#he will haunt barcelona until the end of time

[cant-get-no-worse]

The year is 2046. Sergio Busquets (58) is assisting Mateo Messi (17) for his brace at the Nou Camp.

[sunny44]

Marriage (part 3)

Pairing: Max Verstappen x ex fiancée!reader Mason Mount x Fiancée!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Max leaves his fiancée y/n at the altar on their wedding day but after years of regretting what he did, by a miracle of fate (or Lando) she appears in his life again.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

After that intense conversation with Y/N, I knew that I had taken an important first step in trying to repair what I had ruined years ago.

However, the uncertainty was what tormented me, I didn't know what she would do with the letter, if she would read it, if she would accept my forgiveness or even if she would consider the possibility of a second chance which was what I had wanted ever since I saw her again.

The days passed slowly as I waited anxiously for any sign of her. I didn't hear anything for the first few days but my curiosity and desire to know how she was doing grew with each passing hour.

So here I was lying on the hotel bed wanting to know more about her, so I decided to look her up on Instagram.

I typed in her name and saw her in a series of happy photos, all with a man I recognized immediately.

Mason Mount was her boyfriend.

My heart sank when I saw the genuine smiles on their faces, the trips they had taken together and the special occasions they had shared.

They looked happy and that only intensified my feeling of regret because it should have been me holding her and smiling for the pictures.

I spent hours scrolling through the photos, trying to reconnect with the woman I once loved, but I gave up.

But one question haunted me: had she completely gotten over what I had done?

What hurt me most was realizing how happy she seemed now, with someone who wasn't me. It was a punishment I deserved, a constant reminder of my own cowardice and foolishness.

Eventually I ended the session on social media, feeling even more miserable than before. Reality was cruel and it was punching me in the face.

The time I'd wasted, the opportunities I'd thrown away, it all came to light.

All I had to do was wait and hope that Y/N would read the letter, that she would consider my sincerity and my change.

I knew that life would go on, even if I wasn't part of it.

Maybe, just maybe, time and reflection could heal the wounds I had caused and allow us both to move on, even if in separate directions.

...

A few months passed and I lost hope as I didn't hear anything from her, not even a “leave me alone” so I tried to let it go but it seems the world was against me.

Because the moment I looked at the entrance to the garage I saw Mason and Y/n smiling and walking in.

"I didn't know they'd come here." I said to Checo who stopped next to me.

"They? Do you know both of them?"

"I don't know him personally."

"But do you know her personally?"

"Yes, but..."

"Max, Checo, please come here." Christian calls to us and we go over. "This is Mason Mount and Y/n, they're our guests for the weekend and he’s the one giving the small tire for the pole position."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Mason says and greets us along with her.

We chatted for a while until they left to walk around the paddock.

Bonus scene!

Maxverstappen1 Instagram post

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Liked by @danielricciardo, @masonmount, @redbullracing and others 527940

Maxverstappen1 Great qualifying today @redbullracing, the car was on rails, really enjoyable to drive

Thanks to all the fans out there 🇪🇸

Redbullracing Let’s go Max

Masonmount Good job mate

Y/n&maxfans I really miss them together

User81 who?

Y/n&maxfans Y/n (Mason’s Fiancée) and Max, they were engaged a few years ago

Taglist: @ironmaiden1313 @dudenhaaa27 @christianpulisic10 @gaslysainz @fanboyluvr @urgirlceci @justdreamersdream @aundercover @newlifeforus @depressedriches @topguncultleader @123beautifulgirl123 @luvrrish @tyna-19

[baflegacy]

"always an angel, never a god", "forever is the sweetest con", "i'd give up forever to touch you," and "one sweet moment set aside for us" for the fic titles!!

SO SORRY I ONLY ANSWERED NOW work has me by the ankles this week but!!

always an angel, never a god: idk why i see ianthony in an au where ian’s like charon where he’s the bringer of the dead to the underworld and anthony’s a minor god/less worshipped being. both want to be More than what they are and they eventually bond over it after a false follower anthony dies

forever is the sweetest con: listen. Listen. courtney/arasha road trip au where they decide to drive back to LA instead after going to a con/work event on the other side of the country. slow burn that ends in a bittersweet realization that what they had on the road can’t happen when they’re back home xoxo

i’d give up forever to touch you: idk why i want this to be about baf legacy but!! perhaps cornelius brawne jr/simon bootles where cornelius is a ghost haunting the house but ultimately haunts simon’s demon ass for a Long time. basically follows him around and shits on the next generation’s until Whoops I’ve Grown Attached To You-itis hits the both of them

one sweet moment set aside for us: amangela vacation fic :) idk possibly another installation to my fic…just them in greece or barcelona or whatever for like a week getting to act like a couple. could possibly end with one of them saying ily :)

send me a made-up fic title and i’ll tell you what’d i write!

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Angel's Game. By Carlos Ruiz Zafón (trans. Lucia Graves). Anchor Books, 2009.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction, Gothic fiction

Series: Cemetery of Forgotten Books #2

Summary: In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martin, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed — a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: child abuse, gun violence, disturbing imagery, self harm, suicide, child death, blood

OVERVIEW: I absolutely loved Shadow of the Wind and have been meaning to make my way through the rest of Zafón's bibliography. The Angel's Game is a companion of sorts, set in the same universe (though it's not a direct sequel). Thus, I had high hopes. While I did like a lot about this book, I wasn't quite as hooked as I was for Shadow; the writing is still eerie and atmospheric, but the plot less satisfying. Thus, I can only give this 3.5 stars.

WRITING: Zafón's prose is incredibly atmospheric, painting a picture of early 20th century Barcelona that feels both timeless and trapped in the past. I loved the descriptions of the buildings, the streets, and the mists that hang over everything, and Zafón excels at establishing mood.

I do think, however, that the pacing of this book tended to be a bit wonky and there were some sentence-level quirks that irritated me. Zafón's chapters are short which means that scenes fly by pretty fast; but also, I felt like there were moments when time moved by too quickly and other areas where the scene was dragged out. I also noticed that a lot of the sentences began with "I," making chunks of the book feel repetitive. Granted, I read the English translation of this book, so it may read differently in the original Spanish.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows David Martín, a struggling writer in early 20th century Barcelona who is offered the deal of a lifetime from a mysterious foreign publusher: write a book on the subject of the publisher's choosing, making amends when directed, and be paid one hundred thousand francs. Martín agrees and begins writing while holed up in his dark, drafty old house, and soon, he discovers that the deal he has accepted is tied to the previous owners of his abode.

I love the way Zafón unsettles the reader with this plot. Things get weirder and weirder until they fall apart completely, and the Gothic tones of the story are delicious. I loved watching Martín unravel the mystery of the house and I was disturbed by the mysterious deaths that seemed to keep happening; it was enough to keep me interested and charging through until the end.

I do think, however, that the story ended in something of a mess. It didn't exactly tie together in a way I found satisfying, so I ended the book feeling a little hollow. Perhaps the reason for this is because a lot of the emotional drive of the plot hinges on Martín's feelings for a woman named Cristina - feelings that felt shallow and under-developed. If we were shown why Martín is so devoted and obsessed with her rather than told, I think I might have felt differently, but as it stands, it was hard to connect with the drama of the story because I felt held at arm's length.

TL;DR: The Angel's Game is moody, atmospheric, and weird, but doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of its predecessor.

CHARACTERS: Martín, our protagonist and narrator, is a little hard to connext to, in part because despite being stuck in his head, I didn't feel like he was really obsessed or emotional about the people in his life. The strongest friendship he seemed to have was with his assistant Isabella, which was itself very good. We see the two poking fun at each other and scheming and fighting, so their connection felt the most real and grounded.

Supporting characters such as Sempere the bookseller and Vidal the rich benefactor were well-developed and portrayed as having genuine affection for Martín. They also interact with Martín quite a bit, but they also disappeared for long stretches at a time, so it was difficult for me to see them as consistent presences in Martín's life.

Corelli, the foreign publisher, was adequately mysterious without being overtly sinister or threatening. I liked that I couldn't guess as to whether or not he could be trusted, and as Martín becomes more and more obsessed, it's clear that Corelli was entangled in the drama in some unspecified way. I also appreciated that he wasn't an off-page villain lurking in the background; he arranges to meet Martín periodically, and I liked seeing his face as opposed to him being faceless and vague.

Perhaps the least developed character, in my opinion, was Cristina. Without giving any plot details away, I will say that Martín's love for Cristina is supposed to give the story some emotional thrust. However, I never quite understood why Martín was in love with her; I felt like I was told about his feelings but never really felt like the two had a connection. As a result, when things start to fall apart, I'm less invested in Cristina's fate than I think I could have been.

[shooterball]

DALI ESSAY

Andrew Ball 

DSGN-100-F42

Salavador Dali

��I have never taken drugs, since I am a drug. I don’t talk about my hallucinations. I evoke them. Take me, I am the drug; I am hallucinogenic!” wrote Dali himself in his book Dali by Dali in 1960 (Salvador). One of the most famous Surrealist artists of all time, Salvador Dali lived a chaotic, creative, and controversial life that (at some times) almost worked against all the miraculous works of art that he created. 

Dali was born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain on May 11th, 1904 to father Salvador Luca Rafael Aniceto Dalí Cusí and mother, Felipa Domènech Ferrés. His father was a middle-class lawyer and notary who raised his children with a strict, authoritarian parenting style while his mother was softer and more passive, and she also heavily encouraged Salvador Dali in his artistic ability from a young age. Dali also had 2 siblings, a brother and a sister. His brother also named Salvador) was older but tragically died from gastroenteritis 9 months before Dali was born (Descharnes). Dali seemed to be haunted by his late brother’s death throughout his career, incorporating images of him into many of his later works, including Portrait of My Dead Brother (1963). His sister, Anna Marie, was 3 years younger than her middle brother and even ended up publishing her own book about the Surrealist artists’ life entitled Dali as Seen by His Sister (1949). 

From a young age, Dali was influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters and their respective works; at one point in his life he would go every day to the Prado Museum to study the works of the masters for hours on end. As he continued his journey into the world of artistry he began to become heavily interested in Cubism and avant-garde movements. The artists discovered modern painting on a summer vacation trip to Cadaqués with the family of Ramon Pichot, a local artist who made regular trips to Paris. In 1921 the Pichot family would also go on to introduce Dali to Futurism. During this same year, Dali’s uncle Anselm Domènech, who was the owner of a bookstore in Barcelona, supplied him with books and magazines on Cubism and contemporary art (Descharnes). These all became art styles that he would incorporate into his works throughout the years. Dali received his formal training in fine arts in Madrid at the Municipal Drawing School and also attended the Royal Academy, where he only stayed until 1926 before leaving right before his final exams. 

Dali finally got his opportunity to shine in 1918 when he got his first public exhibition of his work at the Municipal Theatre in his hometown of Figueres, this site would go on to be a place he would frequent in his later life (Soby). His career really began to heat up after he got the opportunity to put on his first solo show at Galeries Dalmau in Barcelona, where his works were on display from November 14th-27th in 1925, the showcase featured 22 works and was a huge critical and commercial success for the rising artist. From then on Dali began his deep dive into Surrealism, including some of his most famous works from 1927 Honey is Sweeter than Blood and Gadget and Hand which would be shown at the Autumn Salon in Barcelona. Dali would even go on to have one of works Dialogue on the Beach, be famously rejected by the same Autumn Salon that had put his work on just the year before (Salber). This was due to Dali’s interests of SIgmund Freud’s writings that led him to use more sexual elements in his works, much to the Salon’s dismay. Shortly after this Dali went on to create one of his most well known pieces and arguably the most famous Surrealist artwork of all time the Persistence of Memory in 1931.

Dali lived in France throughout the entire Spanish Civil War before finally leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved mass commercial success (Maddox). Despite his paintings, he was known for much more throughout his career including graphic arts, film, sculpture, design and photography. Dali also wrote fiction, poetry, autobiography, essays and criticism. Throughout his career, his artworks incorporated themes of dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships; giving a very personal and vulnerable feel to his legacy (Parinaud). Despite his legendary body of work, Salvador Dali is unfortunately sometimes remembered best for his eccentric, often ridiculous, and especially during the time, extremely controversial behavior. Dali gave his final painting Head of Europa to King Juan Carlos before dying a year later in 1989 at the age of 84. In his last few years Dali suffered from various mental and physical health conditions but managed to stay true to the art that he loved until even his final days. 

Works CIted

Descharnes, Robert, and Gilles Neret. Dali. Descharnes & Descharnes, 1998. 

Maddox, Conroy, and Benedikt Taschen. Salvador Dali: Eccentric and Genius. The Hamlyn Publishing Group , 1979. 

Parinaud, Andre. Maniac Eyeball: The Unspeakable Confessions of Salvador Dali. Creation Books, 2004. 

Salber, Linde. Dali. Life & Times Haus Publishing, 2004. 

“Salvador Dali.” American Art, vol. 7, no. 4, 1993, pp. 110–110. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3109156. Accessed 9 Nov. 2022.

Soby, James Thrall. Salvador Dali. Plantin Press, 1941. 

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hi! Do you have any Cherik Army AUs? I've managed to find just 3.

Hi Anon, thanks for the ask. I found some good Army AUs, though some might not quite fall into the category of 'Army AU'. There are, surprisingly, few Army AUs that I have found, whereas there are several military and war AUs, but those don't necessarily involve an army. I did include a variety that involve an army in one way or another, though some fit the bill better than others. I hope you find some that you enjoy!!

Cherik Army AU

I Want to Guard Your Dreams And Visions – luninosity

Summary: I was reading Barbara Hambly’s Abigail Adams mystery novels, and then Erik/Charles American Revolutionary War AU happened. Little snippet in which they share a tent, drink coffee, and provide support to each other.

The Eggnog Riot – Sophia_Bee

Summary: 1826. The American Military Academy in West Point. The day after Christmas. Cadet Erik Lehnsherr wakes up naked with a certain cadet Xavier sprawled across his chest. He can only blame the eggnog.

No Man’s Land – ikeracity

Summary: It's 1914 in Ypres, Belgium. British soldier Charles Xavier has been in the trenches for four months of endless artillery fire, bone-deep cold, and constant fear of the enemy. But on Christmas Eve, the gunfire falls silent, and they climb out of their trenches for a Christmas truce. Charles, of course, meets Erik, the German soldier across the way.

My Land’s Only Borders Lie Around My Heart – pseudoneems

Summary: WW1 Christmas truce of 1914. Opposing soldiers Erik and Charles meet.

Le soldat – Iggyassou

Summary: Erik is in the trenches, trying to survive the war so that he can go back to Charles, his young lover waiting for him back at home.

Names – Squeegee

Summary: In the summer of 1917, British soldier Charles Xavier finds himself taking cover in a shell crater.

Not sure if the 'graphic' tag applies or not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Quell a storm with pen and ink – patroclux

Summary: Charles had spared his life. That was not something he could easily repay.

They wrote letters to each other for two years, until Charles was pulled out of the war from a sudden illness and Erik remained to fight for a cause he didn't believe in. One that ultimately had no effect; one that stole away four years of his life.

Traumatized and persecuted, Erik applied for a post at Janus, a lighthouse in the middle of the Irish Sea. He thought being alone would do him good.

Despite the letters and despite the love, Erik didn't expect Charles to find him.

Hier steh ich an den Marken meiner Tage – MonstrousRegiment

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a spy in the SS, and his British liaison is strategist Charles Xavier. Their relationship from the moment they meet to a year after the end of the war.

Theme and Variations: War – ninemoons42

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a musical prodigy and a man destined for great things and great stages. But his life is shattered by a terrible accident that leaves him blind and trying to find his way back to his life, his music, and his place in the world.

Then he meets Charles Xavier, an agent of Section 8 of the Military Intelligence Directorate of Providence, and he finds himself listening in to clandestine radio transmissions and clicking Morse code, and these sounds are part and parcel of a war that can only take place in the shadows and the hidden places of history.

Strib nicht von Mir – ravenoftheninerealms

Summary: A squad of Allied Forces, led by Charles Xavier, liberates the Nazi concentration camp where Erik was being held prisoner.

Cold foxholes, warm hearts – oddegg

Summary: Basically, this is Band of Mutants. A little slice of life in Bastogne.

Photographs and Memories – tirsynni

Summary: When war-battered Erik Lehnsherr met Charles Xavier, the man kneeling in the dirt and whispering to a lost refugee child, Erik feared his days of running from his deviance was done.

Marching Home – Quietbang

Summary: For a prompt on the meme asking for fic dealing with the fact that, in comics canon, Charles served in the Korean war.

War meant something different to this generation, Charles knew.

Crash on the Levy (Down in the Flood) – Quietbang

Summary: “This is much bigger than you think. You're in the middle of a war, and you don't even realize, do you?”

He pauses, and answers his own question.“No, of course you don't. How silly of me."

The Knight and the Dagger – Dow

Summary: A Lieutenant in the Soviet Army, Erik Lensherr had no other goals than to find the man that killed his parents. But when a discovery yields a little boy with wings like an angel, Erik is shocked to realize that he isn’t alone. There are other people like him, both dangerous and alluring.

Lifelong Service – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik thinks he should be the one to teach their recruits hand-to-hand combat; Charles makes a persuasive argument to the contrary.

Footsteps of uprooted lovers – ninemoons42

Summary: Against a turbulent backdrop of artistic, social, and political upheaval, the playwright Charles Xavier and the photographer Erik Lehnsherr find themselves meeting under less-than-polite circumstances, but part rather more amicably than they'd met.

When they find each other again in a Barcelona that is falling inexorably toward war, they find themselves taking up arms, each in his own way, and together they join a struggle for freedom, for love, and for their very lives.

Dear Soldier – Lindstrom, ToriTC198

Summary: "Dear Soldier,

I pray that this package finds you well. The organization gave us a list of odds and ends that you might need, but I thought that a person so far from home might appreciate something more than soap and tube socks."

When Charles' school decides to send care packages to the soldiers fighting in Vietnam, he chooses to also include a letter and a few personal touches. When Staff Sergeant Erik is the recipient of that particular care package it will spur a relationship that will change them both.

Fortunate Son – blueink13

Summary: he days leading up to and during Alex's deployment in Vietnam. Everyone handles it in their own way. Some handle better than others.

You’re Here – Deshonana

Summary: Everyone decides its a good idea not to tell Erik when his boyfriend comes home from the military.

Welcome Home –  loveydoveyecstasy

Summary: It's been two years since Charles was deployed to Afghanistan, and Erik can't wait to pick him up at the airport.

When Secrets have Secrets – ximeria

Summary: The arguments that take place in General Xavier's office when General Lehnsherr has a bad day are legendary. Quite frankly, no one really knows what's going on and if the two men have it their way, no one ever will.

Quiet Company – Sophia_Bee

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is always on the move. He's spent the last many years going from war torn country to war torn country telling the stories of the people there through photographs. Then one of his pictures is selected as a winner for the Pulitzer Prize and Erik finds himself stuck in London for longer than he wants. He ends up with an assignment to photograph Charles Xavier, a wealthy philanthropist who is intrigued to find himself working with a Pulitzer-winning war photographer. Erik is far less intrigued by someone he considers privileged and out of touch. Both of their lives are about to change in ways they couldn't imagine.

The City is Ours – RedStockings

Summary: Erik felt his heart racing with excitement, lightened, and for once felt joyful. Charles had looked at him, really looked at him, and there had been something there, a knowing of a kind. As the soldiers laughed amongst each other, and joked each other about who would succeed in marrying the boy, Erik made himself a silent vow. Charles was going to be his, and nothing would keep him from having him. He’d marry him, and he’d save him, and Charles would love him for it.

Not even the war could keep them apart... right?

Sign of the Times – dsrobertson

Summary: Casablanca-ish AU.

Charles Xavier meets Erik Lehnsherr in Paris, 1937. They spend the next two years with one another, stupid in-love, until war comes heavy in September 1939. Erik leaves for Poland and the Resistance movement there, promising to return. Charles is left in Paris, where Nazi jackboots march in, Summer of 1940. He becomes a member of the underground French Resistance, publishing illegal newsletters, leaflets, until news comes through in February 1942: Erik is dead. Charles throws himself into more dangerous work, meeting with Communists, helping derail a German train, and he does too much, goes too far. His friends find him safe passage out of France, out across the Mediterranean, to Morocco, Casablanca. It is here he finds Erik, alive.

The Waste Land – nekosmuse

Summary: The White Queen and her Shadow King sit on their throne, safe behind the psionic shields of the Walled City. The armies of Genosha batter uselessly at the gates, a war locked in stalemate. Magneto, camped in the frozen mud, receives word the Citadel intends to send a telepath to the front lines. The same telepath he met two years ago, who sat across a carved wooden chess set and offered Magneto the first friendly smile in a lifetime. The same telepath who still haunts his dreams.

Winter Comes With a Knife – RedStockings

Summary: It apparently came to no one’s surprise that the war-mage Erik Lehnsherr took up residence in the Dark Keep. I knew he was going to choose my sister, Raven, to be his apprentice so why wouldn’t he let me go? What did he want from me?

My name is Charles Xavier, I can read minds and use magic. I’ve met Kings and Queens, mages and magic users. I’ve travelled through lay-lines and jumped through the Dark Void… but none of that really matters.

I am leading an army into war, I am scared and I never wanted this. I’ve come to realise that what I want, rode into my life when I was still a child. Now he’s out there, ready to charge into battle. Ready to die for me.

Polaris – LastAmericanMermaid

Summary: Charles Xavier is 19 years old, doe-eyed and soft; Erik Lehnsherr is 24 years old, steely-hard and bitter. One is a soldier, the other a refugee. Both are mutants. There will be pain, oh yes.

(An AU in which Charles is a wounded British soldier, Erik is the German hiding in France who nurses him back to health, and the contents of this fic are best read to the soundtrack of Atonement.)

Note: Unfinished

MEDIC! – paladin_danse

Summary: A British airborne medic finds himself alone and afraid behind enemy lines. When he decides to save the life of an S.S. German officer he finds wounded in the snow, he has no idea the choice he has made will alter the course of the war—and their lives—forever.

Note: Sadly unfinished

Suicide is Painlesss – weethreequarter 

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr did not become a doctor to pick bullets out of children. Unfortunately the US Army had other ideas.

Stuck in the middle of the Korean War, Erik and his fellow civilian surgeons have to battle not only the war, but also weather, mud, and boredom. And that's without mentioning Major Sebastian Shaw who thinks war is the best thing that's ever happened to him and never should've been allowed to pick up a scalpel, or Colonel William Stryker who may or may not work for the CIA and probably doesn't even know himself.

Throw in new arrival Captain Charles Xavier, and Erik is in for a very interesting war.

Note: Unfinished

A Light That Never Goes Out – R_Cookie

Summary: It was meant to be the war to end all wars; these two men were never supposed to meet. One a German Jew, the other a British surgeon. The odds that their paths should cross were next to none - but War defies the expected. It always has, and always will.

From the beaches of Dunkirk to the treacherous slopes of Monte Cassino - this is their story.

WWII AU.

Note: Unfinished

[yutahoes]

Sakura

(Part One)

One

genre : Chaptered, Fluff

pairing : childhood friends: soccer player! Nakamoto Yuta x single mom! Reader (Y/N) 

word count : 1k words

taglist :  @ailoveyuta @loona-4-eva @aiforyuu @2-3-t-i @cosmiclatte28 @url-lindo-sexy @nuoyipeach @aaasteroidsky  @readers-posts @delightfultacobread @bby-kji9 @a-bts-world​ @mel-yjh​ @yeolsechanhun​ @yutazen01​

You’ll always be his Sakura. 

Weddings.

They were never Yuta’s cup of tea. The idea of getting married scared him. How would you get yourself settled with just one person your whole life? Is it really possible to commit yourself to just one person? Maybe. And that idea definitely scared him. 

But this is one wedding that he cannot say no to. A wedding that he must attend even if it meant traveling from Spain to Korea just for a single event. Lee Taeyong’s wedding. 

If there’s someone who will haunt him for the rest of his life, that will be Taeyong. It was in fifth grade when he met him in Seoul and they became the best of friends until their college days. He was one of the friends who kept with the communication even if he returned to Japan. He owed a lot to him, his knowledge in Korean, how he adapted well in a foreign country, and the one always next to him whenever he would miss her. 

To his surprise, Taeyong is getting married to his highschool sweetheart. How long had that been? They’re still together? That’s amazing. And the idea of falling in love with one person all his life came to him again. 

“Yuta.” an older woman called and he recognized her as Taeyong’s mom. She was the person who took good care of him back when he’s still in Korea. “You’re here.” She engulfed him in the warmth of her hug that made the younger giggle. She’s really like his second mom. “I always see you in the news.” she complimented and even introduced him to some of her friends as her second son. “Have you seen Y/N? She’ll be really happy to see you.”

The name brought unwanted memories to Yuta that made his heart tug against his chest. She’s here? But then, why shouldn’t she? It was her who introduced him to Taeyong, the princess of their trio. 

As one of the best men at his wedding, he waited in front of the aisle next to the groom who looked fidgety. Yuta laughed at that, Taeyong is always confident. Are weddings always like this? His gaze was focused on the little girls gracing the aisle with flowers for the bride to walk at and when he turned to the next person, the bridesmaid, he felt his heart jump out of his chest. Y/N.

When was the last time he saw her? Seven years ago? His little vacation in Chicago. She looked more mature now. And even if some of her features change, he can still see the little girl who said hello to him on the first day of class back in third grade. His first friend. His sakura. His first love. 

She beamed when their eyes met but he just gave her a timid smile. She shouldn’t know that he’s too happy seeing her after all these years. The feeling of being scared came again. But now, he’s scared to fall deeper. 

                                                           --

The wedding ceremony is simple but truthfully, Yuta wanted to just leave the place. The only person he knew is Taeyong, his bride, his parents, and Y/N. They’re all busy with their tasks so there’s no one to talk to. 

He was surprised to see a young boy walking to where he is, staring at him wide-eyed. “You’re Yuta Nakamoto, right?” the boy asked, making him nod, laughing at how he knew about him. “You’re really cool on TV.” His eyes were twinkling in glee and the older was reminded of someone, her eyes twinkling the same as his. “Eomma was right, she’s friends with you. That’s so cool.”

His mom is friends with him? “Your mom?” he repeated, making the child nod. “Who is your mom?” 

The question was answered when Y/N turned to where they are, calling for someone named ‘Jae’. Wait, hold up? She’s a mom now? “Oh. Yuta.” she greeted with a smile. Why do they have to meet like this? In front of her son who was looking at both of them. Who is the father of this child? Her boyfriend in Chicago? “Jae, Taeyong samchon is looking for you.” The young boy nodded, skipping to get inside. “Did Jae bother you? I’m sorry.” 

Yuta shook his head. A lot is running in his mind right now. But all of that was easily forgotten when she sat beside him. “I was surprised when I saw you earlier. I thought you’re in Barcelona.” He nodded, reasoning out that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event in Taeyong’s life and that he doesn’t want to miss it. “Oh. I always see you on the sports channel. You’re pretty cool, Yuta.” 

“You hated sports,” he said with a laugh. 

The girl had to shyly smile at that. “Johnny does.” So they’re still together. “And Jae liked watching soccer.” So that’s why her son knows about him. 

His gaze fell on her fingers, no ring. Are they not married? “You’re still together with Johnny?” 

She shook her head. “Not anymore.” The sentence made him look at her. They’re not together? “We had a divorce when Jae was two years old.” Divorce? They got married? How come he doesn’t know any of it before? “I tried writing to you but the letters were always returned to me. Maybe you changed your residence in Osaka.” 

“You should have emailed me.” 

“I don’t want to bother you.” She smiled at him then stood up. “It was nice seeing you again, Yuta.” He didn’t know what to say and just nodded at her. When she turned her back at him, he left out a heavy sigh. Why isn’t he happy to see her again? Why does he need to know all of this now? And why is he falling deeper? 

When he went inside the reception hall, she was talking to Jae and another girl taller than her son. If he thought her son’s eyes resembled hers, he was more amazed at how the girl looks like her. Her daughter? She had two children? There’s no denying that they’re a happy family next to each other. A dream she had always wanted. A dream he thought he could fulfill with her. But it’s too late. She had already reached her dream. Without him. 

Weddings. 

He had always hated the idea of that before she came. But now, he hated it even more.  

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Two

And I’m back to making a chaptered AU. I only wrote until the fifth part of this and this doesn’t have an ending yet. But I wanted it to be shorter than Otou-Chan so we’ll see how the story goes and maybe take ideas from your comments and feedback. Once again, thank you for taking time in reading this. 

(I didn’t use my Yuta’s angels tag list since this is a chaptered fic and I don’t want to force them in reading every chapter of this. But if you want me to tag you in updates, please feel free to tell me. Thank you.)

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

She-who-fights-and-writes Coronacation Book Rec List

I know that a lot of people are stuck at home right now in dire need of entertainment, so I decided I’d put out a book recommendations list of all the books I’m currently reading and all of my must-reads!

(Just a note that a lot of these are Fantasy because I’m a fantasy nerd haha)

Books/Series I am currently reading

1. The Folk of the Air Trilogy by Holly Black (Currently on #2, The Wicked King)

Genre: High Fantasy

Setting: The land of Faerie which is kind of historical, but in the human world it is modern day

Main cast :

Jude Duarte (white, human, cutthroat, if I saw her in a Denny’s Parking Lot at 3am I would RUN)

Cardan Greenbriar (white, faerie, the true embodiment of Bastard)

Vivienne (Jude’s half-sister, lesbian with canon gf, half-human half-faerie, I would totally try to be her friend)

Taryn Duarte (Jude’s twin sister, queen doormat, still, I would take a bullet for her she’s jUST TRYING TO FIT IN)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

These books have been on my “To Read” list for so long now and for some reason I just never got around to reading them! Hands-down, these are some of the best high fantasy books that I’ve read in a long, long while.

I finished the first book, The Cruel Prince, in just two days and rated it 5/5 stars! Even though these books are high fantasy and focus on the traditions and ways of life of faeries, somehow all of the characters seem like I could meet them in real life!

The main character actually has genuine flaws and not just “””“flaws”””” and is a Bad Bitch down with murder, and the plot had me on the edge of my seat from page one!

The summary makes it sound like it’s going to be about their romance, but it’s really mostly about a power struggle and Jude being a badass.

Goodreads summary for The Cruel Prince:

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

2. The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater (Currently on #1, The Raven Boys)

Genre: Present-Day/Realistic Fantasy (?)

Setting: The fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia

I haven’t gotten around to much of the book, so there’s not much I can tell you about the characters and I can’t properly give it a rating yet.

These books were also on my “To Read” list for a while; I was a huge fan of her book The Scorpio Races and have also been looking for something to quench my thirst for “private school/ghosts/magic” that I’ve been dealing with ever since I read The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.

I’ve only JUST started The Raven Cycle yesterday, but so far I am hooked! I’m super worried because I’m TERRIBLE at juggling two series at a time but both of these are just so interesting! 

Goodreads Summary for The Raven Boys:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

MY MUST-READ BOOK LIST

1. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: 1700s Europe (England, Paris, Barcelona, Marseilles, Venice)

Main cast (I’ll try my best not to spoil anything because you find out a LOT of different stuff about these characters throughout the book):

Henry “Monty” Montague (white, bi/pansexual, attitude problem)

Percy Newton (mixed race, gay, very sweet boy, definitely got “most likely to bring home to mom” in the yearbook)

Felicity Montague (white, Monty’s little sister, headcanoned as asexual, I love her to death)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Daring adventure, gay representation, historical setting, hilarious characters!

This book literally has it all! I would consider it one of my favorite books of all time, yet for some reason I’ve never gotten around to reading any of the sequel books! The ending is very satisfying and ties everything together, which I feel is part of the reason why I haven’t gotten around to them yet. 

Therefore, it can serve as a one-shot read or a full series if you want to dive into something good!

The humor made me laugh out loud at points and all of the characters are very real and very, very relatable, not to mention the vivid settings of 1700s Europe!

Goodreads summary:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

2. The Ninth House By Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Horror, Fantasy 

Setting: Yale University and the town of New Haven, Present Day

Main cast:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern (Hispanic, sees dead people, very scary)

Daniel Arlington “Darlington” (white, rich, an angel who can sometimes be a dick)

Pamela Dawes (tbh I honestly don’t remember what she looks like, only that she’s a tired grad student with big nerd energy)

Detective Alan Turner (Black, takes shit from nobody, husband material)

Rating: 4/5 Stars

(NOTE: THIS IS VERY DARK ADULT FICTION AND CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME PEOPLE, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FOR PEOPLE UNDER 16)

This book is a great read for someone who’s looking for a disturbing, gritty book with layers upon layers of secrets that you have to peel away as the mystery unfolds. I love the secret societies and the intricate magic systems that the book introduces, and it actually made me hungry for more books like it!

 Alex is a three-dimensional, very real character who also serves as an unreliable narrator who witholds or warps the information that she’s telling you, making the narrative all the more riveting.

The only issues that I have with it are the fact that Leigh Bardugo kind of just dumps you in the middle of it without explaining stuff first, to the point where it kind of feels like you’re reading the second installment of a series rather than the first one, so things can get a bit confusing at first.

The book also can drag and draw things out for a bit too long, but once the plot fully kicks into gear, you will not be able to put it down!

Goodreads summary:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Setting: Earth, Space, The Moon

Main cast :

Linh Cinder (Chinese, based on Cinderella, cyborg, certified badass)

Scarlet Benoit (French, based on Little Red Riding Hood, farmer who is not afraid to shoot you)

Cress Darnel (White, based on Rapunzel, nerd, I will protect her with my life if I have to)

Kaito “Kai” (Chinese, based on Prince Charming, kind of has to run a whole country, a very kind soul, deserves a nap)

Carswell Thorne (White, based off of Rapunzel’s Prince, bastard)

Winter Hayle (Black, based off of Snow White, royalty, has super special powers)

Wolf (Race unspecified, based off of the Big Bad Wolf, charming killing machine, furry????) 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Do you like fairy tales?

Have you ever wanted to know what fairy tales would be like if they took place in the FUTURE instead of the PAST? 

Do you like an amazing, hilarious cast paired with a super interesting plot? 

These are the books for you!

I haven’t read them in so long, but I remember how much joy I felt while devouring these pages. Definitely something you will not able to put down!

Goodreads Summary for Book #1: Cinder: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: Ancient Greece

Main cast:

Patroclus (Greek, Gay, quiet pining) 

Achilles (Greek, gay, very strong, student athlete energy)

Brisies (Anatolian, clever, literally the only one in this story who has a brain cell)

Rating: 100000/5 stars

This is basically the Iliad but if historians hadn’t completely erased Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship. “Haha yeah these guys were totally bros” they say, even though I have read the Iliad and their relationship isn’t even subtle.

This book made me cry at least ten times. It’s just so beautifully written and has such a distinct vibe to it that whenever I crack it open for another time, it takes me straight back to the vacation that I read it on. (Needless to say, sobbing your eyes out can be less than helpful when you’re on the beach)

If you can only read one book on this list, it should be this one. I could talk all day about it and write novels on just how much of an incredible writer Madeline Miller is, but I feel like you’d get my drift a bit better if you actually read the book.

Goodreads Summary:

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

Hope this list helps you through your coronacation, and please don’t be afraid to reblog or message me to tell me if you’ve read/will read any of these!

[japansace]

Underrated Yuri on Ice Fics (Part 2!)

*cracks knuckles* All right, here we go.

People wanted more underrated YOI fic recommendations, so I’m here to provide. Please read these fics if you’re interested and give them some love! (Oh, and feel free to send any fics you think should be added to the list my way. Perhaps I’ll make a part three of this someday.)

You, in Sunlight by pandabomb [ T // 3.5K words // complete ]

Summary: To acquaintances and strangers, Viktor was excellent at hiding his true feelings. Yuuri was beginning to forget what it meant to be a stranger to him.

A soft, quiet snapshot from Yuuri and Viktor's earliest days in St. Petersburg together.

---

Some much needed contextualizing of Yuuri settling into life in St. Petersburg and Victor becoming acclimated to his new role as skater, coach, and fiancé. Just unbearably sweet all around.

---

Comfort and Joy by sublime_jumbles [ G // 3.5K words // complete ]

Summary: The Japanese restaurant with the most stars on Yelp doesn't open until eleven, but that's all right. Yuuri is still sleeping soundly then, as Viktor gets up, gets dressed with the silent speed of a quick change, and scrawls a note in hasty English on a slip of hotel stationery.

---

Just some sweet fluff post-episode twelve. Victor wakes before Yuuri and decides to spoil him while they’re still in their hotel in Barcelona. It’s adorable and also has some great pro-chubby Yuuri Katsuki content, so it gets an A from me.

---

Here Comes a Thought by @crossroadswrite [ G // 7K words // complete ]

Summary: Yuuri dreams about his last competition a lot. How could he not when it changed his life so viscerally.

In his dreams, it’s always falling. It’s never hitting the ground, because Yuuri knows what happens when he hits the ground – torn ACL, mild concussion and a nasty bruise on his head that had lasted for weeks. It’s never the pain he’s afraid of in his dreams, Yuuri’s well used to pain.

It’s the act of falling, the promise of pain and failure. It’s what falling means. It haunts Yuuri, even now when the bruise on his head is completely gone and his knee is slowly healing.

(Or: Yuuri struggles with being forced into retirement by an injury, Victor struggles with getting Yuuri to talk about it, and they still love each other through all of it.)

---

This fic made me sob like a little bitch.

Yeah. It’s just that good.

It’s so heart-wrenching but so them. It hurts in all the best ways. And it’s also the reason I can’t ever go to an aquarium again without feeling just a bit morose.

---

A Place for You and Me by whatsup_buttercup [ E // 5K words // complete ]

Summary: “Be careful in the hallway,” Viktor says. “I had to move the bookshelf out of the bedroom.”

A famous interior decorator from a magazine placed that bookshelf there two years ago. Yuuri remembers the glossy spread about Viktor Nikiforov’s modern apartment very well. It’s still in a protective plastic cover in his parent’s attic. “Why?”

“I bought something new,” Viktor says, cryptic.

---

Omegaverse! Yuuri’s stubborn pride rears its ugly head here, and it feels so in-character. Poor Victor is just trying his best--but when they fail, they fail together.

---

Hopeless, Breathless, Baby Can’t You See? by xylophones [ G // 15.5K words // complete ]

Summary: The weekend of last year’s Rostelecom cup, Yuuri Katsuki declared his love for fried pork in a press conference, got caught by paparazzi rescuing a dog from a river, revealed a short program costume that showed off his multitude of soulmate marks, and broke Viktor’s world record. All while being, objectively, the cutest human being on the planet.

The entire skating world–– including Viktor–– fell in love instantly.

Or: a soulmate au where the first time you touch your soulmate(s), colored marks appear on your skin. Yuuri has more marks than Viktor’s ever seen on someone. Viktor has none.

--

This is one of my new favorite YOI fics--if not my absolute favorite. I’m a sucker for a good soulmate AU, and this is one of the best: feel-sy, subversive, and stunningly gorgeous. Please read this one! You won’t regret it.

---

Tangerine Trees, Marmalade Skies by @ebenroot [ T // 6.5K words // complete ]

Summary: It’s not that Yuri thinks Victor is a big fat liar. It just, well, Yuri thinks Victor is a big fucking liar.

“The Sun,” Yuri repeats for the fifth time that day. “You’re engaged to the Sun.”

Or: a (slightly confusing and annoyingly sappy) account of Victor Nikiforov's engagement to the Sun, as narrated by #1 employee Yuri Plisetsky

---

I’ve reread this one... a shameful amount of times. It’s pure fluff, plain and simple, with a sprinkle of casual magic that feels like a hug. 10/10, would recommend.

---

Memento Amare by @belovedyuuri [ G // 5K words // complete ]

Summary: Parting ways has never been in their plans, not even for just a moment; it's no surprise Yuuri and Victor have a terrible time saying goodbye, even if for just several weeks. When longing hits hard, memories sweeten it right up.

(You've heard about History Makers. Now prepare for Memory Makers. In which Yuuri and Victor share their life and love with each other even when they're not physically together.)

---

Just some good ol’ fashioned feels about Yuuri and Victor, doing the hard work of trying to make their relationship work after their whirlwind romance. It’s absolutely gorgeous and wholesome all around.

---

Tongue Tied by @stammiviktor [ T // 2.5K words // complete ]

Summary: The silver-haired man in front of Yuuri in line is the only good thing to come of the situation.

---

Another new fic that has rocketed up the list of my absolute favorites. Yuuri and Victor pretending to be married to get airport preferential treatment--while at the same time not sharing a common language between them--had me positively rolling with laughter. Perfect, fabulous, a thousand chef’s kisses. I want ten movies and a TV series.

---

Work of Art by Athra (getaway_machine) [ E // 2.5K words // complete ]

Summary: Victor admires the work of art that is his beautiful husband.

---

Some lovely smut, shibari edition! It’s feels very them, while still being hot as hell. Read for a good time.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Thousand Times I’d Marry You by @ewokthrowdown [ T // 2.5K // complete ]

Summary: What’s more, Yuuri’s got fantastic honeymoon ideas. While Victor’s planning the wedding, Yuuri’s casually asks the fiancés where they’re going, then always has a hundred ideas for romantic things to do once they’re there. A cute bakery that does heart shaped macarons, the best spot for stargazing, which bar has swing dance. Victor had asked Yuuri how he knew all these lovely things to do, and Yuuri, blushing furiously, had told him that these were all the things he planned to do with Victor but either hadn’t had time to while they themselves visited, or they hadn’t been to that particular location yet. The fact that Yuuri has dates planned for them in pretty much every romantic spot on the planet, had Victor swooning in a calculated way that meant Yuuri had to catch him.

[Future fic in which Victor quits skating to be Yuuri's Katsuki-Nikiforov's trophy husband and a wedding planner.]

---

And let’s end with another sweet one! 

This one is sooooooo cute! Victor becomes a wedding planner after he retires, and the fic shows us little snapshots of him and Yuuri traveling all over the world to make people’s dreams come true. They’re just in love, love, love, and I’m always 100% here for it.

---

All right, let’s wrap it up here. Thank you for reading this post! Please check out these fics and their writers if they happen to catch your eye--and my inbox is always open for more suggestions! And before I go, let me just leave my own fics here in case you’d like to look into my credentials~

[flowerfan2]

Part of You Indefinitely - Ch. 7 of 9

David/Patrick, 22k so far, A03, M

Summary:  An accident sends Patrick to the hospital and terrifies David.  What follows changes their relationship in ways David and Patrick never imagined.  A story of love and its challenges.

***We’re nearing the end, folks - hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7

David is excited at their next session with Margo.  He tells her about how Patrick came to the store, and how good it felt to have him there, and how proud he is of Patrick for getting out of the house.  

But when he turns to Patrick, hoping to have him echo his hopeful thoughts, Patrick is anything but happy.

“Patrick?  What’s wrong?”

“David doesn’t understand,” Patrick grinds out, speaking to Margo.

“Okay, time out, this really isn’t fair – he can’t say that if he doesn’t explain, right?”  David is on board with this counseling thing, he truly is, but not if Patrick just uses it to make vague, unsubstantiated allegations.

“Patrick, can you explain why you think David doesn’t understand?”

David has the feeling that if it wasn’t such a pain for Patrick to get back into his chair, he’d be storming out of the room.  But Margo is good at letting Patrick take his time, and David pushes down his frustration and tries to follow suit.

“It shouldn’t be a big deal,” Patrick finally says, like he’s choking out each word.  “I should be able to go to the store – our store – without freaking out about it.  There’s no reason I can’t go back to work now, I know that’s what David’s thinking – we can both just go back to work now, and everything will be normal, except…”

“Except what?”  Margo prompts.

David waits, his hands gripping his knees.

“Except that’s just it.  Me.  I’m not back to normal.  Nobody knows if I ever will be again, and-” Patrick puts his hands up over his face and sucks in a sob, “and David is going to get tired of waiting for me.”

“Patrick,” David breathes out, his whole body shaking.  “Is that – is that what you have been worried about?  You think I’m going to leave you because you can’t walk?”

Patrick folds in on himself, and David nearly does the same.  The words are stark, but the unknowns of Patrick’s recovery are what’s been haunting him since Patrick woke up in the hospital, and it’s no surprise that it’s at the core of Patrick’s fears, too.

“I’m not going to leave you, Patrick,” David says, putting his hands on Patrick’s shoulders and leaning in close.  “It doesn’t matter if you never get out of that chair, I swear to you, it doesn’t.  You are the love of my life, and that’s not going to change.  I’d carry you around on my back for the rest of my life for the privilege of spending it with you, Patrick Brewer.”

Patrick grabs on to David and buries his face in his neck, sniffling and crying.  “I know it’s stupid, I know it, I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

“It’s not stupid.  I’m not going anywhere.  You’re stuck with me.”  Apparently, this is what Patrick needed to hear, and now that David knows, he can’t say it enough.  David rubs his back and kisses his head, repeating “it’s okay, baby, it’s okay.  It doesn’t matter.  I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen.”

“I’m so scared,” Patrick says, face still pressed against David’s skin.  “I hate this.  I hate it so much.”

“Me too,” David says.  “Me too.”

******

They’re in the car again on the way back from a PT session and a check in with Patrick’s doctor – whoever said most serious conversations happen in the car was definitely on to something – when Patrick asks whether David has ever been sick.

“Sick?”

The car is making a funny noise when David brakes, and he’s trying to figure out if it’s the kind of normal noise you only think is unusual because most of the time it’s drowned out by the radio, or the kind of noise that means “stop the car immediately.”

“Yeah, or, like, were you ever in the hospital.”

David’s about to pull over, weird noise or not, because this is kind of an odd question and he really doesn’t know where it’s coming from.  

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

David glances at Patrick, and he seems perfectly fine.  He even gives David a “what?” kind of look, so David shrugs and goes with it.

“I was dehydrated from a fever when I was a baby and had to be in the hospital overnight, I sprained my ankle when I was on a fifth grade trip to Montreal and they made me go to the doctor, I had chicken pox… and, um…” David pauses, wondering whether Patrick expects him to list every single time.  “Is this what you had in mind?”

“Sure,” Patrick says, noncommittally.  “Nothing when you were older?”

David really doesn’t want to talk about when he got his stomach pumped in L.A., eighteen years old and stupidly partying with people twice his age, or when Alexis rushed him to the emergency room in Barcelona, convinced he was dying after someone slipped something into his drink.

“What’s this really about?”

“You just seem, um, really nervous in the hospital.”  When David glances over, Patrick is looking at him intently, his brown eyes full of concern.

“I think I’m a perfectly reasonable amount of nervous in the hospital,” David says, ignoring the flutter in his stomach.

“But you’re not even the one who’s hurt.”

David does pull over then, because his chest clenches and while he’s very sure it isn’t a heart attack, they’ve had enough excitement in their lives lately.  “Patrick,” he says, tugging on his sleeve until Patrick turns to face him, “it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been hurt.  This is the first time, for me, that  <i>you’ve</i> been hurt.  I don’t think a million emergency room visits to pump out my stomach could have prepared me for how it felt to see you unconscious in that bed.”

Patrick’s eyes go wide.  “Okay, we’ll get to that very sweet sentiment in a minute, but – how many times did you have your stomach pumped?”

Fuck, he really didn’t mean to let that slip.  “Just twice, unless you count – but that’s not the point.”

Patrick’s looking at him intently, and David ducks his head, feeling exposed.  

“I’m sorry,” Patrick says.  “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“What did you mean, exactly?”  David asks.

“I figured if maybe I knew what was making you so nervous, I could do something to help.”  

Patrick’s voice is soft and gentle, and David realizes how long it’s been since Patrick has been the one trying to console him – not that David was even upset for the reason Patrick suspected, but… it feels nice.  He thinks for a moment about how to respond.  He doesn’t want to just brush this off.

“There is something,” David says.  

“What?”

“I’d like to come into your doctor’s appointments with you,” David says, and goes on quickly, trying to explain.  “So I know what’s happening.  And that way you wouldn’t have to repeat everything to me, which I know is awkward, and if they give you any instructions, I could help you keep track of what you need to do.”  <i>And I wouldn’t have to worry that whatever is going on is actually worse than you’re willing to admit,</i> David thinks.

Patrick smiles wryly and tilts his head back in the seat.  “I thought I was doing you a favor by telling you to wait in the hall, but you were anxious because you wanted to be in the room.”

“Pretty much.  I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want that, I know it’s private and you don’t have much that’s private these days.  But you asked, so.”

Patrick bites his lip, then leans over and kisses David quickly.  “Let me think about it, okay?  But I’ll tell you what Dr. Lee said today, if you want to know.”

“Okay, yeah, that’d be good,” David says.  Then he sighs dramatically and puts the car in gear, looking back and forth at the deserted road before he pulls back on.  “But leave out anything about his infatuation with Alexis.  Some things should truly remain private.”

Patrick laughs softly, and they drive on in relative silence for a few minutes.  Then Patrick starts fidgeting, and David braces himself for whatever’s coming next.

“It’s not that I think you’re shallow or anything,” Patrick starts.

“Okay, that’s not a weird way to start a conversation,” David replies, wondering if he needs to pull over again.  At this rate they’ll never get home.

“No, I’m sorry, I just mean…” Patrick rubs his hands on his thighs.  “What I said the other day… part of me knows you wouldn’t leave me if I don’t get better, that would be a horrible thing to think of you.  I don’t really think that, most of the time.  But it’s not really about you.”

David glances over to Patrick, who is worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.  “Okay.”  

“The thought that I might never get out of this chair, that I wouldn’t be able to do so many things – mow the lawn, hike a trail, pull something down off of a high shelf… go for a run when I’m stressed.  My brain gets stuck on that.  I’m so dependent.  And I can’t walk next to you, can’t reach out and pull you up against me, it’s all so much harder with the chair in the way.  It makes me feel less-”

“You’re not-” David interrupts, and Patrick glares at him.  “Sorry, sorry.  I’m listening.  Go on.”

“Whether or not I am less, I feel that way.  Less capable.  Less useful.  Less confident.  And so I really am different.  And when you figure that out, I don’t know if you’ll like me as much.  And you can tell me over and over that it won’t happen, but it’s still… it’s still in my head.”

David reaches over and takes Patrick’s hand.  He wants to say something to fix this, but Patrick just told him that words don’t help.  He gives Patrick’s hand a squeeze and looks over at him, wondering if Patrick can read in his eyes all the love that he’s feeling.  Patrick holds his glance for a moment, and squeezes back.

*****

It takes a little bit longer for David to put his plan for the store into action than he had hoped, but after way too many emails with Jake, and a lucky find at an estate sale, he’s ready to talk to Patrick about it.

Patrick is laying on the couch against David, playing with the gold rings on his fingers.  They’ve been light-heartedly debating what to do with their Saturday afternoon, David having firmly rejected all sports-watching activities, and Patrick declaring that he’s all rom-com’d out for the time being.  Patrick is relaxed, and cuddly, and David is a little afraid to ruin it all by raising what he knows is a sore subject, but he’s not likely to get a better opportunity.

“Patrick?”

“Yeah?”

“Any chance I could convince you to come into the store with me tomorrow morning?”

David can feel Patrick tense against him.  

“Why?  Did Stevie mix up the lip balms again?”

“No.  I, um, made some provisional adjustments to the layout, to make our space more accessible.”

Patrick has let go of David’s hands.  “Provisional upon what?”

“Upon your approval.”

“David.”  There’s a note of warning in Patrick’s voice, and David can tell he’s about to get yelled at.

“Give me a minute to explain before you get angry, okay?  You’re going to be using the chair for a while more, even best-case scenario.  And my dad and Stevie can’t run the store much longer.  You’re bored out of your mind being home all day, and - I really think this could work.”

Patrick shoves himself up and off of David, awkwardly propelling himself to the other end of the couch.  “I am pretty bored,” he says, a little bitterly.  “But it’s a waste of money to make changes to the store for me.”

“It’s absolutely not.  And anyway, the store is doing very well this month, as you know.  I think people are coming in to gossip with my dad and then they get guilted into buying things?”  Actually David thinks they’re coming in out of morbid curiosity, to see if Johnny has screwed around with David’s vision, but that’s almost what he said.  “We’ve got the cash.  And I found a nice piece to use as the counter-top.  It’ll be a two-level table which can work for either sitting or standing.  Jake put together a mock-up, he won’t charge us until we give him the go-ahead.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Patrick,” David scoots closer to him, nudging at his leg with one hand.  “Is it really the cost that’s bothering you?”

The tips of Patrick’s ears color with embarrassment.  “You know it isn’t just that.”

Patrick doesn’t like people seeing him in the wheelchair.  They both know it, and David isn’t going to force him to say it.

“You could just come help after hours,” David says calmly.

“But that’s pretty stupid, isn’t it?”  Patrick says, looking down at his legs.  “I shouldn’t be embarrassed.  I need to get over it.”

David leans closer, wrapping his arms around Patrick’s shoulders and tucking his head in next to his.  “You don’t <i>need</i> to get over it.  But if you started going out more, it might get less awful.  And then you might feel less trapped.”

Patrick turns towards him.  “Trapped?”

“If I suddenly had to rely on someone else anytime I wanted to leave the house, even if it was you, I’d feel trapped.”

“I still can’t drive.”

“There are adjustments we could make to the car, we talked about-”

“Absolutely not,” Patrick says, his voice rising.  He takes a deep breath and when he speaks again, he’s working on staying calm.  “We talked about that, it’s expensive and drastic and – and I really don’t mind you driving me around.  I don’t feel trapped, exactly.  But I guess I am a little… lonely.”  Patrick’s gaze flits to David’s and then away.

“You don’t have to look so guilty when you say that,” David says, pushing down the twinge he feels at Patrick’s words.  “When you decided to spend the rest of your life with me, you didn’t mean <i>only</i> with me.”  David takes Patrick’s hand and squeezes it.

“Still feels kind of mean to say it.”

“Look, I get out of the house all the time – I visit vendors, I stop by the store and critique my dad and Stevie, I chat with Twyla and half the town while I’m waiting for our take-out at the café.  If I was stuck in here all day long with you every day for weeks on end I’d be going a little stir-crazy too.”

There’s a beat, and then Patrick says, “Nice thing to say to your injured husband.”  David welcomes his teasing tone with an internal cheer.

“You can be kind of a lot,” David says, straight faced.

Patrick barks out a laugh, and David swoops in and smacks kisses against Patrick’s smile.  

*****

They’re in bed one night, watching some random Marvel movie on Patrick’s laptop, when David feels the mood change.

Patrick is lying with his head on David’s chest, one arm draped over his waist.  And he’s moving closer, shifting against him, so tentatively David almost doesn’t notice.

David glances down at him, and Patrick looks up, his eyes flitting to David’s mouth.  

“Getting tired of the movie?”  David asks.

Patrick feigns nonchalance, and David feels a thrill of excitement shoot through him.  They’ve played this game before.

“If you are,” Patrick says.  “I mean, I’ve seen it before.”

“Mmm, and I never need to see it.”  David closes the laptop and puts it on the bedside table.  When he looks back at Patrick, his big brown eyes are wide.  “Patrick?”

“Yeah?”  Patrick says.

“You wanna fool around?”

Patrick’s face goes on a journey that David wishes he could preserve forever, from nerves to determination to aroused excitement.  “Oh god, I really do.”  He surges forward and kisses David, one hand cupping his cheek, his whole body pressing close.

David lets out a moan that would be embarrassing if he so very much <i>did not care</i> right now, reveling in the feel of his husband’s body warm and longing against his own.  They kiss with abandon for a few minutes, all tongue and no finesse, Patrick’s hand in David’s hair and David holding on to Patrick’s shoulder.

“Can I take this off?”  Patrick breathes out, tugging at David’s t-shirt, and soon both their shirts are off.  They move back together, skin touching and sending sparks though David’s body.  David is sensitized all over, shivering as Patrick scratches at the hair on his chest and thumbs at his nipples.  David skims his teeth along Patrick’s jaw and sucks at a spot behind his ear, making Patrick whine and thrust his pajama-clad hips against David’s.

It’s so good, David can hardly breathe.  He runs his hand down Patrick’s back to his ass, giving it a squeeze and encouraging Patrick to continue his thrusts.

Patrick’s panting into his ear, his hand clutching at David’s side, but then his breath catches and he stops.  Just stops.

David freezes, breathing hard, and rests his forehead against Patrick’s while he wills himself to remember how to think.  He knew this could happen, he’s played this scenario over in his head a dozen times.  David even thinks he knows what to do.  He just needs to listen to Patrick and make sure he knows he’s safe.

“Hey,” David says softly, sliding his wayward hands back up above Patrick’s waist.  “It’s okay.”  He shifts, easing their hips just the tiniest bit apart, and rubs Patrick’s back.  “Whatever it is, you can tell me.  It’s okay.”  

For a long moment the only noise in the room is their labored breathing.  Then Patrick presses his face into the space between David’s neck and shoulder.  “I’m sorry, I…”

“It’s okay.  Don’t apologize.  We can pause for a while, or we can stop-”

“No, I – I really don’t want to stop.”

David pulls back so he can see Patrick’s face.  “Okay.  We’ll just pause, then, for a bit.”

Patrick stares at David, and then flops over onto his back, his hand over his face.  “I haven’t been this nervous about sex since our first time.”

David hums, raising up on an elbow.  “I couldn’t tell you were nervous then.”

Patrick moves his hand and looks at David.  “You’re kidding, right?”

David laughs.  “Maybe a little.  But you were so sexy…” He bites his lip and shimmies closer to Patrick, drawing circles on his shoulder with a fingertip.  “You took my breath away.”

“I was petrified.  I had literally never touched another guy’s dick before.”

“I know.  But believe me, that is not what I was thinking about at the time.”

“Oh?  What were you thinking about?”  Patrick asks.

David pauses long enough that Patrick has to prompt him.

“I didn’t mean for that to be a hard question.”

David snorts.  “No, sorry, it isn’t, it shouldn’t be.  I was just remembering…  I mean on one hand, I spent a lot of time before that night thinking about what I needed to do to not fuck things up with you, to try to tone it down, not make you change your mind about me.  But in the moment…” David forces himself to look at Patrick, who is gazing back with earnest concern, “in the moment, all I could think of was how beautiful you are.”

Patrick blushes, and then he leans in and kisses David, warm and perfect.  “I love you, David Rose.”

“I love you too.”

Patrick kisses him again, and again, and David leans over him, one hand holding himself up and the other holding Patrick’s face, his thumb stroking his cheekbone.  He keeps his hips angled away, aware in the back of his mind that Patrick still really hasn’t given them the green light to continue.

Patrick takes the initiative after a few minutes, however, sliding a hand down to David’s hip, and giving it a squeeze.  “I, um, I want to keep going,” he says, but he doesn’t move any further.

“Is there something in particular you’re nervous about?”  David asks.  “Maybe I can help.”

Patrick gives a jittery laugh.  “I want to touch you, I want to touch you so bad, but I’m afraid my grip’s gonna be too loose, or I could have a muscle spasm and it’ll be too tight.”

“Honestly, my dick is pretty excited about either of those options right now.”

Patrick snorts against David’s shoulder, and David leans down to whisper in his ear.  “I want your hands on me, Patrick, any way you want.  I want you to touch me.  Whatever feels good to you, I promise it’s going to feel good to me.  You’re not going to do anything wrong.  And if you change your mind, we’ll stop.  Anytime.  Okay?”

“Yeah,” Patrick says, “okay, yeah.”  Patrick pulls David’s head down with a hand to the back of his head, and they kiss, this time letting it heat up fast with all the intensity of their pent-up arousal.  Patrick tugs at David’s sleep pants and David hurries out of them, still kissing Patrick.

“Want yours off too?”  David asks, and when Patrick nods, he carefully eases Patrick’s pants off and tosses them on the floor.  David can’t help admiring Patrick, naked and flushed, his cock hard and leaking.  He’s seen Patrick naked plenty of times, but he still takes his breath away.

“Look at you,” David says, catching Patrick’s gaze.  “You’re gorgeous.”

“Come here.”  Patrick reels David in, and David goes easily, until their bodies are pressed together from chest to groin, feet moving restlessly as they kiss.

This time Patrick lets himself go, gripping David’s ass and pressing a thigh between his legs, humming his appreciation when David’s hands weave between them and find his cock.  

“What do you want, baby?”  David asks, kissing along Patrick’s jaw and down his chest.  “What do you want?”

Patrick captures his mouth with his own, pressing his chest to David’s and shifting his hips until their bare cocks are pressed together.  “Like this?”  His voice is tight and David can tell that he’s already getting close, wound up from so many weeks without.

“Good, yeah, okay,” David scrabbles with one hand in the bedside table drawer, miraculously finding the lube without having to untangle himself from Patrick, who is thrusting against him deliciously.  “Here, let me-” He squirts lube in the general direction of their cocks, messy and wet, and feels Patrick’s hand wrapping around them both.  

David works with him, his hand over Patrick’s, both of them urgently twisting and stroking.  They’re panting into each other’s mouths, and it isn’t long before David is losing control completely.  “Oh god, Patrick, oh, please, yeah, oh, oh-”

Suddenly Patrick jerks and shudders, and he comes with a low moan.  David follows him over the edge, his body exploding in a burst of light.

“Love you so much, David,” Patrick breathes out, stroking David’s flank as he comes down.  “Thank you, fuck, god, thank you.”

“I’d say no thanks are necessary, but I was pretty amazing,” David says lightly, pulling Patrick against him and kissing his cheek.  They can pretend it’s normal, that it’s just another night of mutually satisfying sex in a long wonderful string of nights together, but they know it’s more than that.  It’s Patrick learning to trust himself again, and it makes David’s heart soar.

[cbseung]

cobblestones: modern prince hyunjin - pt 6

[masterlist]

[pt 1] [pt 2] [pt 3] [pt 4] [pt 5] [pt 6] [pt 7] [pt 8] [pt 9] [pt 10] [final]

you’ll be happy to know i decided a major plot point by asking google heads or tails

i hope you all are okay! if not that’s okay too. make sure you drink water and eat food! stray kids would want you to :)

pairings: hyunjin x reader

w/c: 1,655

warnings!: slight alcohol use :) nothing too bad only enough to make yourself dance on tables in barcelona [this statement makes sense don’t worry] (and not underaged because drinking age in barcelona is 18) [this still makes no sense hehe]

description: it’s ball prep time!!!! gotta sort out a dress, a date, AND YOUR feelings for a certain someone who must not be named! 

finally

your shopping day with hyunjin is finished!!

you walk back to buckingham with eight bubble teas

cause SOMEONE wanted to try all the flavors

that someone was you btw

“i can’t believe you made me buy you eight flavors of bubble tea”

“i can’t believe you actually did it!!!”

“you’re lucky you’re cute”

“nah i’m just lucky you’re stupid”

hyunjin rolls his eyes as he smiles and you walk in laughing when you’re stopped by felix and yeji

looking at you pretty strangely

“...hello you two...”

“HI” you and hyunjin simultaneously say

“do you want some bubble tea?? hyunjin bought them all for me!!”

“that’s a lie”

“no it’s not!”

“okay fine i did but i thought you would’ve been nice and shared them”

“me? nice? to you? have you forgotten the past weeks?”

hyunjin gasps

“are you saying you STILL hate me??” he says as he pouts, “after i bought all this bubble tea for you??”

“well i mean.. you’re up 5 points in my book”

“5 points??????? i should be more!! why are we keeping score in the first place!?”

you and hyunjin continue to tease each other as felix and yeji share that look

“you guys look pretty friendly”

“us? friendly? HAHAHAHAHA” you and hyunjin say

“uh huh.. y/n can i.. talk? to you?”

“course felix! what’s up my dude”

“hey so i was talking to yeji.. and she said i should take you as my date to the ball!”

oh

oh?

your heart didn’t flip

you don’t feel like a middle school girl who got asked to the dance

in fact all you feel is excitement that you’re able to go to the ball with your best friend

you squeal in excitement

“yay!! you do know this means you’re gonna have to keep me company throughout the night”

“would not have it any other way”

you talk to felix about the dress that you’re gonna buy and how his tie HAS to match your dress and you HAVE to look like the best because there’s a LOT of people you need to impress

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

you force yeji and felix to go to the dress store with you because you’re indecisive

“y/n YOU HAVE TO GET THAT DRESS”

“aw really?”

“YES IT’S GORGEOUS AND LOOKS SO GOOD ON YOU”

“yeah y/n it’s gonna knock people’s socks off”

“EEEE THIS IS SO EXCITING! yeji!! now we have to find your dress!!”

so 100 dress try ons, 4 bananas milk teas, and 1000 complaints from you and felix later,,,

“god yeji you look good in everything just PIcK one”

“L I S T E N i NEED to DRESS to impress!!! and after that dress you bought we NEED to look like we’re unstoppable powerful women!

“YEJI SHUT UP YOU’RE GORGEOUS BUY THAT ONE IT LOOKS BETTER THAN THE OTHER 99 YOUR TRIED ON”

“you know what? you’re right! i’ll buy this one”

you and felix share a “oh my god thank god this literally took 500 hours” look

“y/n, felix,, i think it’s gonna be a night to remember”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

so like

the ball isn’t until a month away

there was a lot of planning that had to be done

and yeji and felix SO willingly helped because apparently they have an eye for these things

to your convenience （♯▼皿▼）

who are you gonna hang out with now?????? you think to yourself

“hello hello my pretty pretty pumpkin pie”

ah

right

“hyunjin!!!! you’re hanging out with me today!!”

“okay!”

“okay?”

“yeah! why wouldn’t i?”

“no it’s just.. never mind that was easier than i thought”

“i like hanging out with you!”

“if it makes you feel better yeji and felix are too busy with ball stuff so they couldn’t hang out today”

“well, third choice is better than not being a choice at all! even though you were my first choice”

"ah stop it!! >:(”

“never! anyways what’s your plan”

“... we can go to all the coffee shops again”

“WHAT is your infatuation with me and coffee?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I JUST WANT COBBLESTONE COFFEE AGAIN LET ME LIVE”

“OKAY FINE”

“oooooH and we can go sightseeing!! i wanna see those cute houses i see online all the time!!”

“anything for you princess”

> < you stuck your tongue out at hyunjin

ah too bad though

you missed one of those genuine hyunjin smiles™

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

this ball planning stuff goes longer than you expected

you spend a lot of your days in hyunjin’s company

and you’re.. enjoying it?

uh oh no no

“YEJI I MISS YOU CAN WE GO DO STUFF”

“why? you seem like you’re having a lot of fun with hyunjin” she says as she eyes you suspiciously

“i mean.. WE’RE JUST FRIENDS”

“mmhmm”

“I SWEAR!! IT’S NOT LIKE I THINK ABOUt his cute nicknames for me and how he laughs at me every time i drink coffee because i drink it too fast and end up burning my tongue and he laughs at how pouty my face looks and the super cute mole on the bottom of his eye BUT I SWEAR WE’RE JUST FRIENDS” you rant

“...y/n-”

“just. friends.”

“who’s just friends?” you hear hyunjin ask beside you

“bro oh my you just gave me a heart attack” you say

“oh? a heart attack because of my charming looks?”

“what do you want from me???”

“ah i don’t hear denial”

“HYUNJIN”

“okay! okay! pack your bags! we’re going to spain!”

“DUDE”

“DUUDE”

“I HAVE NO MONEY FOR THIS”

“WHAT PART OF ‘HEY I’M A PRINCE’ DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND”

“YEJI HELP” you exasperate as you turn to your best friend

yeji raises her eyebrows and says

 “spain? sounds fun! y/n you should go”

“BUT-”

“you heard her!!! let’s go!” hyunjin says pulling your arm

how do you keep getting yourself in these situations?

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

so you and hyunjin jump on a train to barcelona

“i can’t believe we’re here”

“well you better believe it princess! now, first things first.. coffee on cobblestone streets?”

“ah look at that! you know me so well”

you and hyunjin spend your day in barcelona walking around and sightseeing

“ah hyunjin take a picture of me by that building!!”

“y/n, you made me take about a million pictures now”

“it’s not my fault you have a talent!”

hyunjin GASPS, “oh? a compliment? from great y/n?? i am not WORTHY”

“oh look! now WHO’S dramatic!” you say as you roll your eyes and smile

you and hyunjin stop at a small but lively restaurant for dinner and 15 tapas and 3 glasses of wine later and you’re dancing on the floor in the middle of the small barcelona restaurant

“come on hyunjin!! dance with me!!!!” you yell

“y/n you’re drunk!”

“i’m not! i swear! now come on!” you say as your drag hyunjin on the dance floor

“uGH fine!” he says smiling

badump

oh?

what’s that hyunjin feels as he looks at you having the time of your life?

dancing like you don’t have a care in the world?

like you’re having genuine fun and experiencing genuine happiness?

“oh you’ve GOT to be kidding me” he thinks to himself

but how can he? when he just realized 

that his feelings for you might be something a little more than friends?

oh no 

oh god

“hey y/n? we should head home”

you pout

you were having so much fun!

“but hyyyuunnjiinnnniieeee” you say, still with your killer pout

“no buts!!! i can’t even take you on the train! i guess we gotta get a hotel for tonight”

“yaaaay!!!! sleepover!!!!” 

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

 through hyunjin’s many many princely connections, you guys have no problem getting a hotel

“weeeeee!! this bed is so comfy!”

oh! did i mention that the hotel you’re staying at only had one (1) bed?

your hotel only has one (1) bed so you know what that means

“nuh uh you’re taking the floor” hyunjin tells you

“b-but”

“no buts”

hyunjin was half joking

i swear

he just wanted to get a reaction out of you

listen

you’re an emotional drunk

so naturally 

you just start crying

“but but”

“hey woah no i was kidding we can BOTH take the bed!! or if you want i’ll take the floor!!! just stop crying i’m sorry” hyunjin freaks

even drunk you were still aware of what’s going on and you weren’t about to let hyunjin sleep on the floor 

that’s crazy

“no it’s okay let’s share the bed!”

“oookay...”

so you and hyunjin get in bed in to your respective sides 

“good night jinnie” you murmur

“...good night princess”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

the following day..

you try to forget the fact that you got wine drunk 

and instead try to figure out why your pillow feels so hard?

like it doesn’t feel like a a pillow

...

wait

why is your pillow moving up and down

why is your pillow breathing

is your pillow haunted????

(a haunted pillow? really?)

as you move your head up to see,,

you were greeted with a peaceful sleeping hyunjin

a pretty hyunjin

with his bedhead!

and your head on his chest

and your arm around his waist!

oh so that’s the thing you were hugging

..

....

.. 

naturally you jump up 

you were just sleeping on your enemy but not really anymore i guess ‘s CHEST

NICE GOING

“y/n?”

“OH HAHA H-HI U-UM SORRY G-GO BACK TO BED” you say, refusing to look at his face 

“did you turn up the air conditioner? why’d it get cold all of a sudden?”

“I D-DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT”

“hey also did you feel something on your chest? like i felt like someone was laying on me”

now THIS makes you look up 

in confusion

and you’re met with a smirking hyunjin

“i-i’m gonna go order breakfast now!” you say as you walk out of the room

hyunjin flops back on the bed

“ahhh.. what am i gonna do with you?”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇

a/n: hehehehehehehheehehehe

[mcnished]

So last week De Limburger published a pretty great interview with Robin Frijns, so I tried to translate it. Short warning, I’m no professional translator so the translation won’t be perfect. It’s a long one folks, so get yourself some coffee because you’ll need it. All the credits go to the original author, except for the translation, which is mine. 

Robin Frijns puts past behind him: “Formula 1 was very unfair for me.”

Yes, he admits he had been jealous when Max Verstappen rapidly broke through in Formula 1. Why didn’t he get the chance? But Robin Frijns has put the past behind him. “Sometimes I think: would Formula 1 have made me happy? All those fake friends, everyone trying to profit from your success.”

Right in the hallway of his lily-white, freestanding house in Lanaken, a little across the border at Maastricht, it becomes clear why Robin Frijns (28) was accredited with a bright future in Formula 1. His biggest trophies are displayed like a hall of fame, won on circuits across the globe. With his status as a future racing talent, he was standing on the doorstep of the pinnacle of motorsport, even before the rise of contemporary Max Verstappen, but nonetheless, his dream was shattered. A sensitive subject matter which we, so we guess, could best wait to discuss until the ice is broken. But we’re barely seated when Frijns opens it up himself, determined to clear the air. 

Press agency ANP published in 2012, right before you were testing a car with Red Bull, an interview in where you proclaim that “Red Bull drivers are treated like dogs”. You contest that you’ve never said that. 

“That story is completely false. The conversation with that journalist took place two weeks earlier, over the phone. He screwed me. He wrote down things I’ve never said. I spoke to him once, after that never again. I’m still waiting for him to call. No, I won’t say his name.”

Did he put the words in your mouth?

“No.”

Did he make up stuff?

“Yes. Look, Red Bull has always been known for quickly putting aside drivers if they didn’t perform. Dropped. But that’s the truth, everybody knows that. Every once in awhile it isn’t fair, that depends on the situation. That came up in the conversation, but the word ‘dogs’ was never used. I have friends who were at Red Bull. Okay, they have had it rough, but it’s thanks to Red Bull that they’ve come so far.”

What would you like to change about yourself?

“That people who don’t know me get a better idea of who I am. That image was created in the past. I’ve been with Audi for years, if they didn’t appreciate me, I would’ve been long gone.“

What was the last time you cried?

“Good question. (long silence) When my dog died, in 2012. His name was Bikkel, a Bordeaux Dog. He was only three years old. In the morning I found him in his kennel, a heart attack. Cold as ice, stiff, I’ll never forget that.”

What do you regret?

“I regret that I’ve trusted people too easily, managers for example. I didn’t have the right people around met at the right time. One manager once demanded three ton from me. He lost that case. I recently ran into me, he shook my hand. What I think when that happens? Absolutely nothing.”

Who would you like to spend 24 hours with?

“Ayrton Senna. He always said how it was, was passionated, loved his country. He never forgot where he came from. Some people compare himself to him, like Hamilton. Senna stayed himself, Hamilton didn’t. I appreciate his driving skills, not his personality.”

Are you still being haunted by that publication?

“Yes, still. That stone started rolling and it feels like it has never really stopped. For some, it’s rolling still.”

If you’re so convinced about being right, why have you never taken action?

“If so, I, a layman from motorsports, would have to take it up against a journalist of ANP. Against such a big corporation.”

You didn’t have any good experiences with Bild, the biggest tabloid of Germany, either. 

“My manager at the time had contacts there. He let them record that I’m so difficult to work with. That hurt me even more than the whole Red Bull story. We split after that. Later teams said to me: “you are so difficult”. Where is that coming from, I thought. That image caused a reluctant effect on people who didn’t know me. Only after I’ve tested for them, did they know who I really was.”

How do you describe yourself? 

“I don’t like dishonesty, I can’t work with it. I’m very direct. Say what I want to say, but always based on something. And I never show myself when I don’t know someone. That’s a disadvantage... I have to get to know them first.”

You’ve been a test driver for various F1 teams in the years following that infamous ANP piece, but you never got a real chance. Why didn’t it happen?

“De F1 world was very unfair for me. At certain moments I drove faster than the drivers who did have a seat. Like Hülkenberg. Or Ericcson. But I didn’t bring millions. Others did. They shook my hand and I could leave. How unfair is that? I didn’t feel appreciated. That’s when the joy vanished. Compare it to football: if you move from Ajax to Barcelona, but you spend the whole year on the bench, what did you gain?”

Did you ever try to get those millions yourself?

“I have tried to play the game, but I missed the background in that world to achieve it. There were businessmen with interest in F1, but they all came from above the rivers. They didn’t see me as Dutch. Because I’m from Maastricht.”

Did your reputation play a part in this?

“People in business don’t read that stuff. It’s about investments, I think. “

How long did you need to process this broken F1 dream?

“At least two years. I just wasn’t feeling well. Constantly annoyed.”

Did you have someone to cry with?

“No, I did it on my own. My father struggled a lot, he’s just like me. He felt that injustice as well. Support? My parents have always supported me, up to a certain point.”

Are you guys talkers?

“A little. I’m from a family who isn’t involved with motorsport at all. The whole family loves football, my brother played for MVV [Maastricht’s football club]. I rolled into that world, without knowing where I’d end up. My father is a real businessman in the steel industry. He doesn’t understand the racing world.”

Not long after you Max Verstappen rose through the ranks, at lightning speed. He’s a world star now. Don’t you think: this could have been me?

“Of course, yes. I have never driven against Max, so I can’t say who’s better. That comparison is bullshit. But I certainly would have been at the same level as Max.”

Are you jealous of his success?

“Maybe a bit in the beginning. But not for the last three, four years. There’s always a pro and a con. I talked to him a few times. I don’t have anything against Max, amazing how he’s doing, a lot of respect. Especially for his dad, I know him much better than Max. But I don’t know if I want to be in the position he’s in.”

Why not?

“I want to be free in the things I do. If I were Max. I’d live in Monaco. Something I absolutely do not want. When I’m home, I want to be home, close to Maastricht. If I were at Max’s level I wouldn’t be able to go to a terrace, drink coffee in peace. That’s the flipside. Of course, at the track, a lot of people come to you, nothing wrong with that. But at a certain point, especially after a shitty race, you think: please leave me alone. 24/7 attention, it would drive me crazy.”

You currently drive in both Formula E and DTM. Does that give you enough satisfaction? 

“I joined Audi three, four years ago. That’s when it started to go better. They really appreciate me, they know me and they work well with me. With DTM and Formula E, I’ve found the fun again. The future? I want to be competitive, that’s the most important thing. When I’m 36 or 37 and I notice I’m no longer competitive, I’ll retire.”

Sustainability is a big theme nowadays. Do you think Formula 1 will merge with Formula E? 

“I think Formula E will fight Formula 1. But they can’t compete yet. FE has only existed for six years, F1 for almost seventy. Although I see that a lot more racing becomes electronic. You have Moto E, rallycross E. If you ask me now whether it has a future, I’d say yes. But maybe it will be different in ten years.”

Does idealism play a part in your choice for Formula E?

“That’s the same thing as not eating meat because you’re against animal cruelty. Honestly? A little, I think. Of course, it’s more about my career. But I do see the dense smog above China. You don’t have that in Maastricht.”

Your father once mentioned on the radio that he doesn’t like it at all, that speed. Does that affect you?

“I think every parent feels like that. The worst thing that can happen to you, is losing your own child. I’m very sober about this. It’s a dangerous sport. If you crash, so be it. But it does something to you when you hear about one. When I was on holiday in Santorini this summer, I got a text from Linsey, a good friend I’ve known for twelve years. She wrote: if you do this to me, I’ll kill you. I thought: what is she talking about? When I searched YouTube, I saw that Anthoine Hubert had a fatal crash in Francorchamps. I was quiet all day. I notice, the older I get, the more it affects me. I too want kids, in the future.”

Do you have a relationship?

“I’ve been together with Maike, a German, for over a year. She is a communications officer at ABT Sportsline, the DTM team I drive for. She lives 700 kilometres away, south of Munich. We see each other every weekend, I’m happy with her. It’s a long drive, I once did it in four hours. At night. Cruise control, 300 per hour, you’re there in no time.”

Was it love at first sight? 

“No, I don’t believe in that. Win trust first, that’s how I am. If I enter someone’s house, it’s never, hey, here I am.”

And then you give all of you?

“Yes. But when someone turns their back to me, it’s over quickly with me. For me no means no. A lot of people know that. If it’s a disadvantage, I don’t know. It does have something, I think.”

Formula 1, is that book closed for good? 

“If I could prove myself at a decent team, with a multiyear contract, I would consider it. But if I would want it? I don’t know. Sometimes I think: would Formula 1 have made me happy? All those fake friends, all those people who try to benefit from your success. No, that doesn’t make me happy. I know who I have now. Parents, friends, my girlfriends. People who only want what’s best for you. People who value you. If you’re world-famous, those are hard to find. 

[dwindledglow]

── ✰. ┊HEADCANONS.

01 › FAMILY & BACKGROUND

one. in spite of the picture perfect marriage and the pretty image of a loving family whose lives are based on unity and trust, estela’s family isn’t particularly close. in fact, her parents don’t even live together or reside in the same country. giorgina, commonly known as gio, resides in cassis in the french riviera - where she’s been for four years now - and continues to work as a fashion stylist and fashion critic for some highly regarded brands and magazines, while miguel resides in their family mansion in barcelona and continues to control and lead the family’s business. it’s been this way for as long as estela can remember ; summers spent in between sitges and saint tropez, doing half of her education in barcelona and the remaining in paris before becoming an adult and moving to new york, visiting mom on spring break and dad at some point in the summer, playing pretend at christmas parties and social events. yet, despite the mild estrangement, estela has never felt unloved, ignored or abandoned. she continues to play her role as the golden child and refrain from inquiring her parents about the lifestyle they lead — or why neither of them would request a divorce and would rather keep a failed marriage on going just for appearance.

two. estela comes from money. you can go down generations and generations down on the family tree and you’ll have a hard time finding someone who wasn’t filthy rich in there. her grandparents on her mother’s side are aristocrats, people in a position of power with whom estela has never bothered establishing a deeper connection. from the little she knows, it would be worthless to do so as their ideals and ethics differ massively from her own. miguel’s, her father’s side of the family, have always been more open-minded people who have always invested their time and great chunks of money into organizations and associations that helped a variety of causes — those are lessons and ethics estela has kept. she recognizes her privilege and the fact her bank account is, in many ways, what feels like an unending resource of money and she’s aware she wouldn’t ever have to move a finger for the rest of her life if she so pleased but instead of allowing herself to splurge and lead a luxurious, extra lifestyle, she pledged to continue to work to support herself and only ever spend more than necessary in something she will truly value in the future.

three. every year, on december 27th, as an in-between christmas and new years, her family throws a massive event for all the company’s employees & respective families, their closest (read over 500 people who her parents need to be reminded of their names) friends and family. it’s one of the most overwhelming days of the year for stela and, wasn’t for the fact it’s the only change she gets to see everyone in the family — seeing as a family brunch follows on the 28th — she would absolutely dread it and everything that comes with it.

four. her relationship with her mother isn't always as amazing as it looks from the outside. the girl loves her dearly, going as far as saying her mother is her favorite person, but the truth is, often times, if stela doesn’t make the effort to reach out, gio won’t either. growing up, gio only ever wanted estela to be perfect — look at what you eat so you don’t put on unnecessary weight, please go and change into something appropriate, watch out how you behave - this is a very important event, why didn’t you score the highest mark?, you should see the hairstylist to fix that lifeless hair. for giorgina, love and affection wasn’t the most important to give a child - discipline and a perfect image was. image all the woman has ever relayed and cared about, and quite possibly one of the reasons why she not only ruined her marriage, but has managed to make her own daughter grow more and more distant from her.

02 › SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY

five. as you would expect from the golden child, estela did exceptionally well in school despite the bumpy road moving schools and countries. she always excelled at most subjects despite not being particularly passionated about any specific field of study. she was the type of student you’ll see reaching for the material first, taking perfect notes and reviewing them right as they got home, while being very much hands on and striving to learn more and perfect what she was taught.

six. the move to france was brutal and a very rocky time for the girl, even if she has never showcased it or tried to make a big deal out of it. whenever miguel would call and ask if she was okay, she would answer with a perfect answer that relayed how she was doing amazingly, as per usual. whenever gio questioned her — and it wasn’t often — she made sure to display her good grades and panoply of friends to make her believe nothing was wrong and the move had been just fine. reality was different and she spent nights silently crying on her room, battling demons and an overwhelming anxiety, battling the voices that kept mocking her and reminding her that she wasn’t good enough in anything she did. 

seven. estela has only ever really dated two people, despite all the guys she’s been associated with. angel, the first one, she doesn’t even consider as dating since it was a child’s thing and they ended up separating after two months when the summer ended and school begun again. oliver, who she met while on high-school in france, was exactly the kind of guy her family would expect to see her with. well-educated, good mannered and charismatic, the brit had been the most pleasant breath of fresh air when stela met him. a sporty guy who was aiming for a scholarship in the states once high-school was done but still excelled at every other class, your typical prince-charming, at least, until he showed his true colors and ended up being the biggest disappointment of her life. turns out oliver really did wanted estela, but he also wanted marie and lily and sarah from back home and sade from the summer holiday... his motives to get on with stela consisted on the fact she would be good for his image and she was truly quite the catch, the full-package as he chose to put it — words that haunt her to this day — and when things didn’t exactly work as he pleased, oliver decided to dump stela in front of the whole school and make it the most humiliating experience by spreading rumors left and right about her and their past relationship.

eight. her choice of a degree has been majorly criticized by her mother’s family (and silently applauded by gio, herself). to begin with, they think it’s not acceptable such a bright young woman wouldn’t pick an ivy league school and then, she should’ve sought something more prestigious than a career in film and television. what are you going to do with that anyway? for her to not pursue a career in engineering or medicine or law is an insult for her family and for stela to pick something in the creative, art area — something so far from what the family’s business revolves around — is almost a disgrace to the vázquez name. likewise, the disapproval extends to her choreographer career and the fact she teaches dance classes. if she ever wanted to pursue something within the area, she should’ve naturally dedicated her whole life to being a prima ballerina and being featured in something worthy on broadway or a good ballet company — not contemporary dance or teaching at some unknown studio in new york. 

nine. family disapproval asides, estela is the happiest she’s ever been with her choice of majors and the opportunity to work in the dance industry, even if it’s not on a large scale. she couldn’t feel more thankful she gets to combine her passion for film and television with her passion for dance and teaching. often times, and courtesy of the way she was raised, she feels like an impostor and a fraud, like she doesn’t deserve her life or the opportunities she has, but when she looks at the bigger picture and can beat this feeling, she genuinely does think she’s the happiest and most free she’s ever been in her life.

03 › BITS & BOBS

ten. estela is a chameleon and a hurricane, all combined in one. she can make you believe she’s a saint and the next minute shake you up with her bold and blunt comments. that stems from years of being taught how to behave and how to mask her feelings and thoughts, her true self, just match the picture perfect image she exudes. she’s not afraid to say what she thinks — and boy, is that a lot sometimes — and she’ll check you right into your place if you try to step her down. on the same line of thought, she isn’t the pure soul her family likes to paint her as ( and they know it too ). she’s not afraid to voice what she wants and get what she wants, and whereas she’s always morally correct, she doesn’t mind turning tables when need calls for it.

eleven. she has two dogs and a cat. chai, a cream & white colored maltipoo, tofu, a cream & white shih tzu x poodle mix and shimi, a scottish straight cat. her life never allowed her to have pets before ( neither did her mother ) so estela took advantage of having moved to new york to get shimi, her first ever pet, and when she turned nineteen, her father gave her tofu as a birthday gift. she adopted chai in the beginning of the year.  

[mcrcelo]

   ○○○ —   I’ll Be The Father You Never Were   — ○○○

Marcelo's head ricocheted against the ceramic floor causing stars that would usually glaze the night sky to dance in his line of vision. The last thing he saw before complete darkness was his father's fist charging at him like an angry bull.

02/18/2019

A choking gasp racked through Marcelo’s chest, forcing him to bolt into an upright position and frantically scan his old bedroom. He finally found the concerned gaze observing him from the frame of the door. “When did you get in and why are you watchin’ me like I’m one of ya brizzas?” His brother E.J  ignored him, striding further into the room. When he reached the foot of the California king-sized bed, an uneasy grimace played upon his wide lips.  “You still have those nightmares?" There was no point denying the obvious, so Marcelo nodded slowly before changing the subject. “You didn’t have to come, EJ. I know you have a game tomorrow and Barcelona needs their best midfielder if they got a chance at winning against the Lyons.” 

“And I’ll be there, but I wasn't going to let you face him by yourself without backup. Mami and Aiyana were tossing bottles of Chateau Petrus back like it was Wray & Nephew when I got in this morning. Yanna told me how you went all postal so I thought it was best if they had a girls day. They didn’t need to deal with pop after that.” Marcelo’s eyes dropped from E.J at the disappointment evident in his brother’s voice. “I just been tossing ah pebble of my fury at a lake, letting my rage turn into ripples at the wrong people, pero te prometo que no volverá a suceder. Marcelo assured moving off the bed and slipping into his Balenciaga slides. “I know it won’t, but you still need to get that under control. It’s not good for you or anyone else’s health.” E.J said as he wrapped an arm around Marcelo's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. “He’s here isn’t he?” His brother wasn’t the type to show physical affection unless it was absolute. "Yeah, he got in about two hours ago. Juanita had the staff serve him breakfast so you could get a little more sleep. We both figured you weren’t in a rush to see him. He's waiting for you in the billiard room with Uncle Alberto." Though he was haunted by one of the many dark memories that would penetrate his dreams,  Marcelo was thankful for the three hours of sleep he managed to get. His night consisted of Bonita assaulting his eardrums when he finally made the effort to call her. “Me gustaría hablar con mi hijo solo,” Eliseo spoke after Marcelo and E.J made it to the right wing of the house. "Anything you have to say to him you can say in front of me." Eliseo's impassive expression didn't falter, but Marcelo caught the scorching stare E.J received. He gave his brother a nod, letting him know it was okay.  They held each other’s gaze before E.J sighed. “Alright, I’ll be down the hall,”  He informed as he started towards the door with Alberto following behind. Eliseo wasn’t into formal greetings unless a check is involved. He was about business, and that’s exactly what he got down to once they were alone. "I already have my people looking into the leak. Whoever is responsible will be dealt with accordingly. What I need you to tell me is how you could be so stupid, huh? When she told you she was pregnant, you should’ve come to me instead of taking matters into your own hands. I’m sure her parents would have agreed bringing a child into the world at your age wasn’t a good idea, especially with how dysfunctional you all relationship were. Do you even know if it really is y—”

“Her name is Xiomara, not it,” Marcelo growled, his father instinct kicking in which Eliseo merely scoffed at. "How do you know Xiomara is your child?  Zyla really went out of her way to hide Xiomara from you when you were already aware she was pregnant, why not just tell you she decided to keep it?  I mean,  you didn’t do that well of a job hiding your infidelities and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It'd be easier to put this responsibility on the person who she was publicly with at the time. Her family could handle this kind of backlash better than their daughter taking on the label as a —”  

"You're kiddin', right?” Marcelo interposed, “My past is dirtier than one of Uncle Alberto's whorehouses and most of it is out for the world to see. If I was Zyla, from the type of family she comes from, the last thing I would do is pin a baby on me. Besides, I bet they’ve seen the video of you draggin' my mother out of that elevator like she was a rag doll. Let’s not forget abuelo made headlines when he straight up murdered your mother. Dig deep enough, and they might just find that police report you made disappear on how you almost took mines out as well. Yeah, we got dough outta our asses, but that doesn’t make up for what our family is known for. I wouldn't purposely want anything like that attached to my name. Drop that Maury Povich show you’re trying to kick up because it doesn't make any sense." He retorted through clenched jaws. Marcelo didn't know why he felt the need to take up for Zyla's honor against his father's accusations. Of course, his feelings for her were as volatile as their relationship was. He knew he loved her, but he hated how they couldn't be together. She came from respectable people and she had a future that Marcelo wasn’t sure he would live to participate in. Plus, he couldn't allow her to be strangled by his or his family's scandalous reputation. Unbeknown to most, he had intentionally sabotaged his own relationship. Too selfish to give up the only thing that made him happy at the time, he’d push Zyla until she had enough; Marcelo just didn't expect they would end on her being pregnant and him almost attacking her over the fate of their unborn child. Eliseo’s eyes blazed with animosity, his stony persona dropping the minute Marcelo brought up his deceased mother."Just because you might have gone half on some bastard child, doesn't mean you can talk to me like you’re a man! No toleraré la misma falta de respeto como lo hace tu madre! Since you're positive that the kid is yours, how do you plan to take care of her? She didn't come out of my nutsack so I hope you don't expect me to provide for her like she did. I’ve enabled you enough to the point that you think you can do and say whatever you want!" 

“Habilitado yo? Everything you've given me has been nothing but your way of apologizing for how poorly you've treated me. Aiyana and E.J experienced your wrath, but I always got the worst of it. And you want to know why? Because whenever you look at me, it's like staring in the mirror, I'm everything you despise about yourself: the only difference between us is that I didn't sit back like a coward when my mother was getting beat as if she was a grown man.  Now stop actin’ like I’m the same eleven year old you can put through a floor ‘cause I’m not" Marcelo ridiculed, “Nah, I’ll beat ya like ah nigga on the street that owes me some funds.”  Eliseo's muscles stiffened, his head cocking to the side. “Cojones gettin’ too big for your own good, mijo.” He laughed condescendingly as he continued to instigate the suffocating tension. “You think I use to fucked you up back then? When I’m done with you now a doctor won’t be able to bring you back.” That’s all it took to set Marcelo off. He leaped forward, a demonic rage twisting his features. His brown orbs fired flames as he swung his fist against his father's jaw. Eliseo stumbled back before lunging at Marcelo, and their battle for dominance commenced. They wrestled one another against walls, the sound of knuckles colliding with bones filled the air. E.J  and Alberto charged into the room, separating the father and son. Alberto held Eliseo as E.J captured Marcelo’s forearms in a tight grip. Spitting blood on the floor as he breathed heavily, Marcelo gazed at his father with hatred. “Me and mines good without you, my nigga! You don’t gotta worry about providing a damn thing because lu’l shawty won’t even be at your funeral.” He roared as E.J hauled him out of the room. At that moment, Marcelo made up his mind. He didn’t know how but he was going to be the father Eliseo never was to both of his children. "Come on Marcelo I’m going to stop at your house so you can pack some clothes, you're coming with me back to Spain for a bit to chill out. " E.J calmed, leading him out the front door and towards his rental car.

[unsaltedbutterandwheatbread]

Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Another k-drama that I’ve never waiting for before then turns to be my favorite. I knew from long ago about this project between Ahn Gil-ho, PD-nim from Secret Forest and Song Jae-joong, writer-nim from W: Two Worlds, but I didn’t think I will falling hard in love with this drama. 

It’s not easy to tell someone what exactly the drama about. The synopsis isn’t really describing, for me, as I wasn’t interested to watch it before. But right after I watched the first episode, I could say that I love this drama. The main plot of this drama is the AR (Augmented Reality) game named “Memories Of The Alhambra”. The story starts when Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun-bin), a CEO of IT investment company, was called by someone, later we know him as Jung Se-joo (EXO Chanyeol), late in the night offered Jin-woo his game rather than sold it to Cha Hyeong-seok (Park Hoon), a friend-turns-rival of Jin-woo. He instantly checked his e-mail and flew to Granada from Barcelona right away, to meet Se-joo at the appointed place, Hostel Bonita. Arrived late at night, Jin-woo met the hostel owner, Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye) instead of the one who called him earlier.

Jump to the next important things, Jin-woo tried the game that Se-joo sent him via e-mail and that’s what makes this drama so interesting. If you weren’t sure about AR, we could taking Pokemon-GO as example. Long story short, Jin-woo finally agreed to buy this game. At the end of episode 2, I got another shocking thing: that the whole story of episode 1 and 2 were happened ONE YEAR AGO, which means the whole things were a flashback.

The drama aired its episode 3 and 4 last weekend AND THROW ALL THE THEORIES from the viewers - and mine- away. Based on episode 1-2, we know every time the user (in this case Yoo Jin-woo) defeated by the enemy, the game will be automatically log out and you have to log in again to enter the game. The knowledge we got from this rules made me wonder why Se-joo disappeared when he got shot in the train to Granada as we exactly know at that time Se-joo was in his game mode. But then again, later we know that Se-joo DIDN’T LOGGED IN to the game; He entered the game without his own consent and the exact same thing (seems) happened to Jin-woo at the end of episode 4. I don’t know if we were too detailed or what, but when the Hyeon-seok the NPC (Non-Player Character) appeared in his room, Jin-woo didn’t make any log-in sign as he usually made for logging in and out. And I’m bloddy curious how come Hyeon-seok died in the game and at the same time he died in reality and come back to the game as NPC??? Will Hyeon-seok the NPC haunted Jin-woo until he finish the game? Is the same scenario happened to Se-joo?

Whoa, I can’t wait for weekend! The first 4 episode mostly about Yoo Jin-woo and the game thing and we still unsure about the role of Jung Hee-joo other than the owner of Hostal Bonita and “owner” of Se-joo’s game, but I’m kinda sure she will be very important once she know the whole truth. Judging the preview of episode 5, seems Jin-woo know the sign when he is in game mode: a melody of Memories of The Alhambra. It could be wrong, but I’m sure starting from episode 4 the line between the virtual world and the real world becomes blurry. I hope this drama would go better and better week per week as the plot is so interesting and don’t flop in the middle of it, because I had that experience when I watched W: Two Worlds a while ago (and the fact this drama comes from the same writer). 

It’s not everyone’s genre of drama but if you are looking for another kind of k-drama or get boring with the same-plot drama, you should try this. 

[katdvs]

Author Note: I’ve been sitting on this fic for about a month and a half. I had the idea for it from a post I saw on tumblr and just had to write this. I just had no idea at all what to title it. Enjoy!

The alarm went off with the Star Wars theme filling the bedroom, Farkle Minkus stretched hos long, strong body before reaching over to pick up his phone and sliding the control to off. He took a deep breath in, more of a yawn as he looked at the time. He knew he needed to get up, be ready or the morning conference call with his London associates, yet instead of throwing back the blankets and getting up he burrowed himself more under the blankets and started checking his social media accounts.

He started to play the stories on his Instagram, first he had his friend Zay who was currently touring the country as part of the latest Dancing with The Stars tour. Lots of buzz was building that he could be pulled up as the next pro in the fall season.

His ex-girlfriend Smackle had a story next, she was at a conference in Barcelona, discussing her latest findings about social interaction. He couldn’t help but feel as light swell of pride at the clip of her speech that played.

Rolling onto his side just before the next one started he saw a video of a hotel, the red brick building only a few stories high, with a caption reading “They say this hotel is haunted!”, before quickly moving to a picture of some mountains captioned with “our view”. He glanced to see that it was Riley, he best friend, she had mentioned going on a vacation the last time they spoke, that seemed forever ago now though.

Another story came up, a similar shot of a red brick hotel. The next part played, and another view of mountains came up, strikingly similar to what he had just seen on Riley’s story. He looked, expecting to see Tristan, her boyfriend listed as the name, even though he couldn’t recall following him.

His fingers lost the grip he had on the phone as he fell to the carpeted floor after bouncing off the bed. He scrolled back as another story had started, his mouth hanging open as he saw the name, Lucas.

He flipped back to Riley’s story, yes, the hotels were the same. The views were the same.

Was this possible? Were his two friends, the former lovers on vacation at the same time, in the same place?

He ran his hand through his sandy hair, it couldn’t be possible, could it?

After all this time or them to end up in the same place like this?

Part of him wanted to call Maya or Zay, ask if either of them knew. One of them had to, right? Or at the very least Maya would know where Riley was, and Zay would of course know where Lucas was. Wouldn’t they?

No, none of them were as close as they had once been. Sure, back in high school they could all believe they would stay connected, stay close, but the reality of adulthood left Zay traveling the country, Maya never seemed to leave Brooklyn, Farkle himself was lucky if he was in the city for an entire week. Riley lived in Chicago now, the medical program she’d gotten into had led her to a Pediatric residency there. Lucas himself had also gone into medicine, not veterinary, but also Pediatrics, but his residency had him up in Boston for the time being.

Farkle’s phone buzzed with a notification that he had to get ready for his call. He sighed tossing the phone on his bed to get ready for the day. Besides, what was he going to do, get lost in watching Instagram all day to see if Riley and Lucas ran into each other? Was he going to text Zay and Maya, suck them in as well? It wasn’t like Lucas and Riley were going to run into each other, wherever they were vacationing, they were probably off on totally different paths.

Maya threw her purse down on her couch, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She could feel the burn of her tears as she stormed towards the kitchen. Again, and again, she kept setting herself up for this heartbreak, she wasn’t sure if she could continue on like this, if she had the strength to go on down this path.

She didn’t care that it was three in the afternoon, she needed a drink as she pulled out the bottle of Vodka from the freezer. She tossed some ice in a glass, pouring the icy vodka over it before she topped it off with some soda water.

The satisfying first sip forced her to stop and breathe.

She wasn’t ready for this.

She had been doing just fine as a graphic artist for a women’s magazine, she would never admit that she spent hours upon hours going over the bubble gum pink layouts for articles and content she would never read for the print edition or the web edition.

Tonight, in just a few hours her own art would be on display for all the world to see. Sure, she’d been in shows since Middle school, but this was just her. She wasn’t surrounded by other artists. This was all on her.

Tonight, she was going to find out if she could make it as an actual artist.

She’d been so nervous about this all, so scared about it all, so typically Maya about it that she hadn’t the courage to send out the invitations. She hadn’t even told her best friend, if anything she hadn’t been speaking with Riley much lately, the distance, the difference in their lifestyles had prevented it all for now.

Maybe it was for the best, at least for now, Riley would’ve dropped everything in Chicago to come, and it would’ve just added to the pressure.

Maya took another sip before sitting down on her couch, she dug her phone out of her purse. She had emails from work, but they could wait. They knew she’d be out of the office until Monday, it was the only way she’d be able to make it through tonight.

She opened Instagram, just scrolling through her feed. Pictures of people’s kids, really how were the kids she grew up with, already having kids? Here she was in the middle of the afternoon drinking.

It was only now that she realized Riley must be on vacation as she saw the stunning pictures of mountains, of a beautiful river, Riley and Tristian in rafting gear.

Maya couldn’t help it as she rolled her eyes, she had met Tristian last fall when they had come to down for Cory and Topanga’s anniversary party. He seemed nice, and he probably made sense on paper for Riley, but if Maya was honest he wasn’t Lucas and part of her, kind of thought Riley and Lucas would end up together.

She continued scrolling, wondering why so many of her friends had to post their take-out coffee, they all got the same brand, the pictures were all the same. What was this ridiculous status symbol?

She stopped when she got to another picture of a river, very similar to one Riley had posted. Instead she saw it was from Lucas. With a caption about mountain biking before a picture of him and his latest girlfriend.

Maya couldn’t help but snort at the picture of this woman draping herself over Lucas, it was the pose almost every woman he’d dated since Riley had pulled. A desperate grip on him, like they caught some sort of prize and had no intention of letting him go.

She double tapped the image, ready to move on when she noticed in the background of the selfie a white-water raft, the same colors as the one she’d seen in Riley’s picture.

Taking another sip of her drink she wondered, was it possible, had these two idiots ended up on vacation at the same time, in the same place?

Riley hadn’t called her freaking out, so perhaps it was just a coincidence.

What were the chances these two fools would end up near each other on vacation?

His day had been long, the adrenalin rush fading as he climbed onto the tour bus. One more show and he would be back in New York City. He craved the energy of the city, so drastically different then what he found in LA or on the road, and even more so from the town he’d grown up in back in Texas.

He flopped on the couch, pulling his phone out. He spent a few minutes liking tweets from people who had been at the show, retweeting some pictures before checking Instagram. He was tagged in dozens of pictures and videos. He liked them all before he looked at his feed.

Maya, his favorite snarky blonde posting pictures of her latest paintings.

Farkle posting a picture of the New York skyline mentioning that he was happy to be home again.

Zay could almost taste the pizza from his favorite parlor, he could almost smell the sweet home like scent of Topanga’s, which was always his second stop when he would return from a tour.

It didn’t help that their Instagram post was making him drool, the picture a display of his favorite cupcakes.  He could almost taste the raspberry buttercream at this moment.

He had to snap himself out of the sugary trance as he scrolled down some more.

More food, surprisingly a picture from Lucas of some barbeque he was having on vacation, but it wasn’t Chubbie’s, no his friend wasn’t back in Texas, instead was somewhere else.

He scrolled to the next picture, a selfie of Lucas holding up something that said the name of the restaurant, but something else caught Zay’s eye. He zoomed in on the picture, noticing the brunette standing in line waiting to order.

He shook his head, no way.

It couldn’t be.

He moved down the feed, a picture of Riley also on vacation, with a Sunset and mountains.

He looked around the bus, the other dancers all engrossed in their own phones, except for Shelby, a petite red head who was lost in a book.

He pulled up Riley’s story, video clips from rafting earlier in the day, the sunset, and then a little video of a barbeque place, that looked similar to the one Lucas had posted about.

He quickly went to Lucas’s story, all that was coming up for now was the sun setting behind some mountains, the sky more purple than orange, a caption saying goodnight.

Zay clicked back to his home screen, his thumb ready to pull up his contacts, but he stopped himself.

He was being ridiculous.

Besides what could he say to Maya and Farkle, “Hey, Riley and Lucas appear to be on Vacation in the same place, should we tell them?” No, it would just lead to the three of them hoping for something that was never going to happen.

They weren’t in high school anymore, life took them all, yes all of them in very different places. Even when Zay was in the city these days he never saw Maya or Farkle. He could message with them, but they never had time to catch up over a drink, let alone actually hang out.

Riley and Lucas reuniting, clearing the air, whatever needed to happen wouldn’t magically solve the distance that had grown between everyone else.

He pulled out his ear buds, slipped them in and pulled up Hulu, getting lost in a sitcom from the 90s, as he let his mind drift off as two men did some goofy dance on his phone screen, looking very proud of themselves as the studio audience cheered.

Any thoughts of Riley and Lucas drifted out of his mind for the time being.

The alarm startled Riley as she sat up straight in the bed, her heart racing as she looked around the dark hotel room. Tristan was next to her, lazily reaching for his phone to turn the alarm of. She counted to ten, trying to calm down.

Hadn’t they just gone to bed?

Why on earth was his alarm set for so early in the morning? They were on vacation for crying out loud!

Tristan rose from the bed, stretching before he turned on the light.

Riley recoiled, glaring towards him, “Tristan, it’s so early. What are you doing?”

He dropped the towel he had grabbed to take into the shower, “Getting ready babe, we’ve got an exciting last day of our vacation.”

“Next vacation I plan.” She yawned, already thinking about lazy mornings at a beach house down the shore.

Tristan came over to her, kissing her forehead, “Come on babe, this will be fun. I know it’s early, but if you really need to sleep, you can sleep on my shoulder on the way up.”

Sighing Riley threw the sheets back and got out of bed, “Fine, but I have first shower, only way I’ll wake up.”

“Deal.” Tristan pushed her towards the bathroom, waiting until she closed the door for him to pull up Instagram.

He searched the name, and there it was, pictures of the young blonde doctor and the blonde draped over them. They were here.

Tristan was positive that he and Riley had been at that same restaurant the night before.

Of all the places they could pick to vacation, it had to be here, at the same time?

He swiped out of the app, his stomach in a knot, as he said a silent prayer to let this last day go off without a hitch. If it could then the past would be behind them.

Lucas breathed in the morning air, it was clean and crisp, but also had the coating of the coal smoke for the steam engine. The depot was buzzing with activity as he looked around for his girlfriend Shelby, but every so often something would cause him to turn and lose focus.

It had been happening the entire vacation so far. He’d hear a laugh, or just have a sensation that would cause him to turn away. Yet whenever he would look it was nothing he could find that could’ve brought his attention.

Only one person had ever caused this sort of reaction, and it wasn’t Shelby.

“Here you go, Venti Dark Roast, two sugars and cream.” She was perky as she handed him the Starbucks cup as she took a sip of her own.

“Thanks.” He looked around, a chill sweeping through his body in the early summer morning. “You know, I get the mountain biking, the rafting, but you really always wanted to ride this train?”

“My Grandparents met on this train, my Grandpa was a Brakeman, and my Grandma worked in Concessions one summer. They fell head over heels in love, and I always wanted to ride it. See the views they saw every day that summer.”

Shelby was almost never a romantic like this, part of Lucas couldn’t believe it. “That’s beautiful, why hadn’t you mentioned it before?”

“You’re a guy, guys like trains, right?”

A sad smile crossed Lucas’ lips. Trains, yeah, he had a special connection to them, to his first love. “I mean I was wild about Thomas as a kid.”

“I think every guy our generation was.” She chuckled as they boarded the train to the first class car.

Lucas took it all in for a moment, the craftmanship of the wood, the elegance that surrounded them as Shelby led them to their seats. Before Lucas knew it was happening, Shelby was draping herself over him for another picture.

Why did every girlfriend he had, except for Riley do this?

He flashed his smile, knowing he’d be expected to post it on his own Instagram account.

Home.

That’s was the feeling that rippled through his body as Zay walked into the bakery. He could already taste the sweet coffee he was about to order.

Topanga’s was very much the same as it had been when he first remembered walking into it back in middle school. Sure, he was older now, and the groups of friends were different. It was still a gathering place for the neighborhood.

He wondered how many poor guys had smoothies poured over their heads by girls they didn’t want to be on dates with in the first place?

How many couples had fallen in love, how many had broken up here?

Once he had everything he wanted he settled in the back corner, pulling his tablet out of his bag as he began to read through emails before he was finally fed up with thinking about work, promotional opportunities, or whatever else people thought would boost his career.

He clicked on Instagram, scrolling through the pictures.

Maya posted a shot of one of her paintings with SOLD as the caption. He smiled with pride and quickly typed a reply.

Farkle posted a fancy meal with a caption about craving a slice of real New York Pizza.

Zay typed that he would have one for him since he was in the city.  

He sat up straighter when he saw a picture from Riley that was simply captioned “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” it was of a baggage train car in a museum.

Zay made the mistake of taking a sip of coffee as he scrolled to the next picture. A candid shot, black and white of Riley looking at the baggage car.

No caption from Lucas who had posted the picture.

The tablet was covered in the coffee that flew from Zay’s mouth.

People all around looked at him as though he was nuts.

Except one person, “You okay there?” Farkle handed him a napkin from the stack in his hands as he made his way across the room.

“Farkle!” Zay momentarily forgot what had caused him to blurt his coffee out all over himself and his electronics.

“When did you get back to town?” Farkle sat in the seat across from his old friend.

“Last night.” Zay finished cleaning up the best he could, checking to make sure the tablet worked, bringing the screen to life and seeing the picture again, “Oh boy.”

“What is it?” Farkle tried to get a look, “Is that, no, it can’t be.”

“Look” Zay scrolled up to the picture Riley had posted of the same baggage car. “I mean I saw their vacation pictures, I suspected they were on similar vacations, but the same place, same time?”

Farkle sat back in his seat, “I saw them as well.” He took a sip of his triple berry smoothie, “If it was anyone else, I would say no way, but its Riley and Lucas.”

Before either of them could say anything else the click of heels coming towards them forced them to look up at the blonde before them, dark denim jeans, black kitten heels, and a tight vintage Van Halen shirt under her blazer. “What are you losers doing here?”

“Nice to see you too Maya.” Farkle was on his feet first, hugging her.

Zay was close behind, “I needed a taste of home. What brings you here?”

“Meeting my Mom and Dad for dinner.” Maya studied her two old friends, “I feel like I only see you guys via social media these days. How did I not know you were in the city?”

“Because we never have time to make plans with each other when we’re in town.” Farkle sighed, “I wasn’t sure you even knew how to get out of Brooklyn anymore.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and when do you get off a tour bus, or you get out of meetings? Exactly, we’re all adulting and it sucks. We post these moments on our social media to brag because we’re too afraid to share it in person, to make those connections again.”

“Honey Nugget, that is way too deep, you okay?”

She looked at Zay, he always had a way of getting her that others didn’t, “I haven’t heard from Riley in a while and I’m, worried, curious, I feel like something is going on.”

“You’ve been stalking Instagram as well huh?” Farkle smirked, all of them had done it, of course they had, and yet none of them had reached out to the others.

Were they still friends?

“Of course, I have.” She sat at the arm of Farkle’s chair, “I mean if she saw Lucas, she would tell me, wouldn’t she?”

“I don’t know if she saw him, but he saw her.” Zay handed her the tablet.

Maya studied the picture, an honest moment, she wondered what Lucas thought when he saw her, did they speak, or is this the only proof they were even near each other?

Farkle looked at his friends, they didn’t have to speak but he knew they had questions, “We could call him, you know.”

“He won’t tell us anything, especially if that blonde is around.” Maya snarked before looking at the boys confused as they exchanged a look, “Oh hush.” She told them once it hit her what they were thinking.

���Mom, I’m telling you.” Auggie Matthews followed his mother across the bakery, “Lucas posted a picture of Riley on his Instagram page, they’re on vacation at the same time in the same place.”

His mother slowly spun around, an eyebrow raised, “Auggie, that sounds ridiculous. I’m sure you’re confusing Tristan’s post, also why are you still following Lucas?”

“Because Riley and Lucas are going to end up together.” He rolled his eyes, wondering why his mother didn’t get that, “Besides, Tristan is going into plastic surgery and not to do good in the world. Just look at this picture and tell me that isn’t Riley.”

Topanga sighed, taking the phone from her son, sucking in her teeth as she studied the image. It was her daughter, she couldn’t deny it. “This has to be some sort of glitch.”

“It’s not.” Farkle’s voice cut through the air, causing the duo to look towards the corner the three friends occupied, “They’ve been posting similar pictures for days, it was only a matter of time before one of them saw the other.”

Topanga pushed the phone back to her son as she took a few steps towards the trio, “What on earth are all three of you doing here?”

“We just ran into each other.” Zay shrugged, it was the truth after all, “But Farkle is right, they’ve been posting pictures from the same places.”

“Mom, they’re going to get back together.” Auggie insisted.

Topanga sighed as she looked around at the young adults in front of her, “I know you’re all hoping for them to reunite, but guys, they tried to make this work, and it didn’t. They’re at very different places in their lives, they live in different parts of the country. You all have such a beautiful friendship, and you all come together for a reason. That reason isn’t to be busybodies in your friends’ romantic lives.”

“Come on, you gotta admit their has to be a reason they’re in the same place at the same time.” Maya looked at a woman she considered a mentor.

Topanga looked at the three, she could see three very accomplished adults, with so much more for them to do and experience, “How did you all end up here, today, right now. Sometimes it just happens.”

“Mom, really?” Auggie rolled his eyes, “Whatever, Riley and Lucas will be married in like a year, trust me.”

Topanga looked at her son, “Don’t you have class?”

Auggie sighed, “Fine, but trust me on this.”

“Yeah trust the kid!” Zay smiled but it quickly faded when he caught the slightly icy glare from Topanga. “Or not.”

Farkle cleared his throat, “Just because they see each other, maybe even speak to each other doesn’t mean that they’ll have that same spark.” Even though the words came from him, he didn’t believe it. If that energy wasn’t there then Lucas wouldn’t have taken the picture.

All day long during the train ride Riley had felt this buzz of energy in the air. She and Tristan had been in one of the first-class cars, an open-air car with a glass roof so you could see everything around you.

It had been amazing the views breathtaking, they had even seen some big horn sheep.

But the air, something was charging it.

She hadn’t felt this way in years, not since…not since Lucas.

When they got off the train, Tristan immediately raced off to the gift shop. Riley instead found her way to the museum. Artifacts, pictures, bits and pieces of the past surrounded her.

The energy was thicker, as she stood in front of a baggage car that had been used in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, she could feel the air around her.

She was afraid to turn around, finally she did, sure that she had just caught a glimpse of Lucas.

It couldn’t be, could it?

She was terrified of how her heart was beating at the idea, the way she was flooded with a need to see him, she started to follow, but before she could exit the museum she was face to face with Tristan, who looked pale and flushed at the same time. “What’s wrong?”

“I just ran into Shelby, my ex-fiancée in the gift shop.” His hand ran through his short hair, “I, didn’t expect to see her, here of all places.”

Riley was stunned, she just hugged him. “Its okay.” She told him, knowing that if she had come face to face with Lucas, she would’ve felt her world shift and rock.

It was her.

Riley had been in the museum. Lucas stared at the picture for a moment, before he heard Shelby call his name. He snapped his head to look towards her, just as his thumb swiped the screen to post.

“What’s wrong?” He could feel her shaking as he wrapped his arms around her.

She burrowed her head in the crook of his neck, “Tristan is here. I saw him in the Gift Shop. I just never thought he would come here, not when I did.”

Was it possible that his ex, and hers were both here on vacation?

“Let’s go back to the room, you take a hot bath, I’ll go get us something to eat. We’ll have dinner in our room, watch a movie on cable, a nice quiet evening.”

“That sounds perfect.” Her voice skipping as she tried to catch her breath.

“Then let’s go, the hotel is less then half a block away.” He led her through the depot, down Main Avenue. The street was filled with pedestrians, forcing them to take their time.

Once they were back at the hotel Shelby immediately escaped to the bathroom, Lucas could hear the tub filling with water, so he left her behind to go get them dinner.

He didn’t go far, finding a place with a menu that would satisfy Shelby. He sat at the bar, ordered a local beer and placed an order to go.

A chill swept through his body as he looked around, his eyes settling on her as she looked at him, her mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes glossy, darting over him.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Riley reached for her beer, bringing it to her lips as she tried to think of what to say. How was this possible? “So, that was you in the museum earlier.”

“Yeah, it was.” He took a sip from his own beer, realizing now that it was possibly the same one she was drinking, “What are you doing here?”

“Tristan, my boyfriend planned this vacation. What about you?”

No. It couldn’t be possible, could it? He bit his bottom lip, gulping before he answered, “My girlfriend, Shelby, she planned this vacation.”

“Plastic Surgeon?” Riley’s eyebrow had hooked up.

“Yeah, same for yours?” He watched as she nodded, he started to chuckle, “You know this is pretty much only the sort off thing that could happen to us, right?”

She sighed, her body hanging loosely as she looked to him, “I could totally hear Maya or Farkle or Zay laughing about this. I mean gosh, I haven’t spoken to them in a long time.”

Lucas opened his mouth to protest that idea, only to realize he hadn’t really talked to them either, “I guess, we grow up, we grow apart, no matter how connected we arm.”

Riley smiled that soft smile of hers, that always got him, always melted him. “I remember one time, overhearing my Dad and Uncle Shawn talking, and Uncle Shawn was like, ‘Cory how long have I been gone for?’ My Dad thought it was this short amount of time, maybe a few months, it had been years.”

Looking down at her hands they seemed foreign to her, until Lucas took one in his. It felt so right, so pure, but also both realized how wrong it was as they released the hold at the same time.

“We should um get everyone together for the Holidays or something.” Riley told him just before the bartender came with two separate to-go orders.

“Yeah, that would be good, a little reunion, New Years Eve, the roof of your old building, or something.”

“Yeah, something.” She told him as she signed her bill, grabbing her order and dashing out.

“Riley never called to tell you she saw him?” Farkle watched as Maya moved around her apartment, a glass of wine in each hand before she handed him one.

“Never.” She sat next to her old friend, “And she has barely posted anything on social media. The only thing I’ve seen recently was something about her going to see a Knicks game, but she wasn’t in the city.”

Farkle took a sip of the wine, “I haven’t spoken to Lucas, I left a message, but he never got back to me.”

“Maybe they’re both busy, I mean they’ve got a few months left of their residency, right? Is that what they are?” Maya reached for a pretzel from the bowl on her coffee table before hitting the volume button on the TV as the room filled with the theme song from Dancing with The Stars.

“Yeah, in a few months, I think they get to decide where they’ll practice. I always thought they would both come back to New York.” His eyes watched the group number that started, “There’s Zay!”

Maya watched her friend on the screen, dancing with the other pros before being joined by his partner a former star of the show Red Planet Diaries, surely Riley would be calling soon to freak out about this, right?

When the show went to commercial Maya hit the mute button and then glanced at her phone, “Huh, looks like Lucas posted. He hasn’t posted anything since that picture of Riley, right?”

“I haven’t seen anything.” He pulled his own phone out, opening Instagram. A picture of Pappy Joe’s ranch came up, the sun setting behind the house. “Oh boy.” Escaped his lips as he read the caption.

Maya quickly pulled the app up, looking at the picture as well and then the caption. She said yes! I can’t wait to start our future together here in Texas. “Lucas is going to marry that blonde?”

“I was sure he and Riley would be back together.”

Maya downed the rest of her wine before she went and retrieved the bottle from the kitchen bringing it back and refill her glass and then Farkle’s. “This isn’t how things are supposed to be. He’s supposed to marry Riley. They’re supposed to have twins, a boy and a girl. Lucas is supposed to steal the shoes of his daughters first boyfriend. He’s not supposed to marry some plastic surgeon and live in Texas.”

Farkle was silent as Maya ranted, thoughts processing in his mind as he picked up the remote control, unmuting the tv as the show returned. Neither spoke, they watched couple after couple, waiting for Zay and his partner.

After a while Maya muted the TV, “If Riley and Lucas aren’t meant to be, then who is meant to be?”

“I don’t know.” Farkle sighed, “You and I were married in middle school, we’re not meant to me.”

Maya rolled her eyes, swatting at him, but he grabbed her hand, his fingers slipping between hers as she collapsed on top of him.

A confidence swept through Farkle he only felt in the board room these days as he pulled Maya closer, kissing her, surprised when she kissed him back.

Zay adjusted his shoulder bag as he unlocked his studio apartment. When he was in LA he kept everything as simple as possible. Trying to save as much as he could, he never knew when it would all slip away.

He dropped his bag on the futon, the same futon that had lived in his and Lucas’ dorm room freshmen year of college. He moved to the small kitchen, pulling out one of the prepared meals he subscribed to. He was tired, the live show had worn him out. Tomorrow they would start a new set of rehearsals, and he had a few ideas of how to move forward he knew none of it would matter if he didn’t get some sleep soon.

He turned his TV on, the west coast airing of the show just now began. He saw a few messages from Maya and Farkle congratulating him.

He ate as he watched the group number, scrolling through his social media while the show played on. He tried to be as active as he could, but he was exhausted when he finally pulled up Instagram, playing the stories without thinking too much of it.

Most of them were Vote for us, type things from his co-stars, and then a video came up that was different.

Zooming in on a ring, on the delicate looking hand with a caption I Said Yes! He quickly looked to see who it was, then replayed the story when he realized it was Riley.

His heart sank, the hope he’d had that she and Lucas had reconnected flittered away. She was going to marry that guy she was dating, that Tristan guy.

He put his phone down, he suspected that in a few days he’d get a save the date. He would go to New York for the party, he would drink a gin and tonic and stand in the back with Farkle and Maya, pretending to be happy for her, knowing she was making a mistake.

Zay shook his head, how could those two be so damn stupid?

They had to have seen each other, and they had to have felt something when they did.

They were Riley and Lucas for crying out loud.

“I’m not going to this.” Maya shook her head as she put on her earrings, knowing that she would be going. “I mean really, we have to go and meet Lucas’ latest little chickadee and pretend like we’re happy he’s marrying her and not Riley.”

Farkle adjusted his tie, watching Maya a smirk on his lips, “If they hadn’t been on vacation together at the same time, would you still be this upset?”

Maya turned to him, her blue eyes icy, “Yes, okay I would be upset, maybe not this upset, but this isn’t the way things were meant to be.”

Farkle sighed, “I don’t know what to tell you. If I thought we could get them back together, I would say let’s go for it. But it looks like they’ve made up their minds.”

Pulling out her phone she was about to snap a playful picture of her and Farkle when she saw a notification from Riley’s Instagram account. “What’s this?”

A picture of Riley in a Knicks t-shirt, sitting in the window of her childhood bedroom, “True Love is going to a Knicks game with me.” The caption read.

Maya’s hand covered her mouth when she saw a ring on Riley’s left hand, “They’re both morons.”

Farkle took the phone, “Wait, is she here in New York?”

“She didn’t call me.” Maya felt her jaw clenching as she fluffed her hair, “Whatever, we have to go to Lucas’ engagement party.”

“You don’t think its weird that she’s in New York same time that Lucas is?” He had a nagging feeling in his gut, something wasn’t adding up for him, he was just missing a key piece of information.

“Of course, they are! But God forbid she fall in his lap on the subway and they reunite.” Maya sighed, “Let’s just go and find out how awful this doctor is, and then move on.”

Farkle smirked, “God you’re so damn feisty, I love that about you.”

Maya looked at him, “Yeah what else do you love about me?”

“A lot of things. I’ll tell you later if you can be nice to Lucas’ fiancé.”

Maya grunted, “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, but knew she would be nice, at the very least it would be what Riley would want.

Zay made it onto the subway just before the doors closed. He grabbed the pole, watching the commuters around him. He was still buzzing on the high of having made it to the finals with his partner. So, they came in second, but it meant he could do it. His first season and he made it that far, he still couldn’t believe it.

He could hear the buzz of people around him planning their Thanksgiving Day menus, discussing the family reunions they would have.

Part of him felt guilty heading to Riley’s engagement party. She was his friend though, and if she found a man who would make her happy, a man that would treat her the way she deserved, wonderful. But this man wasn’t Lucas, so how could he be all of those things?

As the subway came to his stop, he couldn’t help but wonder what Lucas would think if he knew where Zay was going.

Reaching the street, he could feel the cold bite of the fall night, the promise of winter just weeks away as he made his way to The Plaza. He pulled his phone out checking to see where in the hotel the party was located as he stumbled into someone.

“Zay!” The voice sent a chill down his spine as he looked up at the tall blonde.

“Lucas.” Zay barely got the words out as he looked at his oldest friend, stunned.

“You look like you weren’t expecting to see me.” Lucas slapped his old friend on the back, watching as Zay stumbled forward.

“No, I just didn’t think I would literally run into you.” He fibbed, what the hell was going on? Was Lucas really here, in the Plaza, the same night Riley was having her engagement party? Dear God, what kind of joke was fate playing on everyone?

“Seriously Zay, are you okay?” Lucas questioned as they made their way through the lobby.

“I’m peachy keen, jelly bean.” Had he just said that?

#

Farkle took a moment to look around The Palm Court, he didn’t spend much time here. But the room was gorgeous, it was his mother’s favorite place to have Tea with friends when working on different charity projects.

It did seem odd to him that this party was happening in New York, why not Boston or Austin?

He already planned to apologize profusely to Lucas’ future wife for whatever Maya said, he was sure she would drop a line or two about she’d never match up to Riley.

Maya squeezed his upper arm, “If this girl is a total bitch I’m going to tell him, you know that right. I’m going to be like Lucas, head out of your ass, go win Riley back.”

Farkle shook his head, “I can’t take you anywhere.”

“You can take me to bed when this is over.” She teased.

“Promise?”

“Yes.” Maya smiled to him before looking over towards the bar, “Wait, did he have the audacity to invite Cory and Topanga?”

Farkle grabbed Maya before she could race off to her childhood best friends’ parents. “Hold up. Stop. Look around, this is not the place for a scene. If Cory and Topanga can be happy for Lucas and his bride to be, so can we.”

Maya’s mouth hung open as she looked across the room, “Riley is here.”

Farkle snapped around to look, he couldn’t believe it. Riley wore a pale purple dress, her hair up in a twist, little decorative flowers in her hair. She was beaming as she lifted her left hand to run a stray twist of hair behind her ear, the ring on her finger catching the light.

“She’s engaged?” Maya didn’t understand how she didn’t know.

“Wait, we were coming to Lucas’ party, right?” Farkle suddenly wondered if he had gotten the dates wrong, had his secretary added things incorrectly to his calendar.

“Yeah, aren’t we?” Maya let the words float out as she looked around, seeing Zay and Lucas walking in. “Why is Lucas walking in with Zay and not his blonde?”

“Why is Riley with her parents and not Tristan?”

The two looked to each other for a moment before looking back at the scene playing out in front of them.

Zay felt a bit panicked when Lucas started walking towards The Palm Court as well. He couldn’t really be going to Riley’s engagement party, could he? Where was his girlfriend?

As they entered the beautiful room, Zay saw his old friend light up, “There’s my girl.”

Zay’s eyes followed Lucas’ gaze as it fell upon Riley, his jaw dropping as he watched his two old friends move across the room to greet each other with a kiss.

Had he really just seen that?

A waiter walked by with a tray of champagne and Zay quickly snatched one, taking a long sip before he made his way over to Farkle and Maya, “What is happening?”

“I don’t know.” Farkle watched as Maya took the drink from Zay, drinking what was left.

“I told Mom it was going to happen.” Auggie chuckled from behind the trio, “She didn’t believe me, but look.”

“Auggie, what is happening?” Farkle studied the young man.

Auggie looked at the people he had once looked up to, “Wait, you guys do know that Riley and Lucas are engaged to each other, right?”

“What?” The three of them blurted out all at once.

“Maya!” Riley called out from not far away before rushing over, “Please, please be my maid of Honor.”

Maya felt Riley’s arms around her and she stared at Farkle and Zay. “I am so confused.”

Riley pulled away, “Why are you confused?”

Maya backed up, her hands in the air as she made motions with her fingers, “You were with that like creepy plastic surgeon guy. I saw the vacation pictures, and you,” she looked to Lucas who had joined the group, “And you were with that Barbie doll. But then you posted that picture of Riley and then nothing until weeks later you post that you’re engaged, and you post nothing.”

“No, Riley posted she was engaged.” Zay defended.

Before they could start fighting Lucas got in the middle of them, “You guys, we both posted we were engaged.” He looked to Riley with a smirk, “You were right, we should’ve told them instead of thinking they would put the pieces together.”

“To be fair, it wasn’t like we put both our names on the invitations for this party.” She shrugged, “It does explain why Maya never called, or any of them.”

Farkle and Zay both instinctively knew to hold onto Maya, each wrapping their arms around her middle before she lunged for her friends. “You assholes got back together and didn’t tell us? Why not?”

“We didn’t want to get your hopes up, we needed to get to know each other again.” Lucas explained as he felt Riley fit against his side.

“We needed to fall in love again, and we did.” Riley looked to Maya, “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that Farkle is cropped out of a lot of your pictures, the Sunday Brunch shots and all that.”

Farkle blushed and Maya found herself still.

“I knew it!” Zay looked at them, “I had a feeling that was going to happen.”

“I know all of us are not as close as we once were.” Riley looked to each of them, “But we’re always going to be friends, and no matter where life takes us, be it New York, or Texas, or all over the world, we always come back together.”

“I’m still mad at you.” Maya sighed, “But wait, what happened to The Plastic Surgeon and Barbie?”

Lucas chuckled, “Tristan and Shelby, um, well they eloped to Las Vegas, what the day we left Durango, right?”

“Yeah, turns out they were college sweethearts, and that vacation was something they had always planned to do together.” Riley shook her head, “And yeah, but everything worked out. Oh, and they were both plastic surgeons.”

“Yeah, they’re going to be working in Vegas.” Lucas held Riley close to him, “And Riley and I will be practicing down in Texas once we’re married.”

“Why did you decide on Texas, why not here in New York?”

“We thought about it for a long time, and we have the chance to open up our own practice, we’ll be in charge of our own hours, and we’ll be able to spend time at the ranch of course and when ready we’ll be able to start our own family.” Riley explained.

“So, we’ll be married this summer in Texas, go on a little honeymoon,” Lucas mouthed it would be Paris with a smirk, “And start our lives together.”

Before either could continue Cory came over, grabbing them, needing them to take a few pictures and see some family members.

“They’re our best friends, and you guys, we didn’t know they were engaged to each other.” Farkle sighed.

Zay flagged a waitress down and got another glass of champagne, watching as Maya and Farkle each got one as well. “We’re forever connected, life has taken us all on different paths, but when its important, we come together, we might just get a moment here and there from each other, we might at times only know what’s up because of social media, but that gives us a chance to share our lives and stay connected.”

“And gets you two the finals on Dancing with The Stars.” Maya teased.

“Or allows you to share your art with people who might never have seen it.” Farkle reminded her.

“We might need to stop and not always freak out right away.” Maya shrugged, as she looked around, “They do look happy.”

“They sure do.” Zay agreed, “So, when can I expect you two to get married?”

Neither answered him, they just took a sip of their champagne, deciding to not comment on their relationship status, maybe one of these days they would throwback a picture of the day they eloped in October.