.

Junior year:

When you saw him again, he had gotten taller, if that was even possible, and definitely had some new muscles that went really well with his new wardrobe.

He now donned the infamous Serpent leather jacket, meaning he was now an official member. He also showed off his new serpent tattoo right where everyone could see it on the left side of his neck.

His new bad boy look earned him some new attention from Southside High’s female population, which in turn gave him a player reputation. He rarely dated and definitely never established any real relationships with these girls. He became a person solely interested in sex.

It saddened you to see it all unfold, he went from being happy and in love to being a stereotypical bad boy player all because Toni (his best friend) broke his heart.

Granted she probably never meant to break it but the truth of the matter was that she did.

You wondered if you were the only one who noticed this. Sweet Pea was obviously still hurting, but what could you do? You hadn't spoken to him in over year and a half.

Then one day at a party you were both at, you didn’t seem to be enjoying yourself much, your friends ditched you and you were left alone on the back porch with a drink in hand. You were alone until Sweet Pea stepped out to have a smoke.

You could instantly tell he was a bit buzzed by the way spoke, “Hey! Y/n, right?” you knew he was joking but since it has been so long it seemed appropriate.

You nod, “Hey Sweet Pea”.

He walked over to stand beside you, “How’ve you been? Haven’t seen you in what feels like forever”.

“Well I’ve always been here” you mumble under your breath.

“Hmm?” he asked.

“Just been around, you know, still studying hard” you faked a smile.

“Yeah” he said as he lit a cigarette. He took a really long drag and upon exhaling he added, “you were always good at that”.

You rolled your eyes at his comment. Of course he would only remember you as the smart girl, nothing more.

“Can I try it” you asked.

“What this?” he gestured to the cigarette carefully placed in between his fingers. You nod “Sure, I guess” he answered as he handed it to you.

You hold it awkwardly and you’re suddenly self conscious, he’s looking at you, like really looking this time. He licks his lips as you place the cigarette in between yours.

You slowly inhale and you feel the hot smoke fill your lungs and quickly exhale it. You cough at the bitter taste stuck in your throat.

Sweet Pea laughed, “You get used to it”.

You took a sip of your drink trying to rid yourself of the aftertaste it left. You definitely did not see the appeal.

After a couple of quiet seconds he speaks. “So what are you doing out here by yourself?”

You gesture to the loud house behind you, “Not really my scene”.

“Want to leave?”

You studied his face and he didn’t seem to be harboring any ill intentions. The opportunity presented itself and you were not about to let it pass you. “Actually, yeah!”

He sent you a wicked grin. “Let’s go then” he takes one last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and putting it out with the toe of his boot.

He led you towards side of the house and let you through the opening of a wooden fence.

“I don’t live too far from here” he said.

You didn’t really know what to say or do, all that escaped your mouth was a weak, “Okay”.

You both stayed silent for a while. The night time breeze rolled through making you shiver.

“You cold?” he asked.

“I’m fine” but he took off his Serpent jacket and placed it over your shoulders anyway. “Thanks”.

He smiled proudly, “No problem”.

It wasn’t long until you got to his place. He walked up, unlocked the front door and turned on the lightswitch before gesturing you to go in first.

You walked in and you weren’t sure what to expect from this, surely he knew you weren’t that kind of girl. Right?

“Please have a seat.” He walked into his small kitchen and shouted, “Uh, you want something to drink?” he asked seeming unsure of himself.

You cleared your throat, “Water is fine”.

You took a seat on the couch and played with the hem of your skirt while you waited for him to join you.

He handed you a glass of water and you took a couple of drinks to help clear your throat of nervousness.

He took the seat right next to you and the closeness made you even more nervous.

Sweet Pea broke the silence with a laugh. “This feels so surreal”.

Confused you asked, “Why?”

“It’s just that… I mean…” he found it difficult to formulate his thoughts. “Who would have thought we’d be where we are today; Me as a Serpent and you making your way out of Riverdale through college.” He paused for a second before he added, “Seriously, not many get to leave and you might be one of the only ones that do.”

It took you by surprise that he knew how well you were doing in school.

“It just seems like just yesterday we were all kids.”

“Yeah,” you said, “but that’s life. We have to move forward no matter what”.

He stopped and thought about it for a second, “You're right”. He quickly changed the subject, “Do you remember sixth grade camp?”

You smiled recalling what he was referring to. “You mean when you and Fangs pretended to slip down the small hill so that nobody would see that I ripped my pants? Yeah, I remember”.

“You knew it was on purpose?”

You laughed, “I did. I guess I never thanked you for that.” You set the water cup on the coffee table and faced him. “So, here it is. Thank you Sweet Pea for literally saving my ass from being humiliated.” You both have the biggest smiles on your faces.

“Don’t mention it.”

The way he looked at you filled your stomach with butterflies. It has been way too long since you had an actual conversation with him. So laughing with him was definitely a plus.

“You know what you said earlier about me being able to get out of Riverdale?”

“What about it?”

“What if I didn’t want to get out?” you study his reaction.

He furrowed his eyebrows, “Why not? Is there something keeping you here?”

This was it. This was your chance to tell Sweet Pea that you liked him. It was now or never. “More like a someone.”

The way you looked at him made him realize that you were talking about him. He never really thought about you in that way before but now you were here in front of him he knew what he was missing out on.

He looked you up and down, “We’re definitely not kids anymore.”

You chuckle nervously, “You keep saying that.”

He kept glancing at your lips and you wondered if he was going to kiss you. Was this really happening? Did he finally notice you?

“You look beautiful tonight” he whispered.

“As opposed to when?” you both chuckle and smile like idiots.

“Can I kiss you?” Wait… did he really just ask? He seemed more the type to just go for it and hope for the best.

Sweet Pea was still smiling when you nodded. Your heartbeat pounded in your chest as he reached up and placed his hand under your chin. Then he tilted his head slightly and leaned in very slowly. You shut your eyes in anticipation.

When his lips finally connected with yours it was a soft chaste kiss. It was everything you ever expected in a kiss with him, gentle yet magical.

He pulled away and dropped his hand from your chin to gauge your reaction. When you opened your eyes again he was looking to you to say something but you couldn't even formulate thoughts let alone words.

He chuckled, “Was that your first kiss?”

“No, but I wish it was” you blush at your own words. You hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

“That’s cute” after he said that, his whole face changed as if he just realized something.

Without warning he leans back in to kiss you again. It starts off slow and patient and you feel him place a hand on your knee. Then he picked up the pace and the kisses became fast and sloppy.

You felt his hand slowly inching up higher and higher up your thigh. Once he got to the hem of your skirt you stopped his hand with yours before he could go anything further.

“Sweet Pea” you looked at him pleadingly. You hoped he’d understand why it couldn’t go any further.

Sweet Pea exhaled sounding exasperated. “Y/n, isn’t this why you came over?”

It hurt that he even had to ask that. “No, I came to get away from the party.” You paused and added, “And to talk, with you.” Your heart was sinking fast as you realized he was treating you like any other girl he probably brings home.

He let out a humorless laugh, “Come on, I won’t tell anyone. I won’t taint your good girl rep.”

With that you slap him, hard.

“What the hell?” he cupped his cheek, clearly shocked at what you had done.

You stood up and threw his Serpent jacket at him, which you had still been wearing. “Just because one girl broke your heart doesn't give you the right to treat the rest of us like trash” you yelled.

He was still in shock, not really knowing what to say. Plus he didn't even know you could yell like that.

“I will not be another notch on your bedpost. I actually have some self respect.” You flew out the door without another word. To say that you were disappointed in Sweet Pea was an understatement.

That night you walked all the way home, well aware that he was not too far behind to make sure you made it home safely.

You saw him occasionally at school that year but he never made eye contact with you.

The next time you spoke to him was at Pop’s the summer before senior year.

You usually read in the park, the sounds of birds chirping on a warm summer day perfectly set the tone for the story you were reading, but today was too hot. So, you came into the diner and chose a booth in the far back where no one would bother you.

While you were there you ordered a milkshake and fries. You ate and drank while you read your favorite book for the millionth time.

The bell signaled that someone had entered but you paid no attention since you weren’t waiting for anyone. You were so immersed in your book that you didn’t notice someone trying to get your attention. When you looked up from your book you saw Sweet Pea staring at you.

You jumped back in surprise. “Jesus Christ! How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough,” he tried not to laugh but failed. “Remind me not to get into a staring match with you. Tell me, do you even blink when you read?”

You did not find him to be at all humorous. The last time you you two had spoken, things didn’t end well but by the look on Sweet Pea’s face one couldn’t tell simply by looking at you.

He gave you a playful smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

You sighed and went back to your book, pretending to read it. But let’s face it, it was just a way of distracting yourself from having to make eye contact. “What do you want Sweet Pea?”

His face got serious, “I want to apologize.” You looked up from your book and met his stare but remained silent. “You were right, and I’m sorry about the way I handled things.”

He looked down at his hands in shame. You had never seen him look so vulnerable but you couldn’t bring yourself to speak.

You made a fool of yourself by confessing your feelings to the one person everyone warns you not to fall in love with, the ‘bad boy’. But despite his reputation, you knew about the broken hearted boy underneath the leather and sin.

“You know at first, I was angry about what you said. I thought to myself, ‘Who does she think she is?’ But the more time that passed I finally came to terms with the fact that Toni did break my heart and I hadn’t moved on. She clearly did.”

He looked pained but he went on, “That night I kissed you, I’m sorry I ruined it by being a dick. I panicked.”

You looked confused, why would he panic? That just didn’t make any sense at all.

He chuckled at your confused features, “The way you looked at me, it stirred something in me which I thought I would never feel again.”

Your heartbeat picked up suddenly. You were afraid of where he was going with this. You just stared at him until he continued.

“Happy,” he looked at you expectantly but knew you still weren’t going to say anything, “In that moment, where it was just us with no pressures to be someone we’re not, I felt happy.”

You gasped and you could have sworn you felt your heart skip a beat but then you remembered how humiliated you felt, how humiliated he made you feel. “Then why did you treat me like every other girl you’ve had sex with?” You spoke so low you were afraid he didn’t hear it.

It hurt to finally get those words out. You had pictured how this moment would go down in your head for months now and each time it ended with you lashing out at Sweet Pea and none with a lone tear making its way down your cheek.

“I couldn’t ever let anyone make me feel that vulnerable again. It was just too painful” he said.

You wiped the tear from your face. “Well then,” you said and stood while packing up your belongings, “you can thank you pride for breaking my heart.” You walked out of the diner without another word.

A/n: Don’t be alarmed for we still have to get through senior year! Part 2 coming soon!

Masterlist - Part 2

#sweet pea #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea imagine #sweetpeaspodsquad #podsquadgoals #sweet pea fic #sweet pea riverdale #riverdale imagines #riverdale #sweet pea fanfiction #sweet pea headcanon #riverdale headcanons #southside #Southsiders #southsidelover #southside serpents #sweet pea fluff #lonely-full-of-secrets

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petuniatom · 6 years ago

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I read one of your tags and YES GIRL RANT TO ME ABOUT TOM THOUGHTS THROUGHTOUT THIS SERIES I LOVE WHEN YOU WRITE FUCKING ESSAYS-

omg i gotchu but buckle up sis bc… i just wrote 1.2K about this and i’m also admittedly a lil bit tipsy so this might not make sense

Tom is one of my favoritecharacters to explore, mostly because I love trying to poke around of what’s goingon in his head forever.

I think at the beginningof the fic, Tom is a character who is still trying to get his life together. Hereally didn’t have the best first relationship, and it was with his longtimebest friend. And I think going into it, we have a Tom who doesn’t know how todiscern what real love is. He bases his whole legitimate romantic experiencesbased off of Cara, so I think that tends to slow things down between the two ofyou later when he’s trying to pick a part his own feelings.

I think Tom has justbecome so used to people kind of casting him aside, since Cara did it andHarrison did it for a little bit too. And as much as he likes his cast mateswho have become his friends, like Zendaya or Jacob, he knows in the back of hishead that he’s not really their closest friend by any means.

I think with you inparticular, Tom knows that he’s closest with you compared to everyone else inthe friend group. I mean, you always invite him out to go do things and youearnestly confide each other. He just really appreciates you and considers yousomeone that he genuinely trusts.

Tom really has thisproblem though in that he thinks he owes so much to other people all the time. Yousee this for starters in that he believes he owes to his family an act to showhe’s getting serious about things, and that in part means pursuing an actual seriousrelationship. So, when his mom asks about whether he’s finding someone, hisinstinct is to say that he’s done it and the first name that pops into his mouthis you, since you’re the one who often spends so much time with him and he’sinherently closest with.

I think too that when yougo along with this whole thing Tom is really touched since he’s well-aware ofwhat situation he put you in, but ultimately, I think he’s just so glad that you’rehelping him out in this way. I think the reader had grounds to be more upsetwith him about this, but she chooses not to.

As a bit of a sidebar, Ithink Tom throughout this story — even though we never really touch on this— has this question that he consistently to himself where he doesn’treally know if people like the idea of him as much as they enjoy the real him.I think that’s just part of being a celebrity that kind of makes him a littlebit insecure about that, so that plays a role in it too on why he’s so gratefulbecause you actually know him.

And then he’s just happywith you two pulling this off after that first friend dinner, and then laterthe family dinner too. So he wants to be on an equilibrium with you a littlebit more, so he gets you gifts and tries to be as accommodating as possible. Ithink that’s also though because he does care about you a lot at the root ofit. It’s also ironic because one of the things that we talk about with Harrisonat the beginning is how he doesn’t really show outward signs of affectionreally; he tends to communicate them in subtle ways. And Tom is continuallydoing that throughout this story, and he doesn’t even realize it.

So then we get into theactual trip in itself. Tom is just overjoyed because you get along with hisfamily, he really is having fun with you, and he starts to feel like he’sexisting in this tiny bubble with you. Sometimes, he has to remind himself thatyou’re interested in Harrison, and you’ve spent so many months confiding in himabout Harrison. But really you don’t have any fans around you, just his family,and he kind of forgets about halfway through the trip that it “isn’t real” atone point. (The underlying tea is that his feelings for you are actually real,but because he has that false understanding of love following Cara he doesn’t pickit out at first.)

When you mention yourdream in part two, I think that’s when he fully goes into this mental space ofjust letting himself exist in this bubble you two created on the trip where theoutside world isn’t intervening so much. And so he just is like, “Damn, I kindof want to do this,” and he just lets himself kiss you and be with you thatnight. When you ask him though if its official, that’s when he has thatawakening of like, “Oh God, no she actually likes Harrison, and this isn’t mygirlfriend. This is my best friend.” It’s ironic here too because Tom has thisfalse idea that the reality is that you’re supposed to date Harrison here, buthe doesn’t really pick apart his own feelings. And what’s real is truly whatexists between the two of you. That’s the most genuine element about this wholestory.

So, he turns you downbecause he really thinks that this whole thing happened because you two justgot so drawn into the game.

But then in part three westart to deconstruct a little bit this false sense of reality the charactershave. In the literal sense, you know it ends with the reader learning aboutwhat happened between Cara, Haz and Tom. But in the more metaphorical sense ofit, it’s all about people realizing their feelings. Tom is the one in this partthat knows he likes the reader. I mentioned this in another ask, but you see itlapse on his face after you wake him up from his nap in this part.

He groanedfor a second, then his eyes started fluttering open, immediately looking atyou. A soft smile lifted on his lips as he stirred.

“Hey,” hesaid huskily. He looked so angelic, you couldn’t help grinning back. He tuggedon your arm to bring you down toward him in bed and said, “C’mere love.”

It’s just such a lovelypart for him because as I said before, Tom didn’t know previously how todiscern what real love is. And in that moment he realizes it doesn’t have to beso intense, it can just exist in these small and less obtrusive ways. I don’treally know how to best phrase that, but it’s really significant moment for himin terms of development. And that’s when he really just starts being honestwith himself, and then the reader as well. With the reader earlier in the ficwe saw a false moment of honesty but because Tom was behind too it really didn’ttranspire.

And so then you know theNew Year’s party happens and throughout the night he’s kind of grappling withthe realization. So he’s really happy when you come over to him and you justsay that you need to talk to him, because that kind of gives him the venue to revealhow he feels about you.

But then when you go backto Harrison, he’s like, “Oh yeah, fuck.”

Then he drunkenly tellsyou the tea about Cara and Haz lol

But when part four settlesin, he doesn’t really remember it. And it’s also painful that next day becausehe has to remind himself that the two of you are going through the motions atthe yacht party and in advance of it by pretending to be dating. But god damnit, he realizes he doesn’t want that anymore. He wants it to be real so badly.

When I think he getsconfronted with the loss of what you two have developed, it really hits himthat he has to say something to you, especially because he was the one thatturned you down. So that’s why he’s so bold about it when he finally gives youthat confession and he’s just purely honest about everything. I think too asmuch as he wants things in between the two of you to happen, he knew more thananything too that he just needed to put himself out there and open up to you.

I think afterwards he wasreeling a little bit, but he kind of tried to take his mind off of himconfessing his feelings to you by hanging out with Jacob.

But the last thing thatTom really needs is just someone who isn’t going to cast him aside, and hebelieves in himself that he’s going to find that person. And he believes thatyou could be that person.

So when you whisper thosewords to him (”Tom you’re the one”) when you appear outside of Jacob’s loft, it’s one of the bestfeelings in the world.

#anon #answered #does any of this even make sense #i really don't know #there's probs typos too #ask me any questions and i'll probs give u a more coherent answer about a lot of this #there's so much that happens with him in this story #the main tea is that tom always feels like he owes too damn much to other people #kiss me at midnight

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justforbooks · 6 years ago

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Anthony Bourdain, Chef, Travel Host and Author, Is Dead at 61

The travel host Anthony Bourdain, whose madcap memoir about the dark corners of New York’s restaurants made him into a celebrity chef and touched off a nearly two-decade career as a globe-trotting television host, was found dead on Friday at 61.

Mr. Bourdain was found in his hotel room at the Le Chambard luxury hotel in Kaysersberg, a village in the Alsace region of eastern France, according to a prosecutor in the nearby city of Colmar. The prosecutor, Christian de Rocquigny du Fayel, said the cause of death was hanging. “At this stage, we have no reason to suspect foul play,” he said.

Mr. Bourdain had traveled to Strasbourg in France, near the country’s border with Germany, with a television production crew to record an episode of his show “Parts Unknown” on CNN, the network said. “It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague,” CNN said in a statement.

The United States Embassy in Paris also confirmed his death.

“Anthony was a dear friend,” Eric Ripert, a celebrity chef and restaurateur who appeared with Mr. Bourdain on several of his shows, told The New York Times. “He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers of our time who connected with so many. I wish him peace. My love and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones.”

In everything he did, Mr. Bourdain cultivated a renegade style and bad-boy persona.

For decades, he worked 13-hour days as a line cook in restaurants in New York and the Northeast before he became executive chef in the 1990s at Brasserie Les Halles, serving steak frites and onion soup in Lower Manhattan. He had been an executive chef for eight years when he sent an unsolicited article to The New Yorker about the underbelly of the restaurant world and its deceptions.

To his surprise, the magazine accepted it and ran it — catching the attention of book editors. It resulted in “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” a memoir that elevated Mr. Bourdain to a celebrity chef and a new career on TV.

“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds?” Mr. Bourdain wrote in the memoir. “Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”

He first became conscious of food in fourth grade, he wrote. Aboard the Queen Mary on a family vacation to France, he sat in the cabin-class dining room and ate a bowl of vichyssoise, a creamy mix of leek and potato. What surprised him was that the soup was cold. “It was the first food I enjoyed and, more important, remembered enjoying,” he wrote. He did not remember much else about the trip.

Mr. Bourdain became an instant hero to a certain breed of professional cooks and restaurant-goers when “Kitchen Confidential” hit the best-seller lists in 2000. He is largely credited for defining an era of line cooks as warriors, exposing a kitchen culture in which drugs, drinking and long, brutal hours on the line in professional kitchens were both a badge of honor and a curse. Mr. Bourdain was open in his writing about his past addictions to heroin and cocaine.

Before he joined CNN in 2012, he spent eight seasons as the globe-trotting host of “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, highlighting obscure cuisine and unknown restaurants. “No Reservations” largely focused on food and Mr. Bourdain himself. But on “Parts Unknown,” he turned the lens around, delving into different countries around the world and the people who lived in them. He explored politics and history with locals, often over plates of food and drinks.

Mr. Bourdain famously appeared with President Barack Obama on an episode of “Parts Unknown” in Vietnam in 2016. Over cold beers, grilled pork and noodles at a restaurant in Hanoi, they discussed Vietnamese-American relations, Mr. Obama’s final months in office and fatherhood.

Celebrities in the food and entertainment worlds expressed deep shock and disbelief Friday morning. Nigella Lawson, the British cookbook author and television personality, tweeted, “Heartbroken to hear about Tony Bourdain’s death. Unbearable for his family and girlfriend. Am going off twitter for a while.”

Andrew Zimmern, the television personality and chef, had much in common with Mr. Bourdain. The two met 13 years ago and were friends who often spoke of the pressures that come with fame and who both worked to overcome addiction.

“We shared a very, very deep feeling of wanting to get off this crazy roller coaster, but at the same time knowing that this was our work,” he said. “The world has lost a brilliant human being and I’ve lost one of the few people I could talk to about some of this stuff. When I did see him he and I would walk off into a corner or have dinner together and share our deepest darkest stuff.”

He last spoke with Mr. Bourdain about a month ago. “He told me he’d never been happier. He felt that he had finally found his true soul mate in Asia,” he said, referring to Mr. Bourdain’s girlfriend, the actor Asia Argento.

But Mr. Zimmern had some indication that perhaps there was more going on.

“Things on the surface never seemed to add up or make sense,” he said.

“We have lost someone who was in my opinion the sharpest and keenest observer of culture that I have ever known,” he said. “When we were alone his hopes and dreams extended into amazing areas.”

Anthony Michael Bourdain was born June 25, 1956, the oldest son of Pierre Bourdain, who was an executive in the classical-music recording industry, and Gladys Bourdain, who was a longtime copy editor at The New York Times. He grew up outside New York City, in Leonia, N.J., and his parents exposed him to fine cuisine, taking him often to France.

Mr. Bourdain graduated from high school in 1973 and attended Vassar College, dropping out after two years, where he spent long nights drinking and smoking pot. “I was — to be frank — a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructing and thoughtless young lout,” he wrote in “Kitchen Confidential.”

But at Vassar, he met Nancy Putkoski before he left school for a chance at a culinary career. Mr. Bourdain spent a summer in Provincetown on Cape Cod with some friends. There, he started working as a dishwasher at a seafood restaurant and closely watched the cooks, men who dressed like pirates, with gold earrings and turquoise chokers. “In the kitchen, they were like gods,” he wrote.

The experience solidified his determination to make cooking his life’s work.

“I saw how the cooks and chefs behaved,” Mr. Bourdain told The Times in 1997. “They had sort of a swagger, got all the girls and drank everything in sight.”

He then enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in 1975 and graduated in 1978, stepping away at times to work at restaurants in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. He started at the bottom in the kitchen hierarchy, with stops at the Rainbow Room, the W.P.A. restaurant on Spring Street and Gianni’s at the South Street Seaport. He reached the top in the 1990s, becoming an executive chef at Sullivan’s, the restaurant next to the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway, and at Les Halles.

Mr. Bourdain’s first marriage ended in divorce in 2005. In 2007, he married Ottavia Busia, who appeared in several episodes of “No Reservations,” and they had a daughter, Ariane, who is 11. The couple divorced in 2016. He had been dating Ms. Argento for about two years.

Mr. Bourdain had emerged as a leading male voice in support of the #MeToo movement in the wake of rape and abuse allegations against the film producer Harvey Weinstein and others.

Ms. Argento, 42, said in a lengthy story in The New Yorker that she endured multiple attacks and manipulation by Mr. Weinstein, and that he sexually assaulted her in a hotel room years ago, when she was 21.

She said she had left her native Italy and moved to Berlin to escape the tension and victim-shaming culture she said she experienced at home.

Last month, she gave a speech at Cannes that stunned the room. “In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes,” Ms. Argento said. “This festival was his hunting ground.”

In an interview with IndieWire magazine this month, Mr. Bourdain called her speech a nuclear bomb.

“I was so proud of her. It was absolutely fearless to walk right into the lion’s den and say what she said, the way she said it. It was an incredibly powerful moment, I thought. I am honored to know someone who has the strength and fearlessness to do something like that.”

Mr. Bourdain continued speaking out boldly on the subject of sexual abuse and harassment, taking on everyone from Alec Baldwin to the chef Mario Batali, who is under investigation for sexual assault charges. Several women have come forward and described repeated incidents of Mr. Batali groping them and of unwanted kisses and sexual propositions.

When news of Mr. Batali’s plans to attempt a comeback were exposed, Mr. Bourdain kicked down the idea.

“Retire and count yourself lucky,” Mr. Bourdain, a longtime friend of Mr. Batali’s who had not spoken with him recently, said. “I say that without malice, or without much malice. I am not forgiving. I can’t get past it. I just cannot and that’s me, someone who really admired him and thought the world of him.”

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS

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unproduciblesmackdown · 6 years ago

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here’s me talking about the month since i was last online

firstly it was/is depressing not to be able to talk with ppl or hear from them. or just to be able to talk somewhere i know people CAN hear. i also mentioned being completely detached from the news. i like to be current about the news. anyways i was like “well not like this is anything new” as its technically unusual for me to NOT be cut off both irl and from the internet. but, shockingly, that doesnt make it not depressing. and having something for even a bit makes it more frustrating to lose it even if its “normal” for you not to have it. also by depressing i mean i was going like hmm i sure am even more tired than usual and i am less interested in my few lingering faint interests. whats up with that! and then i was like oh yeah thats called Even More Depression

it is funny because im someone who has never really had that many friends and when i do we often end up separated one way or another. Very Close friends &/or Very Longtime friends are a foreign concept. basically the heights of my “what i wish it was like” for life involve having a group of friends with whom you can have fun in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night just talking and hanging out and messing around. friends that you feel comfortable being yourself around and like they appreciate you as much as you do them. i do not think this is ever going to happen, but oh well because in reality i can be very picky about people because i am weird, to put it that way for now. my social landscape and language is not always considered normal or even tolerable. and i have a lot of standards for who i want to have around me in terms of traits and personality. theres a lot of things im not interested in. anyways. i also just, in the way things actually are, often prefer to be alone, so that i can be myself and do things i feel like. i dont have to worry about being strange or feeling like i need to please people. anyways. unfortunately i dont ONLY like being alone. i actually really like to be with people and talk with them but i rarely can, and i figure this is bad for me. isolation isnt good for anyone obviously. not being able to be around friends in person depresses me. not being able to talk online either depresses me further.

i think sometimes about how much i dont say. its a funny place to say it, in an overly long text post. but one of the reasons they can be so long is because irl i dont really talk much to people. so it builds up and can come out through writing. sometimes it comes out in talking. i think that in conversations, when i do talk, i talk too much because of this. so one of the reasons i dont talk much is to prevent this, which obviously is like “well that would just cancel out” but there are other reasons i dont talk. but i have loads of thoughts and things to say. i end up keeping so much of it to myself and wonder sometimes if i’ll ever get to say some of it. sometimes i’ll have something to say and bite it back. i’ve been “quiet” all these past twenty some years of talking and i know the reasons i dont talk. i was thinking about the feeling of biting something back in an individual occasion feeling like the cumulation of all the years worth of keeping my own voice running in my head alone. it kind of feels like what you want to say is in your chest and throat and the roof of your mouth.

speaking of the roof of your mouth, theres a weird sensation i can feel sometimes, seemingly at random but mostly in strange times like trying to fall asleep. it is so transient and unlike any actual externally caused sensations that its been difficult to try to get a grasp of how to describe it, but i think i have it thanks to ongoing effort and an unusually long period of it a few days ago during which i was especially alert about it. it’s like having a pressure radiating out from inside your mouth. like an orb pushing outwards against the teeth and roof of the mouth. which i’m fairly sure isn’t anything that would ever happen, so i am assuming its some little neurological hiccup that happens to align every now and then, but maybe a previous life cycle has put something weird in their mouth. or shot into it, because i would be like, well not much has changed.

anyways. words sitting like a pressure in your mouth. i was seeing a thread about how grief is ongoing and reoccurring which also mentioned that people who specialize in knowing how grieving and living with it works often consider it to be a form of grief when someone’s life is affected by something like trauma. they have to grieve themselves because of the possibilities taken away from them. i feel that, sometimes. thinking about how i wish i had a life where i felt free to speak and where my identity mattered and i got to feel like i could be myself and it was important and it was important what i thought and wanted and who i really was. and where i got to have friends and do things and realize what it was to actually feel happy, not try to understand an unhappy existence as what must be okay. its not just what couldve been in the past, but also how that couldve affected the present and future. im not sure who i’d be if my life didnt have to be about survival and escape. i say i never had dreams, which is true, but in retrospect i DO think that when i was fifteen and really bearing down in trying to figure out what i wanted to do, i was already seeing activism as the answer, which made sense why it wouldnt register as a dream or ambition and why it was also impossible to pursue. i still dont think of anything like personal fulfillment through a career/job or anything. but i also dont think of what i want to do as very relevant to anything at all anymore.

anyways. i’m “used” to things, but they still depress and hurt me. i actually have a lot of sadness and anger about some of these things, like never getting to have the friends i wanted or never being able to speak and it not mattering who i really was, and how long it took me to realize this really wasn’t okay and it wasn’t because of some personal deficiency which made me deserve it somehow. also the abuse. i remember i had this how-to book about weaving friendship bracelets which i got sometime in elementary school, and it even supplied some twine and stuff. i had always wanted to have occasion to use it, and i never did, which is just symbolic. the twine/potential friendship bracelets can also be things like positive social connections that feel real and open, or my ability to feel secure in expressing affection because it seems mutual. but anyways. i also just go along.

i was thinking about the Being Gone For A Month thing and the not-talking and holding all my words back even though i think so much about all sorts of junk and thus have too much to say, and about a week ago i just spent like six hours writing about myself. i was debating doing so in the first place because i figured i wouldnt post it. i did write it, but i won’t post it. its just good to talk to myself in the form of writing. getting thoughts into that form requires an extra level of analysis and coherent flow that can help put even things you already knew more in order. so here’s this stuff instead.

there’s not much to say about this past month. the worst of it was that discovering my weird tooth is all janky and broken has made me on edge about teeth. i mean, i’ve already all but stopped worrying about the broke tooth, because i kind of do that sometimes when i can. just worry hard and then stop, because what can you do? might as well try to avoid stressing even worse. and in this case i dont have money and doubt i will ever have a job w dental coverage, so i cant do anything about it. but im always worried about my teeth because, fittingly, my parents dental genes seem to combine into that of a tasmanian devil. i think im in some Dental Report b/c i had this weird situation that needed basically a root canal but it wasnt the normal kind of root canal situation and the dentist said he hadn’t seen it or heard of it even. special. i was horrified about needing the root canal, because of the clichés. but it ended up being fine and i really just sat there for an hour thinking about whatever. dental procedures are truly not what theyre hyped up to be. on account of local anesthetics. anyways. when i left my parents house i was specifically worried about leaving my access to a dentist, but obviously it wouldve been far from worth it. but that doesn’t mean i dont worry about my teeth. so i had these few days where i just had a spontaneously sensitive gum spot and another one which im guessing i caused by jamming corn shards down in there by eating corn on the cob. that happened sort of last year, i got really worried about an angry-looking spot on my gums and finally realized something was just up in there that needed to be flossed out. anyhow. the point is i got overly worried about everything that always worries me even though it used to worry me even before going to the dentist and they’d say the stuff was fine actually. but still. i got

very worried for a minute there and i realized very easily that if i start getting any really serious tooth problems i am out of here. i have no motivation at all to live through it. i don’t want to have to deal with that. it’s way too much. i dont even have motivation to be alive now. but when i was worrying i was thinking about not using my handful of cash to change locations, but instead to get some fancy Dying Equipment. there are still some methods by which im not sure i could try offing myself. but if things got a lot worse, like teeth problems, i could probably lower those standards. i COULD obtain some items for one method, or by necessity do it for free. im less worried about the tooth stuff now. it was just an unfortunate convergence of a couple tiny things. but ive still got a sensitive spot or two, and im always a bit worried. if something bad happens i cant do anything about it except get tf out of this life cycle, right.

there was something else unfortunate i was going to talk about. maybe just the depression.

there were nice, small things. i always knew how to enjoy those kinds of stuff. i like the sky, and i appreciate that its summer. theres a lot of fireflies sometimes and i saw kittens chasing them one day. one of those kittens mightve gotten killed by something since. i got to hear rain on the roof a few times. i like corn on the cob even if it betrayed me. i was wanting some last summer. i also got to make sweet tea and lemonade for the first time in forever. i’d been wanting that for a long time too.

the nicest surprise was that i had been writing extra hard since the start of june. i sort of really pushed at it and got to the dividing point between the section and the next, and i was sure it was shorter than previous sections. but actually it was just over 1000 words short of being 140k, and i’d written it all in about five weeks, and it was abt 22.5% longer than the next longest section i’d written. i’ve since gotten to a point i’ve been writing towards since this whole time, and im right on the verge of another long awaited one right now. it’s nice, but writing has been fun, and i hope i dont get depressed if i hopefully do finish it. i can just write some more, but doing so on my phone isnt the most efficient. it doesnt seem sustainable.

anyways thats it for now before i can think of anything else to say am i right

#talking abt being nervous abt it has made me a bit more nervous abt it...im trying to simmer down...dont have to die just yet...But You Know #also i could.

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jadorehale · 7 years ago

Text

just dudes being bros

I found this deeeeep within my computer folders. I remember writing it in 2016 while the anime was airing and then not liking it but I just did a quick read and ehh it's not the worst thing I've ever written {ao3}

Figure Skating News: Five-time world champion coach, Victor Nikiforov, and protégée, Katsuki Yuuri, share friendly congratulations peck at Cup of China.

The Daily Mail: 7 Things You Need to Know About Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki’s Gold Medal Friendship!

People Magazine: Spotted: Victor Nikiforov & Yuuri Katsuki snuggling closely on ‘bros date’ at Barcelona’s most romantic restaurant!

ESPN: Yuuri Katsuki chimes in on why relationship with world-famous coach, Victor Nikiforov, has been a success! “Victor and I make love multiple times a day,” the figure skater says. These two seem to be the best of friends!

❄

“How come it doesn’t bother you that the international media is still portraying our relationship as platonic? Do you even care?”

“No. Not really.”

“But they’re refusing to take our relationship seriously!”

“So?”

“And all those weird pictures they print of us making out, they keep calling them ‘friendly embraces.’”

“Well, our mouths are great friends at this point.”

“Victor!” Yuuri whined with a pout.

“Yuuuuuri!” Victor sang back, grinning.

While it was true that Yuuri was most adorable when he was angry and riled up, Victor sure wished that Yuuri would put all that fire into preparing for his competition instead of looking up pointless crap to get upset about on his phone. Today was the day of Grand Prix Final free skate and no one knew more than Victor how badly Yuuri wanted that gold medal. As his coach, Victor’s sole focus was on making sure Yuuri’s body was one-hundred percent ready for his program. Which was why he really needed Yuuri to focus on stretching and warming up.

However, as a boyfriend, it really irritated Victor to see Yuuri concerning himself with the silly tabloids that were being written about them. Victor had no idea what Yuuri wanted him to say about the issue or if he was just seeking out validation for his indignation. In truth, Victor didn’t give a crap. If you’d asked him a year ago if he’d ever imagined him and Yuuri becoming an item, he would’ve said no. He’d never dreamed he could be so lucky to be in a relationship with Yuuri, who he’d been head over heels for since the night they first met. So, it was quite difficult for him to care about any negative things people had to say.

“But aren’t you the one who loves attention?” Yuuri stressed. “If the press caught wind of how it really is between the two of us, it would be a media frenzy!”

“Well, short of Phichit Chulanont, the paparazzi are the second best photographers in the world.”

He grabbed the phone from Yuuri’s hand and scrolled through the article until he stopped on a photo of the two of them leaving their hotel, fingers laced together as they shielded their eyes from the sea of flashing cameras.

He held the photo out to Yuuri and said, “Look, how cute! We should have it framed!”

Since he was about to skate, Yuuri didn’t have his glasses on and had to squint to view the photo clearly. When he finally did see the shot that Victor had been raving about, his face fell and he sent Victor a flat look. “Victor, you’re the only one that looks good in this picture.”

“Exactly!” Victor beamed. Someone should’ve told Yuuri that he had a big, fat booger hanging from his nose and spinach in his teeth before he’d been photographed. That person probably should’ve been Victor. But Victor always managed to look like a model in candids, flashing the crowd his signature wink as he casually flipped his hair. “Who knew there’d be such talent in a group of professional camera-holding stalkers.”

Along with his now ritualistic pre-game cry and cuddle session, Yuuri had developed an unhealthy habit of googling nasty things being said about him on the internet to get revved up. For anyone else, this action would seem conceited and egotistical. But for Yuuri, seeing how much people hated him and were attacking him for stealing Victor from the sport online made him even more determined to succeed and show the world that only he could satisfy Victor. It was ridiculous, and absurd, and Victor would be putting an end to it once the Grand Prix Finals were over. However, he wasn’t about to halt anything that could potentially help Yuuri in his fight for gold. But, Yuuri had read enough offensive, anonymous, cyber-bullying comments for one day.

Victor tossed the phone over his shoulder without bothering to see where it landed and ignored Yuuri’s outraged cries. He got a firm grip of Yuuri’s knees and drew them down toward his chest, stretching out his hamstrings.

“My phone screen had better not be cracked!”

“Uspokoit'sya! Don’t worry. You have an Otterbox case. They’re indestructible.” Victor glanced back and saw that a crowd of people were now trampling over the phone, kicking it along as they went but felt no dire urge to chase after it. “No more news headlines,” he told Yuuri sternly. “We need you in the zone for your free skate. Now, give me fifty sit-ups.”

Groaning loudly, Yuuri did as he was told, exercising his abdominal muscles as Victor anchored his feet. It was amazing how far Yuuri had come under his tutelage. Not that Yuuri needed Victor in the first place. He had more than enough potential and talent to do this all on his own. For Victor, it was an honor to watch Yuuri flourish into such an impressive skater. This was the most fun Victor had ever had in his career. Far more enthralling than his own successes. He lived to surprise the masses, and if there was anyone that could shock the world with such a strong comeback after placing dead last the previous year, it was Katsuki Yuuri.

“Twenty more, little piggy,” Victor instructed, proud when Yuuri continued without complaining.

On his last one, he leaned forward and crashed his lips against Victor’s which was a very welcomed surprised. Victor hummed when the kiss turned bold, parting his lips as Yuuri’s tongue licked obscenely into his mouth. Positive reinforcement was important to Victor as a coach and Yuuri deserved a reward for his good behavior.

He’d almost forgotten they were in public until he heard, “Look mommy! Those boys are in love!”

Pulling away, Victor turned and saw a little girl gawking at them with wide eyes and pointing a chubby little finger in their direction. She couldn’t have been more than four-years-old and was so darn cute that Victor was seriously contemplating kidnapping her. She tugged on her mom’s skirt, demanding her attention, and pointed again for her mother to see when Victor closed the distance and placed a soft kiss on Yuuri’s cheek.

“Honey! Haven’t I told you it’s so rude to point!” Her mother quickly swatted her hand down, blushing from severe embarrassment as she began to explain, “They’re not in love. It’s just a good luck kiss between coach and skater. It happens all the time. No way notorious playboy Victor Nikiforov is off the market.”

Victor didn’t need to see Yuuri’s face to know that his expression had darkened. He already knew Yuuri wouldn’t take kindly to that sort of remark and that he’d be furious. The media was always spreading falsehoods. Victor was not a notorious playboy. He was very much the monogamous sort.

The woman looked over at them, cheeks a bright red as she waved. “We’re rooting for you, Katsuki Yuuri! Longtime fan, Mr. Nikiforov. Can I just say that you’re so much sexier in person! Hope to see you back next season!”

She fluttered her lashes seductively and blew him a kiss before flouncing off with her daughter, not at all aware of the damage she’d just wrought. The little girl was still wide-eyed as she was dragged away. It seemed like she hadn’t believed a word her mother had said. Smart girl. Her young curiosity made him smile, reminding him of how he once was as a child. All those long, long, long, long years ago...

With a deep sigh, he turned back to Yuuri, already flinching as he caught the hard set of Yuuri’s jaw and the burning rage behind his eyes. He failed to hide his amused smirk and earned himself an impressive lethal glare.

“Jealous?” he asked.

“You know damn well I am!” Yuuri scowled and hopped up onto his feet.

He turned his back to Victor and continued warming up, running back and forth. His shoulders were tense as he jogged and he was muttering to himself bitterly. Victor moved closer to listen, trying to decipher just what was being said.

“So, it’s not just news reporters, then,” Yuuri was grumbling to himself. “It’s the general public as well. Is it that hard for people to believe that Victor and I are in love? That Victor would want to be in a relationship with me? I need to remember that the outside world only gets to see his good looks and it is I who gets to see the true beauty of his heart. It’s his love shining through that has helped me improve the most. We have something special and amazing and if people can’t see our love then I’ll just have to make them feel it by winning the gold medal!”

“Awwwwwww!!” Victor gushed. Yuuri was seriously the cutest. He just had to hop on top of him and squeeze and hug him tight. “What an adorable internal monologue. Tell me, is this how you always talk in your head?”

“Get. Off. Me!” Yuuri picked himself up from the floor and brushed himself off.

Victor frowned, pressing a lip to his finger as he tried to figure out how to get back into Yuuri’s good graces. No one would think from just looking at him that Yuuri was such a high-maintenance partner. A part of him loved that Yuuri was a huge drama queen, quick to get jealous over Victor and feel the need to stake his claim. But another part of him couldn’t stand the thought of Yuuri being upset or insecure.

The petulant glower on Yuuri’s face didn’t look like it would be going away anytime soon, which wasn’t ideal in this specific circumstance. The judges definitely wouldn’t find it as cute as Victor did. He was preparing to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness when Yuuri grabbed him by his very expensive tie and yanked him down to his level.

For a moment, Victor thought Yuuri had only pulled him this close so he could clobber him, but like always, Yuuri took the unexpected route. Which naturally made it impossible for Victor to predict what he was thinking as he began sucking a large bruise on the side of Victor’s neck.

Just as abruptly as Yuuri had grabbed him and reeled him in, he curtly let him go. His face flushed as he avoided Victor’s eyes and stammered, “T—There. That way no one else will be throwing themselves at you. They’ll know you’re mine.”

Victor couldn’t help being extremely delighted by this display and his brain quickly devised a plan. “Hmm, I really don’t think just one will do…You should put one over here too.”

Feigning innocence, he pointed at another spot on his neck, arching so Yuuri could mark there.

“How about here! And here! Oh, there’s good too! Also, here! Da, there too

“Jesus Christ, Victor!” A voice cried. A voice whose owner was just so happened to be flamboyantly Swiss.

“What’s happened to your neck?! Don’t tell me this is some kind of career-ending injury,” Chris gasped. “I don’t think I can make it through another competition season without you.”

“They’re love bites!” Victor presented proudly, showing off the fresh marks littered across his skin. “From my Yuuri.”

He noticed Yuuri trying to slink away and flee the scene of the crime. But before he could go far, Victor locked an arm around his waist and hauled him back to his side. That way Yuuri would have to own up to his work. What he’d done to Victor’s neck was nothing short of a masterpiece. He’d truly left his signature.

Victor turned back to Chris, elaborating, “See, my Yuuri’s very upset that the media isn’t taking our romance seriously.”

“Ah, yes! I’m afraid they’ve done the same thing with my bisexual Bernese Mountain dog, Hans,” Chris commiserated, pulling out his phone and showing them an article on his pooch written by The Inquisitor. “Completely erased his sexuality to fit into some toxic heteronormative box. I showed him a picture of Maccachin and he was absolutely smitten! We should get them together and see if they hit it off. That way, we can be…”

“IN-LAWS!!” Victor shrieked at the same time Chris did.

They squealed excitedly, jumping up and down as they chattered away about wedding plans. They discussed where Hans and Maccachin would vacation on their honeymoon. Victor had heard Fiji was lovely this time of year and Maccachin, the groom-to-be just adored laying out on the beach. He was a real beach bum with expensive tastes and only enjoyed the finest cuisines. He was a lot like his owner in that way.

In the midst of his conversation with Chris, Victor noticed Yuuri from the corner of his eye, slumping and staring down at the floor.

“Oh, Yuuri, don’t think too much into the media thing,” Chris said, reaching out and pinching Yuuri’s left butt cheek. A trick that was very effective in removing that sad, dejected expression from Yuuri’s face, replacing it with scandalized one. “News reporters can be so oblivious sometimes. Only seeing what they want to see. Every skater here knows how in love the two of you are. You’ve got tons of teenage girls on social media ‘shipping’ you. They’ve named you…Victuuri!”

“Victuuri? Eh!! Why does Victor’s name get to go first?!”

“Because I’m the one that fell in love first!”

“Please, not that again,” Yuuri sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t start that argument here before I have to skate. I already told you, I’m sorry I didn’t remember that night!”

“You completely wounded my pride!” Victor harrumphed. “I can’t believe you don’t remember our dancing!”

Chris snickered then declared, “Maybe it’s good that the media doesn’t take you guys seriously. The world already hates you for hogging Victor as your coach. Men and women everywhere will hate you even more if they find out you’ve stolen his heart as well. You’re a very selfish man, Katsuki Yuuri. Adieu!”

With one last ‘good luck’ pinch to Yuuri’s exquisite rump, Chris sauntered off, rejoining his coach and the rest of his entourage. Which left Victor and Yuuri to return to stringently readying Yuuri to take the ice. Sure, it might seem like they were going a little overboard but they were both aware of how important it was for Yuuri to nail every jump in his routine and execute his presentation perfectly.

On the outside, Victor exuded nothing but positive energy and optimism, but on the inside, he was a nervous wreck. He worried that Yakov might be right. That he wouldn’t be able to pull off this massive victory his first time as a coach. It would kill him if, for some unfortunate reason, they missed the podium. Victor didn’t want to lose the opportunity to pair skate with Yuuri at his gala exhibition. And poor Yuuri; what would become of his spirit if he failed? Obviously, Victor wasn’t going to let that happen, but what if it did. He refused to let Yuuri take any of the blame. He’d take full responsibility as his coach.

Victor watched Yuuri silently lacing up his skates, not liking how solemn and morose he was so close to his free skate. It was often difficult for Victor to get into Yuuri’s head and figure out what was going on with him. Which was a telling sign that he was a terrible coach. After all, this was it! Potentially Yuuri’s last performance before he retired from figure-skating. Though, if Victor had his way, Yuuri would never retire. Still, it made sense that Yuuri would be in such a mood being on the brink of making history.

“Have I really stolen your heart?”

Victor’s head snapped up sharply. “…What does that mean?”

One day in the future, Victor hoped Yuuri would stop asking him such provoking questions. Even though they both spoke fluent English—their best common language—Victor planned on purchasing Rosetta Stone. That way he could learn Japanese and finally understand Yuuri. It was evident that he wasn’t speaking English well enough. Not with the way Yuuri was constantly doubting his love.

Yuuri’s voice was barely a whisper as he fiddled with his thumbs, not looking up. “I mean, will I get to keep it forever?”

“Of course.”

Victor wasn’t remotely surprised when Yuuri huffed and rolled his eyes. “How do you know?”

Victor shrugged. “I just do.”

��But how?!”

Exasperated, Victor placed a hand on his hip. “What’s gotten into you? Why the sudden mood swing? Is it the news outlets? Because them not acknowledging that we’re together doesn’t mean anything. Listen to me and not them! I refuse to live without you. I won’t stand for it.”

“But what if after I retire, I let myself go and gain a ton of weight? Or what if we lose our romantic spark and you get bored of me? There’s nothing exciting to keep you here. What if in a couple of years, you wake up and realize this was a huge mistake? I’m a terrible nag and at the same time a giant hypocrite. I’m messy and horrible at cleaning up after myself. What if all we do is fight and bicker and you start to hate me? I majorly lack self-confidence. What if that starts to annoy you too? Me always doubting myself can be a hassle. Hell, I’m doubting myself right now!”

Victor opened and closed his mouth a few times, gaping like a fish. Yuuri had some nerve trying to convince him to stop loving him. He stepped forward and leaned his forehead against Yuuri’s, cupping his cheek. “I think you already know nothing you come up with will change how I feel about you. Am I right?”

“But—” Yuuri protested.

“Nothing,” Victor repeated firmly.

Yuuri peered into his eyes for a moment longer, eventually giving up and sagging his shoulders. “I believe you.”

Yuuri inched closer, his long lashes fluttering closed as he went to give Victor a kiss. But before their lips could meet, Victor stopped and asked, “What about me?”

“Hmm?” Yuuri blinked multiple times when he opened his eyes.

“Will you always love me?”

“Of course!” Yuuri snorted, waving it off as an unserious question then tried to kiss Victor again.

Victor evaded his lips. “Even when all my hair turns gray?”

“Er…um…” Yuuri squirmed uncomfortably, distress in his eyes as he fumbled for the right words. “How— How do I say this? All your hair is already…um…gray...er…silver…?”

“What?!?” Victor cried, his mouth falling open as he reached up and tentatively touched his hair like he was noticing this for the first time. He kept the act up for a couple of seconds before throwing his head back and laughed at how scared Yuuri looked, then dodged a punch to the arm when Yuuri realized he was being insincere.

“I’m just kidding,” Victor snickered, “And my hair is platinum, not gray. But on the subject of getting older, my mother’s side is prone to male pattern baldness. What if the thin spot on the top of my head gets bigger and all my hair falls out? Or what if I don’t age as well as I’m expected to and forget to use under eye cream at night and develop crow’s feet? What if I have to get Botox, or worse, a full facial reconstruction! Will you love me with a new face? What about my fashion sense? What if I lose that too and start walking around in mix-matched patterns and socks with sandals? Will you still love me if I walked around in socks and sandals? What if, Yuuri!!”

“Wow,” Yuuri commented as Victor panted, needing a minute to catch his breath after his rant. “All your concerns are very superficial.”

“Comfort me, Yuuri!” Victor wailed and threw himself into Yuuri’s arms, sighing contently as they immediately wrapped him up securely. Victor buried his face into the side of Yuuri’s neck, feeling at home with the first inhale of Yuuri’s fruity cologne. Never had he felt so safe from the dangers that were inevitable aging.

Yuuri chuckled, pressing a light kiss to Victor’s temple and whispered, “You’ve changed my whole life, Victor. Of course, I’ll be here till the end with you.”

“D’awwwwwww!”

A chorus of cooing echoed from all around them. Victor and Yuuri both jumped at the racket and discovered that not only was everybody leering at them, they were also shamelessly eavesdropping.

“Our wedding vows are going to be so much better than theirs, right babe?” JJ boasted, slinging an arm over his fiancé’s shoulder.

With the exception of JJ and an absent Yurio, the rest of the crowd was in tears. In fact, if Victor hadn’t known any better, he would’ve thought this was a funeral. A box of tissues was being passed around as people sobbed and blubbered, some even crying their mascara off. Most notably amongst the mourners was Otabek Altin. He was the last person Victor would’ve expected to be moved by such an overt demonstration of eternal love. Mainly, because he was Yurio’s new friend and to apply for the job, one must already have their cold dead heart locked in a steel volt in the Himalayas and be committed to hating everything.

Naturally, JJ saw this as an opportunity to plug his new project. “The ghostwriter who wrote my book, Ice Jewel—which comes out January 20th, so stop by your nearest Chapters to pick up a copy or pre-order online—will come up with something a lot less cliché and contrived. Right babe?”

“Shh!!” His fiancé slapped a hand over his mouth, “That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever witnessed. I want to die!”

Victor quickly stepped back from Yuuri and tried to laugh the moment off but was sweating too profusely to be convincing. Yuuri’s face was getting redder by the second and looked like it was about to combust. This was not how they wanted their competitors to see them. They were supposed to be exhibiting that they were at the top of their game, ready to take the world by storm and crush everything in sight. Or at least that’s what Yakov had always taught him to do.

“It’s almost time for you to skate, little piggy. So, get back to work,” Victor decreed. “This is a direct order from your coach. Not your handsome doting lover who spoils you rotten. I won’t have any slackers!”

Who was he kidding? He never acted like a real coach before, so why start now?

Yuuri grimaced. “It’s so embarrassing when you say that word.”

“What word?” Victor asked then scoffed, “Lover? How else would you like me to describe it? No wonder the media doesn’t think we’re together. This world is way too sexually repressed!”

"Yeah, yeah,” Yuuri said, no longer paying him any mind. “Now, just where did you throw my phone?”

So maybe it was a little mean of Victor to let Yuuri search for his phone all on his own knowing that Yuuri wasn’t wearing his glasses. But it was just so funny watching Yuuri bumbling around, eyes scrunched up as they uselessly inspected the floor. Eventually, Yuuri located the phone after two failed attempts, picking up a discarded coke can and an empty water bottle at first. It was impressive that even though the phone had traveled long and far there wasn’t a single ounce of damage, thanks to the case. Victor should totally see if he could get Yuuri an Otterbox sponsorship. After all, sex sells and he knew Yuuri would be able to sell a ton of phone cases with an evocative television ad.

A wild idea suddenly sparked in his mind. One he knew Yuuri definitely wasn’t going to like. Still, this idea had Victor pulling out his own phone and opening his camera app. He snapped a picture with a flash just as Yuuri was bending down to pick something up.

“Eh?! Victor” Yuuri swiveled around and rushed back over to him. “W-What are you doing?!”

“Posting a picture of your juicy bottom on my Instagram.”

“Why?!”

“Because I’d like the world to see how nice and juicy it is.”

“Victor!” Yuuri whined and made a grab for the phone.

“Yuuuuuri!” Victor sang back and kept it out of reach. “Look, I’ve written a risqué caption full of Eros! Maybe the media will see this picture and a news story will break about our insatiable lust for one another?”

“Give it to me right now!” Yuuri grounded out through his teeth and held out his hand.

Thinking it wasn’t worth the spat, Victor handed it over. He expected Yuuri to take the phone and delete the picture immediately, but instead, Yuuri’s fingers began tapping quickly on the screen as his face burned up.

He thrusted the phone back into Victor’s hand and averted his eyes. Victor glanced at it and saw that not only had Yuuri posted the picture, he’d written an even sexier caption that almost blew Victor off his feet and made his nose bleed.

“It’s such a shame that no one would believe me if I told them how you lord over me in bed.” Victor shook his head in amazement. “Bossy, confident, sex torturer, Katsuki Yuuri? Not with how innocent you act in public. No one will believe how mean to me you really are.”

A glint flashed in Yuuri’s eyes as his gaze trailed him up and down. “Oh, you have it so wrong. I think I’m very, very nice to you in bed. Especially when I—”

Once again, it felt like the whole world was listening in, and sure enough, when they looked up they saw everyone staring like they were tuning into a television show. They were rather shameless about it too. Didn’t even have the decency to look remorseful or pretend like they hadn’t been invading people’s very private moments.

It was lucky that they’d caught themselves before they got any more explicit. With Yurio present in the audience, things had to be kept PG-13. He was looking between them now with his big, innocent blue eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“When you what?” he asked Yuuri who was turning very, very red. “Eat pork cutlet bowls?”

Everyone around them who knew better nodded in affirmative, but JJ, of course, had never really been too bright. “I think he meant—”

Thankfully, his fiancée was there to jab an elbow into his gut and cut him off before he could go into detail. Realizing his mistake, he nodded his head along with everyone else and that seemed to satisfy Yurio who just shrugged and walked away with Otabek.

When he was gone, Yuuri groaned and thumped his head against Victor’s chest, his face still hot with shame. “That was unbelievably embarrassing,” he said. “Let’s focus on the competition now and the celebration later. And let’s stop giving these vultures something to eavesdrop on.”

“Da,” Victor chuckled as Yuuri glared at all in their vicinity.

It was time anyway for Yuuri’s skate. They were as prepared as they could be and now was Yuuri’s chance to show his stuff. He pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s cheek and lead him towards the rink. Yuuri’s grip on his hand was like a vice. He was obviously nervous. Victor knew by now that nothing he said could make Yuuri lose those nerves, but he hoped Yuuri would be strong and wouldn’t let them overtake him.

“Even if I don’t win—” Yuuri started, but Victor wasn’t going to let him go any farther with that statement.

“You will win.”

“No, just let me finish.” Yuuri laughed, shaking his head. “Even if I don’t win, thank you for always taking care of me.”

Victor melted into a smile and opened his arms to wrap Yuuri up in a tight hug. He held on for as many squeezes as he could before Yuuri was asked to take the ice then clasped his hand with Yuuri’s and kissed his ring, wishing him luck.

“Well, go on. Show them how much I love you,” Victor said and Yuuri nodded with determination.

He knew something amazing was going to happen today. He just knew. Whether it be Yuuri winning the gold or breaking a world record or even… saying yes to spending the rest of his life with Victor, it was going to be a historical day.

Victor fiddled with the secret velvet box hidden deep within his pocket. His heart thundered in his chest as the music began to play; the happiness and pride overwhelming as he watched Yuuri wield his magic over the crowd.

❄

Morooka: Welcome back, everyone. We just witnessed a beautiful performance by Katsuki Yuuri. One that is bound to make him a top contender in today’s competition and displayed an excellent comeback after his loss last season.

Stéphane: Yes, it was simply magnifique! A perfect performance that shows the true power between this first-time coach and skater duo.

Morooka: Let’s flash over to the kiss and cry to see their scores.

Stéphane: Katsuki Yuuri looks nervous. I don’t know why. No one can doubt that that performance will score high.

Morooka: And he’s broken the world record! In case you’re just tuning in, Katsuki Yuuri has just scored a 221.58 today with his free program. The audience is just going wild.

Stéphane: And what’s this! Victor Nikiforov just got down on one knee and presented Katsuki Yuuri with a ring. What a wonderful congratulations gift from a coach to his skater.

Morooka: I think that’s why their dynamic works so well, Stéphane. Victor is such a caring and rewarding coach.

Stéphane: Let’s see if we can hear what’s going on down there. Ha! It sounds like funny guy Victor there just asked Katsuki Yuuri to marry him and Katsuki Yuuri said yes. There were rumors that Yuuri might be retiring but maybe after this symbol of sheer commitment Victor has displayed today, he might reconsider coming back for another season.

Morooka: As you know, these two have exchanged partnership rings in the past. They have a very close professional relationship. You can tell by how they’re kissing now on the lips.

Stéphane: Yes, such a friendly embrace! I see Victor’s getting a little cheeky there slipping in some tongue.

Morooka: We’ve got some reactions here from twitter. One user says ‘They’re gay, you dumbasses.’ Another says, ‘I can’t wait for Victor and Yuuri’s wedding. You can tell that they’re super in love with each other.’ What do you make of that Stéphane?

Stéphane: Impossible! I see no signs of romance here! Look at how they’re rolling on the floor kissing now. It’s nothing but a coach and skater being excited about a fantastic score.

Morooka: I agree with you, of course, Stéphane. Victor’s done such a great job coaching for the first time. These twitter fans must be seeing something that isn’t there.

Stéphane: Absolument! There’s no way notorious playboy Victor Nikiforov would ever be taken off the market.”

Morooka: You’re right, of course. No way indeed.

#victuuri #victuuri fic #yoi fanfic #viktor nikiforov #yoi #yuuri katsuki #mine: yoi fic #humor fluff

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acsversace-news · 7 years ago

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Andrew Cunanan, who shot and killed Gianni Versace on the front steps of the designer’s palatial estate on the morning of July 15, 1997, was good at bragging. In the second episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace, a new FX miniseries about the crime and the years that led up to it, Cunanan (Darren Criss) lands in Miami’s South Beach. It is the last stop on a three-month killing spree, in which he has already murdered four men in three different states. Boasting energetically to a new friend, he claims he was once engaged to Versace (he wasn’t), who took him to dinner at the fabled San Francisco restaurant Stars (he didn’t). He launches into a reverie on Versace’s gift for design, and when his friend replies with, “Sounds real nice,” Cunanan is not pleased. “I don’t see something nice. I see the man behind it. A great creator. The man I could have been.”

Cunanan’s curdled sense of self-importance runs through the next seven episodes of the series, which travel backward from Cunanan’s crime spree to his troubled childhood. His parents, a depressive Italian-American mother and a Filipino immigrant father, poured all their hopes into young Andrew. He slept in the cavernous master bedroom by himself and attended a swanky private school in La Jolla, California, even though his parents could barely afford the tuition. He wore a red leather jumpsuit to school on occasion and was voted “Most Likely to Be Remembered” in his senior yearbook, but his own page gave almost no information about him. Instead, he inserted just one quote, attributed to the French King Louis XV: “Après moi, le déluge.” After me, the flood.

Cunanan’s first victims were Jeff Trail (Finn Wittrock) and David Madson (Cody Fern), two young gay men he met through the San Diego and San Francisco nightlife scenes when he was in his twenties. Trail, a former naval officer, befriended him when his ship was docked in the San Diego harbor. Madson, a promising young architect from Minnesota, and Cunanan had met in San Francisco in 1995, when Cunanan spotted him at a restaurant bar and sent a cocktail over. That night, according to writer Maureen Orth’s account (the FX show is partially based on Vulgar Favors, her 1999 best-seller about Cunanan’s crimes), the pair had a “nonsexual sleepover” inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel, where Andrew was staying thanks to an allowance he collected from a wealthy, older La Jolla businessman named Norman Blachford.

Blachford, whose partner of 26 years had just died when he met Cunanan, allowed him to move in to his mansion and decorate it, giving him credit cards, a $33,000 Infiniti, and a $2,500 living allowance. Cunanan was apparently ashamed of being a “kept” man but also flaunted his nouveau riches, spending lavishly on friends and acquaintances. When he met Madson, Cunanan felt a genuine emotional connection and obsessed over the architect romantically for the next two years. By the time Trail took a blue-collar job in Minneapolis, where Madson also lived, Blachford had dropped Cunanan, who was now alone. Cunanan flew to Minnesota, killed Trail with a claw hammer inside Madson’s airy loft, and then shot and killed Madson four days later on the banks of East Rush Lake, an hour outside town—perhaps out of jealousy or despair.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace sticks with Cunanan throughout his spree. Versace (Edgar Ramírez) and his longtime partner, Antonio (Ricky Martin), only appear intermittently, like pops from a flashbulb rather than fully developed characters. This feels purposeful: Cunanan was preoccupied with fame, perhaps to the point of psychopathy, and he put celebrity on a pedestal. He saw himself as destined for greatness, and it is this tragic misconception of himself that makes his story so very American. Versace was an openly gay immigrant, succeeding at the highest levels of American business. This must have enraged Cunanan, the openly gay son of an immigrant, who saw in Versace the anointed prince that he longed to be.

Shortly before the first episode aired, members of the Versace family distanced themselves from the new show, which they thought “should only be considered as a work of fiction.” In Vulgar Favors, Orth asserts that Cunanan had met Versace in San Francisco around 1990, when the designer created the costumes for a San Francisco Opera production of Capriccio. Although it’s not clear whether the two met only in passing or were much better acquainted, we see this encounter in a scene in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. If they had dated, as Cunanan often boasted to friends, Cunanan’s violent act may have been personal: Some reporters at the time speculated—with a homophobic slant—that Cunanan may have been an “HIV killer,” out to get revenge on former boyfriends. (A medical examiner later testified that he was not in fact HIV positive.) Versace’s family holds that he never met Cunanan, that the designer was a victim of his own fame and of one man’s twisted rampage against a sparkling culture that rejected him.

The second installment in Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story anthology series, the show doesn’t aim to establish which version is true so much as to expose the rot at the center of American culture—horrors that could only happen here. (Last season followed the trial of O.J. Simpson, dissecting the racial and gendered complexities of the case.) What we do know, from Orth’s book and from several other reports following the murders, was that Cunanan’s life was one of deception and delusion, of falsehoods and fibs and chicanery. He wanted to travel in the highest echelons of society, clinking glasses with socialites and captains of industry and cavorting on yachts. He didn’t like to work but loved to party, a less talented Mr. Ripley.

Cunanan wanted to travel in the highest echelons of society, clinking glasses with socialites and cavorting on yachts.

Throughout, Cunanan has to confront the mismatch between his aspirations and reality. From an early age, he bluffs about his background, telling classmates he is the son of wealthy aesthetes, that his father, Modesto (Jon Jon Briones), once served as Imelda Marcos’s personal pilot and that his mother has filled his lunch box with lobster tails. In the penultimate episode, we learn that Modesto has had to flee the country after embezzling fortunes from his clients. When Cunanan, now in his teens, goes to Manila to find him, Modesto is living in squalid conditions. Criss and Briones stare at each other for long minutes in this scene, filmed inside a tiny tropical shack. Cunanan realizes his father’s success was a lie, and that all of the confidence and self-regard he has absorbed from his bellowing belief must also be fraudulent.

Many people would experience this sort of trauma—the explosion of the family unit, the disgrace of a parent—and cave inward. Cunanan does the opposite. When he returns from Manila, his lies only get bigger. He claims that his father owns a pineapple plantation, that as son and heir, he is set to inherit millions. He tells friends that he has family in New York, Paris, and Rome, and that Signore Versace has asked him to travel around the world with him designing costumes. Even before the period when a quick Google search could swiftly puncture outrageous claims, all this bragging raises suspicion. In a conversation Madson imagines shortly before he is killed, he asks Cunanan to tell him one true thing about his life. It doesn’t happen. Cunanan was like a Gatsby so enchanted with the green light that he would kill for it, a man so bedeviled by the American dream that he became a walking nightmare.

Because the show tells Cunanan’s story backward, we often see his victims die before we get to spend time with them. We see Cunanan in the days leading up to the murder of Versace, then we see him bludgeon Lee Miglin (Mike Farrell), a prominent Chicago real estate developer, in Miglin’s garage. We see him shoot a cemetery caretaker in Pennsylvania just so that he can steal his red pickup truck. When these victims appear again on-screen, beaming and unaware of their bloody future, it can feel like agony. They die in front of you all over again, and you are mourning them even while they are simply talking and moving.

The best episode of the series is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which follows Jeff Trail through the trauma of being gay in the military. In one scene, he tries to hang himself in uniform; in another gruesome moment, he takes a box cutter and begins to slice a tattoo from his calf, after hearing that officials can identify homosexuals by their body markings. The anguish and shame that Trail feels is devastating, especially as we know what fate lies ahead. He is forced to leave the Navy, but as he leaves, he gives an interview to a news program about the struggles of being gay and wanting to serve your country. The fact that this act of bravery—and its promise of a new, more open life—so closely precedes his death haunts the episode.

No one is safe in Cunanan’s world, but then, perhaps, it was never safe to be gay in 1990s America, even for gold-plated celebrities like Versace. The media of the time blamed the victim for his own murder as much as it blamed Cunanan. While Cunanan was “a killer on the loose,” Edward J. Ingebretsen has written in At Stake: Monsters and the Rhetoric of Fear in Public Culture, Versace was seen as “a different threat entirely, that of a profligate and well-traveled member of the upper class, whose mobility, like the killer’s, is also the stuff of myth.” The media wrapped Versace’s and Cunanan’s stories together, frequently drawing parallels between the two: both gay, fashion-obsessed men, enchanted by wealth. Yet they couldn’t have been more different—one of them created, while the other destroyed.

In the end, The Assassination of Gianni Versace belongs to Cunanan, because it is a singular story: the story of a boy who wanted everything in the world but never figured out how to get it. This is an American crime story, in that we see in the rearview how the consumerist ’90s could warp those who treated celebrity like a religion, how some were even willing to commit vile acts for a taste of rarefied air. Very little is, at its core, more American than that.

#acs versace #new republic #article #review #acs spoilers #february 2018 #.thanks musexmoirai for the link

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